Discover the spiritual essence of Varanasi — Lord Vishwanath Temple, Ganga ghats, local food, and the quest for liberation in India’s holiest city
Monalisa Dash Dwibedy
After spending three nights in Varanasi, We are waiting in Varanasi junction railway station to catch our train to Ayodhya . Ask me how we spent our time in Varanasi, I will tell you the truth one of the best pilgrimage places of India . The first thing about Varanasi is , it’s so overwhelmingly populated, polluted and crowded with tourists that you can’t even imagine the situations if you have not experienced a place similar . While you are here , the lord Vishwanath wants you to rise above the worldly situations and focus on him .His message is clear , you can not escape the reality of life situations but you can definitely try to rise above them.
The Lord Vishwanath’s Dham is full of devotees and devotion. The month being “ Sravan”, people from all over the country and all walks of life are here , celebrating their “Shiva”moments. The city roads are full of people, vehicles sounding horns at the peak, Streetside vendors , more people and more vehicles .
You can’t breathe sometimes as your nostrils will not know the difference between air and exhaust emissions. But don’t lose your heart. Though one of the oldest cities of civilization has now become almost unliveable due to too much air and sound pollution , the lord of the universe is still alive here. It’s said that lord Shiva used to vacation in Kashi along with goddesses Parvati. If the above saying is true and if you are able to connect to lord’s heart while being here , you will feel an upsurge of love in your heart. If you focus a little more on the divine, you will feel the love to such an intensity that it will whisper you the truth of life . If you are lucky enough to experience the divine , I will recommend to carry the intense love in your heart for the rest of your life . There is nothing more valuable in this world.
Varanasi is alive on the banks of the river Ganges , however the Ganges was flooded with water making the famous “ GHATs” of city unreachable. We could only reach a park closer to NAMO Ghat where the river was flowing well above the regular mark with only a portion of statue in folded hands (in Namaste pose) was visible.Being in Varanasi & not able to get closer to the ghats is like being forced to eat the peels of an orange, while the juicy fruit is being taken away from you. The ghats of the city are the nostrils through which the city breathes , as life and death become one on the ghats of Varanasi.
If You want to explore food in a city which is famous for spirituality, you will find a lot of pleasant surprises. “Lassi” & “Pan” are something you should not miss . Look for food vendors with basic hygiene in food preparation so that you will stay safe even after enjoying local food to your heart’s content. I found the Udupi restaurant within lord Vishwanath’s temple corridor offering healthy and tasty food . The filter coffee they offer had a unique charm of its own when the weather was rainy . There was an Annapurna restaurant in the city which served good vegetarian food but be careful as they are very expensive and sometimes they do not care for customer satisfaction when the restaurant gets crowded.
We went for Lord Vishwanath’s Darshan three times , each time the lord was in a different state of ecstasy. One time there was “Jalabhishrk” ( worship performed by water ) and other times the eclipse shaped energy form was simply exuberant . There is a beautiful story about Kashi . One south-Indian man wanted to breathe his last in Kashi . It’s said that if you die in Kashi, your liberation is guaranteed . So he left his home after the marriage of his children and distributing all his wealth among them . The man lived in Kashi for many years happily. One day, his grandson came to meet him and requested him to visit their native place as he was about to get married . The man was very happy to know about his grandson’s marriage and decided to attend the wedding. He told his grandson that he will go there only for one night . It is said that He went to his native place for a night and died there . So the moral of the story is you can not plan your death .
They say , you must stay for at least one night in Varanasi so that Lord Shiva will care of your Nirvana / liberation. If you are ever in Varanasi, know that it’s lord Vishwanath’s invitation to you to become one with him, the lord who is always ecstatic is watching over you .
(The writer is an IT Consultant living in Toronto. Views are personal)