TIRTH YATRA
" Tirth Yatra", these two words, that mean more than the fulfillment of life to millions of Indians, are, perhaps woven into its very innards, weaving also, the spiritual soul of a people to the manifest lands of its country;
lands, that reveal its own soul... for Tirth is a sacred destination..
Yatra means journey, so collectively, Tirth yatra is the Holy journey: a trek we undertake ostensibly to enrich ourselves spiritually..
And there are different grades of these,some more authenticated, others still relatively unknown, some open to almost the world, others still the privilege of locals, some dedicated to eternal biggies like Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Kali ;
others to patron saints, like kula devtas in localized places, and famous saints , like Mira bai, Sant jnaneshwar,Shirdee sai baba, Ramakrishna paramhans, and so on, who in the cosmic timeline, were themselves yatris (journeymen) just a while ago.... .
Whether it is a walk up to our own Ma Vaishno Devi, or a month long trip to Kailash Mansarovar, whether simply immersing oneself in Qawalis at Ajmer Shareef, or even just being one in a million in a sea of humanity at the Kumbh Mela, Walking into the cavern deep inside the mountain and communing with Kamakhya devi, or a glimpse of beloved Banke Bihari Krishna at Vrindivan, prostrating one's whole soul before the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden temple, or witnessing the evening arati at Rishikesh or loving Ganeshji at Siddhivinayak, the darshan and fleeting glimpse of Srinath Jee and Tirupati Balaji, or the sighting of the only Brahmaji temple in Pushkar- A Satyug Ka Dhaam, which even Sri Ram is reported to have visited to pay respect.Or then, for the Shiva lover,the amazing forms of His Tandava at Eklingji.... These journeys of faith touch the depth of your own soul and can be transforming...
lands, that reveal its own soul... for Tirth is a sacred destination..
Yatra means journey, so collectively, Tirth yatra is the Holy journey: a trek we undertake ostensibly to enrich ourselves spiritually..
And there are different grades of these,some more authenticated, others still relatively unknown, some open to almost the world, others still the privilege of locals, some dedicated to eternal biggies like Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Kali ;
others to patron saints, like kula devtas in localized places, and famous saints , like Mira bai, Sant jnaneshwar,Shirdee sai baba, Ramakrishna paramhans, and so on, who in the cosmic timeline, were themselves yatris (journeymen) just a while ago.... .
Whether it is a walk up to our own Ma Vaishno Devi, or a month long trip to Kailash Mansarovar, whether simply immersing oneself in Qawalis at Ajmer Shareef, or even just being one in a million in a sea of humanity at the Kumbh Mela, Walking into the cavern deep inside the mountain and communing with Kamakhya devi, or a glimpse of beloved Banke Bihari Krishna at Vrindivan, prostrating one's whole soul before the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden temple, or witnessing the evening arati at Rishikesh or loving Ganeshji at Siddhivinayak, the darshan and fleeting glimpse of Srinath Jee and Tirupati Balaji, or the sighting of the only Brahmaji temple in Pushkar- A Satyug Ka Dhaam, which even Sri Ram is reported to have visited to pay respect.Or then, for the Shiva lover,the amazing forms of His Tandava at Eklingji.... These journeys of faith touch the depth of your own soul and can be transforming...
And the followers travel for miles and days, to get a glimpse of the hut or tree or even the tomb of their saints and prophets... The ‘Tibbis”of Gorakhnath at Jwalaji, Himachal,or the tree of Buddha at Gaya…tracking faithfully, their pathfinders footsteps..
Some Yatras are organised, others essentially a solitary affair. Some prescribed, others a personal tryst with divinity...And this is the important point: it is precisely because everyone cannot embark on the 'inner journey', everyone cannot be a great meditator like the Rishis and Munis,that this facilitation ;
a soul search via the 'outer' , is offered. It is an inner expansion via the outer expanse.
Yatras are actually like the pilgrims progress, actually a walk through the outer woods, and with luck, perhaps to meet a great soul, who directs us back to the inner cave. One may chance upon some yogis and sadhus, perhaps residents of their secret part of the locale, or just your 'coincidental' wayfarers, or who knows..? compassion comes in many forms , and the yogis have the power not only to transform the eager ones, but also the disbeliever ! India has had extreme examples like Angulimala, a fierce dacoit who used to chop his victims finger to make a necklace of fingers , aiding him in scaring the next victim; till he met the Buddha...Or even Ratnakar, the dreaded looter, who was guided to inner truth,by none less than the astral Muni Naradji and went on to become Valmiki the great sage Himself, who led the rest of his life singing and writing praise of God for others to read, writing eventually the greatest spiritual saga, RAMAYAN.
And so , as these benefactors begin to impart divine wisdom, you realise , this is.. a yatra within a yatra..
Some Yatras are organised, others essentially a solitary affair. Some prescribed, others a personal tryst with divinity...And this is the important point: it is precisely because everyone cannot embark on the 'inner journey', everyone cannot be a great meditator like the Rishis and Munis,that this facilitation ;
a soul search via the 'outer' , is offered. It is an inner expansion via the outer expanse.
Yatras are actually like the pilgrims progress, actually a walk through the outer woods, and with luck, perhaps to meet a great soul, who directs us back to the inner cave. One may chance upon some yogis and sadhus, perhaps residents of their secret part of the locale, or just your 'coincidental' wayfarers, or who knows..? compassion comes in many forms , and the yogis have the power not only to transform the eager ones, but also the disbeliever ! India has had extreme examples like Angulimala, a fierce dacoit who used to chop his victims finger to make a necklace of fingers , aiding him in scaring the next victim; till he met the Buddha...Or even Ratnakar, the dreaded looter, who was guided to inner truth,by none less than the astral Muni Naradji and went on to become Valmiki the great sage Himself, who led the rest of his life singing and writing praise of God for others to read, writing eventually the greatest spiritual saga, RAMAYAN.
And so , as these benefactors begin to impart divine wisdom, you realise , this is.. a yatra within a yatra..
And it is not just the destination, but the journey itself that is the goal. We take time off the daily life, make plans,invite and collect others to go along, hire buses and coaches, sometimes even go across the oceans, We climb hills, trek arduously,
Chant jaikaras, even dance festively, and most importantly we become innocent of heart in remembrance of God, automatically offering the place for Him to appear..!
And ,sometimes, while resting alone, we even begin understanding a simple analogy:
That the journey of life, itself, is the goal of God, in manifesting the world….
And that the Tirth yatras constitute special places of shining that bond between man and God. Special places, where we take the time ‘off’ and consciously or subconsciously undertake two journeys simultaneously, the outer, as well as the inner communion with Him. If we are lucky , we can even get that all pervasive feeling that Because God is certainly “felt” here, This overwhelming feeling conveys to us that He, in actuality, is Everywhere..
Chant jaikaras, even dance festively, and most importantly we become innocent of heart in remembrance of God, automatically offering the place for Him to appear..!
And ,sometimes, while resting alone, we even begin understanding a simple analogy:
That the journey of life, itself, is the goal of God, in manifesting the world….
And that the Tirth yatras constitute special places of shining that bond between man and God. Special places, where we take the time ‘off’ and consciously or subconsciously undertake two journeys simultaneously, the outer, as well as the inner communion with Him. If we are lucky , we can even get that all pervasive feeling that Because God is certainly “felt” here, This overwhelming feeling conveys to us that He, in actuality, is Everywhere..
Finally, we reach the caves. We enter the sanctum sanctorum, enter the very womb of creation; witness God, see Him virtually come visible in your presence as he is being faithfully dressed up as Nath, In Shiva Khori, accepting the vastras tied by the pujaris one by one in a methodical and breathtaking ritual, accepting also the panchgavya , bilva, and of course the bhang ..! Jai bhole! What a Darsana!
And then ?
we must return home, where we belong for now. We do not stay there.
Because there, the spectrum has been seen in its entirety , the experiment of God in creating the world ,us, and life itself ,is understood. So, we are glad to know the source but come back to where we belong at the level of the life we have in the world…just like Arjuna returning to his task, after having the darsana of sri Krishna in Viraat roop, and hearing the Bhagavad Gita, the song celestial..
And then ?
we must return home, where we belong for now. We do not stay there.
Because there, the spectrum has been seen in its entirety , the experiment of God in creating the world ,us, and life itself ,is understood. So, we are glad to know the source but come back to where we belong at the level of the life we have in the world…just like Arjuna returning to his task, after having the darsana of sri Krishna in Viraat roop, and hearing the Bhagavad Gita, the song celestial..
And as we turn back, we take a precious handful of prasada, for the others at home..it acts like “jaag” the making of curd by the previous section of curd..it acts as bulava, the call, for them to embark upon their own personal journey.We take back holy waters, to put away preciously in our own little temple chambers at home for our “Thakurjis”..so that we may take a little amrita every now and then, to remind us of our tryst with God..
A once in a lifetime Experience, but that which changes the one life for all time.
A once in a lifetime Experience, but that which changes the one life for all time.
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