Mataji

Dayananda temple in the ashram

view from Dayananda

Shiva at Parmeth Niketan

Ved Niketan Ashram, where i will relocate to most likely

cave

Mataji

After a long train ride (about 19 hours), I finally reached Rishikesh at around 4 AM Luckily there were two other travelers, a German and a Spaniard also heading to Rishikesh from Haridwar train station, so we shared a rickshaw and I arrived at Dayananda Ashram early this morning. they were kind enough to get me into a room, although the office was not officially opened yet, but after some waiting around, i was shown a room, not a bad one at that, and laid down for an hour before breakfast was served. my whole day here has just been amazing, and after breakfast, served community style, some kind of mush that was pretty good,  I could finally take in the surroundings as it was light out. first thing i saw was the Himilayan mountains towering above the ashram walls, I was already in love. then after wondering around the ashram I came upon the Ganges, and a beautiful overlooking spot. I climbed down the steps and sat near the river for a while watching some people who were praying and others who were washing their cloths. the water here is a lot cleaner than Varanasi, and the mix of mountains and river create an amazing scene. The ashram I am staying at is a little ways from the main hub of Rishikesh, and very quiet and peaceful. but there is not much going on here it seems, there is a yoga retreat here that i can have no part in, and there are no classes being offered at the present time. So really I can only hang out and enjoy the peace and quiet, have meals, and watch ashram life. It is mostly Indians living here, have not seen other travelers. There is another ashram in Ramjula, which is where more action is, and I am thinking of moving there, as it is cheap, filled with travelers, and within range of everything. There are also free yoga classes. So later I decided I should explore Rishikesh, so I took a rickshaw to Ramjula, where there were a lot more people and noise, but cool area nonetheless. you have to cross a bridge by foot, which is crammed and motorbikes make it a bit hectic. so wandered around this area a bit, there are lots of ashrams here which are pretty cool to see. One huge one is Parmeth Niketan, where there is a lot of beautiful architecture and gardens, as well as a giant Shiva monument right on the Ganges. after a brief lunch i went in here, and a few other ones, including Ved Niketan, which is at the end of the block. the mountains everywhere are amazing, I have found I have a soft spot for the mountains, so this place is just putting me in a daze.

The highlights of my day really did not begin until I wandered into another ashram, of which i forget the name, which had many portraits of krishna which told many stories from the Hindu tradition. after a bit, a old Hindu woman told me to come sit down and offered to explain all of the pictures and teach me all about everything. so i said ok. Her English was great and she was quite kind, i could tell right away that she wanted nothing in return and was genuinely interested in me. she had many western friends that she had made through the years and had taught many people Hindi as well. her name was Rashmi, but everyone called her Mataji (mother). So we continued to chat and went by the river where she told me all about so many things. One of her teachings consisted of four truths that would fare any human well throughout life. the basis of it was this:
"Your head should be of high thought and feelings, your mouth should be filled with sweet words, your hands should be truthful, and your underwear tight.' i especially liked the last bit. these little lessons in livings would continue throughout the day, most of which we spent together as she took me all around showing me places and people. Again I found myself wandering off the tourist path, and perhaps it is due to me being alone that these opportunities present themselves. Mataji took me to meet a man who was quite poor but watched over many animals, mostly dogs, and fed and cared for them, despite he himself having so little. She said he was truly genuine and a good good man. this guy I found very interesting, his home was not very much, a few tarps and concrete on a hill next to the river, but his heart seemed big. he had faith that food would always be provided for him, though he did not have money. then mataji showed me a cave that a famous holy man frequented. then we continued to Laxmanjula, which was another main hub of Rishikesh where she said there were good western restaurants. this area I enjoyed a lot, filled with westerners too. we went to this cafe overlooking teh river which was a really cool spot. By this time it was late in the day. we walked up a steep hill and went in the direction back towards my ashram. hers was right next to it. i was amazed at the energy of this woman, how is old enough to be my grandmother. 72 years old and she just kept walking and climbing. though she was old, she seemed like a peer to me, and I enjoyed talking with here about cosmic things and deeper meanings of Hindu thought. i am finding time and time again that the people you meet really makes traveling special, the sites are secondary to this. We stopped at her friends house where we had chai. i have learned that declining chai does not really work, they always insist that you have it and cannot believe that you do not want any. So many people knew Mataji and stopped to say hello on the road, touching her feet as a sign of respect. she is a very respected woman around here. I made it back to the ashram, and wanted to tell you all about the day in the nearby internet spot. having a great time and loving this place! i will probably might mataji again tomorrow at some point, and who knows what I will find. i want to do some yoga classes when I can and have heard of some good spots. i think my time here will be great.