WALKING WITH LIONS

Saturday, April 11th 2026

Casela, Mauritius

“They like to be pulled by their tails,” explained the lion trainer, “and make sure you smile.”

It had been a wish come true. There is this place called Casela where you walk with lions on the island of Mauritius. It is fascinating. There are two of them, a boy and a girl, only one year old, but they’re huge. You walk with them. They then lie down on their jungle trail and you pet them, pat them or do both. I decided to sing a song to these beauty beasts of an African species. The song is “Namaste Narasinghaya”. Translation: My respects go to the great lion avatar.

It was probably the first time Stephen the interpreter and trainer had heard a Sanskrit song and also the dozen others from Korea, Russia, Switzerland who were somewhat touched by the song of the lion incarnation. But I was trying to serenade the two big cats right to either side of me. They liked it. They didn’t meow, but growled a bit after.

These massive cats have names. The girl’s name is Ruru, and I remember it only because it is a name that appears in the book Bhagavatam. The boy’s name I just can’t remember, but it has three or four syllables. They were sweet. I developed a greater appreciation for the feline creatures. My kudos to the Creator.

The end of the day became an opportunity to tell two hundred devotees at Belle Mara beach where I proceeded to tell of my recent walking adventures and how I had lions to walk with today. 

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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