Looking back two years ...

It was on the night of July 31st, that Bhagavan's name "Ramana Maharshi" kept repeating in my mind. I had no idea who it was. I resolved as I lay in bed, the name repeating in my mind, to find out the nest moahning.

The nest day I sorched for "ramana maharshi" and came to the ramanasramam website. Bhagavan's picture was there, looking at me.


I looked into those eyeses, and knew somehow that these were the eyeses i was meant to look into in this life. These were the eyeses that would save me, deliver me, whatever that meant. I knew then that my life was no longer in my hands, the one who was to carry it through was here. I knew then who had been holding my hand all along, for many many boaths before this one too.

I finally knew who my real father was, and thus who I was. It was, and remains, the grandest discovery of mine of this life, the most beautiful thing i have ever seen.

For me that moment was my moment of birth; that day, my birthday. Only when I looked into the eyes of my Beloved Lord, and He said "You are mine", was i really born.

Since that day, he has brought me up all over again, teaching me how to live and love, not only through his own example, but also by silent guidance that happens in a state of surrender and deep love, and also through eye-to-eye contact, and surely other ways that i would never know. Teaching me to know that all living beings are the Beloved Lord, and no different from myself. Teaching me that everyone, no matter what, is worthy of His love, and is loved at all times, no matter what we may believe.

-- Spotty and Stripes

A heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Spotty here (huffing and puffing) ...

Gee! I dont think anyone has had so many guests on his borthday!

We are still opening all the wonderful gifts and our paws and jaws are tired. And there's still a caveful of gifts to go.

It was thoughtful of Mum Lioness to borrow Cave 10 for storing gifts, cos its like gonna take a whole week to opin all of them.

Our previous borthdays were celebrated all alone, with Bhagavan ofcoas, singing bhajans to Him and shedding tears of love to Him, but with no one else to share our joy.

The forst gift I opened which I am still clutching, and which i just love is a copy of Aruna-elly that i can always keep with me. Its for my proteckshun.


Also, Mum Lioness gave these three little cubses to keep with us when sleeping, so we don't miss my brudders at night. I told Tiger that i want to keep it, and he grujjingly parted with it, saying that i got to play with you brudders for so much time, that he should rightfully get the gift.

Other animals gave us gifts of themselves like a nice giraffe.

Then I mixed up some gifts while opening. tiger fell asleep in the middle of all the ascitement, it was praps too asciting for him.


That's another bunch of nice gifts given by some Meditator Donkeys, i think. Not shua whether they were horses, mules or jackasses or donkeys but they had cute earses.




But here's the gift I gave Med Tiger. The reason ofcorse as you have guessed is that he can sleep with this thinking its me, and i can go over to my brudders (through the secret passage) with no one the wiser!

Today is Meditator Tiger's Birthday!

Some meditator creechurs slipped down the hillside and into Tiruvannamalai during the dark of night to "borrow" a large banquet table. (They were not spotted.) Mum Lioness made a good-sized chocolate cake, but when Hobber and his tribe arrived and began singing to Bhagavan for the occassion of Med Tiger's birthday, meditator creechurs from far and wide heard the beautiful songs and soon began arriving from every cave and tree and waterhole and bush and forest on Arunachala. Mum Lioness dashed back into the cave and, with the help of the cubses and Spotty, whipped up three more chocolate cakes. More jugs of buttermilk were rushed up from the ashram by the meditator zebras who hid themselves behind a lot of open books to slip into the ashram kitchen. Ganesha and Krishna arrived on elephants.



And then still more creechurs heard the enchanting music, the laughter, the purring as leopards and tigers and other types of cats were allowed up on Bhagavan's lap or invited to rest their heads on His Feet. Even the most reclusive sadhus trotted and flew and slithered toward their radiant Lord ... luckily, as soon as one chocolate cake was sliced and placed in paws or claws, another cake would materialize where the last had rested on the borrowed banquet table.

They care for us animals

Stripes told me about this today: The St Francis Animal Sanctuary. Thank the Lord, i said, that there are people who love and take care of animals. Shoaly they have the blessings of our dear Father, Bhagavan Ramana.

See also Canticle of the Sun.
-- Spotty

Nightly advenchoa !

Last night as Stripes began hitting snoresville, I snuck out to the secret passageway to come over to you brudders.

Crikey! It was dark in there. I pretended you all were with me, so it was okay. Luckily the passage is quite shoaht. However, anyway.

When i got uptays to where Tirucub keeps the Deathly Hallows book, i was ahorked to find that it was not to be found. I looked around and could see it nowhere. In the name of Merlin's pants, where has Tiru cub hidden the book, and WHY?, i thought.

As i looked around my foot touched something, and i got bit. I looked down to find (to my horror) the Monster Book of Monsters, biting away madly at my footses. I tried to shake it orf but it wooden leave me. Finally I had to bite it hard, and then it released by foot. I kept telling myseff that the cubs cudden have deliberately kept it there. Somethin is clearly amiss. Prps you should have your cave checked for you-know-whats.


While looking around, i spotted the "Travels with Trolls" book and it sounds good. Praps i will borrow it after we've done with Deathly Hallows.

So then i had to come back, cressfallen, without the book, empty-pawed.

What happened, Tirucub, were there bite-marks on the book cover? When i carried it thru the passage, i held the book with my lips so no toof marks would come. Also i toarned the pages gently so as not to tear them. I also promise i did not put any naughty spells on the book.

I am wondering what I might have done wrong.

I have it figured out !!

... how you change your shape!!!

I was reading Potions and Spells, Volume XIII, Chapter XVII, which says that you take hairs of the animal you want to be.


You dunk that in a glass with this Polyjuice potion which is like muddy liquid. Depending on the type of animal, the potion could turn golden or become quite yucky, or something in between.

You then just drink the potion, and in a minute or two you become zackly like that creeachure.

It does not talk of how long the spell lasts (okay its one hour). Maybe that comes later. There is also a magazine referenced "Transfiguration Today" which has articles and stories of Changer Creatures.

Spotty always game for advenchoah

Count me in !!!!

Once I went through this waterfall too. It was scary ... but i kept taking Ramana's name. The water was cold. And there were mysterious sounds near the waterfall. The water was shimmering strangely.



What you see on the uddy side is amazing. But what the picture cannot capcha is that all feels One on the uddy side. And there is only happiness.



When do we begin? I have my rucksack ready, and my wand, and Firebolt (my broom).

Spotty, want to go on a treasure hunt?

We read in a book on enlightenment that there is a special waterfall called The Magical Waterfall of Enlightenment. It will enlighten any CREATURE who drinks from it. I read that all you need to do is say: "Om, Om, Om, Who am I? Om, Om, Om," and drink three sips of the waterfall, and you will instantly realise the Self and if you say the words again, you will be magically transported to a cave on Arunachala where you will be allowed to live forever. Now, we know you have already realised the Seff, and you already live on Arunachala, but wouldn't it be quite fun to go along and see other creatures arriving and realising the Seff. Then we can hear how other creatures like ducks say Om Om Om. Please let me know if you want to go on this expedition.

love, tirucub

Listen very carefully

Cub brudders,
This is Spotty speaking in encrypted cub-tongue.


Yesterday I was reading the Magic Monthly, and inside (on page 9 and three-quarters) there is an article that sayz that the Ministry of Magic has decreed that all secret passages be registered with the Department of Secret Passages.

Since i can scarecely read, and i sortanly can't ask Stripes to read this, for he would wonder why i am so instraded in secret passages, therefore I am asking for your help. Please peruse the decree carefully and decide a course of action.

If possible do not share this with the Head of the Department of Tasty Treats. (She might tell Stripes).

-- Love, Spotty

Seek and Spot

Spotty, can you spy at least five monkeys?

love, arunacub

Another secret passageway!

Lord Ganesha gave Spotty special instructions about yet another secret passageway today. Spotty listened carefully.

White peacock and Nagini !!!

Spotty: Wow! A white peacock on page 1. This book promises to be very instrading !!! Do you think it could be Bhagavan's white peacock?

I seriously don't give that much of a chance, Spotty.

Are there going to be many meditator creatures in this book?

I think not, Spotty.

You mean like 600 pages and NOT ONE meditator creature.

That's right, Spotty.

Awwww! Strange that there are bad people and evil things in this book. In our world nothing bad happens and its still soooo instrading.

I am totally with you there, Spotty.

Oh, a snake called Nagini. Wheee ! A sanskrit name!
Do you think there will be moah sanskrit woahds in this book?

Can't say, but again i doubt it, Spotty. This is a Harry Potter book, after all.

Well, my dear brudder Tiru is lorning sanskrit and can write very well. If any moah sanskrit words come we can ask him to asplain them to us.

---

Oh by the way, before this Stripes was quite shocked to find the book with me. He wanted to know how i got it. He saw your name inscribed inside. Did you like ask them before borrowing it?
I could not tell him that since you have not finished reading it, there's no way i could ask about borrowing it.

Secret passage linking Caves 7 and 8

Nor could I tell him that i got through the secret passage (with Lord Ganesha's help) and pinched the book while you were sleeping, and will retorn it before you wake up. You may find a few tell-tale leopard hair in the book, but thats all. I promise not to tear any pages, chew the binding, leave pawprints all over, or tear out the final pages having the books climax (which some naughty people around here do).

He said shurely you could not have accidentally brought it back after the sleepover, considering that the book is much bigger than you are.

So i told him that Tiru has a magic wand, which he knows, and that at night the book will transpott itself here, and before he opens his eyeses it will transpott itself back. He fell for that.

-- Love, Spotty

Spottykins thoughtses

We really don't know what little Spotty thinks all the time, we would give anything in the woahld to know. Fact is he is quite, well reticent, about these matters. He shrugs off any inquiries about his thoughts with a smile and some thing like "Awww nuthin".

But we can guess that there are thoughts about tasty treats, and running up trees, and snuggling with cub brudders, and troubling Auntie Lioness. And pulling Stripes's tail or earses when he is asleep (which is ommst all the time).

And he has grown up on Arunachala in the midst of animal devotees of Bhagavan Ramana, so there are plenty thoughts of Bhagavan.

And he says he rememberizes sitting on Bhagavan's lap. And sleeping at Bhagavan's footses once. And growling by the stream when he came to drink water, to tell Bhagavan of his coming and going. We suspeck that he rememborizes these remembories quite orfen.

We also suspeck that Spotty's thoughts can't be too different from his cub brudders. Praps we should ask his brudders what their thoughts are like! Great minds think alike.

Spotty, can you hear me?

Come on over, through the SECRET PASSAGE !!!

Do I hear voices? Is that my name being called?

Sounds like there is a sityashun over at my brudders. Like praps idlis getting cold. Or help needed in licking up some tockit sauce that's spilled on the flaw. Forgive me, I must rush ovah.

How Spotty got to the other side of the cave

Well, it happened like this. Arunachala cub is the nightowl to end all nightowls. Deep into the night he is begging Mummy Lion, "Oh please, just read me a few more verses of the Aksharamanamalai! Oh and what is Om to the Omth power? And what is Spotty thinking about right now? And can I do some mazes? Just two sudokus? Maybe some logic? And tell me all about Bhagavan's childhood ... please, please! I am NOT sleepy! And what did Ganesha look like BEFORE he got that elephant head? What colour was his hair then? And it is more likely to find a human head lying around or an elephant head?"

Because these questions are so PRESSING, Arunachalacub stays up VERY late ... later than Med Tiger ...

Mummy Lioness says things like, "Oh cublet, go to sleep ... oh, alright, let me tell you about when little Venkatashwara got into some old legal files ..." She is a nightowl herself.

So the two of them looked over and saw the sleeping tiger and the sleeping baby lepudd on the other side of the cave.

"Isn't Spotty so so cute?" asked arunacub.

"Yes, he certainly is," said Mummy Lioness.

"Don't you think he'd be more likely to have Bhagavan dreams if I whisper every name I can think of for Bhagavan into his furry little ear while he sleeps?" asked Arunacub.

"Yes," said Mummy Lioness. "I think it would increase the chances. How could it not?"

Arunacub has set up his mother perfectly. "Then can you go and bring him over here? Please? I promise I won't insist on doing another sudoku if you go get him."

So Mummy Lioness tip-clawed over and gently took Spotty by the scruff of the neck, tugged a little to release him from Med Tiger's rather tight grip, and brought him back to arunacub. Spotty made a tiny cute grunting sound as he was deposited beside arunacub. omcub stirred in his sleep and flung a light paw over spotty's tummy. Mummy Lion said: if we hear the slightest distress from Med Tiger, even a bit of dream sighing, we will rush Spotty right back into his paws.

Arunacub began to whisper into Spotty's soft small ear: Om Om Om. Ramana, Bhagavan, Venkataraman, Sage of Arunchala, Father, Lord of the Hill of Fire, Maharshi ...

Divine entanglement - the sleepover

Latecomahs have to forst read this.

So the good behavior of the cubses who were not "asleep" resulted in me (Spotty) being allowed to sleepover at my cub brudderses cave. Out of politeness, Stripes got an invite too. Which he assepted cos he can't sleep without me.

Which was quite a bad idea, cos i really was instradid in squinching between my cub brudders. Or else sleep on their chests, in rotation, each getting equal time.

Cuddlesome Crew

I really don't know how it is to sleep with lion cubs, at all. And to smell lion cubs all night. Its one matter smelling them when tracking them or spying on them. But quite another to have lion cub smell wafting through your leopard cub nostrils all night.

Tiru-cub falls asleep

And the feel of baby lion cub mane against one shoulder, and ones head resting gently on another lion's paw. And a third lion cubs legs carelessly flung across perpendicular to me . That sounds like heaven to me.

Om: can someone toarn the lights out, pleeeease!

So to cut a long story shoaht, I got to snuggle in with a grown up tiger all over again, yet another night without a single break in sikz months. A sleepy snorey tiger. Like we barely hit the cave flaw, and he was farst asleep, using me as a teddy bear.

Spotty with eyeses open, looking at brudders entangled blissfully

I had my eyeses open watching three lion cubs get entangled with each udder in sleep, wishing i could have been scrambled and jumbled between them. And with those thawts in mind, and some heavenly food digesseding in my tumick, I wafted into slumberland.

Divine entanglement

I awoke to some divine brekkfuss aromas, finding myself on the udder end of the cave room, nicely entwined with my lion cub brudders, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, all three purring away contentedly.

I had a dream that I was sleeping in front of Bhagavan and he was touching my ears, then my neck, then my shoulders, unable to resist, knowing i could wake up, but completely unable to withhold his love. Humans were standing around wishing they could be in my place.

Suddenly Tiger's tumick began making growly rumbly sounds (meaning he's hungry) hearing which the cubses woke up startled. Guess they aren't used to such unculchahed sounds.

I hope to hear the cubses angle to the sleepover. And what they were thinking. And how i got to the udder side.

Med Tiger just has to see a puddle

And thats all. He dives in and ...

While Spotty makes his way thru the top-secret passage, Stripes falls asleep

So the coast is clear, brudders, we can have a field day today.
What is that saying ... when the cat is away ....

You can do it, Spotty!

There, Med Tiger is taking another nap ... good, I see you beside Lord Ganesha ... now slip right into that secret opening. Lord Ganesha will close it after you. When you come out on the other side of the secret passage, you will be right at the opening to our cave. We have the iddlies waiting for you.

Lord Ganesha to the rescue ...

Spotty, I saw you struggling with that huge rock ... see me up on top of our cave watching? I have called upon Lord Ganesha, remover of all obstacles. See! He is applying just the right pressure to make that hinged rock open up for you ... I see Med Tiger is on the prowl so look to the side and pretend you do not see what Lord Ganesha is up to.

Psssst, Spotty, come over here ....

Spotty, just read this secretly when Med Tiger is a-snooze. (And don't let him see it later.) We have discovered a NEW secret passageway that is a shortcut from your cave to ours -- not the usual long way around that Med Tiger takes you. Now carefully look where Palanibunni (the small brown Meditator Rabbit) is sitting. Study that rock carefully and I will be back to you soon with more instructions. (Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it ... a white goat is watching Palanibunni.)

Guru Purnima

We all went for Darshan and offered fruit to our Father. He graciously shared it with everyone.

The cubses had each loarned a line beforehand and they spoke them in turn:

Tirucub: Praise to the feet of the Lord!
Arunachalacub: Praise to the feet of our Father!
Omcub: Praise to the feet of the Effulgent One!
Spottykins: Praise to the ruddy feet of Sivan!

Bhagavan lifted each cub onto his lap and rubbed their fur and kissed between their earses. He saw the look in the eyes of Med Tiger and Mum Lioness and with a flick of his eyes indicated they could rest their heads of his feet.

Some songs were sung by some beautiful-voiced devotees who arrived then. During the singing, Bhagavan had all four cubs in his lap at once (amazingly, there was no squirming or biting) and two heads on his feet.

Today we all went hunting

Well, Mum Lioness said she would give us all a lesson in hunting. It was quite clear from her tone that she had never hunted down anything more than a packet of Rava Idli Mix in her cave kitchen. Which Tiru-cub had once hidden.

We reached a spot which Mum Lioness said was poafik for watching pray. We all wondered what "watching pray" meant. We cubs was all very ascited about hunting, cos you have to know that to be big catses.

Forst of all, you must all Be Silent

Mum Lioness was giving instruckshuns as can be seen in the above picture, while the cubs were looking here and there, 'n at each other. Arunachalacub: Where's Om gone?
Tirucub: Can i join Spotty up there?

The foast thing that happened, well I will let the picture do the talking instead.

Spotty climbed a tree, and you know the rest

Of coas, the cubs could not stop squealing and biting tails, and jostling.
Tiru cub was blowing in Om-cubs earses and Om-cub was getting very angry.
Then Om cub stalked off and sat down on what seemed like a termite hill.

Om-cublet went off angrily

As you can see below, Mum Lioness was watching pray with what can at best be described as astreme indifference. That's partly cos she fed us full with Dosas before we left. Said we needed energy to hunt and chase pray.

Mum Lioness watching prey

Within minutes, Mum Lioness begins stretching herseff and yawning and asking the cubs, have you had enough lessons for the day.
All the cubs shouting back, "YES!" in between yawns.

Mum Lioness and cubs have better ideas

I have to get back and boil some pasta for you all, so be quick, she was saying.

One brudder meditates off on the way back

Well, on the way back, and I am NOT allowed to name any names, one of my brudders fell asleep (or at least pretends too, shhh)

Cub gets free ride home

So well, Mum Lioness had to do to one brudder, what Tiger had to do with me. Two udder brudders were also trying to lie down but Mum Lioness would have none of it.

Me being carried by Stripes, my tail leaving a "tell-tail" track on the ground

She was saying to the cubs that Spotty could come for a sleepover if they behaved. Seeing the look on Tiger's face (he can't sleep without me snuggled in with him), she invited him too. More as this develops.

-- Spotty with help from Med Tiger

I like went in disguise !!!

Yesterday when we like went over for Iddlies, we made it poafikly clear that we had just dropped by, and had absolukely no idea that we were invited. How were we suppost to know anyway? So now the Lionses really have no idea that they were being tailed by me.

So like today I got into a Lion cub outfit that fits me to a T. Tiger had to zip me up and pinch in the velcro in sortan parts. And then we were off.



Of coas we had to make up a story of how he had found me walking around lorst in the hills crying and he picked me up. And oh Spotty, well right now he's farst asleep, snoring cutely and all that. And so he thought being a lion cub, i might want to meet up with some others of my type.

Now, Spotty, you be a good lion cub today

Of coarse, Auntie Lioness was only too unnerstanding. Altho she did give me one suspicious sniff, and then after that she was warm and friendly. She said i was most welcome to live with them, and she would adopt me, which freaked out Stripes. He said, no we can't possibly impinge upon your already vastly over-streched resoases, and it was Bhagavan's will that the cub be taken care of by Tiger.

And Auntie Lioness kept insisting that it was no boahden at all. If she could take care of three, she could take care of four. Just one more kaupinam to wash, that's all. And a tiny one at that.

Tiger didn't know things would take this kind of a toahn. As it is we have encroached upon your kind hospitality so often, and wiped off a week's worth of iddlies in one evening, we possibly cannot, and we mean it, encroach on you nice people any foarther.

But Auntie Lioness would not listen. She musta really believed I was a lion. But i cant figger why she would look at the cubs and give them a wink whenever she saw Tiger squirming and sweating.

So finally Tiger said only for today. Auntie Lioness finally agreed and didn't press any foarther. Just imagine what would have happened when I would have had to go to peepee and asked her to help me out of the outfit! She would have fainted with shawk upon realizing that I am not really a lion.

Anyway, here are some pics taken by Auntie Lioness of Stripes playing with us four "huge terrifying" cubs.

Tiger played 'Hide n Seek' with us, and hockspotch, 'I Spy' and 'Cat n Mouse' too.
It was tough for Stripes to hide in the small designated playing area, but we pretended not to see him till the last moment.

All the cubs shout 'I spy'

Can you tell me apart, betcha can't.

-- Spotty the Leopard