Freedom......

With the departure of Mother Maya and the promise of her return next year, I realized that I now ad a week on my own to do as I liked!
I made a new friend in a Brahmacharya, Subash, a monk awaiting his enter into Sannasyin, and we spent a great deal of time together along with other friends during this time...
I was shifted to another ashram just behind the Dayananda Vedanta Ashram where they have a beautiful cow and her newborn calf, a little boy...so beautiful...
Monica, from Bolivia, needed a place to stay and she had attended both the conference and the studies with Mother Maya so I had no problem offering my room to her as I had another bed...
Monica and I spent alot of time out walking around Rishikesh visiting Ram Juula and Lakshman Juula, both places with numerous shops and lots to see! We found a couple of wonderful restaurants cooking ayurvedically and enjoyed our meals there immensely!
It was wonderful to have time to ourselves to digest, process, experience and rest after such intense periods of study and in preparation of the fast approaching one month camp with His Holiness Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati on Vedanta studies.
We frequented Mother Ganga and morning pujas at the temple in addition to morning snanum dips to wake us up!
The days included time for studies and enjoyment of afternoon naps. The sound of the bell rings through the ashram signaling meal or teatime is ready! We scurried over to the dining hall for a hot cup of masala chai tea and bathed in the cool shade of the Banyan trees by the garden...
The week was coming to a close and the intensity of the ashram was definitely picking up with the arrival of the international participants. There are to be 242 participants in the first of the three camps with the addition and subtraction of those that couldn't make it and those in the area wanting to drop in and behold the teachings of Swamiji. Numerous students from Japan, Brazil, various states in India, Portugal, Germany and French arrived with a few Americans as well. Many of them adorned in white Kurta outfits as white is the symbolic color of peace and clarity imbibing positive energy and flow for a student.
Subash took me to a lovely shop in Ram Juula area and bought lovely material so as I would have a few white outfits made by his tailor. So kind and thoughtful...
One of the most special events of this week was attending Sivaratri celebration at the Sivananda Temple with a number of friends here at the ashram. This deserves a discuss all on it's own....
Om Namaha Shivaya
xxooxx
Jennifer
Love and blessings