| 13, 14 Oct: Gaumukh, Gangotri |
 It was icy cold when we got up. A pail of water left outside the camp the previous night was frozen. As we huddled around, drinking the piping hot coffee given to us by the accompanying cooking and porter staff, we mapped out the plan for the day. Gaumukh, where the glacier for the mighty Ganga river is located, is 5 KM from the Bhojbasa camp where we stayed overnight. The plan was to trek to Gaumukh, offer prayers and pujas, and to then head back to the campsite at Cheervasa where we had stopped for lunch yesterday. That would make for a total trekking distance of 15 KM. The high altitude was causing difficulties for Swamiji, all of us felt it was best for him to not gain further altitude, but instead to head back to Cheervasa. Amma and Carla decided to be with Swamiji, while the rest of us decided to go to Gaumukh and then go to Cheervasa.The glaciers of Gaumukh were clearly visible from our basecamp at Bhojbasa as the golden rays of the sunrise illuminated them on the horizon. It was indeed a sight to behold. The glaciers appeared so close, we all wished that Swamiji and Amma could come to Gaumukh. They assured us that even though they would not be able to go to Gaumukh, that their blessings were with us, and asked us to perform pujas there on behalf of all the people who had sent in their prayers. They lovingly handed over the idols from their altar that they were carrying all along to us, and asked us to bathe them in the pristine waters of the Ganga. It was a moment of gratitude for us to be doing this by ourselves and were grateful to Swamiji and Amma for giving us this opportunity.  And so the four of us started off. We quickly started to gain more elevation, and soon were out of breath. At an early stage during the trek doubts began to creep in whether we could make the trek, but the Divine gave us enough strength to carry on. There were relatively fewer people on this part of the trek. Soon the sun was beating down on us and we found ourselves stripping off all the warm clothing and tying them around our waists. After some more time on the trek we were pleasantly surprised that it was not as difficult as the initial part of the trek.  One of us remarked that it was probably because our bodies had become acclimatized. After some more trekking, we found ourselves at a small Shiva temple -- trekking was not permitted beyond this point. The temple is very simple, in the outdoors. It has very primitive stone walls about 4 feet high around it, and has no roof. The energies were very powerful and we could all sense the sacredness. It was a humbling experience to be at the source of the Ganga river, the river that has been mentioned in the Vedas and mythological literature of ancient India.Legend has it that the saintly king Bhagirath meditated intensely for several years to get Mother Ganga to the earth for the benefit of mankind. Pleased with this divine intention and intense effort, Ganga descended to the earth. To prevent the earth from flooding, Lord Shiva received Ganga in his matted locks. King Bhagirath worshipped Lord Shiva and Shiva blessed him and released Ganga from his locks in seven streams, which are Bhagirathi, Jahnavi, Bailangana, Mandakini, Rishiganga, Saraswati and Alaknanda, all of which merge into Ganga at Devprayag. We were actually at the source of the Bhagirathi river. Raghudasa and Amalananda started setting up the puja with help from Greg and Avinash. The Shiva Linga, Meru, Nandi and the idol of Varahi Ma were all set up on a tray. As the cool Ganga water flowed from the Glacier, all the idols were bathed, while chanting the Pratyangira Mantra. A few curious onlookers stopped to see the beautiful idols and the puja. Offering heartfelt prayers to the Divine Mother, the names and prayers of everyone participating in the pujas was read out. All of us meditated for some time.  It felt so serene, so one with the source of all. We could feel Swamiji and Amma's presence visibly. We then brought the idols and prayers into the Shiva temple. As we rang the temple bells, the sound appeared to resonate with the mountains. All of us felt so cleansed with the experience. Water of the Ganga river, especially at its source, is in a pure state, and has healing medicinal properties. These are attributed to the medicinal secretions of herbs and mineral content, which get mixed with the water. We collected several bottles of water, to be sent to all the people participating in the pujas. Soon, it was time leave. Thanking the Divine Mother, the mountains and the valleys and the rivers, we started our trek back to Cheervasa. The trek back was not as difficult as it was mostly downwards, although we had to be careful because the path was very rocky. Our guide Praveen explained to us the legend behind the face on the mountain. One eye is very clearly visible, while the other eye, when seen from a close distance, appears to be tearing, probably at the environmental destruction that is happening in the Himalayas. It is believed that it is the consciousness of the saintly king Bhagirath that has taken the shape of his face on the mountain and is grieving at the melting glaciers and the denuding forest cover. Indeed, as we were trekking down, we noticed that large tracts of the tree cover on the Himalayan mountains was gone, leaving the bare mountain behind. We noticed some mountain sheep on the steep slopes, searching for food. We could not help but feel the sadness of the mountains. When we reached Cheervasa, Swamiji, Amma and Carla had already reached there. The porters had already set up the tents, Swamiji and Amma were happy that we performed the pujas and to see the pictures and video footage we had taken. As we related the experiences of our trek and pujas at Gaumukh, it felt that Swamiji and Amma were with us all along.  Later in the evening the porters set up a campfire. We warmed ourselves by the fire. Amma and Swamiji led us to sing some bhajans. The porters and the cook joined us, and they sang some folk songs for us. The night was starlit, as the environment is untainted by city lights. We were all happy to sleep in the lap of Mother Nature. We woke up the next morning, and after a quick breakfast, started our trek back to Gangotri, a distance of 9 KM. It is one of the four dhams (holy places). There is a beautiful temple for the Divine Mother in Gangotri, by the side of the Ganga. The rock on which King Bhagirath is believed to have meditated is called Bhagirath Shila and is located near the temple. When we visited the temple, there was an old saint, a sadhu, very simple and unassuming. Swamiji and Amma felt an instant connection with him. It was difficult to communicate with him as he did not understand any English and the language he spoke was native to the region there. However, there was so much soulful connection, the words he was speaking and the blessings he gave to Swamiji and Amma and the rest of us resonated so much, we all felt moved. There was a lot of healing and cleansing during the brief encounter with him. Amma sang a very beautiful song to the Divine Mother for him, he was visibly moved. He heartfully blessed Swamiji and Amma, that they carry the great Shakti in them, and that the world would receive the blessings of the Divine Mother through them. Feeling very grateful for the opportunity to go visit the source of Ganga, and for meeting powerful saints along the way, we all headed to Utterkashi. We reached there in the night and visited the powerful Vishwanath (Shiva) temple, before retiring for the night after a long day. |
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