Part I - India

Summer Solstice, Mumbai, India

On a hot, humid day in March, the city is bracing itself for another hot Indian summer. The last of the big festivals Holi is now over. It heralds the advent of spring and summer in the coastal city. Spring merges with summer in the busy Asian city - Mumbai. With the onset of summer, anyone having air conditioning is envied. Many lower middle class families cannot afford it and rely on fans to cool the heat. There are air conditioned theatres and shopping malls that provide relief from the heat and dust. One of the best ways to retreat to cooler climes within the city is the dark environs of a multiplex theatre for many citizens. It is a haven for those who still do not possess the luxury of ACs in cars or homes. Cinema still remains the number one for entertainment even in expensive multiplexes. But for an upper middle class working couple Roli and Samson, the theatre provides respite from their hectic schedules crossing many time zones. There are few days that give them solace and break from work. It is one of those days when both of them are free and can devote some time to entertainment, a luxury they afford barely once a week when Samson is in town. They drive down to catch a 6 pm show of a popular Hindi film. With still half an hour left for show time, they decide to walk down to the near by temple popularly called- Hare Krishna Hare Rama Mandir. The temple is visited by millions of pilgrims and tourists. And on weekends the numbers swell up to nearly a lakh. The entire lane leading up to the temple is full of pilgrims who are either coming out or going into the temple. For the last few years the temple gates have tight security that can get in the way of a normal pilgrimage to the temple. Irritable devotees are frisked naturally and all have to go through the metal detector before being let into the marble courtyard of the temple. Well, these are the signs of Kalyug (bad times or period before the Judgment Day) that is a permanent fixture in the city. A simple Sunday trip is now converted to a jostling for space at the shoe counter, main sanctum, Prasad counter, snack bars-all making it difficult for one to maintain the perfect mood for thinking of Lord Krishna. Once Roli and Samson manage to enter the marble courtyard, they are greeted with smiles and chants of Hare Krishna everywhere. If only the holy atmosphere was less noisy, thought Roli.  But the Sunday crowd in the temple is swelling and it is difficult even to move towards the snack counter which the couple usually frequent after taking darshan (view of the main idols) of Lord Krishna and Radha. Roli decides to look at some of the books being sold instead of going to the crowded snack counter.

A young bramhachari accosts her saying, Hare Krishna mataji, would you be interested in joining the 7-day Bhagwat Gita class starting this Wednesday?

Roli is undecided but takes the pamphlet and reads it. The topics for the course include- Question of self-existence, Goal of Life, What is Soul and consciousness, Laws of transmigration, Proof of existence of God,  Why we cannot see God, Why have faith in God, Definition of God,, What is Kaal (Time & Space),  Role of Karma, Four pillars of religion. For seven days, every evening 7-9 pm these topics will be tackled. Hmm. But who has the time to spare, Roli thinks. Maximum work comes to her around that time. That’s the time when half way across the world in USA and UK, offices open. The topics of the 7-day course are interesting and for her 31 year old mind they need to be understood.

The young brahmachari entices her saying, “The fees are only Rs.150 with a sumptuous prasad (i.e dinner) every evening after the class.

The dinner in Govinda restaurant, at the temple is famous for its 56 course meals but very expensive. The 7-day course seems exciting, especially when there will be a famed meal at the end of the day!

Roli asks Samson, “you think I should enlist for this seven day course?’

Samson is indifferent. He says, “You decide if you can fit it with your work schedule and make up your mind.” And as an after thought he added, “Don’t leave it half way, if the going gets tough.”

The young brahmachari is keen and continues to lure her as she had shown some interest. He explains, “already 62 people from different walks of life have given their names and will be attending the lectures.” Roli does not mind him hard selling. At least he is not pestering like marketing executives introducing and selling new brands to consumers. He is of course coaxing her gently to join and for her own good. Roli thinks she accommodate it in her schedule. But she says, “I will pay only on the starting day of the course. I hope that’s okay.”

Roli makes this decision knowing that her husband Samson would be traveling overseas for ten days. Joining this course would be an excellent way to pass her time alone. Besides, the free dinner was also tempting enough to learn about God and consciousness. Giving her contact details, she requested the bramhachari to give a confirmation call in the morning so that she remembered to attend. The bramhachari thanked her and went on to the next person with the same request. Samson looked at his watch and said they should go back to see the movie. It was already time for the show to begin and it would take time to wade out of the crowd.

On the following Wednesday morning Roli got a call from the temple asking if she would be attending the class in the evening and she said yes. She had made up her mind to know more. By the time she had reached home that day she had studied the pamphlet once more and now she was sure she wanted to attend all the seven days. She was glad she got the call and was looking forward to attending the first day. On a week day the temple was quieter, she noticed. Only those people who were connected to the temple or service were present inside. The security was lax but still it was bearable in comparison to the weekend crowd.  As the sun was setting, the temple was floating with men in white, yellow and ochre robes. With malas in their hands, they were chanting mantras under their breath furiously. She found it funny as though they were in a hurry to reach God. She did not realize that a few days later she too would be doing the same thing, albeit, in seclusion of her home. The noise too was fewer decibels lower all around. It was more peaceful and inviting. She was guided to the gurukul building behind the temple where the classes would begin. On the 6th floor of the school building a classroom was open. Outside shoes were strewn around. It reminded her of her own school days nearly 18 years ago. Shoes were strewn outside the classroom. Nearby sitting beside a table, the same lady (who registered her on Sunday) with a huge tilak, was selling some books saying they would help in understanding the 7-day classes. The young monk recognized Roli, smiled and greeted her with the potent mantra ‘Hare Krishna’. She thought to her self, “He had sold her the idea of attending the lectures so effortlessly. Some people bought the books that would be required in class, some walked inside to search for some plastic chairs to sit. Roli passed by the table full of assorted spiritual books and entered the classroom. She chose a vantage point from where it would be clear to hear the lecture. Soon the classroom was full and noisily people introducing themselves to each other. She had faithfully brought a writing pad to take notes. Before long, a tall bhramachari in ochre robes walked in and there was a hush. A devotee (presumably) wearing white robes followed him. He garlanded him and introduced him to the class of nearly 90 students. The lecture would be given by the bhramachari who had left his lucrative mechanical engineering job in Germany. He joined the temple heeding to his ‘inner call’ during his executive years in Bonn. Why on earth would an educated young man renounce everything and join the temple and not even clamor for citizenship in a foreign country? And to think that teens in metros like Mumbai were doing anything legal or illegal to get the coveted H1B visa in USA. In modern day India it was strange to learn that there were young men leaving material life and entering the time zone of a 5000-year-old Vedic way of life- chucking away dreams of obtaining visas to join a work culture in a western world full of material wealth and comfort. Obviously Roli was happy she had decided to learn. While Roli wondered about this the bramhachari began his introductory address. The lectures were going to be delivered in English with an invocation to Lord Krishna. The class started with a kirtan (song in praise of God). He finished the kirtan and he began talking in a cool British accent to a rapt urban audience that was skeptical about Krishna Consciousness. The lecture was interspersed with examples in Sanskrit shlokas and verses not only from the Bhagwat Gita but also other ancient texts. Now when did he get time to learn these Vedic texts along with mechanical engineering? Impressed, Roli wanted to ask him a lot of questions. She did not know weather to concentrate on his person or the lecture that he was giving. He mentioned that God sent his missionaries to Earth to keep a balance (of good and bad people if you are equally curious). These were higher spirit souls who had completed their millions of karmic cycles and were helping people to severe ties with material bondages. There are 56 such souls at any given time and they came as saints, yogis, pirs, and masts (God intoxicated souls). Roli had heard this before too. He was just endorsing the presence of these souls hovering around bad people like us and protecting good souls. At the end of the lecture, each one was given a chance to ask questions. Two hours passed by in a jiffy. Roli asked a few questions too. A roll call  (yes, a roll call!) was taken at the end and all were asked to return to class next evening a little earlier, so that the kirtan would not interfere in the main lecture. Then it was time for the free dinner. Roli had eaten many times at the Govinda restaurant and now she would be eating with her classmates. Although she had never been a boarder at school she did remember sharing her Tiffin at school. Childhood memories flooded her and she quite liked the new marble hall where she was going to sit on the floor to eat. Just to make sure that no one who had not attended the lecture came for a free dinner, everyone’s names were called out in the hall. Everyone was then guided to the main hall on the ground floor where dinner was being served. As days went by Roli went more for the lectures, not for the dinner as intended earlier!

At the end of seven days and long stretches of walks, lovely dinner and making new friends (not withstanding the animated spiritual conversations they all had) Roli had many exciting tales to tell Samson on his return from the Middle East. Without asking him she had also decided to join the one-year course at the temple starting from the next month and she urged him to join too. And how would they find the time for a yearlong course? The seven day course had opened new vistas for her.  She decided to cut down on her work to suit the classes that were going to be held every Sunday. But she wasn’t quitting her material desires for any spiritual quest. When Samson returned she cajoled him also to join. Samson was happy that Roli was now becoming normal. He had tried every way to make her forget all that had happened in their lives last year. He joined more to make her feel happy. Working from home was not Roli’s forte. Her creativity was being restricted. But this new development indicated that happiness would return in their lives.

Every Sunday morning for the next 52 weeks Roli tried to learn about the Vedic way of life and after life which would be unraveled to the uninitiated students. How would it help her and her husband evolve spiritually, was still a question mark. But surely there was a reason why they had enrolled themselves. Roli being friendly made small talk easily with the people of different age groups. She became friends with Cheenu and Nakul, another young couple who had joined the course out of curiosity. All the students came from different walks of life. Roli worked as a web content writer with clients half way across the world. Samson worked in an oil firm and traveled for research and seminars regularly. Then there was an ex air force engineer Ashok, a budding gynecologist Kiran, a young soft ware professional Praburam and a college going guy Hitesh who worked part time with his father. Between lectures a ten-minute break allowed them to interact and Roli got a whiff of their hectic lives as well. She and Samson were not the only ones complaining about the hard life they led in the metropolis. Each one had problems, despite that they made it to the Sunday class at the temple. The idea of coming back to school was also appealing to all of them. A ‘young’ grandmother, Mrs. Chopra, complained that her husband refused to let her attend classes because it interfered with his only holiday on Sunday. She said this when she had to miss one Sunday, which she hated. But her daughter in laws and her own mother in law helped her out so that she could attend the spiritual class without letting her husband know! Roli heard amusing tales of how each one experienced opposition from their families to attend the class. She was glad Samson had no objection to her taking spiritual class at all and also accompanied her at times. The young collegian Hitesh told lies to his father saying that he was going for coaching classes but he ran to come to the Vedic class instead! He never missed a single lecture! A feat he may not have accomplished in school or college or his coaching class that he never attended! Similarly the software professional who had just landed a job with a multinational company had a curious mother. She asked him, ‘Son how come you a MTV freak is interested in spirituality?’ The son longed to come every Sunday for the Krishna Consciousness classes. He faithfully bought a bottle of Bisleri mineral water for the teaching faculty. The reason being he reached class every Sunday half an hour later than the others. He lived far away and had to change a train and two buses to reach the class. He found equal happiness and peace in the temple as much as watching MTV. As far as he was concerned kirtans were on his list of top twenty as much as Billboard single top selling charts all over the world. Roli loved meeting her classmates every Sunday and everyone hated to bunk the class once they became friendly to one another. After lunch (yes they offered it as prasad to all after Sunday class), they lingered on at the temple and spoke about their lives and how the classes were making a difference to their lives. Soon it was time for the first test that everyone needed to qualify to attend lectures for the next phase of studies. Almost all passed the exams and bid goodbye to the ‘teacher’ who had taught them. Now a new teacher would be teaching for the next four months. Hopefully everyone hoped he would be as interesting as the previous one. One couple dropped out of the class before the new teacher started. The lady was pregnant. She was in her fourth trimester and could no longer attend the class. But she saw to it that she got her notes via email and her husband continued to attend the classes. Roli also sent her notes on the mail. She finally learned to revolve her life according to the Sunday class.

One Sunday the new bramhachari (formally a marine engineer) came to teach. Were all engineers inclined to desert the technical side of life and switch over to spiritual development? There was no ceremony. No garlands nor were there any kirtans. The new teacher was keener on teaching with the limited time he had on hand. The very first lecture he was going to give was related to killing and its implications on humans. The biggest killings that we humans never get punished by any court of law are for abortions, miscarriages and abandoning babies soon after birth. The lecture was an eye opener for practically everyone. Almost everyone had questions bang in the middle of the class. The young teacher refused to answer any of the never-ending questions in the class. He was willing to take up the questions only after the class was over. Roli, Samson and Cheenu had some disturbing questions and they decided in the break that they would ask him to give half an hour before the class broke for lunch.

The barrage of questions followed in the corridor itself, outside the class:

Roli : So often sex determination tests are done and certain communities abort the female fetus in the womb itself. If religion says abortion is illegal then why do doctors who are considered God in our country perform them?

Prabhuji: Doctors do know what they are doing. But those doctors who do not believe in God the ultimate healer commit sins. Just because a human being is a doctor that doesn’t mean he should stop believing in God. It also chooses its parents.

Cheenu: When does it decide to enter the womb-during conception itself or at the time of birth only?

Prabhuji: Every soul decides its own course of action much before it takes birth. The soul decides to enter the womb on conception. It knows its fate when it enters the womb.

Roli/Cheenu: When the soul knows it will be ejected (aborted or miscarried) in that womb, then why does it choose a particular womb only?

Prabhuji: When you look for a place to live you have a certain budget. Some landlord may give you only for three months. Consider a womb that is on rent for the soul. Depending on its past actions, it (soul) has to fulfill its karmas. It gets to choose its womb for entry in the world only on that basis. Every soul needs a human body to fulfill its karmas. Due to its karma, it is forced to take a birth in a particular womb only. Can you expect to join the science stream in college, if you have less than 35% in the required subjects? Are you not forced to take up a stream depending on your results? The soul can only have a choice if it has a good record in previous births.

Samson: How does the soul make a pact when on earth the potential parents will stray off course? What happens during a miscarriage? What is the result when the parents decide to abort the child?

Prabhuji: Natural miscarriage is due to the bad karma of the mother and the baby. Artificial miscarriage leads to sinful reactions. When the parents decide to abort the baby they are booking a ticket to hell. They have to be punished for the killing. You do not allow the soul to take birth therefore you have to go through the experience (of being killed in the womb) yourself in some lifetime. When you die next and your soul needs to find a womb to fulfill the karma it will be difficult. Then you will have to be frustrated and wait for an appropriate body to enter. The human womb is the only way to take birth and evolve spiritually. 

Roli: Does that mean if the soul cannot get birth it will turn into a ghost or evil spirit in the universe?

Prabhuji: No this happens only when the ambitions, wishes and desires are not fulfilled on earth. Then the soul moves around aimlessly for a body to complete satiate the desires. This too is difficult as parents have their own ambitions. When they have children, their ambitions clash with that of their children. Nowadays this is happening quite frequently. That is why there is unhappiness in homes. Earlier there were less material things to attract people. Today desires have gone out of proportion and children are also going against parents. People die with desires unfulfilled. Sometimes don’t you go through hunger and get disturbed. Once the hunger is appeased, all is normal. There are no ghosts or evil spirits. Only souls who want to fulfill their hunger. Yes some souls will do anything to fulfill their desires.

Roli: Coming back to the abortion, if a mother does not know that it is criminal / spiritual offense to abort the fetus then also will she get punished?

Prabhuji: Are you trying to say that if ignorance is bliss, one should be exempted from its consequences? If you play with fire you will burn yourself regardless of any knowledge or absence of it. Even a child suffers from burns. The quality of fire is to burn. If you don’t learn in this birth cycle, surely you will learn it in the next life cycle. If not the next then the next… it will continue till you complete the learning process! You only take birth to complete your karmas regardless of what your personal ambitions are.  

Cheenu: How does one learn? Everyone does not remember what he or she did in his or her previous lives.

Prabhuji: That’s why you need to learn the knowledge that the ancient texts provide. They (rishis and munis) were no fools to have complied epic poems and texts for their own pleasures. They did it with a purpose. You read only the fictional best sellers today. Try reading and understanding the ancient texts. Come to the temple to learn how to live your lives. You have to awaken the rest of humanity also. You have to pass on this knowledge. Krishna Consciousness is all about this. You all have been guided to this class by some previous inner calling- an intense desire to learn and discover, ‘Athato Bhram Jigyasa’ (And then, who am I). You all understand the consequences about the kalyug, the last part of this time cycle. Probably in this life, you will unlearn the evils and start healthy way of living. Once you learn the laws, you can apply it in your lives. This school is more important than the one that you got educated in childhood.

There is no need to know what happened in your previous births. It is all over. You have a choice to start on a clean slate now.

Samson: Prabhuji we saw our child breathe a few times before it expired in front of our eyes. There was no way we could support the life of that child. The doctors had said even if it lives it would be a vegetable existence. We thought we were doing a favor to the child by not giving it a painful life.

Prabhuji: Who are you to decide that? The soul chose the womb of your wife. It had to complete its actions by entering your wife’s womb.  You decided its date of departure without thinking how your actions would affect you and the soul. But the soul was aware of the consequences of this decision. It had chosen to fulfill its sufferings through this life. You never gave the opportunity. How did you feel when you were denied the hobby class of your choice by your father only because the fees were high? Were you not disappointed and felt angry with your father. But he thought he was doing it for your own good as you would outgrow the hobby and it would be a waste of his money. Well this is exactly what happened in your case.

Roli: Does that mean the soul is unhappy and we need to apologize? (Turning to Samson) she said, “ Sammy, wish we had come here earlier”.

Samson: We were ignorant. Of course we now need to pay for the blunder. The revelations have come a bit too late. I wonder if we can make up for it in this life.

Prabhuji: I must be going now. I have to prepare for my evening lecture. Hare Krishna to you all.      

They had more questions to ask him. Leaving the three of them more perplexed, the teacher disappeared inside the elevator, which took him down. Roli and Samson were in deep thought after this conversation in the corridor. Subsequent to the lunch that afternoon, they departed from the temple in deep thought. Cheenu took the left road and walked home that afternoon with many confused feelings. Their teacher had left them wondering for the whole week, nay, probably for this lifetime about future actions. It did not strike Cheenu to take his cell number in case any more questions arose in her mind.  Meanwhile Roli and Samson had returned home in silence. As they settled comfortably, Roli remembered the events that occurred last year. A plane flew overhead and reminded Samson how he had to cut short his Singapore trip and return home.

A year ago in July

In a very quiet residential eastern suburb of Mumbai, a pensive Samson was pacing up and down in the living room of his two BHK flat in a co-operative housing society. He looked desperately at the clock and the phone simultaneously. He was expecting the phone to ring for the last two hours. His mother who had come down from Bangalore was equally restless and angry.

Not bothered about the frantic look on her 37 year old son’s face, she lamented, “I told you she should have resigned from her job. Why did you not insist? Once you get her on the phone give her an ultimatum. She cannot disobey you. In my time, wives were scared of their husbands. And look at the situation now, my son is scared of his wife!”

Samson pleaded, “Amma, is this the time to talk like this? Mobile networks are jammed all over the city. I cannot get through her office landline number and she has not even called in the last two hours. I hope she was not on that train.”

His eyes riveted back to the television news.  The bomb blasts on the western railway trains had an impact even on the schedules of central railway local services. He was desperate to get some news of his pregnant wife, Roli . Had she left office during the rush hour as usual? Ever since she had got pregnant she chose to come a little earlier. She should have returned home by now. It was past 8 pm and not only Mumbai but the world knew about the loved ones traveling on local trains hit by the second serial blasts. It was peak hours in the evening and many families were now showing concern. The phones were ringing all over the city.  And as for amma she was worried not for Roli’s safety but her future heir to the Menon family. Roli was pregnant and Samson was worried for her. As he watched a program on telly highlighting the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai, he recollected his carefree years. He was 23 years old and pursuing Roli in Bangalore. Why did he want to come to Mumbai? For the fast pace and lifestyle that it offered? No one knew the cityscape would change so drastically in the last decade. And his lifestyle… was not exactly what he had envisioned. His thoughts were interrupted by amma again.  She suggested, “Why don’t you send her an email?” Samson nearly jumped at his mother’s suggestion and screamed in reply, “Yes, why did I not think of that earlier?”

Samson bolted for his bedroom where the computer was on.  His file was still uploading on the FTP site. He hit the keys to activate his email account. The only way to get in touch with his wife was through the mail. His Hotmail IM was on and blinking. Roli was online for sometime. He joined in and hit the keys: 

Sam: Hi, thk God u r in off.

Roli: Hi, why did u leave the room?

Yes, Riku told abt the blasts on the trains.

We all are staying back in off

Sam: Go to Mahen’s place for the ngt. Amma very upset.

Roli: Bye will keep in touch. We all are mtg in conf. rm.

Keep checking mail.

Samson told amma that Roli was safe and had not left the office. Amma was relieved on knowing the status of her ‘future heir’. The child would be safe. A meeting was on to decide if all can stay in office or some hotel. Samson returned to the IM twenty minutes later and Roli was still offline. He uploaded his file and continued to browse the net for fresh t related to the bomb blasts. Was the financial city so vulnerable? Two serial blasts in 12 years. No other city had this track record. It was strange that officially no one was bothered. What was worse is that commuters had no choice but to travel with the risk forever. The news site mentioned that the trains had resumed on two tracks on the western railway. Central Railways was also running its trains on schedule. The roads were jammed, naturally. Panic had set in the city. Would riots follow the blasts? Last time it had happened it was horrible and no one could cope up with the scars that were left behind. Traffic was bad everyday. New vehicles also added to the pollution and noise in the city. Even if there was strike by some obscure political party, the roads were jammed! That is why Roli preferred to travel by train like most locals.  But now with her pregnancy she would have to make other arrangements. Samson was now seriously thinking of talking to her into taking leave or resigning from the job. He had to go to Singapore also. All alone, Roli would go mad with amma every single day.  He knew she went to work, so that she did not have to listen to amma everyday. Not that they were the worst of enemies but they were also not the best of friends. Amma’s ancient culinary delights bored Roli. Amma wanted food the old fashioned way. Roli was modern and preferred the stir fried and new Thai and Chinese food. Amma could not eat out and Roli and Samson preferred to eat out at least twice in a week. Only because of amma they were eating every day at home these days. And this would continue till amma went back to Bangalore. And now that Roli was pregnant, it would be worse for her to stay at home, listen to amma and also eat home food every day. She was happy with some fast food as long as Samson did not create a fuss. But whenever amma came, she found that her ‘gunpowder’ and host of other spices missing from the kitchen shelves. She insisted on having the same food as she liked at the ancestral home in Bangalore.

The computer screen blinked. Roli was online:

Roli: Hi, some have decided to go home after all.

Sam: I think u shld sty bk in your friend’s home.

Roli: Hmm, I spk to Mahen. He is ok. Tell amma not to worry.

Sam: Come home tmr morning. Things shld cool by then. Trains hve started.

Try to sms Mahen’s number. I’ll call once I reach his place.

Roli: Bye, someone is dropping me to Mahen’s place.

Samson updated his mother about Roli. She would be staying back in town with a friend rather than coming home so late. The mother and son ate their dinner in silence. He continued to watch the news for further development on the bomb blasts. Amma went to bed. She always woke early. Samson decided to speak to Roli before going to bed. He was now trailing in his work. Befor he left for Singapre he would have to complete the presentation. The entire evening was spent in figuring out the chaos and now he was tired too. He decided to prepare his papers for the conference the next day. He thought amma would be of help to Roli in his absence but things were not so rosy. The phone rang. It was Roli’s mother asking about her. Samson repeated the story and heard her sigh. Even she wanted her daughter to lay off work till the baby arrived.  In this clash of old and new, the generation gap was never going to bridge. When Roli’s mother asked him, “when your daughter is pregnant and she works out late you will also panic. Put yourself in your parents place.” Samson promised he would speak to Roli when she returned in the morning. He wished he was already in Singapore and away from this mess.

Two weeks later Samson went to Singapore on schedule. Roli had succumbed to family pressure but decided to work from home. That way all were happy. No egos were hurt and life was nearly normal. She went for her check ups to the clinic and all was well. She had a queasy feeling. Somehow all was not well. There was a nagging problem. She slept fitfully. She dreamed of the same dream again. Almost every night. But she dared not share it with anyone. She knew there would be uproar in both the Sabhas. She called her in-laws home the Rajya Sabha and mom’s home the Lok sabha. There was constant pandemonium in both houses. But no shoes flew and the events were strictly homely…not on telly. Now were the neighbors disturbed. Like every other night she fell asleep and found her self watching a giant sky screen in the universe. A voice… some soul… was again spewing some strange commentary. 

In the Universe

I have made a paradigm shift from a staid earthly life to a super conscious life in universal space. I have had my share of fun on earth. And now in space I feel liberated. It is much easier to dwell in my universal form. I feel the sky talking to me and wishing me a contended life. I am no longer bound to the time zones of earthly life. I have more choices right here in this vast universe. Down below, it was a crazy and turbulent existence. I have eventually returned to my original life, after living on earth for many eons. I have learnt my lessons, had numerable valuable experiences before returning back to my universal home. I guess like me every soul makes an individual decision to go through an earthly learning process... As for me, my life seems have got fulfilled- in the hope that I shall be able to understand all that there is to learn right here in this universe, with the help of spirit guidance and angels for friends. Well, so many other like-minded souls like me do not need the crutch of the umbilical cord any more. No wombs, no tombs…no tears, no joy. I salute souls who repeatedly connect to an earthly life choosing happiness, love, misery or perdition.

The earth is a small planet compared to the vast spiritual realms of the universe that I live in. Millions of souls take the human form and make their lives heaven or hell… going through strange geographical locations, stranger cultures and pass lifetimes of birth and death. The cycle goes on and yet they remain afraid of it all. I have gone through this inhuman cycle. I also know this is life. Look at the scene below. I released myself, snapping the umbilical cord- like a happy soul, my final journey to freedom. Deep, down below on the other side of the stratosphere all are crying on losing me. I hardly resided in the womb for long. In addition, look at the attachment the human beings have formed with the body I have discarded. I opted out of a life of a vegetable existence. That was my destiny on earth in that city. I look at it without attachments. I am ready for another life to fulfill my actions. Will I meet with the same fate like last time? I hope not. Once we reach the earth, most of us forget the real purpose of life. This time I shall not forget the lessons I have to learn. 

Down below on earth

Roli woke up from such dreams often nowadays. She was startled the first time she had such a dream.  Now she was getting used to it. She had thought of sharing it with her husband but always forget about it once she woke up. But today she felt groggy and has a vomiting sensation. It was one of her bad days. It was a day after Samson had left for Singapore, assured that all was well with her and the baby. There were still five more days for Samson to return. The pukey feeling passed off. But the bitterness was still there, even after she took her bed tea. But today she was really unwell. She thought of calling him but did not want to bother him thinking it was her usual morning sickness.  She did not even have the energy to go to the Yoga class for pregnant women she had joined four days ago. She decided to skip the class if the bad feeling continued. Two hours later she had fainted and her mother-in-law had naturally panicked. She called her husband in Bangalore on whose advice she informed Samson in Singapore about Roli’s condition.  She had spoken to the doctor and he wanted her to come for some tests. She also could be admitted to the nursing home. But there was time…nearly four weeks for the delivery date. When his mother called she advised him to return. Did he have a choice? He had to finally propone his return ticket without even waiting for the management’s decision on email confirming or denying his return. It was the family’s first grandchild and he decided to return. Would a life threatening decision be taken? Samson boarded the first flight out of Changi international airport. The young business executive waited anxiously for the touch down of the aircraft at the refurbished Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. He was arriving days earlier than scheduled from an important conference. He was also disturbed by the phone call he received. He could not concentrate on the busy road ahead. Luckily he was in the taxi and not driving his car. It took him two hours to reach the nursing home. On the way he wondered, ‘All had been fine for the last two semesters. Every ultrasound and sonography report had been positive. All they had heard was ‘nothing to worry’ and medical reports were normal. All is well. Then, what could have gone wrong now?’ Samson had not left anything out to chance. He had spared no expenses, as his company and insurance company were helping in payment of the medical bills. His conservative mother had even kept in touch with the family astrologer about her ‘bahu’s pregnancy. Both were monitoring the birth of the child, one with the help of the celestial scan and the other with the medical scan. For amma the stars were more important than the sonography. According to the family astrologer, it was the best time to have a baby.  The nakshetra was studied well in advance. It was now a matter of time one would know if medicine or astrology was more reliable in having babies. But amma had more faith in the astrologer. She had also called him to find out if Roli should do some fast or puja to ward off any evil. She was willing to do any remedy that could ensure the safe delivery of her grandchild. At least there was part of India where babies were welcomed and not aborted. She was not even interested in the sex of the baby. She was also in touch with Roli’s mother who was in Bangalore. She could not come as her younger daughter’s exams were on. They had decided that once the baby came, Roli’s mother would come to Mumbai.  She spoke to Roli’s mother on the phone, “We never had any problems in our time. We had no trouble with our pregnancies. We had so many children. We did not even have to consult the astrologer before having any babies. And look at the times now. Medicine has advanced so much but we have other troubles. Eventually it is only God and good astrologers who help us.” Roli’s mother agreed and also volunteered to come to Mumbai to help her out if she was tired. But the latter refused as she wanted to monitor the pregnancy herself. The astrologer had explained that to have a normal child, the couple needed to have good karmas in the previous births which both Roli and Samson had, except for a dosha (bad planetary influence) affecting them in the beginning of the pregnancy in Roli’s horoscope. With proper care and some puja, the dosha could be dissolved. Amma had one of the best astrologers to look at the horoscopes of her son and daughter in law.  She was sure all would go well. She was also positive that there was no problem, only if Roli and Samson had decided to have a baby in the first year itself and not so late. They took five years and would that affect the chances? Even biologically pregnancy was better between 21 years and 30 years.  Amma avoided discussing with Roli anything of this sort. Roli thought she was too old fashioned and would not reply her seriously. But Amma did have a nagging doubt that she would have some complications as she was having a baby very late.  Nevertheless, she hoped that with Samson’s arrival things would be better. She felt better when Samson called to say that his flight had landed and he was on the way to the clinic.  

Samson reached the nursing home to find his anxious mother waiting at the reception for him. There was still some more time for his wife to finish all the required tests. Amma explained to him all that had happened during the day that led them to the clinic. Meanwhile he had quick conversations with Roli’s elder sister and mother too to ensure that all was being taken care of. They had not yet come down from Bangalore but were equally worried. Samson found his mother discussing something very serious on the phone. He understood from her conversation that she was talking to the family astrologer. He wondered… how much she follows the advice of the astrologer. Was it right for her to have blind faith on the man who calculated the positions of planets in the celestial world to make things work down below on earth? Each time, he heard her talk about ‘mahurat’ or ‘inauspicious hour’ or impending dosha for everything he cringed. Nevertheless, the entire household, his entire neighborhood and of course the nation indulged in speculative exercises to know what the future foretold. Every morning on television astrologers advised ‘how the day would proceed’. He wondered if the astrologer knew the solar system so well then what about the astrophysicists and astronomers some of who traveled beyond space. Well at least till the moon if not the other planets! Why not earth but other the planets in the universe govern our movements? In addition, what about this blessed KARMA? Everyone seems to be making lame excuses and blaming karma for getting things going right or wrong in the world. Are we all paying karmic debts and suffering, going through disasters and destructions. When will we all learn to stand up for our own actions rather than blaming fate or so called destiny?

Nivedita Nagpal