Om Sai!

[Guest guest]

Sairam Dear OnesWell our Lord did not come out this morning, still we sang with all our soul, enjoying the inspiration and power of bhajans.This afternoon Darshan He came around 5PM. They gave tokens very early so I missed the cue and had to sit a good distance from our Lord in the back. It can be very unruly in the back with the crowds surging forward to get closer and closer. I ended up with a knee poking the middle of my back and village folk holding on to me like I was some strange sort of railing for support. Yikes! Swami! Equanimity!!! Still despite my complaints I enjoyed good darshan. Swami gazed sympathetically in my direction although my monkey mind whispered mischieveously... "well He can't see you dodo."I counteracted that gnome of a thought and forcefully scolded the mind. Those eyes see everything and

everyone, what is done in secret and what is clearly visible. Those all seeing eyes peer into infinity and beyond. There is nothing that those Sai eyes cannot discover. Those wondrous eyes and ears and senses know and realize everything simultaneously. Then I further contemplated how amazing it must be to experience that.and even more miraculous is the fact that those divine Sai faculties are ours, that potential is ours!Swami seemed to chuckle as He looked towards my section and kind of twisted His hand outward. Then some more thoughts bubbled up, Swami I screamed silently "We are drowning men, please save us!" Drowning in an ocean of desires!We have been this way for eons!Please Lord Save us!" Again Compassionate Sai turned in our direction and made some hand gestures.Then the lines from an old song, "Suzanne" floated through my active head:And Jesus was a sailorWhen he walked upon the waterAnd he spent a long

time watchingFrom his lonely wooden towerAnd when he knew for certainOnly drowning men could see himHe said all men will be sailors thenUntil the sea shall free themBut he himself was brokenLong before the sky would openForsaken, almost humanHe sank beneath your wisdom like a stoneAnd you want to travel with himAnd you want to travel blindAnd you think maybe you'll trust himFor he's touched your perfect body with his mind.Swami raised His hand in blessing at the conclusion of Darshan.May all be Happy! May all be liberated!Lots of Prema sonya kiGOD HILLS - Part 4Continuing where I left off. When we arrived at the Red Temple, Mouna Baba's staff welcomed us warmly, offering us delicious, creamy chai and conversing very lovingly.After awhile we were allowed the darshan of Mouna Baba. His inner sanctuary was decorated in the same vivid red as the temple itself.

Mouna Baba also wore a red headress and robes.He had taken a vow of silence so could only gesture and make grunting sounds to communicate. There was a sweet, playful Krishna quality about him, his flashing eyessparkled like luminous black coal.We mentioned Lakshmi the Seva Dal from Puttaparthi and immediately Mouna Baba whipped out his cell phone and dialed her number. He made those peculiar grunting sounds into the phone and then handed the phone to us. Lakshmi was happy to hear that we made it safely to Badrinath. She indicated that our friend Lallitha who made yearly pilgrimages to Haridwar and Badrinath was staying in the next building close by.Lallitha was where the desire to visit the Himalayas first originated. Lallitha a well known artist from South Africa, now living in Puttaparthi had an experience in an interview with our Swami. Swami called her "Yogi!" and truly she was a Yogi. Meditating night and day high in

the Himalayas with all the great Yogis, Sadhus and Saints, she refined her Spirit and earned the grace of God.We had a sumptous lunch at Mouna Baba's and trudged to the next building right below the red temple, Calling, "Lallitha! Lallitha!" Lallitha emerged from her room as if just coming out of meditation. She had a suprised look on her face. Joyfully she greeted us, showing us her little cave of a room nestled in the middle of those awesome peaks.Lallitha related that she thought we had decided not to come so our sudden arrival was a pleasant gift from Baba. Lallitha insisted we stay in her room, she explained that there were two areas in Badrinath: one side of the river was Nara, man and the other side of the river was Narayana, God. The side her house was on was Narayana. There were 3 beds with an adequate supply of warm blankets and quilts and an indoor bathroom. The name of this ashram was Matri Sadan under the leadership of Guru

Dev.Guru Dev had left for Haridwar so we never got the opportunity to meet him, but he did call Lallitha inquiring about us, making sure we were comfortable, warm and well fed.Our tour arrangement with our taxi driver was a 9 day tour and then back to Haridwar.Since we didn't spend any time in Kedernath we arrived in Badrinath before schedule, so we assumed we could spend four nights in Badrinath, visit holy sites and on the ninth day of the tour make the arduous journey back to Haridwar.The driver did not agree and made a big fuss insisting that we should leave on the 8th day spend the night half way down and then resume our journey in the morning. So we reluctantly agreed after some discussion. This would reduce our stay to 3 nights.We planned quickly the places we would visit in the 2 remaining days then went with Lallitha for a soothing bath in a natural sulphur Hot Springs situated right next to the main mandir. This

was bubbling hot therapeutic water which we enjoyed immensely.Throughout the hills and byways of Badrinath we saw Sadhus and Yogis blanketed in orange, white markings on their God immersed faces engaged in sadhana.Hari Om! Om Namo Narayana!I wanted to take a photo of one radiant Sadhu,"that is not necessary" he declared seriously, "chant the name of God," a poignant reminder of the true purpose of being.The following day our little group including Lallitha, Padma, Niquil and myself visited Saraswati River. We saw the "Last teashop in India." and found ourselves close to the border of China. Women with distinctly Asian Chinese features sat knitting colorful, intricate woolen mats, caps and clothing.I felt such gratitude and bliss to be able to pay homage to beautiful Saraswati, She was the Goddess of knowledge, creative arts, music, education, wisdom. I felt a special connection being an artist, knowing full well that

whatever flowed from my paint brush or pen proceeded from Her wise source.I prayed to Saraswati for blessings. Niquil snapped a photo and incredibly a rainbow appeared in that photo. I felt that Sai Saraswati was making Her sacred Presence known.We all fetched water from Her Holy river before returning to the village.Saraswati RainbowSaraswati flows in secret undergroundfrom the depths of Buddhishe unfolds ivory lotus petals a vision of extraordinary beautyfloating on the mansarovar Lakeof the mindListen...Dearest to the sweet dulcet melodious tonesof the veena from hands that create all musica plume plucked from her graceful hamsa swandipped in white ink has already penned all the poems of the world and paradiseSee! the vivid and subtle hues of the entire universe shimmer into existencefrom a single sweep of Her

eyelashesO Holy Mother!You gave me a rainbow cascadingthrough the open door of Heavenonto Your celestial bankscradled by the Himalayasnow I kneel in prayerlay my head upon Yourblessed lapfor one brief momentin eternity~sonya ki