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In recounting my travels in the West for the benefit of those who wish
to undertake a similar pilgrimage to the Meru, I shall avoid the many
little details incidental to the voyage as they have become so familiar
after repeated descriptions by the many people who visit Europe now-a-days.
My mission was to the North Cape and I arranged my itinerary so as to touch
most of the principal University towns en route in order to observe the
study of Sanskrit in the various centres.
I sailed by S.S.Victoria, a fast Italian steamer from Bombay and covered
the 1659 miles to Aden in 4 days. After a halt of a few hours there, we
resumed our voyage in the Red Sea and reached Port Suez, a distance of 1100
miles from Aden in 3 ½ days. The Suez Canal, a great work by the French
Engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, about 99 miles long, connects the Red Sea
with the Mediterannean. At the other end of the canal is Port Said. Some of
us, ????, alighted to visit the Pyramids and the relics from the Pharaoh’s
tombs in the Cairo museum. Our party was led by the Ex-King
Alphonso (Alfonso
XIII, 1886-1931) of Spain who seemed ever cheerful and obliging.
From Port Said we entered the Mediterannean, racing Northwest for
another 1118 miles for 3 ½ days and reached Naples. We were at sea for 13
days in all. From Naples, I went to the top of the Vesuvius by motor and
rope-ways(18 miles) and obtained a most magnificent view of the bay and the
small towns around. The burning mountain itself is an unforgettable sight,
as it emits sulphurous smoke and lava. My next visit was to Pompeii, (25
miles) an ancient Roman town destroyed in 79 A.D., by a most disastrous
eruption of the volcano and buried under the earth. The town with 176
streets bears clear evidence of the Greek and Roman civilizations with all
their activities, vices and virtues.
From Naples to Rome is about four hours’ run, the distance being 120
miles. The beautiful country around resembles to a great extent Mysore.
Rome reverbrates with the name of Mussolini. Everything, even the walls and
stone reflect the personality of the great dictator. Rome was the capital
and the centre of the Roman civilisation. In those days many Indian
scholars visited those distant countries to study astrology and astronomy.
They refer in their books to Romakacharyas and Romakasiddhantas. I had a
special audience of the Pope, the real and
unqualified Jagadguru. The Vatican library and collection of pictures by
the masters like Michael Angelo are probably the finest in the world. The
collection accumulated through centuries from various parts of th eworld,
is priceless. The precious stones and jewels presented to the Pope by various
crowned heads of Europe surpass all other wealth in the world.
Before I left Rome I went to visit Lake Nimi, a few miles away, where
are found the historic boats of the Roman times. In the University there is
no collection of Sanskrit manuscripts. From Rome I went to Milan, 10 hours’
of journey of about 250 miles. And from Milan I crossed to Switzerland
through the Simplon tunnel, (eight hours’ journey of about 200 miles) the
longest tunnel in the world, being about 12 ½ miles long. The Swiss scenery
with its mountains and gorges, all snowed up for the most part of the year,
reminds one of Kashmir and the Himalayas. But the Alpine mounts being of
less altitude than the Himalayan ranges have a very healthy climate. The
air is not rarified. From Lausanne in Switzerland, I travelled to Paris,
about 250 miles distance, in eight hours’ time. The country with numerous
canals and water-ways resembles Kashmir.
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