By Swapna Patil, UK
My journey with Kailash virtually started in April 2021 when I got a dream where I was in Kailash on a full moon day, and Lord Shiva was meditating on Kailash with a few sages sitting around him.
After this dream, I started thinking about what my connection with Shiva or Kailash would be. I have been a Vishnu and Sai Baba devotee all my life, and I had never chanted any Shiva mantra nor did any meditation, so why did I get that dream?
In Aug 2022, Sai Baba blessed me to go to Skanda Vale Ashram in Wales and to do some seva. I followed that intuition and stayed for four days in Skanda Vale, where I learned about Mohanji.
While doing the food serving seva at Skanda Vale, I met an amazing lady, Heli, from Estonia. While having lunch together, she mentioned to me that she had come to Skanda Vale to seek blessings for the book that she was about to publish. When I asked her about the book, She said – “Pilgrimage to Tibetan Mountain Kailash.” This, for me, was a sign that I should seriously think about going to Kailash.
Heli patiently answered all my queries about Kailash, and she gave me a few references for tour operators in Kathmandu. I contacted them immediately, but they mentioned there was no official announcement from China yet about this pilgrimage. Hence, I lost hope.
In the meantime, I decided to go to India in March 2023, and on 5th March, I visited Shirdi. I was attending an evening aarti in Dwarakamai, and I was praying to Sai Baba: “Baba, please take me to Kailash. If you can’t take me physically, then send a Guru to me, only with whom I can do the yatra.” With this request to Baba, I opened my eyes and saw 2 European disciples standing before me, wearing white t-shirts (with Mohanji written on the t-shirts).
I got a sign that Baba had brought me to Mohanji. I tried to follow the disciples, but as Dwarkamai was overcrowded, I lost them, and they disappeared into that crowd. In the same month, I visited Varanasi, and I happened to accidentally visit Lahiri Mahasaya’s Samadhi place, which also had a beautiful temple for Mahavatar Babaji. In that temple behind Mahavatar Babaji’s idol, in the background, I saw a picture of Kailash. I prayed to Babaji to take me to Kailash.
After returning to the UK, I looked up Mohanji’s website, where I found mentions of a book – Kailash with Mohanji. I ordered it on Amazon, and upon arrival of that book, I read it within two days. Once I finished reading that book, I prayed to Mohanji – “Mohanji, please take me to Kailash.”
On the night of that same day, in my dream, I saw Mohanji unloading my suitcase from a van, and when I asked, “Where are we going?” Mohanji smiled at me and said, “Kailash.” This was in the last week of March 2023 when there was no sign of the Kailash yatra yet announced by the Mohanji Foundation. What a grace!
I was confident that I was going with Mohanji to Kailash one day. But I was surprised when, in April, I saw an advert coming from a social group to save the dates for ‘Kailash Parikrama’, and I was over the moon. I am sure I was the first one to register for this yatra.
Mohanji visited the London Navnat Centre on 27th May for a day retreat. I registered for that event, and I met Mohanji for the first time. I mentioned to him about the dream that I envisioned. He smiled at me and said, you will be fine on Kailash yatra.
I started my preparations for the yatra and reached Kathmandu with my husband. Once I reached the Hyatt Regency hotel, I saw the lobby was the place that I envisioned in my dreams, where Mohanji was unloading my bags.
The 27 yatris of this group felt like a family from day one. The 27 of us came from all over the world, from different directions, but we all had one thing in common – an immense gratitude that the Guru Mandala chose each one of us for this divine journey called Kailash Parikrama.
Preeti Duggal beautifully arranged the morning Shiva Rudrabhsihek, and we all felt that intense energy in the mornings during those pujas. She also performed a group Mai-Tri for all of us. This was my very first session, and I wasn’t expecting anything. But I saw Mother Kaali of Skanda Vale appear before me during the session, and I felt a touch on my forehead, and she said that she came all the way from Skanda Vale to bless me. A mother’s love is so pure and so kind that I had tears in my eyes. I cannot thank enough Preeti Duggal for this beautiful experience.
The next day, we had a satsang with Mohanji, and the topic was ‘Lord Hanuman.’ As Mohanji was doing the talk, I saw a vision again: an image of Mohanji with three heads: Lord Hanuman on the left, Mohanji in the middle, and Lord Dattatreya on the right. Despite being a vision, it was so clear and realistic that I was able to see the faces of them all for a brief period.
While leaving Kathmandu, we were all emotional about leaving Mohanji and the team behind. We had tearful eyes whilst Mohanji blessed us all with his two hands. I, too, became very emotional but knew that Mohanji would be with us all during this sacred journey.
The road to the Neal-China border was bumpy, and I started feeling motion sickness. I closed my eyes, and I saw a vision again. It was the day of Ekadashi. On this day, I usually fast and worship Lord Vishnu. In this vision, I was talking to someone saying, “It is Ekadashi day, and I am fasting, but I could not do Vishnu puja.” I then saw our group photo with Mohanji outside of the hotel, and I was next to Mohanji in that photo.
Suddenly, Mohanji disappeared and took the form of Lord Vitthal, a form of Lord Vishnu (standing in the same pose). My eyes were full of tears. Then, I saw another vision where Mohanji turned into a bird, and his body was expanding as if it was ready to take off. In another vision, Mohanji was blessing us all, and I envisioned a cobra around him protecting us.
Our journey to the Mansarovar was not so smooth. We all felt sick, but thanks to the sherpas and the Tibet team, they looked after us so well. After reaching Mansarovar, everyone was tired due to the long travelling. There was a full moon that night, and some of the yatris decided to go to Mansarovar at dawn at around 2:30am to see any celestial beings.
I awoke exactly at that time and could hear the people who were going towards the lake. I was too powerless to lift my body, and I heard a voice in my ears saying, “Do not move.” I felt an entity enter our room, and taking something out of our bodies, it left. Unexplainable yet realistic, and I realised that something which needed to leave us before the pilgrimage had been removed by grace.
On the next day, we started the Kailash Parikrama. I was fine on day 1, and we reached the guesthouse where we could clearly see Kailash. I was tired, but then I strongly wished to go out and look at Kailash. I went out, sat on a rock, and started meditating. Slowly, a few of the yatris joined me, and we had an amazing Shiva mantra chanting session in front of Kailash itself. At that moment, I felt the incredible feeling of nothingness (shunya).
On that night, I couldn’t sleep as my heart rate was irregular throughout. The following day, the sherpas suggested that I may not be fit to do the Parikrama and should consider returning to Darchen. The nervousness and the fear started taking over me, so I even decided to give up and go back.
Bhavani and Zoran came to see me, and Bhavani did a Mai-Tri for me. I did get a feeling of regaining some energy with some positive thoughts that indicated I carry on with this journey. Zoran also advised me that it was safe to do it and that it was just anxiety that was affecting my will.
On my pony, I started the journey to Dolma–La Pass. I was anxious that my heart rate was still irregular. At one instance, I lost my will to continue. Suddenly, a boy came to my rescue as he started talking to me in English. He was neither a porter nor a pony owner. He appeared out of nowhere, said that we were about to reach the peak, and smiled. I asked him to stay with me and told him I felt safe with him.
He smiled again and accompanied me to Dolma–La Pass, where I saw Kanaiyah from our group. I reached Kanaiyah and asked for some water as my porter was way behind. I completely forgot about the boy who had appeared out of nowhere and accompanied me until there, and I didn’t see him again. I then came across Zoran on the way, and he said, “See, you made it.”
Kanaiyah and Bhavani went down to Gauri Kund, and I chose to sit on a big rock at the top of the Kund to take some rest and wait for my husband and the porter. I was looking down at the Gauri Kund and heard Kanaiyah sing a very beautiful bhajan for Mother Parvati. I cherished that from the top. I closed my eyes and said to Maa, “Sorry I could not go to Gauri Kund this time, but bring me here again to take your darshan.” I witnessed a small landslide with a loud noise, to which Kanaiyah said it was Mother’s way of acknowledging our prayers.
My husband and my porter then joined me. My porter gave me a bottle of Gauri Kund water. I wasn’t anticipating it, but he felt he must fetch it for us all. This reminded me of Kanaiyah’s saying that a Mother always listens to our prayers.
I had read before somewhere that when you go to Kailash, even as a part of a group, each member gets a message from the divine. You must understand that message, and you will witness your life transforming. I have received a message, too, and am still in the process of understanding it!
As Mohanji says, “Go to Kailash with nothing with you, and you will not return empty-handed.” Have faith, surrender completely, and everything will be fine.
Thank you, Sai Baba and Mahavtar Babaji, for fulfilling my wish to go to Kailash. Thank you, Mohanji, for protecting me, and I know that it was he who walked with me to the Dolma–La Pass! Thank you, to all the sherpas, organisers and the homoeopathy doctor who looked after us like Shiva Ganas.
Jai Mohanji!
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|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 12th November 2023
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