CHAPTER 9
Sivoham … Sivoham …Sivoham
There are some life endangering things in the hills. One among them is the thunder hole water! During heavy rains in the hills thunder and lightning falls in some places. The high energy of the lightening may be very strong at times. Because of this when the lightening falls on the rocks, a deep hole is created as if someone has dug it. Rainwater gets filled in this hole and the water inside it becomes oily. Siddhas call this as ‘Udaganeer’ in their language. If anyone drink this water their stomach will become like a stone. The Siddhas mix some kind of minerals in this water and they make statues out of it. These statues withstand like stones for a very long time. Those who consumes this water will have a terrible death.
Babu who did not know how to get out of that place, was wondering why he did not feel thirst or hunger. But the feeling of loneliness and unknown fear was disturbing him a lot. Along with that, he worried about Bindu… he saw some strange kind of birds which he has only seen in some story books which has come there to drink water. Looking at this wonders of nature his mind relaxed a bit.. In between all this to his shock the water level in the stream was going down very fast. The level was going down in such a way that it is being pulled out using a powerful motor. But he could not find out where the water was going.
The morning sun rays started falling straight on the floating bodies of the Siddhas, they opened their eyes slowly and stood up straight in the stream. The water level was only up to their hips at that time. Looking at them,Babu said “Pranams Ji…!” with folded hands.
Their eye brows raised up in surprise seeing Babu there and the question, ‘How did you came here?. ‘was there in their eyes.
“Ji…Since morning I am here and I don’t know how to get out of here… but I am really feeling very blessed seeing all of you here…”
Only Babu was speaking and the Siddhas did not replied anything. Before his own eyes two of the Siddhas entered inside a tall thick bush and just disappeared. One of them came closer to Babu, stared at him and laughed. Then he looked up at the hill!
Babu said, “Yes,Ji,I fell down from there only and I did not fall by myself, one person pushed me down. But I did not get hurt and not even a single scratch is there in any part of my body, no one will believe me if I say this…”
He smiled.
“Ji… please tell me the way to get out…”
“The only way to get out of this is to ask yourself,Who you are? ”
The Siddha replied with a flavor of philosophy in his words!
“Ji…Please show me a way to get out of this place!.”
“You can go back by the way you have come…”
“Ji… what are you saying? How can I fly ,I am not a bird…”
“Then do one thing wait and catch hold of my legs when I fly…”
“Ji… what are you saying, I am totally confused and could not believe anything what I see here or hear here.”
“See, my son, what you see here and hear here you have to believe!”
“Ji, I am not able to believe my own eyes, here the tiger drink water with the deer as if they lifelong friends!… and I saw you all floating like logs in the water …I saw many green colored Shiva Lingas immersed under the stream water….when I drank the stream water I felt like I was just reborn, such was the energy I regained…”
“What are you trying to say my son…?”
“Ji, to me all these look like a miracle they say miracles never exist but I feel they never seize to exist.… ‘Go to Pon Uthiyur hills… you will have a turning point in your life’ my astrologer told me, I did not believe it. But now I am seeing it for myself now. At the same time… I am worried about my daughter…”
“No need to worry about anything standing in this place… If someone still worries after reaching here he is not at all a human being…”
“Ji, please, don’t speak like that… you are not a dad and only a dad can understand my situation. That is why you are speaking like this… I came here with my daughter to worship in the Uttanda Velayudha Swamy Temple. I never expected and never knew that thieves and robbers are also roaming around here in this hill. May be a robber might have pushed me down here from uphill.”
“You should be thankful to him for doing that… if there is a heaven in this earth and that is this. Nothing you see here is an illusion, you will never feel hunger or thirst here. There are neither friends nor enemies here, only peace and peace prevails here ….”
“There is some truth in what you are saying… But my daughter’s memory is torturing me like anything…”
“You fool… you are very fortunate enough to come to this earthly heaven, why are you worrying. Your daughter also will reach here in the same way as you have come. Believe my words. Anything you believe and trust in this place will come true!”
“It is very nice to hear all your words but still I am worried…”
Babu was not able to come out of his anxiety or worry. Perhaps the Siddha also might have felt this as ‘it is a mere waste of time talking to this fellow’, so he silently stood observing the water level in the stream. The water in the stream has completely drained and the green colored Lingas which were remaining immersed under the water were clearly visible now.
“You can witness this only for a short while. You are very fortunate my son to have this opportunity. Go and offer your respects to the Shiva Lingas…
Go and hug the Shiva Lingas… all your sins will get washed away.”
Babu stood there in total confusion!
Meanwhile Raju and the Siddha were standing near the shore of another stream….
The Senior Siddhas who disappeared into the bush were now coming back with a pot of milk and Indian bilva leaves to do Abhishekam for the Shiva Lingas which were in a faraway stream as said by the Siddha.!
The Siddha said, “Raju, look there …!”
Raju saw a pile of gold which suddenly appeared before him from nowhere. It was in different shapes like Jaggery balls, round and flat… he even touched one of it and lifted it. It was very heavy.
“Everything is pure gold Raju. Take it…” – the Siddha encouraged him.
“Ji… is this real gold?”
“You fool… are you still in doubt… Siddhas have made this through an alchemy process that they only know…these are pure 24-carat gold…”
“Are all these for me?”
“Yes… it is for you only… take this and leave this place…”
“But the medicine for my daughter…”
“You are having a bag full of gold now, right? Sell this, take her abroad and get her treated there. If it is destined, let her survive… otherwise who can stop her fate?”
“Ji…you promised me that you will give me that unique medicine then why should I take her abroad?”
“Siddhas will always bless you with one boon only. Now as they have given you gold. Is it not enough for you…?”
“Ji… more than the gold I need that medicine to save the life of my daughter…”
“Can’t you understand… Siddhas are getting angry… look!”
The Siddha furiously pointed out at some other Senior Siddhas who were standing there.
They stared at Raju.
Bindu stood there like a statue looking at all this. She started to shiver slowly. Because one of the Siddhas were looking at her abusively. She could not digest that.
Raju was in total confusion regarding what to decide… gold or medicine? Without a second thought he said “I don’t want this gold… give me the medicine…”
The Siddha said, “You fool…with the medicine only your daughter will survive. But with this gold you can become a millionaire, remember it!”
“Ji… all I remember now is only the face of my daughter… in a pitiable condition… she is struggling for her life.”
“Okay… I will get you the medicine. Leave from here immediately.”
“Where?”
“To your town”
“But the medicine…”
“You leave… I will bring it for you…”
“Why can’t I get it now?”
“You can’t get it now… we have to go to a cave which is faraway… everyone cannot go there…”
“But you said that we can go…”
“Listen to me now…go back… I will go with these Siddhas and will come back with that medicine…”
Raju could not speak anything more, so he started to leave from that place with Bindu. But the Siddha stopped him and said, “You leave her here only you should go…”
Bindu was shocked.
“What are you saying, Ji?”
“Siddhas want to perform some rituals with this girl.”
“Perform rituals…?”
“Yes… rituals for a virgin girl… you leave from here at once …”
“Rituals with this girl…?Ji… tell me directly. They want her, right?”
“Yes… you may also take it like that…”
“What to say. I feel very much sorry for this innocent girl…”
“She is not your daughter then why you are so much worried?”
“So what…?”
“You mind your own business there are thousands of girls in this world. Why are you so much bothered about this one?”
“Ji… I never expected that you will behave like this. I thought and believed that you are a true Siddha but you are a fake … a fake...”
“Look here. Don’t create unnecessary problems. If you want, take that gold but get out of here as fast as you can…”
“Ji…”
“Don’t talk… it looks like it will rain heavily…”
The Siddha pushed Raju forcefully away from there. Bindu started crying loudly.
The Siddha told Bindu, “Look here…If you make these Siddhas happy, they can even make you speak… nothing is impossible for them…”
The Siddha tried to pacify her and sowed the seeds of desire in her.
Raju stood without knowing what to do or how to save Bindu.
Bindu looked at him and pleaded for help.
Her helplessness reflected in her eyes.
Raju took a few steps forward and then suddenly stopped and said, “Ji,… I don’t want either gold or medicine. I don’t want to see any of you hereafter. I am leaving.…Hey, girl, you come with me. These are all lustful beasts in the form of Siddhas” he shouted loudly.
The Siddha’s face turned red.
“Raju… don’t make Siddhas your enemies for a girl…”
“I don’t bother… I never expected that you will be this much bad. Do not come back to our town again if you come you will see my real face…”
“Raju… think twice… a thousand kilograms of gold… it costs crores of rupees… You can live happily forever with that money. Goddess of wealth has come in search of you today. Do not ignore her….”
“No… I don’t want that money… When I see this innocent girl’s face, I remember only my daughter Rajitha. How can I tolerate this?”
“So, what are you going to do now… Do you want to fight now like a movie hero?”
“Definitely… No one … dare come near me. I will break your heads. In the name of Siddhas, you are all doing injustice to people. You all should be burnt to ashes.”
Raju was at the peak of anger. Bindu went and hid herself behind him. She shivered like anything. ‘We need not talk anymore let us…’ with this intention a Siddha approached Bindu. She ran as fast as she can with the wound in her feet. The Siddha chased her. She stopped at the edge of a rock below there was a deep valley…
She did not think twice. She just jumped down in to the valley. Raju who came to stop her could not stop her and he also jumped following her.
As both of them jumped, the Siddha looked at the other Senior Siddhas and said “Ji! Raju won in this test. Hope now you understand the reason why I gave him the medicine.” They also smiled and said, “So he will go and spread the message that all Siddhas in this hill are very bad and no one will come here and disturb us hereafter, right?”
“Definitely” answered the Siddha.
‘That is what we all wanted. Hereafter you don’t go to that town. If you go there , don’t come back here…”
“Ji…”
“If this hill has to maintain its purity common man should not come here.We have experienced enough of their lust, bogus devotion and the craving for gold..”
The Siddha understood the true reason for the behavior of his seniors!
The water level in the stream raised again. Bindu fell in to the stream first, followed by Raju from the uphill. They both went deep into the stream and when they came up,Babu was standing in front of them. When Bindu saw her dad there quite unexpected, she screamed with joy “Da .. da .. dad”. Hearing this Babu was shocked… Bindu is talking … she has regained her speech!.
“Bindu dear…is it you who has called me now…?”
Bindu could not also believe that she has talked she said, “Yes, dad…”
“Bindu … dear …”
“Yes, dad… I am not able to believe myself…but how come you are here?”
“It’s a big story… the Siddhas I met told me that you both will come here and asked me to wait here for you… they removed all the Lingas, which were remaining under the water. They said ‘While going back take this water which is a unique medicine and it is enough if you drink one spoon daily for a week to cure any type of diseases’.”
“So, you also fell in to this stream only? “Bindu asked.
“No dear… I got stuck in between some bushes. Somehow, I escaped… okay, where is that scoundrel? He did not harm you, right?”
“I escaped only because of this gentleman. If not for him, I won’t be here…”
“Who is he…?”
“I am Raju, my daughter was suffering with an incurable disease. I came to know about this medicine through a Siddha and came in search of it. I too had a horrible experience here…”
“This stream water is having medicinal properties… please take as much as you want…”
“Is it true…?”
“No doubt in it… I know how to go out from this place…”
“Oh,god,then let us not waste any more time here…” said Raju.
In the shore there were many waste broken things among them were lying some empty mud pots.
They filled the stream water in it and started their journey back.
Babu confidently led them by walking in the front and guiding them. He remembered the path through which the Siddhas went out of that place.
Bindu hugged her dad while walking.
They entered a path full of thick bushes….the very next minute three of them fell unconscious.
When they woke up they found themselves in Mooku Podi Siddha’s hut,
When Raju opened his eyes and woke up, he saw Babu and Bindu lying nearby. They also woke up. Mooku Podi Siddha came in front of them and said,
“Your true devotion and honesty has saved you,. Everyone cannot be like you… So, please do not tell the secrets about this hill to anyone…”
On the way back, they heard the trumpet of an elephant. A slight cloud of fear enveloped them. Some of the pilgrims were running hither and thither.
Near a rock they saw the dead body of Pavithran stamped by an elephant! Bindu and Babu’s lips unknowingly said”Om Namashivaya … Om Namashivaya” repeatedly.
Raju’s mind just rewound what all has happened and he stood wondering whether it is a dream or not. The Pashana Lingam’s water was hanging safe around his waist in a mud pot that Mooku Podi Siddha has given him!
The moment he reached downhill, he called Raji.
“Raji, I got the medicine…” he said.
She replied…
“Come fast dear… God has saved our child!”
The temple bells rang somewhere faraway as a sign of approval!
