Guest guest Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 text-autospace:none"> HI">Katha mso-bidi-language:HI"> of Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi text-autospace:none"> Arial;color:red;mso-bidi-language:HI;font-weight:bold">Katha HI;font-weight:bold"> of Meri Maiya Vaishno Devi is centuries old. text-autospace:none"> Arial;color:red;mso-bidi-language:HI;font-weight:bold">Meri HI;font-weight:bold"> Maiya Vaishno Devi followed and text-autospace:none"> Arial;color:red;mso-bidi-language:HI;font-weight:bold">worshiped HI;font-weight:bold"> Lord Vishnu and considered him text-autospace:none"> Arial;color:red;mso-bidi-language:HI;font-weight:bold">as HI;font-weight:bold"> HER ideal. text-autospace:none">At about 2 kms from Katra(1 ½ DRIVE FROM JAMMU, INDIA), from where we start our Meri Maiya Yatra text-autospace:none"> HI">today mso-bidi-language:HI">, is situated an old village, Hansal, also called (Hansalli). Around text-autospace:none">700 years ago, there lived a very poor priest named Pandit Shirdhar, text-autospace:none"> HI">who HI"> was very heartily devoted to Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi. He used to text-autospace:none"> HI">sing HI"> his daily prayers and performed Meri Maiya Puja daily. He also text-autospace:none"> HI">used HI"> to worship little girls (called Kanya Pujan) regularly. And as faith text-autospace:none"> HI">was HI">, he was childless and had no children of his own. text-autospace:none">His daily Puja and Prayers for Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi went on for text-autospace:none"> HI">many HI"> years. At last seeing his firm-faith and the true devotion, Meri text-autospace:none"> HI">Maiya mso-bidi-language:HI"> one day came to Panditji, in the form of a little innocent girl. text-autospace:none"> HI">Pandit mso-bidi-language:HI"> Shridhar had been busy in his daily preparation of Kanya Pujan, text-autospace:none"> HI">where mso-bidi-language:HI">, some little girls were present before him. Meri Maiya text-autospace:none"> HI">Vaishnodevi mso-bidi-language:HI"> manifested herself in those little-girls. As per the Hindu text-autospace:none"> HI">tradition mso-bidi-language:HI">, while Pt. Shirdhar had been washing the feet of these little text-autospace:none"> HI">girls mso-bidi-language:HI">, his sight fell on Meri Maiya manifested Herself in the form of a text-autospace:none"> HI">little mso-bidi-language:HI"> girl. Panditji was astonished to see HER celestial beauty in text-autospace:none"> HI">vermilion mso-bidi-language:HI"> garbs; SHE wore on HER divine body. He had never seen text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> little girl before, and SHE did not even seem to belong to his text-autospace:none"> HI">village mso-bidi-language:HI">. Anyway, he worshipped as usual. When the Puja was over, all text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> girls returned to their homes after getting their offerings from text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI">, except Meri Maiya who remained seated. text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> was very much confused and was about to enquire and ask text-autospace:none"> HI">Meri HI"> Maiya, that Meri Maiya Herself spoke to him and said " I have text-autospace:none"> HI">an HI"> important task for you." Panditji was spell bound and was text-autospace:none"> HI">astonished mso-bidi-language:HI"> more and more to listen to such a conversation from that text-autospace:none"> HI">little-girl mso-bidi-language:HI">. Meri Maiya asked Panditji to invite people from neighboring text-autospace:none"> HI">villages mso-bidi-language:HI"> for a collective lunch - called Bhandhara. Panditji was very text-autospace:none"> HI">much HI"> confused and before he could say anything or ask Meri Maiya text-autospace:none"> HI">about mso-bidi-language:HI"> HER, Meri Maiya disappeared. [Read More: HI;font-weight:bold">Bhumika Temple - About text-autospace:none">2 kilometers from Katra on HI;font-weight:bold">Panthal Road, is situated Bhumika Temple. This is the text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">place, where Pt. Shirdhar had the sight of Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi - The Divine text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">Girl. At this very place Pt. Shridhar arranged the Bhandhara.] text-autospace:none">Pt. Shirdhar went on thinking hard - who this little girl was?, but was text-autospace:none"> HI">unable mso-bidi-language:HI"> to find an answer to it… SHE might be an "Eternal-Girl", or text-autospace:none"> HI">may HI"> be Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi Herself and the more he thought the text-autospace:none"> HI">more HI"> he got confused, and worried for the "Bhandhara", as it was not text-autospace:none"> HI">possible mso-bidi-language:HI"> for him to keep such a huge Bhandhara. He could not think of text-autospace:none"> HI">anything mso-bidi-language:HI">, and in the end, he decided to obey the Divine Girl and went text-autospace:none"> HI">to HI"> tell and invite the people in the neighboring villages. text-autospace:none">He went on to invite people from one village to another. On his way, text-autospace:none"> HI">he HI"> came across a group of saints. He very humbly bowed before them, text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> with his folded hands, extended an invitation to them also to text-autospace:none"> HI">attend mso-bidi-language:HI"> Bhandhara, the next day. Gorakhnath - the leader of the group text-autospace:none"> HI">of HI"> saints - told him that he was mistaking in inviting them at home, as text-autospace:none"> HI">even HI"> Lord Indra had not been able to satisfy them. Pt. Shridhar got text-autospace:none"> HI">afraid mso-bidi-language:HI"> and related them the event and told them of the Divine-Girl. text-autospace:none"> HI">Gorakhnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> in his anxiety accepted Panditji's invitation. He also text-autospace:none"> HI">wanted mso-bidi-language:HI"> to see, such a girl, who could prepare food for so many text-autospace:none"> HI">peoples mso-bidi-language:HI"> and was very curious to find Who this Girl was? text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> was fully exhausted when he returned home, and so he went text-autospace:none"> HI">fast HI"> asleep immediately on returning home. The next morning, once text-autospace:none"> HI">again mso-bidi-language:HI">, he started worrying about the arrangements for Bhandhara. He text-autospace:none"> HI">just HI"> sat in his home, thinking, when people began to gather outside his text-autospace:none"> HI">small mso-bidi-language:HI"> hut. Gorakhnath and Bhairavnath, a disciple of Gorakhnath, also text-autospace:none"> HI">arrived mso-bidi-language:HI"> along with their disciples. text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> was not able to understand what was going on, and to his text-autospace:none"> HI">surprise mso-bidi-language:HI">, all of a sudden Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi - The Divine Girl, text-autospace:none"> HI">entered mso-bidi-language:HI"> into the little hut. No one could know - which way SHE had text-autospace:none"> HI">come HI">! How and when did SHE arrive? Meri Maiya told Panditji, text-autospace:none">"Don't worry, and get up! Everything will be arranged very soon. Tell text-autospace:none"> HI">your HI"> guests to come in and sit in the hut." Pt. Shirdhar, immediately text-autospace:none"> HI">got HI"> up, and came out to the eagerly awaiting crowd. He invited them text-autospace:none"> HI">to HI"> come inside the hut and have food. Gorakhanth then asked - How text-autospace:none"> HI">can HI"> we sit in your hut? It does not have a sufficient space for all of us. text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> folded his hands and said. No problem - please come in ..... text-autospace:none">All people who were invited began to enter one by one in the hut. All text-autospace:none"> HI">of HI"> them were astonished to see, that all of them had entered and sat text-autospace:none"> HI">inside mso-bidi-language:HI"> the hut and still a small space was left in the corner of the same text-autospace:none"> HI">hut HI">, which was very small !! text-autospace:none"> HI">Meri HI"> Maiya began to serve food from a small vessel in HER little text-autospace:none"> HI">hands mso-bidi-language:HI">. The foods of their respective choice and likings! Everyone was text-autospace:none"> HI">surprised mso-bidi-language:HI"> and Meri Maiya bhakt Pt. Shirdhar was overwhelmed with text-autospace:none"> HI">joy HI">. text-autospace:none"> HI">Gorakhnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> and his senior disciple Bhairavnath were very much text-autospace:none"> HI">amazed mso-bidi-language:HI"> and began to consult between themselves - and said SHE text-autospace:none"> HI">seems mso-bidi-language:HI"> to be an Eternal Power. Who SHE was? and when Meri Maiya text-autospace:none"> HI">reached mso-bidi-language:HI"> Bhairavnath to serve him the foods, he asked, "Shall I get the text-autospace:none"> HI">food HI"> of my choice?" text-autospace:none">"What do you want?" Meri Maiya asked him politely. text-autospace:none"> HI">Bhairavnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> asked for meat and wine. Meri Maiya very gently told text-autospace:none"> HI">him HI"> that he was sitting in the hut of a pious Vaishnav Brahmin, and text-autospace:none"> HI">that HI"> only vegetarian food will be served. text-autospace:none"> HI">Bhairavnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> turned a deaf ears to the words, as he wanted to crossexamine text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> Girl. Nevertheless, Meri Maiya knew his evil desires and text-autospace:none"> HI">as HI"> soon as, Bhairavnath could rose up with some seditious thinking text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> tried to catch hold of Meri Maiya hand, Meri Maiya disappeared. text-autospace:none"> HI">Bhairavnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> was an expert at the science of meditation and was a text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">tantrik. He closed his eyes for a moment and saw with the help of his text-autospace:none"> HI">yogic-powers mso-bidi-language:HI"> (tantrik powers) that Meri Maiya had proceeded towards text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> Trikuta Hills, in a subtle form of "Air". Bhairavnath started text-autospace:none"> HI">chasing mso-bidi-language:HI"> Meri Maiya. [Read More : Darshni Darwaza - Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">proceeded through this way, after disappearing from the Bhandhara. One can get a text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">clear view of the hills, from this place. Hence it is called Darshni Darwaza, i.e., a gate text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">to the hill-site one and a half kilometer from Katra.] text-autospace:none">During this chase, Meri Maiya felt thirsty, and SHE perched an arrow text-autospace:none"> HI">with HI"> HER bow on the land and a stream of water flew out. This place text-autospace:none"> HI">is HI"> called Ban Ganga. [ bold">Read More : Ban font-weight:bold">Ganga - Starting form Katra and text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">passing through Darshni Darwaza, Ban font-weight:bold">Ganga is a streamlet gushing out from the text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">hills over a bridge. The stream is regarded very sacred and many bhakts take a text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI;font-weight:bold">purificatory bath in it before proceeding further. A beautiful idol of the goddess is text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">place in the corridors of Ban Ganga temple.] text-autospace:none"> HI">Meri HI"> Maiya stopped for some time and looked behind at Bhairavnath text-autospace:none"> HI">who HI"> was chasing her. [Read More : Charan Paduka - The place where Meri text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">Maiya rested have marks of the impressions of HER feet and were printed on a text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">stone as SHE stopped here. The foot prints are still visible on the stone, preserved text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">here in the temple. Hence, the place is called "Charan Paduka" i.e., the holy foot text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">prints.] text-autospace:none">At a considerable distance from Charan paduka, Meri Maiya reached a text-autospace:none"> HI">small mso-bidi-language:HI"> charming plateau, called Ardhkwari, where a mendicant was text-autospace:none"> HI">practicing mso-bidi-language:HI"> his meditations opposite a small tunnel. SHE gave HER text-autospace:none"> HI">divine mso-bidi-language:HI"> sight to the mendicant and told him not to tell any thing about text-autospace:none"> HI">HER visit to any one. Thereafter, Meri Maiya went into the tunnel and text-autospace:none"> HI">took HI"> rest for full long nine months, as if the child in the womb of a text-autospace:none"> HI">mother mso-bidi-language:HI">. Meri Maiya spent the nine months in complete devotion. text-autospace:none">Hence, the tunnel was called "Garabh Joon". text-autospace:none">Searching for Meri Maiya, Bhairavnath reached here. He asked the text-autospace:none"> HI">mendicant mso-bidi-language:HI"> " Have you seen a girl on this plateau?" The old mendicant text-autospace:none"> HI">replied mso-bidi-language:HI">, " SHE is the supreme power in the whole world, whom you text-autospace:none"> HI">think mso-bidi-language:HI"> to be an ordinary girl and that she is Adikumari", i.e. A virgin text-autospace:none"> HI">since mso-bidi-language:HI"> the very beginning of this earth. He told Bhairavnath either to text-autospace:none"> HI">run HI"> away or to beg pardon from HER. The moment universe came into text-autospace:none"> HI">existence mso-bidi-language:HI"> since then SHE has maintained virginity better you go back. text-autospace:none"> HI">Bhairavnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> again put a deaf ear to the advice and entered into the text-autospace:none"> HI">tunnel mso-bidi-language:HI">. Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi was aware of it. Meri Maiya with text-autospace:none">HER divine powers made another opening of the cave by strucking a text-autospace:none"> HI">path HI"> at the end of the tunnel with the help of HER trident and moved text-autospace:none"> HI">ahead mso-bidi-language:HI"> towards the Holy cave at Darbar (Bhavan). [Read More : Garabh text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">Joon - The tunnel is about 15 feet long that starts horizontally and ends text-autospace:none"> HI;font-weight:bold">vertically. This place is about 5 kms from Charan Paduka.] text-autospace:none">On reaching at the Holy cave at Darbar Meri Maiya with all HER text-autospace:none"> HI">powers mso-bidi-language:HI"> looked as Meri Maiya MAHA KALI and in the end Meri text-autospace:none"> HI">Maiya mso-bidi-language:HI"> with HER Trishul cut the head of Bhairavnath and threw it text-autospace:none"> HI">with HI"> such a force that it went at a distant Mountain. The place at text-autospace:none"> HI">which mso-bidi-language:HI"> the head fell is now Bhairav temple. According to the katha text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> big rock at the entrance of the Holy cave is the remaining body of text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">Bhairavnath. text-autospace:none"> HI">Bhairavnath mso-bidi-language:HI"> then started pleading Meri Maiya, and begged to Meri text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">Maiya to forgive him, for his sins. HI"> text-autospace:none">Merciful Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi forgave Bhairavnath for all his sins text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> blessed him and granted him a wish that whenever HER text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">bhakts will come to Bhavan for HER Darshan their yatra will not be text-autospace:none"> HI">completed mso-bidi-language:HI"> unless on going back after HER Darshan the bhakts pay text-autospace:none"> HI">homage mso-bidi-language:HI"> at Bhairavnath temple. text-autospace:none">On the other side, Pt. Shirdhar was very much disappointed with the text-autospace:none"> HI">sudden mso-bidi-language:HI"> disappearance of Meri Maiya. He was very much worried text-autospace:none"> HI">about mso-bidi-language:HI"> Meri Maiya, and went on for fasting for many days, even text-autospace:none"> HI">leaving mso-bidi-language:HI"> food and water. text-autospace:none">Kind hearted Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi, again appeared before him, in text-autospace:none"> HI">his HI"> dream one night. In his dream, Meri Maiya showed him HER text-autospace:none"> HI">shrine mso-bidi-language:HI"> - the Holy cave and asked him to follow HER through the route. text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> followed Meri Maiya and reached Meri Maiya Pavitra Gufa. text-autospace:none">Pt. Shirdhar was very happy when he woke up in the morning. All his text-autospace:none"> HI">distortion mso-bidi-language:HI"> was removed. text-autospace:none">From that very day, Panditji began to search for the Holy cave of Meri text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">Maiya, which he had seen in his dream. mso-bidi-language:HI"> He was very much disturbed text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> wanted to find Meri Maiya Holy cave as soon as possible. He text-autospace:none"> HI">started mso-bidi-language:HI"> recounting and following the route as Meri Maiya has directed text-autospace:none"> HI">him HI">, and once while climbing up the hills, Panditji was able discover text-autospace:none"> HI">the HI"> Holy cave, the same which he saw in his dream. text-autospace:none"> HI">Panditji mso-bidi-language:HI"> entered inside the Holy Cave .…. And to his astonishment, he text-autospace:none"> HI">got HI"> the Holy sight of the abode of Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi to the text-autospace:none"> HI">success mso-bidi-language:HI"> of his life. He saw, Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi, represented by text-autospace:none"> HI">three mso-bidi-language:HI"> goddesses, viz. Meri Maiya Maha Laxmi (the goddess of beauty text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> wealth), Meri Maiya Mahakali (the vanquisher of evil (right)), text-autospace:none"> HI">Meri HI"> Maiya Maha Saraswati (the muse of art and learning (left)). text-autospace:none"> HI">Pandit mso-bidi-language:HI"> Shirdhar read hymns and verses in praise of Meri Maiya text-autospace:none"> HI">Vaishnodevi mso-bidi-language:HI">, with his hands folded before HER, and offered "Aarti", text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> bowed and prayed by all means. Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi was text-autospace:none"> HI">very HI"> much pleased with him. SHE granted him a boon of four sons, text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> said that his descendants will continue to worship HER. Since that text-autospace:none"> HI">day HI">, the descendants of Pt. Shirdhar have been worshipping Meri text-autospace:none"> mso-bidi-language:HI">Maiya Vaishnodevi, inside the Holy cave (Pavitra Gufa). text-autospace:none">Thereafter, Pt. Shirdhar made known to this world of the Holy Cave text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> existence of Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi in the Pavitra Gufa. This is text-autospace:none"> HI">how HI">, we all came to know of our beloved Meri Maiya Vaishnodevi ..... text-autospace:none"> HI">and HI"> had been blessed by HER all through these years ..... text-autospace:none"> HI"> text-autospace:none"> HI"> text-autospace:none"> HI">http://www.merimaiya.com/ yes">(if anyone is not interested in receiving emails from me pls say so and I wont send these to you again) yes"> Jai Mata Ji! Jay Dayal color:red">FIJI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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