[FairfieldLife] Tat Wala Baba story

[Rick Archer]

Forwarded by a friend... Tales from the Jungle "Stop here", said Rajiv. The driver pulled the car to a stop as we searched the jungle on the side of the road for a hint of a trail. "Yes, I remember this", Rajiv said, getting out of the car. "This is it!." Jim and I got out of the car and followed Rajiv as he lead the way up the steep overgrown trail through the Jungle. We were hiking through the hills above Rishikesh, searching for Tat Wala Baba's Cave. Tat Wala Baba was a great Yogi who spent many years meditating and living in this jungle next to the Ganges River. He was revered by other Yogis and Saints and was considered to possess deep silence and a rare kind of spiritual realization. In the 60's and early 70's people would come from all over India and the world to visit him in his cave. He would sit outside his cave each day and answer their questions simply and to the point. He didn't say much, but everything he said was pregnant with deep insight. It was not uncommon to find other well known spiritual teachers such as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and others seeking out his company and asking him questions about spirituality. The trail wound up the hill through thick foliage. Jim, a botanist-member of my 2006 India tour, pointed out familiar plants as we walked. "There’s a mango tree", he said, pointing to a tree ahead of us. I heard branches breaking and looked to the hill above us. A middle-aged sadhu, dressed in a white dhoti and yellow kurta was walking down to meet us. Rajiv greeted him and found out that he was living in one of the many caves in this jungle. He showed us his cave, a cozy hole in the side of the mountain, near that of Tat Wala Baba. I marveled at how few personal things this sadu had, a spare dhoti, drying on a rock, a water pot, a stainless steel cup, a small bowl, not much else. "The government has closed all of these caves", he said. I am staying here (illegally) at the request of my teacher, to look after Baba's cave. India has a rich and ancient tradition of yogis and sadhus who have sought out deep jungle and mountain caves for the purpose of furthering their meditation practice. These cave-dwelling hermits have been one of the most important elements of Indian cultural heritage. They are the very reason that so many westerners have come to India seeking enlightenment. For thousands of years, their presence in the forests and mountains has inspired spiritual aspirants to leave the mundane world in search of the divine. For some unimaginable reason, the Indian government has decided to evict all of the yogis in this part of the forest in order to make the jungle into a "National Park". The Sadhu took us to see Baba's cave. Like many caves belonging to great yogis, this cave had been modified by his devotees to include a stone entryway and a small hut-like front. Peering over the stone wall, I could see that the structure was deteriorating. Loose stones and debris covered the entryway. The iron gate on the entryway was padlocked, and in spite of expressing my strong desire to hop over the fence and go in anyway, Rajiv insisted that we remain outside. "Where did Tatwala Baba die?" I asked, aware of the sinister circumstances surrounding his death. Over there, the sadhu pointed to a patch of ground near the trail. "He was shot in the morning and found by his disciples. One of the other sadhus who had a cave nearby was jealous of Baba's popularity. He convinced two of his devotees to commit the murder. The sadhu ended up going to prison for one year." We sat by the cave for a while and enjoyed the sounds of the jungle. "I could live here for a while", I fantasized. I quickly reconsidered this idea when the Sadhu-caretaker described to us how he needed to sleep lightly at night because cobras and leopards regularly come near his cave. "Maybe I'll just stick to camping in the Sierras",I thought. Later that day, along with three other members of our tour-group, we visited the caretaker's teacher, who was one of Tat Wala Baba's last remaining direct disciples. Swami Narayan Das had been Baba’s assistant for many years. He had lived in the cave next to Baba's and practiced yoga and meditation. After Baba's death, he became the person in charge of the Baba’s cave-ashram. Now that the Indian Government had evicted him, however, he was living in a hotel in Rishikesh, and was involved in a law suit against the government, trying to regain the right to use the caves. Rajiv introduced me as an astrologer from the United States. We all sat on the veranda of the hotel and visited for some time and then, at the request of Swamiji, I calculated a prashna (question) chart using a small laptop I had brought with me. Not surprisingly, Swamiji wanted to know the result of the cou! rt case and if there would be any chance of regaining his cave-ashram. At that moment, the waiter came with 5 cups of ginger tea. At the same time, two of the trip-members, who had just purchased Tibetan meditation bowls in the market, decided to test them by making them ring. I brought these omens to the Swami's attention. "Since the reading of your question chart has taken place at the time of such positive nimittas (omens), you may have success in about 5 months (5 cups of tea). They may allow you to occupy two caves (two ringing bowls)." The chart seemed to confirm this prediction. The swami, who was familiar with the practice of nimitta seemed encouraged. We finished our tea and left the swami, walking back through the streets of Rishikesh. As I passed a peaceful looking ashram, and again I found myself fantasizing about living in the jungle in one of the caves we had just visited. The fantasy ended abruptly as I remembered swami's court case and the death of Tat Wala Baba. "Your Karma finds you no matter who you are or where you live" I thought. I looked down just in time to dodge a fresh pile of cow dung. "...but with a little care and awareness, you can certainly minimize it's impact!" __._,_.___ To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe __,_._,___