Me & My Parents...... Reunion !!!

So having made this reunion of sorts after so many years, I decided to take my parents out on long drives. We first visited Trambakeshwar, one of the 12 Swayambhoo Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva. This place is about 35 kms ahead of Nashik. Its considered to be a very holy place. Millions of Hindu travel there to perform Puja for their ancestors. It is widely believed that offerings at Trambakeshwar, ensures peace & good rebirth for the departed souls. The travel by car from Mumbai took us almost 6 hours ( we halted once for breakfast & once for lunch). The weather was beautiful & the sky was tolerant with clouds & light breeze. The day we went was a Sunday, & it was Mahalaya, the first day of the Maa Durga’s Pittra Paksha…… the first day of the Navaratri. It was crowded like crazy. No way could I have taken Maa & Baba through the maze of people there. The serpentine lines of people were enough to dissuade even the most enthusiasts. However, fortunately I had some contacts through my AOL circle & managed to get my parents sneaked in through the back door (talk of ways Guruji helps us in every step). The darshan & pooja went off very well. Maa & Baba were very pleased. It had been their desire for many years to visit this place. Baba, actually could not hold his tears….he gets very emotional at times. In fact in 2004, I had come here to make my offerings for my ancestors. I had done Pujas like Tripindi shradh, Kaalsarp, Narayan Nagbali & Mahamrityunjay japa. Baba had met with a serious accident then & had been bed ridden with almost no hope of recovery. He had been hit by a matador from behind while he was on his bicycle. At this age, the recovery process is very long & slow, niggled with complications. I had to stay there inside the temple premises for two days & conduct Pujas & Homas at various times of the day, as per scriptures. The Pundit who conducted the Pujas for me was very happy with the proceedings & had mentioned that as a boon from the Puja, one day I would be able to visit here with my parents. That’s when my Puja would be complete. At that time I did not know how that could be possible. It seemed absolutely improbable, but I kept quiet and accepted the blessings as it was coming from someone who knew more about all this than me. We have been taught to respect & accept anything that comes from learned ones, & this Pundit was certainly learned. Years rolled by & here I was with my parents, in Trambakeshwar…able to pay our homage….. I could bring my parents to do Puja at the deity, inspite of the pressing crowd. Holding Maa on one hand & Baba by the other, supporting them & walking them slowly but surely towards our journey, I actually felt like Shravan Kumar, taking his parents to wherever they wanted to go (a very popular story from Ramayana days). Driving back to Mumbai had so many thoughts rushing in from the past. I felt peace & tranquil & content. I could fulfill one of my parent’s wish.