‘Hey!’ he was shouting wildly gesturing with his left arm to chase some devotees away who had gathered around him with folded hands in prayer ‘Namaskar’ position. Two of them got scared, grown men who are used to shouting and ran away.

About a month ago I went to the back meditation hall at Sheshadri Ashram to quietly sit and meditate. Some men at the outside near the entrance door told me I could not go in because some swami was inside. I had a look through the window. An older man with uncombed hair and dirty dhoti and upper cloth was laying on the floor. Perhaps he was sleeping.

I went to the office and got permission to use the meditation hall. So I went back and entered. The meditation hall has murtis, black granite stone images of 29 siddhas and enlightened masters. At times I perceive a strong energy at the meditation hall conducive for meditation. So when I visit this ashram I want to make the most of it. Needless to say, that swami also made me curious. After pranam to the deities I sat down on the floor to meditate for some time. Just that I was disturbed by the thought of that swami at the other side of the hall, and his grunting noises while sleeping. He sounded sick.

Eventually I left and inquired at the bookstore about him but the person there did not speak much English. So I left it at that.

Off and on when I came to the ashram I saw that swami sitting near the entrance of the ashram premises on the ground, sometimes with food served on a banana leaf just about 10 feet away from the ashram restaurant.

After a Few Days

Just a couple of days when I went to the ashram it was the same scene. That swami was sitting near the restaurant and eating his foot right there in the driveway. I again went to the ashram bookstore. This time I got lucky, the bookstore employee spoke good English. I asked him about that swami, why would people stand there in front of him in Namaskar; some even falling unto the ground and do a full-body namaskar. What was so special about him? I could not see much but an older man in dirty clothing.

The young man told me, this is Mouku Podi Swami meaning nose powder swami. I thought it is a strange name. Yes, he said. He uses some kind of nose powder. So he is getting ‘high’ on some drugs I was inquiring. No, no, I was assured, it is not like this. He is in samadhi and he talks. What does he say? No one understands but it is Tamil. I inquired, is it old Tamil? No but we can’t understand him because he talks so fast. And, hesitatingly and lowering his voice, the young man told the swami is using dirty words. And he goes into samadhi, I inquired. How would you know? The young man mumbled something. It was just too much for me and I said that if he himself had never been in samadhi, how can he possibly know about anyone elses samadhi. I was informed that the swami does not wash himself, but he does not smell, you know, he said.

But why are all these men doing ‘namaskar’ to him I insisted. Oh, the young man told, he never asks for anything. He does not beg for food like all those sadhus outside the ashram gate do; we don’t like that. I kept quiet for a moment but thought, yeah, the swami may not ask for food but sitting about 10 feet away from the restaurant entrance and actually facing the restaurant, if that is not silently asking for food, I don’t know. The young man continued, we don’t know where he is coming from or what his real name is. He just one day was here. He even spends the night at the meditation hall. He comes and goes. Sometimes he takes an auto rickshaw around the mountain or to the Arunachaleshwara Temple but then returns to the ashram. And he carries a stick; sometimes he hits people with it.

After some time I observe that the swami had finished his meal, he got up and went into the direction of the meditation hall in the back. A small crowd of 10 men or so followed him, some still with folded hands. I decided to see what was going on and also went to the meditation hall.

When I entered I saw the swami just laying down on the floor of the hall with his dirty upper cloth crumbled up and placed under his head in the same spot I had seen him laying in before. There was also the walking stick nearby him and a bunch of brown powder spread all around him on the floor. Here again some men were standing around him with folded hands and others falling flat on the floor in full namaskar. That swami wanted to be undisturbed. Suddenly he got half way up from his sleeping position supporting his upper body with his right hand, swung his left arm trying to chase devotees away and started shouting, Hey! with a loud and gruff voice. A couple of men got scared and ran away. The other men slowly also left the hall. I stayed. He laid down again and perhaps wanted to sleep. After a few minutes he got up and left the meditation hall.

My mind was on that swami and restless. So I also got up. I went to check out the brown powder. There were a few unopened packs of it. It was tobacco snuff. I left the hall and went back to the front ashram gate. On my way I saw the swami coming my way and passing. He was about 60 years old but had a gait and walking speed of a younger man. He carried the walking stick and did not use it. I looked at his eyes but could not really see anything; his eyebrows being pretty bushy. Perhaps a free bird, no longer conditioned by society. Who would know…

Another Visit at the Sheshadri Ashram

Parking my slippers near the ashram entrance I turned around to go to Sheshadri’s samadhi shrine when I almost got run over by a rickshaw that had entered the ashram premises. Alert, I quickly took a step back and all was ok. The person in the back of the rickshaw was Mouku Podi Swami going to the meditation hall in the back.

Later I walked over to see if the swami was there but he had gone somewhere else. On the floor was a new dhoti of green color that was folded up nicely. On top of it was the walking stick of Mouku Podi Swami. I stayed for a little while but the swami did not return.

A few days later there was music playing in the ashram and it felt like a festive mood. On inquiry I found out that it was in honor of Lord Venkateshwara. The next day his wedding ceremony was going to happen, but on this day chanting and other activities were going on. More people were at the ashram, mostly Indian people.

In the Meditation Hall

I went to the meditation hall. From the outside I could see that people were sitting on the floor facing the swami. I entered. There were about ten people gathered around the swami who had laid down on the hard tiled floor. I walked over to the group and stood behind a woman who after a couple of minutes left with her family. I sat down in her spot and looked around. The green dhoti from a few days ago was still laying untouched on the floor. A second walking stick had found its home on the cloth. Some tobacco snuff sachets were on top of the dhoti. Snuff powder was spread in front of the swami. Everyone was looking at the swami who continuously pulled and stroked his hair and his beard. At times he would cough and make grunting noises. His eyes were closed.

I sat in meditation with closed eyes but once in a while peaked to see what was going on. After what seemed 10 minutes or so, the ashram guard shouted closing time into the hall. People got up and left. I thought that the guard should not disturb my meditation as I wanted to sit longer. And he actually did not do so but he locked the door from the outside. I was wondering if he was going to stay outside or leave and let me sit in the hall for the next three hours. The hall is usually closed this long before it is reopened for the evening.

A friend of mine who has made her home in Tiruvannamalai told me that she might have met the swami a few years back when he staid at a hotel on the north side of the Arunachala Mountain. A friend of hers knew about the swami too and had mentioned that there is a possibility he may be enlightened, but again, who would know. Unless we are ourselves in such high state we will not recognize others who are. And I was told that the swami seems to be very popular among the Tamil population. Reason why is, that he fulfills devotees prayers.

While going back into concentrated meditation I was thinking of what my friend had told me. I silently prayed for improvement of my health. I did not know if he by chance would speak any English; no one had spoken to him this far anyways. Verbal communication is not needed in communication with a highly evolved being.

I started to focus on my body from the inside. After some time I felt energy moving about in my chest, the area that I had requested healing for. Feeling this I expanded my prayer saying to myself, why limit myself and not just ask for healing of all of the body. So I silently did. After some time the energy moved in different parts of the body which I am usually not aware of during meditation. I watched the energy for about an hour or so while the swami was still pulling the hair on his head and beard, and was coughing. I noticed that I was sitting unusually steady like a rock, like Arunachala perhaps apart from the occasional movements of my arms chasing those flies away who loved pestering me. My upper body was motionless, even my legs did not fall asleep neither did my hip and knee hurt, obstructions that easily happen during my meditations. I was surprised I did not have to adjust my body at all during the last one hour. Meditation experiences change while sitting in the presence of a highly evolved being. This experience was enough for me to belief that Mouku Podi Swami is not an ordinary swami.

I eventually got up and pranamed in front of the swami who now had moved from his right side to the back turning over to the left side of his body. I felt it was time to leave. The door was locked. Looking out through the window I noticed some people waiting outside. I got their attention and someone unlocked the door from the outside for me. I left and carried on with my morning routine.

Last Visit to Meet Mouku Podi Swami

Today I went to the Sheshadri Ashram again to look for the Swami. I found his new green dhoti cloth, his walking stick and a few sachets of snuff powder all on the window ledge. The swami was no where to be seen. I enquired at the book store and was told that Mouku Podi Swami had left for Trichi, a place 3 hours south from Tiruvannamalai.

Only now that I am ready to post about him here I did a little research and found out that he is a siddhar. Blessing in disguise to have been around him for a little bit; you would not know seeing him.

UDPATE

Maha Samadhi of Mouku Podi Swami

In December 2018 Mouku Podi Swami fell while walking. Nine days later he left his body and took Maha Samadhi. There now is a samadhi shrine near Vayu Lingam along Girivalam Road around Arunachala. I am glad I met him. He was wild, unique, eccentric perhaps, and completely opposite in dress and behavior to other enlightened beings I have met in India. Namaste!