Well, I must admit: I spent most of the day lounged in bed and catching up on personal items. I enjoyed my new room after the lack of sleep. At about four I headed out for a walk and come what may.

My direction took me along the same path I walked a few months earlier with some Wheels of Awakening friends to the “Beatles Ashram.” When I got to Parmarth Aarti Sthal, I took my shoes off and bowed to the large figure of Hanuman, noticing that the river flowed much lower than just a few months ago during the monsoons. Moving to a railing, I saw a large crowd gathered below the white marble statue of Lord Shiva meditating and rising up from the river, and opposite him, worshipers seated on the step and gathered around the entire area. This had all been under water during my first visit as the monsoon rains swelled the river and rushed past at incredible speed. And now what a sight!

I moved down the stairs to the right and followed a walkway out to the statue of Lord Shiva perched on an island. What a colorful, mesmerizing sight before my eyes! Many worshipers from Parmarth Niketan Ashram sat on the stairs around H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati and his disciple and international director of the ashram, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, whose book I finished about a month ago called, Hollywood in the Himalayas — as Tom B. Recommended I read as it related to my journey now. I was thrilled to see her here. She left Stanford as a graduate student on a spiritual pilgrimage of healing and awakening, and here she was decades later, speaking to the crowd with a tender and loving tone.

I enjoyed the walk back along the river in the moonlight. Sadhus, clad in ochre robes with long hair tied up in knots and beads hanging about their necks, spread blankets on the ground or on benches, preparing for the night. Cows lounged on the walkway or meandered past. Couples sat near the water, and families returned home from Aarti. Rishikesh shone in such spiritual splendor, touching my heart deeply. I was so happy to be here.