Shalini Devrani, South Delhi. Devotees of NCR including Delhi will no longer have to go to Gujarat for divine darshan and worship of the holy Somnath Jyotirlinga. The Somnath Jyotirling Live Darshan Yatra being run across the country by the Art of Living Vedic Dharma Institute has reached Delhi. According to the scheduled program, divine live darshan of Somnath Jyotirling along with religious rituals will be conducted at various places in NCR including Delhi till January 14.
The grand opening of this Darshan Yatra took place on Sunday in the 'Shabdotsav' program organized at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Delhi. A large number of devotees participated in the program with faith and enthusiasm. The atmosphere echoed with the chants of 'Har Har Mahadev'.
The special darshan program concluded with Vedic mantra chanting and Rudrabhishek in the presence of Swaprakash Maharaj, trustee of the Art of Living Vedic Dharma Institute. On this occasion, devotees got the privilege of live darshan of Somnath Jyotirlinga.
Darshan will be organized at 28 places. Somnath Temple is considered to be the first and most sacred pilgrimage among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Sanatan Dharma. This live darshan yatra was started by Art of Living in December. Till now Darshan Yatra has been organized in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
After reaching Delhi, till January 14, devotees will be given divine darshan of Somnath Jyotirling at a total of 28 designated places in Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, Gurugram and Ghaziabad. Information about place and time for devotees is available on the website vaidicpujas.org/somnath.
A living tale of faith and history
On this occasion it was told that the story of Somnath Jyotirlinga is a symbol of continuity of faith and history. According to beliefs, the Shivalinga of Somnath temple built by Chandradev in Satyayuga did not touch the ground. In 1026, during the attack of Mahmud Ghaznavi, the Shivlinga was disintegrated, the remains of which were preserved by the Agnihotri priests in the form of small Vaan Shivlingas and worshiped secretly for generations.
Later, on the instructions of Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peeth, the guardian priests handed over this Shivalinga to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Even scientists have not been able to clarify the chemical composition and magnetic properties of this Jyotirlinga till date, which makes its divinity more mysterious.
The remains of Shivalinga, which were broken during the attack on Somnath temple, are still a witness to the indestructible power of Sanatan tradition. This darshan yatra is a symbol of the same faith, which tells that Sanatan Dharma can never be destroyed. Even if a Shivalinga is broken, it reappears in many forms. The purpose of this journey is to provide the devotees with the darshan of the sacred Jyotirlinga where Lord Shri Ram and Shri Krishna themselves performed penance and worshiped.
-Swaprakash Maharaj, Trustee, Vedic Dharma Sansthan