YAATRA REPORTS

This is a yaatra (pilgrimage) report of my last India visit March-April 2005

South India:
I spent one month teaching the guests and the teachers trainees at the Sivananda Dhanwanthari Ashram in Neyyar Dam, Kerala, South India. There were 109 students for the TTC including Rudra who came with me from California and around 50 guests for the Yoga vacations program. I was giving daily lectures to both groups plus the daily morning and evening satsangs. The ashram is a most unique and beautiful place with tropical plants and flowers, traditional temples, peaceful energy, located on top of a hill on 10 acres among many other hills specially the Agasthya range at the horizon, by the lake side. It is said that sage Agasthya is still in physical form in these ranges, blessing the ashram.

"Teachers Training Course in Neyyar Dam, India"

I have visited the newly opened ashram in Madurai. This ashram is located 1/2 hour from Madurai, where the most majestic Meenakshi temple is located. I heard that the Meenakshi temple has been chosen recently as one of the world wonder.... The ashram comprised of many thatched roof buildings, all surrounded a future devi temple in the middle. The air is pure and the area is close to national forests, secluded and free from human habitation.

"Teachers Training Course in Neyyar Dam, India"

I visited for a short one day week end ,the Sivananda Center in Chennai where Indian centers' acharya Swami Mahadevananda is presently in seclusion. I also stayed 2 nights at the affiliated home ashram of Swami Ayyapananda. Rudra came with me and was impressed by Indian hospitality. He never been fed so much in his life. Dr. Saraswati Mohan, my sanskrit teacher from California, who has moved back to India visited me and invited us for lunch where again we were fed with beautiful South Indian food.

North India:
We visited for one day the Taj Mahal and on the way back, we visited briefly Mathura, the birthplace of Sri Krishna as well as a brief touch down to Vrindavan, the place of his youth. We came back from this whirlwind one day on the roads of North India with the external beauty and perfection of the Taj Mahal in our eyes, and the loud and unearthy ringing
of bells in the jail cell of Sri Krishna's birth in our ears.

"Beauty of Taj Mahal"

While waiting for the Gangotri road to open, we visited for a few days the holy city of Varanasi(Kasi Benares). This brought lasting images of the evening boat ride to witness the elaborate and colorful Ganga arati (light ceremony worshipping the holy Ganga) and the unique one-in-a-life-time event of visiting the holy and most famous Siva Vishwanath temple in the core of old Kasi city. It was memorable, the rides in cyclo rikshas through the crowded streets of this old and mysterious town, then the unexpected incredible pushing and shouting scenes to enter the sanctum santorium of the temple and the great honor to offer the holy water to the holy stone lingam. I believe that this has been permitted by the divine mother, as previous to our visit to Vishwanath temple, we have spent nearly an hour sitting in the Durga temple listening patiently to the recitation of the entire 700 verses of the Durga Saptasati. The Divine mother came through strongly through the devotion of this priest who obviously daily recite her hymn with devotion and non expectation of reward, in money or kind. It was a well appreciated respite to the usual concern of what to give and how much to give scenario when you are left alone visiting these holy sites, us westerner loaded with money, with desire to give and at the same time the self respect not to be cheated, and the respect to the host culture not to "buy off" favours or blessings by money alone.

"Meditating on rock in front of Sivananda sadhana hut, Rishikesh"

We need to mention here our brief visit to Sarnath, the place of the first sermon of Lord Budha after enlightenment. There was a sample of the original Bodhi tree at the location of his first sermon where we found a larger than life plaster statue of Lord Budha preaching to 4 of his
original disciple monks. The atmosphere is serene and contemplative, far from the rushing and screaming scene of the Hindu temple. What to say? the paths are many but the truth is one. Lord Budha declaration of the origins of sufferings is carved in stone at the location. It is indeed more difficult to realize the truth of suffering then to worship God that will save you from sufferings!

"Contemplating Ganga in Rishikesh"

Travel to Rishikesh, Himalayas: Mahadev, a Yoga Farm staff from California, joined us for the rest of our himalayan journey. That first morning in Rishikesh was beautiful. We had satsangs and meditation by the grey sand rocky beach of the Ganga, and meditated in the kutir where
Master Sivananda resided for seclusion and tapasya for 10 years. Mahadev and Rudra took their Ganga refreshing bath. The water here is clear and beautiful, very different from our Ganga dips at Varanasi . We visited Master's Ananda kutir, his bed room, his altar room , his table where he wrote all his books. We visited the Divine Life Society bookstore, Master's samadhi shrine, and enjoyed the feast in the ashram dining hall. It happens to be the feast following the puja in honor of late Swami Krishnananda 's birthday.

"By Ganga, in front of Sivananda Guha cave, in Gangotri"

Higher up in the Himalayas:
Two days at Sivananda Kutir Ashram in Netala, Uttarkashi on the way to Gangotri. This is the place of Swami Vishnu-devananda jala samadhi. I gave 2 satsangs telling stories of my meeting with Swamiji and my life with him to the Yoga Teachers Trainees and we get ourselves ready for Gangotri, 12,000 ft higher up. This is my 4th visit to Gangotri , this time very short , only for 5 days , but it was the best we can do, considering that the temple is not opened yet and the road was just opened a few days ago. It has been a heavy winter with lots of snowfall. The windy road through this most beautiful himalayan scenery was indeed treacherous. There was snow on the way, and there was snowfall the first day of our visit to Gangotri. It was a cold welcoming day. We were stuffed up under our layers, hat and gloves. There were nearly nobody in the Gangotri town which is not officially opened yet. Ganga mata, near her source, is like a youthful maiden at this point, she is blue green, tumultuous and strong. Contemplating her is the only thing to do . She told silent stories, kidnapped our thoughts and washed our minds away. Our small community of 4 is a silent one, each one involved in his or her own schedule of sadhana, readings and visiting. We smiled at each other and wrote notes from time to time and left each other alone. This place is like heaven on earth, even though it is austere and stark. The energy is pure and strong, even though we can hardly breathe and each one of us experienced at turns headaches and a kind of altitude lightheadedness. Everything seems to be very still, except Ganga. Every movement and act of survival, carrying water, washing dishes, making fire, washing clothings take the center scenes and take a lot out of us. Swamiji cave has running water dripping in the corner , so you end up meditating on the water dropping. It was humid and cold. I wear layers of clothings, and armed myself with blankets, gloves,scarf and hat but was determined to meditate in the cave, 3 times a day, twice alone for two hours, and one time in the evening with the group where we chanted and prayed. It was good makeshift satsangs, all sitting in this dark cave, the only time of the day that we joined energy together. Days and nights started to melt together. This is sadhana, doing nothing and yet keeping positive, looking daily at the same thing, having nothing to be excited about, nothing to look forward to, just being there and living fully the minutes.. surrender to the minutes, the moments. Learn the art of being. Being and not doing. Being and not entertaining. Being beyond words.

Only when you come down from the heaven you realize that you have left heaven. Uttarkashi is lush and rich compared to Gangotri. The night on a comfortable bed, under electricity light, the first hot bath after 5 days ..were quite a luxury. The body was exhausted but the spirit was high. We realized that we just went through another accelerated purification venture in this Indian pilgrimage journey. This left us speechless, with not much words to describe the experience, not much memories even to hold on to. We became quiet and clear, simplified and happy.

The good bye to our himalayan hosts and ashram family, the endless flight home, and here we are in California in the spring, a complete new landscape, new people, new circumstances. Another TTC is starting. The Yoga Farm ashram is gorgeous with wild flowers and landscaping path, the helpful staff and karma yogis, the beautiful sunrise and sunsets, the welcoming rain, the people coming from all over the world to this secluded place for another journey of transformation, and me -still hanging between heaven and earth, India and America, Himalayas and the Sierra foothills, my own journey and the collective journey, the past and the future. It took me a few days to come back to the now. I wish I can be eternally
detached even from the now and eternally living in the eternal , which I have caught a glimpse, renewed the vision and left with no word to describe the experience.

What is left is the memory of Ganga as a spiritual journey, not just as a metaphor, but a real touch of that journey, a continuous movement from here to there, unalterable.

Om tat sat