Baby the Monkey

The below sequence of photographs are very sad but we definitely hope that this little monkey named Baby, has a happy future in front of her. Sadly she was taken from her mother by some cretins who tied a rope around her and kept her for a short time as a plaything. The little monkey was attacked by dogs and the cretins who stole her from her mother abandoned Baby on the side of the road. A passerby got in touch with the Animal Shelter and now for the last 10 days, Baby has been a resident at the Shelter.

The wounds are bad, but Baby is on strong pain medication and antibiotics, and it has been decided to give her the chance to heal herself without too much surgical intervention. We have two excellent Vets at the Animal Shelter and she is receiving lots of love and excellent medical attention.

In these photographs she is in the arms of the Animal Shelter's Vet, Dr. Rajasekaran.

One important part of the work Arunachala Grace Network is that of animal welfare in the area. So much needs to be done, but remember individuals also play an important part.

If you see an animal in distress, or know of an animal being mistreated or abused please get in touch with:

Arunachala Animal Sanctuary and Rescue Shelter

Chengam Road, (next to Govt. Arts College)

Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606 603

Telephone Number +91- (0)4175-310817

Its not necessary to get into conflict, just make that telephone call and let the Animal Rescue do the rest. And while you are at it, why not visit the Animal Shelter and see the incredible work they are doing in alleviating the distress and suffering of many wonderful animals.



The Animal Shelter is currently developing their own website, once it is up and running we will provide a link and invite animal lovers and kind hearted souls to keep up-to-date with all the great animal service that is beginning at Arunachala. I will give regular reports on Baby's progress, so keep checking back.

House Gecko

My home is frequented by lots of friendly inhouse guests. The below sequence of photographs are of some geckos who have decided one of my windows is the absolutely best place for them to set up their nursery.

They have been incredibly smart in selecting a safe spot for their nest and child rearing duties. Behind the closed window shutter of the below photograph is the gecko nest.

I keep the shutter closed so as to not disturb the gecko family - but quickly open it to photograph the gecko nest which is sandwiched with the shutter on one side and mosquito wire mesh on the other. Very smart!

This is the view from outside the window - and you can see the wire mosquito screen protecting the nest from predators - and there are plenty of them around. There is a nest of young rats in the garden, lots of Indian squirrels and the occasional python that comes to visit from the nearby Samudram Lake.

In the below photograph you can see how the clever gecko parents get in and out from their nest. They slip out through a small gap between the door and the metal security gate which is open when I am at home. I have noticed that one of the parents often is guarding the opening and protecting the nest from unwelcome visitors.

And proof of just how interested the local predators are in the gecko youngsters is this view of some serious wood chewing by either the rats or squirrels trying to bore their way into the nest.


Good job geckos!

Don Bosco Siharam

Last week some friends and I drove to the North side of Arunachala to visit Devanandayal Village. In the distance we could see a very handsome building and we wondered if it was some kind of school or college. Well, fate intervened and we were soon to find that this interesting campus is in fact the Don Bosco Siharam Institute (Salesian Institute for the Holistic Advancement of the Rural and the Marginalized)

The below photograph is of Father Edwin Vasanthan who very kindly showed us around the Don Bosco facility.

The Institute which was opened on the 24th May, 2007 now offers courses in Computer Application, Hardware Training and in Catering. Below some photographs of an IT class.

Most of the students are recruited from remote villages of outlying Districts and are housed at the Institute's boarding facilities located on their 7 acre campus.

Below the dining room and kitchen which has seriously sized pots to cater for the large number of students.




The Salesians of Don Bosco are a Catholic organisation and as well as the IT Institute at Tiruvannamalai also have primary and secondary schools (with boarding facilities) for orphaned and semi-orphaned students in Tamil Nadu and other South India States, a college and some technical schools.

To find out more about Don Bosco Siharam, please check out this month's Arunachala Grace News which will be sent out to inboxes tomorrow. If you wish to become a free subscriber to the monthly Arunachala Newsletter, please fill out the facility at the left hand column of this page.

Mahashivaratri 2008

Mahashivaratri always falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna (February-March), and is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. (Mahashivaratri this year, 2008 falls on Thursday 6th March). On this day devotees sing Shiva bhajans, recite verses from scriptures, offer prayers in the morning and evening, and some observe fasting throughout the day. People visit Shiva Temples and in the case of Arunachala, premier Shiva site of South India, circumbulation of Arunachala Hill is observed by earnest spiritual pilgrims.

To learn more about the history and legends surrounding this festival, please read a previous posting on Mahashivaratri at this link.

Daily Routine

As mentioned in an early post, I am off to Rangammal Hospital each morning to have my bad foot (stricken with cellulitis), examined and dressed. Today was Day 5 of the programme, and although the whole thing is beginning to get tedious - no choice but to hang in there. At least the Hospital is friendly and the staff well trained, cheerful and very courteous.

In the below photograph is Staff Nurse Mary who generally administers my injections and changes the dressing on my foot. She has been working with Slyvia Wright (the founder of Rangammal Hospital) for 25 years, making Mary one of the longest serving employees of the Hospital. As a special treat for her long service, Slyvia took Mary on a one-month trip to the U.K. last year. Now thats a nice reward!

After getting my dressing changed I head for the hospital canteen, where I have morning tea and tiffin, like idli, pongal or vadai. No messing around at this hospital with such pretend Hospital food like jello! Bring on those chillies!

After a nice hot tea and tiffin, I generally head over to the Hospital quiet space, which is a very lovely chapel, which welcomes people of all religions.

I leave the chapel and head towards the parking lot and pass the courtyard which is fringed with private wards. And in the middle of the courtyard, is a beautiful statue of Lady Mary.

To my right is the statue of Lady Mary and to my left is the doorway to Hospital Admissions, on top of which is a well known photograph of Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Rangammal Hospital, a very peaceful spot, where the emnity and tensions of the 'world' seem far, far away.

Newsletter March, 2008

This month's Arunachala Grace News will be sent out direct to subscribers email addresses within the next few days. The reason for the delay is an interesting one, and that is after years of suggesting that visitors get even small wounds on their feet treated, I myself have succumbed to the very unpleasant 'cellulitis' which is an inflammation of the connective tissue underlying the skin, usually caused by a bacterial infection. So a good opportunity to remind visitors to India, watch your feet!

If you wish to receive a copy of this month's Arunachala Grace News, there is a subscribe facility at the lefthand margin of this page. This month's free Newsletter has narratives about the Lord Venkateshwara Temple, the Ribhu Gita and Mahashivaratri. The local bird and herb discussed in this month's issue are respectively the beautiful Blue-Tailed Bee Eater and Ginger.

As well as the usual section 'Arunachala Tidbits' and 'Inspiration and Poems,' the short story is entitled 'Lesson from a Snake,' with the moral being, 'People prize goodness most of all.'

New Statues

Below are some photographs of new and in some cases, rebuilt, statues at Pachaiamman Temple.

I actually liked the Temple better before the 'modernization' but suppose after a few years of sun and weathering, the statues will lose that 'bright lick of paint,' look and become more interesting.

Probably because the Temple is off the beaten track, lots of pilgrims and visitors miss out on the experience of visiting the Pachaiamman Koil. But its definitely one of the most interesting Temples at Arunachala.


Besides the magnificent statues, this is the Temple that Sri Ramana Maharshi moved to from the caves on the Southside, after that area was evacuated because of a smallpox epidemic. After the epidemic ceased, Sri Ramana returned to his home at Virupaksha Cave. However some time later, he returned to Pachaiamman Temple for a further six months to live with Ganapati Sastri and devotees.



Another interesting thing about this Temple is that other than arguably Guhai Namashivaya Temple, Pachaiamman is the Temple at the highest elevation on Arunachala.

There is an elite group of artisans well known throughout the Temple circuit who travel from one Temple to another throughout Indian working renovating and repainting statues.

If you have the chance, try to check out Pachaiamman Temple, its fascinating and so very peaceful.

Lord Venkateshwara Temple

Have been following construction progress at the Lord Venkateshwara Temple compound, located just off the girivalam pathway near the Kubera Lingam. Glad to see that since last visiting the compound, lots of progress has been made.

Started off outside the Temple at a small shrine dedicated to Vinayaka and Kamadhenu (the wish fulfilling cow)

Part of the Temple complex, is a hospital, which is currently under construction.

The front of the Lord Venkateshwara Temple at Arunachala.

Some of the land belonging to the Temple Trust, which will be utilised to house a 4-storey structure of 108 apartments available for pilgrims and visitors.

From the angle of the below photograph, it is easier to notice that the Temple is built on an elevation. The elevation is artifically created in order to make it more prominent from the roadway and also to facilitate a better darshan of Arunachala from its precincts.

Another view of the Temple, with one of its Gopruams (towers).

There is a small dairy at the Temple compound. Sitting nearby are a couple of working bullocks, who are taking a rest from hauling carts being used at the hospital construction site.

And below an aspect of the Mother. In Tamil Nadu, its common to have representations of the Goddess (such as Karumariamman) portrayed in this bodiless way - and it signifies that the whole world is the body of the Mother.


The next photograph shows landscaping at the front of the Temple, which is still under construction. The huge idol of Lord Venkateshwara was installed and consecrated a couple of years ago and many pujas occur daily at the Temple.

If you are visiting Arunachala, recommend visiting this beautiful and powerful Temple. As mentioned in an earlier post, the idol of Lord Venkateshwara, is exactly based on the hugely famous Tirupati Balaji.

To Anonymous

The short narrative on the life of Nome that appears on Arunachala Grace, had a strong, vigorous response. In a couple of cases, I have answered directly but could not reply to anonymous comment, as there was no accompanying email address. Thus:

In Reply To Anonymous: Thanks for your response and I was interested to read about your opinion on Nome. Sri Sathya Sai Baba is my Sadguru and it was he that sent me to Arunachala and gave me instructions to take guidance from Sri Nannagaru while here. As you know currently there are huge scandals surrounding Sathya Sai Baba, Osho, and even nowadays stirring reports of Amritanandamayi. When I write about Osho or Sathya Sai Baba, I often receive negative comments and am asked not to talk about them or be involved in popularising their names, because of scandals associated with them both.

In this respect my own association with Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been one of great suffering, joy, inspiration and blessings. So I look to that to form my opinion about him. I have nothing but reverence, love and gratitude to the Sadguru. In the same way current Masters have both positive and negative associations - but in the case of Nome, I have decided to give information about him because of his service of helping publish and popularize great spiritual truths - in the form of Vedantic literature. I have never met Nome or know of him, but one thing is certain he has made the RIBHU GITA available to English speaking people and for that alone, he has performed a great service.

Always in my service to Arunachala I try to be upbeat and if I have only negative things to say about a person or situation, try to avoid doing so. There are some great Guru-Busters that perform the service very well. In fact you might have noticed I even have a link for Jody's very controversial Blog, 'Guruphiliac'. I think its important that information should be freely available on the pros and cons and that people should make up their own minds.

People get through life as best they can, and if there is any point of light or inspiration that can help or inspire a soul, that surely is a good thing. Currently on Arunachala Grace Blog there is an article about Nome, and in the upcoming there will be a narrative on the Ribhu Gita. I appreciate your comments and suggestions and invite hearing from you whenever you wish. With Light and Grace from Arunachala.

Nome

In our upcoming Arunachala Grace Newsletter, we have a narrative about The Ribhu Gita, a spiritual text extensively used by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. It was one of the first books he read after self-realization after he came to Arunachala, with a message that clearly accorded with what he had realized within himself. During his life it was recited at Ramanasramam. It is still read at Ramanasramam today.

HWL Poonja studyingThe Ribhu Gita

Both the Sanskrit and Tamil versions have been translated into English in complete translations. This was done by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy, a Sanskrit and Tamil scholar, and Nome, a Self-Realized sage in the United States of America, who in 1974 realized the Truth revealed by Sri Ramana Maharshi and the Ribhu Gita. Both translations, The Ribhu Gita and The Song of Ribhu (the Sanskrit and Tamil versions of the text) have been printed by the Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT) and are available from their website.

Nome

Nome was born on January 23, 1955 in Long Island, New York and spent most of his childhood in New Jersey. Though not from a religiously oriented family, Nome as a child had memories and a vivid familiarity with places, images, and words that he came to know later as associated with Sri Ramana Maharshi and Advaita Vedanta. His first spiritual experience came at age 16 — without previous spiritual questing (in this life), one day in a park. It was nirvikalpa samadhi. Sri Ramana Maharshi refers to nirvikalpa samadhi as complete absorption in the Self with resultant oblivion to the manifested world, as a state of blissful trance but not permanent, like a bucket of water lowered into a well

After Nome’s 17th birthday, before completing high school, he left his family without telling them he was going. When asked by a friend why he was going, he said, “To attain Self-Realization.” He got an airplane ticket and flew to San Francisco. In San Francisco he met Swami Swanandashram, who introduced him to Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Teaching). Nome kept the focus of his life within. He found wisdom in such books as Talks with Ramana Maharshi, the Avadhuta Gita, the Astavakra Gita and Sankara works such as Atma Bodha.

He lived in a renounced fashion, meditating, intensely practicing Atma Vichara (Self inquiry). During this period of practice, Nome saw that “Whoever we are, Bliss is within, and can no more be apart from us than we can be separated from our own existence.” Now, how to turn the mind inward, and to turn it inward steadily? The answer was the Maharshi’s steady inquiry, revealing the Bliss of the Self. The search for happiness is really the search for the Self, which is Reality. He placed himself in Sri Bhagavan’s hands, feeling that when the heart’s consecration is made, Grace is always present.

In 1974, at 19 years of age, waiting in the office of an oral surgeon, meditating on a small Ramana pamphlet Self Realization, Nome realized finally and completely that the notion of “I” does not refer to any actually existent ego entity, and is itself unreal. This “I” does not come from the real Self, does not come from “anything else,” and is not self-generated. This was the revelation of Truth, without these words or ideas. Everything objective disappeared, never to return. This is what Ramana referred to as Sahaja Samadhi.

In 1978, after four years spent mostly in silence, Nome started answering questions of sincere aspirants, first in a house in San Bruno, CA, then Boulder Creek, and finally Santa Cruz. Around Nome a group of spiritual seekers formed, and was first called “The Avadhut Ashram.” Satsang was held in Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

Since that time, In addition to giving satsang at SAT, Nome continues to write, translate and publish spiritual texts that support the practitioner of Self-inquiry and Advaita Vedanta. Nome started collaborating in 1988 with Dr. H Ramamoorthy, a Sanskrit and Tamil scholar, to translate original Advaita Vedanta scriptures into English. Together they translated more than 20 Advaita Vedanta texts. Of these, more than half have been published to date. The translation work proceeded from 1988 to the 2001 passing of Dr. Ramamoorthy. Nome now continues to translate and publish Sanskrit texts, including the completion of manuscripts which were started in collaboration with Dr. Ramamoorthy.

Nome has journeyed to India several times, staying at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai and The Ramana Centre for Learning in Bangalore, India. Nome gives satsang at SAT (Society of Abidance in Truth, Santa Cruz, CA). He reveals the non-dual Advaita Vedanta of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and Adi Sankara and the practice of Self-inquiry (Atma Vichara).

To find out more about the Society of Abidance of Truth and to order their books please go to their website.

[With thanks to Richard Clarke, Sarasvati and others]

Sand Quarrying

Last week there was an interesting article entitled ‘Sand quarrying a cause for concern,’ in the Tiruvannamalai District section of The Hindu newspaper. I had no idea, until I read the article, that sand quarrying had such negative consequences. The newspaper article which was discussing sand quarrying at Kulthigal Village raised points that apply to similar quarrying occurring at Tiruvannamalai. The articles reads:

Photo of sand quarrying before the rains at Samudram

“A visit to the quarry revealed . . . several deep and large stagnant pools of water, nearly 15 feet to 20 feet deep, formed by the act of quarrying sand using excavators. While on the one hand, the deep pools of water pose hazards to those, especially youngsters who venture into the water, additionally, the huge pits that would remain after the drying or evaporation of the water during the summer would prevent water from reaching the irrigation tanks and other water bodies during rain by sucking the water. Besides, locals fear that the continuous and unchecked quarrying of sand, using excavators, would result in the depletion of sand wealth thereby undermining the retention of groundwater at a higher level.

Excavators at Samudram

. . . Government rules state that sand should be quarried only up to a depth of three feet. Besides which the use of excavators is also illegal . . . indiscriminate quarrying of sand, would not only deplete sand wealth but also result in the fast dwindling of the groundwater table.”

Samudram, Arunachala

The above photograph is of four of my dogs (there are two more). It certainly is an unpleasant thought that after the rains, somebody could be wading in ankle deep water and all of a sudden, 'Whoops,' falls into a ten foot hole!