Dear friends, today is Krishna Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. Those of you who are not aware may know that I took a long break from writing regular posts on this blog in order to go to Mt. Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in the Himalayas. I today resume posting new articles in a new segment titled’ LIFE SACRED’ on this auspicious day. Like before, I humbly dedicate all my posts to His Holiness Shri Mahavatar Babaji in this segment ‘C’ and ask Him to bless all those people who are striving and also for those who wish to be initiated in spirituality with a serious mind and intention. The following topics are going to be grave in nature and one should reflect and ponder on the underlying philosophy and thought to make his life beautiful and sacred. Whatever is sacred is beautiful. If we make our life sacred, it is beautiful. Hence Babaji gave me this title so that we make our lives sacred.
To make it sacred, we must strive to do penance or tapasya by which we are prepared and happily agree to undergo hardships and discomforts in order to gain spiritual wisdom and enlightenment. More on this in future articles.
There are many people in this world who do not know why they are born and why they have come here. When such questions are never asked in moments of silence and stillness, the purpose of living is lost. We all, barring a few, live in a fool’s paradise because we believe or understand that we are going to live here permanently and that life is never going to be different from what it is at present. If one understands that there is a purpose, a mission in living this life, the clarity about why are we living is born in our psyche. So the first basic question now should be-Is there any mission in my life? Do I have a vision for my future? If not then please have one.
A memorable journey to holy Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar in the Himalayas was undertaken with a deep sense of purpose and mission by me recently. It was to accomplish something that was never imagined by me even once before- to climb, trek and live in the Himalayas at altitudes much above 16,000 feet above sea level. And also to climb such impossible heights, roam in wilderness and no man’s land and to meditate in solitude. Though I could not meditate there because most of the time we were either traveling or I was all the time surrounded by people. But nonetheless from time to time I either took some time off from people or switched off my mind to enable me to connect with my inner source of Light.
Just a few fleeting moments were enough to fill up my body, mind and senses with immense enchantment and fruitful realizations. It is impossible to blog the entire spiritual voyage with personal experiences but I can surely jot down some of the everlasting, vivid recollections and sweet memoirs of the blessed moments that I had there. But before we really begin on a new journey called’ life sacred’, let me first give you an idea and a glimpse of the most sacred mountain and the most mystic, serene and vast lake that I have ever seen.
Holy Mountain Kailash. Sacred and beautiful. Does it not remind you of Lord Shiva with his third eye?
They say that even if you look at the picture of the Kailash mountain with reverence, your sins are washed away. I have been quite close to the revered mountain and felt the vibrations of its sanctity and purity. This is what gives it the power and magic to pull so many people to risk their lives by coming to the land of the most difficult pilgrimage on the earth.
Lake mansarovar, so enchanting and beautiful. Take a dip in the sacred waters of purity and sanctity!!
The following posts are not going to be a travelogue in the true sense but I wish to document my spiritual journey or yatra in a different manner. I will draw parallels between my travel on the physical plane with that of my trip to spiritual plane. I wish to make this comparison very simple in nature and explanation as it is related to our life. I will put down my sacred and metaphysical learning for other devotees and spiritual learners so that they can make a journey inside- a journey deep inside the cave of the heart.
I will enter 3 posts every month on 10th, 20th & 30th. Feel free to send me your queries or responses through e- mails or as comments on the blog.
Replicating my comment from the article “How to go on a pilgrimage”.
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Dear Ma,
Humble Pranams. Please accept my sincere apologies for not being able to write my experience on the holy pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar for the past few weeks. I hope this narration inspires others to make this journey a new possibility in their lives.
Until three years ago, I used to think of Kailash as a mystical and inaccessible space where Lord Shiva resides. When I became aware that it can actually be visited, a deep curiosity filled in me and I read about the mysticism behind the mountain. It still appeared to be an unattainable dream because of the time and costs involved. Little did I knew, that I was in the process of becoming a little more receptive to the abundant energies and possibility that this holy place has to offer. When the right time came, everything fell into place this August, 2016.
I was lucky to be part of a well-organized group where I did not have to think about any transport, food and accommodation issues. The best facilities were provided to the yatri’s most of whom were spiritual meditators. I was humbled by the service provided by the Sherpas (Nepali high altitude helpers) all along the way. In a climate where we could hardly breathe, they were running around with our luggage, and preparing our food before our arrival to each place in time and yet maintaining a cheerful demeanor all the time. I truly owe the success of this Yatra to them and all the facilitators behind this expedition.
We started from Kathmandu to Lhassa by air, and then travelled for 3 full days by road to reach Mansarovar lake. Three days of road journey was a lot of time to contemplate and absorb the natural beauty of Tibet which was turned more and more blissful as we progressed. The landscape transformed from dry Ladakh kind of scenery to lush green land with snowy hill tops. If there is anything that is close to describing heaven on earth, this is the place. Even though I had previously travelled in the upper Himalayan regions, I have never seen such divine beauty. The greens, blues and everything in between had a different hue in that region. The air was absolutely pure. There was hardly any signs of inhabitation for hundreds of kilometers and the entire area was virgin barring the newly built road on which we rode. Looking at the scenery itself was a preparation for me as it humbled me even further to see how nature can surprise us and to which extent and variety. As we progressed the air became thinner and temperature cooler. Doctors were constantly monitoring oxygen levels and a feeling of excitement was setting in. Many measures were taken to avoid altitude sickness.
Upon touching Mansarovar at 4300m the caravan halted to take a break and absorb the place as well. It was a point from where Mt. Kailash was soaring high above the rest of the ranges, with all might, quite ahead of us. Lake Mansarovar was on left. Since it had been raining, a beautiful rainbow welcomed us from the right. This was the beginning of the series of breathtaking sights our senses would imbibe over the next 4 days. Accommodation in the higher regions of Tibet were very basic and without toilets. I highly appreciated this because a pilgrimage in the mountains is supposed to make us go through hardships and break our mental barriers so that we forget our ego’s that we built back in the cities. We are still very lucky to have so much more convenience in traversing the highest region of the world than ancient times. It is also necessary to maintain the beauty and keep the holy land unpolluted.
The sight of the lake inspires infinite stillness. One can spend hours on its banks just gazing or meditating. There was some mention of celestial and other worldly beings present in the lake and few people also spotted mysterious lights at night. Without any such experience, I was awestruck and mesmerized by the lake. I climbed up to a small hilltop monastery nearby and the sight that I saw was forever printed in my mindscape. The surface of turquoise colored lake water, surrounded by snow clad round shaped mountains on one side, Mt. Kailash and its surrounding range on the other, heavy clouds dropping rain in one area, Rakshas Tal (the counterpart lake of Mansarovar) on the back with a setting sun and a rising moon! I could not have imagined such a sight until I saw one. This region is 360 degrees open with dozens of kilometers of visibility in the atmosphere. Thus such magnificent views are available for us to experience and imbibe.
I was humbled even more by the love of the helping team which gave us hot drinks and food in the coldest of weather. The nature which made me gaze continuously in silence no matter how many times I look at the same scenery. The tranquility of the place which was ideal for my soul to flower and the grace of the countless Guru’s and Shiva himself which had given us this opportunity to experience something which could take us lifetimes if we were not at their mercy.
The trek to Mount Kailash started on the outer parikrama from a small temple called Yamadwar. From there, the south face of the holy mountain gleamed at us in the morning sun. We had opted for porters as walking in that altitude itself was difficult, let alone carrying our bags. I did not interact with anyone on the trek and kept chanting Shiva-Shambho to be in the lap of grace. 5-6 hours of walking induced tiredness. The mountain weather is ever changing. From being sunny and hot and it can suddenly become misty and cold. When I reached the camp-site, it had started raining. Rain gear and protection from cold (from head to toe) is very important on this trek. Many of the pilgrims were still on the way and had been caught up in rain. Despite my tiredness, I wanted to do serve the incoming pilgrims with tea. Helped the medical team in setting up beds and attending to patients as many people had fallen short of oxygen and became sick on the way due to cold and rain. A few hours of volunteering continued and I realized I was still enthusiastic about going out towards Kailash which appears as if I can stretch my arms and touch it’s feet, but was actually residing a few kilometers deep inside the inner parikrama. I had completely forgotten about my tired body and headache. Such is the grace of the lord, that when I submit myself to serving others, my wellbeing is automatically taken care of! The night sky in the area was full of stars decorated as silver-white specks, big and small, countless in numbers and made the whole area illuminated with their light. It felt as if the whole universe is present and pouring their blessings in that sacred site. Such a sky is never visible in low lands and polluted air. It was worth strolling for this heavenly feet even at minus 10 degrees. In the dark I sat for some time, on a rock facing Kailash, adorned with a silver blanket, lit by the crescent moon and stars. Gusting of extremely cold winds and a distant pony-bell was the only sound I heard for a long time.
Was I able to imbibe and absorb even a tiny bit of spiritual and mystical knowledge and make any tangible changes in my life, I honestly do not know until now. In my experience, I had merged with Kailash for a few moments. At the end of the return trek, when I turned and looked back at the mountain for the last time, I had no prayers but only tears. Tears of gratitude for calling me all the way to the most revered space for redemption by all sages and seers. From a sundry life that I lead to the abode of the enlightened where very few have trespassed. For letting me experience its majesty, its beauty and its grandeur. For showering me with blessings which I might not realize in years or lives to come.
Om Namah Shivaya
Below is a link to Google drive where I have uploaded select pictures of the Kailash Mansarovar yatra. Pranam.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5VXvhcKhrHdazRCaXdhUlBOMXM?usp=sharing
Glad to read your experience Pulkit. You have written so artistically that it intimidates me to go to Kailash and Mansarover ASAP.