Having thought about it for a while, I decided to see if I could move my car up a day. If I left Ramanashramam a day early, I would hope to alleviate future troubles, including the several possible times that the trip home could get delayed. Trains don’t always run on time. Indian airlines don’t always run on time. And traffic most certainly doesn’t not always run on time. I don’t think anything, anywhere in India always runs on time. Well, except for the meals at the ashram.
In checking with the Accommodations manager, the move-up on the car was a go, no problem at all. I asked him how long it took to get to the caves that Ramana meditated in. He said half an hour. It was about 8, and the car was due at 10a. He says I have time.
I get back to my room, largely packed by this point in anticipation, and head up with my camera along the trail that goes up the mountain.
I had read from some other people that the climb was not bad at all, even for non-hikers. They are full of it. Though I’m no athlete, I’m in decent shape, and it was an effort for me. “Not bad at all, even for non-hikers,” give me a break. Everest isn’t bad either, so long as you can walk, easy, probably takes a couple hours tops. This was like walking a treadmill inclined to about 30 degrees, or maybe a stairmaster. That leads me to another thing.
If an Indian tells you the bus will come in 10 minutes, it will at least double that time. If they say it’s 2km up the road, it will be at least three or maybe 10. And if they say you can get to the two caves in 30 minutes, they will mean if there was an escalator. I actually had the thought while in my heat induced, exertion stupor (it was about 105* at this point), that maybe I was missing a conversion factor. You know, kilometers to miles, Celsius to Fahrenheit, Dollars to Rupees, minutes to.. wait. :) I had to smile at that brief thought; that I must be missing some conversion rate for time.
Though the path was mostly a significant incline, there were some places where it wasn’t too bad.
Before I went up, I was thinking. If this is my last day in Tiru, it was also my last chance to get some souvenirs, which I had mostly avoided getting until the end so I didn’t have to lug them around. Knowing that I had limited time, I had a choice. Either go to the caves OR go find some souvenirs. I didn’t have time for both.
Or at least I didn’t think so.
I come around a twist in the trail and there off the right is a guy selling trinkets that he is carving right there. I take a look, a couple of things look interesting, but I’m not buying now anyway, not on the way up! I start some negotiation which I will figure I will finish on my way back down. Kind of like walking away, only to return, tends to help on the negotiation.
A little further up is another guy, selling more interesting stuff. And further on, after I visit the first cave, where the Maharshi meditated only 6 or 7 years, there’s another seller. This time a kid. His English is good, but we don’t end up agreeing on price. Besides, I like the second guy’s stuff better.
The first cave, Skandashram, is a tiny little building right up against the mountain. I go into the room and immediately feel a strong presence. There is a small ghee lamp burning and some photos around. Especially of his mother. If I understand correctly, she died here and achieved liberation at that time with some assistance from Ramana.
The caretaker wants some money for a donation, but there’s a sign down at the ashram that says don’t give anybody any money at any of the caves, so I decline. He looks hurt, like they all do, offended, but it’s a show and if it’s not, he’ll get over it.
I follow the path steeply down the side of the mountain to the next cave. It is called Virupaksha cave, and Ramana meditated here for 16 years, starting in 1899. There is only one man working there and several people meditating, but none inside. With his hand, the caretaker offers me entrance. I go into the first little room, more pictures and such, and then there’s an inner room. It really is essentially a cave; the walls and floor meet right up to the up to the protruding rock face, the ceiling is probably 4 and a half feet tall. It is dark in here and not much light coming from the doorway (which then goes into the other room). Once my vision settles, I see that there are two ghee lamps in here and a large shallow mound which is a very short Shiva lingam; it is adorned with marigold garlands.
If I thought the presence in the first cave was big. This one was enormous. I don’t know how else to describe it but a heavy feeling in the heart area of the chest, like some type of resonance, like a sympathetic vibration. There was another sage, named Virupaksha, who meditated here for years and years before Ramana. He had devotees and followers, and one day he asked them to give him a bit of alone time, which they did, and when they returned all that remained were his ashes.
Ramana pushed them into a large pile, named the cave after its previous tenant, and took up residence and meditation here.
I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure that that shallow lingam in the center of the small room was the pile of his ashes.
It was one of the most powerful experiences that I’ve had while in India, and indeed in my life so far. I was only in the inner cave for about 5 minutes, but what a profound few minutes.
I would have stayed longer, but I had to get going. I still had to negotiate some trinkets down and get to my room before the driver got there.
I successfully got it all accomplished. The driver appeared about 10 minutes early, but I was ready. We got to the car, and headed on the way to Chennai.
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