Rishikesh, Planes & Astral-Travelling Brahmacharis Part 1

It was the middle of March.

I had just left Varanasi after an intense Holi experience, and I felt the pull to try something different.

I had two friends from Russia I’d met in Tiru back in January, and Rishikesh had always been on my list.

Now was the time.

I flew from Varanasi to Delhi.

While waiting at the gate, I noticed a girl around my age looking at me. I smiled, and she smiled back.

We got chatting.

She was from France.

I asked if she was headed to Rishikesh — she was.

So I offered to share a taxi from Dehradun airport. We could drop her at her place first, then continue to mine.

Truthfully, I had zero clue how far anything was in Rishikesh — but I’d booked a guesthouse through a contact of my Russian friends.

The only condition was that I had to check in before 10 PM.

We exchanged WhatsApp details and agreed to meet again after the flight.

I boarded the plane and noticed my seatmate immediately.

He was wearing a full bright yellow outfit, with a radiant smile across his face.

As I sat down next to him, I said, “G’day mate, how are ya?”

He smiled and said, “Hi. My English… not good.”

I laughed — “Neither is mine.”

We both cracked up.

He asked where I’d come from.

“Varanasi,” I said.

I asked where he was from.

He said, “Tamil Nadu area.”

“Oh wow,” I said. “I just spent nine weeks in Tiruvannamalai. I’ll be going back there soon.”

His face lit up. "Tiruvannamalai? Why were you there?”

“I’m a devotee of Ramana Maharshi,” I said.

His eyes widened. "I am too!”

Then he started singing a devotional hymn to Ramana right there on the plane.

I joined in. We laughed together, fully open, fully present.

He said, “Ramana brought us together.”

And I had no doubt about that.

He told me he was an Ayurvedic professor and a brahmachari — someone living a life of celibacy and spiritual discipline, devoted to God.

He was on his way to Rishikesh to study the Vedas through a Vedanta program.

His energy was powerful. I realised I was feeling blissed out just sitting next to him.

This man was radiating something — something real.

He pulled out his phone and pointed at the screen.

I thought he wanted my number, so I started giving him my Indian SIM details.

“No, no — birthday, birthday,” he said, smiling.

I told him: 24/7/1992.

He looked at the date for about 10 seconds. Then, without hesitation, he started reading me.

He told me I’d had a tough early life, but things were going to change — they were about to get much better.

He said I should feed birds, especially on Saturdays — it would help clear karmic weight.

I told him I already feed animals whenever I can.

He nodded. “That’s good.”

Then, without saying a word, he slipped a ring off his finger and placed it onto mine.

“This is for you,” he said.

I was stunned. All I could say was, “Thank you.”

He closed his eyes for a few minutes.

Silent. Still. Peaceful.

Then he opened them and said something that sent a jolt through me:

“I just went to Ramana Ashram. They’re singing the Vedas right now. It was so nice.”

I looked at my watch.

It was the exact time the Vedas are sung each evening at the Ashram.

He had left his body and visited the Ashram — astrally.

And I knew he was telling the truth. My heart confirmed it.

I smiled and said, “That’s amazing.”

“Do you have anything else to say to me?” I asked, half-joking.

He just laughed: "That’s all.”

I prayed silently and thanked God for the encounter. Then I leaned back in my chair, completely at ease.

Some part of me was looking forward to seeing my French friend again.

But another part of me knew. that flight was the real arrival.