The Mountain Logs Day 2A - A Journey into the Void

The Char Dham means “The Four Stations”. Why “The Four Stations” is because it is not just a reference to the four places in Geography. It is also a reference to the four stations of artha, kama, dharma and moksha. The four stations of a well lived life namely acquiring of prosperity or means, fulfillment of desires and passions, living a life of coherence with Nature, Nature out there and one’s own nature, and finally the station of transcendence where you get established in your own sense of being. 

On this pilgrimage, the four geographical stations of Gangotrti, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, the pilgrimage seeks to get insight into the truth of these four stations of life through a combination of physical and mental effort, emotional aliveness, openness to the spirit and surrender to Nature. 

It’s quite beautiful, profound, intense and transforming. It’s unique as a pilgrimage, as an experience and breathtaking in its conception. 

In the following Episodes, Dr. Bharat Thakur takes you along this pilgrimage over 10 days, sharing the daily logs and some insightful blogs that will have you want to experience the Yatra for yourself.  

Transcript

Day 2 A Mountain Logs -  A  journey into the void

A Lovely Day.  An Uncertain Night - Initiation Into The Yatra

It was overcast outside. The Ganga just below our window was full. It’s current rapid, 

Light green leaves, the grays of the clouds, the chirping of birds, it felt like creation was in full flow, a beautiful time to sketch.

But before that, we sent a voice message to all.

Friends,

“Inside of you, resides so many things. You as a person, as a family member, as a human being, as a corporate entity, as a mother, as a child, any role that exists, let go of things and start being aware of the sound of nature.

“Every place on earth emits a certain frequency; the first bio-plasmic mass came from sound. Once we have understood that vibrations heal everything within, luck also changes, once you are aware that yes my luck is changing, luck is called grace.

“Syncing with the sound of nature, talking to nature, nature heals. It is ready to talk to you”.

We knew that people would get restless.  We got out our sketching material, the Yatra had began. A little waiting can break this habit of the schedule and let life flow ..like the Ganga outside.

Let’s waste a little time before we leave for Mussoorie.

YOU CAN NEVER BE FULLY PREPARED

We live in times when we need to really pay attention to the meaning of the simplest words. We were going to say the meaning of the word ‘journey’ is uncertainty but we realized people travel in planes and cars on highways and are used to everything going to a plan.

In earlier times, when people left for the Char Dham Yatra, you said “bye bye” like you might never see them again. There was danger of all sorts and you walked through thick forests.

We were well prepared and yet in the mountains, you can never be fully prepared.

We had had a great meal at Mussorrie, the babas had joined us from Haridwar. The food was really tasty, everyone was happy to be moving towards the mountains, towards Yamuna.

THE UNEXPECTED - AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE YATRA

A landslide had occurred. Do we wait here or do we take a detour? Which would mean traveling 60 kms more, three hours more in the night on a not so regular route, not an easy decision to take in the mountains with so many people and vehicles.

We took the alternative route. We reached our destination, a camp with lots of tents along the Yamuna at a place called Barkot, close to midnight.

Ahh to think that a Yatra would go along the lines of “time to bed”, “time for a walk”.

Should get everyone to sleep. The journey was exhausting for many as it was the first day and they had had an intense initiation. It can be seen as a landslide that was not meant to happen but maybe it was the mountains who just said something; introduced us to our deepest fears that got triggered off in situations like we were in for many hours in a dense forest.

Dealing with fear, how beautifully the journey was unfolding.

Here’s a poem, it’s titled ‘I’.

I

I greet myself briefly

Being .. knowing .. breathing

Waking and wandering

Sleeping yet again and awakening

I greet myself briefly 

Empty .. open .. absent

Fulfilled .. settled .. present 

Worded yet silent and exuberant 

I greet myself briefly 

Unfolding mysteries

Held by the familiar  

Neither by applauding nor disowning

I greet myself briefly 

Peeking from the dark skies 

Embellished with dead stars

And cold sparks of wild galaxies .. alive

I greet myself briefly 

Greeting thus, in a moment, Eons have passed by. We wrote a blog about Yamunotri so that we understand the significance of the spot and also help make the experience tangible because this was a journey of awareness and not events.

Bharat Thakur