Ghastly Dreams

The other night I had a disturbing dream wherein I saw many inauspicious omens. I woke up just a few minutes shy of six o'clock, and sat straight up in bed almost trembling.

In the dream, there was a large initiation festival with many devotees. However, meat and bones contaminated the fire sacrifice arena, which was disorganized and untidy. The fire pit itself was incomplete; Brahmins left materials strewn about the ground carelessly.

There were yavana and candal classes amongst the devotees, but they would not chant the Lord's names; in fact, they were uninterested in the festival and behaved brutishly. Instead, they brought liquor, meat, and intoxicants into the festival grounds and spat out drink and food indiscriminately. The initiate was unclean, unshaven, mingled freely with low-class men, and did not observe a fast.

Additionally, his wife was pregnant. I remember my mother used to say that seeing a pregnant woman in your dreams is the symbol of death, evil, or sin, but I do not know why she interprets it that way so I am inclined to brush it off. However, the pregnant woman, probably the most disturbing figure of the whole dream—carries a creature in her womb that is not human. It had hooves, like a goat or an ass. In my dream, I only prayed and wished it were a satyr, and called out the names of the Lord. I could see the creature in her womb, but no one else seemed too disturbed by her. I concluded that I was the only person who was aware of it. The sight alone terrified me, I remembered apocalyptic messages I heard as a child, tales, myths, and predictions of a woman who gives birth to an ass. In the stories, a woman makes a pact with a demon, or the devil, and in return, she gives birth to an ass as testament or punishment for her sin. Unable to witness more frightful omens and degradation, I fled the scene in tears and left my un-phased husband behind at the mela.

I finally worked up the nerve to write it out because simply thinking about the dream sent shivers down my spine. Interestingly enough, the couple in question are young, friendly, and quite popular devotees from temple. They are active and involved in temple festivals and activities. Frequently, they are arranging, serving, or organizing during feasts together. I have never seen them in any dreams before. The whole thing is strange. I wonder why I saw them, the epitome of the perfectly saintly couple in such a ghastly dream?