Shambhala: The Mystical Birth Place of Kalki
The word “Shambhala” is a Sanskrit word that means “place of peace” or “place of silence.” It is a kingdom that is said to be located in the Himalayas.
According to legend, it is a land where only the pure of heart can live, meaning those who have achieved enlightenment. Accordingly, the kingdom of Shambhala is a place where love and wisdom reign and where people are immune to suffering, want, or old age.
Shambhala is said to be the land of a thousand names. It has been called the Forbidden Land, the Land of White Waters, the Land of Radiant Spirits, the Land of Living Fire, the Land of the Living Gods,and the Land of Wonders. Some Hindus call it Aryavarta (‘The Land of the Worthy Ones); the Chinese know it as Hsi Tien, the Western Paradise of Hsi Wang Mu; and to the Russian Old Believers, it is known as Belovoyde. But throughout Asia, it is best known by its Sanskrit name, Shambhala, Shamballa, or Shangri-la.
The Vishnu Purana and Srimad Bhagavata Purana mention Shambhala in several places. In one passage of the Vishnu Puran, it is described as a “blessed land” that is located in the north. It is said to be a place of peace and prosperity, and it is ruled by a wise and benevolent king.
Srimad Bhagavatam foretells the birth of Kalki, the Lord of the Universe, who will appear at the conjunction of two yugas when the rulers of the earth have degenerated into plunderers.
अथासौ युगसन्ध्यायां दस्युप्रायेषु राजसु ।
जनिता विष्णुयशसो नाम्ना कल्किर्जगत्पति: ॥ २५ ॥
S.B 1.3.25
The same is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana: that Shambhala will be the birthplace of Kalki, the tenth and final incarnation of Vishnu. Kalki is said to be a great warrior who will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the current age of darkness and chaos. He will defeat the forces of evil and usher in a new age of peace and prosperity.
The text in which Shambhala is first discussed extensively is the Kalachakra. The Kalachakra refers to a complex and advanced esoteric teaching and practice in Tibetan Buddhism.
The Kalachakra tantra, or texts, are a collection of material in Buddhist literature containing advanced spiritual and esoteric teachings. Kalachakra means wheel of time or cycles of time, and the Kalachakra teachings reference an external, internal, and alternative cycle, referring to spiritual cycles. Everything mentioned in the teachings occurs on the three levels, including Shamballa.
The Kalachakra Tantra says that in the time of the degenerate age, which is Kali Yuga, a great warrior named Kalki will arise from Shambhala and defeat the forces of evil. Kalki will then usher in a new golden age of peace and prosperity.
The external level of Shamballa is the physical place in the north where the teachings were kept and took place. The external cycles deal with astronomy as well as kaliyuga (the last stage the world will go through) and a war to overcome destructive forces.
In the 1930s, Hitler sent several expeditions to Tibet in search of Shambhala. The most famous of these was the 1938–1939 German Expedition to Tibet, led by Ernst Schäfer. This expedition was ostensibly a scientific mission, but it is believed that Hitler also hoped that it would find Shambhala.
The German Expedition to Tibet did not find Shambhala, but it did bring back a great deal of information about Tibetan culture and history. This information was used by the Nazis to support their own racial theories, and it also helped to fuel Hitler’s belief in the power of Shambhala.
Nevertheless, the quest for Shambhala has captured the imagination of many, blending myth, spirituality, and historical intrigue.
