The Devi (Goddess) at the temple functions as the mother of Ramana and Skanda and the mother of all true seekers. The great Shiva linga, similarly, is like Ramana’s father. The deities in the temple came alive as the parents of Lord Skanda, who was not only Ramana, but also my own inner child of immortality. I felt the strongest energy and unfoldment in the Mother temple. The story of the birth of the Goddess Uma, her tapas in the Himalayas, her marriage with Lord Shiva, and the birth of Lord Skanda began to unfold in my meditations as a symbol of the process of Self-realization. The myth became real, while our human lives became mere shadows. The realms of these deities (Devalokas) emerged as states of meditation or planes of awareness.

One day at the temple I decided to purchase a statue to take back home for my altar. I found a small statue of Lord Skanda that I bought and put into my nap sack. One of the Brahmin priests in the temple noted my acquisition and asked for the statue, which I gave to him. He took my hand and led me through the temple, doing the puja to the main deities. He started with the Devi temple and then to the Shiva linga and finally to the Skanda temple. My statue was placed on all these murtis and was consecrated as part of the pujas. It was as if I myself was reborn as Skanda during these rites.