A Numinous Sign
When the incredible happened to a non-believer
I have unfailingly believed in the power of karma, as opposed to following the trappings of customs and traditions of any religion. Misinterpretation of God and religion has discriminated against and dictated over humankind deleteriously. Akin to all mankind, my teeming questions about the purpose of our existence remain unanswered.
But on a few occasions, our rigid theories are put to test. What I experienced that particular day was numinous and not a mere coincidence. This implausible incident had completely vanished from my memory for years only to pop up now and then. It’s a jarring reminder of something that I have been unable to grasp fully.
My father, a defense personnel, was posted in Rajasthan, an arid state in India. The evenings in the cantonment were enlivened by noisy children scampering about. It was my daily routine to meet my friend, at her house, barely a kilometer away from mine. I followed a solitary route, lined by tall trees on one side, and open, vacant ground on the other. Diligently by 7 in the evening, I would be home.
That particular day, I was a little tardy to reach home. To my consternation, as soon I turned a corner, I found myself standing alone in a pitch-dark street. A power outage had turned the busy street, deserted and unlit. To add to my woes, a troop of monkeys obstructed my way home. Terror struck, and I dared not move an inch. The monkeys screeched, and the eight-year-old me stood petrified, hoping for someone to come to my aid. Minutes that passed by were agonizing. I began chanting few lines of Hanuman Chalisa, which I had picked up inadvertently, listening to my mother who prayed every day. For many, this is our last resort, turning to God in times of utter despair, even when we have little or no belief in him.
To the uninitiated, Hanuman Chalisa is a collection of devotional verses, and hymns sung in praise of Lord Hanuman, who in Hinduism, is a symbol of courage, loyalty, and devotion.
The monkey chatter grew intense, so did my fear of being attacked. With tears cascading down my cheeks, I kept up with my recitation hoping for a miracle. As I vacillated going ahead or back to my friend’s house, something glistened on the road. Instinctively, as I picked it up, I saw a batman approaching from the opposite end of the T intersection and waved frantically at him. The dog, the batman was walking had chased the monkeys away with its fierce barking.
After being dropped home safely, and still quivering with fear, I animatedly relayed my harrowing experience to my parents. In all of the turmoil, I had forgotten to look at what I had picked up from the road. I nearly plotzed. It was a locket with a picture of Lord Hanuman!
After years, when I decided to pen my experience, I knew it would sound mawkish. But it’s the absolute truth, that has baffled me every time I think about it. Thirty years on, I have no recollection of where I kept the locket. My faith In God might have wavered over the years, but my faith to find that locket remains immutable.
Ironically, Lord Hanuman is also known as the Monkey God!
