My Birthday in the Himalayas:
Cake, Bulls and a Cave Saint
I didn’t plan anything special for my birthday in Rishikesh. A few of us from the yoga course wanted to take a trip to Vashistha’s Cave.
The Drive Out
We met early at Tattv Café and piled into a car with our driver. The group was small. Robin, Ulrike, Marianna and her boyfriend (I think his name was Joel), and Angelica. The drive took about 45 minutes, winding up into the hills past trees, boulders and cleaner air than we’d had in town.
This was more like what I had imagined when I pictured India before leaving LA. Wide skies, stillness and actual quiet. No horns and exhaust, just mountain roads and sunlight cutting through the trees. It was beautiful.
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At Vashistha’s Cave
We walked down a long flight of stairs toward the river and passed a Sadhu on the way, who waved at us. When we got to the cave, there were signs that said, no cameras inside. There was hardly anyone there so we walked into the short tunnel that opened into darkness lit by a few oil lamps.
We all sat quietly on the floor in silence. After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted and I could see a little. I could hear my own heartbeat. That was it. I stayed about ten minutes and then stepped back out into the light. One of our companions told us later that while sitting in the cave, Vashistha appeared to him in a vision!
There is another cave off to the side, which is closer to the Holy Mother Ganga and we all sat there for a while.
After the cave we wandered down by the Ganga. I had brought a watermelon but forgot a knife, so I cracked it open on a rock and we ate it caveman style. Not long after, three Indian men came up and asked to take photos with me. That’s become normal here, random people asking where I’m from and wanting a picture like I’m some kind of celebrity and I am always happy to oblige as I am a guest in their country.
One of the guys said he was a meditation teacher. Another rolled up his sleeve to show me his bicep, so I did the same. They cracked up. I even did Mayurasana (a yoga posture) on a rock for them and they applauded.
Later on that day when we decided to leave, a guru stopped us on the stairs and gave us some meditation tips. He told us that we must meditate facing North or East and eat only veg food. My friends were not interested and just wanted to go home but I appreciated the moment for what it was and kind of wished we could’ve stayed longer and chatted with him. He was very radiant and I think I will look for him the next time I go to Vashistha’s Gufa.
Chocolate Cake on the Ganga
That evening we gathered on the same ghats where we’d done mantra chanting the week before. Ulrike brought a vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake and we ate it by hand since we didn’t have utensils. It was delicious.
We cut the cake, sang happy birthday and then we all washed our hands in the river. On the way back, we ran into a bull and gave him the last piece of cake. He looked pleased and stuck around for a while.
Reflection
I’ve had a lot of birthdays, but this one will always stand out, not because it was wild or profound, but because it was simple. A cave. A river. Cake by hand. Some strangers and some friends.
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