Tirupati, India
Under the Rooftops
A light rain hit all the rooftops before the sun rose. I was on that veranda unaffected by wetness. Above me is the next floor creating a natural awning. I could chant in peace and in dryness at an hour when temperatures are coolest.
My friend, Akrura, from Canada, had previously walked the streets and made an interesting observation about trekking in the sun, “You end up sweating in places on your body you never knew were possible.” We both concluded it is just downright muggy here in Tiruapti.
Another peer, Madhusevata, told another dynamic which took place when he was a young brahmachari monk in Kolkata in the 70’s, “At night the cockroaches would come out, but what’s worse were the rats chewing on the back of our feet as we were asleep. The rats had this habit to blow on the wound in order that you wouldn’t feel the pain quite so severely. You couldn’t detect what they were doing until you woke up. They would bite then blow.”
Madhusevata hails from Italy. When he joined he wasn’t yet married. He pioneered Krishna Consciousness with his Indian friends in this very congested city. I guess you could say he’s a real success story. He went on to become a major leader with a mission in his homeland Italy and built up Hare Krishna Villagio, in a village not but a few miles from Milano.
It was Madhu, Akrura, and others who enjoyed kirtan in the morning as I did in the exotic temple right next to where I did my pacing on the veranda. The murtis (sacred images) are named Radha Govinda. They are decorated stunningly each day. When the pujari priest brought his jasmine flowers towards the deities, and strikes the clothing, suddenly there’s a shimmer from the cloth which adds to the divine glamour which each morning displays the quality of otherworldliness.
Far beyond being drenched in sweat or rain, harassed by roaches or rats, is the spiritual world.
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
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