Kailash-14

Dear Friends

Lord Sadashiva, the ruler of Kailash, is always blessing us in whatever we do. This belief is what keeps us engaged with faith in our daily undertakings, our great ambitions, our purposeful actions and achievements in life. If He is always with us, then why it is that good people suffer the various trials and tribulations in life. Why is it that sincerely devoted 'bhaktas' undergo sorrow and pain? Why some apparent wrong-doers enjoy prosperity and some righteous people undergo penury? Why Ravana, a Shiva Bhakta, lives and rules an empire and Rama, also a Shiva Bhakta, suffers troubles, separation and test of character in his 'vanvaas'? I have chosen the last example with reason, if Rama himself, who is the Lord incarnate, had to suffer, then why not mere mortals like us?

In olden times, in villages, food-grain used to be stored in barrels after they were received at home from harvest. These barrels were very tall, therefore, for removing the grain to use for cooking, there used to be a 'tap' at the bottom, which when opened, used to release as much grain as was needed to be used for cooking, and when the tap was closed, the supply stopped. Now, the grain that comes from the harvest is of different shades, fibre or size at each harvest, and they are piled up one on top of the other; harvest after harvest. Whenever the tap is opened, irrespective of the grain that was filled from top, the ones available nearest to the tap are released for our consumption. Extending this example, instead of grains, if we pour in "pebbles" from the top, obviously the barrel will receive that also. But the tap will still release the grains because those are nearest to the tap. Now again, on top of the pebbles, if we pour in fresh grain, and then open the tap; it will now release pebbles instead of grains, because by now the pebbles have percolated nearest to the tap. 

Our experiences of sins and virtues; "paapa" and "punya" is exactly like the grain-pebble inputs that we provide in the barrel. Whatever good we do now, it reaps its rewards invariably at some future period. And whatever bad we did in the past, results in our experiencing the sorrows for those, now in the present. And this "past", "present" and "future" is not limited to the life that we are enjoying at this moment; it applies to each and every embodiment that we had, we have and we will have at all times. So the happiness and bliss that we enjoy are directly determined by the amount of "grains that we put into the barrel" as compared to the "pebbles that we dump". It is our conscious practice of thinking, acting and doing good at all times, that will result in the "barrel of our mind & intellect" always remaining full of peace and happiness. 

In many spiritual texts, two special terms are used; "shreyas" and "preyas". Shreyas means that which is good, that which is right, that path which is to be followed at all times and which will yield satisfaction and fulfillment in the long run. Preyas means that which is pleasurable, momentarily attractive but which we could be the harbinger of disappointment in the long run. We are many times confronted at cross-roads in life to choose between these two options. The choices we make through such experiences will determine our "paapa-punya" quotient.  The Lord will bless us as HARA (the remover of all sins) and KAILAS (one who bestows peace).

Kailas is called “Gang Rinpoche” by the Buddhists. It is believed to be the abode of Chakrasamvara, whose traditional description is similar to a combination of “Nataraja” and “Ardhanariswara”. Although not competent to write on the intricacies of the Buddhist ritualistic practices, I will attempt to write on how “silence”, “meditation” and “non-injury” are practices that we could cultivate in ourselves reaching to pinnacles of Peace, Bliss and Happiness; in my next post.

Prem & Om / Suresh