Kaleshwara & arathi to Shirdi Baba

sk&arathi
Originally uploaded by alxindia.

I love this photograph for so many reasons it's hard to put them all down in print:

(but I'll try)

- because it shows how intimate the relationship between Kaleshwara and Shirdi Baba is

- because it demonstrates that a hunk of stone, carved into a representation of a divine soul, can BECOME that divine being (ie, that statue of Shirdi Baba is completely alive)

- because in the arathi, a fire ritual done every day to statues in Indian temples, the belief is that the atma, the soul essence of a divine soul (in the statue) is BROUGHT into the flame that's being offered to that divine soul... and you can clearly see the extraordinary mini-miracle as the top half of Shirdi Baba's torso, bent slightly forward (as he usually is shown, sitting), is actually IN the arathi flame in Kaleshwara's hand.

wah!

let the light shine in!