"Keep a picture of yourself from high-school days"

By "Supposed to be a devotee"

"Keep a picture of yourself from high-school days," says my Mom,
but, what does that do?

A snapshot of a person, when dreams were dreamt,
the path lay ahead to be tilled,
sown with seeds of virtues, patience and forbearance,
fertilized with restraint,
watered with discipline and good habits,
to grow the flower of  love for the higher Ideal,
along the beautiful pathway;

But all I see now is a snapshot of a person, who would
flit from desire to desire,
not stopping to think ahead or introspect.
The path traversed overgrown with weeds,
of expectation and entitlement, of arrogance and egotism;
now, bearing the deep scratches of anger and hurt,
for the pathway was instead weathered by the passing seasons of life;

Was that self of mine carefree or careless?
All that rings in my ear anymore,
"she looked like a demon when she was angry."
Inspiration it can't become,
reminder it can serve, of a life wasted!
"Keep a picture of yourself from high-school days," says my Mom,
but, what does that do?

Kumbha Mela 2025 – Part 6, Departure

By Teresa Guerra

Jan 31st - We had meditation at 5:00a.m. Afterwards, I finished packing my belongings, getting ready to leave.  There was delicious upma for breakfast.  It felt like the days had passed too fast. I was at the camp from Jan 26th evening to Jan 31st morning. Part of me didn’t want to leave. The noise of the trains, cars, etc; the music, chanting 24 hours a day, and the low temperature after sunset and before sunrise, were also part of the experience. During these days, I met new people, including devotees and sadhus. I didn’t speak Hindi and many of the devotees didn’t speak English, however, we figured it out. For the most part, smiling was enough. When I got stuck, I asked people nearby to help with translation. Something was obviously common to all, to everything. So many blessings!!! 

My angel, Srilatha very kindly told me to continue using her extra SIM card for the rest of my trip, so I didn’t have to worry about it.

Kumbha Mela 2025 – Part 5, Meetings with Sadhus and Devotees

By Teresa Guerra

Jan 30th - The air was very polluted. Last night I was coughing and congested. Many other women in the tent were also coughing. When I went to the Shrine at 5:00a.m., I couldn’t believe how densely foggy it was. I was not able to see anything in front of me.  It stayed like that for a while. The amazing part is that the fog didn’t stop devotees and other people to engage in their routines! Groups of people continued walking towards the sacred rivers.

At breakfast, Srilatha gave me a cold medicine, which helped me feel better. After breakfast, Yugal, Srilatha and I went to see a mataji who was staying very close to our camp. To my surprise, it was Lalita Mataji from Gangotri. I had seen a video about her, sent by Marcela, which impressed me very much because of her simplicity and detachment. She welcomed us in her room, which was very simple.  She talked to us emphasizing that “we are not our body, we are not our thoughts”. The atmosphere was very peaceful. She was so sweet and loving, she was really “up there”; I started to cry.

Kumbha Mela 2025 – Part 4, The Mahasnan (The great bath)

By Teresa Guerra

Jan 29th – I could hardly sleep last night because of the excitement, the loud chanting in the street, and jetlag…Women in the tent started getting ready before 2:00a.m.

At 3:20a.m., the swamis and nuns were lined up. That was a scene to be seen! What a joy!!! So uplifting!  One of the swamis applied vibuthi (ashes) on the other swamis’ foreheads.  The matajis did the same and also applied on the devotees’ foreheads, including us. The procession began. Many were chanting Hara Hara Mahadeva! Srilatha and I were next to each other. At that time in the morning the crowd was huge!