Excerpt from my book 'The Journey Home' http://www.thejourneyhomebook.com/.
Often the most precious gifts of life come in ways we neither plan nor expect. Some say it is due to chance, others cite karmic destiny, and yet others believe the Lord may intervene in our lives at any moment. One afternoon, as my awareness drifted away from my meditation toward the hymn of Mother Ganges' rushing current, her powerful, gentle waves seemed to be singing an anthem of wisdom and love. Held captive by the sweet song, I listened effortlessly. This became my meditation. From dawn to dusk, I simply meditated on the song of the river.
Days later, while sitting in the crisp winter breeze I gazed up at the Himalayan sky:puffs of milky white clouds hovered from a a limitless sapphire dome. Below me, the current swirled, rippled and foamed. The sound of the river was a symphony that released me from the shackles of my thoughts. From the river's song emerged thousands of celestial voices, all chanting in unison the sacred syllable OM. The sound captured my mind.
Another evening as the sun was setting, I observed golden winter clouds floating in the deepening blue sky. The mountains were cloaked in a gown of purple and appeared so alive I felt them to be breathing. Flocks of white cranes, black nightingales, green parrots, and birds of vibrant blues, reds and oranges soared across the sky, each chirping, warbling, or trilling its own sweet song. Except for the bird song, that evening the Ganges valley was still with an almost mythical silence. My mind floated, recalling how God had taken from me so little and given me so much. For a moment I contemplated that to the degree one feels unworthy of grace, one will be grateful when it comes. It is gratitude that makes the heart receptive to receive the Lord's blessings. Closing my eyes I merged into the endless chant of OM, the river's song. It was just so beautiful. I felt on the verge of something extraordinary. Then I heard something that seemed to ascend from the depths of Mother Ganges' heart. The choir of thousands of celestial voices sang a slow, entrancing song that seemed to reverberate throughout the river valley.
"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"
Through the song of the river, I felt, God had whispered this beautiful mantra into my ears. It was a mystical rite of passage, carrying me on a wave that lifted me closer to my aspiration. My heart soared with gratitude. Inadvertently, I found myself breaking my long silence and singing these words aloud with river. No intoxication on earth could come close to that experience. The meaning of the song was unknown to me, but it stole my heart.
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