An Immortal

When Veer entered the capital city of Kingdom of Kashi, he felt like this city really deserves the title of most ancient city and the land of God Shiva. He could feel the spirituality in the air. The mind of people is filled with reverence and respect toward God. A lot of pilgrims also visit the city from all over the land of Bharatvarsha which has filled the environment with spiritual energy.

When Veer entered the city of Kashi, many sadhus and recluse are following him which gave off an image of a spiritual expert of high standing. Many people got attracted by his cortege and tried to invite him to their home. When King heard that there has come a great young saint, he also invited him with great fanfare but all the invitations are rejected and Veer made his stay at the Rudra temple.

Veer reached the Rudra temple during the sunset and many devotees came to get an audience with him but everyone is politely rejected by temple priests as there will be an edification the next day. Veer meditated into the temple. Temples constructed by ancient people are really created considering the maximum effect of spiritual energy on devotees. At the worship place of the temple, the effect of the elements of nature is maximum and it finally gives benefit to the worshiper.

Veer smiled thinking about the knowledge of ancestors who constructed the temples for worship. Just by sitting, the positive effects on body and mind cannot be denied. A practitioner of the yogic path can get maximum benefits by meditating at such places.

Next day at the compound of the temple, Veer is sitting cross-legged at the dais constructed for the speaker and looking at the people present to listen. Present people include all type of people saints, yogis, recluses, soldiers, officials, priest, common man, and woman or healthy and sick and all of them have only one thought in mind and that is to know about how to live life.

Seeing the curiosity of people Veer smiled and his smile mesmerized everyone present. He said, "As someone just asked while I was coming to the dais, how can one be happy in the life." He looked ahead toward the front few lines which are consisting of sadhus and recluses and asked "Is a king who has everything available in the world truly happy? Is a beggar who has nothing with him truly happy?" He looked toward the other people present.

Seeing the people thinking Veer smiled and continued "A king is not happy always because if there are many people blessing him for good work, there will be many cursing him as well. He has to be thinking always about well being of his people, punishing people and be afraid of foreign invasions. There are so many burdens, so how can one be happy? In fact, a hermit or recluse is much happier than a King or Beggar because he does not hoard things and he does not have to worry about thievery or being robbed. He does not have anything tied to him in the world and he lives in today."

One person from the crowd asked "But what is the difference between a Beggar and a recluse for worldly people? Both come at the gate to ask for food or clothes? In fact, worldly people are much more useful than the ones begging."

"A beggar is a person who begs from door to door the whole day and keeps accumulating the food, clothes and wealth. But a recluse asks for only today and he never goes to second door if he gets the alms at first one. Recluse does not hoard things because he has to win over his emotions of greed and selfishness so as to remain on the path of spirituality."

Another person asked "Aren't we losing if we keep donating the alms to others? We will simply become beggars this way and beggars will become rich?" Some people also laughed hearing this question.

Veer looked toward the person who asked the question and smiled and said "Very true. So one should always make sure that his heart is pure and his alms are going to the deserving person. A transaction between a greedy and a selfish will never bring good for either of them."

One of the sadhu from the front asked "Hey great Yogi! Please tell me why should a person donate to a deserving person only? Isn't he just donating? Why does he have to think about who is the one receiving?"

"Because if you donate something to an undeserving person, you might harm other people and it will bring you more curses than blessings. For example, if few hoarders collect the alms from a household, then a true recluse who comes at the gate of the household might not receive alms because householder will think he has already done enough for one day and thus missing the chance to gain true virtue. In another way if a lawman punishes the wrong person, he receives curses and also the true criminal will still be free and keep harming innocents. So, the alms should be received by deserving people only." Veer smile and replied.

The voice of veer is so serene and soothing and it is simply entering the subconscious of the people. Many people have their eyes closed and listening to him. Veer looked toward people and smiled and continued "In fact, there should not be any thoughts about gain or loss among the people donating and receiving. Then only it can be called a virtue in the true sense. The donation should be done with pure heart thinking about God and Alms should be received with pure heart and collector should not be greedy for more and be thankful for whatever he receives."

One recluse sitting near to Veer asked "O great Saint! You just mentioned that unburdening ourselves can make us happy and content? How can it help us, the wayfarers of spirituality to advance?"

Veer smiled faintly and said "Unburdening ourselves is about not carrying the burdens of greed, selfishness, anger, guilt and other negative emotions. If you could win over these emotions, you can definitely unburden your heart and soul and it will help you progress not only on the path of Yoga but whatever you wish to do. Any work done thinking about gain or loss or about happiness or grief will only result in causing you more burden. So, just do what you need to do and do not think about the result. Don't be happy when there is something good and don't feel sad when the result is bad. There is nothing good or bad, they are all the causes to accumulate virtue or sins and are mediums to go upward or downward."

A person stood up from the crowd and bowed to Veer. That person looks like a common man. He asked the question "O Great Thinker! Please tell me how can a person at high level unburden himself? Can he discard his subjects? How can he come out of the threat of invasion or the suffering of people?"

Veer looked at the person in front and knew that he is the King of Kashi who is sitting among common people by making a disguise and he smiled "I will tell now how a King can be a worldly person as well as a Yogi. He does not need to discard his own responsibilities to unburden himself. If a person does things thinking about the well beings of others, his work is the work of God itself. If someone works for himself, he might not probably be benefiting others. Do not invade other kingdoms without any reason, do not punish the good people, encourage your subjects to do good work by your own example. A king can do all these things to earn virtue."

After this Veer stayed for few more days at the Rudra temple of Kashi and delivered sermons on souls and incarnations and about the purpose of life. He also helped sick and suffering people by blessing the offerings using spiritual energy. He also meditated in Kashi for some time. After that Veer started toward Ratanpur.

It has been one month since Veer left Kashi. He is walking through the forests of Vindhya and found the view and environment very peaceful. He made his temporary stay at the bottom of a hill and sat in the lotus position and entered the meditative stage.

"Unburdening yourself. Huh?" There is a grouchy sound of a girl.

Sitting among the stars and meditating Veer opened his eyes slowly and found Priya standing herself at a distance from him and pouting.

Priya continued "So, how about unburdening yourself? Do you think of me as your burden? If you remove this burden, you will truly be free in this universe. I am the only tie you have in this world."

Veer stood up and walked to her, she pouted and turned opposite to him. Veer laughed and embraced her from behind and spoke in her ears like a whisper "You are not a burden but my inspiration. If you are not there, I will lose my will. Even if you are my tie to the world, we can walk together on this path and be free later. Meanwhile, I will walk this path for both of us."

Priya turned in his arms and said with a vexed expression "I never knew that you can also use flowery words. Too tempting. I can't even remain angry at you. It is your fault that my will is not strong enough."

Veer looked into her eyes and said "As I said, I will walk this path for both of us. You as a free has earned the acceptance of the world and there will be a time when you will be able to reborn. And after you are born, I will find you and we will complete our story"

"As I said, flowery words. What story? Why don't you say that you miss kissing and hugging the body? You should be called a flower saint instead of a Yogi." Priya smiled and said playfully.

Veer laughed and said "Ha ha ha. You have really been spoiled by me. There is no filter on your thoughts. You can call me whatever you want."

"Just accept that what I said is the truth." Priya is persistent.

Veer asked calmly "Do you really wish to destroy the pride of this person?"

"Yes. Your pride is stopping you from loving and being loved" She smiled and said.

"I am already deep in love," Veer said.

"Accept it or when I am reborn, I won't allow you to touch my body." She pouted.

Veer felt resigned and he sighed and said "Yes, I miss it too much. Are you happy now?"

"Ha ha ha. So you finally accepted that you are a flowery saint." Priya laughed and said.

Veer smiled and said while holding her hands "Didn't I accept it already?"

"I got two confessions from you. Your name is flower saint and your thoughts are too atrocious." Priya said while showing her two fingers.

"But it is only for my wife. Oh, my thoughts might be atrocious but not that unpleasant. Right, my wife?" Veer pulled her in his arms again and said playfully.

"Shameless Flower Saint!!" Priya pouted in his arms. Veer laughed.

Meditation is always a way for veer and Priya to interact. Priya is always around him and Veer can sense her presence strongly and even if he is not in meditation, he can feel his connection to her. His perception is becoming stronger and he can sense the location of Priya in the mortal world and it seems his practice on the stage of cognizance is becoming stronger.

With the perfection of the stage of cognizance, one will be able to cross the threshold of body and be not limited by it and the gate to the abstraction stage will open. A Yogi never thinks about stages, he naturally keeps moving forward with his practice and understanding.

After one more month, Veer reached Ratanpur and looked at he the Temple of Goddess Mahamaya in front which he has decided to make his temporary stay in Ratanpur. It is a time of dusk and surrounding of the temple is peaceful.

He walked slowly and reached the precipice behind temple where he has met Priya for the first time. He does not feel any pain remembering those moments not but only an indescribable sereneness and contentedness. This is the feeling when someone sees his or her mother or father or teacher. This place is his starting point of the spiritual journey.

While standing at the edge of the precipice and looking ahead at the dark valley he felt so calm that he entered a meditative state while standing. His eyes closed, face serene and a languish smile playing on his face.

Deep down in his consciousness when he looked around he found Priya sitting beside him. He smiled at her and said, "You are always waiting for me to start meditation."

She smiled and looked at him "I am already bonded to you. When you enter a meditative state, I can feel it and its just a matter of thought and I can reach you. Do you think you can go anywhere in this universe where I can not follow you?"

"I don't know but I also do not wish to try." He smiled and said while stroking her hair. She looked in his eyes and smiled.

After few moments, it seems Veer remembered something and he stood up while holding the hand of Priya and helped her stand and said "I have found something, let me show" and pulled her in one direction. Next moment they both went farther and farther and disappeared from that place.

After few moments they are standing at the precipice behind Mahamaya temple of Ratanpur. Priya saw Veer in meditative stage at the edge of the precipice and saw the one holding her hands and smiled.

Veer looked at her and said while pointing at his physical self "Do you understand now? That is my body in meditation and I am the soul. I have achieved the next level and I wanted to show you. Now I can sense my body. I have taken another step toward learning about the wonders of nature."

"What do you mean by sensing your body?" Priya questioned.

Veer smiled and answered "This is the definition I have created. When we enter the meditative state, we reach the vast universe through our consciousness. Earth is in the vast universe and if you travel through the distance and can reach earth and can see your body. I could sense my body and be able to reach it."

"But the place we were at was too far from here, how did you sense your body?" Priya asked confused.

Veer laughed and said "That is the secret of nature I learned. Your body is connected to you and as long as it is alive that thread of connection will always point you toward it. If you have reached a certain level, you can see and feel the other end of the thread."

Priya pouted and said "It is very complex to think. But I know it's easy as thinking for a practitioner of Yoga."

Veer smiled and stroked her hair lovingly. He looked at his body in the meditative stage and asked: "Do you see me this way when you are around me?"

Priya smiled and nodded. He looked at her and said, "It must feel lonely."

"No, I am content listening to your thoughts. I feel so calm basking in spiritual energy surrounding you and listening to your thoughts about me." She claimed.

"Most of the time I try to free my mind of any thoughts and be calm. But now I will always think of my love for you so that you could feel it and bask more into the spiritual energy of love." Veer smiled and said.

Priya hit him playfully and pouted "As expected. You are for sure a Flower Saint." She ran away shyly and shouted "Ah, so shameful. Go away."

Veer smiled and said his voice reverberating "It looks like you are not going to forget this name now. I need to get used to this name. Flower Saint. Ha ha ha. A good name is given by my wife." and he laughed when he saw Priya at a distance trying to cover her ears.

Veer willed it and the next moment he is within his body. Now he feels like he has taken a great step on the path of Yoga. This ability to sense the body is not unidirectional but it can be done other way as well. He can make his body move to the place where he is. Body is just made of five elements and they are available everywhere in the universe. A yogi can make his body disperse and reconstruct anywhere once he has perfected the stage of Cognizance.

He smiled and when he opened his eyes, he could see a soft sphere of light encircling around himself. he could feel the affection and other feelings of love when he sees her. He murmured "Priya! Is it you?" And the next moment he found her response in his consciousness through spiritual energy fluctuations. He smiled and felt peaceful.

He has reached the stage where his body has become him. Where the soul is, the body can go there and where the body is, the soul can go there. His eyes can see what soul can see. He is not restricted by the limitations of the body anymore.

Veer has touched the boundary of a true immortal. Veer can feel that unknowingly he has reached the threshold of being one with nature and divine tranquility has taken place in his consciousness.

His love is his greatest inspiration and coming to this place was a good decision. This place is the starting point of his love and spiritual journey. It seems his teacher might have a premonition of this. He suddenly understood a point. As the body is connected to the soul, the same way starting point of the journey is connected to the destination. His coming to the starting point of his spiritual journey has helped him understand this point.

He looked lovingly toward the soul of Priya beside him. Priya suddenly felt the density of spiritual energy around Veer increasing in intensity and Veer could feel her excitement in his consciousness.