Jeremy's Mysore Journey: Conference and Shiva Temple

As usual, Sharath held conference on Saturday morning. Since I leave my led-primary class just to get right back in line for the conference outside the shala, I can pick anywhere I want to sit inside for the conference. I usually sit along the back wall, but for this conference, we decided to sit on the stage right by Sharath. He was in a jovial mood and he instructed us all in nodi shodana, or single nostril breathing. The conference was personally amusing for me because my apartment mate, F., decided to do pancha karma starting yesterday. During the conference, Sharath specifically said that we should not do pancha karma as active ashtanga students. The practice and the asanas are sufficient for cleansing our systems; pancha karma is unnecessary and it will only serve to weaken us. If we want to do pancha karma, it should not be done in conjunction with asana. F. was somewhat deflated by Sharath's comments, but he is still going to go through his week of pancha karma. Basically, pancha karma is a kind of week-long cleansing or detox. On the first four days, a person drinks a glass of ghee with herbs in it. You are permitted to eat, but only bland, cooked foods like khicidi. On the final days of the week, you get ayurvedic oil massages.

The shala filling up right before Sharath's conference.

I was right behind Sharath; I was tempted to do bunny ears behind his head as he spoke.

Earlier in the week, on the suggestion of a friend here, I made an appointment for an ayurvedic oil massage. I am not the type of person who gets massages, but I figured that I might as well give it a try. The cost was minimal--about $25, which is rather expensive for India. I had the massage in a place called Swastha Ayurveda right near the shala. It is beautifully directed inside and with an abundance of fresh flowers and there are beautiful statues of Hindu deities. Vedic chanting is played in the reception area and in the massage rooms. After arriving for my appointment, I was ushered into a dark massage room. It was warm and it smelled of incense and herbal oils. My massage was scheduled to last 1 hour and 45 minutes. There was a large wooden slab table in the room, a few diyas and deities, and an old-style metal sweat box (a sauna that you sit in with a hole in the top for your head to stick out). I was asked to disrobe and to put on a loincloth. I am not exactly comfortable without clothing, but it was dark and I managed to overcome my puritanical body shame. The two masseurs began by doing a silent prayer in front of a deity (I am not sure which one it was) and then they began the massage. Working in tandem, they massaged oil into almost every surface of my body from my head to my toes--including my ears--during the following 90 minutes. Having my ears massaged was possibly the most unusual part of the experience; I am not sure anyone has ever touched my ears before. The wooden slab was rather slippery because of all the oil that they were using, and I was afraid at several times that I was going to slide right off the table. The massage was fairly intense, but very relaxing at the same time. The oil that they used had a medicinal, herbal smell, and it had the effect of turning all my muscles into jelly. At the end of the massage, I was put into the steam box for about 15 minutes. It was a strange feeling to be covered in oil, but simultaneously dripping with sweat. After the treatment, I towled off and went home. I am not sure that I have ever felt more relaxed in my life. The purpose of the massage did not seem to be to work out all the kinks and the knots in my body (they did spend some time on my jacked up shoulder), but it catapulted me into a state of great contentment. Later in the day, I went with some friends to a kirtan. The call-and-response chanting only served to propel me deeper into my blissful state. There was a really positive, harmonious energy in the room, and everyone seemed to be chanting from the warmest depths of their hearts. After chanting, we went to dinner at a nice spot, where there were lots of Indian families out for festive Saturday meals. We chatted about yoga philosophy and ate delicious food. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Sunrise at the ghat at the Kabini river.

Pre-dawn bathers getting dressed for a temple visit.

This morning, I woke up really early to meet some friends to visit the Sri Srikanteshwaraswamy (Shiva) temple in the nearby town of Nanjundgud. We left Mysore at 5:30, and we were smart to leave so early. Not only were we able to see the sunrise at the ghat at the Kabini River (another holy river where many people take dips in the sacred waters), but we were also able to visit the temple before it was mobbed with weekend visitors. The temple itself is about 1000 years old (although it has received many restorations and updates over the centuries). A temple elder noticed us walking through the temple, and he approached us. It turns out that he is the son of Pattabhi Jois' wife's sister (or something like that). He led us into the most important part of the temple for a special puja, which was a memorable and special experience. There is a frenzy inside the temples here that seems to build and build. There are so many people and so much activity--I am never really sure what is going on exactly or what it is that I am supposed to be doing. People are pressing as closely as possible against the barriers to try to get as close to the deity as possible. The deity in this temple is a Shiva lingam. During the puja, the priests chant while a swinging vessel hanging over the lingam drips water. There are lots of diyas and fire being waved about as well. Some of the priests "dress" the lingam by completely covering it in flowers. At the end, they somehow attach what appear to be metal eyes. Finally, a bell is struck and the puja ends, and a priest brings a fire around for everyone to wave over themselves as they file out of the puja area.

The approach to the temple.

Shiva! He wears a cobra around his neck.

Om Namah Shivaya!

Sri Srikanteshwaraswamy Temple

As we left the temple, there was an elephant outside. This was my first elephant sighting in India. I have no idea how these elephants are treated, but I hope that they lead pleasant lives. I am sure that they would rather be in the jungle with other elephants rather than standing outside of temples in the sun taking photos with pilgrims.