Mr Gowda and Lakshmi

  I'm staying at the really awesome place in Gokulam, Mysore owned by a really nice family called Krishnaprem Home Stay.  The Grandfather in the family who is well over 80 is named Mr. Gowda. He is a thin light complected man with grey and wise eyes with round framed glasses.  He is a follower of Krishnaprem a British westerner who became a teacher of Spirituality in the early 1900's and lived out the later years of his life in India passing in 1965. The home stay is named for his teacher Krishnaprem.  Everyday when I'm coming and leaving he is sitting on the porch steps in the shade or on a chair inside the door of the home talking to the neighbors and tenants. He always looks up at me and says.."You..Jon-a-ton...come..sit.."  He tells me of his family and how when he was a kid he used to play football (soccer).  He says he has no time for Cricket.  It's too violent.  He says he didn't do yoga but he was very active.  Mr. Gowda says.." I knew your teacher..Jois man..Before he could touch his toes..now he put foot in mouth...hehehe" He goes on and on about the teachings of his teacher Krishnaprem and the importance of nonviolence and a strict vegetarian non-harmful diet.  In meditation Mr. Gowda keeps coming up as a teacher so I try to talk to him as often as possible trying to hear what he has to say and his ideas about his spiritual beliefs.
 
  This afternoon I walked up and Mr Gowda was sitting down on the front steps when I arrived.  Mr Gowda and I must be "plugged in"... He looked up at me and said..."I knew you were coming"...I looked down and said..."Really, how is that..."..He looked up at me and said... "You are like me...You just know things that you can't always talk about..." I looked at him and he was glowing gold.  I can't explain it and a lot of you guys will think I'm full of shit but dude was glowing like the sun.  I sat and he told me more about Krishnaprem and we would look over at each other and we just knew what the other was thinking.  He asked me how my sleep was last night and if I had been visited by anyone? I just laughed and he laughed too.  Last night the spirit of an older Indian man visited me around 3:30am.  The spirit was a jolly older Indian man so it felt good.  Then Mr. Gowda says.."old man like me....hehehe..kind man...no worries...I looked at him and said.."yes...kind man no worries"... We chatted a little more about various subjects and then I went up to take a shower and rest from the hot part of the day.

Mr. Huche Gowda

Before my interaction with Mr. Gowda I walked through Gokulam and took in the sights.  I really love the cows.  You have to be careful.  You don't just walk up to the cows and start slapping on the rump.  They might knock you across the street.  There are some though that have such a kind feeling about them I have reached over and scratched their head or rubbed the side of their neck.  There is one in particular that's been showing up in the area 3rd stage that follows me for a few yards every time I see her.  Today I reached out and scratched her head.  She loved it.  She just nodded her head and reached up and slobbered all over me like she was giving me a kiss.  I decided to call her Lakshmi.  She followed me for a few more yards and then she decided the tree branches above us were way more interesting and started chewing on them.  I put some ginger cookies in my backpack for her next time I see her when I got back.  She makes me happy and is so beautiful so if you are in Gokulam and you see Lakshmi...give her some love.

Lakshmi...Such a good girl