Sri Kalahasti
Embraced by the mountain the temple exhales - one huge breath comes from the invisible lingam between the lungs - poles of gold and silver. A tapestry of colours in black, orange, ashes and gold with eyes of a hundred sadhues.
A white sadhu shares his simple meal with a dog. He lives near the temple gate never moving more than a hundred meters a day, and that in a strange trance-like way. He dances - a mad in God dance - with steps of frozen wonder, ten steps take an hour and this in total awareness. A half day he spends washing his long, long matted hair.
A crowd of people are looking while I draw his portrait. Having in my mind to offer him a meal or my usual 20 rupee model payment, he suddenly interrupts my work, unfold his meal, consisting of one idly and a vada which he offers me. His eyes are at rest while we eat, his fingers speaking, taking in the crowd: “Just maya!” two words he speaks.
One morning I was woken by his odd singing, but when he noticed that I had seen him, he stopped, yet the song continued inside my head, I believe I sang myself.
He has more than one body! Surely! He is everywhere, moving with a speed that takes him from one side of the temple to the other in a second. And there he is in the middle of the busy street, when I get out of a restaurant, without any relation to the surrounding world, he stands, not begging nor asking for a meal or for the model-fee he never got. He just looks and says one word: “Game!” Then he opens his hand wherein lies a matchbox that he opens, takes out a two rupee-note that he handles me with a gentle gesture as if I was the beggar.
Don’t try to understand, that would be madness!