Thursday, March 20, 2008
monsoon!?!
i have retreated to the dry and entertaining space of an internet cafe while the rain comes pouring down. we're scheduled to get another week of rain, which means an alternation between a drizzle, a complete drenching, and hot humidity with the sun barely peaking through the clouds. we did have a few days of sun, which i took advantage of! i brushed some ponies at the pony farm, went for nice long bike rides through the lush jungle, lied on the sand in the sun and splashed in the waves, and went to pitchandikulam- a bioreserve center where they are focusing on propogating the medicinal herbs that are native to this bioregion as well as educating the locals of the natural knowledge which they are losing due to their interest in and the convience/ease of conventional medicine. parvati, the woman who instructs the weekly class, taught us about this herb, savatri (in sanskrit) - also known as asparagus somethingicus (i didn't write it down) in latin. it is a tuber which is very nutritious and helps boost the immune system and imparts energy. the locals chew on the tubers like chewing gum, extracting all the juices they can out of the plant. parvati also said that it was possible to only chew on these tubers while undergoing a long expedition- no need for water! a group of about 8 spent an hour peeling the dried flesh from the stiff inner root of the tubers, so we could make tea. originally the plan was to crush the dried roots in the huge mortar and pestle onsite, but all the rain and heavy humidity affected the tubers for the worse, and they were sticky and not cooperating with the plan of being ground into powder. we all sat around while the water boiled, and spoke of the forest and the ongoing projects happening (lots of women empowerment) and when the tea was ready and an ample supply of jaggery was added (natural sugar), we sipped our tea and picked parvati's brain. she ended up telling us her life story which was really incredible: from arguing with her parents to be allowed to finish her schooling to finding 10 rupees a week for bus fare, to deflecting the villagers mean comments regarding her rebellious nature (just think, a girl finishing high school and daring of thinking of continuing!), and taking care of her whole family...she really just blew me away. she learned a lot about the local herbs from her parents, and acted as a healer while all this was going on as well. now she works to educate women about their native medicine supply and and provides a space for them to come together to support one another in the often harsh marital climate (arranged marriages are the norm, excessive dowries are as well, and often the parents of the groom are not entirely honest about the caliber of their son regarding drinking habits - alcoholism is a big problem here, especially since it is legal to purchase alcohol in pondy (the only place in all of tamil nadu)). so if youre in need of a good and worthwhile place to donate some money to - i would highly reccomend pitchandikulam forest in auroville.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
posting photos
i have been sitting here at arka, an internet station in auroville, for about 2 hours, and have only managed to get one photo posted! this is starting to drive me crazy. the internet connection seems fast enough, so it must be the computer itself? maybe too much traffic? ive got about 70 photos that i want to put up, and when it takes 5 minutes to upload just one, im not so sure that this is a viable task...
it has been raining a lot here - monsoon style - for the past 3 days. it is supposed to continue for a few more, however we do get breaks of sunshine. last night i went up after a few card games to look at the stars and watched the thunderheads move past mitra (the guest house i am staying in) on either side, lit up by lightning. directly overhead, the sky was clear and i could gaze at the primordial light penetrating empty space. the mosquitoes certainly like the weather that we've been having, and it is impossible to wash anything because it will not dry! also, the lovely red earth has turned to lovely red mud, which turns everything it comes into contact with the same lovely shade. my toes look like they've been hennaed!
it has been raining a lot here - monsoon style - for the past 3 days. it is supposed to continue for a few more, however we do get breaks of sunshine. last night i went up after a few card games to look at the stars and watched the thunderheads move past mitra (the guest house i am staying in) on either side, lit up by lightning. directly overhead, the sky was clear and i could gaze at the primordial light penetrating empty space. the mosquitoes certainly like the weather that we've been having, and it is impossible to wash anything because it will not dry! also, the lovely red earth has turned to lovely red mud, which turns everything it comes into contact with the same lovely shade. my toes look like they've been hennaed!
Monday, March 10, 2008
lord of the dance
i went to chidambaram on saturday, by motorcycle. it was a two hour ride (80 km), and when we finally arrived my butt rejoiced! there is this amazing shiva temple complex in chidambaram, and since it was just recently shivaratri, i thought that it would be appropriate to visit. i convinced my friend, walter, who has a yellow bullet, to take me down there. coincidentally, a traditional indian dance festival was happening there that same evening - in honor of the lord of the dance - shiva. after a long lunch of thali in air-conditioned comfort, we wandered into the temple complex.
we entered by the west gate, a side enterance, through one of the four towering gopurams. these gopurams are vividly painted in many colors, and quite impressive (i suggest you google it to get an idea - i didn't take any pictures). after deflecting the donation pleas of a young brahmin, we walked over ancient stones inscribed with mysterious writing towards the main temple. that was actually a little difficult to figure out, because there are several temples inside this complex. we did finally make it, and the late afternoon sun slanted in through the musty air past beautifully carved pillars. there were many brahmins milling about, doing various things, and after wandering through a vishnu temple, we came to see the main shiva temple - which depicts shiva as nataraja, the lord of the dance. it was a little confusing at first, because the statue was so covered with offerings of flower garlands and silk cloth, but we paid the brahmin our 30 rupees to have darshan and it was really quite spectacular to go inside the sanctum, closer to the statue and the busy brahmins, preforming arati after arati for devotees (of which there were many). as soon as i stepped inside the wispered sounds of om namah shiva enraptured my ears, while the flickering ghee lights and smoke from the insence delighted my eyes and nose. the sign outside the gate says that only those free of camera, shoes, shirts (for men) and pure of being may enter. after darshan, i stood outside the main shrine, and continued to watch the activites and contemplate the representation of divinity that nataraja is - and fell into a very still state, which suprised me because there was a whole lot of activity going on all around me. when i came back to reality, i wandered over to another temple, this one to lakshmi, and had darshan. then walter and i found some seats in the quickly filling audience for the evening of dancing.
they certainly saved the best for last, and luckily, after all the young girls preformed, all their mothers and sisters left their central seats, so we moved in for incredible views. it is very important to be able to see the dancer's facial expressions, as they move their eyes alot, as well as keep their mouth in particular shapes. the dancing was SO BEAUTIFUL! i sat enraptured by these women's grace and elegance for 4 hours. the precision with which the accomplished dancers moved was nothing short of astonishing - their fingers were bent into complicated mudras which constantly changed, and they had very fancy footwork which rang the bells they had wrapped around their ankles. it was actually helpful to have watched the not so good dancers, because then i had so much more respect for the accomplished dancers. the musical accompainment was all live, and there were some excellent tablas players as well as singers. all the songs that were danced to were bajans to lord shiva, and there was a lot of moves in the dance that mimiced the nataraja pose, as well as a lot of references to ganga (one of shiva's wives, also the story is that shiva breaks the fall of the heavenly ganges onto the earth by letting her fall first onto his matted locks).
friday night i went to a kali festival in a neighboring village to auroville. it was a new moon, so this festival was a significant event. there were many many people there, and the men were divided from the women and children on opposite sides of this makeshift enclosure which surrounded two large figures made of sand and decorated with flowers and saris and colored sand - as well as the 'entertainer' - a man singing with a microphone and also making jokes(?) and his accompainment - three drummers. after the sun set, and the drumming and singing got a bit more intense, out of the corner of my eye i saw this woman get up and start swaying around dramatically and even a little violently - i thought that she was trying to fight someone at first, but i soon realized that she was possessed by the spirit of kali. once that happened, things started to get crazy. the whole crowed got up (everyone was seated) and surged the fence. the police came around and beat (not actually) back the crowd with long sticks, and made them all sit down again. then, loud fireworks went off behind me, and this huge cart came banging down the road from the kali temple (50 meters away) and everybody got up again and surged the fence. i think at this point they killed a chicken they had tied up (i couldn't see anything - too many people) and these hairy people started running around the enclosure - i think they came on the cart with the statue - and more people with long grasses on their heads. then, people stated throwing things into the enclosure - rupees, peppers, puffed rice, flowers, and i even saw some coconuts go in there. a little bit more shouting then the fence broke and eveybody ran into where the sand figures wer and were waving the smoke from the lights in the sand over their eyes and head, and looking for things in the sand. people were also collecting the sand that the figures were constructed out of and even filling bags with it! the understanding i gained from a drunk villager was that the two figures were an evil couple that fought alot and caused a lot of problems in india - then kali came and killed them and the world is a better place because of it. afterwards, i explored the carnival atmosphere of the temple grounds - people were selling all sorts of things- bangles, plastic toys, sweets, jewelry, and prasad items. there was also a band, for which interesting is the best descriptor. traditional tamil meets bajans meets synth pop. i listened to probably 5 songs, then left. the young female singer, whose voice was lovely, was really not into being there at all. she looked so glum and bored out of her skull.
ive been enjoying auroville very much, but i do miss a little the fishing village where i was staying in pondy. however, the people im meeting are great, and i am especially looking forward to getting my hands dirty doing some volunteer work (of which type exactly, i haven't yet decided).
we entered by the west gate, a side enterance, through one of the four towering gopurams. these gopurams are vividly painted in many colors, and quite impressive (i suggest you google it to get an idea - i didn't take any pictures). after deflecting the donation pleas of a young brahmin, we walked over ancient stones inscribed with mysterious writing towards the main temple. that was actually a little difficult to figure out, because there are several temples inside this complex. we did finally make it, and the late afternoon sun slanted in through the musty air past beautifully carved pillars. there were many brahmins milling about, doing various things, and after wandering through a vishnu temple, we came to see the main shiva temple - which depicts shiva as nataraja, the lord of the dance. it was a little confusing at first, because the statue was so covered with offerings of flower garlands and silk cloth, but we paid the brahmin our 30 rupees to have darshan and it was really quite spectacular to go inside the sanctum, closer to the statue and the busy brahmins, preforming arati after arati for devotees (of which there were many). as soon as i stepped inside the wispered sounds of om namah shiva enraptured my ears, while the flickering ghee lights and smoke from the insence delighted my eyes and nose. the sign outside the gate says that only those free of camera, shoes, shirts (for men) and pure of being may enter. after darshan, i stood outside the main shrine, and continued to watch the activites and contemplate the representation of divinity that nataraja is - and fell into a very still state, which suprised me because there was a whole lot of activity going on all around me. when i came back to reality, i wandered over to another temple, this one to lakshmi, and had darshan. then walter and i found some seats in the quickly filling audience for the evening of dancing.
they certainly saved the best for last, and luckily, after all the young girls preformed, all their mothers and sisters left their central seats, so we moved in for incredible views. it is very important to be able to see the dancer's facial expressions, as they move their eyes alot, as well as keep their mouth in particular shapes. the dancing was SO BEAUTIFUL! i sat enraptured by these women's grace and elegance for 4 hours. the precision with which the accomplished dancers moved was nothing short of astonishing - their fingers were bent into complicated mudras which constantly changed, and they had very fancy footwork which rang the bells they had wrapped around their ankles. it was actually helpful to have watched the not so good dancers, because then i had so much more respect for the accomplished dancers. the musical accompainment was all live, and there were some excellent tablas players as well as singers. all the songs that were danced to were bajans to lord shiva, and there was a lot of moves in the dance that mimiced the nataraja pose, as well as a lot of references to ganga (one of shiva's wives, also the story is that shiva breaks the fall of the heavenly ganges onto the earth by letting her fall first onto his matted locks).
friday night i went to a kali festival in a neighboring village to auroville. it was a new moon, so this festival was a significant event. there were many many people there, and the men were divided from the women and children on opposite sides of this makeshift enclosure which surrounded two large figures made of sand and decorated with flowers and saris and colored sand - as well as the 'entertainer' - a man singing with a microphone and also making jokes(?) and his accompainment - three drummers. after the sun set, and the drumming and singing got a bit more intense, out of the corner of my eye i saw this woman get up and start swaying around dramatically and even a little violently - i thought that she was trying to fight someone at first, but i soon realized that she was possessed by the spirit of kali. once that happened, things started to get crazy. the whole crowed got up (everyone was seated) and surged the fence. the police came around and beat (not actually) back the crowd with long sticks, and made them all sit down again. then, loud fireworks went off behind me, and this huge cart came banging down the road from the kali temple (50 meters away) and everybody got up again and surged the fence. i think at this point they killed a chicken they had tied up (i couldn't see anything - too many people) and these hairy people started running around the enclosure - i think they came on the cart with the statue - and more people with long grasses on their heads. then, people stated throwing things into the enclosure - rupees, peppers, puffed rice, flowers, and i even saw some coconuts go in there. a little bit more shouting then the fence broke and eveybody ran into where the sand figures wer and were waving the smoke from the lights in the sand over their eyes and head, and looking for things in the sand. people were also collecting the sand that the figures were constructed out of and even filling bags with it! the understanding i gained from a drunk villager was that the two figures were an evil couple that fought alot and caused a lot of problems in india - then kali came and killed them and the world is a better place because of it. afterwards, i explored the carnival atmosphere of the temple grounds - people were selling all sorts of things- bangles, plastic toys, sweets, jewelry, and prasad items. there was also a band, for which interesting is the best descriptor. traditional tamil meets bajans meets synth pop. i listened to probably 5 songs, then left. the young female singer, whose voice was lovely, was really not into being there at all. she looked so glum and bored out of her skull.
ive been enjoying auroville very much, but i do miss a little the fishing village where i was staying in pondy. however, the people im meeting are great, and i am especially looking forward to getting my hands dirty doing some volunteer work (of which type exactly, i haven't yet decided).
Thursday, March 6, 2008
pondy
everyone at the mother's house is quite delighful, and the first morning at breakfast (amazing fruit salad) i was invited along to the birthday celebrations at auroville the next morning. the bonfire and collective meditation in the ampitheatre began at 5, so we left the mother's house a little bit before then, and arrived just in time. i rode out there with gaia, thomas, and anastasia. gaia and thomas were both staying at the mother's house, and anastasia lives in pondy (short for pondicherry), but is quite friendly with the devotees staying at the mother's house, and eats lunch there twice a week. the bonfire was really quite spectacular, and there was a group of people with chimes that they played once the sun had risen. a procession of children in white made their way with little lights to the urn in the center of the ampitheatre (which contains soil from 120 countries around the world, put there 40 years ago by representatives), where they placed them, and then received more soil (im not sure where from) to place in a large golden bowl a little bit away from the lotus-urn. the matrimandir (this really incredible structure and meditation - or rather place devoted to the concentration of consciousness, more on it later) was lit up and glowing golden behind me, and on our way in we passed a huge banyan tree, with jasmine tendrils tied to its many branches and chrysanthamums scattered around the ground and little ghee lights lit at the base of each root - a really enchanted and breathtaking sight. what struck me was the number of people (the ampitheatre was almost filled) and the incredible silence. i had never been a part of such a large group that was so quiet and still. truly amazing. afterwards, i went with gaia around, socializing, and meeting people. we went under the banyan tree, and i went up to one of the roots/trunks and leaned against it. that tree is really something else - it is vibrating at such a high frequency. i felt as if i was in another world entirely.
the rest of the day was spent at the symposium for the ideal of human unity - the main purpose of auroville is to realize human unity. they had dignitaries speak in the morning, and then the afternoon was filled with aurovillians giving their personal perspective on just what human unity is and how it is realized. the consensus seems to be that it is not something that can be intellectualized or thought through, rather, it is something that needs to just happen, we need to just do it. a lovely image was given related to this topic, a parable from african culture - humanity is like a tree: all the branches are fighting while the roots are kissing. what we must realize is that we all come out of the same trunk and the same roots - even though we may be worlds apart in culture, language, and physical appearance. it was really touching to hear each aurovillian express their view on this matter, which is very central to each of them, as they have devoted their lives to realizing this ideal.
the rest of my time in pondy, i have been shopping (for bannanas mostly), and meditating in the samadhi shrine of sri aurobindo and the mother. i have taken many meals at the ashram, which is quite an experience. you can eat all three meals there for 20 rupees (incredibly cheap), and lunch consists of rice, dal and veggies, curd (a lightly cultured yogurt), 2 banannas and bread. it is quite delicious, and the curd is absolutely amazing (especially with a bit of sugar and a slice of lime!) and the perfect thing to cool your mouth down after eating the dal and rice.
i have also gone into auroville to check out some commuinities: the one that is the most amazing is sadhana forest. this couple from israel put all of their life savings into this chunk of land on the outskirts of auroville, and what they are doing is replanting the native dry tropical jungle that used to be here - everywhere in fact, before european (read brittish and french) 'invaders' clear cut it all. 40 years ago, auroville was literally a desert wasteland. there were no trees, just hard red soil that easily eroded when it rained - resulting in large ravines. when auroville started, they began by planting trees to date over 2 million have been planted. auroville itself is a jungle now (someplace i feel so much more at home wandering around, compared to the city streets of pondy). sadhana forest did not have that extensive tree planting project take place because it is outside of auroville. about 6 years ago, when aviram and his wife (bless her soul, i can't remmeber her name!) came, they begain by replanting the native forest. they also work with water conservation - they are terraforming the hills (very slight hills, mind you) to capture every last drop of water. to date, their work has raised the local water table 6 meters!!!!!!!!! that is truly incredible and significant. aviram reminds me so much of roel (of windy corner's farm in charlotte, vt) and he is jolly and led a group of ladies from the mother's house around the property and showed us the solar system, with bike powered back up, and the water tank (incredible water there - soo soo soft! and most excellent for drinking too! (yes, its been tested extensively) and the gardens and the various open-air houses - in short tropical paradise that is UBER sustainable. they want to leave as small an impact on the land as possible, while doing as much good to the land as they can by regrowing the native forest and conserving the oh so precious water.
the rest of the day was spent at the symposium for the ideal of human unity - the main purpose of auroville is to realize human unity. they had dignitaries speak in the morning, and then the afternoon was filled with aurovillians giving their personal perspective on just what human unity is and how it is realized. the consensus seems to be that it is not something that can be intellectualized or thought through, rather, it is something that needs to just happen, we need to just do it. a lovely image was given related to this topic, a parable from african culture - humanity is like a tree: all the branches are fighting while the roots are kissing. what we must realize is that we all come out of the same trunk and the same roots - even though we may be worlds apart in culture, language, and physical appearance. it was really touching to hear each aurovillian express their view on this matter, which is very central to each of them, as they have devoted their lives to realizing this ideal.
the rest of my time in pondy, i have been shopping (for bannanas mostly), and meditating in the samadhi shrine of sri aurobindo and the mother. i have taken many meals at the ashram, which is quite an experience. you can eat all three meals there for 20 rupees (incredibly cheap), and lunch consists of rice, dal and veggies, curd (a lightly cultured yogurt), 2 banannas and bread. it is quite delicious, and the curd is absolutely amazing (especially with a bit of sugar and a slice of lime!) and the perfect thing to cool your mouth down after eating the dal and rice.
i have also gone into auroville to check out some commuinities: the one that is the most amazing is sadhana forest. this couple from israel put all of their life savings into this chunk of land on the outskirts of auroville, and what they are doing is replanting the native dry tropical jungle that used to be here - everywhere in fact, before european (read brittish and french) 'invaders' clear cut it all. 40 years ago, auroville was literally a desert wasteland. there were no trees, just hard red soil that easily eroded when it rained - resulting in large ravines. when auroville started, they began by planting trees to date over 2 million have been planted. auroville itself is a jungle now (someplace i feel so much more at home wandering around, compared to the city streets of pondy). sadhana forest did not have that extensive tree planting project take place because it is outside of auroville. about 6 years ago, when aviram and his wife (bless her soul, i can't remmeber her name!) came, they begain by replanting the native forest. they also work with water conservation - they are terraforming the hills (very slight hills, mind you) to capture every last drop of water. to date, their work has raised the local water table 6 meters!!!!!!!!! that is truly incredible and significant. aviram reminds me so much of roel (of windy corner's farm in charlotte, vt) and he is jolly and led a group of ladies from the mother's house around the property and showed us the solar system, with bike powered back up, and the water tank (incredible water there - soo soo soft! and most excellent for drinking too! (yes, its been tested extensively) and the gardens and the various open-air houses - in short tropical paradise that is UBER sustainable. they want to leave as small an impact on the land as possible, while doing as much good to the land as they can by regrowing the native forest and conserving the oh so precious water.
the bliss of the lord of the universe
listen - too much happens here to actually detail what i have been up to, so bullet lists may soon appear. however, i will do my best to catch up to today - the 6th of march.
i ended last with a bit of suspense, so here is the resolution: ok, so i had a delightful cup of chai and a package of tiger milk biscuits for breakfast, and took a picture of it to remind myself of my last breakfast in ganeshpuri. the chaiwalla told me the best way to get to mumbai (less crowded) and soon thereafter i was off to visit the swami. i sang the whole way up the mountain: gam ganapatie, namo namah - the chant that is played continuously at the temple up there, and when i arrived swami was suprised to see me, but delighted. to me, it seemed like i was going to visit an old friend, there is something very familiar about him. i asked him if it was okay if i called him swamiji (i was having quite a hard time pronouncing his full name - vishveshwaranda) and we sat under the awning where he receives devotees. tuesday i soon learned, was ganesh's day - two female devotees came with fruits and flowers for ganesh. additionally, there was a western female there as well - sangeeve, a devotee of gurumayi. together we all had darshan with swamiji. he talked in english and marathi alternatively, and he spoke of the role of the guru and also of the water shortage. in his presence i felt electrified and his voice was very resonant, and his eyes were sparkling - sangeeve said that his shakti was so strong due to his practice of keeping silent for most of the day. i could only agree. at noon we preformed arati at the ganesh temple, and i accidentally gave all of my prasad to the cows (there were two cows and i got two bananas, so i thought that was what i was supposed to do) and we preformed arati at the other two temples on the hill top - then we all (sangeeve, myself, the two devotees, the ashramites (4 old men) and swamiji) took lunch together in the ashram's main building. this is a very basic structure - brick walls withholes for windows and a palm leaf roof. it was really sweet eating the absolutely delicious food with my fingers, right alongside the indian women (who i have come to absolutely adore!). afterwards, swami beckoned me aside, and told me to come tomorrow, as he would give me private instructions related to my spiritual path. i agreed, glad to have a reason not to leave ganeshpuri, and sangeeve and i walked back to where she was staying. I was introduced to yogini - her host, and mr datta, or simply datta - a delightful man from mauritis (island of the coast of madagascar). the accomodation there was really quite nice, and i actually ended up staying there for the rest of my time in ganeshpuri. we went on an afternoon adventure - datta had to send something by courrier - all the way to vikhar - about an hour + ride from ganeshpuri. yogini is a roboust woman, and cannot walk around very well, so i experienced vegetable shopping from the car - she waved over the veggie sellers to her - they all knew her - to inquire about prices and bargain. i booked a train ticket to chennai so i could make my way to ganeshpuri, and the next available train was on sunday at 8 pm! so i was destined to stay in ganeshpuri through the weekend, which delighted me as i would be able to chant the guru gita again and also have darshan and meditate in baba's mahasamadhi.
the next morning i awoke (5am) in the room i had shared with sangeeve - and she was gone, along with all of her luggage! i was dumbfounded, but continued on with my program (morning asana on the wonderful rooftop - this time facing the moon, as it was setting, then 6 am arati, then meditation in nityananda's sleeping room - a very powerful place). i actually managed to get seva in kailas (what they call nityananda's house) - which is apparently difficult to do - but i just asked and ganapatim (the caretaker?) said ok, and gave me a broom. i lovingly swept the area around nityananda's chair - and beat out the mats that people come and sit on for meditation there. after i finished, i swept out the kitchen area, and then shared prasad - sweet milk with a hint of coffee powder - with ganapatim and nora, a woman from mexico who was doing lots of seva, 'good seva' in kailas (from 7till 11 every morning!). it was wonderful talking with her, but due to sangeeve's strange and unnanounced dissapearance, i hastened to get back to yogini's in case she returned (i had the only key). ganapatim said that i could do seva the rest of the time i was in ganeshpuri - which i delighgfully accepted! - for a few hours every day.
sangeeve had not returned, and yogini seemed to think that she wouldn't, so i headed off to bramhapuri and my meeting with swamiji. i arrived and he was preparing things for a special puja - apparently it was poornima (full moon) - big day for the goddesses. i thought that it was the following day, as that is what my calendar says, but i was mistaken. in any case, i had the most delightful time assisting swamiji in the pooja =- it took about an hour and a half - first lots of chanting, then cleaning this magnificent gold plated pyramid thing (i really should know what it is called, i will find out!) with first water, then milk and ghee, then water, then coconut water, then water, then rosewater, then repainting it with kumkum and throwing lots of flower petals on it - all the while chanting. during this pooja, swamiji dubbed me saraswathy - goddess of learning and knowledge - as he placed the yellow and then red kumkum on my third eye. i haven't mentioned yet - i don't think- but all the indians that i was meeting in ganeshpuri and mumbai could not pronounce luella - so i just started introducing myself as sarah. that is where, i think, swamiji got the saraswathy. swamiji did give me some instructions after the pooja - he gave me three mantras to memorize and gave me a meditation technique - and i stayed for the noon arati. i told him that i was not leaving ganeshpuri until sunday, so i would be back. he asked me if i could cook anything, and i said yes, of course - so he asked me to bring food to cook for tomorrow's meal, which i excitedly agreed to. however, when i got back to yogini's, datta and vinot (another swami (?) i met while meditating in kailas) were there, and over chai i explained my morning. they both immediately warned of potential druggings and the fact that the swami only wanted money from westerners, so i was thrown into a state of conflict. i did go out for evening arati with datta, and i did buy the mungdal and rice to make kitcheri, intending to still go visit swamiji the next day, but the universe had another plan indeed.
i awoke at 4, for the early morning arati, which vinot accompanied me to. vinot was very overprotective, and insisted that he come with me to arati - even though i had been tramping around ganeshpuri in the very early morning by myself for several days now - and proceeded to direct my every move from thereon out. however, once i got into meditation in nityananda's room at kailas i started feeling quite terrible - faint, dizzy, very hot, and constant runny nose. my stomach was also giving me warning signs... and i had a very clear thought come to me - i must take care of my physical body if my spiritual work and progress is to continue. so i left (no seva, which i was dissapointed about, but really felt quite bad and couldn't do it). i went back to yogini's and went back to bed, with the intention that i would wake up in a few hours and go on to cook for swamiji, as at that time is was only 6am. i had crazy dreams (one with lots of snow and ice) and suddenly i was awakened by a loud knocking. i answered the door, and there was vinot, checking on me. on the wall behind him was a clock and it was 5pm! i absoutely could not belive it! i had slept all day long, on thursday, which is guru's day and a special day in ganeshpuri. i did manage to make it down to the village (yogini lives halfway between the nityananda temple and the gurudev siddha peeth ashram) for palike - the procession they do every thursday of a mini statue of nityananda around the town. the whole way people come out with little trays of flowers and coconuts and insence, and have the brahmins preform an arati for them while the whole procession (which i was a part of) waits, continually singing songs to nityananda. however, after only 20 mins or so, i was really feeling faint, and got some water and left the procession. that evening, yogini insisted again that i take milk with ghee and tumeric to help my cold. she really did insist, and i couldn't say no (or it would have offended her) so more things into the system that really did not serve it at all. vinot was administering me warmed honey with ginger, which was helpful, as was a tea made with tulsi and cardamon.
friday, i awoke feeling much better, no more fever, and i practiced yoga on the rooftop with datta (who has his own style). we had a delightful conversation about spiritual progress, and somehow, the time slipped away and i was unable to get up to visit swamiji - i also still didn't feel as if i had the energy to do so. also, datta and vinot's warnings were still fresh in my mind. that afternoon i went with yogini and vinot to a funeral (of sorts). the 13th day after the death is the last day of mourning/celebration, and we were fed delicious food and pretty much just sat out under the awning for a while. then yogini took us to her favorite temple - a jain temple, which was carved most magnificently out of white marble and really quite beautiful. there we had chai and prasad - a sweet, ghee soaked grain with tumeric and cardamon.
the next morning, guru gita (so so sweet!) and then yoga asanas with datta on the rooftop again. i went to the aratis at the nityananda temple, and also sat for meditation in baba's mahasamadhi twice that day (the two times it was open). i was starting to feel really bad about not going up to visit swamiji - i realized i had to trust my own gut feeling rather than trust these eccentric old men - so i vowed to go the next day. i did, bringing the rice and mungdal and vegetables and fruits (for the cows) and when i got up there, it turned out that a family had bought new clothes for the main ganesh statue - so there was a whole crew of people up there and there was an intensive pooja for ganesh. swamiji was happy of course to see me, he did make a little play of being mad at me, but he made hand signs and facial expressions to indicate that it didn't matter. he gave me a little bag of nuts and dried fruits to take with me on my travels, and he said of course "you go tomorrow" while waving his hand, but i insisted that i couldn't change my train, and had to leave that afternoon. a pleasant ending to an amazing visit - he invited me back next year in march when he and three other female devotees from switzerland?sweeden? i can't remmeber, will all be traveling to kerala on a pilgrimage of sorts (that is where he is from originally).
i hired a rickshaw to take me to the train station in vasai - where i got 1st class to dadar (a station in mumbai) where my evening train to chennai left. all uneventful - traveling by train is quite comfortable, as you can lie down whenever you want, or read, or look out the window at the AMAZING countryside - and not too expensive, and they bring you food, or chai or water or juice or biscuits. i saw some amazing rock formations in the center of the country, made me only slightly jealous that i didn't get out of ganeshpuri and go to hampi, which i still could do, if i so desired.
i arrived at night to chennai, the train was late, as usual, and i would not make it to the mother's house before their 10pm curfew. i decided to get a room in a hotel for the night, and come the next day, when suddenly "sarah, sarah!". there was a man, waving a phone at me. he said that he was vinot's brother, and he offered for me to go stay with him in his house - free of charge. i couldn't really belive my luck, and after he pulled out a corded (yes, corded phone like you would have inyour house) and actually used it to call datta, whom i spoke with there in the train station - he said, yes, of course it was alright for me to go with him - makesh - so i did. a 20 min mororbike ride later (me with my way too big pack on my back) through the crazy streets of chennai, we arrived at his house. it was very nice, and he and his son very extremely hospitable and nice. i am pretty sure that they gave me the only bedroom in the house, and in the morning i had breakfast and makesh arranged a ride for me to the bus stop so i could get to pondicherry, where i have a booking at the mother's house for a month. i was really amazed at his generosity and he said if i have any problems at all, to just call him. i spoke with his sister, who lives in an ashram in hardiwar, and she did some translating for me - his wife and daughter were on pilgrimage in delhi to see nityananda - a disciple of baba muktananda's and gurumayi's brother (complicated story here, will not explain) - and she got my breakfast likes and explained to makesh that i wanted to go by bus to pondicherry (i think that vinot had convinced him to take me all around chennai the next day to see temples and what not, which i really did not want to do). so, with the help of his amma (cleaning lady) i made it to the bus stop and got on my bus to pondy (only 65 rupees).
the ride itself took about 4 hrs, but we passed beautiful scenery - we were traveling along the east coast road. i kept seeing all these square cement platforms on the ground, clustered together, and finally it dawned on me that they must be old villages - the tsunami had swept away all the rest of houses. once i realized that, i started to look for more evidence of the tsunami, and there it was - everywhere. the road itself was new, and i saw places where the old road was - all new bridges and lots of strange half structures and low walls with nothing inside. the beach looked like tropical paradise - lots of palm trees, white sand, and sparkling blue water. i was getting very excited for pondicherry, right on the beach.
i finally arrived at the mother's house that afternoon, and while i was getting a little concerned along the approach (it is right smack dab in the middle of a fishing village, on the northern part of town), after a week i really like the location and smiling at the neighbors and meeting the children (and giving them bananas). everyone who is presently at the mother's house is over the age of 50(i think) - all very nice but all on their own programs.
i ended last with a bit of suspense, so here is the resolution: ok, so i had a delightful cup of chai and a package of tiger milk biscuits for breakfast, and took a picture of it to remind myself of my last breakfast in ganeshpuri. the chaiwalla told me the best way to get to mumbai (less crowded) and soon thereafter i was off to visit the swami. i sang the whole way up the mountain: gam ganapatie, namo namah - the chant that is played continuously at the temple up there, and when i arrived swami was suprised to see me, but delighted. to me, it seemed like i was going to visit an old friend, there is something very familiar about him. i asked him if it was okay if i called him swamiji (i was having quite a hard time pronouncing his full name - vishveshwaranda) and we sat under the awning where he receives devotees. tuesday i soon learned, was ganesh's day - two female devotees came with fruits and flowers for ganesh. additionally, there was a western female there as well - sangeeve, a devotee of gurumayi. together we all had darshan with swamiji. he talked in english and marathi alternatively, and he spoke of the role of the guru and also of the water shortage. in his presence i felt electrified and his voice was very resonant, and his eyes were sparkling - sangeeve said that his shakti was so strong due to his practice of keeping silent for most of the day. i could only agree. at noon we preformed arati at the ganesh temple, and i accidentally gave all of my prasad to the cows (there were two cows and i got two bananas, so i thought that was what i was supposed to do) and we preformed arati at the other two temples on the hill top - then we all (sangeeve, myself, the two devotees, the ashramites (4 old men) and swamiji) took lunch together in the ashram's main building. this is a very basic structure - brick walls withholes for windows and a palm leaf roof. it was really sweet eating the absolutely delicious food with my fingers, right alongside the indian women (who i have come to absolutely adore!). afterwards, swami beckoned me aside, and told me to come tomorrow, as he would give me private instructions related to my spiritual path. i agreed, glad to have a reason not to leave ganeshpuri, and sangeeve and i walked back to where she was staying. I was introduced to yogini - her host, and mr datta, or simply datta - a delightful man from mauritis (island of the coast of madagascar). the accomodation there was really quite nice, and i actually ended up staying there for the rest of my time in ganeshpuri. we went on an afternoon adventure - datta had to send something by courrier - all the way to vikhar - about an hour + ride from ganeshpuri. yogini is a roboust woman, and cannot walk around very well, so i experienced vegetable shopping from the car - she waved over the veggie sellers to her - they all knew her - to inquire about prices and bargain. i booked a train ticket to chennai so i could make my way to ganeshpuri, and the next available train was on sunday at 8 pm! so i was destined to stay in ganeshpuri through the weekend, which delighted me as i would be able to chant the guru gita again and also have darshan and meditate in baba's mahasamadhi.
the next morning i awoke (5am) in the room i had shared with sangeeve - and she was gone, along with all of her luggage! i was dumbfounded, but continued on with my program (morning asana on the wonderful rooftop - this time facing the moon, as it was setting, then 6 am arati, then meditation in nityananda's sleeping room - a very powerful place). i actually managed to get seva in kailas (what they call nityananda's house) - which is apparently difficult to do - but i just asked and ganapatim (the caretaker?) said ok, and gave me a broom. i lovingly swept the area around nityananda's chair - and beat out the mats that people come and sit on for meditation there. after i finished, i swept out the kitchen area, and then shared prasad - sweet milk with a hint of coffee powder - with ganapatim and nora, a woman from mexico who was doing lots of seva, 'good seva' in kailas (from 7till 11 every morning!). it was wonderful talking with her, but due to sangeeve's strange and unnanounced dissapearance, i hastened to get back to yogini's in case she returned (i had the only key). ganapatim said that i could do seva the rest of the time i was in ganeshpuri - which i delighgfully accepted! - for a few hours every day.
sangeeve had not returned, and yogini seemed to think that she wouldn't, so i headed off to bramhapuri and my meeting with swamiji. i arrived and he was preparing things for a special puja - apparently it was poornima (full moon) - big day for the goddesses. i thought that it was the following day, as that is what my calendar says, but i was mistaken. in any case, i had the most delightful time assisting swamiji in the pooja =- it took about an hour and a half - first lots of chanting, then cleaning this magnificent gold plated pyramid thing (i really should know what it is called, i will find out!) with first water, then milk and ghee, then water, then coconut water, then water, then rosewater, then repainting it with kumkum and throwing lots of flower petals on it - all the while chanting. during this pooja, swamiji dubbed me saraswathy - goddess of learning and knowledge - as he placed the yellow and then red kumkum on my third eye. i haven't mentioned yet - i don't think- but all the indians that i was meeting in ganeshpuri and mumbai could not pronounce luella - so i just started introducing myself as sarah. that is where, i think, swamiji got the saraswathy. swamiji did give me some instructions after the pooja - he gave me three mantras to memorize and gave me a meditation technique - and i stayed for the noon arati. i told him that i was not leaving ganeshpuri until sunday, so i would be back. he asked me if i could cook anything, and i said yes, of course - so he asked me to bring food to cook for tomorrow's meal, which i excitedly agreed to. however, when i got back to yogini's, datta and vinot (another swami (?) i met while meditating in kailas) were there, and over chai i explained my morning. they both immediately warned of potential druggings and the fact that the swami only wanted money from westerners, so i was thrown into a state of conflict. i did go out for evening arati with datta, and i did buy the mungdal and rice to make kitcheri, intending to still go visit swamiji the next day, but the universe had another plan indeed.
i awoke at 4, for the early morning arati, which vinot accompanied me to. vinot was very overprotective, and insisted that he come with me to arati - even though i had been tramping around ganeshpuri in the very early morning by myself for several days now - and proceeded to direct my every move from thereon out. however, once i got into meditation in nityananda's room at kailas i started feeling quite terrible - faint, dizzy, very hot, and constant runny nose. my stomach was also giving me warning signs... and i had a very clear thought come to me - i must take care of my physical body if my spiritual work and progress is to continue. so i left (no seva, which i was dissapointed about, but really felt quite bad and couldn't do it). i went back to yogini's and went back to bed, with the intention that i would wake up in a few hours and go on to cook for swamiji, as at that time is was only 6am. i had crazy dreams (one with lots of snow and ice) and suddenly i was awakened by a loud knocking. i answered the door, and there was vinot, checking on me. on the wall behind him was a clock and it was 5pm! i absoutely could not belive it! i had slept all day long, on thursday, which is guru's day and a special day in ganeshpuri. i did manage to make it down to the village (yogini lives halfway between the nityananda temple and the gurudev siddha peeth ashram) for palike - the procession they do every thursday of a mini statue of nityananda around the town. the whole way people come out with little trays of flowers and coconuts and insence, and have the brahmins preform an arati for them while the whole procession (which i was a part of) waits, continually singing songs to nityananda. however, after only 20 mins or so, i was really feeling faint, and got some water and left the procession. that evening, yogini insisted again that i take milk with ghee and tumeric to help my cold. she really did insist, and i couldn't say no (or it would have offended her) so more things into the system that really did not serve it at all. vinot was administering me warmed honey with ginger, which was helpful, as was a tea made with tulsi and cardamon.
friday, i awoke feeling much better, no more fever, and i practiced yoga on the rooftop with datta (who has his own style). we had a delightful conversation about spiritual progress, and somehow, the time slipped away and i was unable to get up to visit swamiji - i also still didn't feel as if i had the energy to do so. also, datta and vinot's warnings were still fresh in my mind. that afternoon i went with yogini and vinot to a funeral (of sorts). the 13th day after the death is the last day of mourning/celebration, and we were fed delicious food and pretty much just sat out under the awning for a while. then yogini took us to her favorite temple - a jain temple, which was carved most magnificently out of white marble and really quite beautiful. there we had chai and prasad - a sweet, ghee soaked grain with tumeric and cardamon.
the next morning, guru gita (so so sweet!) and then yoga asanas with datta on the rooftop again. i went to the aratis at the nityananda temple, and also sat for meditation in baba's mahasamadhi twice that day (the two times it was open). i was starting to feel really bad about not going up to visit swamiji - i realized i had to trust my own gut feeling rather than trust these eccentric old men - so i vowed to go the next day. i did, bringing the rice and mungdal and vegetables and fruits (for the cows) and when i got up there, it turned out that a family had bought new clothes for the main ganesh statue - so there was a whole crew of people up there and there was an intensive pooja for ganesh. swamiji was happy of course to see me, he did make a little play of being mad at me, but he made hand signs and facial expressions to indicate that it didn't matter. he gave me a little bag of nuts and dried fruits to take with me on my travels, and he said of course "you go tomorrow" while waving his hand, but i insisted that i couldn't change my train, and had to leave that afternoon. a pleasant ending to an amazing visit - he invited me back next year in march when he and three other female devotees from switzerland?sweeden? i can't remmeber, will all be traveling to kerala on a pilgrimage of sorts (that is where he is from originally).
i hired a rickshaw to take me to the train station in vasai - where i got 1st class to dadar (a station in mumbai) where my evening train to chennai left. all uneventful - traveling by train is quite comfortable, as you can lie down whenever you want, or read, or look out the window at the AMAZING countryside - and not too expensive, and they bring you food, or chai or water or juice or biscuits. i saw some amazing rock formations in the center of the country, made me only slightly jealous that i didn't get out of ganeshpuri and go to hampi, which i still could do, if i so desired.
i arrived at night to chennai, the train was late, as usual, and i would not make it to the mother's house before their 10pm curfew. i decided to get a room in a hotel for the night, and come the next day, when suddenly "sarah, sarah!". there was a man, waving a phone at me. he said that he was vinot's brother, and he offered for me to go stay with him in his house - free of charge. i couldn't really belive my luck, and after he pulled out a corded (yes, corded phone like you would have inyour house) and actually used it to call datta, whom i spoke with there in the train station - he said, yes, of course it was alright for me to go with him - makesh - so i did. a 20 min mororbike ride later (me with my way too big pack on my back) through the crazy streets of chennai, we arrived at his house. it was very nice, and he and his son very extremely hospitable and nice. i am pretty sure that they gave me the only bedroom in the house, and in the morning i had breakfast and makesh arranged a ride for me to the bus stop so i could get to pondicherry, where i have a booking at the mother's house for a month. i was really amazed at his generosity and he said if i have any problems at all, to just call him. i spoke with his sister, who lives in an ashram in hardiwar, and she did some translating for me - his wife and daughter were on pilgrimage in delhi to see nityananda - a disciple of baba muktananda's and gurumayi's brother (complicated story here, will not explain) - and she got my breakfast likes and explained to makesh that i wanted to go by bus to pondicherry (i think that vinot had convinced him to take me all around chennai the next day to see temples and what not, which i really did not want to do). so, with the help of his amma (cleaning lady) i made it to the bus stop and got on my bus to pondy (only 65 rupees).
the ride itself took about 4 hrs, but we passed beautiful scenery - we were traveling along the east coast road. i kept seeing all these square cement platforms on the ground, clustered together, and finally it dawned on me that they must be old villages - the tsunami had swept away all the rest of houses. once i realized that, i started to look for more evidence of the tsunami, and there it was - everywhere. the road itself was new, and i saw places where the old road was - all new bridges and lots of strange half structures and low walls with nothing inside. the beach looked like tropical paradise - lots of palm trees, white sand, and sparkling blue water. i was getting very excited for pondicherry, right on the beach.
i finally arrived at the mother's house that afternoon, and while i was getting a little concerned along the approach (it is right smack dab in the middle of a fishing village, on the northern part of town), after a week i really like the location and smiling at the neighbors and meeting the children (and giving them bananas). everyone who is presently at the mother's house is over the age of 50(i think) - all very nice but all on their own programs.
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