Med Tiger was still sniffling and snuffling. Om had spread a rumour that Mum Lioness had her hands full with four sick cubs, Spotty having gotten the cold from Stripes, and Omcub from Spotty, and Arunacub and Tirucub from Omcub. "Mum Lioness felt all the cubses' foreheads and found them to be very hot," he was overheard telling Fluffaswami. There did not, however, seem to be any truth to this. It was simply a case of Omcub trying to copy his baby brother's habit of rumour spreading.

The cubses instead were friskier than ever.

"I know how we can get Unca Stripes perked up!" said Arunacub. "We can take him for a walk."

They bounded in to the cave where Unca Stripes was lying under a blanket, looking reasonably restored by the very spicy rasam. He was taking sips of his herbal drink. Omcub daringly dipped in one claw and sucked it. Right away he let out a huge yelp and had to have a big bowl of yogurt and maple syrup to recover. The big yelp seemed to help get the tiger out from under the blanket. And as soon as Med T smelled maple syrup, he told Mum Lioness that it had long been recognized as a back-up cure for colds, so she had to fix him a big bowl too.

After the bowls had been licked clean, the all set out on the walk.

"Where shall we go?" asked Med Tiger.

"We're going to take you on a different path ... a path most creatures don't know about," said Omcub.

"Oh?" said Med Tiger, who was doing his best to keep up with the racing cubses. Spotty and Omcub very soon both insisted on riding on Mum Lioness's back. Tirucub set a very brisk pace.

After a while, a great many elephants were spotted.

"Where are they all heading?" asked Mum Lioness.

"They look specially happy," said Tirucub. "Wherever they are going, it must be somewere extra good ... let's follow them."

Suddenly they came upon a temple none of them had ever seen before or even heard of. The elephants were vibhuti-ing their foreheads near the temple entrance, and some elephant singing could be heard coming from inside.

"Such beautiful chanting," said Mum Lioness. To their delight, a baby elephant who had dipped his trunk in the vibhuti unexpectedly striped all their foreheads. Omcub began laughing helplessly, saying the trunk was too ticklish but then asking for more stripes. Tiru pretended his name was Ramanatha Brahmachari so the elephant would do his stripes all over.

"Soon you will be mistaken for me!" said Unca Stripes, quite liking the idea.

They entered the temple which turned out to have quite a few parts to it. Omcub bounded in to an inner shrine with a mother and father and baby elephant and found to his joy that there was a big beautiful picture of Bhagavan in the shrine.



From another part of the temple, he heard Mum Lioness give the soft half purr/half growl that meant "where is my missing Omcub?" and he bounded along in her direction. He found his mother and brothers and uncle standing at the edge of a beautiful room. All the elephants were slowly walking clockwise in a circle.



"What is that in the centre?" asked Spotty, curiously.

A little elephant who was just circling passed him whispered, "In the centre is the only known copy of the Aksharamanamalai written in Elephant. Bhagavan gave it to us as a gift. He wrote it himself."

The cubs looked over at the sacred text.

"Let's om om om ourseffs into elefinks so we can do this pradakshina too, in full elefink style!" said Omcub in high excitement.

"Om om om let us be elephants!" they all said. The other elephants glanced over, a bit astonished, and went on with their worship.

Meditator Tiger a bit down these days!

Are you making a batch of Ramana Munches, Mum Lioness? asked Om cub.

No, i am making some hot rasam for Unca Stripes. It will help with his cold.

Poor unca stripes! Spotty was saying that his nose has been running for 2 days. All Spotty does is take tissues to him all day long.

How terrible! exclaimed Mum Lioness.

But that's not the worst, added in Tiru cub.
Mum Lioness turned to him, her eyes opening wide.

Spotty was saying that Stripes is having a problem doing Self-enquiry with this cold.
Really? remarked Mum Lioness.
Will the hot rasam help Uncle Spotty in self-enquiry, asked Om cub innocently.

Well, we'll put it in front of Bhagavan. And pray to Him to bless this rasam, so that Unca Stripes gets well fast.
The cubs sat down in front of Bhagavan praying to Him as Mum Lioness placed the piping hot rasam at Bhagavan's Feet. She allowed the aroma to waft towards Bhagavan, knowing how much Bhagavan would love it.

Did you put extra red chillies for Unca Stripes? asked Arunacub.

Yes, and one for little Spotty, too. In case he steals a sip!, said Mum Lioness with a wink.

The three lion cubs saw some large red chillies floating on top and shrunk back in fear!

Om burst into laughter and told the others that he remembered that Unca stripes liked to bite into the red chilli at the start of the meal. He would love the taste of the chilli exploding in his mouth. And then the rest of the meal would seem hot.

As they sat they could hear Unca Stripes sniffling in the next cave.

Arunacub decided he would read to Unca Stripes about the Self, as this would help Stripes to focus.
Om cub decided he would ask Unca Stripes to enquire who is unable to enquire. They all thought that was a great idea.
Tiru cub asked Mum Lioness to fill a flask with hot water, honey, turmeric and black pepper, and a few other herbs he had collected from their garden. Tiru's knowledge of herbs was amazing!

With the rasam, the hot water, and a few verses about the Self, they visited Uncles Stripes and Spotty.

(Edit: The cubses would like to share this video with animal lovers)

A golden day for thirst

Dandapani Swami was visiting his daughter and son-in-law. It was 1923 and C. K. Sambamurthi (later to be known as Muruganar), who had long been searching for his Guru, was taking a little break from his busy schedule of teaching and tutoring and Tamil dictionary compiling.

"You must take a look at this," said Dandapani Swami, holding out a slender text. Muruganar looked up with interest. What could this be?



Muruganar took the text into his own paws. Ah, the title! He had not even read the first line, and already, the magic was at work! Aksharamanamalai. He lost all awareness of the room and his family as he read the 108 verses. At last! None but his own longed-for Guru could have written THIS! And how obvious it was that this Bhagavan Ramana was none other than Siva himself.

His longing for Bhagavan's divine feet grew so intense that he resolved to set out as soon as possible for those feet. He began to plan his journey to Tiruvannamalai. He could feel that Bhagavan, in his infinite compassion had claimed him. To melt in that One was Muruganar's only wish. Bhagavan Ramana drew him like a magnet.

On his way to Arunachala, he stopped at the Arunachaleswara Temple and composed eleven verses to Bhagavan, addressing Him as Siva and pleading for His grace. And on he went, his journey almost complete.

~~~~~~~

That September, Bhagavan was still living in a little thatched hut on Mother's samadhi. Muruganar drew near. But how to greet the Lord of all? What exactly to say to that ocean of compassion?



Muruganar stood outside the hut, turning over possibilities and thinking, 'Oh what a golden day this is for the thirst I have endured for countless lifetimes!' But how to let Bhagavan know he had arrived? A tiny throat clearing? The gentlest tap on the door? He wanted to fall at the holy feet and wash them with his tears of gratitude. And never stand up again.

Meanwhile, up in a nearby tree, three young cubs were observing him. A fourth cub was about to climb up onto the platform of their newly built tree fort. "I smell a devotee!" whispered up the cub on the ground to the ones above, with tremendous joy. "Yes, yes!" whispered the others back. "Just jump into Bhagavan's lap!" Omcub urged under his breath, but Muruganar continued to stand outside the hut.



Suddenly Bhagavan came out of the hut. "Enna?" he said to Muruganar.

To explain why he had come, Muruganar began to sing the verses he had composed but soon he was too choked up with emotion and his eyes were too full of tears to go on.

Bhagavan took the poem from him and read it out himself.



"It's too beautiful for words!" said Arunacub in wonder.

Mum Lioness was hanging up the tiny kaupinams to dry in the sun (though the cubses usually scampered away if she suggested they wear them) when she saw a surprising sight. Creatures of every description were walking and galloping and flying and slithering along, as far as the eye could see.



"Cubs!" she called, knowing they would want to see this beautiful and unusual sight.

Where were those cubs? She had left them in the cave, practicing spelling. When she peeked in for them, there were a few papers on the cave floor, one with jammy pawprints, but no cubs to be seen. She turned and scanned the landscape. Ah ha! Her sharp eyes picked up the glint of Spotty's binocs, high up in a tree.

Quickly, she covered the ground to that tree. Sure enough, all four scamps were up there, exclaiming with delight over the various creatures they could see right to the horizon.

"What about that spelling?" Mum Lioness started with.

"Oh, it is laid down in an ancient text that no one is supposed to study spelling if the shadows of feathered creatures fall over striped creatures ... and through Spottykins' binocs we could see that the shadows of some sparrows were falling on some white tigers.

"Which ancient text is that?" asked Mum Lioness, trying not to smile.

Tiru pretended to be concentrating too hard on something in the distance to hear Mum Lioness' question.

"So many creatures!" she exclaimed.

"They are all bringing poems to Bhagavan for His Jayanti," explained Omcub.

Spotty let Mum Lioness borrow the binocs, and sure enough she could see that every creatures of every size was carrying a piece of paper or bark with something written on it.

In the distance she could see the Gurunathans giving directions to a group of elephants.



A raccoon family who were practicing reciting their poems pointed some tigers toward Virupaksha Cave.



Spotty, who was trying to be helpful to some lost giraffes, got carried quite a distance.



He was finding the ride so exciting he could not hear Mum Lioness and his brothers calling for him to come back. Luckily Uncle Annamalai found him where the giraffe set him down and dashed him back him home.



"We must compose some poems ourselves!" exclaimed the cubs. Paper and pencils were found and the cubs all stretched out in the sun to write.

Bhagavan pours His love on Jayanthi

All had been peaceful on the hill for some time. Uncle Stripes, aka Meditator Tiger, was getting deeper into Self-enquiry. He and Mum Lioness had recorded some of Bhagavan's talks and teachings on Self-enquiry and the mind and the Self, and they would listen to these as they went about their work. It helped them keep their minds on the Self.

At the same time, they had also recorded the Marital Garland of Letters (in Lion language, needless to say) and Bhagavan's other verses to Sri Arunachala, and found that listening to these pressed them deeper into their beloved Bhagavan.

Meanwhile, the various swamis (little Spotty reported) who always had their eyes on what was going on on the hill (through their spies) had noted this and taken appropriate action.

At Swami Treechopananda's ashram, in another part of South India, devotees went about with iPods listening to the swami droning on on various subjects. Many found this to be an unfailing cure for insomnia. The swami himself spent most of his time doing, what Spotty called "podcast-sadhana" (to the delight of the other cubs). Spotty said that every now and then Treechopananda would send his attendant to check if his devotees were doing "iPod-sadhana" or not, and were they doing it just like Bhagavan's lion and tiger devotees do on Arunachala or not.

"What about MiracleAnanda, or whatever his name is now, what is he doing?", asked little Tiru cub impatiently.

Spotty concentrated. Then he said: He has changed his name from EnlightenmentAnanda to ... 2012Ananda!
WHAT !!!?, exploded the cubs.
Yes! He has declared that by 2012, he shall usher in the Age of Enlightenment and then shall be known as SatyugAnanda.

WOW!!, exclaimed the cubs.
Spotty continued: He says he is giving deeksha (transmission) through his podcasts.

Wasn't 'Phone Deeksha' funny enough? laughed one cub.
That we should have 'Podcast-deeksha' now!, added another.
So the iPod shall be the means of global enlightenment, is that it ? asked little Om cub, wrinkling his nose in disapproval.

Mum Lioness peeped in.
What's all the merriment, she asked, and then sat down between the cubs.
"Spotty says that Swami Treechopananda is podcasting for his devotees to do ipod-sadhana," said one cub summarizing.
His devotees have begun calling him "PodcastAnanda", said Spotty seriously.

Little Om cub then went scampering off and came back with Collected Works of Sri Ramana. The cubs wanted to hear Mum Lioness reading the verses Bhagavan had composed to Sri Arunachala.

The cubs gazed at Bhagavan's picture as Mum Lioness read Bhagavan's words of love for Sri Arunachala.

It was Bhagavan's birthday today, and Bhagavan's pictures were pouring with even more love than they normally did, or so it seemed.
Bhagavan is pelting us with darts of love, exclaimed little Om cub.

It truly was so.

As Mum Lioness read Bhagavan's verses to Sri Arunachala, it seemed as though Bhagavan was pouring more and more love onto them. The words (once spoken by Bhagavan) were touching Bhagavan's heart again, Bhagavan's heart was overflowing with love for His Beloved Arunachala, and for His dear devotees.
Bhagavan IS sitting with us and listening, whispered Arunacub, as Mum Lioness finished one composition.
The others nodded. Bhagavan's presence among his devotees was evident.

The cubs silently wished that the verses would never end, that Mum Lioness would keep reading forever, and they could look into Bhagavan's eyes forever, feeling His unending love.

Discipline on the Hill

Mama Hippolyta had actually lost a lot of weight and was looking healthy. The cubs had verified this fact.
Earlier, little Spotty had been telling them how this happened, and since it was very hard to believe, therefore they had to go bouncing over to Rumple and Crumple's to see if this had actually happened.

Spotty had talked of how Mama Hippo had sat in Bhagavan Ramana's presence praying to Him to help her lose some weight. And one point, Bhagavan looked into her eyes. She felt something at that moment. When she returned she found her appetite had reduced considerably. And she had confided in Spotty that with losing weight, her devotion for Bhagavan was increasing by leaps and bounds. The more her mind focussed on Bhagavan, the less interest she had in bingeing.

Spotty then said he told Mama Hippo that if we focus our minds on Bhagavan with love, our attachments and longings will reduce. And at the same time, Bhagavan will be able to take over and look after the things we release and surrender to Him.

Mama Hippo had said she had never heard such a beautiful thing, but Spotty was quite sure that it was only that she was now more receptive. Spotty then told the cubs that Bhagavan is always shining, it's up to us not to cover Him with our egos.

Bhagavan does not hide from us, we hide from Him, Spotty said quite emphatically.

Then Mum Lioness announced that is was time for all little cubs to have their nails clipped and filed or else she might have to have a word with Bhagavan!
There were groans and excuses. (Some cubs possibly wanted this matter to be escalated to Bhagavan, so they could sit on His lap and get a loving scolding from Him!). But then Spotty told his brother cubs that if they did not cut and file their paw nails some "innocent cweechers could get scwatched", and hearing that all the cubs immediately lined up and put their little lion paws forward.

Spotty shares his dream with the other cubs

Mum Lioness peeked outside to see what the cubs were up to. Spotty was speaking in hushed whispers. Seemed he was recounting a dream to the other cubs.

I was going past this big house. There were signs outside. One said "Instant Enlightment -- 5 days for Indians". The cubs giggled at the "Instant Enlightenment".
Another sign said "Enlightenment - only 21 days for foriegners"
There were huge sums of money mentioned.
On the gate was a sign saying "Swami Enlightenmentananda".

Om cub asked, how much money.
Oh, they were really large figures, i can't count that much. But there were many zeros.
Oh, that's big, said Tirucub.
The one for Indians said rupees, the other one said dollars.

Then i went past a window, and the Swami was sitting in front of a safe. The safe was open,
(The cubs' eyes opened wide).
There was a lot of money inside, but there was something different about the notes. This was ego money.
What!!!! asked the cubs, what's ego money?"

Well, explained Spotty, it sort of had ego written all over it. Like the money paid by the seekers gets converted to ego. It inflated the ego of the Swami!

Then I peeked into the other rooms where the participants were sitting. I could see that they were looking quite happy.

Arunacub interjected: Yes, the ego is getting happy, since it is getting inflated.
Om cub added: Participants come to these programs for Instant Enlightenment, but their egos get inflated, and they feel happier.
Tiru asked: So they are paying to have their egos inflated? Then the programs should be called: Instant Ego-inflatenment !

The cubs laughed at this.

Then Spotty continued:
The Swami was charging more for giving the participants the ablity to heal others and pass bliss onto others.

Ah, a big ego trap, observed little Omcub sagely.

Some sort of special connection to some divine force, added Spotty.

A neat way of getting more people to hear of this Swami, so they can come to him for Instant ego-inflatenment, remarked Tirucub.

You mean like whenever you see someone unhappy or unwell you offer healing, and then start telling them about Swami EnlightenmentAnanda, asked Arunacub

Precisely. Subtle is it not, asked Tirucub. As against just going around stopping people and telling them about him.

So what else happened in the dream, asked Om cub impatiently.

Oh, yes I just remembered. These people were going in for instant enlightenment and their heads were swelling up. I just knew that their heads were getting filled up with --

EGO, the other cubs shouted.

Spotty: Some were shouting, I am enlightened, I am enlightened.
Others were looking sad, and were being told that they have to submit to Swami EnlightenmentAnanda in order to get enlightened. Only if they accepted him as God would they be enlightened.

How did Swami Enlightenmentananda look, asked Omcub.

Well, if you took ego-stuff and made a human being out of it -- that's how he would look. But the people around him were saying how handsome he is looking, and how beautiful his wife was.

Wife!!! shouted the cubs.

Yes, did i not say there was a wife, too. Really filled out, like Mama Hippolyta.

The cubs laughed.

Truth to tell, I thought it was Mama Hippo wearing a saree.

(At this, even Mum Lioness, preparing idlies, burst into laughter).

They were very fancily dressed up - aspensive clothes, jewelry, sitting on a throne.

A THRONE!! shouted the cubs.

Yup, did i not say so earlier. Everything there was stinking of ego.

Ego has an awful smell, observed little Omcub wrinkling his tiny nose. Worse than poo.

Only Bhagavan Ramana can destroy the ego, stated Arunacub. Those who surrender to Him, will be realized. Maybe one or two more can, too. The rest will only inflate the ego.

Spotty said: In the dream there was talk of Swami Enlightenmentananda causing global enlightenment.

Omcub almost choked on this. It looks like he is preventing it!

Bhagavan Ramana is the only one who can bring about global enlightenment. But He never speaks about such things. He is the highest power, way way above and beyond a jnani, said Arunacub.

Bhagavan sees all as realized, explained Tirucub.

There was one very disturbing thing about the dream, said Spotty. There was a constant fighting of animals going on. Dogs barking at each other ferociously and biting each other. Monkey fighting viciously.

Bad energy over there, observed Om cub.
Very bad energy! added Arunacub.
A clear sign, said Tirucub, Humans can be hypnotised and brainwashed, but animals can't. This shows that the energy at this Swami Egoananda's -- (the cubs burst into fits of laughter) -- was not good energy. Had it been, the animals would have been living peacefully like they do on Arunachala, especially in the vicinity of Bhagavan Ramana.

At that moment, Uncle Stripes appeared, and sat down along with the cubs.

Unca Stripes, is there anyone other than Bhagavan Ramana who can help people realize the Self.

I sure hope so, cubs. But it seems that most poeple are only amassing a fortune at the expense of others. Some may be realized, but can they help others ? Bhagavan certainly has, and can.

People say Self-enquiry is difficult, is that true, Unca Stripes, asked Arunacub.

Maybe for those who are not devoted to Bhagavan. I think they will find it harder to disengage from the mind and be by themselves. The ego is a very attractive thing. However, there is only one thing in this world that is more attractive than the ego. And that is our Father Arunachala Ramana. If you love Him, you will believe and follow his words. When he says you are not the mind, you will be able to disengage from the mind. If devotion is not there, the ego will keep pulling you, and the instruction "I am not the mind" will fail.

When deep devotion is there, we will do anything to find the real Bhagavan, even detach from thoughts. If that longing to be one with the real Bhagavan is not there, what incentive have we, to detach from the mind which can be so attractive.

What if we have devotion, but can't do Self-enquiry? asked the cubs.

That's okay. Since your aim is to defeat the ego and be one with Him. He is clearly guiding your life already. He is already holding your hand and carrying you. Keeping one's thoughts on Bhagavan, or in silence seeking the Self, are both ways that allow Bhagavan's grace to flow in, although like sunlight, His grace is always there.

So you little cubs are doing just fine -- melting lovingly into the Self.