Different flavors of Spring Water
Different flavors of Spring Water
During my last three-month immersion in Thiruvannamalai, South India, some of the Western students of our teacher, Pal Pandian, expressed the wish to take a pilgrimage to Palani. The Palani Temple has a very ancient history. The Murugan statue/deity there was crafted by Siddhar Bogar, requiring advanced alchemy skills to accomplish.
I had never been to Palani and really wanted to visit this special place. When I learned that our Siddha Master, Pal Pandian, wanted to accompany us and guide us on this journey, I became as excited as a child before Christmas. While we were all traveling together, I felt immense gratitude and found myself smiling, thinking, ‘pinch me, is this real?’ There were many deeply touching experiences during this pilgrimage and darshan, which had a magical flow to it.
However, I want to share a specific experience from our journey back to Thiruvannamalai, as it profoundly touched me and its essence has not left me.
As we, the students, were traveling back together in a minivan, we decided to stop in a forest area still close to Palani. Palani is typically bustling with many pilgrims visiting daily, so it was refreshing to be in a quiet forest area. It was similarly intriguing to know that yogis and Siddhas still reside in these forests and hills to this day.
Stepping out of our car, I felt a serene yet vibrant embrace from nature. Removing my sandals, I walked barefoot on the forest path. Despite the presence of small rocks and pebbles, it felt like walking on a soft cloud. The palm tree forest felt enchanted to me, with soft sunlight filtering through the trees, and cows peacefully grazing with birds perched on their backs. There was a harmonious atmosphere that enveloped us. In the distance, I could see rolling hills. We all enjoyed the peaceful walk, and I, mostly quiet, absorbed the tranquility of it all, feeling the earth beneath my feet.
After a while, we reached a simple forest dwelling with an entrance adorned with many garlands made of rudraksha beads. This was the first time I had seen so many rudraksha garlands, as I was only familiar with rudrakshas as malas for prayer or mantra recitation. Rudrakshas are seeds of a specific tree, and the simplicity of the natural decoration amidst the forest setting felt beautiful. A young priest or yogi warmly greeted us and invited us inside the small open dwelling. He showed us parts of the large rocks on the hill, which had holes in them, explaining that these were breathing holes for the yogis who lived within these hills. It felt mysterious to me.
He then led us to a nearby natural spring, which pooled between some rocks. More mystery unfolded as he shared that behind the spring was a cave within the mountain, which many yogis entered, though it was considered a 'one-way ticket'. He also mentioned that a snake inhabited the spring. He then dipped a stainless steel cup into the spring, filling it with fresh water and offered it to us to drink. He explained that the water would reveal different tastes to people depending on their temperament. Despite a momentary worry about the safety of drinking the water due to bacteria and parasites, the harmonious feeling of nature reassured me of my safety, and I trusted. We passed a stainless steel cup around, each taking a sip in the traditional Indian style, holding the cup away from the mouth. To my surprise, as I tasted the water, it felt exceptionally smooth and silky, with a sweetness to it. The yogi filled the cup a second time, and this time I noticed a metallic taste, which was bitter. He offered us a third round, and this time my mouth slightly puckered from a sour taste revealed by the water. The fourth and final offering tasted earthy and had an astringent flavor to it. As you can imagine, I was very surprised and intrigued.
We sat around the spring and meditated, enveloped in calmness and joy. As I opened my eyes, a deep desire welled up within me to live in this humble dwelling surrounded by this harmonious and mystical nature, even for just a year. Everything felt aligned, and I was wondering how such an experience might impact my own alignment with myself and the flow of Nature, despite the presence of snakes, mosquitoes, wild animals and the changing seasons. Before leaving, the yogi offered us cooked sweets, a blessed prashad (food offered to the Divine), which left me feeling immensely blessed and nourished beyond words, though the main prashad for me remained the spring water.
This experience of the water has stayed with me till today, its tastes and whispers lingering in my being. A few weeks later, when I saw our teacher, Pal Pandian, again, I shared my experience with him, seeking an explanation for what seemed inexplicable to my logical mind. He enlightened us, sharing that water integrates all flavors, and the spring revealed the unity in diversity by displaying its different flavors to us.
This touching and beautiful experience has deeply moved me. Back in California, where I reside, I can sense a change within myself. I am less reactive, less judgmental, and more present in my daily interactions with various people, behaviors, opinions, and changing situations. I now perceive them more easily as expressions of the different flavors of the unity of Nature, just flowing on their journey.
It feels as though the spring water continues to whisper to me its songs of the different tastes.
