Infinite Mountains to Climb
Many mountains from the Little Adam’s Peak trail. Ella, Sri Lanka | Photograph by Nikita Vhora
November 2018, Ella, Sri Lanka
Treading through the winding path along a tea-estate we arrived at the foothills of Little Adam’s Peak. I expected it to be a single hill hike leading to a scenic top, similar to a tekdi (hillocks from my hometown – Pune).
A fulfilling journey begins with determination and a clear focus on the destination, often with little knowledge of the journey itself. The journey comes as a glorious mess full of toiling, sweat, testing, twists, breeze and rainbows.
As I climbed on, I realised Little Adam’s Peak is a string of multiple consecutive hills with a dropping view of the valley and the town of Ella, running parallelly to the trail.
It is not one singular hill!
The last point, the top of the final peak appeared to be a verdant grassy cliff as seen from the first hill. My athletic brother and my Swiss friend – a regular Alps trekker, swiftly darted ahead hill after hill, leaving me to my own pace and my mind for company.
‘When one hill ends, another presents itself.
And then another.’
‘The moment my breathing eases
And I comfortably run downhill,
A new climb begins.’
‘I may sniff at the blades of waist-tall golden grass
Or inhale the picturesque magnificence around me,
Panting!’
‘I may twist my ankle or slip –
Take a detour to suit my steps
Or climb on all fours, scraping a knee.’
‘Whatever it takes to get where I want to be.’
‘It is hardship but not hard, if I will.’
A thought pool swirled.
My mind drew parallels between the unending hills on the trail to the infinite climbs one endures in life, otherwise; one after the other.
‘The absence of self-doubt and existence of care-free persistence makes toiling the trail exhilarating.’
‘Can this be invited into everyday life?’
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A Jain sadhavi (nun) that I will one day be, plucks her hair herself; she does not shave.
There are bruises and pain.
Physical bruises and pain, with no attachment towards it.
An ultimate effort to be self-reliant with zero dependency on externalities.
An initiation of the ongoing austerity for the soul to evolve into realisations and ultimately attain moksha (omniscient blissful liberation).
‘Ultimate mountains climbed.’
‘Whatever it takes to get where I want to be.’
‘Hardship but not hard, if I will.’
‘The presence of courage to endure, coupled with utmost faith in self-capabilities leads me to my ultimate goal.’
‘Can I invite this macro perspective on existence into my daily micro living, today?’
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Will. Faith. Realisation. Effort. Persistence. Resilience. Results.
A Jain sadhavi reading shashtras in the historical temple of Shravanabelagola, Karnataka | Photograph by Nikita Vhora
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Words by: Nikita Vhora