A visit to Bankey Bihari temple

In a narrow alley, precariously perched on the seat of a cycle rickshaw, we jostled through the crowded street of Garland sellers. Champa, Rose, Chameli, Juhi, Jasmine, even the mildly scented Kadamb! Only fragrant offerings for the lord. It was sheer wonder when the beautifully decorated sanctum sanctorum was unveiled! It was a huge palace daintily interwoven with fresh jasmine flowers! The lord too was bedecked in jewellery and garments made intricately with Jasmine. The beauty was ethereal! A curtain was drawn every few minutes to cover the lord, and then again uncovered. It was explained, that the lord of love once walked off with a bhakta(devotee) who gazed at him too lovingly and for too long! So, this was to keep him in his place. Mesmerised, some gazed motionless, while some went into meditation. My eyes were captive to the charm of Bihari Ji, and a strange calm had submerged my being. A moment that is lived completely, when the outer world ceases to be a burden or a source of fear and one feels snug and secure in the comforting arms of a beloved! A pujari explained how on every Sharad Poornima night, the brightest moon of the year, moonlight falls directly on the Lord’s beautiful face in a dark, unlit temple, from an opening in the ceiling, creating a view of unearthly radiance as the full moon stretches arms of longing to unite with its source: the light of all lights.
As we drove to Delhi, no one spoke. No one wanted to speak. The ascent to divinity was blissful, and we were avoiding the descent to the bedrock of sensory certainty! The experience healed, like a panacea for urban ailments of the mind and soul and we dreaded any intrusion into this magic spell.
Prarthana Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi.
Email :prarthnasaran@gmail.com