Tiger in Bandhavgarh National Park courtesy Wikipedia
Meditation in the Bandhavgarh National Park?
This place has the highest density of Bengal Tigers known in the world. One tiger every 2.4 km. Nice place to meditate, right?
Its in central India, about 3 hours drive to the north east of Jabalpur. It faintly reminds one of South Africa’s Kruger Park, with bushlands of Sal forest. But the roads are worse! It is host to 37 mammal species, includingBengal Tigers, of course. That’s what we went to see. But there are 250-350 bird types and some 80 different butterflies.
The tigers are well known – some even have names like Bamera, Kankatti, Panptti and her cubs.
We stayed over at a resort called Bagh Sarai at the south end of the park, owned by Neeraj Pathania – a very special fellow. Contact him at +91 11 4587 1493. The resort comprises 7 luxury tents – very comfortable. He is a man of great character and is active in the upliftment of his community – the village of Parasi comprising about 200 homes. He walked us around the area and I found the insights into life in rural India fascinating. This is a sustainable model.
Having had a horrid drive the day before, we were up early for a game drive. But first – our lovely Transcendental Meditation.
So that’s it. Another great meditation.
Oh and we saw no Tigers! We only stayed the night – you need to stay a couple of days to be guaranteed a sighting – just like lions in the Kruger, or Pilanesberg parks in South Africa. Actually, South African game parks have spoiled us. But it was great to checkout a whole new continent, even if what we saw on the outside was not as interesting as what one sees on the inside.
I opened my eyes in the middle of my meditation recently to jot down the following thought, which I think I should make into a little poem. I call it
“Transcendence”
How fortunate to own this eternal moment whose threads pick a tapestry—one fabric stretching to eternity—unending–wrapped in tender gossamer, the most delicate, sweetest, softest …
Angels gossamer wings—enfolded in peace, intimate, protective, warm, silvery; precious beyond description.
All the currents sweetly comprehensible. Every eddy now somehow purposeful.
This timeless moment resolves all mysteries–though writing reasonably mars this perfect surface of the ocean–pen aside, the softness returns–though surprised to find it never went.
How fortunate to know, to have been to the destination of all journeys and to return and find I never left!
