Enigmatic Kailaas: Part 1: Glimpses of Eternity Part 2: on the Trail of the Infinite

Copyright © 2022 by Crystal Lighthouse Productions.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover photo by Rhythem Shah

Rev. date: 07/06/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

819435

DEDICATION

Bowing down to their immense compassion and grace,

this humble effort is dedicated at the feet of

Shiv and Shakti.

Shivoum

(Let there be bounty always everywhere.)

AT THE FEET OF THE MASTERS

"So kind are you, O my Master

An omniscient compassionate sage

I ask for one word of benediction

And you drench me in a shower of grace!"

We are overwhelmed and record our deep gratitude to these venerated mahatmas (great souls):

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual authority of Tibet.

His Holiness, very kindly, found time from his extreme busy schedule to go through this book and has blessed our effort by writing a foreword with his insignia of approval. The authors consider themselves very fortunate to be recipients of this grace.

• His Holiness Shri Shankaracharya Shri Shankar Vijayendra Saraswati of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.

His Holiness, the head of this revered Peetham (founded by Jagadguru Shri Aadi Shakaracharya in the seventh century) has blessed this book by conferring on it the Shreemukham, a stamp of glory, which is displayed alongside.

The authors indeed feel humbled by this benediction.

• P. P. Swami Tejomayanand of Chinmaya Mission (India), a worldwide organization.

Swamiji, in spite of great demands of the Mission, made it a point to read this book and wrote that, It is a beautiful presentation with a spiritually attractive theme. As a benediction, Swamiji has composed a Paean praising Lord Shiv, so apt for this work, and penned it down in his own handwriting.

His hymn, titled Shiv Stuti (in praise of Shiv) is displayed here. We, the authors of this book, feel it is a great honor bestowed on us.

• The Himalayan master Yogiraj Amarjyoti (a devotee of the Ageless Mahavatar Babaji) met us at the beginning of our pilgrimage in 2011 at Kathmandu, Nepal, and blessed our group.

When we mailed our request to his ashram at Palampur, India, in June 2020, we were delighted to receive a response saying that we were remembered, and Baba wanted to read the book. We sent the digital manuscript. Yogiraj Amarjyotiji did go through it and was pleased. This, we consider, is indeed a blessing for our book.

Expressing profound gratitude toward these spiritual leaders for their love and affection, we offer our heartfelt salutations and express our obeisance to all of them.

— Mukteshwar and Gauri Kshirsagar

Adi Shankaracharya Idol

installed by H H Jayendra Saraswati in 1998

The Shreemukham

IN PRAISE OF LORD SHIV

[Translation: Shiv Stuti by Swami Tejomayananda]

Bliss is said to sprout from Dharma (righteousness)

You are the origin of The Dharma… Oh Shiv

The Ganges washes away the gravest sin

You hold the mighty Ganges aloft…. Oh Shiv

The Moon cools off scorching afflictions of Life

You are ever adorned by him… Oh Shiv

‘The Mythical wish-fulfilling tree’ can grant worldly treasures

But you get pleased even with a devout’s small measure… Oh Shiv

The deadly poison scalding all

Is consumed by you thus saving the world… Oh Shiv

When basal instincts overpower The Living

You annihilate their desires… Oh Shiv

Cobras strike such a fear in us

And You wear them as garlands… Oh Shiv

Uma who is The Energy of The Creation

You are the spouse of that Uma… Oh Shiv

Last breath in Kashi will be liberation for one

And whose writ runs in Kashi but thine… Oh Shiv

A Guru imparts knowledge to his disciples

You are the Original Supreme Guru… Oh Shiv

Ramayan is the foremost epic of devotion

You are the one to compose it… Oh Shiv

We bow down to Thou, oh epitome of compassion

Forever in Love, Oh Shiv

Forever in devotion, Oh Shiv

Shiv Stuti

Composition and calligraphy by

P P Swami Tejomayanand

Copyright: Central Chinmay Mission Trust

[Shiv Stuti translation by Mukteshwar Kshirsagar.]

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I express my sincere gratitude toward those without whom this book would not have seen the light of day.

1. Gauri Kshirsagar, my wife, for providing the initial impulse and the inspiration for doing the Parikrama (circumambulation) of Mount Kailaas and being a constant source of encouragement.

Her research has culminated in On the Trail of the Infinite — a treatise on the Enigmatic Kailaas, as a second part of this work.

2. My daughters, Devika and Renuka, and sons-in-law, Ashish and Vijay, for their whole-hearted participation, giving me the satisfaction of undertaking the Parikrama not solo but with my entire family.

3. Shri Subhash Vaidya from Thane (India) for taking us with him on all three Parikramas and making us the fortunate ones to be guided by a Shiv-Bhakt (devotee of Lord Shiv) like him who has done twenty-five outer and three inner Parikramas (as of May 2020).

4. The simple and honest Sherpas who accompanied us, for feeding us hot cooked meals and tea/coffee/hot water during the entire journey from Nepal to Mount Kailaas and back to Nepal, carrying rations, cooking equipment, tents, oxygen, and everything else needed to make our yatra successful.

These youthful Sherpas were always smilingly available for any help and support required while doing the Parikrama.

5. Ms. Devika Thakkar, founder and CEO of Crystal Lighthouse Productions, Manhattan, New York, USA, for the excellent technical support in graphics, design, and finally publishing this book as a beautiful product, in partnership with Xlibris Publishing, USA.

6. Ms. Mugdha Kulkarni for support in digitizing the manuscript.

7. Indian master artist, the late G. M. Solegaonkar (my father-in-law), for the abstract masterpiece (oil on canvas, 52 × 52) depicted on page 157. Once when he had asked me to interpret it, I had said, I can see many bird forms. The space in between the forms also has a form.

He smiled and made a profound statement, which is etched in my memory. He said, "Seeing the space and not only the objects is the key to expand beyond self."

My musing, titled Merging into the Universal Mind, owes its genesis to this exchange I had in the year 1980 with this master artist.

8. My friends Ritu Chawla, Rhythem Shah, Amit Dhole, Prakash Rao, Sajana Divakaran, Subhash Vaidya, Santosh Sansare, and Uttam Newalkar for permitting usage of some exquisite images captured by them while on the Kailaas-Manas-sarovar yatras (pilgrimages) with us.

9. A special thanks to Rhythem Shah for the beautiful image adorning the cover page.

10. My numerous school and college friends and associates who acted as sounding boards and encouraged me to create this work, Enigmatic Kailaas: Glimpses of Eternity.

Mukteshwar Kshirsagar

H H The Dalai Lama

CONTENTS

Dedication

At the feet of the Masters

Acknowledgment

Foreword

From the desk of the CEO

Part 1:    GLIMPSES OF ETERNITY

Prologue

Why the Effort?

Dogmas of Eternal Kailaas (Four Lessons)

Chapter 1 Three Postponements

Chapter 2 The Great Leap atop Kalsubai Peak

Chapter 3 Symphony of a Damru, Shankh, and Flute

Chapter 4 Khalachauri Landslide and a Skyful of Rainbow

Chapter 5 Nyalam: Dancing Rainbow and Soulful Prayers

Chapter 6 Nyalam: Acclimatization Trek and Spotting a Singing Crow

Chapter 7 What a Vista of Gauri, Shankar, and Ganesh

Chapter 8 Saga of a Breathless Night

Chapter 9 Pariyang: Three Heavenly Lights

Chapter 10 Hore Pass: Message from Shiv and Welcome to His Durbar (Courtyard)

Chapter 11 Chiu Gompa: Dance of the Divine and an Emerging Shivling

Chapter 12 Ashtapaad: The Man Who Moved the Clouds

Chapter 13 Yamadwar: Entry to the Durbar and the Beam of Energy

Chapter 14 Kailaas Parikrama: Day 1 Sighting the 59886.png

Chapter 15 Derafuk: Stay in the Lap of Kailaas and the Charansparsh

Chapter 16 Kailaas Parikrama- Day 2 59879.png

Vision of Shakti on Her Steed

Chapter 17 Kailaas Parikrama: Day 3 The Departing Benediction

Chapter 18 Manas-sarovar Meditation and Flight of Seven Swans

Chapter 19 Until Only the Mountain Remains

Epilogue

Aum Namah Shivay

On the Trail of the Infinite

Part 2:    ON THE TRAIL OF THE INFINITE

Prelude

Chapter 1 On the Roof of the World

Chapter 2 Manas-sarovar

Chapter 3 Three Devotees of Shiv with Three Destinies

Chapter 4 A Study in Contrast

Chapter 5 In Search of the Divinity

Chapter 6 Tale of Milarepa

Chapter 7 The Kailaas Parikrama: Variants

Chapter 8 Range of Shiv Darshan at His Durbar (Courtyard)

Chapter 9 Relics of Mythology Abounding Around

Chapter 10 Panchanan Shiv: The One with Five Aspects

Chapter 11 Shiv Symbols and Their Significance

Glossary

References

About the Authors

CEO Letter

ENIGMATIC

KAILAAS

GLIMPSES OF ETERNITY

MUKTESHWAR KSHIRSAGAR

PROLOGUE

I remember my childhood days. Misty mornings of monsoon — a huge Indian medlar tree ( 54481.png ) swaying in the breeze in our courtyard!

I rush there with my tiny basket and collect flowers strewn on the ground. I would then make a garland and offer it to those around me to revel in the heavenly fragrance, wanting to share and spread the joy felt by me!

The tree was ancient. The flowers used to be always strewn. The tree stood enveloped in perennial fragrance. There were many who collected the blooms.

Yes, I, too, picked some flowers, made a garland,