It’s been over a fortnight, since I have been back from India. And not a day has gone by that I have not thought about him.

In a crowded room, he approached me and softly said, “I want to speak to you privately.”

His tall frame, elegant walking stick, arresting face, black turban, flowing beard and sad eyes captured me.

“Yes! Of course,” I replied as we moved to a corner in the room.

“Two years ago, my wife passed away. We loved each other deeply at a physical and spiritual level. She was a very good woman. I used to tell her that God would grant her mukti (liberation) for sure. Her reply was always the same, that she was not interested in mukti. She wanted to come back to teach the children and to be with me.”

He paused.

I waited.

“Tell me, will we be together again? I know what Gurbani says. But, I want to do whatever it takes to be with her again. This is tormenting me. It has become my life’s goal. What are your thoughts?”

I see the pain in his eyes. His energy reveals his agony.

The intensity of his love touches a deep core within me.

It humbles me, for I did not think that a man could be capable of such love. My arrogance and I was so wrong.

The following flowed from me: “Never underestimate the power of love. Love transcends everything. And when devotion enters love, even the gods and goddesses bow to that love. The Universe salutes such lovers and the Elements protect them. May your love turn into devotion and may your journey be fruitful.”

His eyes penetrated my being. “I don’t know why I shared this with you.”

“I do,” I replied, taking his hands in mine. “Thank you for trusting me. I am deeply honored.”

“Look after yourself and radiate love,” he replied and left.

The encounter silenced me.

I was transported….

A deep-seated memory reawakened.

I saw a young girl standing on the banks of the Chenab promising eternity to her dead husband before plunging into its raging waters.

Centuries later, she found him…and fulfilled her promise.

After the dialogue I had with that man, all I can say is that love is eternal.

All I know is that…

Lovers long to become one,

They ache to fuse

with each other.

They yearn to experience

the fullness of life and beyond.

It is not about togetherness, but of near-perfect alignment. Like the shadow and its source. Like the wave and the ocean. Being alike in moments and traveling together to celestial realms.

What an incredible conversation!