Name: Shiv Calling..
Brand: Qikink
Price: 799.0 INR
Availability: InStock

The Story

There was a time when Kedarnath was unknown to the world (around 820 CE), it only existed in the stories. So Adi Shankaracharya took this mission to find Shiv in the Himalayas. He believed that Shiv and the Himalayas are one, and the source of ultimate liberation lies in silence, solitude, and surrender to Shiv's consciousness. (if you see his literature, he almost doesn't see Shiv as God, he sees him as Truth himself.)

His journey included:
Walking through Haridwar → Devprayag → Rudraprayag → Guptkashi → Gaurikund → Kedarnath
During this difficult journey, Mahadev decided to take his test in Kashi. Shiv took the form of Chāṇḍāl (Outcastes, who live outside the 4 caste system; considered as the lowest of castes) and appeared in front of him, blocking his path, along with his four dogs (symbolizing the four Vedas).
Shankara instinctively said, ""Move aside!""

The Chāṇḍāl replied with a piercing question: ""Whom are you asking to move - this body made of flesh, or the Atman which is formless and omnipresent? If all is Atman, then is there any difference between a Brahmin and a Chāṇḍāla?""

Shankaracharya’s ego was hurt in that moment, but came with the greatest realization:
He realized that even though he was able to set Dharma in order, his mind was still not able to let of the caste system within his mind. He was shattered in his own guilt and realized he has failed!
In that moment, the Chāṇḍāla revealed his true form as Shiv and blessed Shankaracharya, confirming that now he was ready for true moksha and final liberation.

And that is how he successfully finds the Kedarnath Temple, which stands strong even today. The true door to Shiv, to truth and to liberation.

This story is so beautiful in itself, where Shiv takes the form of an outcaste, telling us that no one is less or more. Everyone is just a flesh and there’s no pride in caste. We are all part of him!