First Sight

I saw Arunachala for the first time on Nov 23, 2008. After a few hours drive from Chennai, my cousins and I could make out a form of a hill in the distant. We immediately stopped our car and made salutations to it. However when we rechecked it with our binoculars we found to our dismay that it was not Arunachala. We continued for some time whence suddenly the great Hill could be seen with the temple towers in the far distance. It was covered with a rain cloud. Only the portion of it from base to the middle could be seen. We made our heartfelt salutations to it. We continued into the town with the Hill growing larger every mile we crossed. We got down into Nannagaru ashram from where the Hill looked magnificent and mind numbingly infinite.
That night I slowly crept to the terrace of Nannagaru ashram to spend some time with Arunachala. But seeing the overpowering infinite form of the Hill with a magnificent cloud hugging its peak, my knees shivered in fright and my spine gave way unknown power, prostrating before an unknown Power which was emanating from the Hill.
After that everytime I think of Arunachala...the first time I saw it and more so whence I saw it from the terrace of Nannagaru Asramam in the night, all alone...I shiver.