Kailash-9

I have received a few sporadic responses to my posts. Some of you have also mentioned during conversations that you have 'archived' the posts for future reading or understanding. The inspiration for me to start writing to you came from the first post when I wrote about the Sankalpa Pooja. Thoughts about the purpose of our undertaking this wonderful yatra motivated me to share them with you. Of course, the process has also enabled me to grow through this sharing experience. I am sure they have triggered similar thoughts in many of your minds but there is probably some reticence in sharing those or probably issues of articulating them. Please do share your views. As time went on the mailing list has increased with a few of my other spiritually inclined friends, not joining the yatra with us.

Over the last few days I have seen a couple of cremation grounds / 'smashaan bhoomis' with the signage reading 'Shiv Dham' or abode of Shiva. Now, this is a classic dichotomy, we are saying Kailash is the abode of Shiva and here we have cremation places with similar names! There is a popular belief in Hinduism that the Holy Trinity, i.e Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh have divided their tasks as Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer, respectively. The common use explanation will be that, the things that we perceive, the beings that we come in contact with and the events that we experience are created, sustained and destroyed, respectively by these Supreme Beings. From that standpoint, probably the destroyer does live in the cremation places, isn't it?!! But that explanation is far from being correct. 

If we see the consorts, of this Trinity, they are Saraswati, Mahalakshmi and Parvati. Collectively these trinity and their consorts tell us that through the blessings of the first pair, we gain our education and knowledge of the truth of life and its purpose, our material gains on the physical plane are determined by the blessings of the second pair and through blessings of the third pair we gain our ability for reflecting on the nature of the One Reality which is nothing but Him. Thus the roles of the Trinity is that, one creates the eagerness and desire for gaining right knowledge in our minds, one sustains our mind and intellect steadfast on the path as we progress and one destroys all wrong tendencies and ungainly thoughts that impede in this progress; so that we may gain our vision of the Trimurti, Trinethdradhari and Trishuladhari, who is none other than Kailashnath.

But when we speak of knowledge, what is there to know that we don't know already? Actually we are born with infinite knowledge. Our inner nature is that of silence and bliss. But the layers of 'education' that we have created over the years have actually veiled this knowledge, with the result we are now shrouded in ignorance. We assume to 'know' everything about ourselves but really don't. The means of knowing ourselves is called 'contemplation' and for preparing the mind for this contemplation, we undertake all practices of religion including the pilgrimage that we are due to go in a couple of months. Once having gained this knowledge, to remain steadfast and unaffected by various trials and tribulations in our life, the means is called ‘prayer’. Through the prayer founded in right knowledge, the means of reaching the inner calm, tranquility and total bliss, is called ‘meditation’, which is the ultimate objective of the human embodiment that nature has blessed upon us.

Let us use the experiences that we come across in life as a springboard to redirect our energies and attention to gaining the right knowledge, in a prayerful attitude and become one with happiness which is our true nature.