My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Bheema,
it is said,
once came across an old monkey, lying with his tail across the path. Not wanting
to step over the tail, Bheema asked the monkey to move. The monkey replied that
he was too tired, and could Bheema himself move the tail, since he was so
strong? Bheema, always confident and proud of his strength, bent to lift the
tail, but was surprised that he couldn’t even shift it an inch! After trying
multiple times, he finally gave up, acknowledging that his strength was no
match for the monkey. Pleased, the monkey revealed his true form. He was
Hanuman, the older son of Vayu, the wind, and thus Bheema’s elder brother. He
then blessed Bheema, promising to stay by his side in the great war which was
to come.
I remember being fascinated by this story when
I was a kid, because of the way my mom told me the story… of Bheema and Hanuman’s
conversation, and Bheema’s futile efforts to lift the monkey’s tail. As I grew
older, the story continued to fascinate me, since it is one of those events
which binds the two greatest epics – the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha!
Recently, I was reminded of the story once
again, when a Hanuman Langur sat in our path, tail extended, refusing to
move!!!
We
were on a safari
in the Satpura National Park, while visiting the Denwa Backwater Escape, on an
invite from Pugdundee Safaris. The morning safari had been a washout, the
animals keeping well away! We were returning, rather disappointed, when this langur
stopped us, and made us smile, at his stoic behavior!
As
someone so fascinated
by mythology, legends and their origins, I couldn’t have asked for a more
memorable experience!!!
The article seems to be so interesting. Yes i have heard about the story of Bheema and Hanuman. But I never experienced such a thing. Thank u for sharing your memorable experience with us.
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