Paul Brunton (PB), thinking of a refreshing cup of tea, stepped through the doorway of his adobe hut out in the scrub brush near the sacred hill of Arunachala, South India. As if in slow motion he watched his foot come down inches from the flushed hood of a cobra. Neither panicked. But they both froze, Brunton’s brown eyes locked into the pure onyx eyes of the reptile. Brunton was a mystic adventurer / writer from Britain, whose masters included an American spiritualist, an Englishman Buddhist abbot, a Hindu aristocrat, and now Ramana Maharshi, the stratospheric sage of Arunachala. The cobra was a symbol of the mystic power of kundalini. However, that wasn’t what Brunton was thinking about as he broke off the frightening communion with the cobra and back stepped awkwardly into the brush. An advanced disciple of Maharishi came along and actually petted the cobra, before it slithered off.

This scene is from Brunton’s A Search in Secret India, the page-turning chronicle of Brunton’s scouring of India for yogis with supernatural abilities or presences.

It is endearing to read these golden lines from Paul Brunton:

“Two of these sages have made the most profound impression on me: one is the Maharishee of Arunachala, who has crossed the threshold of death; the other is Shri Shankara Acharya of Kanchi,* who is the spiritual leader of South India. He is widely respected by all those whom I consider competent to evaluate the spiritual attainment of a man, and he is, of all of India’s living holy men, by far the most enlightened”

*Excerpted from Paul Brunton’s A Search in Secret India, c. Kenneth Thurston Hurst, 1985 (New York, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1989)

Reading all these and hearing few interviews where references were made about Paul Brunton and his followers, a quest began to look for the disciples of PB who had met Sri Maha Periyava…

The quest made us land in Wisdom’s Goldenrod (a very beautiful place near in the banks of Seneca Lake, NY) without knowing what to expect… The doors opened and this is what we saw:

Maha Periyava in the Entry way at Wisdom’s Goldenrod

The first sight as we looked inside made us feel the presence of Maha Periyava…

Wisdom’s Goldenrod is a center for philosophic studies founded by Anthony Damiani (the disciple of Paul Brunton)… Anthony had few hundred followers and many of them have had the darshan of Maha Periyava… Our journey in search of them left us dumbfounded with what they had to say…

A hearty thanks to Sri Umesh Sadasivam who made our visit extra special by accepting our request and doing a painting of Maha Periyava & PB in a very short time…

Umesh’s Painting of Maha Periyava & Paul Brunton

Umesh’s painting adorns Wisdom’s Goldenrod now !

Umesh’s Painting Of Sri Maha Periyava & Paul Brunton in Wisdom’s Goldenrod

The hospitality of the people at Wisdom’s Goldenrod made us speechless… The sight of Maha Periyava in nook & corner of this place made us extend our stay from 2 days to 4 days to capture all the treasures that they had share with us !!!

-To Be Continued…