I started learning Astrology in all seriousness last year,
when we got an awesome teacher . I find it so fascinating and accurate, though one needs to be intuitive to
get correct results. While planning a trip to Himachal Pradesh, my husband came
across ‘Parashar Lake’ on the internet. First he discarded the idea, but it
came up again later and when he mentioned this to me, I showed a keen interest. I would very much like to visit the lake as he is my ultimate Guru for
astrology .
Vedic Astrology and Maharishi Parashar
Maharishi Parashar is a pioneer among the promoters of Indian
astrology and ‘Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra’is a complete text. Astrology of
ancient and present is based on the rules laid down by Parashar. Due to the merit
and completeness of ‘Parasara Hora Sastra’, this creation of his is widely
referred to.
Rishi Parashar had acquired knowledge of many disciplines
and given them to the world. Parashar has many verses in the Rigveda. The
Vishnu Purana, Parashar Smriti, Videharaj Janaka referred to as Gita (Parashar
Geeta), BrihatparasharSamhita, etc. are compositions of Parashar.
When Parashara’s father, Sakti Maharishi died after being
devoured by the king Kalmashapada along with Vashista's other sons, Vashistha
resorted to ending his life by suicide. Hence he jumped from Mount Meru but
landed on soft cotton, he entered a forest fire only to remain unharmed, then
he jumped into the ocean that saved him by casting him ashore. Then he jumped
in the overflowing river Vipasa, which also left him ashore. Then he jumped
into the river Haimavat, which fled in several directions from his fear and was
named Satadru. Then when he returned to his ashram, he found his
daughter-in-law (wife of Sakti Maharishi) pregnant. When a son was born he acted as his father and hence
forgot completely about destroying his life. Hence, the child was named Parashara
which meant enlivener of the dead. Parashara was known as the "limping
sage". He had his leg wounded during an attack on his ashram. Veda Vyasa
is the son of Parashar muni with Satyavati.
The Parashar Lake
Sage Prashar had meditated on the banks of
this lake, hence it is named Prashar Lake. Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, is
said to have created the lake. After the Kurukshetra / Mahabharat war, the
Pandavas were returning with Lord Kamrunag. When they reached this place,
Kamrunag loved the tranquil surroundings and decided to live here forever. So, Bhima,
who was the strongest, rammed his elbow on one of the mountains and created a
big dent in the land. This dent became Prashar Lake. There is also another belief
that the lake was formed as result of striking of rod (Gurj) by Rishi Prashar
and water came out and took shape of the lake.
Parashar Lake is a freshwater lake located at an altitude of
2,730 metres in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It
lies 49 km east of the town of Mandi, and has a three storied pagoda-like
temple dedicated to Sage Prashar situated on its bank. Rishi Prashar is considered
the patron God of Mandi region. The
temple was built in the 13th century by Raja Ban Sen of Mandi in honor of the
sage.
There is a round, floating island in the lake, which is a
common natural phenomenon found all around the world. It is composed of plant
matter in various stages of decomposition, and is held aloft by the oxygen in
its plants' roots. The floating island moves in all directions in the lake. The
floating land covers 7% of the area of the lake.
Sudden dip in temperature
We reached Sadar district in Mandi by afternoon and took a
room in Bingal Home stay.
The temperature had dropped to 6 degrees and with
normal clothes, I was freezing. The person at the home stay advised us to visit
Parashar lake immediately so that we could reach back by 5.30 pm, considering that
it takes one and a half hours drive each way. I just wanted to go inside a
blanket and sleep; it had started slightly drizzling too (which luckily stopped after a while). My daughter coaxed me
to wear warm clothes to go to the Parashar lake, and reminded that Reiki is
there to take care. So that is what we did!
On the way we found a place to have a light lunch:
Located at an altitude of 2730 mtr. Prashar is known for
Prashar lake, sloppy meadows, dense forest and the panoramic view of snow clad
ranges of Dhauladhar. As we reached the
highest road, the path got very slushy and the car refused to go forward. So we
walked the remaining distance, which was tough.
The moment I set my eyes on
the Parashar lake, I was enveloped in a warm energy field and forgot about the
cold and the aching feet! It was a feast to the eyes and balm for the mind.
Inside the temple
Then we went inside the temple dedicated to Sage Parashar.
His standing idol was a sight to behold and those powerful penetrating eyes!
Sage Parsahar had meditated in this place – that thought brought goose bumps
for me. We meditated inside the temple, which was an enlivening experience! As
usual, I felt my aura picking up and integrating energy from the surrounding. I
prayed to him to help me with my astrology studies.
Back to the room
We walked back to the car and the moment we sat inside, it
started drizzling. Reiki gave us clear skies till then. Stopping at the same
restaurant where we had lunch, we had tea and came back to the room to finally
get under the blanket!
References:
https://www.humansofuttarakhand.com/vedic-astrology-maharishi-parashar/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prashar_Lake
https://hpmandi.nic.in/tourist-place/prashar-mandi/
