Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks -2nd July/ My second day of Kailash Parikrama

Om Sai Ram

I have received a lot of emails from devotees who are interested in going for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and they want me to share as much details as possible so that they can plan their trip accordingly..So instead of replying to each and every email, I will do it thru this mail..

Firstly, Like I wrote in my mail yesterday that no matter how much one plans or wishes to go for this yatra but ultimately, one requires God's grace and a call from Him to be at any holy place..Infact I truly believe that to take God's name too-- we need His kind blessings..

And if you ever get lucky and are able to go for this sacred yatra, there are some things that one needs to be aware of...

First, u will need a doctor's certificate stating that you are fit and healthy to travel at 20, 000 ft above sea level..

When I say 20,000 ft above sea level, it implies that the oxygen level will be about 50-60% which becomes a factor that can slow you down so people with asthama problems or heart patients are not advised to be at such high altitudes

Infact, it is not necessary that only people with health problems can show symptoms of high altitude sickness. It can happen to anyone..On this yatra itself, one of my very good friend who was only 21 yrs of age and was physically healthy and fit - fainted on the way while she was on the first day of parikrama due to lack of oxygen and then the same evening when she was chatting with all of us in the tent- she almost fainted due to lack of oxygen . Our tour guide immediately rushed with the oxygen tank and did the needful and then advised her to go back down to Darchen.And that is what she did-- She went back down and thus was not able to continue with the parikrama..

Anyways, if one is planning to go for this yatra-- then one has to go thru a package..You are not allowed to travel individually.You have to travel with the group.A lot of visas and permits are involved in this yatra ..And the Tibet government is very strict about it ..Your tour operator takes care of all the permits and visas for tibet..

The cost of the 14 day package for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra that I paid was $2100 plus the airfare from usa to kathmandu .But for a person who has an indian passport, his package cost will be abt $1800 plus the airfare.. The difference of those $300 between the indian passport holder and the foreign passport holder is due to $300 fees that is charged for the visa to tibet to a foreign passport holder..Due to some contract between the tibet government and the indian government, indian passport holders do not need to pay for the visa fees..Ofcourse, the price that I paid can differ from what you are offered by your tour operator..

And yes, when one reaches kathmandu- a foreign passport holder has to pay $25 for 15 days visa permit on arrival in kathmandu where as an indian passport holder will get the stamp for free and does not require any visa to enter kathmandu..

When one reaches kathmandu, ur tour operator will usually offer you a five star hotel -atleast thats what happened in my case.. He put us all in a five star resort and we were given a five star treatment. And this was for two days only.. The first day was basically for resting and briefing and the second day was for the tour to the pashupatinath temple, the sleeping vishnu temple etc..

While one is in kathmandu and tibet, you can not help noticing a lot of dust around you.The air is polluted to an extent where it is a must for you to wear the dust mask..If you can not find a dust mask to take along with you, be sure to take a surgical mask- the one that the doctors wear while operating someone..Take a few of them so that you can share it with others.. I know I had taken about 8 or 10 and I gave it to a few people while we were travelling and I made sure I was wearing it at all times but while on return to kathmandu after the yatra, I became a little careless and lazy and I did not put it on ... but there is a saying na" What you sow is what you reap" One person sitting next to me saw that I was'nt wearing it and he just removed a new one from his bag and gave it to me to wear..That gesture really touched my heart.. All this time thru out the journey, I was offering the mask to other people and when I needed it someone noticed and offered it to me..That small gesture will always inspire me to do good karma and remind me that whether in this life or next but someday my actions will act as a mirror of my present life..

Anyways, your actual yatra starts when you head for tibet since Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash are both in tibet..

After being in a five star hotel in Kathmandu where the bathroom itself was the size of your bedroom..--You drop down to living in a place where there are 6-8 people living in one small room.. The bathrooms were simply non existent which means that you have no choice but to go in open bathrooms.. And if there are bathrooms, they are so smelly and dirty that one can feel disgusted to even step over there..So be sure to carry a lot of wet wipes /hand sanitizing wipes/Gel..

There was one more thing that we all were advised to carry ..Besides all the regular medications for aches and pains and other stufff- we had to take a medication called diamox or accetozalomide which would help us with the altitude sickness..We needed to take atleast minimum of 10 pills with us.. And it did help with the altitude sickness but it did have a lot of side effects..One of the side effects of this medication was that one will urinate quite frequently so drinking a lot of water was a must to keep urself well hydrated.

There are a couple of other things which are a must to take while on this yatra - something made of garlic and ginger to eat.. Ginger protects you from having colds while one of the sherpas told me that they take garlic to help them with the breathing problems.. Kaafur/Camphor also helps you tremendously with the breathing problems so dont forget to take that along with you..

Proper trekking shoes which are either water resistant or water proof are a must along with the down jacket , monkey cap, gloves and other warm clothes..

This was the second day of the parikrama and this is the day that no one will ever forget in this life time.. Its a true blessing to be here walking on ice..

If u continously chant the maha mrityunjaya mantra over here-- it automatically connects you with all the positive energy .. It just seems as if all your wishes and dreams have come true and there is nothing left in the world that can give you any more happiness , peace and contentment than what you are experiencing at that particular moment..

One can hire a horse over here which will cost you abt 1500 yuans and a porter which according to me is a must will cost you about 600 yuans

Your porter can also act like your guide and to get a good porter is a blessing from above..I saw so many people fighting with their respective porters on the way but Thank God , my porter who carried my bagpack was an angel sent from above.. He guided me all the way thru out the journey. He told me where to put my step and where not to... At times when it was very very slippery , he held my hand and assured me that he will not let me fall..And above everything, he was very patient with me.. I stopped so many times.. Sometimes just after taking 5-10 steps due to shortness of breadth- I felt extremely tired but he gave me the confidence to move on..This was the time I realized that whether it is a yatra like this or the journey of your life but it is important to have a Guru - A guide- who has been there before and knows all the ups and downs. He has the knowledge to tackle a situation and can help us to reach our destination..

The highlight of the day was crossing the Dolma La pass at 5680 meters (19000 ft).

The trek was extremely hard. 10 steps upward demanded a 2 minute rest. And, after every 10 minutes of hike, 5 minute rest was a requirement. Oxygen level was very low at this height and that made the climb daring. It made even trickier on the loose stones, boulders and the sliding gravel..

When I see these pictures right now so many memories come back to me.. One of them was where I was complaining that I feel as if my lungs were bleeding and my heart will stop beating at any second.. Technically, I know that my lungs can not bleed but the pain that I felt then was extremely hard to digest..

And in that pain when my heart was beating very fast-- something magical definetly happened.. It was like all my past regrets, pains, negative feelings -everything just washed away.. Everything made complete sense... I forgave all the people whom I have never been able to forgive for some wrong doing that they did towards me..

I have always felt the peace with in me but this was something way different..

One amazing leela happened when I was trekking somewhere at the point that u see in the above picture..

We had to trek on these stones and find our own way and while I was climbing up- at one given point- I could not figure out which way to go- there was a stone that I had to hike on and I just did not how to balance myself inorder to put my feet on that rock..And besides that I was feeling completely short of breadth and very very tired with a lot of pain all over my body. I think by this point I had trekked for abt 8 hrs or so ..I was just standing there all confused trying to figure out where to lay my feet so that I dont loose my balance.. And just then a miracle happened-- a tibetian old man put his hand on my back at my waist and pushed me upwards. I reached the top only to figure out in less than a minute that all my pain and tiredness had suddenly vanished. I looked around to find that tibetian old man to thank him but he had disappeared too..I dont know what was so magical in his touch that all my pains disappeared and I felt fresh as if I was never tired..My mind and my body was filled with this tremendous energy and freshness that I have never ever felt in my entire life..I was wearing 3 tops and 3 jackets so that man did not actually touch my skin but still his touch was magical and I have no idea where he disappeared in less than a minute..

Miracles do happen and whether it is a yatra or the journey of ur life-- God himself does come to help you when you need him the most.. Just have faith in your faith for your creator.

According to what I have learnt-- the strength is in the devotion of a devotee along with the faith to gracefully accept God's will and always remember that what happens will happen for your own good.. If something happens that we think is not in our best interest than perhaps its our karma of some past life that has made conditions difficult for us.. So leave ur ego behind and make continous efforts to improve ur karma..

Then no matter how difficult the journey is-- but if God, the allmighty is with you in ur heart --there is just no reason to fear and even if u do get stuck somewhere, - He will surely come for ur rescue..

Tarboche flagpole, is one of the most important aspect of Tibetan spirituality. On “Saga Dawa” [4th of June 2012] which is an impressive and capturing annual festival of Mt. Kailash this giant flagpole which has numerous prayer flags on it is brought down and replaced.

This annual festival or one can also mention it as a carnival attracts Tibetans from all over along with other tourists and pilgrims. This ritual is performed every year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, to celebrate Sakyamuni's enlightenment”. During the flagpole ceremony as the poles tip is raised and pointed east towards Gyangdrak Monastery, monks of that monastery carry out a special ritual. A cacophony of music from long trumpets, conch shells and other instruments welcomes the rising flagpole. It is like a magical event that captures one’s senses. People gathered there attach there prayer flags and help in making the pole rise again. The flagpole should be standing in a perfect upright position or it is believed that things will not be good for Tibet

Gauri Kund, a water body that is also known as the Lake of Compassion, lies on the way while going on downwards from Dolma - La (Dolma Pass). This steep descent from Dolma Pass is a wonderful lake which is at an altitude of 5608m.

As per Hindu mythology, there is a fascinating tale about Gauri Kund and has been described in legend “Shiva Purana”. The lake is also famous as “Parvati Sarovar” as this was the place where goddess Parvati had acquired her son Ganesha (Elephant headed God). Goddess Parvati had formed an image of Ganesh from the soap lather on her body and breathed life into it. She placed Ganesha at the entrance of her home as her janitor to prevent anyone from entering while she was bathing. Now Lord Shiva happened to return at this point of time and was stopped by Ganesha. Offended by this disrespectful act from Ganesha, Lord Shiva cut off the boy's head. Pravati was grief-stricken by seeing it and insisted that the boy needs to be brought back to life. Lord Shiva took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on the body and life was restored and Parvati had her son back.

When we reached at Gauri Kund- It was all frozen so getting the water from here or going down was not an option..My humble pranams to this sacred kund and its divine history

Doing a Parikrama of the abode of Lord Shiva was a true blessing.. I had my own personal chat session going on with lord Shiva..Looking towards this sacred Mt. Kailash, I cried- I smiled, I thanked, I asked for forgiveness, I asked for help, I asked for peace, I asked for his support, I asked for his grace, I asked him questions and I got my answers......

On my way towards the end of the second day of Parikrama- Life had a whole new meaning..

Some pilgrims that I saw on the way , ventured a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down, kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen