Velliangiri Padayatra with a Ratha

    My 1st Isha padayatra in 2020 was when I realized this padayatra is not just a walk, its much more. Come 2023, its not just a padayatra, its a padayatra along with carrying a Ratha. This takes 19 days to reach Isha Yoga Ashram starting from Bangalore, and I could be a part of this only for the last 6 days. Still, enough experiences to last..

   One contrasting difference in walk vs walk with Ratha is in just walk, the intensity is much more because when you walk, walk and keep walking, you get into a zone, you get lost in the mind, things start reflecting, what not. With Ratha, you are moving slowly and always in a group so you getting into your own zone is lesser. However, the biggest advantage of a Ratha is the number of lives we touch upon along the way.  As Sadhguru tells, What can be more joyful than putting seeds of Bhakti along the way? 

    I was wondering how to make it little intense for me, and then I found an option: pushing from behind the Ratha. That is one position where you can be involved with the Ratha, at the same time gives you the option to just close your eyes and walk along with the chant. Since you are always in contact with the Ratha, you will anyway be taken in the direction of the Ratha without actually seeing it. It worked wonders.

   So many people on seeing the Ratha entering their village, come to pull the Ratha, welcome it as if its their own, and their facial expressions tells it all. People moving in the buses or personal vehicles turning back to see, people walking stopping for a while and praying, people immediately throwing away their slippers when receiving Vibhuti, these images will not vanish easily. And for so many, its just tears of joy on seeing Lord Shiva. It is during these moments when I considered myself fortunate to be a part of this journey.

    There was a tangible difference on a day when we hit the roads early in the morning. Many people got up from their beds listening to the 'Om Namah Shivaya' chants running in our Rath, and when they opened their doors to  see what's going on, there it is, Adiyogi Lord Shiva, giving darshan in his full glory.  Imagine how would it be a for a dharmic person to begin a day in this fashion!

    Once we enter rural, that is one opportunity to see how big the hearts of our people are. When they see you walk, they want to offer you something. One water melon shop owner starts cutting water melong pieces to each of us. Another water melon shop owner when told that we have our stomachs full and cant have water melon, loads 5 water melons to our vehicle and asks to have it whenever hungry. Another on-looker buys a box of water bottles and is offering to us. A person going on a 2-wheeler rushes to a nearby shop and purchases as many biscuit packets he can and comes and gives to us. I dont know whether this person has enough money to support his home, but then, that is this Punya bhumi for you. When you watch all these with absolute silence, there can only be tears.

     We had a team of padayatris, mainly akkas, involved in Vibhuti distribution to the devotees on the route. The amount of running these akkas did was phenomenal. Running from one shop to another, running from this side to the other side of the road, all with the sole intention of putting a drop of bhakti in the lives we come across. And the way people received it was more heartwarming. One Dhivya Akka had some innovative tactics though. Dropping vibhuti packets to people through the window in a running bus, in a running auto, etc. The joy on the people's faces was there to see when they never thought they could get the Vibhuti. 

   There was a day when we started walk early in the morning around 4:30. There were people sleeping on the pavements. One such person woke up from his sleep, but still lying down with blanket covering till his neck and watching our procession, as in not keen in whats happening, but just observing.  Dhivya akka went and kept one vibhuti packet near his face and moved on, he immediately got up, put the vibhuti on his forehead, and made a silent chant with his eyes closed: 'Om Namah Chivaaaya'.

   A shoutout to our co-padayatris from the S&S Adiyogi, photos and videos were being taken and edited and uploaded to YouTube all during the course of the yatra. One hardly gets any rest during the yatra, then you wonder how these folks managed all these. Kudos to our S & S Adiyogi team.   

   And how can I end this experience without talking about our chief sarathy, Satya Shiva. I never felt a Sarathi is an important part in a Rath yatra because its just a vehicle moved by people pulling it and we need someone in that Sarathi's position just to give direction to the Rath. I was horribly wrong. Sarathy is the one who controls the entire Rath. Let me give just one instance among the multiple ones of our Sarathy. We were going from Peelamedu to Sevashram in R.S.Puram of Coimbatore. And we had to cross a railway bridge. I have never seen in my life a ratha being taken on a flyover or a railway bridge, but yes, here we are. 

  With lots of pulling and pushing, the Ratha reached the midway of the bridge. We were all relieved since the toughest part is over. No, I am wrong again, the toughest part is yet to come. The downward journey of the Rath in the bridge is going to be fast, and the bridge had a very steep curve towards the end of it. People in the front and the back of the Ratha stopped pulling/pushing. With no physical intervention, Ratha is running faster down the slope, and we padayatris are also running along with that. The Sarathy has to be in absolute control, he too has to run along with the Ratha at the same speed and also control/steer the Ratha to factor the curve. 

  The speed with which the Ratha was moving, if the Sarathy loses contact with the Ratha even for a second, its a disaster in waiting. Of course, it can never happen, after all, this entire process is happening with Sadhguru's blessings. Our Guruji Vinayak Shiva always used to say that once you tie Irumudi and start your padayatra, Sadhguru is there in you. And I understood the exact meaning of this when the Ratha crossed the bridge or to put in other words, our Sarathy gave a demo of what that line means. Satya Shiva, what you pulled off was a miracle. You are a wonderful Sarathy!

   Padayatra is a culture of this Punya Bhumi which is becoming extinct. We always have that thought we need to do something to this from getting into oblivion. Thanks to Isha, yes, today we all should feel proud about the fact that we indeed did our bit to revive this culture.

Om Namah Shivay!!