The misadventurous pilgrimage to Muktinath -8
Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
The Lord graces us all in two ways. One is maarjaala kishora nyaaya and kapi kishora nyaaya.
Just as the mother cat takes care of its kitten by itself very carefully and just won't leave; the Lord takes care of us on His own and blesses us with His Compassion, inner and outer Company and draws us near Him lovingly and carefully and dearly.
Next, the Lord graces us through kapi kishora nyaaya - meaning in this case the baby monkey hugs itself to mother monkey and the mother monkey hops from one branch to the other unmindful and with apparent carelessness of the baby hugged to it. It seems it is the baby monkey's endeavour only to stick. This is other kind of Lord's grace bringing us near Him with our apparent efforts.
Both nyayas are His leelas - frolics.
Our pilgrimage to Muktinath happened in the first kind of grace of the Lord on us. He initiated the volition in us to visit Muktinath without we having very little or any knowledge of where it is in Nepal and how to go there. We are only two and are not in a group. All do the pilgrimage to Muktinath in groups.
We ventured to visit Muktinath as shooting arrow into the darkness.
Now it seems that my presenting paper in Tribhuvan University is a pretext based on which we desired to go to Khatmandu. As we are going to Khatmandu, Nepal we desired and devided like having a darshan of Muktinath. As said earlier without proper knowledge or preparation to visit such a unknown, foreign and distant place.
The Annapurna range of Himalayas are almost near the border between Nepal and China. We need to have permits to enter the area. And we don't know how to reach the place except knowing bus service is there between Khatmandu and Jomsom and we don't know the nature of road or the town of Jomsom and the availability of accommodation there.
It is God's will and wish to give us His darshan and took care of us as mother cat takes care of its kitten.
The meeting with travel agent at Khatmandu right in our hotel in which we stayed to our reaching Muktinath and having a contented darshan of the Lord relatively easily and hassle free is just shower of His Grace on us in such a dear way in that strange and distant place with extreme weather conditions with which we were never in touch.
It is His complete Compassion on us. The Muktinatha made us experience Mukti - the liberation and absorption in Him - from outside and inside phenomenal world and our self-consciousness. We are completely immersed in His Dear and Friendly Grace and Embrace.
We have nine types of Bhakti given to us in Narada Bhakti Sutras. It is about nine kinds of our relation with the Lord - Keshava or Siva or any of our favourite Deity. Friendship is one of them.
I always like friendship with the Lord; as Arjuna, Kuchela and Sri Radha
enjoyed and had been blissful with Lord Krishna; as Sundaramurty nayanar with Lord Siva and many star devotees of our great Spiritual Land - India that is Bhararat have been from times immemorial.
We stayed near the shrine and Lord for an hour, experiencing the serenity, bliss, peace without and within and the coolness of snow fall, surrounding majestic Himalayas and snow spread around like spread moonlight and jasmines. It is exhilarating to be there and calmly experience the calmness.
There are not many visitors. The Nepalese with whom we came have all took bath under the the taps and in the two small tanks - kunds - Infront of the shrine.
(To be continued)
The misadventurous pilgrimage to Muktinath - 9
Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
We thus spent much time near the shrine enjoying the spectacle of Himalayas, snow and the coolness. In Muktinath temple there won't be any priests. Only an elderly Nepalese woman officiates the duties of a priest. No padukalu, Teerthsm or any such things. Also no deepam in the sanctum sanctorum. And all shops down are closed because of snow fall. As said earlier the devotees are very sparse. A police check post is there and two police personal are there. At 1 -30 pm the temple is closed. We, to be frank reluctantly descended. Of course we can't stay there. No shelter. Only a feeling that's all.
We walked on the snow. We wore only chappals. The touch of snow is rejuvenating. It took half an hour to come to the foot of the hill. The snow fall didn't stop. We again got into our vehicle and reached the hotel (not in the usual sense but a staying place) at around 4 pm.
We didn't take any thing till then. That day is Maha Sivarathri. We thoroughly are glad and grateful and thanked profusely Muktinatha for the Lord's Grace on us to give darshan on the auspicious day of Maha Sivarathri.
We just took black tea and decided to take dinner at 7 pm. The dinner is available with the hosts, whose dwelling doubles as stay and restaurant. Most of the houses in Jomsom do this tourism business. It was very cold. Snow is still falling.
The airport of Jomsom is just behind our hotel. The runway is situated on the banks of Gandaki river.
We are called for dinner. The dinner is usual rotis, subji, dal and no curds or butter milk. We took warmed water.
The food is alright. They made us sit on a table under which fire place is there. It gave enough heat. I found on the top of all houses many logs arranged in rows and columns. They use it for winter heating.
We retired to our room and slept. It was much cold during the night. We could sleep. Next day morning the sun greeted us with his golden and warm rays. A normal day. No snow fall. Must be on the top of the Muktinath hill is also it is a clear day. But we liked our snowing day when we had the Darshan of the Lord Muktinatha. It is His will to give us the experience of of a snowy day.
And Lord's Grace us on us has still come out with the news that actually on the day we went the shrine for three days must have been closed for an annual ritual. Because of intense snow fall the ritual is postponed. We felt so grateful to the Lord for this postponement of the annual ritual and give us the Darshan.
We have to start from Jomsom at 10- 30 am to go to a place called Kuntira and stay there that night. When we were taking dinner, two youths sat with us having dinner with us. They said they are the driver and conductor of the bus we are taking tomorrow to go to Kuntira.
We had a chat with them. They like India and one of them had gone to much of North India and to Bangalore and the second asked do they need permit to visit Bangalore. I said not necessary and continued that we too need not have papers to come to Nepal. Then he said we need permit to enter Jomsom area and to go to Muktinath.
I vaguely replied him in our possessing the permit. This conversation put us in discomfort and some tension since we didn't have the required papers. Still we slept well. But the tension returned when we woke up.
The sun with his golden rays adorned the Himalayas with his light and it is a pleasant sight. We enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun.
(To be continued)
The misadventurous pilgrimage to Muktinath - 10
Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
The morning at Jomsom is very sunny and bright. We took photos of the Himalayas from our hotel. The sight is just intoxicating. Pleasant and calm experience we had.
The hostess is rich. Her children are working in India and Khatmandu. She just is using her premisis as an accommodation cum restaurant. She is having a helper. Our guide rents a room in the hotel and doubles as a travel agent also. He does more than one job. He is the one who books tickets for the bus. He assured us guide at Kuntira receives us and will put us in our accommodation there. He gave the name and number of the guide there.
Our bus starts at 10-30 in the morning to go to Khatmandu. And reaches Khatmandu at 4-30 in the morning next day. I first thought we will be staying for the night at Pokhara an important town/city. That area is called Pokhara valley. Our guide told us we will be getting down at Kuntira and not Pokhara further away and is nearer to Khatmandu. A guide will receive us and take us to the accommodation.
This hotel in which we stayed for night is just on the street where all buses stop. That is the last stop for the buses I think. Our Khatmandu agent told us our guide at Jomsom meets us as soon as we get down from the bus. Meanwhile the conductor of the bus phoned him and he replied that he is ready to receive us by the time we reached Jomsom.
We bid good bye to our hostess but couldn't bid farewell to Jomsom so easily. Jomsom is on the banks of the Gandaki river. The Gandaki river originates somewhere in the Himalayas in the Annapurna range; and Muktinath mountain is part of them.
It is completely warm and pleasant. We are total 5 passengers in the bus. The bus travelled on the bed of Gandaki river for 30 km. The Gandaki river is on our left and accompanied us for one third of the distance of our journey. The river valley on the left is very deep and water is meagre but the river is flowing as it is descending from heights.
Now conductor of our bus asked do we have papers. I just said no. Then he said if at the checking point they ask us from where we are coming to tell the name of the place which we just passed. But our appearance can't fool them. He also said that we should be ready to pay money. I said yes.
At the checking point the checking people didn't enter the bus. The conductor might have told them that no tourists are there in the bus. As the bus is a route bus, they, the check post people didn't care. Thus our tension is relieved. The bus reached that point around 12-30 in the afternoon.
The route is full of ups and downs with sharp curves. The road is narrow. Most of the road is under construction. This is like that for 70 to 80 km. The driver is young and very efficient. I sat in the front seat and observed his very efficient driving. The driver of sumo is also equally efficient when we travelled from Birganj to Khatmandu on the same kind of road. Both the routes are scenic.
By 4 pm we reached a place called Beni and the road is well laid from there. People started boarding the bus long before that and are traveling shorter distances. I wondered how they live and what is the livelihood.
Traffic and people increased from Beni. We reached Pokhara by 7 pm.
We reached our Kuntira stop by 10-30 pm. Here also the conductor took the number of my guide at Kuntira and phoned him that we are coming. The guide said that he is waiting at the bus stop for us.
Also as I told in the initial parts of this write-up, I took local Ncell connection and it has been very useful and helpful. It made possible that the two Khatmandu agents contact me and they inquired how we are and whether we faced any problems. I said we faced no problems and thanked their gesture. Also I am able to be in continuous touch with my sons in India and inform them of our journey, welfare and well-being.
The guide at Kuntira is ready for us and took us to the hotel where we have to stay for night. It just is a normal accommodation just beside the road. The guide who received owns it I think. Next day morning I could also see his shop cum travel agency.
We have a pleasant surprise and Lord's Grace is again fully in play for us once more more beautifully.
(To be continued)
