Kailash Yatra 2013
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra with Swami Abhedananda – 15 to 27 June 2013
It was a journey of a lifetime. For many, this was their most cherished dream come true. And for others, it was like living a dream with their eyes open. It was a divine confluence of 69 enthused devotees from 5 countries – South Africa, Singapore, USA, Doha and India who gathered in Kathmandu under the gracious presence of Swami Abhedanandaji (Resident Acharyaof CM South Africa) on 15 June, to embark on the much awaited Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. For all the devotees, this was the first time in their lives, and Swamiji had been building up their divine anticipation through successive months of Gyna Yagnas on the glories of Lord Shiva.
The yatra commenced in Kathmandu where devotees performed puja and had unforgettable darshan in Pashupatinath and Budhneelkanth temples, followed by an aerial tour of Mt. Everest and nearby Himalayan peaks. Everyone reveled in Pujya Swamiji’ssatsang and bhajans by classical singer Tripti Watwet hat uplifted everybody’s spirits yearning for darshan of Lord Kailashpati. After two days in Kathmandu, the group embarked on the Yatra. Crossing over the Friendship Bridge bordering Nepal and Tibet, the group arrived in Nyalam and stayed over two nights for acclimatization. Driving through the scenic Himalayan ranges and stopping by occasionally to marvel at the breathtaking sights, the devotees finally arrived in SaGa on the banks of river Brahmaputra. Swamiji once again showered everyone with soul stirring satsangs on the glories of Lord Shiva, as devotees waited with bated breath for the darshan of Mount Kailash. The long wait and anticipation ended when finally everyone arrived in Chu Gompa, and stayed overnight at the banks of Lake Mansarovar and had an indescribable darshan of the South Face of Mt.Kailash which is commonly referred as “Dakshinamurti” – the form of Lord Shiva which is worshipped as Jagadguru! Devotees took dip bath in the icy waters of Mansarovar and soothed themselves to the core. Everyone picked Shiva-Lingas from Mansarovar and felt immensely fulfilled. But much more was in store, as the next day was the auspicious “Pradosha” when Swamiji led everyone to the banks of Mansarovar, and devotees performed 11 times Rudrabhishekam of Lord Shiva with the holy waters from Mansarovar, facing Mt. Kailash. Everyone had brought their personal altar with them, and today they felt most fortunate as nothing could have been greater than offering puja to Lord Shiva with Mansarovar waters at the feet of Kailash. Feeling immensely grateful and fulfilled, everyone drove down to the final destination of Darchen from where the holy parikrama (circumambulation) of Mt. Kailash was commenced. Lord Shiva welcomed everyone with clear skies and a bright sun that shone above our heads as if in warm welcome. On the holy Poornima night, everyone completed the first day of parikrama and came closest to Mt.Kailash – as we all had crystal clear darshan of the North face of Mt.Kailash. Devotees stayed their all evening, and overnight witnessing the full moon rise to the top of Mt.Kailash, as if Lord Shiva had adorned the moon on His head to become Chandrashekhara. Everyone woke up to witness the golden face of Lord Shiva as the first rays of the morning sun shone bright on the snow capped Kailash. Walking back from the parikrama, devotees kept gazing at the various faces of Kailash in awe, as several forms of Lord Ganesha, Mother Parvati, Lord Hanumanji and other deities kept surfacing on the mountains. It was sheer grace and compassion of Lord Shiva that made the Yatra possible without a single impediment, and four days of clear skies and bright sun that seemed to be a miraculous set-up just for us, in the midst of calamities in Kedarnath. The devotees returned to Kathmandu as PujyaSwamiji put RudrakshaMalas around everyone’s necks as Prasad, and his final address during the valedictory function made everyone’s eyes welled with tears of joy, gratitude, fulfillment and humility. Swamiji’s final words still ring in everyone’s ears – “ Whenever you feel sad or small or less fortunate about anything in life, close your eyes and remember only four things: the first darshan of Mt.Kailash, the dip bath in Mansarovar Lake, the Rudrabhishek puja of Kailash on Pradosh, and the close-up darshan of North face of Kailash. All your feeling of smallness will immediately vanish.”As devotees left for their respective homes, only one thought kept recurring in everyone’s mind – when would we back here again!
