Cow dung shelter and a taste of Ashram life

Lodging at Hotel Lalit in Mumbai was cushy. Far cushier than I'm accustomed to in my travels! I tend towards small, locally owned spots. For retreats, I prefer boutique or unique design. Lalit is geared towards business people. It's comfortable!

The morning after the Flower Festival we boarded a bus to travel about 3 hours north to Govardhan Eco Village. I wish I was better at snapping shots from bus windows. I remember slowing for a toll booth. I saw a sign reading, "bike lane" and a long, single file line of goats. I saw women in saris doing hard manual labor in road construction. I saw big families piled on one seat of a motor bike.

Slowly, the paved highway turned to dirt. The scenery seemed to move back in time a few decades. I didn't see villages per se, but people and the occasional simple hut. I kept an eye out for a recognizable town, somewhere I could run off to a buy a cold coke. Nope.

We turned to the Govardhan Eco Village. The bus driver said he couldn't make it down the narrow dirt road. A golf cart showed up to begin taking our luggage. We disembarked and began walking. 

My Mumbai roommate, Annie, and I were shown to our cow dung cob cottage. There we met our other two roommates: Katherina from Berlin and Mish from Sidney. Unfortunately, Katherina sustained an injury during the first week of training and had to return to Germany for treatment. The cottage wound up housing Annie, Mish, and me for the duration.

Annie was our interior decorator. When we arrived we found straw mats on the floor, four twin beds, four chairs, and that was it! No hooks, shelves, dressers, or desks. We began requesting furniture and the kind Devotees provided it. We wound up with two desks for the three of us. Annie moved one on the porch, which became a popular study spot. Most mornings, Mish and Annie woke before me to study. (I know-- I normally wake at 4:30 am. However! I don't normally get home close to 11 pm!)

This is the view as you approach our little Cob G. The Devotees were constantly performing miracles. They built most of the structures needed for our training *this* year and many the week before we came. The monsoon season lasted a month longer than usual, necessitating crews working 24 hours a day! While we were in training we saw crews constantly working, building, and rectifying. They were building more cob structures on our little cul de sac while we were in residency.

The best part of this area? The neighbors. Four other trainees were nearby as were some of our mentors: Yogeswari, Keith & Tomo, and when he arrived, Radhanath Swami stayed next door! That meant that we'd cross paths with him frequently. Such a joy! David Life told me that he sleeps on the straw mats with only his swami robes. He has no possessions.

From our desk facing out. The circular center area was reserved for cultivation. You walked a big loop either to the right, where you could continue on the road towards the agricultural fields, the main Temple, Steiner school, and the exit; or to the left where you found the dining garden, Ayurvedic Center, Amenities Hall, the pool, and the road up to the Go Shala and Yoga Shala.

Annie decorated our door. We had two bathrooms both with hot water! On Sundays, Devotees cleaned and changed our sheets. You could also put laundry on the porch. It would be taken to local women who beat the clothes on rocks and line dried. They did a great job, but we were warned not to send any delicate garments!

I had brought mainly yoga clothes but I started to feel like my shorts were a little short for a spiritual community. I had two pairs of yoga capris that went past the knees. My routine became a quick lunch and then run up to the room. I'd shower myself (it was hot and we'd just done asana practice!) and put my clothes in the bucket. After I was clean, I scrubbed my clothes and hung them on the curtain lines to dry. This way, I kept wearing only two pairs of yoga pants and they stayed clean. In the evenings, I wore my satsang white tunic and leggings, loaned by my friend, Erica. On the weekends, I wore the leggings and traditional tunic I'd purchased before travel. Future Jivamukti trainees take note: if you do the same, you only need to bring 2 normal tunics & 1 pair leggings, 1 white tunic & 1 white pair leggings, 2 yoga capri pants & 2 yoga tee-shirts (covering your shoulders is advised), a swim suit, and pajamas.

We had many cohabitators in our rural cow dung dwelling. I kept hoping the lizard friends would eat the mosquitos. Maybe they did? Maybe they were simply out numbered?

Given that it was SO arid the mosquitos weren't bad during the day-- mainly at night!

Hence, around night 3 the Devotees gave us mosquito tents. I had just come from sleeping in these in St Lucia. I went from a mosquito tent for two to a mosquito tent for one. Whomp whomp.

Pre-mosquito tent gives you a better view of my little area. I used the window sill as a book shelf and herbal pharmacy. The curtain lines gave me space to wash and dry my clothes. Without a dresser or cupboard, I used the chair and my open suitcase. Simple, but it worked!

Annie took her mosquito tent on the ground. One morning a puppy joined us. 

Govardhan also has beautiful dorms and private rooms with stone floors and walls (which I think really cuts down on critter co-habitation). I know my accommodations might seem a little raw to some, but Govardhan offers a range of experiences. However! I love cob sustainable housing. I think it's worthwhile to stretch the range of experience. After incredibly full days of training, I slept deeply each night within those cob walls.

The Flower Festival

Our Jivamukti Teacher Training began in Mumbai, in part, so that we could experience the Flower Festival. When we arrived at the Chowpatty Temple, we were offered a delicious vegan lunch served by the devotees. Their vegetarian restaurant is next door to the Temple. The meal we received spoke well of the restaurant's offerings!

We were shown the upstairs Temple, where we could assist in prepping for the festival. We weren't told much about it. I had heard about it some from my teacher, Beth, via her friends, Sri Kirtan. They had lead the kirtan for last year's festival.

Many had donated flowers or money for flowers. There were absurd amounts of flowers! We sat down in circles to prep. I opened a bag of flowers and felt their warmth! They were composting! Next to me was an engineer and mother from Bangalore. She had traveled for the festival. She told me that she comes to Mumbai periodically to worship and celebrate. I asked her how I should prepare. She told me to sit in sukhasana, or cross-legged, so that my feet were not towards the altar. I asked if I should recite mantra while prepping. She said that was best, though many were chatting and laughing. She had serious strategy to efficiently pull all the petals. We went through a lot of flowers!

Periodically, a monk would come by and collect the basket of petals. Others would collect the flower stems and leaves that we had set aside. Still others would deliver more flowers for us to de-petal.

This was the beginning of me feeling pain at sitting on the floor for lengths of time. While in India, I came face to face with my own impatience a lot!

Radhanath Swami, a spiritual leader and author of The Journey Home, was in attendance. I heard monks whispering that at festival times he often slept only 3 hours a night. He looked rested and present. He wandered around. Many people approached him. I was tempted to but didn't know what to say. I think everyone wanted some of his attention. I only wanted to disturb him if I had something to offer or a serious query.

Unexpectedly, we had another period of free time. My early break was devoted to visiting Ghandhi's house. Some members of the group went to a nearby Temple devoted to Shiva. I was tempted but I also felt like I needed to try to find gifts for my friends and family. Having seen the area around the Temple, I felt like I would be OK venturing out by myself. I also knew I would be far quicker! I stole away and went in the direction where I was told there was a good shop.

I passed by Ghandhi's house again, all the construction, all the traffic. I passed by shops for electronics and chai stands. I saw a lot of shops advertising jewels but nothing that seemed like a good contender for gifts. Finally, I came to a busy intersection. There were restaurants, offices, and computer repair shops. Still no real shopping. I stopped when I saw thick crowds of a parade. I read their signs-- it was a Pride Parade!

I watched the parade for awhile. I was scared to go further afield. I didn't want to get turned around or be late for the Flower Festival. I went back to the Temple. 

There was a small, crowded gift shop in the Temple. I made one last stab at this mission. Inside were beauty products made from cow dung and cow urine. There were so many depictions of Radha and Krishna. I began gathering items. I had to sort of push my way to the cashier where he wrote down every item by hand in a notebook. I had gifts!

Upstairs, crowds were assembling for the Festival. Long lines wound through the Temple and outside. In the courtyard, a huge screen had been installed to show the Festival for those who couldn't fit inside the Temple.

I entered and found a seat close to the altar. Radhanath Swami emerged to explain the Festival to those of us visiting. He shared that the sacred texts, or Shastra, that he studies indicate how to worship Krishna. At various seasons, there are different offerings a devotee can make. A few years ago, he read a passage instructing the devotee to bathe Krishna in flowers. This is how the Flower Festival was born. 

During a later reading he realized that he misunderstood the Sanskrit of the source text. From what I remember, Sri Radhanath Swami discovered that a more accurate understanding would be to bathe Krishna in water, not flowers. However, at that point the Flower Festival was born and had become one of the most popular events at the Temple. Even though it stemmed from a misunderstanding, it remains!

As I would hear so many times during my time in India, the Maha Mantra began: "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." We sang call and response. The pace and rhythm of the chanting shifted as determined by the kirtan leader.

The curtains opened and the crowd gasped at Sri Krishna and Radha. A screen behind the two opened. In this photo, you can sort of see the two monks behind them. They spent HOURS showering the deities with petals. They poured the petals over them, periodically pushing them out of the deity's faces, or adjusting their garlands. They offered considerable care.

We chanted and petals rained over the deities. Petals would gather three feet high and the monks would push them forward into a sort of empty pool at the deities' feet. 

When the once empty pool in front of the deities' filled with petals four monks waded in. They bowed down, scooped petals, and quickly threw them into the air. Over and over and over again. These monks were working HARD. Imagine digging, fast. It was an obviously devotional practice. The petals began raining on those of us close to the altar. The chanting crescendoed.

As petals fell on those around me, they scooped up the petals from their laps or the floor and threw them up again. In this way, the petals fell on more and more of the crowd. 

This little girl was bathing me in Bhakti! Bhakti is a practice of yoga, known as the practice of feeling. Bhakti is devotional practice. ISKCON is a society of Bhakti practitioners. Devotees consider their every act to be an offering to the Divine. The purpose of this Festival was to offer love and devotion to the Divine. The petals were offered first to the deities and then to each of us in the crowd. As the monks scooped and sent the petals scattering, they were pushing more devotion to each of us. This little girl scooped petals again and again and rained them over my head. It became a game-- I drenched her, she drenched me.

One of our facilitators, the amazing Jules Febre, with a huge pile of petals ready to go in his hands. I am standing behind him, unsuspecting.

My friends Hari and Elizabeth were at the Festival, which was such a treat. Hari leads the 500 hour teacher training at my home studio, Yogawood. He and his partner, Elizabeth, lead a pilgrimage throughout India. It was a comfort to see a familiar face so far from home!

Do you see those little balcony window boxes? Monks sat in each box. As the petals flew and the fervor grew, they suddenly poured baskets of petals over the whole crowd. We were all covered! The air was a big swirling mass of rose and marigold petals. As they fell on us, we scooped more up from our clothes and the floor to send them back. Imagine a huge water fight but with flower petals. 

I am still finding petals in my clothes a month later. Jai!

Afterwards, we went downstairs for dinner. The air was buzzy with excitement but we were also tired. Jetlag and adrenhaline peaked and waned. There were many groups eating dinner with us-- Hari's group on pilgrimage, a group traveling with Raghunath Cappo, and kirtaners traveling with Gaura Vani. There may have been more too but those were the stories I collected.

Sleepily, we boarded our buses back for Hotel Lalit. The following day we were headed north to Govardhan EcoVillage. There our study began in earnest.

The Shape of God

I just finished Radhanath Swami's memoir A Journey Home.  He won me over.

Big time.

I began reading skeptically.  I'm not entirely sure why I cling to this skepticism when reading about someone else's spiritual journey.  Why am I so quick to judge or find fault?  I guess authentic, earnest, spiritual seeking throes our own journeys into sharp relief.  It's sometimes easier to go on the offensive than to share the quest.

Swami recounted his overland journey at age 19 from western Europe to India.  Somewhere around Afghanistan I began relinquishing my disbelief.  I'm not saying I believe every word entirely as he wrote it-- there's no way I could authenticate his story.  But I guess I believe that he believes it.  I began to respect his journey and the insight it provided.

As he wandered he studied world religions and various incarnations of spirituality.  While in Europe he spent time in the church of St. Francis of Assisi.  He spent time at great mosques in the Middle East.  In India he found his spiritual home in Vrindavan, and began the bhakti yoga path of loving God as he appeared in the form of Krishna.

One of Swami's struggles was to determine if God was an amorphous force in the Universe, or if He took shape as Jesus, Mohammad, Krishna, or any other entity worshiped by humans.  And what it means to worship a force versus worshiping a relatable figure.  He began concluding that both were true-- God is an entity that shapes all of creation, but he also took form at various moments and in various times to enable humans to cultivate a personal relationship to that force.

I'd previously read arguments that Hinduism is largely an umbrella term created by British Imperialism to characterize a huge range of religious and spiritual practices.  Swami indirectly supports this premise by sharing the range of his religious experiences within vast India.  He begins to understand polytheism again as many shapes and forms of one God; all incarnated to allow people to relate to all aspects of the Divine.

This memoir helped me better understand the experience of sadhus, swamis, and gurus.  It helped me better understand the various paths we each take to know ourselves and know a sense of larger connectedness.  And it certainly reinvigorated my desire to travel to India.

When I was 18 I desperately wanted to travel to India and study Sanskrit.  My church had a sister church somewhere in southwest India.  I figured I could go there, work, get my bearings, and then begin venturing onward to learn in an ashram.  I was convinced against the idea.  It's so interesting to me that a decade later that urge East still manifests itself.  I'm curious where the journey will take me.