Shukrataal
This small town sits on the banks of a tributary of the holy Ganga. This place holds great significance for
its antiquity and spiritual merit, a place where Shukdeva Muni, the son of Maharishi Vyasa gave the sermon
of Shrimad Bhagavatam to Maharaja Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, 5000 years ago.
It is about an hour east of the city of Muzaffarnagar, around 150 km from Delhi on the way to Haridwar. Also known as Shuktirtha – the town has a Bhagavata Peeth Shukdev Ashram. This is built around the 5100-year-old Akshay Vat where 80,000 sages had gathered to hear Shukdev Muni bestow the knowledge of true liberation on the king, who was cursed to die within seven days. The Vat-Vriksha is considered a living representation of the great saint – Shukdev Muni sat under this tree to deliver the holy sermon. Shuktirtha is a quiet town and is home to many sadhus – who are given in to their sadhnas.
Yogini Ma, is one such saint. I had first gone to Shuktirtha in 2012. I still remember, it was December of 2012 and I still had 10 days of leave left before the year end, while I was working with Hindustan Times. I had left for Kankhal, which is just before Haridwar, and while I was reading the Geeta at the banks of the Ganga at Kankhal, close to the Shree Yantra Mandir, a place where Tripur Sundari Maa is the ruling deity – I could constantly envision a sign board, reading Shuktaal, somewhere in the deeper precincts of my mind. I made the necessary calls since I knew no one in Shuktirtha – eventually I was guided to meet Yogini Ma and from Kankhal, I left for Shuktirtha and stayed at her Ashram.
She is a Yogini of the Ashantanga path and a worshipper of Gayatri. Along with her Guru, a grantha called the ‘Bajrang Samhita’ has been written by them, with the shlokas penned down through divya drishti
It is about an hour east of the city of Muzaffarnagar, around 150 km from Delhi on the way to Haridwar. Also known as Shuktirtha – the town has a Bhagavata Peeth Shukdev Ashram. This is built around the 5100-year-old Akshay Vat where 80,000 sages had gathered to hear Shukdev Muni bestow the knowledge of true liberation on the king, who was cursed to die within seven days. The Vat-Vriksha is considered a living representation of the great saint – Shukdev Muni sat under this tree to deliver the holy sermon. Shuktirtha is a quiet town and is home to many sadhus – who are given in to their sadhnas.
Yogini Ma, is one such saint. I had first gone to Shuktirtha in 2012. I still remember, it was December of 2012 and I still had 10 days of leave left before the year end, while I was working with Hindustan Times. I had left for Kankhal, which is just before Haridwar, and while I was reading the Geeta at the banks of the Ganga at Kankhal, close to the Shree Yantra Mandir, a place where Tripur Sundari Maa is the ruling deity – I could constantly envision a sign board, reading Shuktaal, somewhere in the deeper precincts of my mind. I made the necessary calls since I knew no one in Shuktirtha – eventually I was guided to meet Yogini Ma and from Kankhal, I left for Shuktirtha and stayed at her Ashram.
She is a Yogini of the Ashantanga path and a worshipper of Gayatri. Along with her Guru, a grantha called the ‘Bajrang Samhita’ has been written by them, with the shlokas penned down through divya drishti