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This summer, some fortunate souls received the blessing to go on a pilgrimage and have darśan of the holy cave of Lord Śrī Amarnāth. It is located in the Himalayas of Kashmir, at over 4,000 meters above sea level. Every year, a natural Śiva Liṅgam forms from ice, and millions of pilgrims journey there. We, too, had the opportunity to go. With modern technology, it has become somewhat easier. The Indian army prepares and clears the roads, and there is also a helicopter service, of course, for a fee. We were a group of over 80 people, and we had a beautiful time in Kashmir. You could say Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places in India. When we were there, you could imagine vegetation like in the Alps or the High Tatras—all kinds of nuts and apples. I brought prasād for you from there, which you received today. The story of holy Amarnāthjī dates back millions of years. Lord Śiva and Pārvatī’s residence is at Mount Kailāś, another beauty of India, another beauty of the Himalayas, now in Tibet. And Tibet is now in China. The borders are 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 Kailāś. One morning, Lord Śiva went for a walk in the Himalayan valleys, amidst snow and ice. Pārvatī was at their home alone. At that time, the great sage Ṛṣi Nārada came. He made praṇām to the Holy Mother, Pārvatī. She blessed him and asked the reason for his 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.” “Your dear one and our divine one, the universal Lord Śiva—why does he have the mālā around his neck, a 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, and in time, Pārvatī said, “My Lord, I have one question for you.” Śiva said, “Yes, my dear one, ask, but I will answer only if you ask.” She said, “I want to know why you have this garland around your neck made out of skulls.” He said, “Well, if it’s a question, then it has to be answered sooner or later.” She insisted, “I want to know why you have this garland around your neck made out of skulls.” Lord Śiva closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He tried to avoid the answer. She said, “No, no, no, no, no.” He said, “Well, dear one, there’s a long story. The time will come and I will tell you.” She said, “How are you? Tell me now. How was the morning when you went for a walk?” He 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, “After some days,” but she did not give him peace. Every day, she came with this question. 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, 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.” She said, “Then do it.” He said, “First get strong, physically, mentally.” One beautiful day, both of them 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, in your memory, I keep your skull around my neck as a mālā. The good thing is that we always come together again.” Now you see the faithfulness of that man. Even if you die, you will not be unfaithful. Lord Śiva said, “Dear one, nothing to hide,” and he became silent. But Pārvatī became sad, 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?” “I am sad, 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 tell me always it’s not easy; make it easy, even if it’s not easy.” He said, “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 yoga, that yogic power; those were 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.” Gurū Nānak Dās Jī said, “O Nānak, the whole world is in trouble.” So even God’s family is in trouble. So the problem which you have with your partner is just zero, nothing. Be happy that you have some troubles with the partner; tell him or her to hang your head round the neck. They searched, and Lord Śiva came to one place, a beautiful cave, full of snow everywhere. So Lord Śiva went far away into one valley, about 15, 16, 20 kilometers, and he freed his Nandī. He said to his Nandī, “You graze here, eat grass, and be free.” That place is called Belgao; “Bel” means ox, and there is one beautiful river. He took his very dear snake, which was all the time around his neck, Śeṣanāga, and put it in the water, said, “You are free now.” And on his head, the beautiful crescent moon, he also said, “Be in freedom.” And he walked further. Where he opens his hair, the jaṭā, where Pañcharangī Gaṅgā is flowing—five colors. You can see inside, five colors. Now you see, if we think of the normal relation, husband and wife, how much that man renounced and dedicated for the sake of his wife: his very dear bull, very dear snake, very dear moon, everything, so that she is happy. Look at the dedication of the Lord; it’s not easy. It means for Śiva a lot, these things. Lord Śiva comes to the cave and makes sure there is not even a single creature there who will listen to the message of the wisdom of immortality. So he orders the fire element: “As far as the eyesight goes, burn all creatures; no one should be there alive.” It happened. And then fire came and said, “Lord, none of the creatures are here.” And even the Lord freed all five elements from his body: earth, water, air, fire became transparent. That is the symbol of Lord Śiva’s body: the crystal. It’s called crystal clear, transparent, and that is Śiva’s consciousness and kṛṣṇāli śakti, the Pārvatī. Now Śiva tells Pārvatī, “Pārvatī, I am going to teach you the immortality, the techniques, 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 begins to explain. The Lord said, “After my each sentence, 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 of the creatures, and where Śiva was sitting under snow, there was some egg of the parrot. The fire didn’t dare to come so near to Śiva. So only there were three: Śiva, Pārvatī, and that egg. Pārvatī was saying yes, and the nectar of immortality begins 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 yours I give 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 egg—inside was a baby, oh God! It would be a great loss; hurry up! He 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 took place, maybe, and 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 opens; 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 mother. So the parrot was flying and flying, tired, 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. And she was waiting and waiting, like you do. And she was tired, and she was yawning. And the parrot baby thought, “This is the safest place for me.” He flew in the mouth, and she said, “It is in orderly.” Now Śiva became angry. And that lady—she was the wife of one of the greatest saints, Vedavyāsa, who wrote the Vedas and all. And Vedavyāsī came home, and she said to Vedavyāsī, “I think I have some bird baby in my stomach.” In that minute, Śiva comes and Śiva said to Vedavyāsī, “In your house my thief has hidden; give me out that thief.” He 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 of a pregnant woman or a 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 to samādhi. Pārvatī said, “My lord, how are you?” “Don’t talk.” And now the baby is 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. What will I do in such a world? I am comfortable in such a world, ānanda, but poor lady, she is suffering; she is expanding and expanding.” But he didn’t want to come out. Then Vedavyāsa went to Brahmā. Brahmā and Vedavyāsa went to Viṣṇu, and three of them came back together: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Vedavyāsa. Lord Viṣṇu said, “I made the entire world free of the 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 Śukadeva Muni. And Viṣṇu went away. After a while again, moha attacked, and very young child Śukadeva Muni left for the forest, and so on. So this is the story of Bhagavān Amarnāthjī, and Pārvatī again has 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. 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, they 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 standing to protect the pilgrims. After sunset, no one can move, and 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.” 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 far, ten meters far there. I greeted them. We went to the real place where the Śiva liṅga should be, but due to the climate changes, there was no Śiva liṅga. 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 also a mālā; they gave me a shawl, and then five more shawls they gave to our bhaktas. And then they said, “Swāmījī, speak something.” So our bhaktas were there and many Indians also, tourists, pilgrims. And I spoke something for five minutes, and I saw both pigeons fly and come and sit in front of me together like this, and it seemed they were listening to me; they were making a certain look at me again. I smiled, and I greeted them. Then, after I made a mālā there, I sat down. Then it was time to go, so I was accompanied by many, many, 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, the darśan of Śrī Amarnāthjī. It was very unique, very divine, very special, reminding the love, 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 to eternity; to je ta láska, která prostupuje věčností.