A few months ago, I had gone to Palitana with my in-laws. Palitana is of immense significance to Jains as it is one of the most important pilgrimage sites. Located in Gujarat, the Shatrunjaya hill at Palitana has over 900 intricately carved temples. The temple at the top, dedicated to Lord Adinath, the first Tirthankara, is particularly revered. Jains believe that visiting and praying at these temples brings them closer to achieving spiritual liberation (moksha). The journey to the summit is considered an act of devotion and penance, reflecting the Jain principles of self-discipline and non-attachment. The temples are reached by climbing around 3500 stone steps along a hilly trail.
I have done the climb many times in my life. An early morning start is advisable. The climb takes about 90-100 minutes. As I was doing the climb and nearing the summit where the temples are, I lost concentration momentarily, hit my foot against the next step, and toppled over. A few people nearby immediately rushed to help. I got up and seemed okay. So, I continued my climb. Only later did I realise I had bruised myself on my knees. Nothing serious.
As I reflected later, I realised it was a lucky near miss. Many things could have gone wrong. I tried to analyse what I did wrong. I had started taking the climb for granted. Instead of concentrating on the next step and the journey, my mind had started to wander. Perhaps I was distracted, but what should have been an easy next step could have been a disaster.
This was the second time I had suffered a fall. In March 2023, getting out of the New York subway in downtown and carrying a backpack with my laptop, spiral book, and iPad, I hit my foot against an inflection in the footpath that I had not seen, and toppled away. A colleague was at hand to help, and we quickly walked to a CVS and got some medication to apply. Once again, it was not too severe, else I would have been in some trouble in a hotel (luckily, not a hospital) far away from home.
As I connected these two incidents, I realised that life is full of such “turning points” which could go either way. All it takes is a small mistake to disrupt the flow of life. These were both lucky escapes, and the odds are against being lucky for a third time. I promised myself that I will bring in a sharper focus when I am doing one task (walking in both cases) instead of mindwandering (at the wrong time).
