PART III
The Sheikh’s Travels in Serendib
Guru (Sheikh) : “ It is over sixty years since I came to Serendib (Sri Lanka). I was at Velli Malai (Silver Mount) at Kataragama for some time. I was at the foot of Velli Malai from the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Nine (1899) for about eighteen years. Thereafter I was at Jailani for about twelve years. I was at the foot of Adam's Peak for about eight years. I was for about four and a half years at the Rock Cave at Nuwera – Eliya where Sita had stayed.
It is now eighteen years since I came to Jaffna in Serendib. Sixty- one years have elapsed since I came to Serendib. Today, the sixty-second year has commenced.
During this period, I have travelled to every nook and corner of the country and every village. I have gained a lot of knowledge and have studied many things. I have toiled here, as I have done never before in my life. I have denied myself proper food, proper clothes, proper rest and proper sleep. I dedicated myself with love and devotion in my search for truth. I have done the work of a coolie (petty labourer) and even tended the sick. (Bawa was a great physician). I have done the work of a barber. I have removed urine and faeces. I have suffered immeasurably as the embodiment of God’s Love and His Compassion in my tireless search for the Aathi, the Primal All – Pervading One.
Kataragama: a jungle shrine in South Sri Lanka.
Jailani: a shrine on a cliff, dedicated to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jailani of Baghdad.
Adam’s Peak: a mountain peak, where the footprint of Aatham is said to be found.
Nuwera – Eliya: a beautiful city in the salubrious hills in Central Sri Lanka.
Sita: the Indian Princess-Consort of Prince Rama, who is said to have been kidnapped by King Ravana of ancient Lanka, and kept a prisoner at the Rock Cave mentioned here.
Jaffna: a city in North Sri Lanka.
Serendib: an ancient name for Sri Lanka.
Today: possibly a date in 1945.