The new era has begun. With garlands, gold, celebrations, the long-standing struggle for temple warriors is over. While I look at this grand saga of Ayodhya, my own individual ‘know thyself’ search ended. What started decades ago, culminated into a simple life, gurukul-style learning as a yoga student, sadhana, contemplation, and karmayoga. It seems like the completion of a whole cycle of my existence.
After 500 long years, history was made in just 84 seconds. The return of Ram lalla—the pran pratishtha—and the extraordinary moment of consecration in Ayodhya dham has left everyone emotional, awestruck and grateful to be able to be a part of it. Yahi samay hai, sahi samay hai (Now is the time, the right time).
“We have to lay the foundation of India for the next thousand years, starting from this sacred time,” Prime Minister Modi said at the miraculous time while inaugurating the Ayodhya temple. According to him, the inauguration marks the end of a centuries long wait as well as the beginning of a new era, while breaking the shackles of a “slavery mentality”. Kaal chakra badal raha hai (the cycle of time is changing).
While it takes hardly anytime for the final result to happen—the Buddha attained nirvana in less than a second—but it was after hundreds of years of search. Years of him as a grihastha searching in the void, followed by lifetimes of him as a seeker. The final realisation was instant. Live in the moment, he would conclude.
That was not just a day but a new era, a supernatural moment which 2,500 years later still continues to bring solace and understanding for the world over. Lord Rama’s life is exemplary of how he is our saviour in times of catharsis, guiding us to take the righteous path even when challenged. Our end goal is to reach the victory point, with utmost humility. I have been a direct practitioner of this when I rose out of the nearly impossible recovery from my car crash.
This gives rise to the belief, the surrender, the worship to the Supreme, no matter who your deity is, or even if you are an atheist. Retracing the footsteps of the mighty ones like Lord Rama and seeing how he overcame the monumental obstacles inspires us and gives us hope. To those who are non-believers, who are fearsome and have fallen prey to a lost hope, have life infused in them. Omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient after all this is who we all are. Our children, youth, future are the preferred ones to be paid attention to, so they can make the most of this remarkable time for India to move forward. This simple teaching spurned me to infuse life in my foundation—AAF.
Anu Aggarwal
Actor, speaker, yogi and author
Instagram: @anusualanu