Nirvana Local
Tongue in cheek, MANOJ SORAL ponders the spiritual significance of travelling in a Mumbai local
Ancient and new age gurus have discovered and invented hundreds of techniques for our spiritual evolution. But if you want a short, clear-cut lesson on how to do it, boarding a Mumbai local train during peak hours is a must. You think I am kidding? Read on and you’ll see the truth in this.
Let’s assume that, thanks to some good karma, you have entered the train when you have enough space to stand and move. Be eternally grateful to God for this great gift. If you get this opportunity every day, you are truly a blessed soul. Then comes the next station. A human wave crashes into the coach. You are swarmed by arms, legs, beards, moustaches of every conceivable shape and size – not to mention the various odours.
By the time all this registers in your mind, the train lurches to a halt. It is the next station. You are pushed with an almighty force. But guess what? You realise you have hardly moved. You notice another thing. The arms are gone. They are far above you. Now, in front of you are the armpits. In place of beards and moustaches, you have your nose against torsos. (Stop imagining silly things!) As for your legs, there is only one way to find them. When someone else steps on them, thinking that they are his!
By the next few stations, you have lost the sense of time and space. Your nose has decided to stop receiving any more signals. Your body has overcome the sense of pain and discomfort. Your eyes are closed. And your mind has already flown away to faraway, blissful frontiers, leaving the mortal world far behind.
Suddenly you sense some movement around you. They are your arms. Elated that you can actually move them, you open your eyes. To your pleasant surprise, a few people have alighted from the train by now. The arms, legs, moustaches, beards have all come back to their good old positions. You can now shift your legs and feel them. Oh beautiful, precious space! How grateful you are to get it, finally! Gradually, it is time for you to leave the train behind. And when it slows down, you jump on to the platform, feeling so light, you think you could fly. What a joy it is, to be free once again!
Now, if this experience is not spiritually uplifting, what is?