Pilgrimage

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by VINOD BHASIN on April 3, 2012 at 9:59pm

Sri Om Jai Om...

Pilgirmage is a place to adore a saint, peer, phakir, angel, guru, one who is like God (Rama or Krishna etc.).

When one visits a place of pilgrimage which may be in memory of a saint etc. one tries to imbibe the saint's teachings and preachings.

Many of the people now visit the places of pilgrimage just for tourism or to solve their worldly problems and certain not to put in the teachings and preachings in their own life and gain.

May God Bless !!

Permalink Reply by Indu Popuri on April 4, 2012 at 10:07am

Namaste

 

People of all religions across the world make pilgrimages in their life time to places that are considered sacred by the religion they practice.

Pilgrimage or tirtha yatra is a journey in quest of some ultimate value or some spiritual experience. Pilgrimage is for introspection,practice of penance,selfless service and for resolving to single pointedly strive for an enlightened future. The ultimate aim of pilgrimage is salvation of the individual soul.Our scriptures stress the importance of pilgrimage and from time immemorial, saints,sages and princes have all embarked on pilgrimages.

Shastras prescribe tirtha yatra not only for gaining merits, but also as an expiation or prayaschitta. Adi Shankara has resurrected the vedic tradition of tirthas by establishing the grand Char Dhams(four tirthas).These yatras also help in inculcating moral and spiritual values in a very practical way.

 

Reasons for pilgrimage

 

• To remember special people (saints)
• To fix the mind on God and to glorify Him
• For spiritual development and to gain spiritual merit
• For purification and atonement of sins
• For meeting and taking guidance from holy people
• To perform specific religious rites
• For self-reflection and contemplation
• For an uplifting and memorable experience (spiritual inspiration)

 

HARI OM

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Pravin Kumar on April 4, 2012 at 12:07pm

Vinodji,

Pilgrimage is meant for purifying your mind and soul through inspiration received by visiting those places that take you away from this world. It could be Temples/Gurudwaras and so many other things but I believe wherever you go the atmosphere should make you feel holy and pure and remind you of HIM.

Pravin Kumar

Permalink Reply by VINOD BHASIN on April 4, 2012 at 2:01pm

Sri Om Jai Om...

Pravin ji

You are 100 per cent right when you say and I quote "Pilgrimage is meant for purifying your mind and soul through inspiration received by visiting these places".

May God Bless !!

Permalink Reply by 0i7u1ytz2uaj9 on April 11, 2012 at 12:13pm

amit ;

Spirituality – Pilgrimage

 

First you must decide in which level you are present. If you are in the beginning preliminary ignorant state, you can proceed to the pilgrimage because that will satisfy your psychology. There is no use of analyzing the psychology in the preliminary level. At this preliminary level the devotee feels that the Lord exists in a particular place only and it must be visited to see the Lord. The Lord does not dwell in any statue or does not stay in a particular place. The priests belonging to those places for commercial gains only do such advertisements.

 

In such preliminary level, even if the psychology is wrong it has to be satisfied in its own way. But if you have traveled up to certain point in the spiritual path, you can analyze the psychology and then only satisfy it, if it is found to be correct. I can advise you assuming that you are a developed soul in the spiritual journey. The main aim of the pilgrimage is to change the place in which you are present. You require fresh atmosphere on a hill or in a forest or on the bank of a river. The change of the place is essential because the mind desires always a change. You must satisfy the mind for such small things. You should not force the mind in every point like your child. If you force in every point it will not obey you in the major point. The fresh atmosphere is thus congenial for the mind to concentrate on the Lord. In such place you can sing devotional songs and conduct spiritual discussions about the Lord. But you need not do a long journey for such fresh atmosphere. The long journey has several disadvantages like improper food, absence of movements of the body in the train or bus, etc. Such bad food and inconvenience leads to illness. The freshness you got in the distant place is lost in your return journey. The illness you acquired in the forward journey to reach that place also will not allow you to receive that fresh atmosphere to your best capacity. Instead of such long journey, you can make short journey in the end of every week to get such atmosphere in the near most places.

 

The short journey will not disturb you in any way. Sitting always in the house is also not good from the point of the psychology of the mind. Both extremities must be avoided. Therefore do not stay continuously in your house only. At the same time, you should avoid the long journey. Both the draught and flood must be avoided. Similarly in the case of food also both fasting and over eating in one meal only should be avoided. You should not fast on the whole day. At the same time you must not over eat once in a day and remain fasting for the rest of the time. You must eat limited food with more frequency in a day. The over eating at a time releases lot of sugar into the blood, which will damage the vital organs. Thus, both the food and the journey must be in limited quanta, avoiding both the extremities. This will maintain a good health, which will be helpful not only to your worldly work but also to the spiritual effort. Gita says the same (Yurktahaara Vihaarasya… etc.,). You can make long journey to visit the Satguru to receive the special divine knowledge from Him. You can also travel long in propagating the divine knowledge. Sankara travelled long distances to meet the Satguru called Govinda Bhagavatpada and also to propagate the true knowledge. But now such long journey is not necessary in such case also because electronic media at present are well developed to meet such needs without any journey.