Char Dham Yatra - The Four Stations Part 2 of 2

The Chardham Yatra is one of the most intense experiences one might ever have. Yet, looking at the ones who live there, the manner in which they live, with so little and their commune with raw nature and at the time with the spirit can make us feel that this intensity we might feel is only a trailer of what if can be once we absorb the whole idea of the Chardham … 

SEGMENTS

1. The Himalayan in-dwellers 
2. Ash .. a way of life 

Transcript

The Himalayan in-dwellers

For us it's important to visit the real inhabitants, the real livers and dwellers who live there and to find out how and why they chose such a place to pray. Survival is an issue, how do they live without a sure shot source of a meal,  amongst glaciers, amongst the most active and tumultuous creations on earth. We are talking of the babas because it is their research that has made the Himalayas what they are. Studying its topology and geology one may not get that feeling but this way we will begin to see why the  Himalaya are treated as mystical mountains. Why do we call it ‘mystical Himalayas’?

The babas. They can choose any place of prayer. They can be in the plains or the mountains but some of them  choose to be there and they are either into service or seva or Karmayoga or the yoga of action. The Karmayogis are the babas who practice different forms of Yoga and Tantra for self evolution but all of this happens in a very organized manner. Every one belongs to a particular wing of the principal organization and also has a reporting structure. They have their work assigned and each has a Guru whose word on all matters is final till the master is alive and as they evolve, they have disciples of their own. So they are firmly entrenched in the master-disciple lineage. What is called the Guru Shishya Parampara? These babas have had to undergo a minimum of three years of rigorous testing before they are initiated into the order of ‘sannyas’ or renunciates and once that happens, they leave behind all ties to families and also renounce their own identities. This has been the way for thousands of years and they will be able to trace their lineage to the great sages and monks of yore and they pass on the teachings as they have learnt directly from their masters without any books or publications. In society, we are not aware of all of this though they have been the ones who have held onto ancient knowledge streams. The books of the Veda and Tantra would be meaningless but for the masters amongst them, who know the meaning and practices first hand and so when it comes to the spiritual sciences, we actually depend on them, their ways of life, their choices, their dedication and their organization and yet, we hardly know about them. Every time a boy in his twenties joins them, it raises a question for us, how come we don’t know that such things, such people, such an organization, such systems and processes even exist? It’s like the bees. It is said that if the bees go extinct which is a possibility the way man is colonizing the planet, then within four years man will all be extinct too. That is how the food chain works in the animal kingdom but we haven’t realized this as a fact. Similarly we don’t realize how essential the babas and their organization are to our way of life. Yes, there are frauds among them also. Not everyone is genuine. That is something we need to bear in mind and develop a keen eye to know the genuine ones, that is also a knowledge which is enlightening. The rule of thumb here is lineage. If you find a baba without a lineage, question and find the answer. Because being in a lineage, it is very difficult for a fraud to survive, the babas are very particular.

Ash, a way of life

The main garment of the babas is the ash that they gather from the fire pits or the ‘dhuna’. This is an ancient science that existed once in many parts of the world. There are many reasons why they wear ash. This is a whole science and one of the reasons is because their basic course of life is proximity to nature. Their method of learning is direct, directly from the teachings given to them by their master, directly from experience and directly from nature. When we say nature, they live in nature, amongst the wilderness. So when they wear ash, it is closer to the animals. They have greater acceptance in the animal kingdom because of the color, because when you live exposed to the elements. The interaction of light and dark is happening all the time. Gray is a color that is very close to nature. In civilization, we are more exposed to light but life amongst the elements exposes you equally to the dark and they instinctively learn to use the subtle senses called ‘tanmatras’, the subtle sense of seeing, the subtle sense of seeing and so on, which are more basic to creation than the sense organs that we use like sight, touch and so on. So they are able to  see what we call the dark world which is simply the world that is beyond the senses. This is the reason why they seem to possess a different way of sensing, seeing and seem to be more intuitive because you will be if you lived that kind of a life in the lap nature.

Spending time in nature, each baba gets intimate with some aspect of nature and some of them get to know about the herbs, which are found only in some mountains in a particular area of the Himalayas.

Shilajit, which is a gelatinous tar like substance and a famous ayurvedic medicine is a mix of plant matter and minerals. It comes from rocks in high mountain altitudes in the Himalaya though it is known for its ability to cure male fertility, it is being researched for its effects on brain function and tumors, anemia and powerful anti aging properties. 

Many babas do a lot of study of Bhasma or ash which are a particular type of medicine in Ayurveda. For example, Chandi Bhasma or Silver ash has silver particles which are processed with lime juice at high temperatures. This is a powerful medicine that can have a powerful impact on the nervous system, is an antidepressant, anti anxiety, strengthens the nervous system and heart, is anti rheumatic, anti inflammatory and also boosts the immune system.

Another herb that grows in the Himalaya is called Vatsnabh or Meetha Vish. It is considered good for acidity, flatulence, cold and asthma but above all, it is a great healer of poison.

It is true that these Yogis do develop great powers or ‘siddhi’. Some of them and not all get power over their bodily functions from breath to heart beat. They can change the temperature of their body and yes some of the really advanced ones are known to develop powers like being in many places at the same time but this is all part of the journey. These powers or siddhis are like stations and the Yogi never stops. The Yogi has only one concern, to evolve. If you want the shortest definition of a Yogi, it is he who is always on the move, literally and in the deepest sense, no attainment is bigger than his urge to move. He moves on and so it is in the end about evolution. No one has seen the end like the Himalayas, the plates are moving, the Himalayas are still rising and so only is it alive and not a monumental mountain.

The whole journey is just preparation for the real thing, truth. Just so that you can hear the truth and if you simply hear the truth no more questions will be left and it is that point the yogi and the artist tries to catch, where all skills dry up, all knowhow becomes flat and that is why we celebrate the mystics. They are the true renunciates in that they have renounced even their path after some point. The last station, the last dham is where you leave no footprints. There is no Yogi any more. It's the highest state of zero and then when something emerges, it will look and make everybody in awe of the splendor.

And may we catch a glimpse of that splendor reflected in the majestic mountains of the mystical Himalaya .. 

अंजाम ए नफ़स पर्वरी के ज़मीं पे खड़ा

इक मैकदा

मख्मूर ए बशर निकल जाते हैं जिधर से

साफ संजीदगी के लिए।

At the grounds of the end of indulgence

Stands a tavern.

All the drunkards head over there for

Some sweet sobriety.

Lots of Love

Bharat Thakur