My life [8]

[Guest guest]

It was in the year 1989-1990 that I did my dharmaveera course.

 

The "Dharma Veera" course used to be very interactive. After seven days of

starting the course another student named Ramakrishna has joined from

Ongole. Ramakrishna became my co-student. Ramakrishna is the son of a

very wealthy business man in Ongole. His father is a very devoted person

and donated 7 acres of land to the Ashram near Kottapatnam,Ongole; where a

ashram/old age home is constructed called "Sarada Tapovan".

 

The Kotappakonda Ashram is devotion (bhakti yoga) oriented, and Ellayapalli

ashram is Karma yoga oriented, where as "Sarada Tapovan" is designed for

Contemplation. Only in this ashram (sarada tapovan) Swamini Amma allowed

devotees to have a permanent construction along with some amenities. Amma's

disciples, who are doctors, from USA come here to stay for a couple of weeks

to do meditation/contemplation oriented sadhana.

 

My life has become schedule oriented. Amma is very strict in observing

time. Morning 4:00AM, the bell rings and we have to take our bath and

assemble at the hall by 5AM. From 5-6AM Amma used to take a Upanishad

class. Then from 6:30-7:30AM we used to have chanting classes. Then

breakfast. 9AM-10AM used to learn rituals like performing homa etc. 10-12

is the time for washing clothes, cleaning programs. There are no

electricity fans provided. The kutia is a room made of mud walls and

thatched roof, with another small attached bathroom. We used to clean our

own toilets. Amma used to say "be your servant". Then in the afternoon

after lunch we take rest. At 3PM we assemble for an hour and discuss that

days Upanishad/Bhagawadgita. Evening 6:30-8PM amma takes BhagawadGita

commentary class.

 

I should honestly say that this training helped me a lot --- later on after

completing the course, Swamini Amma sent me for a training, during a part of

that I went to stay at Mahatma Gandhi's ashram at Wardha where I am given a

duty of cleaning the toilets for a few days. Also, there is a very big lepr

osy camp, near dattapur, consists of 3000 patients. I used to stay with

them and nurse them. Talk to them, play with them... Though physically

they look horrible, I realized that they are more than human at their heart

with very tender feelings. At first they never used to allow me to touch

them, but I insisted that I stay close to them talk to them about Gita and

other holy scriptures. I felt so joyus in doing all this. Samini Amma is a

Gandhian. It is from her that I grasped service oriented thoughts...

 

Swamini Amma used to go around giving talks on BhagawadGita. So when ever

she is not there, Swamini Bodhananda used to take other classes to us.

Kottappakonda is very famous for the Lord Shiva's temple on the mountain.

Every year during Shivaratri an estimated one million people attend near the

foothill and celebrate, we call it as "tiraNAla".

 

The story of Kotappakonda is that, once upon a time Lord Shiva was doing

tapas on one of the highest peak on the mountain. A milkmaid, from the

nearby village, used to carry milk for him everyday. She never used to

disturb him from his meditation. In stead, she used to keep the milk pot

near him and return back; next day when she goes again she used to collect

the pot. Having very much pleased by her service, Lord Shiva offered her a

boon. She told him that being a lady; and due to the thickest forest; it is

increasingly becoming difficult for her to reach him everyday, so she

requested him to come down and stay with her in the village. Shiva, being

the all compassionate, accepted her request but on one condition... He

instructed her to walk in the front, he shall follow her, how ever she

should not turn back and see whether he is coming or not. If she turns back

then he will not come down anymore... She accepted the condition and they

both started descending the mountain. On the way, the Milkmaid got a

doubt --- what if Lord Shiva is cheating on her... She wanted to make sure

that he is really coming down, he is really following her to the village.

So at the height of curiosity, mixed with suspected mind, that poor maid

turned and looked back at Shiva... Thus she broke the condition.

Immediately Shiva became a Linga and stayed there. This maid, having

repented so much for her mistake, also turned in to a stone. Even now who

ever goes on visiting Lord Shiva on the mountain, have to pass through the

temple of the Milkmaid. There is a 50 Meters distance between the maid and

Lord Shiva's sanctum sanatorium.

 

The mountain has got thee peaks. One is called Brahmakonda. The shape of

the peak is very interesting. It looks like a natural Shivalinga. You have

to see it when it rains, you can witness mother Ganga falling on his matted

locks, and falling down on to the earth from there... One day, God willing,

I would like to paint the peek with Shiva namams :-) The Chinmayaranyam

Ashram is constructed at the foothill of Brahmakonda.

 

[to be cont....]