Pashupatinath: one of the largest and most sacred Hindu temple complexes in Nepal. In the courtyard, we were greeted by some meandering cows. We wandered through the entry area, not exactly sure how we should go about seeing the temple. Eventually, we came across a sign that said entrance. Unfortunately, being escorted by Robin’s Nepali cousin didn’t shield us from the entry fee or a tour guide. On the plus side, the tour guide shared quite a bit of interesting information with us.
“Ah yes, so you see how it is, Hindus believe that the soul only lasts 24 hours in the body after death and so people must be cremated within 24 hours of death so that their souls can be freed and washed down the river. Buddhists believe it lasts 48 hours, so it’s less of a rush. You can see a pyre being built down there right now.” One pyre was already burning and another was being prepared. I could envision the spirit being released from the vessel that had contained it for many years. I could understand the desire to want the best possible afterlife for your family. To do anything that might help those you loved.
“So, is this temple devoted to any god in particular?”, I asked “I see idols representing multiple gods.” In truth, I’d already done some research, but I wanted to hear about it from our tour guide as he was knowledgeable about the temple and could probably provide more information than Wikipedia.
“Ah yes, this temple is devoted to Shiva. But many temples have shrines to multiple gods. For example, in the Hindu religion, Ganesh must always be worshipped first. So you see how it is that Pashupati is an incarnation of Shiva, so this temple is devoted to Shiva. Except these caves over here.” He gestured across the river. “These caves are a holy site for the Buddhists. You see, The Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu, and the monks in these caves are mediating all the time on the teachings of Buddha. They are almost always smoking marijuana to reach even deeper states of meditation. It’s illegal here, but these monks have a religious exception. The Lord Shiva also loves marijuana, you know.” I later read that it was only illegal because of pressure from the US, and in reality no one cared at all and they didn’t even pretend to enforce the laws. Marijuana has a long history of recreational use in Nepal and trying to enforce those laws would be kind of ridiculous.
At this point, we started walking to a higher vantage point, and a dog started following us. And I could see that it wasn’t just a dog, but a spirit of this place. It belonged to this place as much as this place belonged to nature and to the gods. And it knew. It knew that I knew and could see it for what it was.
Noticing the dog
following us, the tour guide told us a little about the animals. ” The dogs are fine, they’re just hoping you’ll give them food. But the monkeys… well, you see how it is, the monkeys have their hearts in their back, and any animal that has it’s heart in it’s back will think it’s a challenge if you look them in the eyes. So don’t look them in the eyes if you don’t want trouble. And be careful with your mobile phones. I’ve seen the monkeys snatch them before.”
I found the monkeys fascinating. And all the animals for that matter. So natural that they should coexist with humans, and yet, in Western cities, the only wild animals you see are birds and squirrels that are treated as pests: only around because they’re impossible to get rid of. In Nepal, the dogs would lay around in the street, on shop fronts, in temples, everywhere. It struck me that they were treated much like homeless people are treated in the US. They were mostly ignored, sometimes given pity from a few individuals, and treated warily if they were being aggressive. This comparison really drove home in my mind the terrible state of our society such that humans receive no more compassion than wild dogs on the street.
And the cows… well, as Robin put it, “the cows are just friends.”
“So you see, how it is: The cow has all 330 million Hindu gods contained within its body. This is why the cow is a holy animal.” I already knew the cow was holy, but this added an interesting new dynamic to it. The cows wandering the streets, laying on the sidewalks, and lounging in the courtyard. They were all gods?
“This shrine here is very old. It’s a tantric shrine. So you see, the reason it has these sex acts on it is that the goddess Kali will come down once a year to destroy humanity, but when she sees the sexual acts on these tantric shrines and temples and people practicing these acts, she gets embarrassed and flies back to heaven.”
Well, this all was a lot to take in. So naturally, we stopped at a small shop in the temple complex for some tea. And again, I realized just how different the pace of life was here. The tour guide sat down with us and waited for us to finish our tea. Would that ever happen in the US? Wouldn’t he have another tour he had to get to in 15 minutes? Didn’t he have somewhere else he needed to be?
Eventually we moved on and came to the main gate to the main temple. “Only people born Hindu with both parents Hindu can enter this part of the temple. Anyone can see the rest of the temple, but this section is too important, too holy. These goats here at the entrance, you see how it is: someone has given them to Shiva as a living offering. They belong to Shiva now and no one can claim them or slaughter them.”
Of course there are magics I will never know. Beautiful sights I will never see. Temples I can never enter. But now, more than ever, I realize that I must seek out the magic within my grasp and learn to harness it. How can I know this power exists and sit around in an office? Now, all I need to do is figure out how to find it.