Mata Ka Bulawa - Vaishno Devi

Mata Ka Bulawa – I had often heard the devout utter this phrase with reverence, wonder and awe. I could not comprehend what this really meant until I experienced this ‘bulawa’ myself. As miracles are supposed to do, it started in an ordinary and innocuous way.

 It was around the same time in October last year - I longed for a break from work since it was a week’s holiday for our two school-going sons. It was a pleasant coincidence that my husband too felt ready to reschedule commitments and appointments easily enough to allow both of us to consider a holiday. As the four of us debated between hill-stations and beach resorts, I decided to check the internet for ideas and as I browsed the worldwide web for options, I chance upon a link that began unfolding at lightning speed to give me a glimpse of heaven - the crimson red website of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. The site seemed to glow benignly at me and I was mesmerized by the sheer power it exerted on me. 

It took me back in time - the good old childhood days at least 25 years ago when we three sisters and my parents visited this holy cave in the Himalayas. I recalled the challenging climb, the chants of Jai Mata Di and the peace that overtook us all as we trekked under the twinkling stars – up…up…upwards towards the mother. With the rush of memories, my resolve grew stronger and I picked up the phone to call my mother and father who live at Gurgaon asking them to join us for a visit to Vaishno Devi. It was one more miracle that my normally wary and reluctant mother did not pause even once and said a unanimous ‘yes’. It was indeed “Ma ki Marzi” and with that  began a miraculous and momentous journey.

(The faithfuls believe that the journey to the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi starts with the Call of Mata. Once a person receives it, he is bound to visit the Mother to receive love and blessings. A popular slogan in the local folklore beautifully expresses it- Maan Aap Bulandi - which means that The Mother Herself Calls!)

Friends and well-wishers warned us that the Navratris and Diwali were the busiest season and last minute train reservations will be difficult if not impossible. Undaunted, we tried various options and needless to say, the Mother took care of it all. On the day of the journey, we struggled in a traffic jam close to the Old Delhi Railway Station and as the train departure time crept closer and I worried about missing the train, my mother reassured me in her characteristic style that whatever happens is God’s will. I smiled indulgently at the refrain of Mata ka bulawa after we boarded the train.

Early morning at Jammu and after a hearty breakfast we hired a Qualis to take us to Katra and back. It was indeed a dream drive with playful monkeys and wooded forests followed by long barren stretches of land. Despite the constant heavy security, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of this beautiful place. The crisp cool air was a harbinger of our Himalayan trek. It was noon when we arrived at the base camp, enjoyed a ‘Shudh vaishno’ lunch and began the walk towards Banganga where the Goddess is believed to have shot an arrow that spouted clear water for her band of monkeys to drink. Our two sons donned the red glittering scarves that denote the pilgrim’s progress and my mother complimented them on how appropriate they looked as they raced ahead excitedly. My husband pushed himself to keep pace with them while I and my parents kept each other company at a slow but steady speed.

The first half an hour took my breath away with its steepness and as I touched my mothers arm to steady myself, I was alarmed at her cool clammy skin and panicked wondering whether she was upto the climb but she reassured me laughingly that she was fine and kept walking. My dad at 70 and mom at 65 have led an active lifestyle and though I was concerned about the journey, begging them to take a pony or palki, they were dismissive and instead advised me to take care of myself. We regaled each other with fun and jokes, some serious spiritual discussions and lots of snack breaks. The children kept the excitement going moving back and forth between the two groups, mom and grandparents in one - Dad and the two of them in the other. We joked that my mom was the leader of the weak party while my husband the leader of the strong team. Dad indulged mom telling her she as our leader had a tougher job because we were weak and tired team members and needed constant motivation from her. She obligingly egged us on with morale boosting words even while we giggled and laughed and enjoyed every moment. Mom kept a steady pace of walking, pushing herself to the limit and then enjoying the much needed water breaks when we were truly out of breath. At many points in our journey we enjoyed interacting with fellow pilgrims who smiled and wished us and who fascinated us with their devotion. The young girl in her bridal attire with high heeled shoes in hand hanging on to her husband, the old man who carried all his belongings and kept walking… I equally marveled at my mother and father talking and walking and smiling at strangers hand in hand… It was a magical evening and gave me time to reflect on the beauty of life, on the importance of cherishing every moment and the good fortune that blessed us to have the love and support of family members. The chants of Jai Mata Di were all around us providing encouragement.

(According to legend, the significance of this shrine started from the time that Mata Vaishnavi spent time at various spots en-route during her disciplines and penances. Mata Vaishnavi or Vaishno Devi is said to have emerged when her three main manifestations - Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati pooled their collective spiritual strength. A stunningly bright light emanated from the place where the three manifestations converged and a beautiful young girl emerged. This child, named Vaishnavi, was fascinated by inner knowledge, and relinquished household comforts and went into the forest.  Bhairon Nath developed evil intentions and attempted to grab Vaishnavi who decided to flee away into the mountains to continue her Tapasaya but  Bhairon chased the goddess who is said to have halted at (present day) Banganga, Charan Paduka, and Adhkwari, finally reaching the holy cave Shrine. The culmination of this journey is at the Holy Cave where she merged her human form with the astral form of Her creators, the three Supreme Energies)

Our family has never been overly ritualistic and yet we respect and enjoy all the beautiful ceremonies surrounding our faith. My mother has been the guiding light with her practical and committed approach to prayer and worship. She infused discipline and a sense of responsibility in each of us and is a role model in her thought and actions. Her dedication to the family and to her large circle of friends came from a strong value system and a sense of fairness and justice. Inspite of these sterling qualities, she was never other-worldly, rigid or predictable. Her sense of humour and bubbling enthusiasm gave us the push to follow our dreams while her stoicism and faith provided the anchor to maintain harmony and balance with our personal lives.

(Indian traditions propound four objectives of human life - Dharm (Righteousness), Arth (Material Pursuits), Kaam (Contentment) and Moksh (Enlightenment). Mata Vaishno Devi is believed to grant all the four boons to those who visit Her Holy Shrine. She is considered to fulfill anything and everything that a person wishes for in life in a righteous way It is believed that no one goes empty handed from Her Great Pilgrimage.)

PART- I ENDS – To be continued in the next issue

Even though we looked forward to reaching Adhkuwari, we stopped only briefly both because it was too crowded with pilgrims having dinner and also because we longed to reach our destination. We were informed of a new route and were rather excited that it cut the journey by a few kilometers. Amazingly enough, inspite of numerous warning signs, all six of us completely missed the shortcut we were looking for and found ourselves traversing the long winded steep climb known as Hathi Matha. Mom and Dad were at the forefront of this effort and my mother was extremely triumphant as we reached the end of the steep climb onto the plain surface and proclaimed that we had successfully completed the toughest part of our journey and were now heading for a much easier climb. She looked so happy, so fulfilled and so full of life that I was embarrassed to admit my tiredness.

At the end of the Hathi Matha (the forehead of an elephant) we stopped for longer than usual looking at the twinkling lights of Katra below and marveling at the beauty of nature. The Gods seemed to smile at us and we reveled in being a family. We discussed the myths and legends that surround this holy shrine and the children joined the spiritual discussions – it was truly satsang.

As we approached the area known as Bhawan which lodges the holy shrine our pace quickened. We had booked a family room with six comfortable beds at Gouri Bhawan, a short distance away from the main shrine and it was here that we bathed and changedin preparation for a visit to the shrine. I longed to stretch but my mother suggested that we do so after darshan. Fresh and ready, we walked towards the main Bhawan. It was obvious that the shrine was near and the rows and rows of horses and palkis and people just overwhelmed us. We found endless queues everywhere – for bathing, for resting, for darshan, for depositing valuables….it was humanity milling around for salvation. We made our way down the vaults to deposit shoes, watches and mobiles and marveled at all those who huddled in blankets trying to catch forty winks after completing their darshan or perhaps waiting for it. We soon joined the queue of pilgrims and began the slow but contunuous movement towards the sanctum sanctorum

(The Trikuta Mountain, where the Shrine is located, and the Holy Cave are the gateway to the dimension of Super Consciousness. Legend tells us that Bhairon Nath continued to follow Vaishanvi despite the goddess trying to avoid a confrontation. Bhairon Nath met his ultimate fate when the goddess beheaded him. Bhairon Nath upon death realised the futility of his mission and prayed to the deity to forgive him. She had mercy on Bhairon and gave him a boon that every devotee of the goddess would have to have the Darshans of Bhairon after having the Darshans of the Goddess.  Meanwhile, Vaishnavi decided to shed off her human form and assuming the face of a rock immersed herself into meditation forever. Thus Vaishnavi, in the form of a five and a half feet tall rock with three heads or the Pindies on the top is the ultimate destination of a devotee. These Pindies constitute the Sanctum Sanctorum of the holy cave known as the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi.)

The movement towards the shrine has a unique charm. Pilgrims seemed to have found new energy and chants of Jai Mata Di filled the air. We caught a holy glimpse of the mouth of the cave which was the original entrance to the shrine. It is now opened only when the number of pilgrims is lesser – normally in December and January. As we moved closer, we were asked to maintain pin drop silence and we watched the hush of silence descend on the faithfuls. Soft prayers now took the place of loud callings or Jaikara’s. Streams of cold water brushed past our feet and the calm of the shrine blessed it with peace and beauty. 

As I stood before the Holy Pindies, I felt a wave of bliss wash over me. Like the Trikuta Mountain, which is one at the base but has three peaks (hence the name Trikoot), the revelation of the Mother Goddess in the Holy Cave is in a natural rock form which is one at the base but has three heads at the top. These three heads in a natural rock form are known as the Holy Pindies and are worshipped as the revelation of the Mother Goddess. The entire rock body is immersed in water, and a marble platform has now been constructed all around. The main Darshans remain to be of the three heads called the Holy Pindies. The uniqueness of the Holy Pindies is that although they emanate from one single rock form, each one is distinctly different from the other two in colour and texture.

Towards your right will be th Holy Pindi of Maha Kali (the Supreme Energy of Dissolution) in the colour black. In her attribute of Maha Kali, the Mother Goddess constantly guides us to conquer the dark forces.
In the centre is the Holy Pindi of Maha Lakshmi (the Supreme Energy of Maintenance) with a yellowish-red tinge, the colour associated wealth and prosperity. As Diwali signifies, she will afford us rightful well-being and satisfaction through our material needs. The Pindi to the extreme left is worshipped as the Holy Pindi of Maha Saraswati (the Supreme Energy of Creation). It has a whitish tinge and this has also been considered the colour associated with Maha Saraswati which creates and gives us knowledge and wisdom. Maa Vaishno Devi is considered to be an incarnation of the three Supreme Energies.

My own mother stood in reverence and her devotion surely partnered with that of the divine universal mother. Those five seconds at the shrine revitalized us and as we collected the Prasad and the sacred silver coin of the shrine board (which is believed to keep our hearts and pockets full and satiated), I understood why people traverse long distances for this darshan.

What makes the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi unique?

The message of the pilgrimage is that in order to lead a meaningful life, a proper balance among the three divine forms of Mata Vaishno Devi is necessary. The Holy Cave is charged with positive energy that helps in creating this vital but rare balance in a person.

Exhausted but fulfilled, we moved to our residence for the night – the Gouri Bhawan and in the middle of my sleep I woke to see my mother putting blankets on her husband, children and grandchildren and watch them and then settle to sleep. Her selflessly caring and motherly image and the sounds of the chants from the shrine a few kilometers away is a gift to humanity and a  memory I will always carry in my heart.

Next morning, my mother was the first one awake and arranged tea for all of us. By seven we were ready to leave and broke up into groups of three. The walk down the hill though much easier than uphill is also hard on the knees and the feet as we propelled downwards somewhat out of control. There was a kind of solemnity that we all experienced in sharp contrast to the bonhomie and exuberance on the way up. There were also a few anxious moments as we got separated and mobile connectivity was nonexistent but we soon caught up at Café Coffee Day at Adhkuwari. My knee was giving me trouble and after many discussions it was agreed that it was all for one and one for all and we each took a pony ride on the way down. The pony ride was fun to begin with but rather taxing on the legs as they stiffened on the way down and we struggled to dismount and get back into the Qualis heading to Jammu. Our journey from Jammu to Delhi was spent sleeping and we reached Gurgaon on the day of Karwa Chauth which my mother, I and my sister all observed together for the first time. Our visit to Vaishno Devi was undoubtedly a beautiful experience which I would recommend to everyone for the love of God and for a complete self-fulfillment.

 

 EPILOGUE : The journey to Vaishno Devi gained increased significance in December 2007 when our family faced a crisis with a terminal cancer diagnosed in my mother. In the two weeks she spent at the Sir Ganga Ram hospital, I marveled at her unwavering faith, positive attitude and unflinching devotion. She stayed spiritually connected to her God, to her husband of 45 years, each one of her three daughters, sons-in law and grandsons while she reiterated her faith in  God’s will and kept the family morale up. She experienced a vivid vision of Vaishno Mata in five days before she passed away and then, with my fathers arms supporting her, joined the universal mother less than two months after our miraculous journey. Maa Ka Bulawa reminds us of the power of Maa and will continue to guide us towards the three positive energies in our character. JAI MATA DI