EIGHTY YEARS OF LOVE IN ACTION IN PICTURES - PART - 8

[Guest guest]

Baba to Badrinath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Baba to Badrinath

There is a distinct qualitative difference between Bhagavan Baba and all the

other spiritual leaders one can think of. Baba himself was once asked about

this, and he replied, “I have descended from the level of God to the level of

man in order to uplift man. Others are humans trying to raise themselves up to

the level of god.” Despite this emphatic declaration, in the olden days,

devotees often used to request Baba to take them on a pilgrimage to holy

places. And the embodiment of compassion that He is, Swami often yielded to

such prayers.

One such historic visit was to the holy shrine of Badrinath, nestling in the

majestic Himalayas, the abode of Lord Shiva, the home of sages, and the

destination of pilgrims through the ages. We turn to the account left by

revered Kasturi, of that trip.

The visit to Badrinath was first mooted by Baba in 1958 at a Bhajan session held

on the sands of the Chitravathi river. He then said that He would take devotees

to the place where He was doing Tapas [penance]. We were wonder-struck because

that was the first time we had ever heard of Tapas associated His Earthly

Career…. I was a bit confused…..

The visit became a certainty in 1961, and plans were ready; devotees who would

accompany Baba had also been selected. Baba greeted them in Madras on 7th June,

and sent them by train to Delhi. He announced then that He would fly to Delhi

the following day and be there to personally receive the party on arrival.

The train reached Delhi about six hours late, but Baba was there, shedding

comfort and consolation with His smile and motherly-attention.

On the following day, the party left for Hardwar, where they were joined by Dr.

B.Ramakrishna Rao, Governor of Uttar Pradesh. He too planned to visit Badrinath

in the company of Bhagavan Baba.

On Sunday, 11th June, on the lovely little lawn behind the Dam Koti Bungalow,

Hardwar, tucked in between the Ganga Canal on one side and the Ganga river on

the other, Baba addressed in the stillness of the night, the group of devotees

He has gathered together for the Badrinath Yatra. He said, “Tomorrow we are

leaving for Badri, a place consecrated by the Tapas of eminent sages and saints

and of Sri Narayana Himself. You are all very fortunate indeed, for you are

proceeding with the Manifested Form to the Unmanifested Form! There is a holy

aura, a spiritual vibration, that pervades such sacred places and even Divinity

acquires a new glory, as it were, when it is seen in the background of that

aura. So, be ever alert to make the best of the rare chance that you have won

by the accumalation of merit through many births. Be friendly, helpful and

loving to all; repeat always the Name of the Lord; never loose courage or joy”.

He disclosed that the place

was called Badarikashram, and that Lord Narayana was supposed to be doing Tapas here.

I began to see light, and the doubt that assailed me on the Chitravathi sands

three years ago about ‘Sri Sathya Sai and Tapas’ melted away in a blaze of joy!

 

Baba then described to the group, the Shrine at Badrinath, how the Narayana idol

appears often as a Lingam, sometimes as the Buddha and sometimes as Sakthi. He

also gave details of the various subsidiary idols that are worshipped there. He

spoke of the five Lingas brought by Sankaracharya from Kailasa and installed at

Badri, Puri, Sringeri, Dwaraka and Chidambaram; of the Four Vedas which he

revived by appropriate ritual, the Rig at Puri, the Yajur at Sringeri, the Sama

at Dwaraka and the Atharvana at Badri. He put everyone into the pilgrim mood of

expectancy and elevation, of Love, brotherhood and service.

Most members of the party had assembled at Madras on 7th June at the Yathiraja

Kalyana Mantapam, Alwerpet and had reached Delhi on the 9th; there, they were

joined by others from as far as Calcutta and Bombay and Lucknow. They had all

arrived at Hardwar on 10th and proceeded to Rishikesh to see the holy spots

there and to visit institutions like Swarga Ashram and Githa Bhavan and

Paramartha Nikethan. On the 11th, they had witnessed the Evening Harathi to

Ganga Matha at the Brahma Kund, a ceremony which was sanctified that day by the

Presence of Baba at the sacred place, with H.E. B.Ramakrishna Rao, the Governor

of Uttar Pradesh. Their Excellencies performed Harathi to Baba himself there,

as a preliminary to their own Badri Yathra, along with the Bhakthas chosen by

Baba.

>From Hardwar to Badrinath, a distance of nearly 182 miles, every inch of the

ground is saturated with history, myth and legend, all woven around the heroic

endeavour of Tapas, whether by gods or men. Hardwar itself is the scene of

Daksha Yagna and of the penance of the Seven Sages. At Rishikesh, Lakshmana

performed Tapas. There is a Vyasaghat a few miles away where Vyasa did penance

and at Devaprayag, the meeting place of the Alakananda and Bhagirathi rivers (

and what a marvellous Tapas it was, that of Bhagiratha which induced the

heavenly Ganga to descend on Earth!) Sankaracharya did penance and installed a

Siva – Parvathi Lingam! At Bilva – keda nearby, Arjuna went through rigorous

asceticism to acquire from Siva the weapons for the up – holding of Dharma. At

Srinagar, Sri Rama is said to have engaged in penance to realise Himself in the

Siva Form! At Karna – Prayag where the Mandakini coming from Kedarnath joins the

Alakananda, Karna prayed

for years and years to get a vision of Surya. At Rudra Prayag, Narada did Tapas

in order to become the Singer of Divine Glory and he won from Siva the Veena

that plays upon; Nandaprayag, 33 miles away, is associated with the hermitage

of Sage Kanva immortalised by Kalidasa. Rajarajeswari herself is said to have

engaged in Tapas on the Saranyavathi river bank to acquire Siva as Her Lord;

while, on the banks of the Virahi Ganga, Siva is described as having done

penance to win Dakshayini back as His consort! At Bhavishya Badari on the way,

Agasthya performed Tapas. At Joshimath, (elevation 6100 ft) Narada by His Tapas

succeeded in getting possession of the Ashtakshari manthra which is the key to

salvation; Markandeya performed austere penance here and Sankaracharya

established a Mutt to revive and foster the Sanathana Dharma.

Beyond Joshi Math we have Pandukeswar, reminiscent of the Tapas of Pandu, Sesha

– Dhara reminding us of the fact that the thousand tongued Sesha too was a Muni

so that he might realise the Lord and Hanuman Chatti where Hanuman proved His

superior prowess to the second of the Pandava Brothers; finally at Badrinath

itself ensconced between the Nara and the Narayana mountains, at the foot of

the snow diademmed Nilakanta Peak ( the Queen of the Himalayas, 21640 ft high )

the Puranas declare Narasimha came to shed His ferocity and Narada, Agni and

Indra did penance. King Visala by His Tapas there won the distinction of Badri

being Badri Visal; King Ghantakarna by his austerity there won the honour being

the watchman of the Lord. Uddhava is doing Tapas there even today by the special

command of Sri Krishna. And the Lord Himself is depicted as in Tapomudra, in

keeping with the elevating and inspiring mood of the entire Himalayan area for

miles around and

is worshipped by Gods for half the year and by men during the other half.

The Ganga from Hardwar to Devaprayag and the Alakananda from there onwards for

over 138 miles keep inseparable company with the pilgrim, now coming up near

the road in a surging swelling stream, now gliding deep down the yawing canyon,

murmuring along a silver thread. At first, the roar of the waters is frightening

but gradually the river becomes a friend and companion and the thunder of its

waves is distinguished as but the recital of the Name of the Lord or of Om, His

verbal symbol. O! What shall be said of the high voiced Alakananda, the

multimillionaire heiress of Kubera’s wealth, gaudily tripping the rocks, from

Alakapuri, his capital? And what of the tiny tributaries: the milk white

Ksheeraganga. Neelaganga, the blue, Ghrithaganga the oily, Kanchanaganga the

golden, Keerthiganga the famed, Rishiganga the ascetic, Virahiganga the

forlorn! Consider all the hot springs at Badri which the God of Fire spouts

forth in obedience to a command by

Narayana Himself in order to rid Agni of the sin of being an Omnivorous Glutton.

What again shall be said of the magnificent ‘manorama’ of snow capped peaks and

glaciers, enormous cliff’s enervating gradients escarpments and precipices,

cascades and springs, and the multicoloured flower carpets that are spread by

nature in every little vale? Indeed, every step of that road is a stride

towards God!

To be lead by Baba along this Holy road is indeed a unique piece of good fortune

and when one looks back on the much talked of calamities that lurk round every

curve, the landslides and the land slips, the unheralded breaches and

blockades, the bitter cold, and the pouring rain, the strain and the

exhaustion, one feels specially blessed because Baba’s Abhaya Hastha was

present always to stem the fall, to prop up the slip, to ward off the rain, to

warm up the air, to inspire the drooping and refresh the tired.

The caravan of cars, jeeps, buses and trucks left Hardwar on Monday, 12th June

at 8AM and reached Devaprayag at noon. The bath at the confluence was a

refreshing and exhilarating experience. Srinagar, the ancient capital of the

Kings of Garhwal, was reached in the afternoon and we halted there for the

night. The people of Srinagar organised a programme of Pahari and Tibetan

dances depicting the simple hilarity of the hardy tribesmen and Baba, Their

Excellencies and all of us appreciated their earnestness and sincerity. On the

13th, the party left at Sunrise for Joshimath, 86 miles off, taking breakfast

on the way at Rudraprayag, bathing at the junction of the Mandakini and

Alakananda at Nandaprayag and taking lunch at Pippalkoti at about 3PM. The

night was spent at the sacred Joshi math.

Bardinath was beckoning us from just beyond 18 miles! ……. Eighteen miles along a

narrow five foot ‘road’ of rubble and stone, trodden into smoothness by million

of pious feet; of sudden climbs and steep declines; of ‘Danger from Falling

Stones’ announced on boards enroute! The rapture of ravine, cliff and snow ever

before the eye, the cheer of the torrent ever in the ear! Broad glaciers bravely

descending down the mountains into the river bed itself and even mischievously

lying across the pilgrim path! Streams of pilgrims from every corner of this

country crossing each other with a gleam in the face when the password, Jai

Badri Visaal, is uttered! Pilgrims resolutely pulling themselves along on foot,

or pathetically perched on ponies trotting on the perilous edge of the

precipices! Long lines of men, mules horses, yaks and goats loaded with beds

and bundles, boxes, baskets and bags belonging to the pilgrims and silk and

sandalwood, scents and

sweets, flour, flowers and fruits for the shops at Badri Town!

All these give the Sacred Road a sublime sathsang atmosphere wherein the Lord is

experienced as a constant and comforting Companion!

On the 14th morning, conveyances were booked, the mules and horses were loaded,

and the party started off in high spirits, to Lam Bagar eleven miles away,

where it was decided to halt for the night. Baba and a large number of devotees

walked the entire length of the road. Oh! How can I adequately describe the

tenderness with which He encouraged everyone along that arduous road, advising

one person to get into a dandi, another to ride a horse, a third to check the

pace, a fourth to rest awhile, keeping everybody’s enthusiasm in good trim by a

timely quip or joke or pleasantry, or sometimes even by means of the Divinely

created Vibhuthi itself.

>From Lam Bagar, it was an exhausting climb and the devotees succeeded in

persuading Baba to ride a horse; but, to their great disappointment, He resumed

His walk within a few moments. Badrinath was reached in the late afternoon on

the 15th , and the party occupied the Gujarathi Dharmasala, very close to the

temple.

On the 16th, Baba gave Darsan and blessings to a large number of officers and

citizens and members of the Temple Committee and He attended the evening

Arathi, in company with their Excellencies. Later, Baba inaugurated the X – ray

unit at the Badrinath General Hospital. The first ‘patient’ to be screened was

the doctor himself; he declared joyfully, “Babaji! You are seated in my heart!”

Baba said , “The X – ray can’t reveal it; but, it is a fact, Doctor, I know it”.

A supreme moment indeed, in the history of that hospital and the life of that

doctor!

17th June was a Day of Days, a Day that will be enshrined in the memory of

everyone in the party, for years and years. In pursuance of His Mission of

re-infusing spiritual efficacy in all Holy Places where men congregate for

acquiring peace and joy, a Mission which took Him recently to Ayodhya, Kasi and

Prayag, Baba that day re –invigorated Narayana worship at Badrinath, by means of

a unique cermony, whose significance is beyond our tiny understanding!

During the morning Abhishekam to the idol of Badrinarayana, while Baba was

inside the temple facing the shrine, about 8.15AM, Baba mysteriously

materialised a four armed Narayana icon with Sankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma,

about 12 inches , perhaps sublimating in that form the Divine Essence of the

Narayana Tejas before Him. He also created a charming thousand petalled ‘gold’

Lotus, and before the wonder of the people around Him could express itself in

an awe striken gasp, He waved His hand before the Shrine and, lo, there was a

Jyothirlinga in His palm, which He placed on the shining Lotus. Baba came away

to the Dharmasala with the devotees and the large number of officers and

citizens of Badrinath. Their Excellencies also soon joined the gathering.

Materialising a ‘silver’ Abhisheka Vessel full of holy water from Gangothri

itself (as He announced), Baba Himself performed Abhisheka to that translucent

Nethra Lingam. He had graciously taken the Linga round to everyone and made all

to wonder at its quit effulgence and at a clearly visible Eye that was somehow

incorporated in it. Devotees recited Sri Rudram, Purushasuktham and Narayana

Suktham, while Baba was pouring the sacred water on the Lingam. Then, Baba

created 108 miniature Bilva leaves or rather replicas of that holy leaf, in

‘gold’; they fell in a lightning shower from His Palm on to a silver plate. He

again waved His Hand and this time, O Blessed moment, 108 actual ‘thumme’

flowers fresh with even the touch of the morning dew, fell from that Divine

Palm! With these, Baba directed Dr.B.Ramakrishna Rao, presumably on behalf of

all assembled to do Puja to the Linga, the Ashtottara Puja, as mentioned in the

Sastras. After Puja, Baba

collected the Abhisheka Ganga and gave a share of it to each one, Himself

pouring it into the mouth with His own merciful Hand.

Needless to say, the Lingam, one of the Five, which according to Baba,

Sankaracharya brought from Kailasa, and which he installed in a sacred spot in

the shrine to vivify the Badarikasram returned to the place from which Baba had

drawn it for this epoch making ritual of re invigoration. The Lotus and the

Icon, He granted to the devotees; the Bilva leaves of ‘gold’ He gave to members

of the party, as mementoes of the Momentous Day, for being duly worshipped by

them.

About 12.30PM, the same day, Baba condescended to come to Brahmakapal, where the

devotees had arrived to offer oblations to the pitris (forefathers). He advised

everyone to pray for their ancestors and departed relations, in a spirit of

faith and sincerity. Every member of the party had a rare good fortune of

paying off the debt to the departed in the immediate presence of the Lord

Himself!

Then Baba went down to the Alakananda and took from the surging torrent a glass

of water, but, lo! The glass held also a lump of Vibhuthi with the mark of

Pranava on it and the til essential for ancestral rites! He poured the water on

to the palms of the devotees who were handicapped by disqualifications form

partaking in the Pinda Pradan, asking them to offer that water instead! Surely,

the manes of all who shared in that day’s Brahmakapal ceremony are thrice

blessed!

In the evening at 6PM., the Badrinath Temple Committee accorded a welcome to

Baba at a formal ceremony at the Temple premises, which His Excellency

Dr.B.Ramakrishna Rao also attended. About 3000 thousand pilgrims and citizens

attended and the precincts were packed to capacity. Baba spoke of the five

Lingas brought by Sankaracharya and of the sanctity of Badri. He asked everyone

to decide for himself where real happiness lay and rigorously to pursue the path

to win that happiness. He emphasised that Prema is the very essence of Bhakthi,

the light with which the Lord (who is Premaswarupa) can be seen and realised

and understood. He asked the citizens of Badri to appreciate the ordeals,

trails, tribulations and expenses undergone by the pilgrims, the illnesses and

accidents which they had braved, and the faith which heartened them from the

first step to the last. He advised that they should learn from the pilgrims a

part of their faith in Badri

Narayana and treat the pilgrims with greater kindness and brotherliness.

Dr.B.Ramakrishna Rao translated Baba’s Telugu speech into Hindi.

The Secretary who thanked Baba said that the announcement, regarding the 5

Lingams, and Badri being repository of one of them will thrill everyone and

will instill greater faith in Badri in the hearts of every Hindu.

In the night Baba arranged for the feeding, on a truly lavish scale, of all the

mendicants around the Temple of Badrinath and He distributed a blanket each (

or its equivalent in money) to more than five hundred peple. No wonder they all

joined in the chorus of thanksgiving and cheered “Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Ji Ki Jai”.

On the 18th, about 9AM, Baba and the devotees left Badri and, reached Lam Bagar

for lunch, halting for sometime on the way to bless the organisers of a Yajna

named Sri Rama Krathu. The next day, Joshi Math was reached and the return

journey by bus and car was undertaken from there on Tuesday, 20th.

It is worth noting that Baba walked back the distance from Badrinath to Joshi

Math and on the second day, he was among the earliest to reach the destination,

ascending the steep heights of the Vishnu Prayag Joshi Math mountain road,

without the least sign of tiredness.

Baba had said during the forward trek that the rains shall not come until the

party was back in Rishikesh and true to His command, the rains held back, until

the ‘caravan’ was within 20 miles of Rishikesh when the party got the first

drops of drizzle!

It must be mentioned that while nearing Rishikesh, Baba miraculously

anticipated, by a few minutes, a landslide which came down across the road

causing even a slip, but only after all members of the party had safely come

across the doomed spot. A party of more than a hundred devotees, mostly old and

not quite sturdy could go through all the tossing and twisting in the buses and

all the tramping and climbing of the hills, in strange climes and with strange

foods and come back hale and hearty, as per schedule, only through the Ever

present Grace of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

We were all back in Hardwar on Wednesday 21st June and we left on 22nd for Dehra

Dun, from where we had to entrain for Delhi. Baba encouraged all the devotees to

collect Gangajal from Brahmakund so that they could take it to their homes. He

had a kind word and an encouraging smile for everyone. He came to every bus

when the party was on the point of leaving. He blessed everyone and commanded

them to share their joy with others and to life thereafter everyday of their

lives as real pilgrims towards the seat of Narayana. With our eyes full of

tears of joy, we sat in the bus, unable to speak, for when the heart is full,

the tongue is silent.

Baba left for Naini Tal from Hardwar; He spent three days there with Their

Excellencies, but they were, inevitably busy days full of interviews with a

large number of high officers and dignitaries, who had come for Baba’s Darsan.

Baba also visited the ‘Githa Sathsang’ established by Swami Vidyanandaji. A

welcome address in Hindi was presented to Him at the Sathsang. He addressed the

members on the need for practicing the path of Sadhana laid down in the Githa.

In the discourse Baba said, “Mere scholarship is just a burden, without putting

what is studied into action. It is only that part of it which is put into

practice, felt and experienced that becomes one’s undisputed possession”. Baba

pointed out, “The Githa was propounded to every one who is afflicted with the

delusion and ignorance. Arjuna was just a representative of struggling mankind,

at the crossroad of conflicting duties, without the Light necessary for

discovering the right path”. “In the 18th Discourse, Krishna asks Arjuna, “Has

all these been heard by you, with one – pointed attention ? Has the delusion

caused by ignorance of the Reality been destroyed?” This shows that the purpose

of the Githa is to destroy Moha, or Delusion, which is the result of

misunderstanding the unreal as real, the transitory as the permanent, the

source of sorrow as the source of joy” Baba concluded. He said that the Githa

was a Universal textbook of Spiritual

Science which could be studied and practised by people of all climes and creeds.

The only qualification needed was a yearning for the higher ideals and an

earnestness to discover the source of lasting joy.

Baba returned to Delhi on the 26th and emplaned for Madras on the 27th. He

reached Madras just in time to meet the members of the party who arrived by

train from Delhi the same evening, and to send them with His Blessing to their

respective homes.

Baba reached Puttaparthi at noon on 3rd July and the Bhakthas there welcomed Him

with great Joy. On the 4th, Baba gave the devotees a graphic description of the

journey and an inspiring account of the Three Eventful Days at Badri. He wanted

that everyone should draw inspiration from the devotion and faith of thousands

of old, decrepit and poor pilgrims who brave the dangers and disasters of the

road every year, just to get a glimpse of the Lord in the Badri Narayana Form.

He said that those who visit Holy Places must prove in their daily lives that

the holiness has entered their hearts and changed their habits and thoughts for

the better. He said that Sankaracharya installed the Narayana idol at Badrinath,

and every one must install the Name of Narayana in the Shrine of the heart.

Then, He gave every one the Theertha of Gangothri with which He had performed

the Abhisheka at Badri as well as the prasad of Badri itself.

That was the blissful consummation of the Badri Yatra for all.

With the Manifested, we proceeded to the Unmanifested! At every step among the

Himalayas we experienced the Prema of the Lord whose was with us! At every

turn, His Grace guarded and guided us.

May He be our Guard, our Guide and our God forever!

With Sai love from Sai rothers - ''

Source and Courtesy: http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/

Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football