In 2012 I visited Girnar and other places in Gujrat
The First day.
15th Jan Sunday. I have already shared my experience of visiting Jalaram Bapa ashram and how by Bhagavan’s grace we could not only attend Bhandara but more importantly have the holy tirtha at the ashram. That was only by His grace. Anyway from there we reached Junagadh where Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and holy Girnar Parvat are. The sun’s rays had dipped as it was already five. It was turning pink all over. The nip in the air was slowly turning to chill. We were in all fifty-three devotees along with Appa and his wife.
Some pointed out and said O there! There it is! I looked out and there it was. Majestically was the Girnar Parvat bathing in an ochre color. I said Avadhuut Chintan Shree Gurudev Datta. Tears were flowing as the past came to me. As if I was connected with it long back. It was beckoning me. I stared at it. The very sight of Girnar Giri frees our minds of all tensions and worries of life because it is A sure sign of the Grace of Lord Dattatreya! It was like meeting a friend after a long separation. The power of the Call took me there. The bus slowly moved close to it. The heart was feeling the joy. We alighted at Prajapati Ashram from where the Paravat could be seen. What appeared majestic till now appeared challenging. It sent chills down my spine. I looked up. The side of the Paravat that could be seen was Devi Amba Mata Peak. In my life, I had never done any trekking or mountain climbing. I had been to Amarnath in the Himalayas, but that too was only by divine help! I have shared my experience of this Yatra in Anant. I called on Divine Mother. I pleaded “Will You let me down? O Mother dear! Will the separation end?” The ochre color was slowly being overtaken by night. The light bulbs were lit across the path as if Amba Mata placed her divine anklets down to light the path for those who wished to climb at night. A cool breeze entered the valley. All around us were mountains. All this reminded me of our Bhagavan Nityananda and Mandakini Parvat of Ganeshpuri on the chilled nights. A local friend was invited by me to guide us in our preparation. I called him as the majority in the group were fifty and a few were 70 and 80s. What he told us did not give us any comfort at all. It was his perception. Thus my friend came to give us tips. When he saw our mixed-age crowd, he felt that more than 50% would return without completing the climb. He said we may go up to Amba Mata at the most. and no more, if at all we try. Moreover, he said that once we returned from the climb, we would be so tired that we would just drop down on the bed and forget all about our further journey. Although he did not mean to frighten us, looking at the aged crowd he must have cautioned us. Some 4000 steps to Jain Dehrasar, 5500 steps to Amba Mata temple, and 9900 steps to Guru Shikhar. It was not all going up. It was also going down and at times very steep climb. All that gave me a creep. I just prayed and looked forward to divine intervention to make our journey successful.
Just at the base of Girnar, there is Damodar Kund a water tank where 15th-century saint Narsih Mehta used to sit and compose his Bhajans – poems. On the bank of this Kund is a beautiful temple. We went there as we wanted to take the blessings of this saint before beginning our climb the next morning. When we reached there the temple had already closed for the night. Although the temple priest discouraged us we still pursued and entered the temple. The curtains were drawn in the main temple of Lord Krishna. We prostrated at the temple and just as we were moving around the Krishna Temple there was another temple with a large Ganesha idol. The priest there opened the gate and gave us darshan. We offered garlands brought by Mahesh Mhatre and Agarbatti. The garland was placed around the neck of Ganesha and it looked beautiful. The priest gave us some prasad. This was the first sign of His blessings assuring me of making the climb. From there we returned to the ashram. Before sleeping, although I was happy after visiting Ganesha temple, still needed to call upon Bhagavan Nityananda for his help for the next day’s climb, and went to sleep.
Second day 16th Monday. I got up at 3 to start early. But it was decided that all should leave together after making joint prayers at the Hanuman temple at the foot of the mountain. I gave up all warm clothes and took the only bottle was lime water, a few mints, and a monkey cap. 47 of us thus began our climb. I started with chanting and began the climb. There were two Tillu brothers. They took it upon themselves to accompany and take care of me. I had decided to climb very slowly, taking rests whenever it was becoming a bit difficult. In the first 1000 steps, it became very warm and I removed my cap. It was by His grace that one of the devotees recommended to me not to wear any warm clothes. The younger Tillu, Mukesh carried my bag. The climb was looking more and more difficult and my conversation with Baba had already become a bit nasty. Both the brothers enjoyed it and laughed a lot. I spared no words nor did I mince them. I even went to the extent of questioning Him, his reason to go and settle so high up. Every step made me wonder how I would make it. The young children were jumping like monkeys and men older than me walking calmly. It was only I who was making most of the noise. In the dark, we made some 2500 steps. Although the temperature was low, the climb made us feel warm. Then somebody lit the sky and there was a day break!!! Below were lush green forests covered with fog. I could see the valley covered with fog, cool the breeze suddenly blowing as if somebody had also put on the fan! The sight was amazing, beautiful.
Amba Mata Mandir is a beautiful temple from the Gupta period. Inside is a large lion statue which may have been recently installed. The Amba Mata statue was only face which was round and sweet. We all bowed to her. I was full of gratitude having been blessed by her to reach so far. Devotees travel up to here. From here only a few move forward. By the time I reached here with Tillu Brothers and Chetan tagging along it was bright but cool. I could see below in the valley fog cover all around. The wind blowing between the mountains caused a channeling effect making the fog move across the valley as if there was a thin layer of cotton clothing in the air. The chill could be felt, but because of the climb, it was refreshing and soothing.
Devi indeed was very beautiful though not an artistic carving. It was shakti filled. From there we could see the Gorakshanath Shikhar. Once again we started to move and reached the cave which had firewood burning as Dhuni in a cave called Gorakshabath Gufa. There is both end open passage (cave) having the face of a cow’s mouth. One can slide through it as if it was rebirth through
the holy cow. In the Gufa lived a yogi. It is very small but you can stand straight. Part of the group met me there. After most of them had darshan, I and Prasad Pendse entered the cave. I sat on the ground and we lit the lamp, drops, agarbatti, etc. Then we offered our prayers – Sada Sarvada Yog tujha ghadava ………. The whole cave vibrated with our voices. Here we asked for His forgiveness for any sins that we must have done knowingly or unknowingly, we prayed to Him that we dedicate our lives in His service, to have His grace and presence experience eternally and that our body be laid in His service, that wherever I mind went, we should see His Form, that wherever we lay our forehead, it should be His Lotus Feet and then we hailed Him as Ananta Koti Brhamananda Nayak, Rajadhiraj,
Yogiraj, Bhakta Pratipalak, Bhaktabhimani, Bhaktabhilashi, Dattavatari, Shreepad Shreevallabh, Shree Narshimha Saraswati, Satchidananda Sadgurunath Gurudev Bhagavan Nityananda ki Jai The yogi there applied vibhuti on our forehead and gave us small packets as prasad. We prostrated at the statue of Gorakshanath and with His blessings left the place. It was a wonderful experience there. Others were waiting for us outside. We all joined and we started our journey. From Goraksha Gufa there was some distance to go down before there was a steep climb to Guru Shikhar. On one side there was great happiness that the time had come to be at His place after having to wait for several lives and at the same time the steep climbing gave jitters. Going down itself was giving pain to my knees, but the Gurushikar was beckoning, calling out to us. The valley now looked more beautiful than before as civilization was left far behind. We were in clouds and below the fog was playing their dance as if to welcome us. With such an invitation being there, pain and fear did not matter. I had taken a long stick to assist the walk.
Shree Gurudev Dutta.. The stick was of great help, both to climb and also to chant. The devotees coming down were exchanging sweet greetings to encourage me to climb. It was cool with the warm sun. Slowly and steadily we were moving to the pinnacle. It was getting more and more steep or so it seemed to me. There were monkeys around. As the dome of the holy spot became visible, the longing intensified. Slowly and steadily I entered the dome. There He was I!!!!Jai Shree Gurudev Datta!!!!
Yes! Finally, I was there. After having blessings of Gorakshanath at Goraksha gufa I reached the height of 3600 feet only by His grace. The pain in the leg was there, but the joy of reaching the top was more intense. I looked below. It was all beautiful. His ochre color had spread everywhere. There was a cool breeze with a warm sun. Clouds were floating around us. I was at the entrance of the Gopurum where Datta padukas were. My heart was beating with joy. The longing of several lives was to culminate in the meeting. The pull was unbearable. I could hold myself no more. I pulled myself from the panoramic view and entered the Gopurum. This Gopur reminded me of Gurunityananda Shikar at Kanhangad. My Swami Janananda was below and Bhagavan was at the top of the hill. I was returning to my Gurus home. I thus reached the doorstep of Bhagavan’s abode. I stopped for a minute and expressed my gratitude to all the
devotees who came into my life and led me by my fingers to reach so far. Every one of them contributed to my life and were it not for their love, blessings, and good wishes I would have reached His doorstep. With Tillu Brothers,
Prasad Pendse and other co-travelling devotees we presented ourselves to the ultimate divinity. Mahesh who had already had darshan waited for us at the junction of Kamandalu Teertha. It was as if the time had simply stopped. Prasad gathered all the pooja items and asked me to offer them. My whole body was shaking and all of us offered it to Lord Datta. A yogi was sitting inside the railing. At the center was a beautiful statue of Lord Datta in white marble. Below it was the footprint – Padukas of Lord Datta. We prostrated at the feet again and again. Since Gopur is very small, the yogi and police asked everyone to, move forward and out. But they allowed few of us to wait, Only after we saw Him to our eyes full, we went on the other side. We stood inside the Gopu and nobody asked us to leave whereas the guard forced everyone to leave once they had Darshan. Prasad Pendse and a few of us took this opportunity to perform Aarti and sang the Arathi, chanted the chants on Lord Dattatreya, and offered hymns and prayers.
The group went out leaving me behind. Then I was alone with Him and Yogi in the Gopur.
I stood there just to present to Him for some time. Suddenly I realized that my group and Tillu Bros were not there. Since the going down was steep, I hurried only to meet them and get the signs of Bhagavan’s Benediction. The experience that we had next confirmed that His Grace was on all of us and that He was Happy with our pilgrimage to His abode and accepted our prayers. As I moved down from the Gopur, I saw Prasad Pendse and others excited. They were only a few steps below and looking down behind the Guru Shikhar. When they saw me they called me to look below. I too
leaned on the parapet and saw below. Amazing! Extraordinarily divine. There was a full circle rainbow about one meter in diameter. It looked very very beautiful; The center was dazzling white like an arc of a welding rod. I stood transfixed. Whenever I visit a holy place I always ask Him " Swamideva, am I here because you want me to be here? Do I have Your Blessings for this trip? Are You pleased with me? Please give me an indication of Your approval." When I
make this request He normally makes it happen an no seasonal rains or cloudy with a beautiful rainbow across the sky. Since that happens not normally, I feel great and take it as His message. On this trip, I had taken it for granted that it was by His will that I was there. Hence I did not make my usual questions about my purpose of visit to Girnar. But He would not let me be with any doubt in mind which may later come up. On His own He gave His acceptance and that
too in the most beautiful way. Full circle rainbow called Vraja Indradhanusha-Diamond Bow of Lord Indra in Marathi. It was like a halo around the head of a saint!!! So touching and loving. Now, being a scientist, I know rainbows do happen when there are clouds and one can argue there is nothing to it. But all my past experiences and that it happened and noticed only after we had darshan of Him at the pinnacle of this Journey makes me take it as His Benediction Grace. I stood transfixed for long and silent. After some time it began to fade. Were I to be late in coming down, I would not have got to see. Such is my Gurudeva! Such is my Bhagavan Nityananda, my Swami Janananda, Shaligram Swami, Swami Samartha, the Navnaths, Ghaninath, Nivruthinath, Janeshwar, Sopan and Muktabai!!!!!!! O my friends, please bask in this
divine light of seven colors which would bind us in its circle of Love, Grace, and Joy- Prem, Kripa
& Ananda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Yes of course my Elder Brother!!!!! He stood by me on this Journey.
Jyotsna you were so much there. Thus we were all in absolute bliss. It was 10.43 when I was
inside the Gopur at Gurushikar. 10,43 is considered as Punyaghaddhi auspicious moment when
Bhagavan left His body and thus became available to all. I was in front of Him at this very
precious moment. It is indeed a great blessing to be at this time at such a holy place!!!! I
remembered all my dear friends and wished they could witness this amazing bliss. I was called by
my elder sister Kusum. Kusum and Ravi, my two elder sisters were blessed to have Bhagavan’s
maximum darshan. Whenever Bhagavan used to return to Vaikuntha ashram from his walk,
they used to run with a bucket of water to wash His holy Lotus Feet. I requested her to talk over
my cell so that her voice would reach Him. Then I rang Meera as I wanted one of you to make
prayers for all of us. She came online and I made my request to her. I wanted her voice too to
reach Him. She made an emotional prayer for all of us. Then I rang my wife Nandini so that her
voice too would be heard by Him. With that done I was very happy. Tillu Brothers Prasadan
Pendse and others were with me. We walked down the steep stairs and reached where Mahesh
Mhatre was waiting. We all then moved to Kamandaluteertha. This is a lower height than the
Guru Shikhar. Here is holy water used by Lord Datta. There is a small place where there is a holy
fire lit by Lord Datta. After taking permission from his parents Lord came to Girnar for Tapasya.
There was water in this area. He threw his Kamandalu at the black rock and from the spot it
struck, the holy water took its fountainhead. Even today one can see this spot. One is not
allowed to wash one’s hands here nor can you gargle and spit out as this is holy water. One can
drink and wash hands only when one has eaten food with hands. There is a holy fire that has
been burning for years. Only on Mondays, this room is open and one can have darshan
between 7 and 10 in the morning. The vibhuthi-holy ash is very powerful and sacred. For 1200
years Bhagavan has held his tapasya here. He takes his bath in the Kunda and performs
sandyavandan and he then meditates on his Nijaswaroop. After having the darshan we were
offered a wholesome lunch having Khicdi, moong usal, and sheera jus as Bhagavan Nityananda
offers in His bhandara. We ate and rested a bit. There we saw photos of Shree Vasudevananda
Saraswati & Swami Samartha. It is said that Swami Samrtha stayed here for a few days. After
resting we began our descent To be at Gurushikhar at 10.43, having gotten to see the circular
rainbow as His halo, getting maximum time to be ‘present’ to Him and all that was because of
the power of prayers of all my gurubandhus. It is all because of all of you. It was not me but all
of you who were there with me. Ujjwala, you can understand how it is !!! You and I were
fortunate to see Him, Swami Janananda, Shaligram Swami, and all the great peers whose
blessings have brought great fortune on us at every moment of our lives as if there is a shower of
grace all the 12 months, nay every second of our lives. We thus began our downward journey
which was more of a thanksgiving journey and expressed our gratitude to each deity who
facilitated our upward journey. Thus we met Gorakshanath, Amba mata, Gomukh ganga, and
many deities including Kalimata and Shiva. At Gomukh the Ganga water was still very cold. We
drank and felt refreshed. Then we reached the Jain Teerthankaras. We thanked all the saints for
their blessings. The journey downward was more demanding. Sun was out and pressure was now
felt on the knees. Legs were by now screaming. Finally, we reached the Hanuman temple from
where we had started our journey. We prayed and thanked Him for making our journey
successful. The Grace of Hanuman is very vital for such an event. The Devotees are more
important than God. Their anugraha is very important. Finally reached our resort. On one hand,
there was joy that the yatra was indeed successful by His grace, and on the other hand body was
tired. Somebody arranged for a good massage. That was relaxing. The next day was to be back
home but He had different plans. Prasad Pendse made to talk to people that night (16th Jan
2012) and as usual I shared just what came to mind. What came to my mind was How great is
our Swamideva. Out of 53 devotees who made this trip, 47 decided to make the entire Girnar
journey. Rest had declared that they would make only a symbolic climb by taking only a few steps.
Although my contact had firmly declared that out of 47 hardly 50% would complete the journey
and most of them would return halfway rest would go only up to Amba Mata and few
would complete the entire, ALL of 43 did the entire journey!!!. With so many aged and some
who had asthma, that all could do it without any hardship showed how much Swamideva
(Swami Samrtha & Bhagavan Nityananda) facilitated the yatra. After dinner, I slept only to get up
at 3 am to go to Somnath.
Somnath is a very famous Jyothir Linga of Shiva which was raided several times and finally
destroyed by an onslaught of invaders who plundered this temple to loot its wealth and destroy the
very fabrics of Hinduism Today a huge temple stands at the sea and the credit goes to
Vallabhbhai Patel & K. N. Munshi for their concentrated efforts to get the temple placed back.
We reached around 6.30 am. The entire scene looked so beautiful. Under the backdrop of a huge
sea, the temple stood as a symbol of intense faith and love. The temple is amazingly beautiful and
with the sun just rising it was looking great. We first made our offerings to a Shiva Temple built
by Ahallyabai which is opposite to Somnath temple. We reached in time to attend the 7 am arati
at Somnath temple. The Shakti was so intense that we all were left immensely touched.
Although the arati ritual was very simple, it was full of shakti and there were very strong
vibrations. After the arathi, we went around the temple where we could see the open sea. The
power of the sea is reflected in the power of Shiva and the strength of devotees’ faith. There was a cool
breeze and soft sunlight. The entire area left us impressed. This was my second visit to
Somnath and although both were very impressive, this one as a follow-up was much more significant.
After Somnath darshan, I went to the place where Lord Krishna was shot at and spent his last
moment………… Here Krishan wanted to demonstrate the Law of Karma. in Rama’s avatar, He
had shot the King of Vanara Vali not in battle but slyly/ When Vali was dying he lamented that he
was shot and to console him Lord promised that for His act He would in His next Avatar give
Vali opportunity to shoot Him and thus redeem His Karama. Rama shot the ball from behind the tree
coz Bali had a boon for Brahma that whoever would fight with him face to face, half the powers of
the opponent would be transferred to Bali!!…. But to respect the law of karma Krishna got shot with an
arrow by Jara a hunter who mistook his foot to be an animal!!
18th Jan 2012: From Somnath, we went to Prabhasphatan. There is a beautiful idol of Lord Shri
Krishna in reclined form with His one leg over the other. The pippal tree is also seen outside the
main temple. Near the main temple is the Mahadev temple. This is the place where the arrow of
Jara’s poacher hit Lord Krishna while he was meditating under a peepal tree. It is said that on the
feet of Lord Krishna… there were several holy signs. He had taken the shining mark of the foot
of Lord Krishna and shot the arrow. When Jara came to know that he had hit Lord he was overcome
by sorrow and pain. He fell at His feet and begged to be pardoned. Krsina tried to calm him and
assure him that whatever had happened was destined. He then reminded him of his previous
birth when Jara was Bali the king of Vanara. Krishna as Ramavatar had to kill him as per
destiny. As per the Law of Karam, Rama assured Vali that in His next avatar, Vali would be killing
Him. Lord Krishna pardoned Jara walked away to the bank of the Hiren River and left the
mundane world. This sacred tirtha is located 5 km on Prabhaspatan- Veraval road. It was thus at
Bhalka Teerth, where Lord Krishna was shot in the feet by Jara, the Bhil hunter. Bhagavan
Shree Krishna then walked a small distance and arrived at the holy banks of river Hiran from
where he took his last journey to his Neejdham. Shree Krishna Neejdham Prasthan Tirth This
Tirtha is located on the banks of Hiran at a distance of 1.5km from Somnath temple. Bhagavan
Shree Krishna took his divine journey to Neejdham from this sacred soil. The time of Neejdham
Prasthan of Shri Krishna departed is the first day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra month (which
corresponds with 18 February of the English calendar) in the year 3102 B.C. at 2:27:30 hours The
footprint of Bhagvan Shree Krishna is carved here to mark the divine memory of Shree Krishna
Neejdham Prasthan Leela. Baldevji, the elder brother of Shree Krishna also took his last journey
from here in his original serpent form. This is marked by an ancient holy cave called I missed
Triveni Sangam Snanghat: Triveni Ghat in Somnath is the confluence of three holy rivers
Kapil, Hiran, and a mystical River Saraswati (also known as Gupt Saraswati). It is believed that
the rivers flow to the ultimate destination of the Sea from here. This symbolizes human birth, life, and death. This is a sacred place. It is believed that the bath in the waters at this Ghat offers
relief from all curses and ills It is an important place to pay homage to ancestors,
Pitrutarpan. as it holds high religious importance for tarpan for the ancestors. In Chaitra and
Bhadrapada months of the Hindu calendar huge crowds are seen here. In Hindu mythology, feeding
fish is regarded as a talisman for getting wealth and prosperity. People can be seen feeding fish
here.
As I stood in front of the beautiful Krishna statues I was mesmerized by His beautiful face. I
became present to Him and Jara who was sitting by His Feet. Jara’s face was full of pain,
agony, guilt, and remorse whereas Krishna’s face was peaceful, calm, and serene and there was
forgiveness, understanding and there was a knowing smile on His face. He was still
holding to His flute which he had left ever since He had left Vrindavan. It was as if He knew that His end was near. All these years as a King He had lots His touch with His
childhood. He wanted to go back to His childhood days when He used to play flute. Those
days were beautiful, full of fun and frolic. His friends, in the village of Vrindavan. Sudama,
Uddava, his elder brother Balaram who had already left Him, and of course the sweet dove-eyed
Radha. Yes, Radha His beloved. so sweet was she! Maybe all this came to Him as He laid
back and reclined against the trunk of the Peeple tree. The pain was acute, the arrow had run
through and through Him. On one hand, there was joy, and on the other hand, was pain. Joy was for
His purpose has been accomplished and He now is free to immerse himself in His Self. Sad because all
who loved Him would now be no more. The time had come for all to merge in Him and thus end
duality. He would miss being loved. All His devotees, His mother Yashodha, Deveki, father
Vasudev, all the cowherds and of course the cows whose milk He used to drink, and the women
carrying curds and butter in pots over their heads would all come into His Supreme Form the
ultimate Brahman. The news must have spread that their Krishna was dying. All His friends
came in hundreds and seeing a once all-powerful friend of theirs lying in pain they must have
wept. Some fell in dust and rolled pulling their hair in pain. Some hit their heads on the tree
trunks and some hit their heads with their palm. Some pushed the mud in their mouth and some
just became senseless. They were crying beating their breasts. Nobody could control them.
Each one was sharing their wonderful experiences of His grace and love. They held each
other’s hands and wept like small children and held each other tight lest they would fall. They
could not bear to see the blood oozing out and His body twisting in pain. When Krishna noticed
that His friends were inconsolable He raised His hand in benediction and with great difficulty
smiled. His sweet smile soon brought some consolation to the grieved devotees. He assured
them that He was not leaving them and that He was always ‘available’ to His devotees in subtle
form. It now became clear that He was mortally wounded and He would give up His body.
They hugged Him and looked at Him with extreme love. His friends made one last request to
Him " O our Krishna life would no more be worth living without You. Knowing You as a friend and
also that You were the God of gods we never thought we would ever be separated from You. We
shall miss hearing Your flute. Please play for us one last time. We know You are experiencing
pain, but one last time we wish to hear Your flute just as You used to play for Radha." When
He heard Radha’s name His eyes were filled with tears and once again her sweet face
beckoned Him. She now took the form of His consort Laxmi. She was calling out at Him and He was
finding it difficult to withhold. He raised the flute to His lips and sweet music began to flow. It was
the most divine sound and everybody there forgot their sorrow and began to swing to the tune as if
they were enchanted. As this picture was happening in front of my mind’s eyes I felt a tickling
warm sensation on my face. I raised my fingers to brush it only to realize warm tears flowing
down copiously. The hazy image through the tearful eyes slowly turned from fair-skinned to
dark. The agony felt by Gopies was now mine. It was Bhagavan who was passing. Baba
was reclined and all His devotees were weeping, the sweet flute was replaced by the sweet voice of
my mother Sunita who was singing a bhajan. Losing your Guru is the worst thing that can ever
happen to you. The Gopies Krishna Bhagavan Nityananda and I all became One. Like a
pendulum, the mind was moving from Ecstasy and Pain.
The Learning from Girnar Yatra: Whenever I am taken to a particular path, I often ask Him,
Why? What for? Bhagavan is so easily available in plains, effortlessly too. Yet I was taken through
the hardship, anxiety, fear, etc to Girnar. Why? What for? I often ask myself " Why am I going to
Ganeshpuri? What for? Just going there because others are going? What is the purpose? As I
stood at the tip of Gurushikhar alone inside the Gopur, I asked this question. I looked below
from the doorway the chasm deep below the peak. In the valley, there was a thick forest with wild
animals that the Gir Forest was famous for. That is what the world is about. It is green and
beautiful but infected with wild animals in the form of hate, jealousy, cruelty, etc. These animals are
out there to overpower you. The ego is one such big wild animal that is constantly tracking me. I
went to Damodhar Kund and took blessings of a saint Narshim Mehta, Lord Krishna as
Damodhar. Because of the wild animals possessing me, Damodhar kept hiding from me as I
was not ready yet. But Lord Ganesha who is Vignaharatha, destroyer of hurdles, came to my
aid and blessed me that I may rise above these constant play of life and birth. With Ganesha’s
blessings and with hard work I rose above the forest and after climbing come 4500 steps where
I met the saints-Thirthankars. They were there to guide and bless us on this path. Drank
Gomukh Ganga to refresh and rejuvenate. Then stood Ambha Mata-The Maya. There is a huge
illusion that divides the World and the Supreme. Only when Mother blesses that the Guru
is found. After taking Her blessings we meet the Guru-Gorakshanath at Gorakshagufa. There is
a small cave there like a mouth of a cow. The cow is considered holy and is like a mother. By Guru’s
grace and Gurumantra, one is reborn. Passing through the Cow’s mouth is like taking rebirth. It
is known that when one takes diksha from a Guru he gives a new name – symbolic to rebirth. So
also after performing Gurupooja and Guruaradhan, one gets Guru Kripa and Gurumantra which
leads to rebirth thus making you eligible for experiencing Atmabodha-the Knowledge of Self
where Form dissolves in Formless and Formless dissolves in Form. You reach the highest peak
of your journey where both dvaita and advaita lose significance. At the tip of Gurushikha,
there is only Padukas. If you say He is formless, you see His Lotus Feet, If you say He is with
Form there is no figure out there. It is Empty & Meaningless, The Chidaksha. The highest
realization thus comes in. You wait there and remain in that state of ultimate realization and get
free from your Karma. It is a wonderful experience. What is the proof that what you experience is
Reality and NOT an illusion? The small circular Rainbow below -Vajraindradhanyusha is the
confirmatory test and proof of this State. The entire world looks colorful, divine, and shakti full in His
reflection. From there by His will I was made to go down a bit to learn " What after this
realization?" After this realization it is time to serve others, to spread love as His prasad, to share
this nectar, to call out all those who contributed to your success, and to thank them. To make their
voice reach to Him. The time is now right for serving others because you now see Him everywhere
Guru is World and World is Guru. Gelo Dattamayee hohuni, Yes, everything has been transformed
into Lord Datta. Now nothing is mine. Every action is for Him. Seva is done as His service with
no pride and sense of Doer. There at Kamandalu Teertha, I learned that. To serve, feed the
hungry, to give this nectar (teertha) to all. See that it does not go into the wrong hands and is wasted
(no spitting or washing unwanted). Having cleared the purpose of life after Realization the
Karambhumi is the Jungle below. You have to return there and live amid the Kurukshetra
and do your Dharma, Kulachar, Karma, and Duty. One can not escape from Work. Work One must.
But now you have a shield of Gurukrupa, the wild animals can no longer harm you or deviate you
from your path. On your return journey you thank the Guru (Gorakshanath), the Divine Mother,
Ambha Mata, the Saints, Teerthankars, and reach the doorstep of Lord Hanuman who is
the epitome of Guruseva. You bow to Him and take His blessings. However, you continue to look up
at Gurushikahr from below. He then appears as Somnath in the plains. You find it is Him even in
your work as the Shiva. Shiva is different from Shankar. Shiva is tattva, and Shankar is a personal
God. Shivtatva remains with you in your duty. But Guru has to give up His mortal body however
you may want Him. Thus Jagavdguru Vasudeva gives up His mortal form and becomes the
Subtle Parabrahma. Remaining in awareness of subtle form is the final state as told by
Bhagavan Nityananda. Om Namho Bhagavate Nityanandaya.
