LETTERS FROM THE HIMALAYAS

THE moon is shining, spreading a sea of silvery peace. The moonlight falls full on Rama’s straw bed. The shadows of unusually tall, white rose bushes which grow fearlessly free and wild on this mountain, are checking the moon-lit bed and flickering so playfully as if they were nice little dreams of the placid moonlight that sleeps so tranquilly before Rama.

Sleep, my baby, sleep!
And smile with rosy dreams!

Jamnotri, Gangotrti, Sumeroo, Kedar and Badri glaciers stand so close as if one could reach them by hand. In fact, a semicircle of glaring diamond peaks like a jeweller’s tiara decorates this Vasishtha Ashram. Their white snowy summits are all taking a bath in the milky ocean of moonlight and their deep Soham breathings in the form of cool breezes reach here continually.

The snows on this mountain have all melted off, and by this time the vast open field near the top is completely covered with blue, pink, yellow, and white hued flowers, some of them being very fragrant. People are afraid of coining here, as they believe this place to be the Garden of Fairies. This idea saves this pleasure-garden of the Devas from being haunted by the sacrilegious spoilers of nature’s beauty. Rama walks over this flower-land very softly with great caution, lest any tender smiling little flower be injured by ungentle tread.

Cuckoos, doves, and numerous other winged songsters entertain Rama in the morning, sometimes in the mornings a huge dragon comes up near the roof of the cave and entertains Rama with his peculiar Persian -wheel like music The eagles (royal Garuras) soaring high up, touching the dark clouds at noon,— are they not the Garuras bearing Vishnu on, their back? One night a tiger sprang past Rama.

What a fair colony the blooming forest giants have round the yonder mountain pond! What bond unites them? It. is no connection with each other, no personal relationships. They have a social organisation, as it were, only in so far as they send their roots to the self-same pond. The love of the same water keeps them together. Let us meet in devotion to the same Truth,—-meet in heaven, in heart, in Rama.