Does Shri Shiva incarnate? and does He actually reside at Mount Kailash?
—- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com," my2 pai"
wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> Recently there has been talk, more like loose and careless talk,
> among Sahaja Yogis that Sir CP might be the incarnation of Lord
> Shiva. It is remarkable that nobody, especially the great and the
> good of Sahaja Yoga's world council, has seen it appropriate to
> clarify the matter, at least with reference to what Shri Mataji has
> spoken on the subject of Shiva's incarnation. This omission may be
> deliberate since the ruling clique is probably the main beneficiary
> of the deception.
>
> The fact of the matter is Shri Mataji has mentioned several times
> before that Shiva, being the witness aspect of God never
> incarnates. A relevant extract from a talk given in Houston, Texas
> in 1981 is appended below.
>
> Be that as it may, in an apparent contradiction, Shri Mataji has
> also mentioned in earlier days when She was in England that Shri
> Ramana Maharshi (1879 - 1950) was an incarnation of Shiva. This is
> documented in the Sahaja Book of Prophecies (excerpted below) by
> our friend John Noyce, who needs no further introduction on this
> forum.
>
> At the age of sixteen, Shri Ramana ran away from home and started
> staying at Arunachala hill in southern India, and he subsequently
> spent the rest of his life there. Arunachala is apparently a
> swayambhu of Shiva and Shri Ramana was probably an embodiment of
> Arunachala, hence he was a partial incarnation of Shiva. This is an
> important distinction because Shri Mataji was actually talking of
> Sadashiva, the God Almighty aspect of the Divine; it is He who
> never incarnates.
>
> As for Sir CP, with all due respect to the husband of Shri Mataji,
> in his younger days he would have been a contemporary of Shri
> Ramana, so it would have been unlikely that he was an incarnation
> of Shiva.
>
> Chandra
>
> “The Spirit resides in our heart; it's the reflection of God
> Almighty. In Sanskrit language, this aspect of God which is all-
> pervading and is the first and the last, is called as Sadashiva; is
> the Father, who does not incarnate. We say Yehovah, we can say, or
> the God who does not incarnate. This great aspect which encompasses
> everything ultimately and also manifests everything is the
> reflection within our heart as the Spirit. This aspect is just the
> witness aspect; it witnesses the play of its power, the Primordial
> Power, the Holy Ghost, to see what is created by Her. He's the only
> enjoyer of the game. He sees the game, the Leela, the fun.
>
> She organises everything, it is She who gets divided into three
> powers, it is She who creates the whole universe, it is She who
> gives us this evolution, it is She who makes us human beings and it
> is She who has to make us the higher human being. That's the Holy
> Ghost, the Primordial Holy Ghost and the reflection of that is this
> Kundalini within us.”
>
> “Sat Chit Ananda," Houston, Texas, Oct 7, 1981
>
>
Dear All,
In the above quote Shri Mataji is definitely referring to Shri
Sadashiva (God Almighty/Brahman) who is entirely impersonal, and
entirely impossible to know or to describe. Shri Sadashiva is a
supreme, perfect spirit or force that permeates everything ..... and
never incarnates.
Shri Shiva, on the other hand incarnates, and is believed by Hindus
to reside at Mount Kailash. Their Holy Scriptures confirm this fact.
But is it true?
“Situated in the south-western part of Tibet bordering the Kumaon
hills and Nepal, is Mount Kailash. It is supremely sacred mountain,
cosmology connected with Mount Meru, the great mythological mountain
that forms the axis of this world system. Being a central watershed
of Asia, it has always been the most sacred mountains for Hindus,
Buddhists, Jains and Bons.
This region is steeped in religion and mythology and every year
hundreds of pilgrims traverse some of the remotest and toughest
regions of the Himalayas to pay their obeisance to the Lord. It is a
land where Lord Shiva lives with his consort Parvati. According to
ancient religious texts, the abode of creator Brahma is called
Brahmaloka, the abode of Lord Vishnu is called Vaikunta abd the abode
of Lord Shiva is called Kailash. Of the three, one can only go bodily
and return in this life from Kailash having experienced divinity.”
Mount Kailash, Where the Heaven meets the Earth
Dr. Sethumadhava
Lord Shiva was one of the deities Kash was told to visit to find out
if Shri Mataji was indeed the Adi Shakti. This is part of the first
fax sent November 1994 to Malaysia. Shri Mataji was also read the fax
contents June 1994 (UK) by Harsh Mehra and She confirmed it was true.
i quote:
"2) Lord Shiva
— He lives far out in the Universe in a Land completely different
from ours.
— He is surrounded by mountains and He sits on the highest one.
— He has a cobra snake around His neck. The cobra snake is coiled 3
times round His neck, with its head on Lord Shiva's right shoulder.
— He has His hair tied up in a bundle on top of the head, with the
rest of it falling down His neck and shoulders.
— He is holding a trishul, with another cobra coiled around it.
— There are 2 bowls on both His sides and there is smoke coming out
of them.
— On one occasion Kash saw both Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna walking
away after meditation and talking to each other in a language that
was like the mantra he recited in i.e. Sanskrit.”
Copy of first fax Nov. 1993 confirming above facts
"Naga, the cobra, is a symbol of kundalini power, cosmic energy coiled and slumbering within man. It inspires seekers to overcome misdeeds and suffering by lifting the serpent power up the spine into God Realization. Aum.”
(Himalayan Academy, 1998. www.hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us/welcome.html)
"Trishula, Siva's trident carried by Himalayan yogis, is the royal scepter of the Saiva Dharma. Its triple prongs betoken desire, action and wisdom; ida, pingala and sushumna; and the gunas — sattva, rajas and tamas. Aum.”
(Himalayan Academy, 1998. www.hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us/welcome.html)
"SANSKRIT: Often referred to as"Devanagari," the language of the gods, Sanskrit is probably the most ancient of human languages. Yoga uses many Sanskrit terms, as they cannot be exactly translated into English or any other Western language.”
Yoga Mind and Body, Sivananda Yoga Videnta Centre, 1966, p. 163.
SHRI ADI SHAKTI: THE KINGDOM OF GOD pg. 143
Please note that at that early stage i had no idea where Shri Mataji had taken 13-year-old Kash. Even he had no idea and thought the mountainous region was somewhere in the Universe. Subsequently i realized that the Divine Mother had taken him to Mount Kailash.
The Single-Nail Clogs
“A few weeks after Shri Maha-kailasa-nilaya Nirmala Devi had taken
Kash to visit Shri Shiva meditating on Mount Kailash, he informed his
father about one peculiar fact — that Shri Shiva was seen wearing
wooden clogs with a single thick wide-head nail. These single-nailed
clogs worn centuries ago are practically non-existent today. Kash has
never seen this type of footwear in all his life on Earth, but is
absolutely sure that Shri Shiva had them.”
Shri Maha-kailasa-nilaya (578th): Residing in the great Kailas — Maha
Kailasa means in Sri Chakra, the innermost Bindu and in the body the
Sahasrara-Padma below the Brahmarandhra.
SHRI ADI SHAKTI: THE KINGDOM OF GOD pg. 173
So the Hindu belief that Shri Shiva resides at Mount Kailash is absolutely true. The Adi Shakti gave evidence of that too. There are indeed many deep mystical facts of Hinduism that are all true. It is most difficult to challenge this religion and its Holy Scriptures easily the most spiritual, mystical, enlightening, and all- encompassing. Without question the Sanatana Dharma bestows the greatest benefit to humanity because it embraces and nourishes all religions. The Adi Shakti's Divine Message to humanity wholesomely embraces this joyous synthesis and religious harmony. Only the Divine Source of all religions can give such evidence. Now i am at peace with all religions, scriptures and messengers......and my Self.
Jai Shri Mataji,
jagbir
Related Articles:
"Parvati is mythological represented as the daughter of King Himalaya (lit.," abode of the snows") whose home is a certain peak on the Tibetan border. Astonished travelers, passing below that inaccessible peak, view afar a vast snow formation resembling a palace, with icy domes and turrets.
Parvati, Kali, Durga, Uma, and other goddesses are aspects of Jaganmatri, the Divine Mother of the World," variously names to signalize particular functions. God or Shiva in His para or transcendental aspect is inactive in creation. His shakti (energy, activating force) is relegated to His"consorts," the productive "female"powers that make possible the infinite unfoldments in the cosmos.
Mythological tales in the Purana say that the Himalayas are the abode of Shiva ...”
Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi
Self-Realization Fellowship, 1974, p. 194-95.
———————————————————————————————-
"MOUNT KAILAS
With its four facades facing north, east, south, and west, Mount Kailas looks like an enormous diamond. Seventy-five percent as high as Mount Everest, the mountain is one of the tallest peaks in the Himalayas. Nearby is the source of the Indus, Sutlej, and Brahmaputra Rivers. The source of the Ganges is not far away. On its southern face, a vertical gash crosses horizontal layers, creating the image of a swastika. The word comes from svastika, Sanskrit for well-being and good fortune. Buddhists regard the mountain as a mandala -— the sacred circle from which the sacred rivers flow like the spokes of the eternal wheel.”
Colin Wilson, The Atlas of Holy Places & Sacred Sites
Penguin Books Ltd., 1996 p. 119.
———————————————————————————————-
"One of the greatest and most austere pilgrimages, Mount Kailas, Himalayan abode of Lord Siva, is sacred to five religions. Pilgrims perform a three-day, 33-mile circumambulation of the peak. At the foot of Kailas lies Lake Manasarovara, symbolizing a quieted mind, free from all thought. Kailas is the Mount Meru of Hindu cosmology, center of the universe. within 50 miles are the sources of four of India's auspicious rivers.”
Hinduism Today, May 1997
———————————————————————————————-
“Mount Kailash, or Kangrinpoche, where Shiva and Parvati lie together
in bliss and where eternity meshes with time, lies hidden at the
western end of the Great Himalayas. All of the pilgrim routes to
the"precious jewel of eternal snow"cross at least one pass above
17,000 feet....
Kailash stands alone, behind a sea of mountains where Tibet and India
meet, its four faces to the four directions, with a great river
flowing from each: the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali, a
tributary of the holy Gangga. Here is the abode of Shiva, where the
waters of heaven pass through the god's matted hair and become
healing springs; the tirtha, the place where the waters meet,
the focus of all Hindu pilgrimage. Some devotees say the Kailash is
the Shivalinga; others that it is Mount Meru, the presence of eternal
in time....
Pilgrims take three days to circle Mount Kailash, a walk of just over
30 miles. Every step is rich with prayers and praise of those who
have walked the way before, for more years than humankind can
recall....
Tibetans make three, five, or thirteen circumambulations of Mount
Kailash, or even more. Sometimes they prostrate themselves, rising to
walk the length of one prostration only, then once again falling to
the ground. To circle the mountain in this way may take up to four
weeks of patient and meditative movement. These pilgrims may then
turn and return, rapt in their awareness of the eternal. The
way has no beginning and no end.”
Jennifer Westwood, Sacred Journeys
Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1997 p.78.
———————————————————————————————-
The disciple leads the prana until Mooladhara.
The air thus inspired awakens the lower Fire which was asleep,
meditating on Pranava that is nothing else than Brahman,
And concentrating his thought, he rises the breath until to the lower
Fire, until the navel and beyond, within the subtle body.
On the top of the body, over the head there is the lotus with
thousand petals, shining like the heavenly Light.
It's that which gives the liberation. Its secret name is Kailash, the
mountain where Shiva abides.
The one who knows this secret place is delivered from samsara.
Amritananda Upanishad
———————————————————————————————-
"Mountains of Mystery
The Earth's most dramatic features, mountains are to Hindus the abode
of Gods, the haunt of holy sages and the supreme pilgrimage
destination.
Viewed through the eyes of a Buddhist or Hindu, mountains are
mystical realms of Gods, heavens, spirits and spiritual masters. In
Sacred Mountains of the World, a remarkable book by Edwin Bernbaum
(University of California Press, 1997), the perspectives of mountains
and lore from disparate cultures of the world are explored. Focusing
solely on the prominent peaks of the Himalayas, the following
article is excerpted from Bernbaum's work.
By Edwin Bernbaum, Berkeley
An enormous range 1,500 miles long, the Himalayas rise in the monsoon-
drenched jungles north of Burma to sweep in a great arc of snow and
ice northwest along the borders of India and Tibet, through Bhutan,
Sikkim and Nepal, up to the dusty glaciers of the Karakoram on the
remote desert frontier between Pakistan and China. As the loftiest
mountains on Earth, the Himalayas have come to embody the highest
ideals and aspirations. The sight of their sublime peaks, soaring
high and clean above the dusty, congested plains of India, has for
centuries inspired visions of transcendent splendor and spiritual
liberation. Invoking such visions, the Puranas, ancient works of
Hindu mythology, have this to say of Himachal, or the Himalayas: In
the space of a hundred ages of the Gods, I could not describe to you
the glories of Himachal; that Himachal where Siva dwells and where
the Ganges falls like the tendril of a lotus from the foot of Vishnu.
There are no other mountains like Himachal, for there are found Mount
Kailas and Lake Manasarovar. As the dew is dried up by the morning
sun, so are the sins of mankind by the sight of Himachal.
Millions of years ago the summit of Mount Everest, today the world's
highest mountain, lay beneath the Tethys, an ancient sea separating
Asia from the Indian subcontinent. Through the gradual movement of
the Earth's tectonic plates — till ongoing today — the two great land
masses collided to fold and thrust up the peaks of the Himalayas and
the Tibetan Plateau. Fossils formed in sedimentary rocks near the
tops of the highest mountains attest to the submarine origins of the
range. The fracturing of the Earth's crust also led to injections
of magma, forming here and there, as a result of glacial action,
magnificent walls and peaks of granite, but no volcanoes. The
youngest mountains on Earth, the Himalayas have risen so recently
within the last few million years that the watershed lies a hundred
miles north of their crest. As a consequence, preexisting rivers have
cut through the range, creating the deepest valleys in the world,
such as the Kali Gandaki Valley between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in
central Nepal, nearly four miles deep.
The Himalayas are sacred for followers of five Asian religions —
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and the indigenous Bon tradition
of Tibet. These religions revere the mountains as places of power
where many of their most important sages and teachers have attained
the heights of spiritual realization. According to Jain mythology,
Rishabhanatha, the first of twenty-four saviors of this age, achieved
enlightenment on Mount Kailas, the most sacred peak in the
Himalayan region. There, in the vicinity of the same mountain,
Shenrab, the legendary founder of Bon, is said to have taught and
meditated. Sikhs, followers of an Indian religion that developed from
the interaction of Islam and Hinduism in the fifteenth century ce,
revere Hemkund, a mountain lake near the source of the Ganges, as the
place where Guru Gobind Singh, the last of their ten principal
teachers, practiced meditation in a previous life. The Himalayas
abound with caves and shrines where Buddhist sages, such as the
Tibetan yogi Milarepa, have meditated and attained enlightenment.
Hindus, by far the largest group in India with more than 800 million
adherents, regard the entire range as the God Himalaya, father of
Parvati, the wife of Siva. King of the mountains, Himalaya lives high
on a peak with his queen, the Goddess Mena, in a palace ablaze with
gold, attended by divine guardians, maidens, scent-eating creatures
and other magical beings. His name, composed of the words hima and
alaya, means in the Sanskrit language of ancient India the"Abode of
snow.”As a reservoir of frozen water, the body and home of the God
Himalaya is the divine source of sacred rivers, such as the Ganges
and Indus, that sustain life on the hot and dusty plains of northern
India. The ancient poets and sages regarded the range as more than a
realm of snow; they saw it as an earthly paradise sparkling with
streams and forests set beneath beautiful peaks. Above and beyond the
earthly paradise of the Himalayas lie the heights of heaven....
Mount Kailas: One peak in the Himalayan region stands out above all
others as the ultimate sacred mountain for more than half-a-billion
people in India, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. Hidden behind the main
range of the Himalayas at a high point of the Tibetan Plateau
northwest of Nepal, Mount Kailas rises in isolated splendor near the
sources of four major rivers of the Indian subcontinent — the
Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Karnali. Hindus also regard Kailas as
the place where the divine form of the Ganges, the holiest river of
all, cascades from heaven to first touch the Earth and course
invisibly through the locks of Siva's hair before spewing forth from
a glacier 140 miles to the west. Not far from the foot of the peak
itself, at nearly 15,000 feet above sea level, reflecting the light
of its snows, repose the calm blue waters of the most sacred lake of
Hindu religion and mythology — holy Lake Manasarovar," Lake of the
Mind.”The hardiest of Hindu pilgrims aspire to take the long and
dangerous journey over high passes to bathe in Manasarovar's icy
waters and cleanse their minds of the sins that threaten to condemn
them to the suffering of rebirth.
At only 22,028 feet, Kailas is thousands of feet lower than Everest
and other Himalayan peaks. Yet its extraordinary setting and
appearance more than make up for its modest height. Kailas retains
its grandeur when viewed from a distance. More than any other peak in
the Himalayas, it opens the mind to the cosmos around it, evoking a
sense of infinite space that makes one aware of a vaster universe
encompassing the limited world of ordinary experience. It has served
as an inspiration for numerous Hindu temples and shrines in the
distant plains of India. The sight of the peak has a powerful effect,
bringing tears to the eyes of many who behold it, leaving them
convinced that they have glimpsed the abode of the Gods beyond the
round of life and death. Neither Hindus, Buddhists, nor any Tibetans
would ever contemplate trying to climb Kailas.
Hindus view Kailas as the divine dwelling place of God Siva and
Goddess Parvati. There, as the Supreme Yogi, naked and smeared with
ashes, His matted hair coiled on top of His head, He sits on a tiger
skin, steeped in the indescribable bliss of meditation. From His
position of aloof splendor on the summit, His third eye blazing with
supernatural power and awareness, the lord of the mountain calmly
surveys the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and tragedies, the entire
play of illusion that make up life in the world below. The power of
His meditation destroys the world of illusions that bind people to
the painful cycle of death and rebirth. When He rises to dance, He
takes on the functions of Brahma and Vishnu and creates and preserves
the universe itself.
The [Buddhist] mandala of Demchog on Kailas presents the universe as
a circle of mountains, oceans and continents arrayed around a
mythical mountain at the very center. This mountain, called Meru by
Hindus and Sumeru by Buddhists, plays a pivotal role in Hinduism and
Buddhism as the divine axis of the cosmos. According to Hindu
mythology, Brahma, the supreme deity in the form of the creator,
lives on its summit, surrounded by lesser deities. Meru and Kailas
appear as separate mountains in early texts of Buddhist and Hindu
mythology, but later tradition has tended to bring them together and
identify them as one and the same. Today many Indians and Tibetans
view Kailas as the place where the invisible form of Meru breaks
through to appear in the physical plane of existence. A pilgrimage to
the mountain, therefore, represents for them a journey to the very
center of the universe — the cosmic point where everything begins and
ends, the divine source of all that exists and has significance. In
circling the peak and paying homage to a vision of Siva or Demchog on
its shining summit, they make contact with something deep within
themselves that links them to the supreme reality underlying and
infusing the cosmos itself. For most Hindus and Buddhists of India
and Tibet, the journey to Kailas is, in fact, the ultimate
pilgrimage, both in terms of the sanctity of its goal and the
difficulty of the way.
Goddess of Bliss: In addition to the paradise She shares with Siva on
Kailas, Parvati has her abode on a number of other mountains. As
Nanda Devi, the"Goddess of Bliss," She dwells in beauty on the
lovely peak of that name in the Himalayas northeast of Delhi. The
highest mountain in India outside the principality of Sikkim, Nanda
Devi soars in alluring curves of rock and ice to culminate in a
delicate summit, poised at 25,645 feet above a ring of snow peaks
that form a sanctuary protecting the Goddess from all but Her most
determined admirers. The only break in their otherwise impregnable
wall of rock and snow is the terrifying gorge of the Rishi Ganga, one
of the sources of the sacred Ganges, named after seven sages of Hindu
mythology who fled the oppression of demons to seek refuge with the
Goddess before departing this world to become enshrined as seven
stars in the constellation of Ursa Major. Shepherds and porters from
nearby villages who venture into the area believe that they can
sometimes hear the sounds of these sages — drums beating, the blare
of trumpets and the eerie barking of dogs. The few foreign
mountaineers who manage to penetrate the gorge, inching their way
along the sides of sheer cliffs that plunge thousands of feet into
the river roaring below, find themselves in a paradise of gentle
meadows filled with flowers at the foot of the sacred peak, which
stands like a temple in the middle of the sanctuary itself.
Nanda Devi lies in Uttarakhand, the principal area of pilgrimage in
the Indian Himalayas. This region ranks second only to Kailas and
Manasarovar in the degree of its sanctity for Hindus. Closer to the
lowlands and much more accessible, it is visited by many more
pilgrims, who come by the tens of thousands to bathe at Gomukh, the
glacial source of the Ganges, and to worship at Kedarnath and
Badrinath, lofty temples of Siva and Vishnu sequestered in narrow
valleys beneath the icy thrones of the Gods themselves. The region is
also the favorite haunt of holy men and wandering yogis, who come to
follow the example of Siva and meditate in the sharp clear air of the
heights, within sight of the peaks that lead to heaven and the goal
they seek.
As the Goddess who resides on the highest mountain in the region,
Nanda Devi has many shrines and temples dedicated to Her. One of the
better-known ones is in the hill station of Almora, which affords one
of the best views of the peak itself and the mountains that surround
it. Although primarily a benevolent deity, Nanda can take on the form
of Durga, the wrathful Goddess. The people of the region also view
Nanda Devi as a benevolent source of life and renewal.
According to ancient Hindu mythology, a flood once covered the entire
world. A sage named Manu was warned of the impending disaster and
built a boat in which he survived. Vishnu incarnated himself as a
fish and towed the craft to safety on a mountain peak. As the waters
receded, Manu together with his family and the remnants of all living
creatures went down the slope to repopulate the Earth.
The people of Uttarakhand identify the mountain of the flood as Nanda
Devi, and one local group, the Rajis, still regard the peak as the
abode of their ancestors. According to one legend, the seven sages
accompanied Manu and remained behind to dwell in the company of the
Goddess.
Annapurna and Machapuchare: Goddess Parvati dwells in yet another
form on sacred Annapurna One, named like Nanda Devi for the deity
said to reside on its summit. A range of peaks that includes
Gangapurna, Machapuchare and Annapurnas One through Four, Annapurna
rises in one long sweep above the lush green hills of central Nepal.
Seen from the tropical valley of Pokhara in the twilight before
dawn, the range's peaks appear to float like bluish-gray icebergs on
a sea of liquid shadows. Etched with shadowed flutings, the
corrugated face of Annapurna One — the highest summit at 26,545-feet —
becomes a golden backdrop to the slender pointed peak of
Machapuchare, the"Fish's Tail.”
Annapurna means in Sanskrit"She who is filled with food.”Unlike
Nanda Devi, who can take on the wrathful form of Durga, Annapurna is
regarded as a purely benevolent deity. A kindhearted Goddess of
plenty, She is the Queen of Banaras, the holy city of the Hindus on
the banks of the Ganges south of Nepal. Each year, after the autumn
harvest, the people of Banaras celebrate a festival dedicated to Her
called Annakuta, the"Food Mountain," in which they fill Her temple
with a mountain of food — rice, lentils, and sweets of all kinds to be
distributed to those who come to receive Her blessings.”
Hinduism Today, February 1999
MOUNT KAILASH - the abode of Lord Maheswara
For most people, a trip to Western Tibet is virtually synonymous with a visit to Mount Kailash. The power of this strange, domed peak has gripped the imagination of the people of India and Tibet since time immemorial, with the result that it has long been one of Asia's most important (and remote) pilgrimage destinations. More recently, Mount Kailash's reputation as a sacred mountain as well as a place of natural beauty has begun to lure travelers and pilgrims from around the world. Beginning in 1984, when the Chinese authorities first opened Tibet to the outside world, Western visitors (the first since Lama Govinda in 1949) have begun to make their way into the area in trucks, land cruisers, and even a horseback and by foot. Today, it is still extremely difficult to reach the region, and the obstacle that people meet in trying to get here are frequently attributed to the sacred power of the mountain itself, which allows only those with sufficient spiritual preparation to gain a glimpse of its magical presence.
Mount Kailash is remarkable in that four of the largest rivers in Asia have their sources within 100 km (62 miles) of it; the Indus flowing to the north, the Brahmaputra to the east, the Sutlej to the west, and the Karnali (leading to the Ganges) to the south. As a mountain in this part of the world it is not particularly high, a mere 6,714m yet it is striking in the way it rises above the surrounding range and remains perpetually snow-capped. The stunning image of this white peak against the clear blue sky helps to explain the mountain's name in Tibetan, Gang Rinpoche, or Jewel of Snow.
Each of Mount Kailash's faces reflects different moods. The southern face reflects majesty or splendour; it is fully covered with snow. The western face is enveloped in an aura of compassion and benevolence. The northern face is stark, forbidding and daunting, while the eastern, only visible from a long way off, is mysterious and distant.
Traditional Buddhist cosmology has often connected Kailash with Mount Meru, the great mythological mountain that forms the axis of our world system. As the center of this world system, Mount Meru is often visualized surrounded by the various continents and adorned with the sun and moon and then offered to the buddhas and bodhisattvas as a mandala. In addition to Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bon practitioners all hold Mount Kailash to be sacred. Hindus most frequently see the mountain as the abode of Shiva and his divine entourage. A well-known Sanskrit lyrical poem from the fifth century, The Cloud Messenger by Kalidasa, pays tribute to the mountain and its surroundings through a message sent by an exiled denizen of Kailash to his wife via a passing cloud.
The Jains, whose own faith was founded at the time of the Buddha in India, regard Kailash as the place where the first Jain saint gained emancipation. Followers of the Bon tradition in Tibet worship the mountain as the spiritual center of the ancient country of Shangshung and as the place where their founder, Shenrab, descended to the earth from the sky. Because of these and other religious association, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon ascetics and pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain for thousands of years. Once they arrive they gaze upon it, circumambulate it and sometimes settle down to practice austerities and meditation. The 11th century Tibetan Buddhist saint Milarepa is said to have resided there for 11 years. Padmasambhava is also associated with the mountain, particularly the valley on the western side, where he stayed in a cave.
"Ratnasanu sharaasanum Rajatadri Shrunga Niketanam
Singinikruta Pannageshwara Achutanana Sayakam |
Kshipradagda Puratrayam Tridivalairabi Vandhitam
Chandrashekaramashraye mama kim karishyati vyiamaha ||
In this way, Srimad Shankaracharya in his Chandrashekara Astaka glorifies the abode of Ishwara - the Holy Mt. Kailash. Even"Yama" the life taker can not touch the devotees who worship Parashiva he claims. This is Kubera's living place also. After his brother Ravana takes control of Lanke and Pushpaka Vimana, Kubera with the blessings from Parameshwara establishes Alakapuri in Kailash and becomes Yaksharaja.
It is described in the Mahabharatha that Bhagavan Krishna went along with the Pandavas and Dhoumya Maharshi to Kailas from Badrinath. On reaching there after fifteen days they were welcomed by Lord Mahadeva Himself whose darshan and hospitality made them very happy. This is an example of the fact that Lord Mahadeva gives darshan only to deserving people.
"In Life, one gets what one deserves and not what one desires and He knows what one deserves - Swami Chinmayananda
Our ancients like Vyasa and great ones of recent times like Kalidasa have described this Kailas as the dear abode of Lord Mahadeva.
The Kailas peak full of dark black rocks with head adorned with glittering white snow stood like a leader amongst the long stretch of black mountains.”My body experienced horripilation and my mind immersed in the ocean of bliss was overcome with joy"- Sri Swami Tapovanam
I started walking slowly with my eyes pinned on to the lovely forehead of the Mount Kailsh. I started walking forward but my eyes, being rooted on the beautiful forehead of the Kailasa Montain, were incapable of looking here and there or even determining the path to be taken - Sri Swami Tapovanam
Ye samprapthaha param stanam Dyana Yogarata Naraaha |
Na tesham punravrutti Grore samsara sagare ||
Sarvagra sarvadha shuddha paripurna Maheshwaraha |
Shiva tulya balopethaha param Shivapuram Gathaha ||
Ithtanthena theshu Kailaseshu vastum Shilamasyasthiti Kailasa vasi |
- Shivatatva Rahasya by Chikkeruru Linga Jois
It is mentioned in 'Shiva Dharmottra"that there is a separate Loka called 'Paramashiva Loka' which is accessible to only dyana yogis. Those dyana yogis who embrace this Paramashiva Loka will not return to"samsara"sagara. They attain full satisfaction and live in total Bliss.
Yo veda dav svara proktho | Vedante cha pratishtithaha |
tasya prakruti Linasya | Ya paraha sa Parameshwaraha ||
Those who the Veda svara's are referring to, those who are proficient in Vedas, His oneness with Nature, who is GREAT is Maheshwara. When you visit Mt. Kailash - the Abode of LORD Maheshwara you can experience this total truth. We have to become one with Nature to get close to LORD. Mt. Kailash is Shiva and Shiva is Mt. Kailash.
Aham Brahmasmi, Shivaha kevaloham - Chidananda Rupam | Shivoham | Shivoham |
MOUNT KAILASH - the abode of Lord Maheswara
http://www.drsethufoundation.org/page5.html
Disclaimer: Our material may be copied, printed and distributed by referring to this site. This site also contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the education and research provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance freedom of inquiry for a better understanding of religious, spiritual and inter-faith issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
