Mansion of the gods

 

“This is incredible”, said Jamie, still reeling under the shock of the insight.

Snake nodded. “You have embarked on a magnificent adventure.”

“So, there is an ultimate reality in all this… it must be simple, yet, it appears so elusive.”, said Jamie with a shake of his head.

“Yes; IT is the end of all seeking.”

“Wow..really?”

“By knowing sand, all forms of sand are known; by knowing gold, all forms of gold are known. By knowing water, all forms of water are known. So it is with the 9^th chamber. By knowing IT, the nature of everything is known.”

“It is a game of hide-and-seek”, said Jamie, encouraged by the old man’s words.

“Yes, son. Till the end, the identity of the one hiding and the identity of the one seeking remains a mystery. Each insight is a footstep on the path. That is how it has always been; slowly the journey unfolds; from the 8 chambers to the 9^th; from the relative to the absolute; from illusion to reality.”

Jamie nodded. “Every insight is life-altering by itself. And that is what gives me the encouragement to keep pushing on till the end. I believe that the final Aha! will be the most rewarding of them all.”

Snake smiled. “Yes, it is. Experiencing that final insight makes every seeker’s journey worthwhile”

“But it is a very lonely quest”, said Jamie, his eyes downcast.

“Not at all. There were many like you, before. There are many like you now. And in time, there will be more.”

“But that can wait. For now, I feel great just having met you. It’s been a great honor”, said Jamie.

Snake closed his eyes and appeared to be contemplating something.

A few seconds later, he looked up at the sky.

“It is getting dark. Stay over tonight. There is enough room, as you can see”, he said gesturing to the large mansion behind them.

Jamie accepted the invite gratefully. He felt happy that he didn’t have to drive back to the city in his disoriented state.

“Give me a minute. Let me get my handy travel bag”, said Jamie and sprinted to his car.

 

##

They walked together towards the large mansion in the middle of the estate. Jamie began to admire it. It had a unique shape. It appeared to have many doors – and they were all open.

“Doesn’t it get boring? I mean, staying in a large pad like this all by yourself?”

Snake laughed.

“No. You will soon see. It gets very crowded by sunset.”

As if on cue, there was a sudden flurry of activity. A large group of villagers and their families descended on the estate. To Jamie, they appeared to come from all directions, just to assemble there.

“Who are these people?” asked Jamie in shock. “Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all. It happens every weekend.”, said Snake, reassuring him.

Jamie stood transfixed, seeing the villagers pouring in from all directions; Women were carrying baskets of locally produced fruits and vegetables; the children were carrying their school bags. He heard loud laughter and chatter in the local language.

He stood there mesmerized at the sight.

After a while, he walked up to a window to take a closer look at the activities inside the mansion.

In a room to his left, a group of women were preparing to cook food for all the people that night. In an adjoining room, a teenage girl was helping younger children with their school homework. In another room, he saw a group of people from different faiths, praying in their own way. Not to mention a large octagonal hall, where there was a dress rehearsal underway for a cultural dance program.

“This looks so chaotic, yet beautiful. What do they all come here for?”

 

##

“It is a long story. When I grew up and moved to the city, my father remained in his estate here. I studied and worked in the United States for many years, and then returned to run my companies in India. In time, my businesses did well and expanded. I was quietly enjoying my success and fame. The lessons in philosophy and Yoga that my father taught me, kept me balanced and grounded in the midst of all that.”

“Yes, I heard about your life in the city. You were very famous.”

“Yes. But then, a phone call late in the night turned my life upside down. It was a call from the Police commissioner here. A wave of communal riots had broken out in the neighboring villages. Huts were getting burnt; people from different castes and religions were at each other’s throats. My dad had tried to intervene as a peacemaker, but in the end, he too was gravely hurt as he tried to put out the fires and save people trapped in their homes.”

“Good Lord; and what happened?”

“By the time I reached this house, I saw the neighboring villages was in flames. This estate had police protection and was intact. My dad however, was in a critical condition, having suffered severe burns. The local spokesmen of all castes and religions were by his bedside; Their faces revealed deep sorrow at the state of my father. But I was furious at them and the local authorities for having allowed this to happen.”

Jamie felt real grief at the news. “I am so sorry”, he said.

Snake nodded; and continued.

“My dad called me closer to him and whispered in a hoarse voice, still in considerable pain. He told me it was not their fault but the fault of their forefathers. But I was in no mood to listen to this nonsense.”

“I asked him straight ‘Why dad? Why did you choose to stay in such a communal hotbed, with all these fanatical castes and religions living together? It is a recipe for disaster. You could have come to live with me in the city instead'”

He replied ‘No son. Remember. All this would not have happened if people were not separated in the first place.‘

Jamie drew in his breath.

Snake continued. “He said ‘It is just stories that separate them. Find the stories that will bring them together.

Help them re-discover the Truth that all religions point to;

Help them realize that all myths point to a deeper and greater reality’.”

 

##

“It was a major awakening for me. I looked at the faces around the room. Many of them had lost their wives or children or parents during the riots. They were hurting too. Neighbor had turned against neighbor, friend against friend. But that evening, they just stood there, with only their grief and sadness uniting them.

And at that moment, I made my dad a promise; that I would set things right; not just in this town, but anywhere else where people were divided by religion and caste. And that the mansion would be a place where they would come together;

I decided to dedicate this mansion to them;

I got it registered as a Trust. So it belongs to all of them

The villagers call it ‘The mansion of the gods’;

They walk in through any door

For all doors are open to all of them

So that once they enter, they can all feel part of the same home.

When they find they are loved, understood and cared for the way they are,

They love, respect, understand and care in return.

Till one day, they learn to give of themselves in joy, to friend and enemy alike.”

“So, that explains the villagers gathering at your house. There is so much love and laughter I sense in there. It is like magic. The energy of the place is unbelievable”, said Jamie.

“Yes, son. They have come here every weekend since that day, for the last 10 years. There has been no looking back. I hope there will be more mansions to come, in other towns. I will not rest till I fulfill my promise. The errors from the past will be set right.”

 

##

“And what happened to your dad?”

“He died the following morning; succumbing to his injuries. People from all over town, neighboring and distant villages turned out for the funeral. They were looking at me with love and gratitude. They said ‘One great Acharya (teacher) has left us; but he left for us his wise son, to guide us” It was only then that it struck me what a great life my father had led; to have been respected and loved by so many people.

It was ironic. He asked me to leave home to pursue My greatness. Yet, I returned home to discover His greatness.”

He paused to give way to a grasshopper that was crossing his path.

“In the years that followed, I struggled to apply my philosophy to the task at hand; the promise I had made to my father; the stories that would bring them together. Then, one day, I heard about the ashram. I just packed up and left. And there, in the midst of friends, I came across some original teachings. Stories that helped me teach the way.”

“Wow. Let me guess. You decided to compile stories about the great Avatars?”

“Better. I returned with stories that were used to teach the Avatars themselves.”

Jamie was spellbound.

He considered all that he had seen and heard that day.

There was a fresh outbreak of laughter from the house.

It resounded in the night, across the open field.

He looked up at Snake.

“Avatars! They had to learn too?” asked Jamie

Snake nodded. “The Truth was revealed to them, wasn’t it?”

“But why reveal it in this day and age? When almost all of us are corrupted, greedy or selfish in varying degrees?”

“So we can discover the truth about ourselves“, said Snake, matter-of-factly.

##

“Teach me, Snake”, implored Jamie.

“It is not something to be taught, son. It is only remembered. One step at a time, we trace our way back home…blindfolded.”

Jamie gulped at the thought. “How?”

“For that, you need to bravely set aside all myths you believe in – whether they are myths from religion or science or culture or philosophy – and focus on just one thing”

“Which is…”

“Who are you
originally?”

“I am a part of this world. This is the reality”, blurted Jamie.

“You call this reality?” asked Snake, with a wave of his hand

“It is, isn’t it?”, squirmed Jamie.

“All things appearing, staying a while, changing form and shape, disappearing…forever…how real is it?”

A chill ran up Jamie’s spine.

“Just calling it ‘the world’ doesn’t make it real, does it? It is just like giving yourself a name called ‘Jamie'”

“I do not know how I came to be. I do not know how all this came to be. Perhaps it is God who created all this from nothing. Perhaps it all came from a ‘Big Bang’, as science says”, admitted Jamie, sweat forming on his brow.

Snake laughed.

“Let it be either of those. It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh. It doesn’t?”

“No.

For the question still remains.

Where were YOU when it happened?

Try and remember.”