3 sadhus on Maha shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri is the celebration of Lord Shiva, the most powerful diety of the Hindu Trinity. The God of Death, the granter of boons. I met these three young Shiva sadhus on the night of Lord Shiva Feb. 26th. The middle sadhu is 23 years old. I took him for samosas when I ran into him on the street the next day. He has been a sadhu for 9 years. He left his family to be a sadhu. His guru is in Hardiwar he turned in all his worldly clothes and received clothes similar to the ones he wears. He owns just the clothes on his body and the cloth he wears on his head he uses to stay warm at night. He gets donations and travels to temples. His base is Rishikesh. He likes to spend his time practing by the Ganga, but life as a sadhu is hard. No sex, no relationship anymore with any of his family. He sometimes goes three days w/o food, only a cup of chai. Sometimes he sleeps in a field where it is called if his Baba, word for sadhu is cold he will give his cloth to keep him warm as he will shiver. He travels solo or with other sadhus. Now he travels with the three in the picture. When he cooks chapti he will feed his babas first, sometimes he won't eat if there are 3 sadhus and only two chaptis. He was an amazing soul to connect with. I don't think I could do what he does. I think I am better in the world as a householder. Also he told me that he is always happy even when his leg was on fire in Pushkar he knew that it was the result of karma from his past life. He knows that the bad days will end and there will be good days. The hunger of being w/o food will end. His father is Shiva, his mother Parvati and the Ganga. It was my good karma to have met him. I haven't seen him, but for those two days. On another note there was another Sadhu age 36 who I see often. He is having problems with his lungs from too much smoking ganga perhaps, so he doesn't have the money or donations to get the medicine, so yes it is a hard road to follow, but it is a huge part of Indian culture.

Shiva

This Shiva was on the outside of the temple. No pictures allowed inside, so I can only tell you the 11 foot high Shiva Lingam and yoni constantly bathed by Ganga water built in 1919 was amazing to behold, chant, and pray in front of.

Om namah Shiva

mother ganga

India's future

Babaji

life in Rishikesh

I've been in Rishikesh for a few weeks now. I have settled into a routine. This morning an Indian Family were chanting as they all bathed together in the Ganga, it was a beautiful sight to behold. I wake up at 6am use the squat toliet, do some asana for body, meditation for my mind, focus on the Divine, and then take a hot bucket shower and do my laundry in a bucket, hanging them to dry on the clothsline. I try to see if two of the small family run healthy restraunts are open, they aren't 80 percent of the time, walk past the business of the rickshaws asking me for a ride and go to Madras Cafe where I order breakfast, today it was chocalate lassi w/ iddly, a steamed rice puff cake and coccunut sauce w/ sambar, veggies in veg sauce. I was turned onto iddly and dosa in Mysore and like it when I can't get my wholewheat pancakes or fruit and nut porridge at the two family run restraunts that say that they are open early, but never are India time can be 8am or 10am or not all, or prompt, you learn patience here. I go to talks at the Sivananda ashram given by Muktanda Swami. He travels and lectures around the world, and has been a Swami for 26 years. He is a big man probably 6 foot 5. He is fluent in Enlish, French, and Spanish, and is a great presenter. In the evenings I go do Iyengar classes where I am staying. I stay on a balcony apt. that overlooks the Ganga and the forested hills, so it is beautiful. Also in town is the Welcome Center owned by couple married ten years, he is from Holland, she is from India. They have chess, a yoga swing, organic food, garden, and it is a chill spot to meet other travelers and relax from the chaos that is the sensory assult of India. They also have films there. I recently watched Gus Van Sant's Last Days about the last days of Kurt Cobain, it was an art indie film that was decent and the new version of King Kong that was epic 3 hours long, apparently he gets dvds in India before they come out in America. I go to sleep around 9pm after reading unless I go to an evening kirtan or satsang. I am reading On the Road to Freedom: A Pilgramage in India about Swami Neal's 30 year path in India, living with sages and meeting Amma. He is a Western, so it is easy to relate, just finished an interview book w/ 8 of Australia's renowned yoga teachers, reading the Yoga Sutras, and am going to start Shantaram- the true story of Gregory Roberts, who was a fugitive from Australia who spent 8 years in Bombay working for the mob, acting in Bollywood, and setting up a health clinic. He wrote this international best seller 3 times, the first two versions got destroyed while he served out his sentence in solitude prison for passport fraud. Johnny Depp bought the rights to the film and will apparently star in it, because he likes India. I also recovered from another bout of stomach virus and the runs. The hospital here was cheap and helpful as always. Here are some things that stand out in Rishikesh:

animals- cows, donkies, monkies, goats, wild dogs, and so forth walking, eating garbage, shitting, pissing, and just carrying on with there life like the crowds of humans. The monkies are great fun to watch and are mischief getting into trouble stelling goods and can be aggressive

bridges- there is two suspension bridges that come over the Ganga

ashrams- there is a slew of ashrams, lots of chanting in the evenings w/ tons of monks and can be loud projected over loud speakers, some ashrams run as cheap hotel

annoying things- the crowds, the noise, the constant honking by motorcycles, rickshaws, and nearly getting run over, the pollution, the beggars- I have seen some crazy sights beggars w/o arms, w/o legs, blind and chanting holy names, there are a ton of beggars "Hari Om" they say and rattle their cup, the ashrams feed the beggers, but some of the beggars just want some chai or chappti bread and say "chappti" as they beg

sadhus- the holy renuiciate dreadlocked mary jane pufffing men are pretty cool to talk with, some of them, some are real authentic on a holy path, others just are life drop outs or outlaws hiding from the law

Sivananda pillar

a family of Rishikesh monkeys

young Shaivite monks at an ashram in Rishikesh

Krishna and Arjuna on the chariot from the Gita

Bathing in the Ganga

Shiva meditating on the Holy river Ganga

view from Amma's ashram

Here is a view from near my room at Amma's ashram of the backwaters of Kerela, the Arabian Sea is also in view, but didn't take a picture of it.

outside my 250 rupee a night hotel room

Lord Shiva outside my room which is about $4 a night basically a huge bed, a tv, bucket for shower, and street noise. The people who run it are beautiful and friendly.

turned 27 in Kerela and had my head shaved

It was a painful process that I went under the blade of a barber on the fecal mine, black sand beach outside the ashram. The barber asked clean and I said clean. He used a razor blade and my long rock star poet hair fell away as I whinced when I was accidentally cut a few times, bled a bit, but felt a sense of freedom. I put on the 3 stripes of shiva, mala over neck, and my white Punjabi style robe to receive dharshan from Amma. Amma put a chocalte into my mouth, I took a bite of an apple, and she threw flowers over my head as I left feeling blissed having been blessed by a Satguru.

contrast

From small fishing village in South India to city of 15 million in North India

I feel I have went through much changes in the ashrams and now I am in the NY of India, Delhi, so it is interesting to bring to light spiritual practice in a noisy, driven, big city such as Delhi with 15 million people after doing "the work" for a month in a small fishing village in South India. Of course it takes a little more skillful means to remain calm in this kind of environment.
After shaving my head on my 27th Birthday my hair is growing back rather quickly and my 5 o'clock shadow is nearly becoming a beard.
I am looking to get my gear which was ruined by natural liquid soap and is drying. I am trying to travel like a sadhu, but it is hard to let go of books like Lonely Planet, the Gita, Yoga Sutras, Amma's teachings, yoga mat, mysore rug, clothes. Maybe Amma was trying to teach me a lesson of non-attachment when a full bottle of soap opened. Time to go back to the chaotic soulful streets of Delhi and get a train ticket to Rishikesh. Ahhh Ganga!

Delhi

I left the Ashram. Amma left for North Indian and Australia tour, the ashram went from high energy and loud w/ thousands of people from all over the world, to nearly deserted. My flatmate at the ashram is going to be a monk and was inspiring to be around. He is from Spain age 42 and gets up at 4am for chanting, was doing hard physical work in the garden and barely sleeping, he was also fasting on just water two days a week and it finally caught up to him, so he is finding a middle path. He is going to go back to Spain and save up the $12,000 to be set for life to live as a monk including room, board, medical, clothes, and an intention to realize this lifetime and serve humanity through selfless service.
I did a 4 hour taxi ride from the ashram to the airport. The ticket said Cochin to Delhi, but of course it is never as it says in India, the plane stopped in another city w/ a lay over, and then finally to Delhi. They fed us great authentic Indian food on the plane, for lunch and dinner, so I just went with the flow and it was fine.
I am staying in Pahar Ghanj in Delhi which is cheap and dirty, busy with tons of restraunts, and shops near the train station. Outside my room is a giant painting of Lord Shiva with snake around neck, dreadlocks on top of head, and the ganga flowing from top of his head. The room has a big old bed, it was noisy last night, not much room to do asana, but room to do yogic stretches, do mantra, offer to loved ones, and take a bucket shower w/ hot water finally.
There was a disaster my Dr. Bronner liquid soap opened and went all over my luggage, so I had to handwash my clothes at 1am last night, clean my book, and little drum, and take everything out of my bag, now my day pack is air drying and I just ate the first authentic western breakfast since I left NYC writing this. I will go to the train station and prepare to get to Rishikesh via 6 hour train and 1 hour bus leaving 7am tommorow. It is equivalent to smoking 1.5 packs of smoke in Delhi, a dip in the Ganga can burn off a lifetime of karama in Riskikesh, Amma's grace can carry me through the noise and pollution of Delhi, the will to keep my heart on Guru and my God, thinking of loved ones, friends, family, and sangha, and everyone who ever helped me and all sentient beings at all times in my heart of hearts.