Badrinath is a sacred and pious place. Lord had descended to Badrinath in the form of Nara (sishya) and Narayana (guru) 6 manvantharas (43,20,000 * 71 * 6 years) ago. The purpose of these incarnations is to give an example of a perfect guru and a perfect sishya to the world; and to grace all the inhabitants.

Till date, it is said that Nara and Narayana are continuing to stay in Badrinath and perform penance. Their continued penance presents them to us in the form of mounts Nara and Narayana in the Himalayan ranges. Thus, the land here is piously powerful. Hence, the primary worship to Lord here in Badrinath is to be performed to the mounts Nara and Narayana. For this very reason, prasada offered to the Lord in the sanctum sanctorum of Badrinath temple is offered to those Mountains.

The secondary worship to Lord is performed to the Lord’s in the Badrinath temple. History states that Adi Sankaracharya ‘found’ Lord’s deity in the waters of Ganga during the early 7th / 8th century. He sent his disciples into the river to secure the deity, however they failed. He went in himself and ‘brought’ the deity to Badrinath. Later, in the 16th century, an acharya named Varadacharya from Kanchipuram constructed a temple for the deity that we see today.

It is said that Yakshas reside in the hills of Badrinath. Kubera is their ruler. He is the primary guardian of the place. The capital of their kingdom is Alakapuri. Hence, the name of the river that flows through the hills of Badrinath is called Alakananda.

The river Alakananda has matchless grace and beauty. It is the source stream of river Ganga. As it flows through from the hills, it joins with different rivers and the confluence of each of these rivers with Alakananda is called Prayag.

Lord Narayana is sarva:ntharya:mi. Meaning, He dwells everywhere and holds His control over everything. In Badrinath, devotees perceive Lord in the majestic and beautiful form of deep valleys, huge mountains, and graceful rivers…

HH Sri Pedda Jeeyar Swamiji visited Badrinath in the years 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1954. In his fourth visit, Swamij performed a yajna on mount Narayana. In 1954, he came with many scholars and performed koti havana maha krathu. That is when, a businessman donated land to Swamiji. A beautiful brick and wooden construction was made. It underwent reconstruction and remodelling since then serving the need for that period. The Badari Ashtakshari Kshethra has since then served lakhs of devotees. with a unique offering of rice prasada.

Koti havana maha krathuvu is a unique mode of worship to the Lord.

To perform an activity, we create an environment that enhances productivity to the next level. To perform japa, one also chooses a sacred place.

1000 count japa at home = 1 count japa at gosala
1000 count japa at gosala = 1 count japa on a hill
1000 count japa on a hill = 1 count japa in Himalayas
1000 count japa in Himalayas = 1 count japa in the birth place of Ashtakshari Mahamantra, Badrinath

One must note that it is not always the place that matters, it is the sraddha that is more important. However, when that sraddha meets sanctity, one can imagine the greatness of the power it results in. Ashtakshari Mahamantra, Narayana manthra is the king of all mantras. Manthra reveals realities of life to its seekers. Their actions please God because they work righteously towards all creatures and perform their responsibilities properly in every manner.

Mounts Nara and Narayana, the river Alakananda, the unique Thulasi, deep valleys, yakshas in spirit, and various other holy places make this place sacred. More importantly, we should pay special respects to all those people who reside in these mountains; make a living by harvesting crops like mustard seeds, wheat, potato etc fighting the odds of landslides and floods. It is for them that the Lord appears here in the form of Nara and Narayana and protects them. Despite so many ‘comforts’ in the cities, we complain. May God give us the sense of respect to simple living and a sense of gratitude for nature.

-From the discourse of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– 14^th and 15^thSep 2024, Badrinath