This experience happened when I was doing my High School or 10+2 in India.
During my time, it was called pre-degree and it was in a proper college. It was only later that they separated Pre-Degree from the College and added it to School and it is known as +2 or the two High School years.
My Mother had died when I was in 6th Grade and for 2 years, I had stayed first in hostels and then with my father. When I started my 9th grade, my dad married again.
I was not so comfortable with my Step Mother. Even now, I Am not. So, for weekends I used to travel and stay at my Mother's ancestral home where my grandmother was staying.
The Ancestral home was an ancient one, constructed some 100 years ago (from that time), having lots of rooms and large farmlands behind the house. The house was situated on the banks of a river.
While in High School, I had started smoking secretly. None of my relatives ever knew it then. So at nights, I would sneak up to the roof of my own house for a few puffs of a cigarette. When I was at my grandma's house, I would sneak into the farm area behind the house. There was an outhouse, a grain storage building behind the house. I used to sit on the verandah or portico of the outhouse and smoke.
One weekend, Friday night, I was not able to sleep. It was around half past midnight. The room I used to sleep in had a door that opened to the back of the house. I sneaked out, carrying a torch, few ciggies and a matchbox, to the outhouse. It was a full moon night. So, I could see somewhat in the night. As I was smoking, I saw some light out in the farm, in a cluster of plantain trees (plantain=banana). I got curious, thinking that there could be some guys sitting in that area playing cards or it could be a thief. As I went closer, I saw a light, floating up from the plantain cluster, all glowing and soon it drifted away. Not knowing what I was exactly dealing with, I went back to the room and slept off.
Next day, I told my grandma about what I saw. She told me that it was a Gandharva that I saw. Gandharvas are divine beings, musicians of the Court of Devas, of the Hindu Mythology. Though, being Christian, my grandma, as with many other locals of her time, used to believe in all kinds of paranormal stuff. Gandharvas visit Earth on full moon nights, and cavort with their wives/lovers, The Apsaras, who are the dancers of the Deva Court. Gandharvas can't be seen in their full form, but appear as balls of glowing light to humans. That's what she told.
I decided that for the next full moon, I would have to see a Gandharva. The night soon came, I armed myself with a torch, ciggies, matchbox, a flask full of coffee and staked out on the outhouse portico. About 1.00 am in the night, I think I heard some humming, sounding like music. So, I looked keenly into the farmland and this time, it was at a different plantain cluster, I saw the light. I grabbed a stick I could find, with torch in the other hand went towards the light. I saw a ball of glowing fire, rising up.
I don't know how I got the courage or what made me do the silly thing - I ran towards the glowing ball and stuck it with the stick. A huge explosion of blinding light, I couldn't see for some time. I found myself thrown quite a large distance from the plantain cluster and I blacked out.
When I woke up, I saw my grandma and my relatives near my bed. I told them about what had happened. My grandma started scolding me, warning me never to repeat it. They had found me, in the morning, lying in the farm, unconscious. I asked them whether they heard any large explosion or anything and none them had heard any large sound in the night. Especially my grandma, who is a light sleeper.
If it had been some kind of flammable gas that would have formed due to the decay of plant matter, under ground, especially of the plantain roots, how does it glow? I could actually see flames in the ball like thing. If it was gas, when I hit, it should have exploded with sound. But nothing of that sorts occurred. Its a mystery to me.
So Folks, that's the tale of how I broke a Gandharva's head!
Not a joke!
To know more of Gandharva, Just search it on wikipedia or Google it.
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