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This summer, some fortunate souls received the blessing of having darśan of the holy cave of Lord Śrī Amarnāth. It is located in the Himalayas, in Kashmir, at over 4,000 meters above sea level. Every year, a natural Śiva Liṅgam forms from ice in the cave, and millions of pilgrims journey there. We also had the opportunity to go. Modern technology has made it somewhat easier. The Indian army builds and clears the roads, and there is a helicopter service, of course, for a fee. We were a group of over 80 people and had a beautiful time in Kashmir, one of the most beautiful places in India. The vegetation there is like that of the Alps or the High Tatras, with all kinds of nuts and apples. I brought prasād for you from there, which you received today. The story of holy Amarnāthjī goes back millions of years. Lord Śiva and Pārvatī’s residence is in Mount Kailāśa—another beauty of India, another beauty of the Himalayas, now in Tibet, which is part of China. Borders exist in the human mind; divisions are in the human mind, not in God’s mind. Lord Śiva and Pārvatī were residing in the Himalayas near Kailāśa. One morning, Lord Śiva went for a walk in the valleys of snow and ice. Pārvatī remained at their home. At that time, the great sage Ṛṣi Nārada came. He made praṇām to the Holy Mother. Pārvatī blessed him and asked, "What is the reason for your coming? Can I do something for you?" Nārada said to Pārvatī, "Holy Mother, I have one question for you, if you can answer." She said, "Yes, if I know, I will answer you." Nārada asked, "Your dear one and our divine one, the universal Lord Śiva—why does he have the mālā around his neck, the mālā of skulls?" Pārvatī said, "Actually, I don’t know about this. I know he has this mālā, but why he has it, I never asked him. It’s his interest; why should I interfere? But I will ask him for you, and when you come next time, I will tell you." Nārada went away. After a while, Lord Śiva returned. In time, Pārvatī said, "My Lord, I have one question for you." Śiva said, "Yes, my dear one, ask." "But I will ask only if you answer." He said, "Well, if it’s a question, then it has to be answered." She said, "I want to know why you have this garland around your neck made out of skulls." Lord Śiva closed his eyes and breathed deeply in. He tried to avoid the answer. She insisted, "No, no... no." He said, "Well, dear one, there’s a long story. Time will come, and I will tell you. How are you? Tell me now. How was the morning when I went for a walk?" She said it was very good. "I am very fine, but tell me the reason for the mālā." He said, "Well, Pārvatī, take time to know the answer." "Why? Is it so bad? And even if it is so bad, why do you hide it from me? I am yours. I will accept everything with joy. Please, Lord, tell me." Śiva said he would tell after some days, but she gave him no peace, asking every day. The Lord said to Pārvatī, "The answer to your question will open some reality, and you will not be so happy. You will be in depression." "No, no... no. Nothing can put me in depression. Say the truth that you don’t want to tell me." He said, "I will tell, dear." "Then do it." He said, "First get strong, psychically, mentally." One beautiful day, they were sitting on an ice rock, and she said, "Lord, please tell me the secret of your mālā." He said, "My dear, it’s hard to tell, but when you wish, I will do it. You know, Pārvatī, as many skulls as you see in my mālā, that many times you were born and died. And in your memory, because I can’t separate from you, I keep your skulls around my neck. It is good that we always come together again. Now you see the faithfulness of that man. Even when you die, you will not be unfaithful." Lord Śiva said, "Dear one, nothing to hide." And he became silent. But Pārvatī became sad and depressed. The Lord said, "I told you, you wouldn’t be able to digest it, my dear. But it’s true. It’s your head. You are with me ever. Why are you sad? Or, are you jealous?" She said, "Lord, in my heart, there is no place for jealousy." "Then what is it? Why?" "Because you never die, and I have to die. And after a long, long search through the astral world, I have to find you, my Lord. You are my only one. In the entire universe, there is no third one. In my heart, there is no tiny space for others. But I am sad that I have to die. Can’t you do something so that I don’t die also? Then we are ever together, no problems. And you don’t need this heavy mālā, my dear." He said, "Pārvatī, it’s not easy." "Don’t always tell me it’s not easy. Make it easy." He said, "Even if it’s not easy... these techniques are techniques of immortality. And those who will hear this voice, by words they will become immortal." "And why not?" "Oh dear one, you don’t understand. If everyone begins to become immortal, there will be traffic jams in the cycle of rebirth and death." "Then tell me alone." He said, "Time will come." And I think that was the very divine secret teaching of the yoga, that yogic power that was the words of Mahāprabhujī. "Time will come, Pārvatī. We have to search for a very peaceful place." She said, "Hurry up. Why are you waiting, Lord? Go, go, search." Guru Nānak Dās Jī said, "O Nānak, the whole world is in trouble." So even God’s family is in trouble. The problem you have with your partner is just zero, nothing. Be happy that you have some troubles with your partner. Tell him or her to hang your head around the neck. They searched, and Lord Śiva came to one place, a beautiful cave full of snow everywhere. The Lord Śiva went far away into one valley, about 15, 16, 20 kilometers, and he freed his Nandi. He said to his Nandi, "You graze here, eat grass, and be free." That place is called Belgao. "Bel" means ox. There is a beautiful river there. He took his very dear snake, which was all the time around his neck—Śeṣanāga—and put it in the water, saying, "You are free now." And the beautiful crescent moon on his head, he also said, "Be in freedom." He walked further, and where he opened his hair, the jaṭā, from where the Pañcaraṅgī Gaṅgā flows—five colors. You can see inside, five colors. Now you see, if we think of a normal husband and wife relationship, how renounced and dedicated that man must be for the sake of his wife? It is very dear, the bull, the very dear snake, the very dear moon—everything. She is happy. Look at the dedication of the Lord. It’s not easy. It meant a lot to Śiva, these things. Lord Śiva came to the cave and made sure there was not even a single creature there who would listen to the message of the wisdom of immortality. So he ordered the fire element: "As far as the eyesight goes, burn all creatures. No one should be there alive." It happened. Then fire came and said, "Lord, none of the creatures are here." And the Lord even freed all five elements from his body. Earth, water, air, fire became transparent, and that is the symbol of Lord Śiva’s body, the crystal. It’s called crystal clear, transparent. And that is Śiva’s consciousness and kṛṣṭalī śakti, Pārvatī. Now Śiva tells Pārvatī, "Pārvatī, I am going to teach you the techniques of immortality, the wisdom. Don’t sleep; listen with full attention, because what I tell you will not be repeated." Pārvatī said, "Yes, my lord, I will do it." And Śiva began to explain. The Lord said, "After each of my sentences, you have to say yes." "Yes." And the Lord began to preach the science of immortality. At the time when the fire was burning all the creatures, near where Śiva was sitting under the snow, there was an egg of a parrot, and the fire didn’t dare to come so near to Śiva. So only three were there: Śiva, Pārvatī, and that egg. Pārvatī was saying yes, and the nectar of immortality began to flow. You see how much dedication Śiva had towards Pārvatī and how much dedication Pārvatī had towards Śiva. That’s called complete surrender. "Lord, nothing is mine. Whatever I have is yours. When I give yours to you, what do I lose? My body, my mind, my intellect, my feelings, my emotion, my memory, my thoughts, my wisdom, my soul—all is yours, Lord." That surrendering is called Pārvatī. That’s why Śiva can’t separate from her. Śiva is preaching the science of immortality, the yoga, and she said, "Yes, aha, aha." And Pārvatī was saying, "Aha, aha, aha," and she slept. At that time, the baby inside the egg hatched. Oh, God! It would be a great loss. Hurry up! It came out of the egg and sat near Pārvatī. Śiva is only consciousness, nothing else, and Pārvatī is sleeping. And the baby parrot said, "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh." So Śiva knew that Pārvatī was listening. I don’t know how many centuries it took, maybe. When it was finished, this entire divine science of immortality, Śiva said, "Pārvatī, did you understand?" She said, "No, Lord. I slept, sorry. Oh, God!" There, Śiva’s third eye opened. He didn’t say, but I think he said... "You women..." Śiva didn’t say, you know. "But you were saying yes, but I slept. Who was that?" And the baby parrot flew out of the cave. Śiva said, "Oh God, this one is that." He took his triśūla and ran behind him through the entire Himālaya, through the entire universe, to kill that parrot. But Śiva couldn’t do it because the parrot is immortal now. But still, the parrot does not know that he is immortal. Now the parrot is searching for a safe place in the universe. Where can be a safe place? Where you can have shelter, either in the holy lotus feet of the Gurudeva or the mother. So the parrot was flying and flying, tired, a baby, and Śiva was behind. Suddenly they came to one hut. There was sitting one lady, and she was waiting for her husband to come. She was waiting and waiting, like you do. She was tired and yawning. The parrot baby thought, "This is the safest place for me." It flew into her mouth, and she swallowed. "It is in order." Now Śiva became angry. That lady was the wife of one of the greatest saints, Vedavyāsa, who wrote the Vedas and all. Vedavyāsa came home, and she said to him, "I think I have some bird baby in my stomach." In that minute, Śiva came and said to Vedavyāsa, "In your house my thief has hidden. Give me out that thief." Vedavyāsa said, "There’s no thief in my house. You can see." "Yes, in the body of your wife, the parrot baby." Vedavyāsa said, "Lord, you have free hands. Do what you want to do, but one thing you should know, Lord. Killing a pregnant woman, or any woman at all, is the biggest sin. I don’t think, Lord, that you will do this." Śiva said, "Yes." And he went back to that cave and went into samādhi. Pārvatī said, "My lord, how are you?" "Don’t talk." Now the baby was growing in the body of Vedavyāsa’s wife. That baby didn’t want to come out. That baby said, "This is a mortal world. There is suffering, attachment, ego, hate, jealousy, and cliques. What will I do in such a world? I am comfortable in such a world, Ānanda." But the poor lady was suffering. She was expanding and expanding, but he didn’t want to come out. Then Vedavyāsa went to Brahmā. Brahmā and Vedavyāsa went to Viṣṇu, and the three of them came back together: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Vedavyāsa. Lord Viṣṇu said, "I made the entire world free of Moha, attachment. There is no suffering, no jealousy, nothing." The whole world suddenly became divine. And he was born. That was a great, great saint called Sukhdev Muni. And Viṣṇu went away. After a while, again, Moha attacked, and the very young child Sukhdev Muni left for the forest, and so on. So this is the story of Bhagavān Amarnāthjī. And Pārvatī again had to go. Lost is lost. So that is the holy place. Śiva was meditating, and there were two pigeons, and all the time they were making noise. And Śiva said, "Stop, don’t make noise. You will be always here without noise." And since that time, there are two pigeons. In this holy cave, lucky ones can see them, or they don’t see them. They disappear; they appear. When we came this time, we asked the bodyguards and army people. You know, Kashmir is a very critical situation. So there’s a lot of army; every 100 meters, 200 meters, two soldiers are standing to protect the pilgrims. After sunset, no one can move. And in the morning, the army goes with instruments to see on the road if they didn’t put some bombs inside. So I asked them, "I heard there are some pigeons, two pigeons." They said, "Yes, they are there. Sometimes you can see them." And I looked, and yes, I saw them. One was sitting there; there was some little green grass growing on the roof of the cave, and the other one was sitting about five meters away, ten meters away there. I greeted them. We went to the real place where the Śiva Liṅgam should be. But due to climate changes, there was no Śiva Liṅgam. It was twenty degrees. I said, "I have many Śiva Liṅgas in Europe. I have enough from snow, so I didn’t come to see the snow. I came to see and greet that holy place where the Lord Śiva was." So we had some prasāda to offer there, and the head priest of that cave welcomed me. They gave me a mālā also. They gave me a shawl, and then they gave five more shawls to our bhaktas. And then they said, "Swamiji, speak something." So our bhaktas were there, and many Indians also, tourists, pilgrims, and I spoke something for five minutes. What did I see? Both pigeons flew and came and sat in front of me together like this, and it seemed they were listening to me. They were making sounds, looking at me again. I smiled and I greeted them. Then, after I made mālā there, I sat down. Then was the time to go, so I was accompanied by many, many people, and they brought me a chair to sit. I put my shoes on. Now the pigeon flew above me, made one circle, and flew out of the cave. That was our impression of the darśan of Śrī Amaranthjī. It was very unique, very divine, very special. Reminding us of the love, the unforgettable love. But we sing, "Guru Dev, I will be Thine. I go far, farther than the stars, but still, my Lord, I will be Thine. When I die, look into my eyes mutely. They will say, 'I will be dying,' and that is that love which goes through."