Finding Nimu
Gurudeva gave us the Shum word nimu to describe "a devotee, a peaceful person." Nimu is also an African Grey parrot, recently gifted to the monastery and welcomed by all the monks. This is perhaps the smartest parrot of them all, the one that speaks meaningfully and contextually. Check out this YouTube video to see how smart they are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGOgs_UlEc
Our Nimu is just 3-4 months old, still a fledgling, a baby (he hatched around the same time Iraivan Temple was consecrated). He lives in the Media Studio, and will soon have a larger aviary as well. He attends all of the morning meetings of the Ganapati Kulam and we find him an adorable member of the team.
Three days ago, he said his first word: "Nimu!" However, You can imagine our worry when just a few hours later, he was on Tillainathaswami's shoulder taking his regular walk between our buildings when he was startled by an electric vehicle. Nimu has trimmed flight feathers (a law for large birds in Hawaii), but off he flew! Right, he was not supposed to fly; he was a baby who has never flown, and his flight feathers wouldn't fully regrow for another year, but fly he did. Off he went hundreds of feet into the wilderness. A 10-monk search team (complete with a drone) failed to find him, and we thought him lost. It is extremely rare for a baby bird unfamiliar with an area to be able to navigate well enough to return, or even survive at all.
The next day, after prayers in the temple and a special outreach to Detaza (the deva who can find anything), a small miracle occurred when a clumsy-looking, chubby bird was seen passing overhead. Upon calling his name, he would squeak back. We did this over and over until we found him, up some 100 feet in a tree. Since he doesn't really know how to fly yet, he doesn't know how to descend. All he could do is go from tree to tree, trying to get a little lower each time. After lots of coaxing, he gained the courage to fly to a lower tree, a palm tree, another lower tree, another palm tree, and then finally dropped into Tillainathaswami's arms (see video of this moment).
Traumatized by a night alone in the rain and darkness, and tremendously hungry, he gulped down his grain/seed slurry, getting half of it inside and half of it on his feathered body. So a warm shower ensued, and lots of "welcome back" with a little party for the monks to celebrate his return. This morning, Nimu was back at the morning meeting, seeming to appreciate it more than ever. We certainly appreciated him more than ever.
The moment Nimu makes it back after a day of being lost:
15 Responses to “Finding Nimu”
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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July 22nd, 2023 at 11:19 pm
Welcome Home, Nimu ..
July 23rd, 2023 at 3:28 am
Welcome back Nimu! Stay safe and sound now!
July 23rd, 2023 at 5:14 am
Very cute bird…love it!
July 23rd, 2023 at 6:11 am
So cute ! Welcome back animus. Aum Namasivayam 🙏🙏🙏
July 23rd, 2023 at 6:12 am
It’s typo mistake instead of Nimu
July 23rd, 2023 at 9:33 am
To make this story, this “miracle” even more amazing is that the day Nimu was startled and took flight there was a tropical storm hitting the big island of Hawaii. There were guests and updrafts in the 25 to 35 mph range hitting the island of Kauai. Flying is not a problem, even for a baby parrot – just spread your wings and you are up, up, and a way – soaring @ 25 to 35 miles an hour. That made the situation much worse. While standing on an outlook close to the Addheenam and seeing an almost endless forest canopy stretching out for miles – it wasn’t hard to feel a sense of hopelessness and dread at the end of the first search day. Then the next day, sure enough, more gusty winds – Monks are good at detachment but it was hard for mere mortals not to feel the pain all day imagining Nemu’s distress. We had a Cockatoo living in the forest beside us for a number of years in the wild, but he was fully matured, and aggressive enough to find papaya fields and banana orchards. We didn’t give Nimu much of a chance at survival. It was an “Am I dreaming” reaction when we got the exhilarating news of Nimu’s return. Confirmation of the mighty Devas around Kauai Aadheenam who hide in the trees!
July 23rd, 2023 at 9:44 am
A miracle indeed! parrots don’t have that sense of direction like dogs and most all that accidentally get out are not found…. ( in addition he is a baby)…. it was all your prayers and intentions that brought him back,,, the devas immediate reply to all of you pure high souls brought him home and I am so so happy for him and for all of you.
( To be able to find such a young parrot in the “jungle” and him gone overnight……. wow….. a miracle, a true true miracle….. such a happy ending … and seeing the video of him dropping down into swamis arms brought tears to my eyes and filled my heart w joy!
African grays are smart….. but this return was something unheard of and shows us once again how powerful the inner plane beings are and of course having all the monks praying and intention set had so so much to do with his return.
Beautiful ending to a scary 24 hours of not knowing where that sweet baby was……. thank you for sharing….. he is a lucky boy to live with all of you!!!so so so glad he is HOME!
July 23rd, 2023 at 10:14 am
From The Lemurian Scrolls
Devonic Races Within Birds And Mammals
27 ¶Some birds are a race of devas that will never incarnate into anything other than birds. All egg-laying creatures are devas and stay in the inner world of this planet. This would include turtles, snakes, fish, lizards and birds. The large mammals of the water, however, that give birth will
eventually take human birth. Most all of Lemuria will be under vast bodies of liquid during the Kali Yuga, protected by various kinds of these mammals swimming within it, they say.
also, in another section, it says:
All through the Dvapara Yuga, devas of the inner worlds served and helped the inhabitants of this planet through birds. If one were ill, he could go into the forest and by concentrating and riding awareness in on the tones of singing birds, the physical body would be healed.
July 23rd, 2023 at 10:19 am
I would like to hear the story of “Finding Patanjali”, the Macaw who escaped years ago.
July 23rd, 2023 at 7:55 pm
All’s well that ends well. The love shown to him by the Monks (magnet) pulled him back to the sacred Monastery. Welcome back Nimu.
July 24th, 2023 at 1:28 am
“AUM”!.
July 24th, 2023 at 11:28 am
: ) aum aum
July 24th, 2023 at 2:46 pm
Thank you Detaza for helping Nimu find his way home!
July 24th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
Perhaps Paramacharya Palaniswami will be inspired to tell the story of another monastery parrot named Patanjali, and his helicopter rescue. Om.
July 25th, 2023 at 2:39 am
Miraculous! Jai Gurudeva & thank you Detaza