I believe reading has the potential to shift your dynamics significantly; I relate majorly with openness to experiences coinciding emotionally with empathy. A study published in the National Library of Medicine states, “Poetry can act as a powerful stimulus for eliciting peak emotional responses, including chills and objectively measurable goosebumps that engage the primary reward circuitry. “ I strongly agree with this statement because reading Shakta poetry, primarily focused on Goddess Kali, induced an inexplicable urge to travel to Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, Kolkata, India. Not only that, but reading across the trajectory of Bhakti poetry has provided an urge to decompose the old principles and build a new composition of neuroaesthetics.
In Pictures: Books on the Black Goddess of Dakshineshwar and the present temple.
She let me in her sacred abode, and I feel that if a divine entity allows you to share her space, the energy speaks volumes in ways you cannot describe.
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Before I migrate to the kingdom of “Lord of Time,” I would like to present two of my poems written in concentration on Bhakti, primarily Shaivism. These poems were published by Yugen Quest Review; you can read the full presentation here.
……And I froze, right there; he was silently commanding everyone to be in order, and nobody dared to cross the line, even for a second. This is how time ceased to operate for me; tears rolled down from my eyes to my cheeks, and my body was drenched in marvel and awe of his sight, the sight that shook me from inside, and there was nothing left to say. I know he is omnipotent and omnipresent. Yet, I felt an urge to sit beside him and talk about my weeping heart with no fear of judgment. I don’t know what transpired; his majestic epiphany overtook all the senses, and I collapsed right there, on his altar, willing to be burnt with ashes and time—together!
When talking about 12 Jyotirlingas in India, I bend towards Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar the most. This is because time is my foundational emotion, and if you see eye to eye with me on this philosophy of respecting time, you will understand my penchant for Swayambhu. My short trip was stuffed with emotions, emotions, and only emotions. However, the only disappointment (unexpected but anticipated) I experienced was when I had to spend 10 hours at the Delhi International Airport, squeezed in a centralized AC system. My biological system does not respond well to prolonged exposure to such temperatures, and albeit the city has always been kind to me, I always end up falling sick, pathetically blocking my schedule. Anyway, expectations always hurt, and I have understood that no matter how generous or progressive you will be, life will always turn things upside down for you.
You can read about the third Jyotirlinga here.
Love,
Nidhi A