The dawn was about to break
over Champa Nagari. The darkness that had so far enveloped the earth was
bidding hasty retreat. On one ghat upon the bank of the river Bhagirathi, a boy
in his late teens- just bathed, stood facing the east. The Sun was just about
to ascend – in the meanwhile it was sending advance signals to the horizon of
his arrival. It seemed dusts of crushed red ochre sprinkled the eastern sky
giving it a pinkish glow. Soon the sun rose and its dancing image shone in the
clear streaming water making it a resplendent sight. The tender sunlight fell
at the tall, lean, handsome bare body of the boy. The complexion of his skin
put the glitter of pure gold to shame. His facial features bore definite marks
of a noble prince. But he wore a simple dhoti and that could be perplexing to
any onlooker.
Completely unmindful of the
surroundings, the boy saluted the Sun God and with folded hands reverently
chanted:
Jabakusum-o-
sankasham Kashyapeyong mahaduyotim
Dhantarim sarbo-papoghnam prnotohosmi Divakaram
His strong, firm yet
melodious voice reverberated all around. So intense and sincere were his
prayers that even Sun seemed to stop for a moment, acknowledge, and then resume
his journey across the sky. At that wee hours there were very few people
present around. But those present were almost regulars in that ghat and
witnessing this daily ritual was an attraction for them.
By the time he was finished
with the ritual, his mother Radha came to call him. Her voice sounded a mix of
sadness on account of an impending separation from a dear one and anxiety of
the unknown:
-‘Son Karna, hurry up, must have enough food before you start. Also have to check up what to carry’
Those around knew that the
young boy was set to leave Champa Nagari in search of a Guru. The profession of
his adopting father Adhirath had never interested him. Though he was not aware,
the blood of the loftiest of the Khsatriya royalty ran in his veins. Not only
did he master the scriptures from local scholars, driven by instinct he learnt
the art of warfare and archery from a number of teachers. However, the thirst
of sea could obviously not be met with a cup-full of water. Every bit of his
existence prompted him to go out to the wide expanse of the world in search of
the right Guru. He had all the makings of a world great and he always felt an
urge to be one in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment