The Sun and the Moon the Witch and the Saint

By Manoj Pokharel

A man decides to search answer to existential questions and finally manages to receive it. His grandson takes it further and reaches to super natural and other worldly experiences and abilities but to do good to humanity decides to sacrifice them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Manoj Pokharel
• Release date: May 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201175108

Book preview

1. Mr. Noah and Mysterious Temple

Mr. Noah Johnson took one banana out from his bag and gave it to a monkey. He had just entered into the main gate of Pashupatinath Temple Area when his eyes fell on this monkey which was sitting on wall beside the footpath and looking at passerby. As he was an ardent lover of animals he decided to respond to the first pair of anticipating eyes of the day generously.

This was at 6:00 am in morning. December had just begun but the cold had already seized the city. The warmth that was in existence even some days ago had receded significantly. The cold resistance power of people here seemed to be generally low evident by the fact that some people were reacting to cold by constricting their shoulder and putting their hands either in folded position or with palms and fingers in their pocket and rest of hand tightly close to their body as if trying to reduce loss of heat from their body. However, most people were not yet seen in warm clothes. The weird habit regarding fashion in this area was that people would usually wear summer clothes even when they already feel cold. And they liked to keep on wearing winter clothes even though the heat of spring or even summer made them uncomfortable. The cold has already begun and the morning scenario of the city had started to include people sitting around fire to warm them. At noon, for the most part, sun would shine and day would become warm and it was possible to be comfortable even in thin clothes.

Almost every morning he would rise at 5:30 a.m. and then after few chores go for morning walk. This has been his routine almost after one year he had started to live permanently in this country. He was living in this country from 10 years.

He always had a question or questions of a kind. Those questions were particularly strengthened after his wife died 12 years ago. He believed this country would help him to find answer to his questions.

Mr. Noah had a grandson. His grandson’s name was James. When James was two years old, his parents died in car accident. So as nearest relative, Mr. Noah took responsibility of looking after Mr. James, until he would grow up into an adult.

When he first came to this temple, he hadn’t yet decided to live in this city.

One day, many years ago, he just decided that he would go and see this so much revered temple of Hinduism, the third largest religion of the world and which almost more than eighty percent of Nepali were following. That day, the time should be almost about 5:00 p.m, he climbed the stairs that went towards the jungle above the temple. But after climbing few stairs he became confused about what he was exactly going to do. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about going to the end of stairs so he thought of going down the stairs again. While he was yet to descend his eyes fell on people gathering at a place just few steps away from him. There looked like some event was going to be organized. He walked towards the place. He found that the place directly faces and provides open view of the temple that was situated at other side of the river. The land was still lit although with yellow rays of setting sun. He could clearly see the ancient temple in all its' glory. The golden roof of temple was shining with light with majestic mountains around and this all was a little bit far from city.

He looked down on other side of river and he saw that some people had gathered there.  Some of those people were in white clothes. Two or more women were crying and some other women were trying to pacify them. Everyone seemed to be in sorrow. In front of them was placed something covered in while clothe.

His eyes ran and stopped for a small boy, who was probably eight years old, whose head was shaved and who was wearing only a piece of white cotton clothe around his waist. After some time, someone handed the young boy a burning wood and instructed something. The boy then proceeded with that burning wood and placed that fire on that covered thing. The thing began to burn slowly. The weeping women, sad people, a boy whose head was shaved and was wearing only a strip of white clothe. He realized that this was funeral. Although he has also read or heard about all this, but this was the first time he witnessed. It was required that a son should burn his parents dead body. Perhaps it was preparation of the ultimate truth of human body. A man who is born dies one day. So you must not only accept it but prepare for it. A quintessential teaching of Hinduism.

Darkness was trying to establish its empire all over. Perhaps, it was encouraged from drowning of sun into horizon. But alas, if only human were so easy to rule over. Instead of being defeated by darkness, they were to invent many powerful and colorful appliances and celebrate victory of human over the dark empire. As if participating to human’s celebration the temple too was blazing with more beauty.

The river flowed below from where he was standing. And in this side of river, everything was normal or even forwarding towards celebration. After few minutes he saw that some people gathered at this side of river. Some of them were covered in yellow robe. After some time they started singing some lyrics with music and thundering claps came from audience standing everywhere. The men in yellow robes had their hands holding burning oil lamp, which they moved in certain rhythm perhaps pertaining to the lyrics they were singing. Some energetic dances below and above were accompanying the ritual. His body was also throbbing with the thunder of claps, music and dances and his mind was filled with bliss and silence.

Among the various acts there were also some who were amusing people around them with hysteric trembling and movements.

In one side of the river there was unfathomable pain and sorrow and on the other side of the same river there was dancing, music, joy and celebration. Between these two sides the river flowed continuously. One could see reflection of both sides in the river. But the river itself was unconcerned and was content with its own motion.  High above the river was most ancient lord Pashupati Nath standing according to belief of some perhaps from the start of creation itself.

Mr. Noah was taken as jolly and chattering old man by those who knew him. He never allowed any of his past suffering or unfateful events to show their traces in his outer appearance. Like a tortoise under a shell, it was difficult to decipher his inner feelings even after having many conversations with him. He was renowned for his kindness also because he was running an orphanage with his own money. Few people in his residential neighborhood even used to express awe for his choice of leaving luxurious life in his home country only to live in such poor condition in Nepal and as if that was not enough running an orphanage with his own money. Some have offered help for getting recognition and honor in form of some medal by the government of Nepal. But Mr. Noah used to politely decline such proposes.

Mr. Noah just continued walking on the footpath beside the jungle, along shops that used to offer flowers and other worshipping materials, across many small temples then towards the wooden bridge over Bagmati river and when he crossed the bridge he climbed up the long stairs until he reached to the top. He stopped for few times only to give bananas to monkeys until he was left with none. With breathing that had been heavy caused by his recent effort he walked few round on the flat ground and after tried some body-stretches then again he stepped down the same stair by which he went up. There is sitting arrangement a little bit before the wooden bridge comes, from where one can have grand vision of Pashupatinath temple that lies in other side of river Bagmati. He saw an old woman already came there with her tea-kettle and stove. He stopped there are asked for a cup of tea like others. He waited until tea was ready.  After a while the lady handed a cup full of hot tea. He started sipping tea. One of the significant aspect of life of these people, he found out was related to drinking tea. Tea is not only the first drink of the day but also most used form of hospitality and talking over tea was one of the favorite time pass.

Mr. Noah stepped down, crossed wooden bridge, and being across the many small temples got out of main temple area again walked across the shops, which was silent before was with shopkeepers calling and offering devotees and visitors the worshipping materials, string of beads and knots, altars of various gods and goddesses etc.

Life has been generous with Mr. Noah. He had comfortable home and a great family which comprised of a faithful wife, son, grandson and savings enough for his retired life. After working for years and having earned what he thought was enough to lead his rest of life comfortably, he had decided to retire.

Life had another plan. Life had decided to take one by one everything that he cherished out of his life. His son and daughter in-law died in a car-accident and left their son, their only child alone. After few years, his wife too died of Cancer. Now he was left with his grandson and the property.

These events and all his life experiences drew Mr. Noah more towards searching answer to existential questions.  He began to read various religious books, teaching of cultures and of modern and ancient saints more intensely. All of them at least invariably claimed to have direct relationship with divinity. Some even claimed lordship over things like Godness but none of them could show practical or real way that a person could follow and attain or even be sure of the highest, about which they all have claimed their authenticity of knowing and right over teaching. It was more than clear that by following none of them Mr. Noah himself could experience the ultimate truth before his body would stop working.

As a person who had led more than four decades of life as a logical, rational and practical thinker he was a little more tired of speculations and logics.  It was clear that demonstration is better than thousand of words and logics. He has seen numerous promising logics being failed, very likely speculations proven wrong. That didn’t mean he has left to think. But about these things, he believed that there should be a living body, alive system of teaching exploring all these possibility, based on perception and experiences rather than logic and speculations. He hoped and feared only that will lead to real answers he was looking for.

To increase probability of meeting with such alive body of teaching, he started travelling a lot. He travelled inside his country. He visited villages and tribal communities, met with shamans, witnessed various interesting things. But many things were kind of strictly limited inside the community and those shamans were not capable of helping him even if they wanted. It seemed they were themselves a victim of some kind, perhaps a prisoner of divinity. However, that was not what Mr. Noah was searching for.

He also travelled outside his country, he went to middle-eastern countries, where only evidence of marvelous history existed in the form of marvelous artifacts. He travelled to China, Tibet and India too.  He travelled to Nepal also but unimpressed accept from its natural scenery. He was rather interested in Chi (Qui?) of Chinese philosophy. When he was learning some Chi practice fortunately with some advanced masters, some of them unknowingly referred some saying or practice which was taught to them by someone coming from Nepal. But no one exactly said who he was and where and how to meet him. After some time he went to India and practiced Yoga and remained with saints and Yogis. He found that some of these so called Yogis and saints have nothing in mind except money but some want nothing for themselves. Some of these people also referred to someone, whose strange wisdom, which although they declined because of the difficulty and contradiction to their already established practice, as their intuition said must be very valuable for spiritual development.

After hearing these and many other stories of saints and Yogis in India and Nepal, Mr. Noah began to think that if any such teaching should be met that would be met in Nepal. And he was hopeful that he will come into contact with such body in Nepal. He visited Nepal few times before he finally decided that Kathmandu would be his permanent abode for his entire life.

Someone had tried to convince him that Kathmandu is not ordinary city. Unlike any other city of the world, this city is made in Tantric form. This whole valley which is full of temples and