Jai Amarnath

Yatra to the Amarnath cave is a quest for something inexplicably divine; it is here that Shiv revealed to Parvati the secret knowledge of immortality, writes VIJAY HASHIAA pilgrimage is not a picnic. It involves a journey that devotees undertake in search of personal, moral, or spiritual transformation. It can lead to a new and expanded meaning of the self, nature and the higher good. The journey to a shrine can reveal answers to the riddle about our existence.The Hindu calendar month of Shravan is considered an auspicious period to beseech Shiv for his divine blessings. The month lures several lakh devotees every year to Amarnath to get a glimpse of the giant ice stalagmite that looks like a Shivling, and to get healed and blessed.The Amarnath Yatra is a quest for something inexplicably divine. Legend has it that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon, reaching its maximum height on the full moon day of Shravan Purnima. The divine energy of the mighty, impregnable, high and tranquil Himalayas oscillates in every ridge, creek and cliff to reflect Shiv’s dynamic force of creation.Generations of pilgrims have endured hunger, pain and exhaustion; thousands have been swept away by nature’s fury in inclement weathers on their arduous trek to Amarnath, but devotees’ determination, will and belief have never dwindled or eroded. Their will and belief on the journey to the cave are a standing testimony to the existence of the Divine.With each waxing and waning of the lingam, Shiv appears and disappears to the physical eye based on the level of devotion. But in an evolved soul, Shiv is permanently established as his own soul and pure self.It is believed that the Amarnath cave emits a certain energy, and that it is here that Shiv revealed the secret knowledge of immorality to his consort, Parvati. The story goes that Parvati once asked Shiv why he wears a mund mala, garland of skulls. Shiv replied that each time Parvati takes birth, he adds one head to the mala. Parvati then said, “O Lord, I die again and again, but you are immortal, please tell me the secret of birth and death.” Initially, Shiv was reluctant to disclose the secret of immortality, but at her insistence, he agreed to reveal the Amar Katha.It is believed that Shiv first appeared in the cave on this day. He chose the Amarnath cave so that nobody could overhear the secret, for it is a place where only serenity and calmness prevail.On the way to the cave, he left Nandi, his vahana, also symbolising desires of the mind, behind at Bailgaon, now known as Pahalgam.At Chandanwari, the next point, he removed the crescent moon that signifies the intellect, discriminative faculty, from his head along with his jata, dreadlocks, that signify vayu everyone breathes in for energy. Further ahead on the banks of Lake Sheshnag, he released all the snakes wrapped around his neck; they stand for ego. He dropped his son Ganesh at the Mahaganesh Hill, also known as Mahagun Parvat. At Panchtarni, Shiv left the five elements, his worldly body made of earth, water, air, fire and sky.To reveal the secret of immortality, Shiv along with Parvati then entered the holy cave of Amarnath and took samadhi. To ensure that no living being hears the immortal tale, he created Rudra, Kalagni, a fierce manifestation of Shiv, and ordered him to eliminate every living thing in and around the holy cave. After ensuring that no one was listening, Shiv began to reveal the secret knowledge to Parvati. However, by chance, an egg lying under the deer skin on which Shiv was sitting, heard the secret and a pair of pigeons born out of it attained immortality. Visitors to Amaranth often report spotting two pigeons near the cave at sub-zero temperatures.It is the divine power of Amarnath that is said to guide yatris to a higher spiritual perception, and no one comes back empty handed. ■The annual Amarnath Yatra continues till August 11