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The two fish of Pisces indicate endless beginnings and endings. Every beginning has its conclusion hidden in the beginning. Every conclusion has its hidden beginning. It is an eternal cyclical movement. We can experience this when we stand beyond the cyclical movements. The wise ones call this, ‘living in the awareness of the background’. May we strive to live in the awareness of the background synthesis in these turbulent times.
The human form is a reflection of the form of the Cosmic Person. According to Master EK’s ‘Spiritual Astrology’, the secrets of these correspondences are preserved and concealed in Pisces and are reflected in the depths of our consciousness as ‘photographs’.
In our perception of the objective world, we know colours as the effect colours have on us. How we designate a colour is an individual perception that differs from person to person. The colour of Pisces is described by some as light blue and by others as bright or transparent white.
The colour of the sign is difficult to describe in words. It corresponds to the clear sky in bright daylight. The colour has two phases. It appears blue but is actually white like the radiant magnesium flame. Spiritual Astrology says that the true colour is always imparted by the guru at the time of initiation.
Pisces is a sign of endings and beginnings. Past and future meet in the eternal present, represented in the glyph of the sign with the meeting and joining of two half arcs. For the background of the painting, I used a photo of the radiant sky and ocean with a small white island of clouds on a flight to Spain just before the Pyrenees. I placed a large semi-transparent Pisces glyph over the entire picture and placed above it seven white ovals symbolising the seven planes of creation.
Into this structure I integrated the image of a statue of Lord Dattatreya, the unity of the three Logoi, surrounded by a cow and four dogs. The statue is made of Panchaloha, a Sanskrit term of a traditional alloy of five metals (gold, silver, copper, zinc, iron) symbolising the five elements of creation – space, air, fire, water, earth.
Twice, after hours of work on the picture, everything created so far disappeared due to a power failure and a programme crash. At the third attempt the following day, this new form of the picture emerged. In creation, too, there is dissolution and new beginnings.
Pilgrimages to sacred places are of great importance and periodical pilgrimages are strongly recommended to aspirants. This is what Sri Kumar explains in his teachings. And similarly, that group livings enable one recollecting the soul in each other to gain fitness to be in the group and to develop soul awareness. This overview article is about such a journey.
When I came into contact with the biography “Sripada Srivallabha Charitamrutam” in 2024, I asked Master Kumar why he didn’t mention the avatars of Lord Dattatreya in his book on Sri Dattatreya. He answered, “The West cannot understand.” I became curious and asked why? He answered, “The West wants to understand”.
My interest grew and the more I got involved by way of translations, studying related sources, creating a website, writing plenty of blogposts, conducting study groups on related topics, and approaching the reality of Dattatreya in various ways, the more dimensions opened to me. I wanted to see the places mentioned in the books I had read, as first-hand experiences. I had to wait several years until now.
I wanted to give seekers, especially from the West, some keyholes to peep into the sublime reality of Lord Dattatreya, and to give them a door-opener, a guide by way of stories, the stories in the blogposts. For I had observed that it is difficult for Westerners to get access without a guide.
This guide you find in the series available here. There is also information about the January WTT group livings in Visakhapatnam, India for members from the West which have been conducted since 1987. I had regularly been participating since my first journey in 2000/01. May you go on your own discovery journey.
Here is an overview of my journey to India December 2024 – Jan 2024 together with two German friends, Karin and Katrin, documented with 11 blogposts – texts, photos and a video. You find further information via the links to the places mentioned or to other websites. Especially the links to Google Maps give you a possibility to see many more pictures of the places visited.
„The centre is built with the inspiration of the Greek healer Asclepius in 1991. Asclepius was a great healer and he cured many incurable cases. He had a centre in the nature where he was healing and teaching. There were people coming to get cured in the healing centre. Three days and three nights the people were put to healing and were also given food that he distributed. I was so inspired in Greece that when I came back to India a person wanted to have a good service activity I thought that we could do a similar work here and it was found in contemplation that this place was earlier used by a great saint who left healing energy in the place. It is also believed that in this state there is a snake with a gem in the hood. The place is dedicated to the Sun God. The temple is seven times 7 feet in diameters and 7 times 7 high and again a 7 feet cupola. Inside the temple there are 7 circles where you can sit and meditate. In the centre the pillar is of 7 inches. In the place there is a sphere from Iguazu falls. We got it here at 1st January 1995 and the temple was inaugurated. People come and meditate here. The only sound used in the temple is the sacred sound OM. Every year we do a class here, we pray and have our food to relate to the place.”
However, this was the last visit of the Master. In 2013/14, a cyclone had devastated the place and the orientation of the owner of the site who built it took a bit another direction. It is now well maintained; the name on Google maps, however, has been changed to “Harmony Center”, a change of orientation. It is difficult to find. There have grown plenty of buildings in the surrounding, while the place itself is like an island of peace.
We first went to the Maitreya statue and sat there for a short meditation and alignment and we then listend to the sound of OM inside the pyramidal temple.
The old statue of Lord Maitreya where we often had lectures of Master Kumar in earlier years
Inside the Planetary Healing Center – some people were sitting there already listening to the OM.
The Healing Center is located between a pyramidal hill and the ocean, a very conducive energetic location. Eagles were circulating over the hill.
We had a little walk along the ocean. Then, the bus then brought us to “Rao and Kumar“, the office which Master Kumar had develop to a leading enterprise of Chartered Accountants. It is now directed by a team of collaborators, among them Guru Prasad, the son of the late Master. He already waited there for us.
Guru Prasad welcoming us at the entrance
In front of the entrance, there is a statue of Lord Ganesha / Ganapati. I asked him to speak about the symbolism of the rat, Ganesha’s mount – he gave an interesting extempore talk: Wisdom (Ganesha) needs to control the clever mind which can cause havoc when left alone.
He showed us the rooms and explained how Master Kumar had been living and working, giving us fascinating insights in little details of the Master’s life.
Guru Prasad in the office consultation room
For example: Since his youth, Master Kumar often walked even long distances. In school time, he recapitulated during walking what he had learned and what tasks were to do. This habit he kept over years. When he had to go to a place, he always walked there by foot, it was a walking meditation. When people ask him how he did come, he said, ‘By number 11’. People thought, maybe he came by bus. It was not a bus. “11” symbolised the two feet walking.
Our flight back started on 15th of January. Via Hyderabad and Abu Dhabi I returned back to Switzerland.
The Master CVV Guru Puja celebrations started on January 10th in the evening. I already went there two hours before the start of the celebration to meet friends and to observe how the site was being put up with many volunteers helping to set up the hall and the altar, beautifully arranging the images of the Masters with many flower garlands.
Setting up the altar
Entrance to the International Group Living compound
As always, there are three great rituals during the Guru Pujas. On Jan. 11th, it started with the Water Ritual, singing hymns to Rudra.
At the second day, there was the puja to the Divine Mother, the Lalita Puja conducted by women only.
On the third day there was the great Fire Ritual.
Children giving wood-sticks into the fire
During the Guru Pujas were given many talks, book publications and also musical presentations.
12th of January, there was the Fusion of East and West function, where members of the Western Brotherhood were invited to the stage for the morning prayer and also sang the Aswins hymn together which we had learnt during the group living. Later, four members were invited to speak to the groups.
Coming to the group lives for the Western Brotherhood of WTT in Visakhapatnam is always a beautiful time – meeting with friends and new members, and exchanging and viewing profound wisdom teachings of Master KPK together. We stayed in the WTT Retreat Centre at “Angels Enclave”.
Early morning on 1st of January, we went to the Master EK statue at the beach road called SudaraVanam. There were the morning prayers followed by some rituals in honour of Master EK, joint singing of hymns and having breakfast together.
Guru Prasad explaining the food distribution project
In the evening there was the meeting with the Indian Brotherhood at the WTT temple RadhaMadhavam for the release of the yearly Telugu calendar of WTT India. And there was also the first meeting of the seminar.
We had daily two lectures from this seminar and also meetings with Parvathi Varanasi, the sister of Master Kumar, who taught us the intonation of the Ashvins Stotram (hymn); this was a very profound experience.
Thursday 4th of January, there was a fire ritual in the morning.
Guru Prasad and Gayatri conducting the Fire Ritual
In the afternoon, the group went to Ramadri, a beautiful place with a service center of the World Teacher Trust.
Arriving at Ramadri
Hanuman statue surrounded by 108 small Hanuman statues
Women empowerment: Workshops conducted by the Circle of Goodwill India, which also maintains the site
We meditated at Ramadri in the evening and returned to Visakhapatnam.
On 7th of January we went to the school Bala Bhanu Vidyalayam school of World Teacher Trust for value-based education and saw many beautiful smiling children’s faces. And we had looks into different classes and then later sat together in the court of the school.
After this visit, we went to Master EK Samskruthi Sadan, a service Center for training women in tailoring and other activities to empower them for various kinds of professional activity like tailoring. During this visit, certificates were distributed to to the women and the accomplishments honored.
In the afternoon we went to Simhachalam temple outside Vishakhapatnam. It is always fascinating to see the Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple but this was the first time in the evening. We had a tour through the temple where many things were explained. There is a strong energy present at the innermost sanctum of the temple.
Entrance to the Simhachalam temple
During the seminar, the group was several times invited for a meal at the home of Indian group members – a very family atmosphere.
9th of January, there was the final meeting of the seminar on Asvins. It concluded with a little celebration, a valedictory meeting.
In the evening, after the meditation, the prayer, we came together for a dinner at the basement of RadhaMadhavam offered by the Indian brotherhood.
In the evening of the 2th, we meditated at GhantaMatam, a small and mystic place with several small stupa temples and lingams inside where one could go and meditate or do rituals. (See photos at Google Maps.)
Next morning, 29th December, December Call Day and 11th descending moon phase. Raju and taxi driver Raju picked us up early morning. For the meditation, we went again to the place where we had meditated the evening before, GhantaMatam. When the meditation ended, we noticed that directly next to us a special water ritual started. A couple conducts this ritual each 14th descending moon phase at this place, with 108 little Shiva lingams formed out of the excretes from the floor of a cobra cave. The lingams are arranged in the form of a lingam and the trident of Shiva. On top of each lingam, there was some camphor which was lighted towards the end of the ritual.
Rhythmic mantra chanting started, Raju later joined in. We slowly became part of the ritual team. It grew with more people joining. A group of monkeys larger than the other widely spread monkeys also joined, coming down from the trees and surrounding the little temple. Raju explained that these monkeys help keeping the smaller monkeys away. They are also sometimes trained by humans to protect temple sites from the other monkeys.
A monkey in front of a small temple
Monkeys watching the ritual
The ritual went on for over two hours. The day advanced from darkness to dawn and full daylight, shining through huge old trees. Some women were preparing food at an open fire by the trees, and the different stupas with lingams around – a magic ambiance. Our plans for going again to the Srisailam main temple early morning changed. We went there later in the morning.
At the temple, there were again large crowds. The queue was slowly progressing. A family with two little girls, maybe 7 and 9 years old, and with a younger boy jumping around and teasing the girls. Our guide Raju started speaking to them in Telugu about the importance of the temple. The girls were fascinated by his talk and we were together like in a space outside the queue. Beautiful moments. The girls were much interested in what Raju was telling and it was fascinating to see their brilliant eyes. How they were hanging at his lips a long time, and alter also the parents. We were slowly progressing and after the main temple, we were going to the different temples in the inner court, and we were all the while together with this family. And in the courtyard there was an old Audumbara tree at the place where Narasimha Saraswati had meditated before he went to the Kadali Vana cave for his centuries-long meditation.
There were lying some Audumbara seeds on the ground. I opened one and showed it to the girls. And the seed looked like powder, but I told them that this is not powder, but it is a potential tree or even many trees might grow from it. They were much astonished about it.
Later in the day we went to Paladhara-Panchadhara situatet some kilometers outside Srisailam, a place where way down into a valley there was a waterfall coming down and there were many visitors going to this waterfall. It was a beautiful place about which Master Kumar had told that Lord Maitreya and also Adi Shankaracharya had meditated. A little temple was standing there. We did our evening prayer behind the temple so that the other visitors would not see us.
Afterwards, we went to the nearby Hatakeswaram Temple, an old place where already Rishi Agastya is said to meditated on his way to the South. When we arrived there, people were just lighting candles.
Raju explained that at this place the pilgrims had come out of the forest on their pilgrimage to Srisailam and entered again the forest. They had walked barefooted through the jungle and over long distances as part of their spiritual discipline. And they also returned that way through the forest of today’s tiger reserve. It was dangerous, but the pilgrims just focused on their pilgrimage.
Monkeys playing at Hakateswaram temple
The next morning, 30 December, we went again to the little temple at the outskirts of Srisailam related to Master KPK’s earlier lief to say goodbye and from there start our return journey back to Hyderabad.
Statue of Narada, the cosmic musicians, at the entrance of Srisailam
We had a beautiful evening with the members of Hyderabad group and then, in the morning of 31 December 24, a taxi brought us to the airport, flying to Vishakhapatnam for the WTT group living of members from the West. Thus ended our beautiful tour to places related to Lord Dattatreya.
For 27 Dec. evening, the date of our arrival to Srisailam, we had tickets for the darshan (“view”) of the main temple of Srisailam, the Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple and the Lingam in the center via fast line (no photos allowed). It took, nevertheless, about two hours to get in.
We left our shoes in the taxi at some distance and slowly proceeded into the innermost of the main temple, and finally arrived at the Mallikarjuna Lingam. The lingam in the center is one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams in India, lingams of highest spiritual light.
The next morning we went for meditation to a little pyramidal temple at the outskirts of Srisailam, where Master Kumar had told to have meditated for long times three lives ago. To meditate there was a special experience. We were three times meditating / contemplating at this place.
Astrological and chiromantic consultation at the rope way landing point
We were about 30 persons on the boat. Raju started speaking to the people in Telugu about the life of Akka Mahadevi.
The story he had told us before the evening before. Soon nearly all passengers were listening to him in rapt attention. He also mentioned that at the opposite side, some kilometers behind a few hills, there was the plantain forest where Narasimha Saraswati, the second incarnation of Dattatreya, had meditated for 300. He had been there between the 15th and 18th century. And the end he transformed into Swami Samarth. Swami Samarth, as an age-old incarnation, had wandered naked through India for about 100 years unrecognized. Slowly, from the mid-19th century on, certain traces of his wanderings were discovered until he stayed in Akkalkot the last 22 years of his life. At present, it is very difficult to get to Kadali Vana, the forest cave where the transformation had taken place, the plantain tree forest.
And when Raju mentioned that here was the man that had translated the Sripada Srivallabha Charitamrutam to German as prophesied in the book, all the people in the boat wanted to hear from me the story.
The boat pontoon near the Akka Mahadevi caves. At the right side the forest area where there is Kadali Vana
The boat stopped at a pontoon from where we walked approximately 200 meters uphill and arrived at the Akka Mahadevi cave. A huge natural rock plate forms the roof over the place before the entrance.
Approaching the cave
View from the terrace of the cave
Statue of Akka Mahadevi at the entrance
We climbed in together with guides who helped me holding lamps. One by one we went through a narrow entrance. From inside, some bats were coming out. At the end of the small tunnel there was the cave room in which a natural lingam had been formed over time by dripping water.
Raju later explained that this lingam has the symbolic function of the uvula in the human throat. With yogis in high states of spiritual awareness, special secretions are secreted from the uvula enabling the initiates to stay for months without food and even drink. This is what Akka Mahadevi had done at this place. She is one of the very few known Shiva devotees who had wandered around and meditated “digambara”, naked, meaning, having her long hair and the directions of the sky as the only garments – a very mystic place.
Back at the entrance of the cave, Raju started singing ‘OM Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namah OM’, pouring water over a lingam from a water bottle . All people present joined in and we stood in the magic of the ritual.
The spontaneous water ritual at the entrance of the cave
A striped squirrel joining the ritual, eating some fruit
Picture of Akka Mahadevi at the entrance
Later, we returned to the starting place of the boat journey. Many people were waiting at the little rope way, so we decided to take a tuk-tuk to go uphill. About 12 people sat pressed together in the tuk-tuk slowly climbing up the hill, shaking along the muddy road.
In Divya Kalanjali, Hyderabad, we had a day of rest. We meditated and exchanged with the group and prepared for the journey to Srisailam. Vasishta had arranged for a taxi driver, Raju. He would stay for the 4 days of the journey with us. In Srisailam, another Raju (Kailasa Raju), a member of the WTT group Divya Kalanjali, would be our guide – he was already in Srisailam for a 9 days retreat. Vasishta told us the tour would take about 5 hours and gave us some warnings for the tour.
Srisailam would be the close of our pilgrimage to places of Lord Dattatreya: In the Sripada Srivallabha Charitamrutam book, there are a number of references to the importance of this place. Sripada mentions that his grandfather, Sri Bapanarya, had earlier channelled the energy of the Sun and a group of other stars with a special ritual into the Shiva linga at the main temple in Srisailam called Sri Saila Mallikarjuna lingam and made it a powerful deity in that area. (chap. 3) He further says that after retracing his incarnation as Sripada Srivallabha, he will be born as Sri Narasimha Saraswati and afterwards will remain for 300 years in deep Samadhi in the Kadali Vana (literally, forest of plantain trees; a cave located in the interior of a dense forest called Nallamala at the foot of the hill of Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh). After that, would live in Prajnapura (Akkalkot) with the name of Swami Samarth. And when he relinquishes that body, he would transfer His life force to a banyan tree and merge his divine soul in the Mallikarjuna Shiva linga at Srisailam. (chap. 10)
Narasimha Saraswati on a raft on the way to Kadali Vana
From Hyderabad we drove through areas which looked familiar to me – I later came to know that it was the same way to the December Call celebration 2000 with Master Kumar, where I participated with my family on my first journey to India in the context of WTT. Along the way, there were often huge strange rock formations with small rocks lying on big rocks in very spectacular ways, like play building blocks of giants.
Strange formation along the way.
Memories of the group journey with brother Navaneetam to Srisailam in 2007 came up (I hadn’t experienced much but spend most of the time in bed with vomiting, being now careful not to have the same experience again….)
Entry to the tiger reserve
Later, we entered the area of the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Amrabad Tiger Reserve) surrounding Srisailam, driving a longer way through the forests.
Short before Srisailam: The dam of the Patala Ganga Reservoir and power stations
Short before Srisailam, our taxi stopped at the parking of Sri Sakshi Ganapathi Swamy Temple where Raju joined our group. He was our guide for the next days in Srisailam. We felt like meeting an old friend – he is a very nice and knowledgeable person with profound knowledge not only about the area.. We quickly made friends. It felt like meeting an old comrade.
He first took us into the Ganesha temple, explaining that the form of Ganesha is worshipped as taking note of all and everything who comes. It was a special beginning of our visit to Srisailam.
Shiva and Parvathi surrounded by a mountain of Shiva lingams. On the top, there is the viewpoint.
You are suppose to see through the horns of Nandi, Shiva’s bull/vehicle towards the temple of Mallikarjuna Shivalingam in Srisailam.
View from the top through a symbolic structure of a Shiva Lingam towards Srisailam
The temple town is located in a hilly area where in the surrounding valleys a series of dams has created huge lakes of the Krishna River. The lake below Srisailam is called Patala Ganga, the Ganges of the underworlds.
Traffic at a roundabout at the entry to Srisailam – the little yellow temple has a specific importance, more about it later.
Raju brought us to an ashram of the tradition of Sivananda Murthi (1928 – 2015), (more) who was a friend of Master Kumar and he came a number of times to group lives of WTT in Visakhapatnam, where I had seen him. The ashram is a very pure place with only least commercial aspects. There were a few ashram members taking care of the pilgrims. We were only asked at the end to pay a nominal sum for the stay. The food was offered with free donations. The meals were pure, the members were very kind and attentive. And we were given simple, clear rooms, clean rooms.
Our travel group with ashram members from the kitchen
We had our morning prayers early morning in a prayer hall where the ashramites and other guests assembled later. In the hall there, there were about 38 black Shiva lingams and yonis surrounding a huge clear rock crystal lingam. A beautiful and calm meditation ambiance.
Shiva surrounded by lingams and a central rock crystal lingam
In the hall, there was also an image of the founder of this spiritual lineage who had lives for over 1000 years, from 3100 – 2044 BCE – for rationalists a legend, for advanced yogis a science.
Raju stayed in another ashram, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham of the Shankaracharya movement near the Srisailam main temple. He later took us there showing that an underground brooklet is running under the central Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple, other little temples and the Peetham – only few people are perceiving this.
Raju at the entrance of the Peetham
The taxi driver Raju (“Raju Taxi”) stayed at our disposal the whole time, picking us up and bringing us to the places we visited. He formed a soft and helpful part of the travel group.
From Akkalkot we went to Maniknagar, at a distance of about 140 km. It was more or less a direct route but for most of the way, the road was in a bad state, with big holes and partly a cambered roadway. It was 26 December, winter time, but it was quite hot. You could see with the vegetation that it is unbearably hot in summer. Srinivas often had to slow down and drive around the holes in the roadway.
When we approached Maniknagar from the direction of the city of Humnabad, the surroundings suddenly changed. There were huge trees along the road giving shadow and the fields were green and well cultured. We approached the Shri Manik Prabhu Temple – a site with huge palace-like walls surrounded by green lanes with statues and little temples. Everything was very clean and well maintained.
Entrance portal
A part of the main buildings with the temples of the Maha-Samadhis of the successors of the guru line of Manik Prabhu
The entrance area
Area in the inner court with metal structures from a recent festival
Manik Prabhu (1817 – 1885) was an Indian saint and freedom fighter who is regarded by many people as a Datta Avadhuta, a person beyond ego-consciousness and duality, or even as an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.
Picture in the inner court of the Manik Prabhu temple
In the Sripada biography, there is a hint about him in chap. 45 and a story of a prophecy in relation to a meeting between Shirdi Sai Baba and a Datta Avadhuta – Manik Prabhu – in chap. 4. (“He then met a Datta avadhuta and asked for silver coins. As his tin would not get filled up, the avadhuta put two khajur fruits (dates) in it. Then he was satisfied. With that, the chaitanyam (consciousness) of Datta flowed into him.”) In the inner court of the Manik Prabhu temple, there is a picture relating to this meeting:
Meeting of young Shirdi Baba with Manik Prabhu in the early 19th century
Srinivas had often been at this place of Manik Prabhu and he had arranged a meeting with Shri Dnyanraj Manik Prabhu Maharaj, the present head of the Shri Manik Prabhu Samsthan (temple) and the sixth office holder in the series of successors. It is the only succession line of such Datta avadhutas for the spiritual guidance of the devotees, where the energy is upheld over a long time.
Shri Dnyanraj Manik Prabhu Maharaj, photo by Srinivas
We were received by the son of Shri Dnyanraj Manik Prabhu in a grand old villa and we came to know that Shri Dnyanraj was sick at the moment and could not receive us. We were offered lunch, and the book was lying on the table. I politely explained that due to my age, I am handing slowly over work I am doing and that I cannot pick up new tasks of such a size. But that I would look if I can find a German translator. The son gave me a copy. (If you are interested and able to do it, please contact me.)
Receiving “Shri Manik Prabhu. A Rare Spiritual Gem”
Afterwards, we went back to Hyderabad and arrived at Divya Kalanjali in the evening. It was time to say good-bye to Srinivas and Santosh, our dear guides and travel companions of this part of the journey. The next part was the journey to Srisailam.
