Listen to the Caterpillar!

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

''O, Fellow Pilgrim, I hope that you have enjoyed your forays here over the last few weeks. I hope too, that you feel comfortable and ready to go with me on this yatra (yes, I am afraid we must begin our 'ascent' on schedule) from here. Before the ascent though, we must settle on a comfortable ' base camp' - don't you think? And from that 'base' (adhara) we will begin to gain altitude ( be warned - the dizzying heights of this mental exercise coupled with the effects of oxygen deprivation as a result of all the herbs, will I am sure, leave you fit to collapse).''
The welcome and the warning now done with, we shall go over to the disclaimer part - '' Well, do not try this at home on your own. If you are determined to try it anyway, then all the best! All litigation subject to the jurisdiction of Sri Nagara, Beyond all worlds.'' Now, over to the content and the description of the aforementioned 'base camp'.

Like with most things, you would (quite naturally) want to start at the very 'beginning'. Good. So I will. The only thing is, what could we safely assume to be the 'beginning' of this universe which is lauded in the Vedas as the 'one without any beginning or end'? Where then can we 'begin'? With my innate capacity for being distracted, I choose not to dwell on this theoretical dilemma at present, but rather, to surge ahead (ah, the delusions, the grandeur) with the task at hand. Namely, to begin, somewhere, 'any'where! After some deliberation I think that a microscopic/ pre natal view of Cosmology (the story of how all 'this' came into being) is what we will hold as our 'base camp'. From there we will begin this journey.

Come now, Pilgrim, sit here a while. Join me and the others here as we huddle together in a circle around the dhuni (yogi's fire place), warm but gently tingled by the clear crisp Himalayan air. The night sky is a riot of stars, and there is not a sound to be heard. Or is there? Sshhh, listen, can you hear it? Sounds like the swarming noise of bees, millions of bees, hhrriimmmm....did you hear it? And did you notice how the humming suddenly turned into the clear, pleasing voice of the woman? Ah, yes, She is a great story teller, and now, She is ready, with Her voice and our minds all tuned to each other.....