*“Ashram”*

Keeping the thought of the ashram in mind, we set out on our journey — a pilgrimage on foot from Rishikesh to Kedarnath. It was the second day of the journey. The place was Shivpuri, a little beyond Rishikesh. We had been walking since five in the morning. As we walked along one side of the road, on the other side a few little puppies were playing.

Suddenly, one of them — a tiny little one — ran across to me, and came straight to me as if he had known me for ages! And this was nothing new. Till today, in every journey I’ve taken, these little companions of mine — small children or young animals — always come running to greet me. Many times, they’ve even accompanied me as far as Shrikhand Kailash!

*“Ashram”*

Now that place too had begun to feel like an ashram. Only one thought was repeating in my mind — a miracle will happen, and the land will come to us!

And that is exactly what happened.

The owner called and asked if we could come to his office. We went to meet him there, and he said he wanted to sell the land!

My eyes opened wide with joy — and the very next moment, my heart sank in fear: How will this happen?

In my heart I wished for it to become ours, but it seemed impossible.

We spoke with him. He said there were already some people interested in buying that land.

I asked, “But you weren’t planning to sell it — why such a sudden decision?”

*“Ashram”*

Then in Dharamkot too, we got a house and some land on lease. The next day, we went there and saw the place carefully. The house looked like an old, ruined structure! Cleaning it itself was the biggest task.

We started the cleaning work. The house was beautiful—made entirely of stone. We thought of constructing a hall on its roof. We made a plan and, according to that, within just a few months, the place turned beautiful. After cleaning and building the hall, the place became so beautiful that my heart was filled with peace. One part of me felt happy, and on the other side I kept thinking, “This place is only with us for a few years.”

*“Ashram”*

With God’s will guiding me forward, I continued my journey. I began searching in the mountains, and while searching, I found an old house for rent in a beautiful village called Dharamkot, near Dharamshala. There was a lot of empty land around it. The condition of the house was extremely bad. Tall trees surrounded it, and the house was buried inside thick bushes. From the outside it looked like if someone opened the door, the whole house might collapse. But that wasn’t true. The entire house was built of stone, and it hadn’t been opened for many years. The owners of the place hadn’t even visited it for a long time. Because of the rain and lack of care, its condition had become like this.