On a river that flows

Varanasi ( Benaras or Kashi) is known as one of the oldest living cities in the world. As American author, Mark Twain commented, “ Benaras is older than history and tradition, older than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” 
This city, situated on the banks of river Ganga, is known as the abode of Lord Shiva. All through the year, the city is throbbing with religious and cultural activities. Tourists come there to taste unique cuisines, to buy famous Benarasi silk sarees, and other handicrafts.
Along the side of the river there are 84 ghats, most of which are for puja ceremonies and bathing purposes and are tourist attractions with the exception of two - Manikarnika and Harish Chandra, which are reserved for last rights and cremation. Whenever I had the chance to visit this holy city, I never missed it, and in every visit, I was gifted with a new insight.
Once while accompanying my husband for a seminar there, I was asked by our friends to join them to see evening Ganga Arti (a holy fire ritual) at “ Dashashwamedh “ ghat, which draws thousands of people all through the year.
 As we reached there, we saw a dozen of young boys, dressed up in traditional costumes, standing on high platforms doing Aarti - a graceful movement of traditional lamps with flames moving through the air in circular patterns - there were a multitude of them with all eyes focused on them while Sanskrit slokas were being chanted in the background. It was indeed an overwhelming experience and felt like I was transported to a different realm and a collective blessing was upon us all.

Below the ghat, tourists boats were waiting to take passengers, along the side of the river banks, as if they wanted to make us experience the full circle of life through that boat journey. We stepped down through the stairs and got into a boat, which was already full with passengers. Splashing sounds of the waves all around mixed mystically with the chanting and lights on the ghat above and made my mind more receptive to experience something new and unknown.
As our boat started moving towards Harish Chandra ghat in the fading twilight and sound receding into stillness, a. peaceful darkness engulfed us with nothing finite to hold on to. From a distance, we saw a sliver of a flame from an almost burnt out pyre, with all that was left of a life were embers glowing in the dark and a thin line of smoke dissolving into the night air. I noticed a solitary dog quenching his thirst at the river bank. In that moment, the whole environment whispered the truth of life’s journey - its impermanence, and its appearance and disappearance from eternity to eternity. As we can not hold back light, air or sound, we cannot hold back life. Only by enriching every moment with love and good deeds, one can make life meaningful. I remembered few beautiful lines uttered by the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh,” It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent, when they are not. “