My Experiences in Kasi Yatra (Dated: 4th April 2017 to 7th April 2017)
An unfortunate Event happened in my life, my father (Vaddadi Gangaraju born: 08-07-1949) expired on 1st Jan 2017, at around 11:35 PM in the night. He is man of principles, and discipline. he has lead the life of a donkey through out his life, always work, never took rest, and when it came to retirement of work, and happily live peacefully with his kith & kin, he got throat cancer, suffered for more than 6 years, went through all kind of treatment that he can avail on this earth, nothing saved his life:
1. 33 sitings of high Radiation rays, inside his throat, where he got infected
2. Chemo (took the maximum a human can take)
3. Operation (dissection of tongue)
4. Finally Ayurveda went to many places, Bangalore, Pathankot, Himalayas
5. 4 life (some kind of molecular therapy)
6. Healing rays (unable to recognize what kind of various rays he went thru)
7. Puttaparthi Sai Baba Bajans, and lots and lots of Pujas, not to mention how many of them exist in India
We all had very tough time for all these 6 years to take him for medicine treatments.
Finally the destiny has taken him away.
He was at 67 years of Age.
His Photo :
My Mother & Father
My Father in Kedarnath
He always have little smile on his face
Once a person sees a dead body, and ashes and the remains after cremation (asthikalu), no one would have sweetness /fervor in the life (Mamakaram). Every person comes to the earth, goes through playful mode of childishness, and then the serious mode of studies (almost 1/2 of the life goes on studying and getting a degree certificate) qualifying phase of life to enter into donkey life of office work, striving till retirement for the family welfare and waiting finally for death to come.
Is this the life? Frankly speaking Yes, I didn't have anything extraordinary other than this till now.
If God asks me at the end of my life what have you earned in this life, I would say little bit common sense from my traditional studies, and little bit of intelligence from my gurudev sri sri paramahansa yogananda, and little bit of sense of humor from the people around me, other than this I don't have anything with me. Probably I will take this along with me, when I am have to leave the earth.
By this the reader might have understood that Kasi Yatra is a final destination that one has to visit in his life, so that they can analyze before dying what else they wants to do before this life ends.
Kasi is a very old city, probably even before many of the countries formed. It is mentioned in almost in all puranas and all histories. It is believed that, ther Almighty Lord of Lords Shiva, Ishwara or he is called Visweswara at this place has lived in this city along with Divine Mother Parvathi Devi, or it is called Visalakshi at this place, who is also called Annapurna devi, who gave alms to Ishwara.
That is why, every king till now in the history tried to do something at Kasi, there are number of Ghats at the Ganges right from Harischandra Ghat till Manikarnika Ghat.
It is believed that, Lord Shiva himself has light the agni for chit (Dead bodies) hence wheoever are kept on this holy fire, will never come again to this earth.
The View of Ganga is indescribable here. Infact for this Ganga who has brought from heaven to earth by King Bagiratha of Ikshavaku dynasty, the entire world and sadhu sanyasis yarn to cherish the site and hence this country Bharatha Matha is mother of all countries. It has seen all the phases that today's modern world of countries are yet to see.
This celestial river was also mentioned by my Gurudev (Paramahansa Yogananda) on his last speech called "My India"
"
Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God –
I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.
"
The Full Poem Goes like this:
"
Not where the musk of happiness blows,
Not where darkness and fears never tread;
Not in the homes of perpetual smiles,
Nor in the heaven of a land of prosperity
Would I be born
If I must put on mortal garb once more.
Dread famine may prowl and tear my flesh,
Yet would I love to be again
In my Hindustan.
A million thieves of disease
May try to steal the body’s fleeting health;
And clouds of fate
May shower scalding drops of searing sorrow –
Yet would I there, in India,
Love to reappear!
Is this love of mine blind sentiment
That sees not the pathways of reason?
Ah, no! I love India,
For there I learned first to love God
and all things beautiful.
Some teach to seize the fickle dewdrop, life,
Sliding down the lotus leaf of time;
Stubborn hopes are built
Around the gilded, brittle body-bubble.
But India taught me to love
The soul of deathless beauty in the dewdrop
and the bubble –
Not their fragile frames.
Her sages taught me to find my Self,
Buried beneath the ash heaps
Of incarnations of ignorance.
Though many a land of power, plenty, and science
My soul, garbed sometimes as an Oriental,
Sometimes as an Occidental,
Travelled far and wide,
Seeking Itself;
At last, in India, to find Itself.
Though mortal fires raze all her homes
and golden paddy fields,
Yet to sleep on her ashes and dream immortality,
O India, I will be there!
The guns of science and matter
Have boomed on her shores
Yet she is unconquered.
Her soul is free evermore!
Her soldier saints are away,
To rout with realization’s ray
The bandits of hate, prejudice, and patriotic selfishness;
And to burn the walls of separation dark
Between children of the One, One Father.
The Western brothers by matter’s might
have conquered my land;
Blow, blow aloud, her conch shells all!
India now invades with love,
To conquer their souls.
Better than Heaven or Arcadia
I love Thee, O my India!
And thy love I shall give
To every brother nation that lives.
God made the earth;
Man made confining countries
And their fancy-frozen boundaries.
But with newfound boundless love
I behold the borderland of my India
Expanding into the world.
Hail, mother of religions, lotus, scenic beauty,
And sages!
Thy wide doors are open,
Welcoming God’s true sons through all ages.
Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God –
I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.
"
Last Smile of Paramahansa Yogananda
I believe Lord Ishwara's omnipresense is still intact in Kasi. whoever
goes to kasi would say the same, may be that's the reason there are number of
foreigners rome hear and there in Kasi.
There are lots of stories and sages and saints in kasi, that in my view
this should be one of the subject in PhD.
When coming to providing the details of my stay, I took shelter in
"Srungeri Mutt"
This place is excellent place, they took around Rs 1200.00 per day. It's
not as posh as any other hotels to stay, but there is plenty of garden, and
place to roam around at this place.
More importantly there are 5 to 6 cows being maintained at this place.
And the food is served free.
I think any of such Matam's immaterial of any caste they would love to
serve the food for free, no wonder it's because of Goddess Annapurna devi, who
has provided alms to Lord of balance keeper.
May be that's the reason there is no problem of good food at this place.
And I believe anyone who is looking for balance in their life, must
visit Kasi.
My Last Service to my Father
I stayed for 3 days in this place only, and I recommend anyone to go to
Srungeri Matam.
The place is very easy to find, its in Mahmoor ganj
Contact
person:
Sri Challa Annapurna
Prasad
Sri Sringeri Shankara
Math
B 38/2, Gopal
Vihar
Mahmoorganj
Varanasi – 01
Ph : 2361837
Government of Uttarpradesh has regularized the fees of karma whoever visior comes here has to take rs 600 /- only, and rs 700 to 800 /- for boat to look around all ghats, this might take around 2 to 3 hours. These facilities are much better than facilities at Prayag. I have also visited Prayag where three rivers meet : Ganga, Yamuna & Antarvahini Saraswathi.
The Panda's who does the Karma at Prayag took rs 2500 /- and rs 600 /- for boat. Not to mention I enjoyed my trip to Kasi more than to Prayag (Allahabad, which is around 150 KM from Kasi)
The OLA cab services are very good, I installed OLA app and happily roam around.
me & my wife from Hyderabad to Varanasi thru Airplane, it took rs 4000 /- per head for one way
The scenric beauty during early hours when sunrises is indescribable
Vyasashramam in Vyasa Kasi
Vyasa Prathistapana Siva Lingam
Other Murthy's in Vyasa Ashramam
This is the passage to River Ganga
and Lo! the celestiual river sceneric beauty is atlast shown this way
Kedhar Ghat, Readers can browse through google for the details of Ghat's and their significance
Some of the events took just before this :
1. I Visited Ahobilam
2. Chopped off the Banyan Tree
Don't know if there is any link, just FYI, and for my record.
