Iktu had always been a well-behaved droplet. She hadn’t ventured out much. Over the years though, she had seen other droplets who had, and upon their return she’d feel a little left out. So one day, she floated right up to the top. She even rode on a wave briefly leaving the other droplets behind in its wake. It felt exhilarating. In time, her excursions grew quite adventurous. She would go up top and linger there day and night.
One such night while riding a wave, she hit the shore rather abruptly. She found herself stuck in one of the pools on the shore along with some of the other droplets, and for the first time, she felt fear. The others told her, “It's going to be alright, the wave always comes back.” She waited hours upon hours. At dawn, the rising sun cast warm rays over the shallow tidal pools. Suddenly it dawned on Iktu that she had risen, for she found herself floating on air! She called out loudly to the others, they only looked up at her helplessly.
She hung suspended in the air for quite a while before getting sucked into a cloud. There she found others whom she had never previously met. They looked at her curiously, but said nothing. Day became night. The Sun set into a shimmering sea. A dreamy drowsiness crept over Iktu like she had never felt before. The others all seemed droopy too. Suddenly she found herself with her mother playing in the waves and she shouted with joy. One of the droplets next to her jolted her out of her reverie, "Shh!" he hissed.
Iktu, to her dismay, found herself still in the cloud! How had she come back so fast from playing the waves? Peering down through the mountain tops, she could see mother on the shore far away. She felt so alone! The others crept away from her and withdrew from each other. She tried to talk to the one who had shushed her, but he didn't seem to hear her. She jumped up and down trying to get her mother’s attention, but to no avail. The others glared at her a little menacingly now. So eventually, she stopped and sulked away by herself.
Again, she found herself playing with her mother, and then abruptly felt herself lifted into the air. She screamed. This time Shh poked her cruelly while shouting at her to “Shut up”. She looked down terrified , but could not spy her mother anywhere. Iktu felt cold and discovered herself becoming hard and heavy. She had never felt anything like this before. Desperately she looked to the others for help, but they too began solidifying right before her, and she could tell they had never felt like that either.
She became so heavy that she could feel herself slipping from the cloud and dropped swiftly into the dark night. Petrified, she could not scream because she could not control any part of herself. She fell landing hard on a harder vast white landscape. She lay there helplessly. Days and nights passed until she lost count of how many.
Years, then decades passed. She could barely think. All she knew was the whiteness around her. She couldn't see the sky anymore, only the endless white above her and below. Centuries passed. If anyone would had asked her identity she couldn’t have told them, for she longer knew. She just lay there like a rock, frozen, not knowing, nor even caring that she didn’t' know.
One day a deep rumble stirred her from the deep slumber she had been lost in forever. A sharp jolt tossed her high into the air and then she fell back again rushing downwards along with many of the other frozen droplets. Painfully, she stumbled down getting hit from all sides. Too stunned to scream, for it had been eons since she had felt pain or indeed anything, she realized her numbness had departed as she regained the experience of sensation.
She landed in a pool alongside a rushing river. She surveyed her surroundings and noticed many other droplets; some still frozen and some looking around in wonder. They looked at each other in awe, and some of them even smiled. She smiled back. After a while she felt a very ancient but familiar sense of kinship with the other droplets; the others must have felt it too because they started hugging each other. The hugs created so much commotion that some of the still frozen ones began to stir too. After a few hours, the sun shone high and strong upon them. All the frozen ones thawed and awoke amidst the cheers of the others.
After the sense of immediate relief had passed, they looked at each other. Shh qureied, “Now what?” One of them suddenly chirped up, “Listen!” They all quieted and listened, sure enough they heard the river sound loudly and clearly saying “Maa.” They all went wild with enthusiasm! They too started shouting Maa over and over until the river took notice of them and with a gurgling splash merged them with itself.
Iktu gloried amidst the thrall. She and Shh had somehow managed to stick together, riding the current gushing downstream. All around them they heard wild shouts and frenzied cheering everywhere! Some droplets crying, others laughing, the craziest thing Iktu had ever seen.
After several hours, all had exhausted themselves and had for the most part quieted down, when they heard a huge cheer raised on the river that went up from those up in front. Iktu looked up, she could see mother in the distance!
She screamed, laughed, and cried all at the same time in an almost unbearable state of bliss; she and Shh just joined the others jumping up and down like baby droplets! Old familiar songs broke out and before long Iktu saw mother opening up her arms to her in an engaging embrace.
The actual union felt solemnly somber. Iktu just melted into her mother. She held on tight and said, “I love you!” mother replied, “I love you”. Iktu kept on repeating “I love you” to which mother kept on replying “I love you” over and over again. Iktu could not stop and apparently mother could not either.
This went for days, even weeks. Finally, Iktu quieted down and just held on to mother. Mother held her back firmly. Iktu had come up with a million questions for mother when in the river, but they all seemed somehow self-answered now.
Quite simple actually, she had come home; this is where she belonged.
Meditating on naam over and over again is the way to merge with the One.
----- Guru Nanak, Jap Ji, 32nd pauri
One such night while riding a wave, she hit the shore rather abruptly. She found herself stuck in one of the pools on the shore along with some of the other droplets, and for the first time, she felt fear. The others told her, “It's going to be alright, the wave always comes back.” She waited hours upon hours. At dawn, the rising sun cast warm rays over the shallow tidal pools. Suddenly it dawned on Iktu that she had risen, for she found herself floating on air! She called out loudly to the others, they only looked up at her helplessly.
She hung suspended in the air for quite a while before getting sucked into a cloud. There she found others whom she had never previously met. They looked at her curiously, but said nothing. Day became night. The Sun set into a shimmering sea. A dreamy drowsiness crept over Iktu like she had never felt before. The others all seemed droopy too. Suddenly she found herself with her mother playing in the waves and she shouted with joy. One of the droplets next to her jolted her out of her reverie, "Shh!" he hissed.
Iktu, to her dismay, found herself still in the cloud! How had she come back so fast from playing the waves? Peering down through the mountain tops, she could see mother on the shore far away. She felt so alone! The others crept away from her and withdrew from each other. She tried to talk to the one who had shushed her, but he didn't seem to hear her. She jumped up and down trying to get her mother’s attention, but to no avail. The others glared at her a little menacingly now. So eventually, she stopped and sulked away by herself.
Again, she found herself playing with her mother, and then abruptly felt herself lifted into the air. She screamed. This time Shh poked her cruelly while shouting at her to “Shut up”. She looked down terrified , but could not spy her mother anywhere. Iktu felt cold and discovered herself becoming hard and heavy. She had never felt anything like this before. Desperately she looked to the others for help, but they too began solidifying right before her, and she could tell they had never felt like that either.
She became so heavy that she could feel herself slipping from the cloud and dropped swiftly into the dark night. Petrified, she could not scream because she could not control any part of herself. She fell landing hard on a harder vast white landscape. She lay there helplessly. Days and nights passed until she lost count of how many.
Years, then decades passed. She could barely think. All she knew was the whiteness around her. She couldn't see the sky anymore, only the endless white above her and below. Centuries passed. If anyone would had asked her identity she couldn’t have told them, for she longer knew. She just lay there like a rock, frozen, not knowing, nor even caring that she didn’t' know.
One day a deep rumble stirred her from the deep slumber she had been lost in forever. A sharp jolt tossed her high into the air and then she fell back again rushing downwards along with many of the other frozen droplets. Painfully, she stumbled down getting hit from all sides. Too stunned to scream, for it had been eons since she had felt pain or indeed anything, she realized her numbness had departed as she regained the experience of sensation.
She landed in a pool alongside a rushing river. She surveyed her surroundings and noticed many other droplets; some still frozen and some looking around in wonder. They looked at each other in awe, and some of them even smiled. She smiled back. After a while she felt a very ancient but familiar sense of kinship with the other droplets; the others must have felt it too because they started hugging each other. The hugs created so much commotion that some of the still frozen ones began to stir too. After a few hours, the sun shone high and strong upon them. All the frozen ones thawed and awoke amidst the cheers of the others.
After the sense of immediate relief had passed, they looked at each other. Shh qureied, “Now what?” One of them suddenly chirped up, “Listen!” They all quieted and listened, sure enough they heard the river sound loudly and clearly saying “Maa.” They all went wild with enthusiasm! They too started shouting Maa over and over until the river took notice of them and with a gurgling splash merged them with itself.
Iktu gloried amidst the thrall. She and Shh had somehow managed to stick together, riding the current gushing downstream. All around them they heard wild shouts and frenzied cheering everywhere! Some droplets crying, others laughing, the craziest thing Iktu had ever seen.
After several hours, all had exhausted themselves and had for the most part quieted down, when they heard a huge cheer raised on the river that went up from those up in front. Iktu looked up, she could see mother in the distance!
She screamed, laughed, and cried all at the same time in an almost unbearable state of bliss; she and Shh just joined the others jumping up and down like baby droplets! Old familiar songs broke out and before long Iktu saw mother opening up her arms to her in an engaging embrace.
The actual union felt solemnly somber. Iktu just melted into her mother. She held on tight and said, “I love you!” mother replied, “I love you”. Iktu kept on repeating “I love you” to which mother kept on replying “I love you” over and over again. Iktu could not stop and apparently mother could not either.
This went for days, even weeks. Finally, Iktu quieted down and just held on to mother. Mother held her back firmly. Iktu had come up with a million questions for mother when in the river, but they all seemed somehow self-answered now.
Quite simple actually, she had come home; this is where she belonged.
Meditating on naam over and over again is the way to merge with the One.
----- Guru Nanak, Jap Ji, 32nd pauri
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