JAY MA GANGA

i spent 3 days in rishikesh and really loved every second. between enjoying some chai in a river front restaurant, to investigating the wares for sale in the many shops that line the streets of lakshman jhula, to watching the crowds of indian holidaymakers move across the suspension bridge (very colorful!), to sitting and just trying to absorb it all...

i spent a lot of time in contemplation that gently dipped into deep meditation while seated along the banks of the ganges. i managed to mentally prepare myself for my home return, because i am back and there is no culture shock - i really feel like i've just stepped back into what i left 31/2 months ago. i did go see the famous ganga arati preformed at the Parmath Niketan ashram, with the Guru : Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. I arrived early, or so i thought, but all the good seats were already taken. i squeezed in next to this lovely older indian woman who saw me looking a little disapointed at the lack of seating, and pushed over saying, "why not?" the opening bhajans were lovely, all accompanied by young boys dressed in yellow. harmonium, tablas, and vocals - all properly amplified (i really enjoyed watching the boy in charge of the mixer, he was very self-important, constantly adjusting the sound on each by very tiny increments) - completed the setting of the mood. sunset over the ganges, the young priests also in yellow preforming homa (the fire sacrifice) at the river's edge, and then Swamiji walked in, his magnificent mane flowing behind him. but i was so unsettled by looking at his eyes! i was expecting this enlightened master (i had watched a tv special about him when i was ill in tiruvannamalai, and had all these expectations...) and while his presence was powerful, i think maybe it was because of the collective attention focused upon him. in any case, i was not impressed and slightly disturbed by the quality of his eyes.

on my last morning in rishikesh, i arose with the sun to go take my ganga bath. before then i had been afraid to do so, due to the power and energy of the river. also, i did not know where the best place would be for me to go - a western female, alone. i was wandering up the river bank towards where i had heard there were some beaches, but when i arrived i found signs proclaiming great danger and also i noticed that an indian man had followed me there, so no bathing at this spot. it was beautiful, however, and i took some photos and collected the sliver sand that covered the beach. as i was walking along it, i noticed this cute little hut up on the hill, and as i was imagining who lived inside and how neat it would be if i was sitting up next to the house, drinking chai with its inhabitant, out popped this old man with long white hair and a long white beard dressed all in yellow. he waved me on up to his house, and i went. babaji, as he told me his name was, showed me his lovely garden and offered me chai. i quickly learned that he has been a yoga teacher for 40 years, and he still does teach. he showed me some incredible moves - just looking at him you would never suspect that he was that flexible or that strong. "babaji take no money, only material". he showed me a book of photos taken by foreigners and gifted to him - people from all over the world have stumbled upon his little abode on the banks of the ganges and studied yoga asanas and philosophy with him in exchange only for food. it was very neat talking with him, and i couldn'y believe that on my last morning i had encountered such a character. but that is how it is in india - always characters to encounter. babaji advised me on where to take my ganga bath - across the river from his house, in fact - and i was on my way to bath in the holy waters.

the moment of total immersion was all that i had hoped for. the river had changed color over the course of the few days i had been there - first milky aquamarine, then dark brown (it rained) and then less dark brown and milky, and on my last morning the water was returning to the color i had seen on my first morning. it still was nowhere near clear - and being a big river i was sure that there were big fish, and id rather see them than just feel them nibbling on my toes - but clean and fresh. the water was cold, and quickly moving and i recited mantras as i dipped under... i stayed along the banks for at least 2 hours, just looking and sitting with an empty mind.

mysore

i came to mysore intending to stay 3 maybe 4 days. it is now day number 19. as soon as susanna (a friend from the ayurveda course in kannur) and i pulled into town on the bus, i told her that i really liked the way this town felt. this is why i have stayed so long - practing yoga at various shalas (astanga), attending philosophy class, swimming at the pool, exploring the fascinating architecture in different parts of the city, wandering the devaraja market, conversing with fellow yogis and intellectuals over chai, getting blessed by the priests ontop of chamundi hill...

i came with suzanna because her friend, gibran, had an apartment that he had rented for the entire month. we were planning on all traveling together to go visit belur, halibib, and sravanabelagola. however, our departure was pushed back from saturday to sunday to monday to tuesday - and we managed to leave on wednesday morning. the three towns were great - in order i would reccomend visiting halibib, sravanabelagola, and then belur. the temples in belur and habibib are incredible - examples of hoysala architecture and extremely intricately detailed. at sravenabelagola there is a 17+metre high stature of a jain saint on top of a mountain composed of explosed rock - basalt i think. we climbed up the 614 steps hewn out of the mountain side in the afternoon - barefoot, as is required. the views from the path up as well as the top are beautiful - karnataka is a lovely lovely state with wide plains randomly punctuated by lobs of mountains and rocks. the statue itself is beautiful - there is something to be said of giant statues carved out of one piece of rock - and such grace and elegance in the lines. halibib, where we stayed overnight - is quite delightful. fresh and small, with only 2 guesthouses and 2 restaurants, and many elegant temples. in the morning, after our breakfast of puri, rice bath, vada and coffee/tea - we walked up the hill 2 km to see the rarely visited jain temples. we were the only ones there - a wedding procession had just visited before us to obtain blessings and their offerings were the only sign of life in the three temples. such stillness and grace inside the elegantly simple temples. out of all the temples i have visited, the jain temples are the most elegant and have the most calming and settling effect.

on our return to mysore, i was deeply conflicted with what to do with my remaining time in india. one month was just too short, and i really really liked how mysore felt - how life moved, the people i was meeting, the opportunities here for study and growth. so, i have stayed. i found a room in a delightful house (sutra house) in lakshmipuram - south of the center of mysore. there is a wonderful garden where i take my fruit salad and tea every morning (brought to me by the delightful ratna or jaya - the two maids who keep this house running smoothly). the decorations in the house are well chosen and very nice - lots of old prints and neat statues and great fabrics. stan, the frenchman who 'owns' the house, is a most delightful tour guide and conversationalist. i practice astanga at sthalam 8 - a 7 minute walk away with ajay, a young yoga teacher. i never was a fan of astanga, but i am starting to like it - especially because it is to straightforward (easier for private practice). the philosophy class i attend with Narashima is amazing as well - a room full of westerners sitting at his feet, while he elegantly explains away our doubts regarding anything indian - philosophical, cultural, spiritual.

perhaps the most important thing i have learned here in mysore (other than regaining my focus, which was highly distored in kannur) is that i really don't have to waste time and energy wandering all over india looking for something which i can't even name. staying put, at least for me right now, has been providing the most depth in my practice and exploration of the interior dimension of consciousness.

thursday, i leave for rishikesh. i could not leave india with out a bath in the holy mother. i decided that just a taste of the north would be appropriate, because if i liked it too much i would really have a difficult time leaving. also, it is extremely hot in rishikesh right now - much worse than mysore (which has been having spectacular sunsets due to the clouds that blow in every evening - freshening everything up). i suppose that i can handle 45C for a few days...