It was Gurupurnima when we made it to Mansarovar. It was also the day for lunar eclipse, this wasn’t something that one gets to witness frequently. Moon was playing hide and seek in the cludy night. Our eager eyes were trying to catch a glimpse but like a showman he was waiting for the curtains to lift and the wait was about to get over

Not knowing if the thick blanket of clouds will lift, we got busy with settling in the rooms and suddenly one of us noticed that the clouds are moving and there it stood right infront of us in its full glory with no veils and no curtains. The hearts reached out to touch it, the body stood still in admiration. There he was looking at us and asking to play along as he puts on the mystical slideshow. Soon we were playing the game where we were seeing the cloud patterns around the moon and guessing what it is. We could see all kinds of shapes, starting with Shivalinga, followed by Turtle, a Garund, a Devi figure on moon, Nag and the list went on and on. While some of us were trying to capture it on camera, the others were playing along and almost all the times, we were answering in unison. Isn’t that amazing. What a show to welcome us on the land of Shiva. Our minds (manas) was one with Shiva and we could virtually see him everywhere. The thick blanket came again and that was almost end of day 1 in Mansarovar.

Sitting by the log burner in the lounge I was recollecting the day. We left New Dongba early at 6 am towards Mansarovar. We stopped over to a place next to Mansarovar for the lunch and that was the first view of the alluring lake. Very captivating yet very serene. If the day is clear we can see Kailash for here but it was overcasted, I stood with Sureshji to look hard in the direction, we could make out something but it was not very clear. Earlier Sureshji mentioned that the first sight of Kailash feels like homecoming and the emotions get overwhelming but sadly we didn’t feel anything yet. We were so wrong as what happened through that day left us speechless.

After lunch the journey started towards Mansarovar along the narrow cobbled path. The closer we got to the lake, the emotions were running higher. The sunglasses came on to hide what was going on in the heart and mind then. Tears roll down and the thoughts were screaming, I was trying hard to keep composure. A lot like Mansarovar itself, calm on the surface but the waves were telling a different story. The heart kept jumping to the throat, it does feel like homecoming. The heart yearned to meet the father Shiva and asked to show the sign and very soon I could see life around the lake, a lot of birds like ducks, sparrows are seen in couple chirping playfully and thriving on the bank of the lake. What a sight, the mind associate the view with Shiva and Parvati. It is said that Shiva and Parvati come together on Purnima and indeed we could see prakriti celebrating the union.

We briefly stopped to collect water from the sarovar. The first sparsh was cold and soothing. As soon as I touched the water, the emotions went calm. Its like mother’s hug and dad’s assurance. Anyway we were in Shiva’s territory and he will take care. We will get another oportunity to collect the water after bathing tomorrow but water where we stopped today is clear and clean fit to be carried back home. Stones too are abundant here so we did pick up few for self and for the kins.

The parikrama around Mansarovar continued on the bus. The thoughts were a lot composed now and the heart was at peace. We stopped briefly at Rakshastaal. The crescent shaped lake is very different to sun shaped Mansarovar. The two lakes reside side by side but Rakshastaal is salty and its water is not fit for consumption or bathing, whereas Mansarovar has sweet water and is almost medicinal. Strange that such anomalies exist naturally.

Isn’t this a reminder of Yin and Yan, a reminder that good and evil exist in the same world and so closely together that they compliment each other. Wonder if Rakshastaal takes all the poison from Mansarovar and preserves its sanity and purity while sacrificing itself. I started to wonder if Rakshastaal has forsaken its Ahem to preserve Shiva. Is there a message to filter out the negative thoughts to get closer to Shiva? It may very well be.

Early evening we reached our overnight abode. It was 10 minute walk away from the Mansarovar and had a hot water spring. That evening was young and overcast, we came out for a short walk and the heart yearned again to see Kailash. We asked the villagers, the direction they pointed towards, we couldn’t see anything for as long as we could see, let alone any mountain. Soon we spotted a monastery on top of a hill nearby and that looked like the ideal hill to hike to. Atleast from the top we can see all around. The idea was crazy as it started raining, the clouds were thick too but when the heart calls, there is no stopping.

The 3 of us kept walking, enjoying the hike that is driven by one desire but interrupted by photo moments (isn’t life distracting!!) . As we reached near the top of the hill, we could see that the top of monastery had 3 pyramid like structure, the one in the middle was bigger and taller that the 2 on the side. We said in unison, that it looks like Kailash. We decided to climb higher to where those pyramids were as we were sure that the structure on the top of the monastery replicates and face Kailash and projects its energy on Mansarovar and towards the village beyond it.

The panoramic view of Mansarovar was just too beautiful. None of us knew where to look and how to make out Kailash from amongst several peaks we could see all around while on the top. Suddenly our Gaze got focused on one peak as if it was calling out loud. I could feel tears rolling down the cheeks and the heart cried, this is Shiva’s abode. Luckily as we reached the top, the clouds lifted and we had clear view of Kailash infront of us.

We meditated for sometime facing Kailash and seeked his blessings, Afterall we were at Shiva’s place and it felt natural to come up and offer out first prayers to him. As soon as we started walking downhill, the clouds came back on. Shiva releaved himself the the crazy 3 who were adamant to see him today. Surely he knew we were coming!! (the thought itself puts a smile on the face)

That night we waited eagerly for the moon to come out afterall it was Poornima and lunar eclipse. The next morning we decided to walk to Mansarovar at 2:30 am to watch the stars come down and bathe in its holy water. That night I hardly slept, it was a freezing night and the burning desire to witness the Prakriti was far too overpowering. We dressed up appropriately and started towards Mansarovar. The rain was testing the desire and the clouds were mocking us. We kept going and sat patiently on the bank of Mansarovar, the cold ground and the cold rain made no difference.

What we witnessed in the next one hour is nothing less than the miracle. The cloud curtain had breaks and we could see falling stars above Mansarovar. the lights were dancing on the water and it wasn’t something I have ever seen before. Is this Shiva Ananda Tandav or is it stars dancing on the Mansarovar or is it Gods who descend to take holy dip. Whatever it was, it was magical. We came back around 5 am.

The search for Shiva, makes one to be Shiva, what else could explain the pain people take to see Prakrati, it is Tapasya. (Explained Spiritual significance in a different article ‘ Mansarovar’s Significance)

The next morning we left towards Mansarovar again to the spot where the arrangements were done for the Holy dip for us. After the dip, the heart felt pure and the mind got focused. the first thing I did was to call out all the ancestors and ask for their Moksha. These were the people that influenced my existence and their blood runs in mine. Spiritually I felt liberated. After Tarpan, we made arrangements for Maha Rudrabhishek of Lord Shiva.

There are no priests in Mansarovar, nor there are shops to buy the Puja samagri from. People from within the group came together and made all the arrangements. Satish took the role of Brahmin (not just by birth but also by his action here), Suresh ji and Satish also got puja and havan samagri. We all had fruits and dried fruits that made up for the prasadam. Manoj used his camping skills to light camphor for the havan ( it was very cold and windy, lack of oxygen means matches and camphor don’t light easily) everyone contributed.

It even rained for a while during havan and the group raised the raincovers made from raincoats to preserve the havan. The Rudrabhishek was the best puja I ever attended. Was it fulfilling because we all contributed, indeed community projects do tend to steer such feelings but it was beyond that, it was the oneness with Shiva that we all felt today that made it personal for each of us.

Mansarovar is one place which enables mind to see beyond the world we created out of our Aham, into the world that belong to Tapasvi Shiv. This is where the Manas (mind) expanse beyond itself to the realm of Shiva.  

||  ॐ नमः शिवाय ||