Bhagavan continues the story of his journey

The cubs sat around Bhagavan. One devotee was fanning Bhagavan gently. He asked the cubs, "How is dear Annamalai today? Did he like the iddlies?"
The cubs were astonished that Bhagavan knew, but then rememberd that Mum Lioness used to remind them everyday that there was nothing that Bhagavan did not know.
The cubs assured Bhagavan that Uncle Annamalai had enjoyed the iddlies, and Mum's cooking was improving day-by-day.

I reached the station late, Bhagavan said. The cubs and other devotees immediately straightened themselves out, all sat in rapt attention. But the train was also an hour late!
I looked up the chart for Tindivanam, what i thought was the closest to Tiruvannamalai. Had i looked a little further i would have noticed that a new line had been opened to Tiruvannamalai.

I bought my ticket for a little less than the three rupees I had and waited for the train. Later i was sitting in the compartment silently, not speaking to anyone, sunk in bliss, oblivious of my physical body.

Every now and then the cubs edged a little closer, thinking that Bhagavan would not notice. Or maybe they were drawn closer unintentionally.



Madurai passed by, the Dindigul fort where i played as a child passed by, there was no longing, no nostalgia, just a desire to be with my Father.

It was evening. A moulvi was telling stories of saints and sages to the passengers. They listened with interest to him. Then he noticed me sitting with eyes closed, and asked me where i was going. When i told him then he informed me of the newly opened line.

And where are you going, silent young lad of mine?

He said he was going nearby to Tirukoillur. When he asked me for which station I had bought my ticket, he was surprised. Oho, he said, you will have to alight at Villupuram and take another train for Tirukoillur and Tiruvannamalai.

As the train rolled into Tiruchirapalli at night, I opened my eyes to see that the moulvi was no longer there. Now I began to feel a little hungry. I bought two apples, had a bite or two and felt satisfied.

"Why didn't you ask your Aunt to pack you some iddlies, Bhagavan?", asked Omcub. By now the cubs were practically touching Bhagavan's knees. Bhagavan picked up Omcub, placing him on his lap and said, "If i had told my aunt i was going, no one would let me leave. I had to keep it a secret"
The cubses eyes lit up on hearing the word "secret". They loved secrets.

Om: Bhagavan, if you had only told me, I would have come running with a bag of Ramana Munch!

"Were the apples tasty, Bhagavan?" asked Tirucub with concern.
"Yes, of course.", replied Bhagavan, not wanting to tell the little cubs that he was unaware of eating. The cubs were happy to hear that Bhagavan had enjoyed the apples and was no longer hungry. At that moment a peacock made a loud call and Arunacub grabbed this opportunity and jumped onto Bhagavan's other lap hoping the sudden move would go unnoticed.

Bhagavan put his other arm around Arunacub.

Two cubs grab positions

In the morning, He continued, I alighted at Villupuram. I looked around for signs of Tiruvannamalai but could see none. I found a hotel but the owner said the food would be ready by noon. So i sat down and closed my eyes.
When the food was ready, the kind man woke me up and served me. He refused to take any money from me, and told me to take a train to Mambalapattu. Aah, I had seen many signs of Mambalapattu on the way.

Bhagavan picked up Tirucub and placed him between the two other cubs. He picked Spotty and placed him on Tiru's lap. Fluffy swami was adjusted on Om's lap (altho all the other cubs put their paws out hoping to have him on their laps). Balanandaswami managed to fit on Arunacub's lap, and with Bhagavan's arms around all of them, they continued the narration without anyone falling off.

The money I had on me was just enough to get me a ticket to Mambalapattu. The cubs all tried to pronounce the name but could get no further than "mumble". I reached Mambalapattu in the afternoon. Tiruvannamalai was about 30 miles from there and I set out to walk the distance.

At that moment, the lunch bell rang. Bhagavan invited the cubs for lunch.