Visit to Babaji's Cave at Dwarahat

Our Journey from Mumbai started on 21st July and our first destination was Palampur (Himachal Pradesh) where we were to participate in Guru poornima festival with Yogiraj Amar Jyoti-ji.

We reached Aum Mahaavatar Babaji Meditation Centre Trust at Kandvari on 24th July and attended Hansraj Hans's Bhajan sandhya and next day also participated in Guru Poornima Havan organised in a huge Yagna-shala. There were few thousand people attending this function. Yogiraj always avoided publicity. Nobody knows his age. There are no leaflets, no website and no promotion of any kind. Yogiraj is so humble, he meets everyone who comes to him. During this function, he was available to all. His simplicity and humility is amazing and worth learning.

Outside view of Yagna-shala

Yogiraj Amar Jyoti

To be in the presence of Yogiraj means learning in every moment. His each and every word and gesture expresses and reflects the Master's behaviour and the learning happens just by watching him!

Our next stop was at Haidakhan Baba Temple at Ranikhet. This was my fifth visit to this temple. There is something mystical about this temple that attracts me here again and again! May be my past birth connections... Is Gorakh Babaji reincarnation of Haidakhan Baba? A book on Babaji by Ramola Butalia indicates to this fact very nicely. We attended the Arti and Bhajans in the evening and rested that night to go to Dwarahat the next day morning.

Dr. Rajesh, Vidya and Sun Yogi Uma Shankarji joined us at Ranikhet on 27th July to go to Dwarahat. We stayed at Hotel Mayank and went to meet Sw. Nirvanananda at YSS ashram, who helped us make all the arrangements to go to Babaji's Cave the next day morning. As we had some time on hand, we went to see nearby places.

We came across a very interesting temple of Mahavatar Babaji and Shirdi Sai, built by Swami Vedananda as he was instructed by Babaji at Dunagiri in his vision! Very few people know that Shirdi Sai was initiated into Kriya Yoga. So also were King Bhartruhari, Saint Kabir Dasji, Lahiri Mahashaya and Mahatma Gandhi!!!

Another interesting temple nearby in the same complex was that of Sri Yantra! Sri Vidya is considered to be Bhukti - Mukti dayini (That which brings material as well as spiritual affluence).

It was about less than an hrs drive to reach Adi Shakti Dunagiri Mata temple. At the basement we had an interesting meeting with a Kanphata Yogi (Nath-panthi) Sri Sagarnath Giriji. He was staying in a small hut and was in Divine bliss...no words can describe! Just look into his eyes to expereince the state of divine bliss!!!

We needed to walk for about a kilometer upward to reach to Adi Shakti Dunagiri Mata temple on top of the hill. Traditionally people tie a bell for the fulfillment of their wish!

From there we proceeded further towards Mahavatar Babaji's Cave. The road ended a little further away near a Chai shop where we parked our vehicle and we started trekking to Babaji's cave in Dunagiri forest.

Five of us at the begining of trekk: Vidya, Dr. Rajesh, Sun Yogi Uma Shankar, Prem & Bharati. After walking on a not so narrow road for about 45 minutes and enjoying fresh fruits on the way...

We came to a board indicating direction of Babaji's cave and the upward trekking started.

Déjà vu: After few minutes of walk, I had experience of some past memories (not of this birth) my whole body shivered and with a vision, I knew the road ahead, I knew the cave and lot more… Nothing was known yet as if I knew everything about this cave! As I walked further everything looked familiar including the way and inside of the cave! The déjà vu was so intense; I could not walk for few minutes and had to rest for some time to come to my senses again.

Few more minutes walk and we came to Smriti Bhavan. People say this is the place where Babaji with his Yogic powers created the Golden Palace for Lahiri Mahashaya! Read chapter 34 of Autobiography of a Yogi, here.  http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter_34

Sun Yogi Uma Shankar did Sun Gazing for few minutes at this place. In next few minutes we reached the cave one by one and everybody entered the meditation that went on for more than 90 minutes.

The vibrancy in the cave is so high that it makes meditation very profound. I had Jagadanand experience (God within – God outside) and Krama Mudra that settled in few minutes to transcend that very experience. It was an experience beyond time. My new watch stopped during this experience in a mysterious manner! It started on its own after two hrs and continues till today...

We had our group photo for our memories of this cave. Then we left for further two hrs steep trek to Pandu Kholi. It was tiring as we took the short cut rout from within the forest which is too steep. At last we reached Pandu Kholi and rested there for the night.

At Pandu Kholi we had wonderful interaction with a great Mahatma who always stayed above 10000 ft height from sea level and rarely came down! He was well versed in Shiv Swarodaya Shashtra (Swara Yoga) with which he had guided few couples to get noble soul as child!

In the morning we had wonderful view of Nandadevi Peak and associated ranges. We could clearly see the Dunagiri Temple on the opposite side hill, which we had visited on the previous day. 

Dunagiri Temple on the top of the mountain

After breakfast we wanted to visit the cave again but as the care taker was not contactable, we took the normal route back that brought us to our vehicle in about two hrs time. We straight headed to Uttarkashi from here. (To be continued...)