T he four-hour road journey, part of it winding through narrow dusty lanes, was a bone-rattler. This after a two-hour flight to Jaipur and the attendant rigmarole. But the effort was worth it. After all, it is not every day that you get to set foot on the land of the Creator and His Consort!
Welcome to Pushkar, popular for its camel fair, but to the spiritually inclined an important destination given the Lake and the abode of Brahma, rare instance of a temple dedicated to him.
The picturesque lake with a hillock as the backdrop is a world away from the aforesaid alleys, fringed with dilapidated mud houses and thorny bushes. Civilisation seems to have left this part of Rajasthan behind. The traveller in the window seat, however, is surprised by the sight of peacocks. The gorgeous birds are either perched on roof tops or trees or are strutting about showing off their luxurious plumage.
That was a digression but essential to get the picture. This writer was one of the pilgrims that accompanied a group of Vedic pandits, who went there to chant the entire Yajur Veda.
Their mission: To invoke the Vedas, likened to our mother, to relieve the world of stress, violence and calamities and to restore peace and brotherhood.
A 4 a.m.-dip in the cool waters of Pushkar, reverentially referred to as Adi Tirth, said to be one of the first water bodies to have appeared on the earth and a manifestation of Lord Narayana, set the tone for the purpose for which the group from Chennai had assembled there. For those uninitiated in this kind of ritual, like yours truly, it was indeed an adventure, the darkness and slippery steps, not to mention the cold breeze, posing a challenge.
A big bird, which could be distinguished only by its white chest, had sat motionless on a stump in the lake and took wing as our feet touched the water after Sri Gururam Ghanapadigal administered the sankalpa , again for world welfare. And what were those glistening fat things that surfaced and quickly went under? Fish, naturally. “No,” corrected a local, later in the day. “They are snakes, but harmless.”
Daylight was filtering as we returned to get ready for the main event. A pledge was taken to lead a life according to dharma, which alone, according to Sri Sarma Sastrigal, will ease the pressure on humanity and bring back harmony. Sri Sastrigal was leading the team of Sanskrit scholars, many of whom had attained the highest level of proficiency in the subject. The pandits had come from various places - the Kumbakonam Raja Veda Patasala, Vijayawada and Puliyur near Nagapattinam, Chennai, etc. Also there were young disciples from a Kumbakonam patasala, who participated in the proceedings with total concentration.
For four hours, the hall adjacent to Sri Madhaveswara shrine reverberated with the chanting of Sampoorna Krishna Yajur Veda by experts trained in the tradition. Alongside, recitation of Upanishads and homams heightened the ambience.
In the evening, the group chanted mantras inside the Brahma temple, situated at an elevated level, on a street lined with shops selling knick-knacks. Inside, a benign and elderly Brahma greets devotees, who circulate around the precincts, stopping at the altar of Sri Gayatri (Veda incarnate) and climbing down steps to have a glimpse of Siddha Lingeswarar.
Outside the shrine of Sri Gayatri, pilgrims stop to take a look at the abode of Savitri, perched on a hillock. A rope car, at appointed hours, ferries pilgrims across the hills. Our group had to be satisfied with the long distance salutation to the Goddess of Knowledge, consort of Brahma.
In one hectic day, we had seen dawn over Pushkar, a marathon yagna and been inside one of the rare temples. The mind was still absorbing the sequence of events, when dusk gave way to night and we returned to the dormitory. On the morrow was the journey, back into the world of the mundane.
How to reach:
By Road: Regular buses are available from Pushkar to Ajmer, Jaipur, Indore and Nagda every 15 minutes.
By Rail: Ajmer is the closest railway station from Pushkar at a distance of 11 km. Trains to catch: Pink City Express and Shatabdi Express.
By Air: Sanganer Airport, in Jaipur, is the nearest airport connecting Pushkar, located at a distance of 146 km.
Hands-on worship
Sri Madhaveswara is a black marble linga installed on the floor in a well-maintained hall. Facing him is a beautiful Nandi and a tortoise. Around the lingam are petite images of Parvati, Ganesa and Subramanya. Devotees can pour water and milk on the deity and do arati .
Good samaritans
On behalf of Loka Kshema Seva Samiti, Sri Sarma Sastrigal thanked all those who pitched in to make the effort possible. “We depended on the Almighty for resources and were not let down. A Delhi-based doctor, after seeing newspaper reports, introduced himself and guided me around Pushkar and secured a place for us to perform the yagna and another for the team to stay. We owe thanks to all those, who helped us in various ways, including financial assistance, for making this endeavour, first of its kind possible,” said Sri Sarma Sastrigal.
