ASHRAMS

As part of my tour of Rishikesh, I was able to go into a few Hindu Monasteries. Hindu Monasteries are called Ashrams.

The first two of four main teachings that are most common in the early forms of Hinduism. This is a pillar in the center courtyard of one of the larger Ashrams in Rishikesh.

I was fortunate to have, as my guide, a former Hindu Sadhi or Guru in training. The short version of the story as to why he is no longer a Sadhi, is that while in a transcendental meditative state (this guy practiced T.M.) he had a vision of Jesus calling to him from outside the Ashram. He told his guru about it and his guru got so mad that he kicked him out of the Ashram. With nowhere else to go he decided to look for someone who could tell him about who this man was in his vision. He met an old retired pastor who talked with him about the vision and he found out who Jesus was, so he decided that since Jesus appeared to him in a vision he should follow Jesus instead of the Hindu gods.

This is a small temple to Shiva within a small Ashram by the shore. The Temple opens to the east because that is where the sun rises (so I have been told). Orange is the color of the sky when the sun rises, orange is the color of the flowers offered to Shiva and others, Orange is the color the pilgrims where when they travel to Mata Gunga to cleanse themselves through physical ritual from what has happened to their soul.

Yeah… so this guy, Rakesh is his name, he was my guide. He knows Sanskrit so when he greets monks in Ashrams he greets them in their holy language and they welcome him into these places. And when they ask him his name he will tell them the name he received when he entered the Ashram. When a man becomes a Sadhi, he starts a new life, he becomes a new person (figuratively speaking) therefore, his name changes. When Rakesh gives his Sadhi name, he is welcomed with open arms. And with him as my guide it was quite the experience troding the crowded walkways of Rishikesh.

Pilgrims come to make offerings of various kinds before the statue of Shiva stationed on a platform away from the bank of the Ganges. He watches over the millions of pilgrims who will come in the month of July to the Ganges.

Some of the Ashrams are run by very well known gurus and are very well kept and very clean. These gurus may run several Ashrams all over India. Some are very small and not to well kept. They are usually run by less well known gurus who only live and work in the one location. There was a big controversy here recently because of the exposed corruption of one particular guru, guru Baba.

Hanuman, the monkey god is opening his chest to show Sita and Lord Rama within. They are not in this particular statue but there is a mythological story behind it. This statue is like thirty feet tall, and just inside the gate of another Ashram.

This guy owns an operates something like 20 Ashrams and has several fancy homes and dozens of cars. But as a “holy” man he is supposed to be dedicated to reading the holy scriptures and to poverty. Looks like corruption is not an exclusive condition of religious institutions in the United States.