Vipul Shaha
The Valley School, Krishnamurti Foundation of India, Bangalore
March 17, 2019
“One is never afraid of the unknown; one is
afraid of the known coming to an end.”—J. Krishnamurti
It
is 3.15 am. I wake up abruptly from what feels like a restless
dream. My eyes and cheeks still swollen. Some parts of the facial muscles
and scalp feeling numb, some are in pain. I try to console myself saying
that it is a ‘Brahma Muhurat’ –an auspicious time of the day
to be waking up and practice meditation. A frenzy of anxious thoughts
take over neither allowing me to meditate nor get back to sleep. My mind
keeps taking me back to the moment…rather a series of intense moments which
brought me face-to-face with death. It’s been exactly 2 weeks. Yet every
moment of that deadly encounter with the honeybees in the forest feels so very
real and yet so incredible.
I
decide to pull out my ‘Gratitude Journal’ and open the last entry, for Day
21—the reflection prompt asks—‘If today were your last day, how would you spend
it?’ In the past, I have avoided thinking much about or responding to
this question. Today, however, it feels very alive even as my thoughts
hover around me like a swarm of honeybees.
I
am transported high atop a big banyan tree, in its secure embrace, admiring the
view, enjoying the exhilaration that it brings me until suddenly I hear a
buzzing sound, wondering where it might be coming from. I notice a huge beehive at the far end of a
branch I am weighing myself onto and am about to climb up.
Before
I know it, my face is covered with a thick blanket of honeybees, the legs,
hands, throat and neck too, they are everywhere—determined to knock me down.
I
begin to cry for help in Marathi, my mother-tongue—‘Deva…Deva…Vaachav…Vaachav’!
(God!!! Please save me!!!) Screaming aloud, I am tightly holding on to
one branch with my right hand while trying to brush away the bees with the
other. It only aggravates their aggression as an endless army of bees continues
to sting and attack every inch of my body. My eyeglasses fall off.
My nose, ears and even the eyes are not spared.
It
now really hits me that I am all alone in this isolated wilderness and this may
be the end of my life. I still cling on to dear life, not yet willing to
give up. As the stings increase, my body begins to heat up and starts to
burn. Any moment, I could fall off through the branches, the ground at
least some 40 feet below me.
Just
when it seems impossible that I would make it, my thoughts take a back-seat and
action takes over as if a greater intelligence has kicked-in from some
mysterious force. My eyes barely open, I gather all the courage and let go of
the branch and swing along a creeper. I have to trust that it will not
break. It carries me down to a sturdier and thicker branch. In a
desperate final attempt, I jump down the last 10 feet and find my eyeglasses right
where I land, surprisingly unbroken! I pick them up without even
bothering to look at my back-pack, which contains a sketchbook and my cellphone,
hanging onto a branch half way up on the tree. It feels nothing short of
a miracle that I have made it to the ground in one piece, albeit a scraping cut
on my left arm. With every bit of energy and willpower left in me, I run for
life—my only goal is to find at least one human being. The honeybees are
still chasing me. Other than a few cows grazing along the deserted dirt road, I
do not see anyone. Every step I take, it starts to get heavier. The body is
burning as if it were caught in fire. It is ready to crash any moment. Just
then, the sight of a water puddle along the path feels like a rescue
remedy. I almost wish to drink the water, although I make do with splashing
it all over my body trying to cool it.
The honeybees have finally left me except for a handful few who manage
to hide inside my bright red shorts and a dark green t-shirt. We discover them much later.
After
some 20 minutes of a dramatic escape from the bees, I finally reach and jump
over the 3rd gate into Valley School’s familiar territory. I rush to
the Art Village, where luckily a pottery workshop is taking place on a Sunday
afternoon. The moment I spot Chandan, the pottery teacher, I give him a tight
hug and drop on the ground as if making my final surrender, not able to express
myself. He and all my colleague friends
at the workshop are no less than God for me at this point. Shocked and puzzled, they all jump into
frenetic action, carefully removing over a hundred stings from my body, trying
to soothe me in every way possible.
What
followed is a continuation of the miracle, which eventually saved my life. The availability of Dr. Narendra on campus,
who happened to be attending the Krishnamurti Study meeting, the decision to
admit me into emergency ward at Apollo, my remaining conscious and not
succumbing to anaphylactic reaction—things somehow fall in place. After
spending 24 hours in the ICU under observation, I safely returned to Valley
with my parents who had to rush from Pune.
The
danger has long passed and the body has been slowly regaining its strength,
having endured heavy medication. The mind however is taking its time to process
the incident. I have allowed myself to slow down, reflect and pause. I am
appreciating the gifts that a crisis of such intensity is bringing to me in the
form of new revelations, insights and questions.
What
made me go alone into a remote forest and climb that banyan tree on a hot
summer morning, despite already having noticed the six beehive colonies
thriving on it? How could it be that my
mother, who was in the middle of cooking, hundreds of kilometers away, started
to feel unusually dizzy, exactly around the same time when I was crying for
help on the tree?
Was
it a coincidence that I had attended a powerful havan ceremony with the chanting of the Mahamrityunjay Mantra the previous evening at a local ashram? It is
only later that I delved into its meaning and significance around nurturance,
death, immortality and liberation.
What
were the following lines from Ashtavakra Gita trying to convey? --'How have you toiled, life after life,
pressing into painful labor, your body and your mind and your words. It is time
to stop. Now!’ I had been reading it that very morning before going to the forest!
Was
I unknowingly preparing for the fateful ordeal with my extended practice of Vipassana, Yoga
and Pranayam along with the chanting of Nirvana Shatakam just before I left for the forest that morning? One of the lines from
the shloka reads—‘I have no fear of death, as I do not have
death nor separation from my true self….’
Where
was my need for seeking such extraordinary experiences and adventures coming
from? (it wasn’t the first time I had got myself into a life-threatening
situation although not as intense). Was
it my drive and ambition to reach ‘new heights’, ‘push boundaries’ and ‘challenge
myself’? Was I coming from foolish ignorance, romantic innocence, fearless
youth or my human arrogance in meddling with the natural order? Why was my life
spared whereas over a hundred honeybees sacrificed theirs in protecting their
colony? Is my life any more important
than that of any other living being?
These and many such questions set in motion a deep churning and inner
inquiry.
What
has been most humbling is the rude reminder of how fragile, vulnerable and even
how insignificant life can be in the larger scheme of things. At the same time,
I also feel so very blessed and grateful for having been offered this new lease
of life. What purpose is it wanting me to
serve? What is it trying to bring my
attention to?
On
the way to the hospital, as the pain became unbearable and my pulse got
feebler, I remember feeling as if I were sinking into death and that my brain
might shut down anytime. I thought of
loved ones in my life and how I wished to have been more expressive in
conveying my feelings towards them. I thought of my life, this body and the relationships
which I may have taken for granted and needed more nurturing.
In days to come, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude as kind wishes, prayers and caring gestures poured in from every direction—from family, friends, colleagues, students, their parents and even the support staff at Valley expressed their anguish and concern. Numerable versions of the incidence started to float around. Kids and adults alike enjoyed offering their own creative, sometimes humorous twist to the story! It all greatly helped me cope with the initial shock and trauma and made me realize the tremendous healing power of a close-knit community.
My students of environmental science came to visit and gave me a card with 'get-well-soon' messages |
Murali Krishna, a Valley parent and a friend, went on a creativity spree! He enjoyed having so much laughter at my expense! :) |
One week after the incidence, I went back to visit the banyan tree with the
intention of bringing a sense of closure.
This time, I walked closer to it very slowly, somewhat hesitant and
unsure. I sat down in silence for half
an hour, watched myself drenched in fear (unlike the last time when I was
there!) I found dead honeybees in the foliage of dry leaves scattered on the ground
and felt saddened to see them being eaten by ants. Looking up towards the
beehive, now abandoned, I earnestly sought forgiveness—forgiveness for having
crossed nature’s limit, for having caused so much death and distress. Quite spontaneously, I began to chant—‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’ (May
all be happy, may all be peaceful).
Giving the banyan tree a gentle hug to express my gratitude, I bid goodbyes,
feeling much more calm and at peace.
While restoring my mental, physical and emotional equilibrium may be a gradual and an ongoing process, my curiosity and love for nature will continue to thrive. I wish to learn more about the fascinating life of honeybees and how they play a crucial role in sustaining life on this planet. I also seem to have earned my answer to that ultimate question in the Gratitude Journal—if it were my last day—I would love to climb trees, play with children, share freely with the world all my love and gifts and embrace the next new unknown with a sense of pure silence in my heart! J
While restoring my mental, physical and emotional equilibrium may be a gradual and an ongoing process, my curiosity and love for nature will continue to thrive. I wish to learn more about the fascinating life of honeybees and how they play a crucial role in sustaining life on this planet. I also seem to have earned my answer to that ultimate question in the Gratitude Journal—if it were my last day—I would love to climb trees, play with children, share freely with the world all my love and gifts and embrace the next new unknown with a sense of pure silence in my heart! J
An earlier picture in the forest, where I would often go on solo nature walks and climb trees! A card created and gifted to me by an artist teacher-friend--Devi |
Vipul Dada, Anuj told me about your hospitalisation and shared this link. I hope you recover your strength soon. This piece ends on such a calm note despite the unfortunate incident at its heart. You write beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThanks much Ashwini and hope you're doing well. I might be in Goa later this year so hope to catch up! :)
DeleteMay you find progressive equilibrium at every level. Your marvelous writing here as well as in general comes from experience. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteLikewise Vaibhav. Thank you and hope you're doing great!
DeleteVipul, such a wonderful commentary of your dreadful experience! Thank God for saving such a good soul, who has understood the true value of life of all forms and has no grouse against the poor bees, which attacked him, because they were only dutibound soldiers doing their duty sincerely. Kudos to your love for nature and fellow beings!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment aunty. Having Varsha around was a true blessing in that traumatic state. So grateful! :)
DeleteDeeply touched by your reflections and especially your return to the banyan tree for closure!
ReplyDeleteThank you brother for having shared many of these seeds along the journey--the Gratitude Journal was a gift from you back in 2014 by the way--you may not even remember--but it had to wait until 2019 for me to complete the last entry in that journal! :)
DeleteTake care Vipul get well soon dear :) such a positive reflection
ReplyDeleteThanks Ninad! Have mostly recovered except for high weakness still. Hope to see you again in Pune! :)
DeleteDear Vipul, thank you for being with us in the Valley Study centre, the interesting discussions and this near death experience sharing!
ReplyDeleteThere is a long beautiful life ahead for you and wishing you a wonderful journey!
Thank you Murali uncle, I have really enjoyed being part of the study center and the many insightful conversations with you! Thank you so much for your gentle and cheerful presence :)
ReplyDeleteYou were spared for a unique role you need to play in the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your faith in me and all the support aunty!
DeleteGlad you made it out of the experience! Hope you are fully recovered now....great learnings for all of us from this blog....thanks Vipul
ReplyDeleteMany thanks dear Vipul for sharing this remarkable recollection of your near-fatal and extraordinary experience. God saved you!!! You now have unforgettable and irrefutable proof that your life is important. Please look after it with constant carefulness. Blessings from an uncle who is profoundly thankful to God for this act of mercy. -- Rajmohan Gandhi, January 4, 2020
ReplyDeleteDear Vipul, I am only reading this now and sending so much love and a big hug to you. Thank you for sharing this very journey with us all as we strive to answer the same questions for ourselves.
ReplyDelete