Full CircleA racy story for the uninhibited |
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October 2006 Hilton's Story Chapter
23
Calcutta
Kay
wakened early from a restless sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping well since the
night of the dream and she shook awake Hilton just in time for the
dawn boat ride. The river boat is probably the only quiet place in all of the city and
dawn when people come down to the river to bathe. The boat took them
far out on the river past the riverside ghats and temples as
far as the
Burning Ghats where human bodies are cremated, a holy place but
horrible in westerns eyes.
Indian
trains are among the finest in the world. They are very important to the people
and are usually crowded but the first class compartment that Kay and Hilton were
assigned was spacious, comfortable and most importantly private. They
dined leisurely and watched the tourists and Indian travellers in a detached manner. A
distinguished looking man sitting across from Hilton spoke and inquired if they
were enjoying their visit in his country. Hilton said they were and made
introductions. The man’s name was Sanjay, his sari-clad companion was his
wife and he was a businessman from Calcutta returning after visiting family in
Varanasi.
They
ordered a brandy after dinner and continued chatting. Kay became apprehensive
remembering the couple they had met in
Khajuraho and the events that followed. Hilton asked them if they had ever
been in Khajuraho but they said they hadn’t although they planned to visit
there some
time. Most people never visit the local tourist sites joked the man and Hilton
agreed. Hilton then described the strange encounter they had with a couple at the
temple and how puzzled they had been when they were not able to find them again
to return some property. He didn’t describe all the events of the night. Kay
wondered if this couple could be the same ones they had met and she tugged on
Hilton saying she was tired and wished to retire. They finished their brandy and
took their leave.
When
they closed the compartment door Kay hugged Hilton and said she had the
strangest feeling about those two and told him what had gone through her mind.
He thought she was being paranoid and kissed her to make her feel better or so
he hoped. She was not easily mollified and lay in bed listening to the wheels on
the tracks most of the night. No spirits visited her that night and the dawn
soon lit up the compartment.
Breakfast
was in the same car and their fiends from the previous night were already there.
A few pleasantries were exchanged but not much else was said. Finally Sanjay
said, “I notice that your lady has a Tantric
yantra on her neck chain. Have you been visiting the old Tantric temples?”
Hilton
explained that they had and were interested in the practices and history of
Tantra. Sanjay said that they, too, were practitioners of Tantra in Calcutta
and were members of a group that practiced the rituals. He explained that modern
Calcutta lacked the yogis and temples of the south but that they have
very fine newer temples in which to meet and meditate. He asked Hilton how long
they planned to stay in the city and what the planned to do there.
“We’re
booked to fly back to Delhi in three days and then on to San Francisco,” said
Hilton. “We are looking for information about Mount Meru,” he blurted out
even though he didn’t want to talk about it.
Sanjay
looked at him for a moment and said, “that is a mythical place in the Hindu
religion, where Brahma is said to live. Why are you interested in it?”
Hilton tried to avoid the question, “we have heard about it and that other gods are said to live there,
too. We know about Shiva and Pavarti who are patron gods of Tantra. We have
heard about Vishnu and some of the other gods and want to learn more about the
myths that have been told about them.”
“Those
myths and gods are the basis of our Hindu religion,” Sanjay said. “We take
them very seriously. They are as real to us as the God of
Christians, Muslims and Jews. However, it is important that people understand
our religion and we can help you find what you need. We are being met by my
driver and we will be pleased to take you to your hotel and make arrangement to
show you around the city.”
Hilton
hesitated for a moment and looked at Kay. She had a detached look as if lost and
then he accepted the offer of a ride and a guided tour. He could tell from
Kay’s face that he had made the wrong choice.
When
they were in their room Kay looked him squarely in the eye as in a low voice
said, “how could you accept the invitation of that man? He looks exactly like
Parmi and I am very frightened. I hate things I don’t understand”. She put
her arms around him as cried “I’m frightened, Hilton. Please take me
home.”
Hilton,
never good at dealing with women who are upset, could only promise that they
would soon be going home. He hugged her and suggested that they should settle
their minds through meditation. After a little coaxing she agreed to try and
they settled into their favourite meditation position facing each other, legs
entwined and gazing into each other’s eyes as they slowly chanted their
mantra. The room was quiet and the lights dimmed but the atmosphere of India was
in the air as an inescapable shroud. Slowly her mind began to focus on a single
point deep in his eyes and the galloping images that were racing through her
mind settled and disappeared. She began to relax as layer after layer of
tension peeled away and she felt as if she was drifting just off the ground.
Warm feelings appeared in her Muladhara Chakra,
spread to her Svadisthana Chakra and awakened her yoni. She needed to have
Hilton in her and to feel his lingam anchor her firmly in the dimension of
reality. She seemed to drift upward and float to him and then settle slowly onto
his waiting shaft. With a slight gasp she let it slide inside and fill her
emptiness. They continued to meditate joined as one person until the evening
light faded and the room was totally dark.
Hilton returned reality when the pain in his back became stronger than the
pleasure of his meditation. He felt a familiar warm wetness around his lingam
and realized that he was inside Kay. He kissed her to bring her out of her
meditation. She was not surprised and began to move up and down on him to bring
herself to orgasm. He was not able
to hold himself and they came together.
Kay’s attitude was much better the next morning and she was ready to visit
Calcutta. An early call from their new friend and a request to be ready to meet
the car at the front of the hotel in an hour and they were off on a whirlwind
tour of the teeming city. Calcutta is a fairly new city on the banks of the
Ganges but is a mixture of the old and the new India. Built originally as a
trading post for Europeans it has a mixture of Indian and Western culture.
Evidence of the British rule is everywhere and particularly in the use if the
English language by educated people instead of Hindi, the official language of
India.
After
a full morning of site seeing Sanjay took them to the Ashutosh
Museum of Indian Art. He said that it contains a fine collection of
paintings and works that depict the ancient gods and their stories. It is
possible they could find an explanation of their dream among the art. He offered
to leave them for several hours while he attended to business and pick them up
later for supper.
The
museum is an old building with many dimly lit chambers. Lighting was focused on
paintings and in exhibition cases to permit viewers to concentrate on the works
without distraction. Kay and Hilton walked slowly among the paintings,
sculptures and figures of gods and goddesses and remarked how the individual
gods could take on different forms and had a variety of names. The stories of
their exploits varied depending on the region where they were told but Vishnu
and Shiva were prominent throughout the gallery. There were many objects and
seals with large stone lingams and round pierced stones depicting yonis
suggesting fertility rites among the ancient people.
Kay
gasped as they approached a small display and whispered, “look, isn’t that
Mount Meru as we saw it in our dream?” She pointed to a painting that looked
like a picture from an old geography book that showed a tall, shining mountain
as the centre of the world surrounded by eight tall mountains.
To the north of Meru was a triple peaked mountain and at its base was
coiled a great serpent called Vasuki. There were figures on the peaks and the
plaque in the case said it was a document probably dating from the thirteenth
century found in Sarnassi by a British explorer. It depicted the mythical Mount
Meru and the gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu on their respective peaks. Kay and
Hilton stood entranced not believing their eyes as they read the short
explanation of the image. They agreed that it was almost exactly as they had
seen it in their dream. Could it be possible that centuries ago other people had
had the same hallucination? It seemed very improbable but they couldn’t stop
looking at it.
The
stood transfixed for a long time until Hilton sensed someone was approaching and
he looked around to find Sanjay looking at them curiously. “It is getting
late,” he said, “and you were not at the gate as we agreed. I had to come
and see if anything was wrong. What are you looking at?”
Hilton
showed him the painting and explained that they were fascinated by the detail in
the work. Kay then whispered, “It is the vision we saw in our dream. We both
saw it at the same time and we were floating in the sky guided by an angel
called Kama. The angel showed us the mountain and we met with Lord Shiva and
Pavarti on his mountaintop. We were shown Shambhala and saw the fish
swimming in the Ganges. It was very real and very frightening.” She shuddered
and grew silent.
Sanjay said quietly, “Your spiritual growth must be very advanced or you would not have
been permitted to go there. Nobody that I know has done that. You deserve an
explanation and I would like to take you to a spiritual leader who will tell you
what has happened. Will you come with me, please.”
They
went to an old Hindu temple and there were introduced to a guru and a yogi of
the old traditions. Sanjay repeated Kay’s story and described the picture of
Mount Meru they were looking at when he found them. He told him they were
Americans that had practiced and studied Tantra. Hilton then added that they had
participated in the Tantric ritual of Maithuna
in the Kamakshi temple at Kanchipuram. He said that he had dreamed he was in
the bardo world until he remembered the
answer to the question of rebirth.
The
yogi nodded wisely and said, “You have entered the world that is forbidden to
living creatures. It is only known through stories and ancient texts that have
survived the ravages of time and the wrath of priests and warriors. Hindus do
not accept Tantra because it rejects the caste system that was created by Lord
Vishnu but because its patron is Lord Shiva it is permitted to exist in dark
corners. In the beginning there was only the mother goddess from whom everything
that exists was born and to whom all things return. She was called Shatki, the
great goddess of the Tantrics. She is also Pavarti, lovely beyond imagination
and given the name Kali because of her dark complexion. Shiva was created as the
consort of Pavarti or Shatki and without Shiva there is no Shatki and without
Shatki there is no Shiva. Shiva was also known as Dionysus in the west when the
ancient peoples met and shared beliefs before time was counted."
"These
are powerful totems in any society that suffers the natural pain of
sickness, loss, disappointment, old age and death and particularly one under the
yoke of a caste system that circumscribes hope for most people. People believe
that they were destined to be born again and to repeat the suffering in life
after life. Yogis and Tantrics seek to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth
through meditation and often other more drastic means depending on their
beliefs.”
"You
will ask if these things are real. Is Mount Meru real? Many men have searched
the Himalayas without success. Is there a land of Shambhala or as you call it,
Shangri-La? You can only know it through faith just as the Christian must have
faith in Jesus and the resurrection in heaven. You have been given a great gift
to experience the gods of Mount Meru. Perhaps it was a delayed reaction to the
wine you drank in Kanchipuram but your love for each other is great and Lord
Shiva and Pavarti are lovers, too. You are blessed by the gods of Tantra and
must accept what you have seen as a gift whether it is real or not.”
Later,
after the servant had cleared the dinner dishes the four friends sat on a
balcony enjoying the cool evening breeze with a glass of port wine. Hilton was
reflective but finally said, “You know, I have been fairly successful in my
life so far, I have raised my children and created a good business. I have
enough money and time to enjoy my self and I thought I would do just
that. I decided that I could hold onto youth
in play and sex. As long as I could perform with the ladies I believed I would
stay young. Then I met Kay. She is different from the other ladies I knew but I
thought it would be fun to be with her. When she brought me into Tantra it
seemed to be a great new way to enjoy sex and I was not disappointed. It was and
is great. Something happened, though, and I fell in love with her. I came to
India because I wanted to be with her and I got much more than I bargained for.
I have had a spiritual experience with the woman I love and I will never fear
the passing years again. I don’t know if I believe in rebirth or not but I
don’t care as long as she is with me.”
“Tantra
does have a way of heightening the bond between partners,” said their host.
“My wife and I were like most married couples a few years ago. We didn’t
communicate and didn’t share the bed. She said I snored and couldn’t sleep
with me. Somehow we became involved in Tantra and reawakened our love and sex
lives. We still don’t sleep together but that is not a problem any longer.”
Kay
took a long sip of her port and said, “Are you Shiva and Pavarti?”
They
all looked at her as if to say why do you ask such a question. She sensed their
thoughts, “I know it sounds silly to ask but our meeting you on the
train was as innocent as our meeting the couple at the temple in Khajuraho. I
believe they actually were Shiva and Pavarti in human form. Don’t ask me why I
believe it but if they were our hosts then why not you, too.”
Their
hosts were kind and said that definitely they were not the gods in human form.
They brought out photographs of their wedding and their children to prove that
they were real people. Kay said she was sorry to have brought it up but wanted
to get her feelings out in the open. She really enjoyed their
hospitality and she felt much better about things after their conversation
with the yogi in the temple but she knew she would never be the same again. Life
had taken on a new meaning and Hilton was now part of her life. She felt as if
she was Pavarti and he was Shiva. The
magic of the trip seemed to end on that note. The two couples parted as dear
friends even after such a short acquaintance. Hilton and Kay returned to New
Delhi the next day and soon flew back to San Francisco.
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