The meditation cave

DAY THREE – ‘CHARANPADUKA’ – God’s Footprint

Just before the sun rose, I followed local women who were collecting tulsi (sacred basil) up the path to a place called Charanpaduka – God’s Footprint.

Here at the shrine of the Holy Footprint, I had herbal tea with the resident Yogi Baba. The Baba, a member of Nath Sampradaya, runs a wonderful hut cave, which he makes available for visitors or overnight guests. Surrounded by breath-taking scenery, I imagined bringing some hardcore yogi form NZ back here for some satsang and meditation.

The Baba told me there was another cave much higher up, specifically dedicated to women who want to meditate. I was keen to spend a couple of hours in unspoilt blissful retreat. So, I asked him to lead me there.

I watched the Baba as he climbed down over rocks, picking his route carefully back down the mountain. This was the route I would need to take to return safely to base camp.

The cave was very suitable for seated meditation. However, I found a flat ledge just above the cave entrance and settled in for a long meditation in full view of Nandi Devi Mountain. Just before going into the deep inner space of silent meditation, I took a few snaps to show people how beautiful and breath-taking the setting was.

In the emptiness of self, I found wells of gratitude, of appreciation, and of all the emotions.

In such a pristine setting, the feeling of awe saturated my mind. A sense of spiritual elevation was intensified by the presence of the mountain goddess – Nandi Devi.

Sitting there, I felt like a little bright jewel in the mountain goddess’s pendant. My eyes felt like clear waterfalls, my bones like rocky cliffs. My hair was the trees, the high rare air my lungs. This meditation place seemed to be the real reason for this part of the trip. I felt so blessed to have arrived to find peace and blissful silence. My heart repaired itself here.

This was perfection.