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Looking round from the summit you tell yourself that it was worthwhile. Other silvery peaks appear through the clouds. If you are lucky the sun may be on them. The surrounding peaks look like a jewelled necklace around the neck of your summit. Below, you see vast valleys sloping into the distance. It is an ennobling, enriching experience to just look down from the summit of a mountain. You bow down and make your obeisance to whichever God you worship.
I left on Everest a picture of Guru Nanak. Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha. Edmund Hillary had buried a cross under a cairn (a heap of rocks and stones) in the snow. These are not symbols of conquest but of reverence.
The experience of having climbed to the summit changes you completely.
I left on Everest a picture of Guru Nanak. Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha. Edmund Hillary had buried a cross under a cairn (a heap of rocks and stones) in the snow. These are not symbols of conquest but of reverence.
The experience of having climbed to the summit changes you completely.
Explanation:
Later the narrator mentioned that once the person reached the summit, he would look around and tell himself that the pressure, hardships, battle and everything he underwent was worthwhile. Then the narrator stated that the surrounding peaks could be seen through the clouds, and if one were lucky, there might be sunlight on them. The neighbouring peaks form a "jewelled necklace" around the summit's neck. It implies that when the sunlight falls on the small peaks, it appeared to be like wearing a jewelled necklace. The climber could see the enormous valleys from a distance as it slopes down. Also, he stated that looking down from a mountain's peak was a noble and enlightening experience. At last, the climber would bow down his head and pay his respect to whichever God he worships when looking out over the immense grandeur of nature from the summit.
Sunlight falls on a peak
When the narrator and his companions reached the summit of Mount Everest, they thought of leaving something as a sign of reverence. The narrator placed a portrait of Guru Nanak Dev on Everest. His fellow climber named Rawat left the picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji placed a relic of Buddha, and Edmund Hilary erected a cross in the snow beneath a stack of pebbles. The narrator then clarified that these were the symbols of admiration and respect rather than achievements. This is because reaching the summit transformed them completely.
Portraits of Guru Nanak, Goddess Durga* and statue of Buddha** were left in Mount Everest as a sign of reverence
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Worthwhile | Worth the time, or effort spent; of value or importance |
2 | Necklace | An ornamental chain or string of beads, jewels, or links worn around the neck |
3 | Ennobling | Give someone a noble rank or title |
4 | Obeisance | The fact of obeying or respecting someone |
5 | Relic | A part of the body or something that belonged to a holy person |
6 | Reverence | Deep respect for someone or something |
- National Council of Educational Research and Training (2008). Honeydew. The Summit Within- H P S Ahluwalia (pp.75-82). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
- Goddess Durga*: Sujit kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Statue of Buddha**: Tevaprapas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Reference:
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