Early Morning Note

I don't know who comes here , but it's early morning and something inside me is alive . Without knowing what it is , it is . What I call unknown is known yet remains openly silent without any doing on my part or on anybodies part . Is'nt that wonderful ? To see this is to just remain without any coming or going . Still it is here , in me , and in you and in all things , yet when we reach out to it , it is like water off a ducks back . Easy, yet if we try hard to understand it, it will cause strain and effort which just makes it hard to recognize . Who is to recognize cannot recognize cause he remains empty of recognition and in that recognition is no one .How this is , is like a clear vessel disappearing into the water it is holding . No outline can be seen - yet it is .

joymarcoarunachala

Here is a film a good friend made by the mountain . With the lovely people I met and showing the fun and joy in their laughter and love; being together with the Mountain of Grace , Arunachala!

Bhagavan says eloquently how Arunachala works on the mind rooting out the ego of those who dwell upon it's name and form .

"I have seen a wonder, a magnetic hill that forcibly attracts the soul. Arresting the activities of the soul who thinks of it even once, drawing it to face itself, the One, making it thus motionless like itself, it feeds upon that sweet [pure and ripened] soul. What a wonder is this! O souls, be saved by thinking of this great Arunagiri, which shines in the mind as the destroyer of the soul [the ego]."

The Hunted - Advaita Comedy On The Mountain

Here is some spontaneity that happened when I walked up to the cave one day with Sven .I had no intention of making a story with an ending but this ending is like teaching some karma yoga ; no expectations for the results to be either way , it's all prasad ! A gift from that Mystery.

From Tiru to Horroville

Chatters at Tasty

Hard at work

My living room

A build up of energy was coming to a point and intensity,it was pushing me in a direction of going . Having given up the smokes I tended to walk around Bhagavan and watch the emotions come dancing up .It was too much at some point ,as I sat outside the Hanuman temple one evening . I had to go somewhere , anywhere .

Walking around Bhagavan

I found this skull on the road next to the smashan , obviously placed there just after being burnt.

On the eve of my departure I spotted the dancing baba or the coconut swami gracefully dancing and skipping along near the Agni tirtham , the girl on my bike Clara had no idea why I was pointing him out . The swami looked at me and smiled in the mountains rays. I was fortunate to have this glance again on my return .

Whats left of Joyti's chai shop , the rest was wiped out;Government regulations

The very morning I left I had a quick breakfast and as leaving the parota shop, saw one of the garbage collectors pulling a trolly .A protruding foot with a half missing toe jiggled up and down . I got closer and saw a stick and the body of a beggar, his face covered.In the morning light it was as if everybody was oblivious to this scene of the young man pulling the trolley along towards the cremation ground , it actually reminded me of Monty Phython's "bring out the dead!!!".

Preparing for Shivaratri.

I waited by Nandi in the temple on Sivaratri .

People came to celebrate.


Resting dog.

This place shows you the extremes and in turn the mind seeks introspection . Either you spill into a wishy washy place of mental gibber jabber or you are pulled home close to yourself and only yourself .Whatever, it always brings you back by taking away what was never there .Dreamlike the illusion's reality in its appearing (just like the rope appearing as a snake) vanishes and crumbles, as another mirage appears .

Listening to yourself; Nishant Baba at Kanappa shrine.

I made it to Pondicherry on the bus with Clara . She was quite attractive and we seemed to get on together sitting quietly before we opened our mouths, (sometimes she reacted to my pointed views about reality and Aurobindo). For example I mentioned that it seemed that Aurobindo was aiming to bring a state of higher perfection for humanity . Now if it came to a perfect state of perfection, into perfect alignment with great harmony then everything would collapse and vanish. Why? because there needs to be friction as duality for this world appearance to function .If this becomes neutral then there has to be a disillusionment. This bothered her greatly.......... and so we drank more beer together.Gradually I started
smoking under the influence of Foster's Larger a beer I hardly drink . It all started at the bus stand when she pulled out a beedie and some colourful character, looking very Rajasthanish was harrasing me for baksheesh.Puff, puff ,puff, "oh well", I ended up buying him a chai .


The Ganapati shrine we discovered and where I met the palm reader, who told me that money would come !

On the promenade with Mahatma Ghandi this boy cuts the pineapple .

Fascinated I looked at this temple door.



Pondicherry street scene.

From Pondicherry bus stand we got ripped off and paid more for our rickshaw ride to Horroville !Here is where the sea greeted us after the fiery presence of Arunachala , it soothed me but the beach was nothing like Perth beaches . the locals still in their trousers waded in the browny blue water . The sand was mixed with pieces of burnt wood , glass , plastic and broken shells and something fishy. Eventually I found a good catch of sardines scattered on the beach further up , what a waste ! And that rotten smell gave food for the crows , at least they had it for a feast. My feet got itchy afterwards , what had I walked on ? The better thing about this was the food which came with a great French style the omlette I never had before !

Where I had the Omlette I never had before!



Swimmers ralaxing in their trousers.

Them itchy feet!

So I thought my offering to Shakti Ma made frutition having Clara by my side and so we talked late into the night often with long pauses of silence between our sayings . Nothing happened! After all I came here for a practical reason and that was to get a check up from the doctor for a ear infection . But Clara had appeared like a wish come true , yet it was quickly realized that I was chasing a dream with her . And so Auroville became a Horroville after a few puffs ,a few beers and another Aurovillian , I decided to hit the road back to the Mountain .

From Arrival to Present

On our arrival , Sven and the Ashram dog .

Mani one of my friends working on the hill

Morning News at Joyti's.

I spotted this man in dirty garb and thought of the Avadhuts that keep to themselves, he appears to be partly blind .He is constantly doing Girivalam .

Bumping into Mooji on Pradakshina route .

At the Bangalore road turn off . Behind the Ganapati shrine .

Sadhu and white dog at Sani Theertha , next to Niruthi Lingam



The lotus Lake we came across on the 120 km bike trip I did .




One of the fields looking up to the hills .




It was very bumpy on my Kinetic but I got to see this !

Gunatita

View from Kannapa shrine at sunset

She moved holding a pair of small green crocs . I stood up abruptly and exclaimed "are they yours?!" The round ball like figure turned daintily with big eyes as my finger pierced the moist air . "No " she said as she pointed to another lady . "there hers!", her quivering voice said in return. My eyes landed upon the woman in question , her jet white hair falling neatly up to her shoulders , her eyes, openly shimmering came with a broad pearl white smile . She looked like someone lost but very happy as she meet my inquiring barrage of questions one after the other . It was an accident !! Oh now was it ? I then told them how I had just written the story below . The first lady carrying the crocs then said " Was it good ?" ,
"No it was not good ! ", as I then explained how I had just travelled into town to purchase a pair of cheap Indian strap ons . Their sorrowful expressions of regret filled the air as I told them of the consectutive losses I had to go through . The motherly look shone and melted away all confusion and disease . Once again I was happy without a care , and I was given due directions to an ashram where my crocs lay .

Gunatita : Beyond all three.

This Grandmother has turn my three bitches into the unknown quality , that of Gunatita . Beyond all three gunas , the qualityless . Which leads me onto another aspect of this journey which has unfolded in a magical Tantric way , and not as I have at all expected . For that I have to thank the feminine principle , which is formidable here in the Shakti shrines that I have come across .But more about this in another post.

Shakti Devotees during Girivalam.

I have been going through alot of fire in the last weeks having given up smoking and just seeing the flames lick up all the deep feelings as they come to drag me into another drag !
A walk up the mountain !

Leaving Your Mind where You Left Your Chappals

Thiruvannamalai town with Arunachaleshwara temple in foreground.

Tiruvannamalai- the dirty dusty feet are pickeled with the sandy road particles as I make my way to the mechanical beast that zips me around the fast, dodging traffic . I jarred at the sight of missing chappals , my serene detattched elegance is dramatically altered to one of slight panic and dismay at the pair of inferior rubber sandals left in there place ,grudgingly a hole merges out from underneath it's sole . The advantage of a thief is in the carelessness of the owner . "Trust! and be okay , but don't curse that stranger who slyly took your precious footwear" or.......... is it "Trust in Allah and tether your camel" .

Diabolo

The formless ghost speaks so holy and molely! Then a moment later the Diabolo comes and says "May they have a sprained ankle in the next 15 minutes!!! . Imaginary things that appear real creating a devil in reaction- "thats okay , really okay ". I dance gingerly along towards my kinetic beast machine, remembering the clear elagance that enlightened me before the grand dissolution . "Rascal! " as I dangerously drive looking at the feets of every passer by , feet, feet, feet and more feet ! I certainly can sense this capper from another angle; it is if I am space and there on the screen is the movie of "The Lost Chappals" ,

seeing the Persuing soles

this character has become the "chota" mad wandering Burmese Italian, perusing every sole for the liberation of his bare soles. Oh! As he feels the sweeping curtain fall over this search .He resigns..... and heads home , left with what is considered to be ugly- blue Crocs.

I'm gonna catch em

Feeling their snugglingness I race from and into town with the plumber , from shop to shop , his voice a distant echo . "Slow down ! slow down, slow, slow, slow !!" As I apply the brakes I begin to see how much easier it is , yet realise I just want to get the plumber out of the way . It is just dangerously unpredictable having a plumber and electrician to taxi to and fro. It gets very tiring not knowing when they are not going to finish.Pass buses that jive and careen with an aftermath of blasting particles; spewing an invisible plethora of grime and sandpaper grazing face polisher!My squinting eyes will always open up after and my crouching form straightens up for the clear view of old women , cows , bycycles and rickshaws moving around, in and away all at once . Finally the electrician and plumber leave , as they sit on my toilet and wait for the glue to dry around the pipe that has been leaking , yes they said they were going to finish an hour ago . I have tried my best to make their stay as fun as possible by playing a remix of Sarah Mc Laclan , also tried some Indian music but it was more in style with North Indian Bhajans. Even tried a little pink Floyd but I think they felt stranger with every track I had in mind for them . So I settled for a nice Ram Bhajan and started to sing along while they inhaled poisonous glue which was amazingly toxic , still they wanted to change the music. I then tried to placate this potency with some very beautiful sandal wood incense but the music did'nt work for them , they needed Tamil music.

I tried to placate them .

I try to buy a CD on the way from the Temple and the body feels drained at each step through the bustle and racing pace of town . So quick action means to take the shortest route back to my room. Sorry chaps , I pay for the work, better to be finnished with it all .

Better to be finnished with it all .

I wander half sleepy, brain drained , probably from inhaling the glue and sit on Tasty (restaurant) roof almost emotionlessly dry and disinterested, as three women sit in front of me animatedly chatting about something; their voices are just a jumble way , a mumble and a fumble. As I reach into my bag , a lucky dip for my phone . The skinny Indian one gets up and places her hands on her chest as she looks to me and smiles , then the pretty one , a Mooji lover with smooth olive skin and beautiful black abundant hair catches my admiring glance - her eyes look down revealing her pleasantness in secret. The third is a fat momma looking a little like my Nonna and decidedly South American, her scrappy t shirt makes her look like she did'nt care , pounded away . I wait and feel the tiredness sink in and realise that I have been invited to sing out on the Bangalore road somewhere. With a full effort , pretty much like an astronaught I rise and pay the bill. There is a jumble of slippers and shoes one has to walk over and through, somewhere lies the only pair of Crocs I have .But in their place is only confusion and darkness. Within me I hear the word "bitch !" emerge like a gigantic whore, the elegance of my tiredness slipped into a mount Vesuvius as I see a smaller pair of Crocs which my shrek like feet cannot fit into! Hands waving like a hundred windmills , as if all my ancestors gesticulate with what is missing from the Pizza. I exclaim my disapointment more with sharp like staccato "bitches!" , I then remember God is in a bitch and he is a bitch .

God is a beautiful bitch

I now patrol the streets looking for that stupid bitch who took my Crocs . Is she the good looking one , the ugly one or the disgusting one ? How about miss Sattva, Rajas and Tamas ? I will soon know as the hunt for my crocs continues and I become the hunter ready to shoot down my prey . Or possibly love them for maybe it is a sign to start walking instead.Today I will ride in to town to get new chappals .The rest is to be revealed.

The rest is to be revealed .