Sri Kailash Shila

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Sri Kailash Shila

 

By Richard Shaw Brown

 

"Om namah shivaya!Om namah shivaya!Om namah shivaya!" This is the

Sanskrit mantra (invocation) chanted by pilgrims and devotees of Lord

Shiva as they walk (clock wise) around the great, unscaled, sacred

Himalayan peak, Mount Kailasa. This chant means, "Om, I bow to Lord

Shiva." And this act of great austerity is considered by both Hindus &

Buddhists alike as a very pious and difficult sacrifice leading to good

fortune and ultimate beatitude.

 

In the Sanskrit-English dictonary of Prof. V.S. Apte, "Kailasa" is

defined as, "Name of a mountain, a peak of the Himalayas and residence

of Shiva." In the same dictonary, "Shiva" is defined as, "Auspicious,

propitious, lucky, in good health or condition, happy, prosperious,

fortunate, God bless!, name of the third God of the sacred Hindu

Trinity (Tri-guna-avatara's), who is entrusted with the work of

universal destruction, as Brahma and Visnu are with the creation and

preservation of the (material) world(s) respectively."

 

Shiva also has many other meanings listed such as, "Final beatitude,

the male organ (lingam), the Vedas (ancient Sanskrit scriptures), and

the husband of Goddess Durga (Maya-devi), who is also known as Sati,

Uma, and Parvati; and she is Shiva's shakti (material energy). Together

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga reside on Mount Kailasa for the duration

of the cosmic manifestation or the life-span of the temporary material

universe.

 

Stones (rocks) from Mount Kailasa are brought back by the stalwart

devotees who take the one-two month trip to walk around the base of the

sacred Mount. These stones or "bits" of Mount Kailasa are considered to

be non-different from Lord Shiva, who is greater than the sum total of

the entire universe; therefore it may be considered an "offence" to buy

or sell a Sri Kailasa-sila (stone).

 

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