Girnar – Walking with Dattatreya

Sjarn Mansoor, South Africa

“Girnar is like walking on the edge of a razor blade!”

Mohanji knows all our deepest wishes and desires and fulfils them for us. It has been a wonderful blessing to be allowed to come to Girnar. “I am with you!” Mohanji always says this! His presence is always with us and taking this pilgrimage in his name was an unforgettable time connecting with him while walking and experiencing his energy in Girnar.

A few years ago, I saw photos of this majestic mountain that is older than the Himalayas, its sharp outline cutting like a razor through the sky. It has very mysterious energy and called to me like a magnet.

Helplessly my first thought was “I have to go to Girnar!” I had no idea what the significance of the mountain was or that it was the home of our Dattatreya who for 12,000 years sat in meditation at the very pinnacle and still meditates here. A place of inhospitable solitude exposed to the elements of mountain winds, rain, storms, wild animals, fierce heat and cold.

When it was announced that Mohanji was doing a 3-day pilgrimage in February, my heart sank as I had already booked my flight and would arrive too late to go with him. I decided to go on my own as there was enough time to get there after Varanasi. This pilgrimage has been one of trust and surrender. For the first time, I felt really out of my comfort zone and questioned the safety of this expedition.

Junagadh is a small town where few people speak English and very few foreigners visit here. Going out at 4 am, trusting strangers to get me to Girnar and walking on my own in the dark was very unsettling as fears started surfacing. Immediately, all I could do was surrender everything to Mohanji. Having come this far with his grace, there was no turning back.

The walk up Girnar started at 04:45 am in the dark. I felt I was reasonably walking fit but going up very steep mountain steps was very challenging for my knees and ankles. On reaching the top, I realised there was only one way to get down! More walking!

Along the path, I had glimpses of walking this way before. I connected as a sadhu and an old woman and felt the presence of the Nath Masters watching over me.

Walk

It was inspiring to watch older women walking. With such grace, they floated up the mountain effortlessly. One, in particular, must have been at least 70 yet she walked with such lightness of spirit as though her body was made of air. Her 2 companions kept up with her and the trio effortlessly ascended and glided down past me as I was still struggling to make my way up.

Another elderly lady had the most beautiful bhaav. She would stop now and again just as I had caught up with her. She would sit in meditation, eyes closed and a wide smile with the most blissful joy radiating from her as she connected deeply to Dattatreya, the mountain, the wind, the sky, and the sun, at one with everything around her. Then she would shake her bells; do a little dance, exclaiming with joy her thanks to Datta for letting her be here, her face lit up with such love and devotion. It was such a pleasure to walk with her.

These ladies invigorated me and were like guardian angels encouraging me by their example, lifting my energy to keep going!

A lot of people turned back at the lower levels as I didn’t see them again. There is a sense of camaraderie the higher up you go. A young sadhu huffed and puffed his way up as well. We would laugh every time we caught up with each other to take a rest break. He eventually gave me his card to visit his ashram in Nasik, Ujjain and took a selfie of us.

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There is a flat space just before you get to the temple. People have left offerings and broken coconuts there. It’s buzzing with flies and not very clean. A beautiful looking, young, homeless man sat on the bench. I looked at his blackened bare feet, matted hair, and his clothes in tatters. A little crazy but completely immersed within his self, he radiated sweetness and peace. Not asking for anything, Girnar was his home. I gave him a packet of dry fruits and nuts. He looked at me curiously and took it.

Temple

At the top of the mountain peak is a tiny Datta temple with his footprints embedded in the rock. Dattatreya sat and meditated here for 12000 years. The mind cannot comprehend this. I went in for the darshan of Datta’s murti, gazed at his feet and chanted his mantra. All I asked was to be a better disciple for Mohanji. A wave of emotion overcame me. It cut deeply into me and I just wanted to cry my heart out whenever I touch on this. A huge burden of emotion had been lifted out of my energy system. Whatever blockage that has been sitting in me was taken out, dissolved and released.

gurumurti-pavan-pad-chinhe

2 sadhus were sitting in this small temple space, precariously balanced literally on the tip of the mountain top. They radiated such peace and sweetness, with certain energy of being completely at one within themselves. One was curious and started speaking to me.

I told him about Mohanji, that he is our Nath Guru and that Dattatreya is the deity that we worship. Then I showed him a photo of Mohanji on my phone and said that he was here around the 12th of February. He took Mohanji’s energy in and I could see him connecting to Baba. He nodded in appreciation then scrolled through more photos. He then said I must go down to the Shree Kamandal Kund Sansthan Ashram for breakfast and prasad. Unfortunately, the space is so tiny on the platform you cannot sit there for very long. I made my way down to the rather austere Ashram and had darshan of Dattatreya’s akhand dhuni which burns perpetually and was served the most delicious prasad and breakfast to revive me from the climb up.

Strangely, the whole climb up and down Girnar, my brain went dead. All I could do was chant for the 15 hours of climbing. No other thoughts could be maintained. They evaporated as soon as they started forming, it was very strange. The entire day passed in an almost thoughtless state.

As I started the very steep downward climb my left knee and ankle were on fire. The tendons were tearing and burning with pain. Each time I put weight on my left leg, it felt like my knee and ankle were going to dislocate. The only option was to walk sideways and use the bamboo pole to support the weight off my leg for 10 000 very slow, painful and careful steps! Chanting Datta’s name, I remained in an empty state.

What should have taken 4 hours to get down ended up taking 9 hours. People seeing me walking so slowly offered to take me down on the doli for Rs. 2000. I had to decline as I only had Rs. 500 on me.

It felt like Datta’s way of keeping me in Girnar for as long as possible. The last 2 hours became endless. The sun was setting and it was rapidly becoming dark, the path was very empty and again I felt very uncomfortable being on my own. Eventually, it became a breaking point where all I wanted to do was cry and just curl up on a rock and sleep in the woods. The pain was too much and it felt like I would never get off the mountain. All I could do was chant and pray to Mohanji to get me to the bottom. I started chanting the Mai-Tri Gayatri, for Baba to heal my knee and ankle to complete the walk down. A surge of light and energy flowed through me as Baba took me through the last hour of the walk.

holy-kamandal-kund

At various places, I stopped and had darshan, often not knowing what I was looking at but just being very drawn to places. Datta’s dhuni was strange, I kept asking what am I looking at as I took it in. The Kamandal Kund is a fascinating pool of vibrant turquoise green water. I was wondering what the connection was to Ganga Ma. Later I read up on Girnar and all the other points of interests along the way. Datta felt there was water in the rocks of Girnar, threw his kamandal with force, the rocks shattered and Ganga flowed out creating Kamandal Kund.

This walk for me was learning from nature with Dattatreya. In the silent spaces of Girnar, only the sun and the wind speak to you as you gaze down the sheer heights of the mountain cliffs. Large bumblebees buzz around your head, monkeys playfully chase each other, crows caw, peacocks strut around, squirrels call out and birds sing. All live in peaceful harmony on the slopes of Girnar, bringing natural peace and harmony to the environment.

But the saddest is the man who chains his cats and dogs and who leaves a trail of rubbish on this holy mountain. Plastic water bottles pour down the slopes. Discarded snack packets and abandoned shoes litter everywhere. How difficult is it to take down what you have brought with you? A cable car is being built, what more devastation will the crowds bring who are too lazy to walk up.

Hobbling back to the hotel room, I struggled to get up the steps and felt worried as to how I would be able to travel the rest of the journey by road to Mumbai and the extent of the injuries to my joints as it felt like the knee had dislocated. The next morning, as I walked to the bathroom there was not one twinge of pain. No feeling of burning in the ligaments. The knee was flexible and I could put all my weight on my foot with absolutely no discomfort. With joy and delight, I realised Mohanji had taken care of everything, the injuries were healed and it felt as though nothing had happened to my joints.

What happened on Girnar? There was a realignment of the spine. On Girnar, a vortex of energy spirals from the base of the mountain – muladhara, to the pinnacle – sahasrara. Datta connects your spine from the earth, up through your head and connects out to the Cosmic Consciousness. This brings the energy coming up the spine into a straight solid line. Whatever was blocking or distorting the flow of energy in the sushumna was dissolved and released by being on Girnar with Dattatreya.

Silence, emptiness, and clarity took its place. A renewed motivation going forward, a heart filled with love, lightness of being and a beautiful joy overflows in me. Girnar has rejuvenated me, given a deep cleansing, and realignment of my spine with Datta’s energy.

Deep gratitude to Mohanji and to Dattatreya for blessing me with this opportunity to come to Girnar.

 

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Click here to read about yet another experience in Girnar.

 

 

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 5th April 2020

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2 thoughts on “Girnar – Walking with Dattatreya”

  1. The prose flowing like Ganges is doing justice to the quintessential Datta Mohanji experience ! Absolutely stirring !Please keep writing more .you have so much to offer and inspire

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