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True pilgrimage

CHENNAI: Pilgrimage to holy places is intrinsic to religious tradition. It will be rewarding to understand what pilgrimage to a holy place is truly. The place where God resides is considered sacred and the journey undertaken to worship Him in these hallowed places is considered pilgrimage. But, can God be confined to only these places? The Supreme Being is everywhere and if this understanding is there then it will become apparent that as God is in all places, all places are sacred. As for one who does not believe in the existence of God, he may associate peace of mind with holiness. He will consider those moments blessed when his mind is at peace or the places where his mind experiences tranquillity as sacred.

In his introductory discourse on Sankara’s hymn Kashi Panchakam, Swami Suddhananda said it was not intelligent to restrict holiness to a certain time or place. It is necessary then to understand why we do so. We tend to create a division or compartmentalise religious life and secular life. Even a religious person restricts only a particular time or visit to a holy place as religious engagement, and considers the rest of his time as worldly activity. Such an attitude creates a conflict between what is considered religious and secular, and a dichotomy between holy and unholy. But, there is no such division in God’s creation. We impose limitations because we fail to identify with our spiritual nature. By identifying with our material possessions (which can only be limited however rich one maybe) we are unable to see everything as divine. Every individual is essentially divine and hence one can be free, happy and holy irrespective of one’s condition: whether rich or poor, sick or healthy.

When this universe was created nothing had a name. By naming everything (for the sake of convenience) man has not added anything to it. On the other hand, he is bogged down by the innumerable divisions it has resulted in. We have to go back to that undivided existence to experience the innocence the mind is capable of. We have segregated ourselves from the embrace of totality and hence feel limited. So going back to one’s essential nature (the Self) is the way to regain peace, and experience piety.

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