An Incomplete Address

***written by nathan

While exploring Old Delhi one day, I met an unemployed school teacher at the fancy restaurant Haldriman’s. I bought him a chai, and he scribbled down the address for an Ashram in Rishikesh. He said that unlike many Indian Ashrams, this one would host foreigners. Ashrams are places where pilgrims gather, rest, meditate, sing and dance. 

However, the address written down on the small scrap of paper was incomplete, a fact that was rather evident as we repeatedly asked for directions along the winding streets of Rishikesh. We finally reached the ashram, thanks to the help of several other holy men of other nearby ashrams.

This is how we found Guruji. The Guru.

Upon our arrival, we spoke with several disciples, who politely asked us to rest while they spoke with Guruji. After just a few moments, we were asked to enter Guruji’s waiting room. While he listened to our story, and how we arrived at his Ashram, Guruji arranged himself. The long hair dread that was piled in a mound on our arrival was slowly wound atop his head in a knot. He wore a saffron-colored length of silk fabric wrapped around his body, which he adjusted to a snug fit over his round belly. Guruji remained (except when seated) at all times perched upon wooden sandals that had platform pieces to ensure that his feet did not touch the ground. His beard was long and grey. His eyes were kind and wise. His age was absolutely uncertain. He listened to our responses with closed eyes and deep thought.

Guruji offered us a room in his ashram to stay in. After our backpacks were stowed in a dormitory-style room, we were asked to join the Ashram members for meditation. Forty-five minutes of sing-song chanting whizzed by in an instant, and afterwards, we shared sweet treats. Guruji seems to have a penchant for sweets.

Guriji has devotees all across the world. At the time of our visit, seven were living at the Ashram, while others visited during the day. Devotees who live in the ashram eat meals together (consisting of ’harmless food’: food that is not heavily flavored or spiced and does only good for the body and mind), meditate daily, work and sing. Guriji and his devotees take long walks along the Ganges river, along which many Ashram‘s are located. Every year on both Guruji’s birthday and on a 9 Day Festival for Universal Goddess devotees travel from around the world. Many stay at the ashram. They pray, meditate, sing.

‘Swamiji’ is Guruji’s disciple. He used to work for government offices in Delhi and has three sons: two are doctors and one computer engineer. All live in the United States. Swamiji was our guide to the Ashram and told us many stories and provided countless insights into an environment which, for us, was very new.

“It is hard finding a Guru who is a true Yogi.” He told us.

Swamiji shared with us the story of Guruji and his path to perfection. Guriji had gone to the source of the Ganges river, and for fourteen years, lived in a cave. Alone. He prayed, singing chants every evening and morning. He wore no clothes. He meditated. After fourteen years, Swamiji and others followed him. People traveled from across the Himalayas, from across India, from China Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet to meet him and worship with him, high up in the Himalayas.

“He never needed food,” Swamiji told us, Whatever he needed, God provided him. “To be a true yogi” Swamiji said, “you must live like this in these mountains, you meditate and pray to God.”

The tallest mountains in the world connect by way of mountain passes. Passes are very high passageways through mountain ranges that attach two or more valleys. Passes have been used by travelers (and special guides of the Himalaya mountains called sherpas) for thousands of years. Ashrams often connect the passes offering pilgrims a place to stay.

Some gentler passes have roads. Other, lower passes can be used by special horses, cows, sheep and goats who are herded to markets and to graze meadows.. Most passes are so high they only used by people walking to cross the mountains. Sometimes these perilous crossings are razor thin, dropping off to steep cliffs and gorges on either side. Oftentimes, such as in the Himalayan passes, the snow is so deep as to be impassable for most of the year.

Guruji and Swamiji never took roads to the mountains. They walked.

All across India, pilgrims are walking, making sacred pilgrimages between places where gods are worshipped. These places are sometimes rivers or mountains or lakes. Sometimes these sacred places are marked by temples. A small temple marks a place where the great Ganges River begins in the Himalayan Mountains of India. The Ganges is very small here and pours gently out of a cave.

Far from perfection ourselves, we were unable to traverse into the great Himalayas. Instead, we learned about their fierceness from Guruji and his devotees.