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 The Golden Age Will Dawn Again

Arun Ganapathy visits Kanvashram in Pauri Garhwal and wonders why a hermitage of such antiquity lies buried in obscurity

In the foothills of the Himalayas is a place like no other. Here, at the edge of the Malan river, a little jet black bird flicks its cinnabar tail in anticipation of the fish that leap as the water cascades over the rocks in waves of shimmering silver; here, sunlight takes a full minute to pierce the treetops and dapple the ground as warm golden pools; langurs play and feed all day on the red berries of the Rohini trees. They couldn’t care less that I am standing next to them: they have to fill their bellies before the day is done. Harr harr whoop harrrrr! 

Kanvashram is the name of a little hamlet and ashram along Malan, in Pauri Garhwal, where Sage Kanva once had his ashram. The story goes that it was here that he brought up Shakuntala, the daughter of Vishwamitra and Menaka, and her son Bharata — after whom the country is named.

Amidst Nature
From Kotdwar, the nearest railhead, the road runs through tall forests of shagun and fields of bright green gehun or wheat, bordered by low stone walls. Then the road rises into the mountains and peters out into a bridle path. On one side, is the hamlet of Kanvashram, and on the other, set in fantastic jungle surroundings straight out of a Kipling or Corbett book, is the Kanvashram, where I was now sitting.

“Kanvashram is the place where sage Kanva lived, meditated and attained samadhi, says Swami Ramanand, the ashram’s priest. “It was here that the sage established a vishvavidyalaya, or university, where 10,000 people studied.”

“Can we just go back a bit? Who was Kanva and when did all this happen?” I ask. “Kanva was one of the authors of the Rig Veda. In the last quarter of the Dwapara Yuga, Kanva wandered around the sub-continent and finally came to the Narmada, from where he was directed to visit Badrikashram. While he was going there, he came to this place and built his ashram,”  says Swamiji.
I was sitting on the steps of the temple down below, listening to the legends of the place. Above me, the ashram rose in a series of terraces, to a lonely
kutiya or hut, on top of the hill, at the edge of the forest.

Shakuntala And Bharata
“Was this the kutiya and ashram where Kanva and Shakuntala had once lived?” “No. This was built 50 years ago,” says Swamiji. “The ashram they lived in was just around here in the valley,” he says, sweeping his arms behind him. “In fact, it was further up in this valley that sage Vishwamitra lived and did his tapasya.”

He continues, “Once, when Vishwamitra was living here, his intense penance scared Indra, the king of gods. To distract the sage from his penance, Indra sent the apsara, Menaka, to entice him. On seeing Menaka, Vishwamitra became besotted. He wished to marry her. Soon, she gave birth to a daughter who was named Shakuntala.

Vishwamitra brought the child here and left her in the care of Kanva rishi. It was here that she grew up with her companion, Priyamvada.

How long was she here? “She was here until she got married to Raja Dushyanta of Hastinapur. The king came here on a deer hunt and stumbled upon the ashram. He fell in love with Shakuntala and spent some time in the ashram. Later, he returned to his kingdom. Shakuntala gave birth to  a son in his absence. This child was named Bharata. Like his mother, Bharata also grew up in the ashram under the care of Kanva rishi,” narrates Swamiji.

By now the sun had set in the hills behind us, and the cattle were turning homeward. The Swamiji got up and switched on the lights in the temple. Inside, were statues of Kanva, Kashyapa, Shakuntala, Dushyanta, Bharata, a lion and a tiger, all arranged around the marble floor. Kanva looked every inch the Vedic age sage, with a white flowing beard and a beehive topknot. Next to him, Shakuntala — pretty even as a statue — was smiling and looked like one of the Garhwali girls I had seen in the village. Across them was a bare-chested Bharata; he had pried open a lion’s mouth and was counting its teeth.

“Bharata was a fearless child who played with lions. He was taught all the sastras that a prince ought to be taught to become the emperor of Bharat or India,” says Swamiji.

Back In Time
“How is it that an ashram of this antiquity is hardly known,” I ask. “It has all been forgotten, but I am convinced that one day it will become the ashram for one billion Indians. The golden age will dawn again,” says Swamiji with a glint in his eyes.

As he talks, a peacock sent out a piercing call across the river. “Abhi sandhya ka time ho gaya,” says Swamiji, getting up. We climb down a few steps together, when Swamiji suddenly stops hearing a series of deep grunts:“It’s a leopard,” he says, offering to walk me down to the gate of the ashram.

As I cross the river below, I look back one last time at the ashram. The fairy lights have come on; on the dome of the temple and in the background, I can hear the chants of  ‘Govind Bolo Hari Gopala Bolo’ on a loudspeaker.

I imagine Swami Ramanandji, sitting in his kutiya, all alone and meditating into the night, surrounded by leopards and monkeys and the silent vastness of the forest. My mind goes back to a time when sages like Vishwamitra and Kashyapa meditated and taught in their ashrams, living in harmony with the birds and animals of the forest. Maybe, just maybe, the golden age that Swamiji was talking of was already here.

www.speakingtree.i

Kanva  Rishi  Ashram This Ashram 6 kms from Kotdwara at the bank of river Malani. It is said that it this place Rishi Kanva lived and Shakuntala (main female character of ABHIGYAN SHAKUNTALAM OF KALIDAS) spent a few days here.
(source http://www.meriyatrra.com

Kotdwar (www.viewphotos.org)