!!!! A divine rendezvous !!!!

By A Khosa

In one of my posts about kashmiryat to a thread in Orkut named:

"Suggest a profession for the person above.??" I got the following reply by a kashmiri pandit: i never understood this word and nor do i wanna....everything varies from individual to individual....,,,,

this kinda reply stirred my mind and for these last 10-15 days, I have been thinking, how could the meaning of this word differ from one individual to other, my conscience has been edging me to post a reply which explained this word in the most lucid and befitting manner. I wished to reply because the confusion and self imposed isolation to kashmir of our kashmiri youth was resonating and erupting within my mental horizon. I wished to reply, may be I myself was trying to figure our the exact meaning of this word with reference to present scenario where the 18 years of forced exile has taken its toll- the shine away from this word, KASHMIRYAT .. rendered it meaningless.

So, here I am for this Kashmiri Pandit who is confused and for the whole world with a meaning of this word, not from my mental realms but from the anals of history.

This is a true tale of the relationship shared by two great pillars of Kashmir. A tale which finds resonance in the sacred relationship shared by Lord Krishna and Yashodara. Yes!! this is a tale of infant Nund and motherly Lal-Ded.

I ask you to give your ears to understand this tale or one should call the soul of kashmiryat, since the geneology of This word dates back to this anecdote.

The eternal sufi saint Nund rishi aka Noor-u-Din Noorani was born to a Hindu Thakur, who had been banished from his estate in Kistwar(Doda). Nund rishi's father Salar Sanz led a life of wandering until he found Yasman Rishi; Salar became his disciple and converted to Islam. taking the name of Salar-u-Din. It was Yasman Rishi who arranged his marriage to Sadra, a girl from the same Thakur clan. To this couple was born 'Nund' or the pure one. Destiny plays strange and a rendezvous of the two great saints was on cards. Legends have it that for three days after its birth this Nund didn't drink milk from Sandra's breast. This led to the parents greatest anxiety, and then in the evening of the third day, the Yogini Lad-Ded entered their house. She took the infant in her lap and whispered: " you have not felt shy of being born; then why do you feel shy of tasting the pleasures of this world." Saying this she put the mouth of Nund on her breast, and gave him his first drops of food. As she left, Lad-Ded told Sadra, " take care of my spiritual heir."

This tale has been the beacon light for generations and I am pretty sure, it will serve as a guiding spirit for the progeny as well. This is also the anecdote through which two great religions of present day- The Sanatan Dharma and The Islam will have to see a ray of hope; A hope of a better world, free of fundamentalism of any kind....

Thank you for letting me your ears, now you can take them back...and as usual I leave it to the you to decide and comment, if this be a befitting example of kashmiriyat, an example which can be shared and circulated....