Setting Off

In Belpukur, we packed and made our finishing touches to the luggage the previous night; having called Maharaj a day before and securing accommodations in the Dham, we seemed ready to start our latest tirtha-yatra at first light. We were to head off to Howrah by car in the morning, then take our train to Puri in the afternoon. Thursday morning at predawn, we both woke up, bathed, prepared breakfast before awaking the little one then called our driver, Bishwajit. We finished prasadam and prepared Krishna Chandra, he was amazingly calm and cooperative with us. I offered my pranam to Mom and Dad, visited our temple of Goddess Manasa for Her blessings. I finished the prayers to Tulasi Devi when I remembered that I had forgotten something inside the house. Realising it was considered inauspicious to re-enter the home, I asked Basanti to procure my forgotten items inside. We set off toward Kolkata and soon arrived at my sister-in-law's home where we rested, packed a lunch tiffin, took bathroom breaks then headed to the store to recharge our prepaid phone. We met with neighbors at the market and started running late, somehow or other, it seemed to me as if our trip had a great deal of impediments and started to question whether we chose the appropriate tithi to start a journey... it was a Thursday afterall. "This is just maya," I thought "creating doubt in my mind. There are no impediments when when takes steps towards the Supreme Lord."

Howrah. We finally arrived and it was packed as ever, crowds rushing and shoving along the way but I felt some relief to know we'd soon arrive in the Holy Dham.