After our traumatic stay at the Soul Coach Training Programme, I felt that I was dragged a hundred feet backward in my
spiritual path. We had to go to some silent place, meditate and rejuvenate. So
off we went to Shringeri and Kanhangad in April 2019.
Shringeri
We reached Shringeri by 3.30 in the afternoon and
straightaway went to the guest house Sri
Bharati Tirtha Krupa where we had booked a room. The pillow covers didn’t look
clean and with some reluctance, they changed them. For dinner we went to the
temple dinner hall, a huge one that can accommodate 3000 people at a time. The
food was very disappointing; it was just rice and some colored water that was a
weak representation of rasam and it was served as if it was a chore. For the
rest of our stay, we never ate there again.
Durga Parameshwari temple
The next day
brought some great divine experiences for us. It was my husband’s birthday and
after bath in the morning we went to the Durga Parameshwari temple.
We were
elated to see that there was no crowd, so we could sit and meditate in peace.
After some time, in the adjacent school, morning prayers were going on and then
they sang, “Happy Birthday” song for some student!!
Kalbhairav temple
We came back to the main temple area and started walking to
Kalbhairav temple. On the way we saw the library and stepped in to have a look. Since
the librarian couldn’t answer our questions, he went inside and brought a
Swamiji who was there for the last 15 years. He was very knowledgeable and we
had an interesting conversation.
Meanwhile we got a call from a friend and we had to rush
back, instead of proceeding to the Kalbhairav temple. Our friend took us to the
Bettada Malahanikareshwara temple. It is situated on a hill top and the moment
we reached, Aarti started. For lunch we went to ‘Akshaya mess’ and had a delicious lunch, along with mung
dal payasam, which made our birthday celebration complete.
After taking some
rest in the room, we set out for the Kalbhairav temple again. It was a
15 minute walk uphill. We didn’t know the way, but as a man was walking ahead,
we just followed him and reached the temple. I felt strong vibrations there,
sat and chanted mantra 108 times. When the chanting was over, I heard the ‘thud’
of many falling fruits from a tree nearby. It was anjili chakka as we call in
Malayalam, or Fruit of Artocarpus Hirsutus or Anhili.
When I told my husband that we eat them in Kerala, he told it must be Kalbhairav’s Prasad for us. I picked up a broken fruit, saw that the top portion was clean, and we consumed our prasadam.
When I told my husband that we eat them in Kerala, he told it must be Kalbhairav’s Prasad for us. I picked up a broken fruit, saw that the top portion was clean, and we consumed our prasadam.
On the way back, dusk was approaching, there was nobody in sight
and we were just walking, praying it was the correct way back. I suddenly
noticed that a dog was walking with us. Whenever I stopped and looked, it would
also stop, and resume walking once I started walking again. After a while we
reached the library where we had spent time in the morning. From there we knew
the way and the dog just disappeared. For those who don’t know, dog is the vehicle
of Kalabhairav.
Anjaneya and Kalikamba temples
The four dikpalaka
temples in Shringeri are those of Durga Parameshwari, Kalabhairava, Anjaneya
and Kalikamba. The first two we had visited, now set out to visit the last two.
They are also powerful temples and it was a joy to absorb all those vibrations.
It was a great day with so many positive experiences and I could feel my real
self slowly surfacing.
Another day in bliss
After breakfast on the next day, we walked across the bridge
to the Vyasa mandir.
There was nobody else, allowing us to spend time meditating. Then we drove to Kigga, which is a small village located at a distance of 9 km from Shringeri. The main attraction of Kigga is Sri Rishya Shringeshwara temple. Dedicated to Rishyasringa, the temple stands on the site where Rishyasringa was absorbed in the celestial light. Built during Vijayanagara period, the temple houses a linga of a unique shape, with three protuberances resembling horns.
Vyasa mandir from far off, and a closer view
There was nobody else, allowing us to spend time meditating. Then we drove to Kigga, which is a small village located at a distance of 9 km from Shringeri. The main attraction of Kigga is Sri Rishya Shringeshwara temple. Dedicated to Rishyasringa, the temple stands on the site where Rishyasringa was absorbed in the celestial light. Built during Vijayanagara period, the temple houses a linga of a unique shape, with three protuberances resembling horns.
During the time of the formation of Sharada Peetha, Sri Adi
Shankaracharya visited this holy place
of Kigga. It is after this visit that he named the place as Shringeri derived
from the name Rishya - Sringa. Hence, the place became famous as Shringeri
Sharada Peetha.
On the river bank
In the evening we went and sat near the river, absorbed in
meditation. Gazing at the setting Sun filled me up with all the energy that was
depleted at the SCTP.
The river was filled with fish
We have visited Shringeri a couple of times before, but
every time we would just go to the main temple and return. It was a unique
experience this time, of staying there and visiting all the associated temples.
To Anandashram, Kanhangad
The drive to Kanhangad was scenic, and I noticed many water bodies. We reached Anandashram by 5 pm. After completing the formalities at the reception, we went to the dining hall for tea and then checked into a room in the Krishnabai block.
It was a big room with nice attached bathroom with geyser. I am writing this because in Shringeri guest house we had to pay and get hot water for bath through the room boy in the morning, which was not very convenient.
About Anandashram
Anandashram was founded by Swami Ramdas, endearingly called
Beloved Papa, at Kanhangad in Kerala in 1931. The ideal the Ashram holds before
it is “Universal Love and Service based upon a vision of divinity in all beings
and creatures of the world. Here every man, woman or child, to whatever
denomination, creed of caste the person may belong, shall have free access.”
The Ashram provides free food for all visitors, and free
accommodation for a limited period of time. There are special buildings for
wandering sadhus. We have had free food in many temples (prasadam), but have
never experienced the love and concern with which the food is served here.
The food is vegetarian and usually includes plenty of milk
products. The Ashram has a Goshala (Cow Shed), with over 50 heads of cattle.
The milk yield is passed on to the Ashram Bhojan Shala (Canteen) which feeds
not only the devotees but also the poor and hungry who happen to come to the
Ashram. The Goshala is fitted with ceiling fans to keep the cows cool, and according
to one source, in the Goshala one encounters "some of the happiest cows
you'll ever see in India."
The Ashram is centred on the single activity of chanting the
mantra "Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram."During the lifetime of Swami
Ramdas, the mantra was chanted throughout the day in the main Bhajan Hall,
except for the times when he would engage in discussions with visitors in the
Bhajan Hall after lunch and dinner. Today the mantra is chanted continuously
from 6 am to 6 pm in one of the three samadhis in the Ashram: the samadhis of
Swami Ramdas, Mataji Krishnabai, and Swami Sachidananda. Spaces are also
available for silent meditation. However, visitors are not under any compulsion
to participate in these activities. So all those who take part in various
programmes are doing it from their heart.
After the mahasamadhi of Swami Ramdas in 1963, Mataji
Krishnabai headed Anandashram until her own passing in 1989. Swami
Sachidananda, who joined the ashram in 1949, took over the leadership of the
Ashram until he passed away in 2008. Now Swami Muktananda heads the Ashram. We
listened to his discourses and had a personal meeting too.
The message for me
It was such a divine experience to participate in various
programmes in the ashram, I specially cherish the memory of flower offering in
the morning and bhajan in the evening. The message that I got from my stay was “Everybody’s
body and path are different. Sadhana should let our innerself bloom. We need to
go deeper and deeper and find our own method to bloom to our full potential.
Sadhana is done to remove the obstacles from our spiritual path. We should not
try to copy anybody, just take pointers and move on...’’
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