Swami Vishwananda had been asking me since I first arrived in Jamnagar if I had gone to the temple for Krishna's blessings and today was the day; at last! Stefani, Uri and I started out at 6 am for Dwarka and the Krishna temple on the day of the kite festival. It was chilly and we were wrapped in shawls to protect us from the early morning cold. It was a pleasant ride; uneventful, stopping for a breakfast of idlis along the way in one of those open restaurants that are like giant truck stops/Indian style. As we neared Dwarka the sky was spotted with colors, the kite festival was underway.
Since it was a holiday there were thousands of pilgrims at the temple. We made our way to the front for blessings and to give an offering. Stefani had a long orange scarf thrust into her hands from the temple priest and I got a short red one hurriedly thrust into mine. I caught myself trying to make a story out of who got what and why, and then just let the story melt away into laughter. Who cares? (It is now draped around my Ramana Marharshi calendar in my room) Perfectly adorning this great saint with a splash of red on my pink wall…
We piled back into the car and drove deeper into Dwarka, and to the beach. Stefanie and Uri went swimming down the beach and I visited a small temple. Our driver had disappeared so I just followed the energy of where I was supposed to be. After the temple it lead me to a spot on the low wall where others were sitting (mostly men). I sat down and waited. It was behind a small food stand that was selling some manner of spicy potatoes and run by a man who was glowing. Occasionally people dropped by to buy his potatoes. A camel was lying down on the street waiting for people to come by for rides. He (or she) was wearing its Sunday best. I continued to wait to discover why I was there, knowing it was the perfect spot; you just know sometimes….
Sure enough the glowing man came to talk to me and asked me what I was doing in India. When the conversation got around to plants he glowed even brighter. He told me that years ago he had been badly burned and a local woman had come to him with some leaves from a plant. She told him to mash them up and put the juice on his burns. He did as he was told and miraculously was healed with no scars. He then began to do this on his own and went out into the dry countryside to pick this plant so that he could help others to heal their wounds and burns. Eventually he got tired of traveling out to the country to pick them, he told me turning up the glow a bit more, so he collected the seeds and planted them closer to him, in his yard. Would I like to see them? he asked. WOULD I like to see them, …silly question. OF COURSE I would like to see them.
By then Stefanie and her husband, Uri (who had come from Russia to stay with her for the last month of school) were back and this lovely glowing man, put his cart on “self serve” and invited us back to his house to see this famous and miraculous plant. He did not know its name. We walked through the dusty streets of Dwarka, past open windows where men were chanting Om Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram in rich, sincere tones and large neem trees to a small doorway where we stepped over a aged large board to enter.
There was a small courtyard with mostly women doing their daily chores of washing, and cooking. His house was at the back and as we walked up to his house I saw that a small creeping plant was growing everywhere. It looked very happy. It had dark green leaves and a single stem with white and yellow flowers; flowers everywhere. We were invited in for tea. We sat in his darkened living room and were served tea under the watchful eyes of Guru Nanak. He told me a story of a young man who had had a motorcycle accident and his wound that wouldn’t heal. Surgeons were cutting more and more of the skin away and now gangrene was setting in. He came to see the glowing man in hopes that he could help him. And it worked! His wound was treated with the juice of these leaves twice a day and the gangrene left….wonders of all wonders! The wound completely healed.
The glowing man spoke to his wife and the next thing I knew was that I was gifted with a small container of seeds! Now he handed me the phone and lo and behold, here was the man who had had the motorcycle accident on the other end and he was confirming that yes, this plant had healed his leg and could I help him find out the name of this plant, because his doctors in the UK wanted to know the name of a plant that heals wounds, burns and gangrene? Of course I could; wasn’t I studying Ayurveda at one of the best schools in the world where they know such things? I took his email address and photos of this small green miracle plant and we prepared to leave. Our glowing man had been writing something on a piece of paper. He looked up and stretched out his hand with the paper and looked me in the eyes and said, “This is forever!”. I knew that whatever was on that paper was important. It was his address and phone number. I knew that I had a new friend…
Back at school the next day, it took a mere 10 minutes to find a teacher who knew the name of the plant whose photo was preciously tucked away in my camera. I emailed the man in Dwarka and the name of the plant is now on its way to the UK; helping people with burns, wounds and gangrene, no doubt.
And what is the name of this plant, you might be wondering? This small plant that grows everywhere at the university as well? (but not as happy as the ones in Dwarka) Its common name is coat buttons. Its botanical name is Tridax Procumbence and I don't know what its Sanskrit name is. In March some of these seeds will be on their way to Canada and the US to look for homes in dry places. I’m hoping they will get through customs. I’m hoping to share them…. Jai Krishna!
Cool story, Mom!
ReplyDelete