Yes, this is connected to Jainism. While I am not a keen promoter of any religion, this one did warrant an article because of the sheer enormity of the event and how it has affected people. I will not get too much into the religious aspects of it, but give a brief overview to understand why it felt different and special. To explain why the experience was surreal, we need to know many things.
Goal
We aimed to begin the yatra from Girnarji and reach Palitana by walk, while fasting and following some specific Jain principles. Both Girnar and Palitana are highly revered and sacred mountains for Jains, nestled with many ancient Jain temples. (If you wish to know more about Palitana and Girnar, I have provided links at the end of this article.)
Daily Routine
3.45 AM: Waking up (yes, unearthly hours) and doing 'Pratikraman', a form of meditation
5.00 AM: Going to the community hall where guruji chanted some mantras and we prayed to the gods before departing for the yatra.
5.45 AM: People start walking (an important necessity of Chhari Palak yatra) after a short brief from guruji about the kind of route for the day and how to go about it. Daily, we had to cover 12-14 km on foot. Here were a lot of interesting things to note:
- This used to be a complete procession with our gurus in the front, followed by horse carts with idols of our revered gods for our makeshift temple, an elephant, a band with dhols and the all the devotees walking along.
- A large balloon floated in the sky, attached to a moving vehicle, proceeded to the destination slowly, guiding the walkers towards the tents. Sometimes they were confused with the sun which also looked like a large orange balloon in the sky during the sunrise!
- Arrows were painted on the roads at intersections to guide the walkers in the right direction and save them from getting lost.
9 AM: Reach the destination. One can have water only after complete sunrise.
9.30 AM: Wait with a kalash to welcome our gurus and the deities.
10 AM: Freshen up and perform pooja, aarti, etc. in the community hall.
12 AM to 2 PM : Do ekashna or have the only meal of the day that is one of the necessities of a Chhari Palak yatra.
3 PM to 4.30 PM: Time for the day's pravachan or discourse by our guru. This was followed by having the last glasses of water for the day because no food or water is allowed post sunset.
6 PM to 7 PM: Time for evening pratikraman (meditation)
8 PM: Bhakti or musical relating to the divine gods. It began with Kumarpal maharaja and maharani venturing out in their rath (royal horse cart) with a complete procession, music and dancing, towards the community hall. It ended with a stream of melodious devotional songs.
10 PM: Bed time.
Way of living
Roughly, 650 people participated in the event. Since this was supposed to be a yatra by walk, every single morning, we walked for 2-3 hours, as evident from the above routine. Now the place where we reached at the end had a massive tent structure that was just the same as the tent we left at the previous destination. We lived in mobile tents for at least 13 days.
This structure consisted of
A community hall
A food hall
An enquiry office
A doctor's booth to help people with basic ailments and injuries because of the long walks and weather
Two tents for our gurus
Eights large tents with eight rooms each for all the devotees.
Separate kitchen area
Tents for staff members and labourers that were a whopping 528 in number.
A security guard was stationed at the entry point of the main structure, outside each individual tent, and many more all around the structure. A few bodyguards were also at the venue for protection from any thefts/attacks.
What was different?
A kit was given to each member of the pilgrimage. This kit comprised a sleeping bag, toiletry pouch, shawl, blanket, temple items and meditation necessities.
The tents had 15-18 people living in a single room, happily!
The floors had basic carpets directly on the muddy land, on which we slept with sleeping bags, at temperatures of 11°C-15°C at nights. During midday, the temperatures soared to 32°C.
The large tents had portable toilets and bathrooms at the back separated into ladies and gents section. No taps or running water was available. Water was boiled in large vessels on huge gas stoves, and filled in buckets and provided. One bucket hardly fitted in one bathroom.
Why it was special?
People lived in these conditions day after day for 14 days, in unison and happiness. There was no privacy, busy schedule, only one meal a day, extremely long walks, and difficult living conditions as compared to their homes. Low or no network on cell phones, too.
Those who came with the thought that it will not be possible for them to walk, or fast, or do both, successfully did it all. I cannot fast beyond a day but I did it there for 14 days. It truly is a miracle for me. Our days were packed and yet we were all happy with the way life was going on.
There was so much to learn in the sermons, and the bhakti nights were so melodious and glorious that we were carried to a different world of devotion. It felt more like a dream than reality. Everyone came with different notions before the event, but left with awe and satisfaction.
Different kinds of people, young and old, healthy or with ailments, kids and adults, everyone did things beyond their capabilities that they would possibly never do at home. It was like a challenge overcome with miraculous results.
What I learnt
After returning home, all that the people can talk about is the Chhari Palak Sangh and the unique experience. Other than the religious aspect, what I learnt from this event is that faith and motivation can work wonders.
When you have faith, things fall in place for you automatically. This has also been scientifically proven in different terms - faith or strong belief or manifestation or whatever you choose to name it. Our culture strongly advocates falling back on the divine for any problem your may have. Of course, you need to have your morals and karmas in place, but the rest, the divine will take care of. You just need to believe.
Also, as a team, we can achieve anything. When you share common goals, it also helps you grow, improve and achieve the unimaginable with a like-minded group. Walking 14 km per day or fasting everyday was no mean task considering most people don't walk even 3 km everyday normally in cities and eat until late at night. But here, almost 90% of them did what was required of them.
When we are in a large group and we're all part of the same thing, automatically we are motivated to do things we may not otherwise think we're capable of doing.
Also, the push from your guru or teacher or mentor drives you far in life. We may not realise it consciously, but it makes all the difference. Now when I look back, my passion for language, reading and writing comes not only from interest, but also from the teachers who motivated and encouraged me back in school/college.
The people who returned from the event had a lot to say. They all missed the tents! For days, when asleep, they felt they were in the tent, only to realise they were in their bed at home when they woke up. All of them were surprised at their own capabilities of walking and fasting, which they clearly had underestimated. The ring of guruji's voice and the tunes of devotional songs kept playing their ears. The sangh experience is all they could talk about.
So if you get a chance to witness any such event, no matter which religion you belong to, go ahead and participate. You never know what turns around in you. Divine power does exist, whether it is god or the energy, it changes a lot in you and brings about many revelations.
Links for information on Palitana
Links for information on Girnar
