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Yosemite: Shiva’s Work of Art |
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by Kamal (Kam) Joshi |
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The gushing stream of water was like a real work of art, its sound was like the sound of music and the scene was like that of a “Kinkade”. I could sit there and meditate or dance or just jump up and down to the rhythm, but I kept walking holding hands with my Vijaya. We were on a steep climb 1.5 miles long and my energy level suddenly spiked up, everything – the river, the flow, the sound and the scene, all were so conducive for me to become extra energetic. The river by the side and trees on the shore and rocks – big rocks, really big – surrounding everything, just captivated me like nothing else ever has. Slowly but surely we climbed, encountering everyone who was coming down the trail with a look of anticipation on our faces and their silent response telling us you will get there. We just kept on moving. It was tiring to climb up on that almost a vertical climb, and we were getting tired very fast, not only tired but exhausted. Our hearts were really pumping hard making a sound as if Ringo Starr was really beating his drums to a fast wild rhythm. Expectations always disappoint and one should never ever expect anything – “Do not look for the Phala of any Karma”, Shree Krishna has said that in the Holy Bhagavad-Gita. And suddenly I became very spiritual. The surroundings were conducive for that too – to be spiritual. There are not many places on the Mother Earth as beautifully awesome and exquisitely alluring colorfully green lush and yet a bowl of massive rocks as is the Yosemite Valley. There is hardly any other place where one can see as many gorgeously beautiful waterfalls as in the valley. God must have created this place to let everyone know that He is an artist and I called it Shiva’s beautiful artwork as I could see right next to the Half Dome another peak that looked like the Shiva LInga.
The majestic Redwoods, dwarf the Deodars, 200 feet tall and 5000 years old Redwoods have absorbed and observed a lot and have seen many faces. Looking in the web I found the following and I quote: “For tens of thousands of years, humans have changed, and have been changed by, this place we now call Yosemite. The Ahwahneechee lived here for generations, followed by the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1800s. And we kept on climbing finally reaching our destination a wooden Bridge over the gorgeous and mighty Merced River. From the bridge we looked at the Roaring Fall - the awesome but infamous Vernal Falls. Only a few days ago three tourists took a chance and not realizing the fearsome power of the torrential water in the Merced River stepped in it and were swept away – not to be seen again. Sometimes the most beautiful tempts and temptation always ruins – so said Krishna in the Holy Bhagvad-Gita. I was spiritual that day thinking about the tragedy, the beauty and the temptation. And Lord only knows how many over the years have been lured by the beautiful spots all along the Valley – never to come back again – falling from the cliffs of the Half Dome or drowning in pristine rivers and their falls. Yosemite is so beautiful that one has to see it to believe it and me – I can go there at the drop of a hat. And quoting again – “If there is heaven on earth –This is it, This is it.” If all the water of every ocean was ink, and every redwood tree was made into a pen and Goddess Sarswati wrote all day and night for ever –it is not possible to describe the awesome beauty of Lord Shiva – who I felt has created it in his image as the most beautiful work of his art. Go see it and be careful do not succumb to temptations. |
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08-Aug-2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
More by : Kamal (Kam) Joshi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Views: 2641 Comments: 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comments on this Article
KAMAL JOSHI 08/17/2011 20:18 PM
Bhinjue 08/17/2011 17:55 PM
KAMAL JOSHI 08/09/2011 18:10 PM
KAMAL JOSHI 08/09/2011 09:31 AM
rani 08/09/2011 09:29 AM
Akshay Joshi 08/09/2011 03:05 AM
KAMAL JOSHI 08/08/2011 21:21 PM
V.K. Joshi (Bijji) 08/08/2011 09:42 AM |
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