Virtual Yatra to Himalayas (Part 7)

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font-weight:bold">Sai Ram Brothers and Sisters

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font-weight:bold">This is the “Part 7” (last part) of the Virtual

Yatra to Himalayas series …….

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font-weight:bold">INACCESSACIBILITY OF HIMALAYAS

In

Bhagavad-Gita under the Chapter Vibuthi Yoga, Krishna

proclaims His identity with the best and

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the most exalted of

all the sentient and the insentient beings in creation. He identifies Himself

only with the best, the foremost and the highest of various beings, both

animate and inanimate. He says

color:navy">"I am the Himalayas among the mountains, the Ganges

among the rivers, Vasudeva among the Yadavas,

………………” By this statement Krishna

exhibits the greatness of Himalayas and the Ganges.

Why

the Lord of Lords has made such sacred abode of His being inaccessible to His

loving devotees? Answer is – “It’s His way of teaching

the way of liberation”

color:#333399">In Hinduism to make the arduous pilgrimage to Kailash and have

the darshan of the sacred abode is to attain release from the clutches of

ignorance and delusion. The yatra to Kailash is very demanding and thus

indicates so is the path to liberation in life. Being released from the said

clutches is the tedious task in anybody’s life and the Supreme thus

symbolises this fact perfectly.

none">Even Uma the

consort of Lord Shiva didn’t escape from this rigorous test. She

color:#003300"> underwent extreme austerities and subjected herself (that is to

say, her ego-consciousness) to sun and rain, cold and hunger, and thus

transformed herself. Finally, Easwara (Shiva) accepted her as half of Himself!

This is the stage in spiritual advance called

color:#003300">Saayujya (Mergence). This is same as

color:#003300;font-style:italic">Moksha and

Mukthi

color:#003300">, liberation and release.

none">

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color:#333399">For Tibetans, pilgrimage refers to the journey from ignorance to

enlightenment, from self-centeredness and materialistic preoccupations to a

deep sense of the relativity and interconnectedness of all life. The Tibetan

word for pilgrimage, “neykhor”,

means "to circle around a sacred place," for the goal of pilgrimage

is less to reach a particular destination than to transcend through inspired

travel the attachments and habits of inattention that restrict awareness of a

larger reality........

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color:#333399">In Buddhism, by travelling to sacred sites, people are brought

into living contact with the icons and energies of Buddhism. The sacred sites

themselves, through their geological features and the narratives of

transformation attached to them, continually remind pilgrims of the liberating

power of the Buddhist tradition.

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color:blue">In this logical(!) world there are quite a lot of arguments about

whether people should undertake pilgrimages to sacred places like Himalayas or

not. Many say “yes” but a lot

say “no” as it’s wastage of money, time and effort is their

argument. We’ll leave the debate of this to others and listen to what

Swami says about “pilgrimage” in His own words!!

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“People may

say that pilgrimages are a waste of time and money; but let Me tell you that it

is the best way of spending time and money, provided one has real devotion.

Bhakthi is no sign of weakness; it is a sign of courage, of wisdom, of

discrimination; it alone can give soukhyam and shaanthi (happiness and peace).

Every one has one day or other to fall in line with you, for every one is

terribly anxious to get these two. They try, in their ignorance or excitement,

various other remedies, but this remedy alone can cure them.”

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#003300">

font-weight:bold;font-style:italic">Discourse delivered at Prashaanthi Nilaya

on, 4-7-1961 (From the Sathya Sai Speaks, volume 02- Chapter 11)

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font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">As Swami says most of us, if not all of

us would like to take a holy pilgrimage to the most scared place on Earth

– “the staircase from which the Gods descended to earth”

– the Himalayas. But unfortunately it

may not be possible for many of us due to various reasons as health issues,

financial difficulties, etc, etc. In such case what could we do? Worry about

our inabilities!!! Not at all! Instead we’ll ask Swami to explain in His

own words to soothe our hearts!!

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text-autospace:none">“Truly,

all Kshethras (places of pilgrimage) and all Yaathras (pilgrimages) are in

yourself. You are ever on a pilgrimage, though you might not have taken a step

forward towards Badhri or Kaashi.”

font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#003300">

font-weight:bold;font-style:italic">Discourse delivered at Prashaanthi Nilayam

on, 4-7-1961 (From the Sathya Sai Speaks, volume 02- Chapter 11)

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color:blue">Thus, irrespective of whether we have the opportunity of making a

yatra to the mighty Himalayas or not, let’s follow Swami’s golden

words on “pilgrimage of life.” which He describes by comparing with

the “pilgrimage to Himalayas”.

 

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color:green">·

color:green">These snowy peaks (of Himalayas)

teach man to be as pure and unblemished as their whiteness.

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color:green">·

color:green">The silence of these valleys is very inspiring; when the heart is

free from agitation, the tongue is dumb and the ear has rest. That is why in

olden times, and even today, Saadhakas (spiritual aspirants) came to these

solitary places and did Thapas (penance).

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color:green">But it is no use searching for silence with a noisy storm raging

inside you. You are where your mind is, not where your body rests.

 

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color:green">·

color:green">The Ganga is born from the foot of

Vishnu and it is sanctified by contact with the head of Shiva. Such stories are

formed to teach that there is no difference between one aspect of God and

another.

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color:green">Carry back with you the silence of these hills,

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color:green">the cool comfort of the Alakanandha,

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color:green">the warm affection of the hot

springs (“Tapta Kundalas”) that gurgle

from the earth here,

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color:green">the spirit of sacrifice which brought sages and saints to this

spot.

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color:green">Like the Ganga rushing towards

the sea from where its waters are derived, the Jeevi (individual soul) must

hurry towards Brahman (supreme spirit) from which it has separated.

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color:green">The Ganga does not allow any

obstacle to stop its course. You too should proceed, as this Alakanandha

proceeds, laughing, rolling, tripping gladly over rock and boulder towards the

goal.

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color:green">Badhri Naaraayana will bless you; For every living being has some

day or other to tread the right path and get merged in the grace of God.

italic">

italic">(Taken from the discourse of Sathya Sai Baba, Badhrinath Temple, 17

June 1961)

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color:navy">Hope, this would have been a blissful consummation of the

“Virtual Yatra to Himalayas” for

all!!!

 

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italic">SOURCES:

font-style:italic">

font-style:italic">Discourse delivered at Prashaanthi Nilaya on, 4-7-1961 (From

the Sathya Sai Speaks, volume 02- Chapter 11)

"TimesNewRoman\,Italic"">

Kelly, Thomas and Carroll Dunham and Ian

Baker; Tibet: Reflections from the Wheel of Life;

Abbeville Press; New York;

1993

Vidya Vahini – Chapter IV

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As reported in an article by Charles Arthur in the

June 8, 1999 edition of The Independent in England

 

Badri Yatra – With Divine to Divinity By Smt

Vijayamma

 

http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/05March01/02_Cover_Story/baba_to_badarinath.htm

"Courier New";color:blue">

 

http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/tibet/mt_kailash.html

www.liveindia.com

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/disappearance_of_the_ganges.htm

 

http://www.visit-himalaya.com/himalayas/birth-of-himalayas.html

 

http://www.cs.albany.edu/~amit/ganges.html

 

http://www.sssbpt.info/summershowers/ss1979/ss1979-30.pdf

 

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font-weight:bold">The End!!!

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font-weight:bold">Sai Ram

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font-weight:bold">Shivathmika

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