Sunday, November 25, 2012

Welcome to the 2012 Raas Purnima issue of e-Sanai



by Sri Sandip Dasgupta


Welcome to the Raas Poornima issue of e-Sanai.   This is that time of the year, when Sri Sri Babathakur decided to give up His body – but His love for us and His teachings will always be with us.  I am extremely grateful to Him for having given me the opportunity to come close to Him, listen to His discourses, and reflect upon His teachings.  In this issue, I will attempt to reflect on yet another of His teachings using the Light of Oneness given by Him.  Sri Sri Babathakur used to say:

Consider:
Your house to be the Ashram
Your body to be the temple
Your mind to be the priest
Your Self to be the Ishta
Wisdom to be your Realization
In our everyday life, we are constantly going to temples to seek the Lord’s blessings.   We tend to use priests for offering prayers to the Lord and for performing all rituals.  We keep running to Ashrams and Maths to seek peace and meditate.  We do Japa remembering our Ishta Devata.  We pray to the Lord for His Darshan.  We pray to the Lord for miracles.   We pray to the Lord for material benefits – but these do not satisfy us!  When we get what we wished for, we seek the next desire and the cycle continues!

Sri Sri Babathakur has very nicely explained to us that an error made in the very first step of solving a Math problem, will lead to the entire solution being incorrect.  Using this example, He has repeatedly pointed out to us that we are wrong in looking for God within temples and ashrams.  Using the Light of Oneness, He has pointed out that the Absolute I-Reality actually resides amongst all of us as our own substratum.   This is the substratum shared by one and all in this world.  Through this teaching, He has urged us to constantly reflect upon the Absolute I-Reality every day, as if we were visiting the temple for offering prayers every day.

Since we live in our house daily (or in a hotel when travelling, or in the car when driving), consider that to be the ashram where we go to obtain peace.  This will enable us to be transported to a peaceful atmosphere all the time, and follow the rules of an ashram (silence, purity, cleanliness etc.) at home, itself.  The ashram is a manifestation of that absolute I-Reality – so is our home, our car, our hotel room, the park we walk in, etc.

Within an ashram there is usually a temple (with a presiding deity), and a priest who performs the rituals.   Sri Sri Babathakur however has pointed us to the fact that we do not need a separate temple structure in the Ashram.   Our body which is residing in the house (or hotel or car) is itself the temple.   The substratum of the body is the Self, and we should consider this Self to be our Ishta.  He has further stressed upon the use of our own mind to worship our Ishta – i.e. we do not need a separate priest.   We don’t need to visit a temple for praying – our body is residing in the ashram, the deity is really our substratum, and our mind should ever be used to worship this deity.

In conclusion, He is saying that if we constantly perform all actions as means of worshiping this I-Reality within us, we shall become much wiser.  The Knowledge and experience we thus gain will provide us with the ever lasting peace and tranquility that we all are looking for.  Hence He says that this Knowledge and Wisdom is our Realization.

With His Light of Oneness, we can see that a peaceful life can be led as long as we live in “SamaSar”, and not “Samsar”.  So, can we all begin to practice what He has asked us to do – be it even for a few minutes, everyday?

Joy Babathakur
 

Lustre Lost to Lust - Part 2


by Sri P.C. Lahiri


The following is the second part of Sri P.C. Lahiri’s article ‘Lustre Lost to Lust’, the first part of which appeared in the 2012 Janmastami issue of e-Sanai, and can be accessed via the following link:
http://e-srisanaijanmashtami.blogspot.in/
 
How can we discover the I within us which is unlimited, eternal and the Absolute - discovering which there is nothing left to be discovered, getting which there is nothing left to be got, knowing which there is nothing left to known and becoming which there is nothing left to become?  Master (Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur) often said that I itself is asking itself ‘How can I know I? How can I get I?’  Isn’t it funny?  Yet we all search for our Real-I (Self), albeit unknowingly, within the likes of greater I’s --- Ram, Krishna, Jesus, other prophets….and now in the all-Divine Master Sri Sri Babathakur, without ever being able to accept them as our own Self-I.  Never are we able to accept them as one with ourselves.  There is always some distance maintained by our ego-I between the greater I’s and ourselves.  This deep-rooted malady hasn’t allowed us to be one with the Supreme Divinity within each one of us - the Absolute Self I-Reality.   The greater I’s on the other hand do not maintain any such distance, and inspire us to not do so as well.

An original coinage of the Master---‘World phenomenon is the sportful dramatic game of Self-Consciousness’--- explains it all.  Self-Consciousness (Atma-Chaitanya) is playing with Itself, in Itself, for Itself and by Itself only;  by assuming the forms of millions of seekers, wherein each one is searching for his/her own higher Self-I in the self-imagined God/guru.  This game goes on and on in a not so enjoyable fashion, till the identity is re-established between the Immortal Self and the imagined mortal self and then the game becomes truly divine, full of eternal bliss and peace.  The drama in this game comes due to the shadow-play amongst innumerable mortal selves, in conjunction with the gross outer world - trying to outdo each other in one form or the other, totally oblivious of the unreal nature of it all. The drama is sportful because there is always “a goal to achieve” against odds and it is full of the spirit of competitive play “against others”, i.e. until the dawn of Self-Knowledge when the concept of “against others” and “a goal to achieve” are totally gone, to be replaced by the divine game of “I against I” and “I to achieve I”.  

The drama is compounded by the rare arrival of an extremely powerful actor (the real hero of the world stage) who not only inspires us to understand the all-round unreality of the drama of apparent diversity from various angles, but also enacts the role of playing the all-inclusive game of I to perfection on the same stage.  This unique and extraordinarily powerful enactment wins the applause of a vast majority of that section that has seen the drama.  After the drop-scene, the viewers disperse discussing various facets of the show witnessed.  Most of such viewers go back home and gradually forget about it, influenced by the mesmerizing and blinding illusion of the show of diversity and many-ness presented on the stage outside (which also happens to be the routine of their daily life).  It is very difficult to move away from the habits, mindset, knack, styles and competencies developed over the years in the company of like-minded average fellow actors acting together on the same stage.  All the competition and/or camaraderie on this stage are amongst these innumerable ordinary actors only, because the most powerful actor is beyond competition and/or camaraderie. However, a few amongst the applauding audience get inspired to understand and study the life of the hero, and discuss it off and on. Amongst such inspired lot, only a few devote and dedicate the rest of their lives to sincerely follow that extraordinary actor. Out of such devoted and dedicated handful, only one or two (koti te gotik) are able to truly imbibe and accept in totality, the whole presentation of, and be one with the direct experience (Swanubhuti---Self-Conscious Awareness) of that extraordinary actor. This new inductee into the list of Supreme Actors is now free from the quick sand of apparent world drama, and chooses to play the next role as per his own wish.

This essentially means that Absolute Masters are equipped with that Science by which they can take a new body as they wish, when they wish, and the way they wish.  A gross example of the mundane world is in the Bollywood actor of the millennium, Mr. Amitabh Bachhan. He more or less chooses the roles to play, and the producer/director feels humbled and gratified when he does so.  They then change the script and the other areas of the film as per the suggestions of the super star.  The producer/director in the cosmic scenario is Prakriti (mother-nature). She remains ever eager to please the Lord-incarnate. It is a different matter that the Lord-incarnate does not ask for anything and keeps on acting knowing the Real Nature of everything, including His own Self.  Prakriti does not know this, hence plays the game to some extent unknowingly like ordinary mortals, but from the state of being much more empowered and elevated.  Only God-incarnates/Absolute personified/Self-realized souls (in whichever way we may indicate) are identified with the Absolute Truth and hence understand the whole game perfectly to be one with their very Being. Therefore, they only play the game in the true spirit, and enact their roles as they should be - in the end leaving the supreme gift of right path to follow without any distinction, for all the rest who are playing the game or enacting their roles imperfectly.

I am reminded of an incident narrated by Sri Sri Babathakur, Himself.  During the time of the infamous Naxalbari movement in India, two young followers of that movement were ready to shoot the Master at point blank range.  They considered religion as opium for the masses, and had mistaken Him to be a “religious person”.  The Master very calmly and boldly told them inter alia, that He knew the science of coming back to this world with a new body as per His choice, but the young men did not know it and will suffer because of their misdeeds.   This part of the incident is relevant for us here; hence I am not getting into it further.

In light of the above, let me carry forward the presentation of my last article concerning an actor with the stage-name of Rajat Gupta, falling from grace due to his misdeeds. Another actor by the stage-name of Preet Bharara, through sheer hard work and proper use of buddhi (intellect) under the given circumstances, catapulted himself to a higher position in the eyes of the rest.  This sort of game shall go on getting enacted on the world stage for years to come with only change of forms, names and ideas.  What is the way out of this relative game of good-bad, right-wrong, suitable-unsuitable, true-false and so on and so forth wherein the world stage actors get divided taking one side or the other. The relativity of this game along with the accompanying tensions, worries, agonies etc. suck all the actors into keeping themselves strongly entangled in the powerful and dazzling mesh of relativity for a long-long time.

The way out is to understand and follow the exceptional, unconventional and original actor who appears very rarely on stage--- one such rare actor is the all-Divine Master, Sri Sri Babathakur.  Such a Master says that buddhi (intellect) is bud-bud akarey dhi (Intelligence), dhi sagarey bud-bud.  It means that in the ocean of Intelligence, intellect is only a bubble. The bigger the bubble, the higher is its visibility (name and fame).  But little does the bubble realize that the bigger the size, proportionately lesser is its contact area with the substratum/base which is its source, i.e. the ocean of Intelligence.  In the quest for more and more visibility, the bubble loses its stability. The bigger it becomes, the more is the air in it and lesser is its thickness.  A stage comes when it bursts and loses that very visibility for which it craved for and worked very hard.  If the bubble had remained one with the ocean, then it would have been the ocean itself, infinitely vast and one with the supreme nature of the ocean.  Intellect (bubble), born of the ocean of intelligence, plays all its intellectual games on the bed of the ocean of Intelligence - in other  words, it is sustained by the ocean of Intelligence - and finally bursts/dissolves in the ocean of Intelligence.  Alas! Intellect does not accept that its True Nature is the ocean of Intelligence Itself.  Intellect does not have to play its life-games imagining itself to be a separate individual entity which has to establish its superiority over others.  All appearances, anywhere and everywhere, with any form-name-idea, are nothing but the same very Essence.

All we (individual I’s, imagining ourselves to be having separate individual existences) have to do is to totally accept our True Entity/Nature, and lead our life with the full awareness of this (mene maniye cholo). 
Submitted at the lotus feet of the Master

Dharma or Religion


by  Smt. Susmita Devi
Many learned persons have written huge volumes about what is called Dharma. Many more are confused about the exact interpretation of the words ‘Dharma’ and ‘religion’. My bid to an interpretation of the concept of Dharma is a way of life with Awareness. Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur made a dictum, which is easy to remember: “All Divine for all time – as it is”. If that dictum is regularly put into practice in one’s life, it will result in a Dharmic lifestyle.
 
Established religions are represented by congregations established by the followers of a few Saintly Personages (mostly men!) and their uttering. Over the centuries such sayings and guidelines for enhancing one’s inner subtle life quality, have been translated or trans-created into many languages. Translations and trans-creations usually carry the imprint of the writer’s cultural background and the time he lived in - so I question the reliability in reproducing exactly what the originator of any of the established religions said or implied. Just give a thought to the technological and other life altering discoveries that are changing the way we live today. There is absolutely no doubt, that all humans have an inherent need to believe in some superior force, even if that ‘force’ often seems indifferent to the plight of humankind. Religious beliefs, with a vast variety rules and regulations (including superstitions) to be strictly observed and propagated, enable people to carry on living in the face of innumerable physical and emotional hurdles.  However there is another way - the Sanathan Dharma - which is a way of life achieved through introspection and is therefore always in harmony with the environment.  One of my young students of spoken English spontaneously said, during our discussion on the differences between religion and spirituality: “Only when you become spiritual do you understand what religion is.” Reflect and come to your own conclusion.
The loosely framed concept of Dharma is considered perpetual (Sanathan), as it can be practiced in all kinds of societies (even as a hermit) at any stage of human development. Dharma is not based on the vision of a single person, but has evolved over centuries of introspections of wise men, seers and philosophers. It is not a restrictive and exclusive religion propounded and interpreted over and again by zealous people. No, Dharma is but as ‘a way of life’. It is not indoctrinating about the thoughts and behaviors of people like religion. The seers considered both aspects of life - the outer social and the inner spiritual – and provided guidelines about how to deal with physical life as one simultaneously progresses towards the realization of the Ultimate Oneness, i.e. realizing of the Self.  The broad framework of Dharma shows the awareness of the seers - that the ways of life are bound to change because any stagnating society is compelled to end in anarchy, which history has many examples of.

According to the scriptures, Sanathan Dharm contains ten major principles (analogous to the Ten Commandments of Christianity and some of the guidelines from Islam and Buddhism) that one ought to follow and practice to achieve a high level of equanimity in life along with spiritual Awareness. They can be – in no relative order of significance – be listed as:
  1. Truth
  2. Patience
  3. Forgiveness
  4. Compassion and tolerance
  5. Acceptance
  6. Control
  7. Theft
  8. Inner and outer cleanliness
  9. Benevolent intellect
  10.  Knowledge 
My reason for enumerating in detail the main principles of Sanathan Dharm is that one can, at any stage of life, start musing about and find out, which of the aspects is suitable for one’s individualism to start the process of achieving a harmonized life, a life with Awareness.
 
I used to say that a lie is a lie (point 1), irrespective its blackness or as a ‘white’ lie. White lies can be used occasionally to avoid hurting people’s sentiments (actually ego sense), but they are not condoned in cases of hypocrisy or for self gain. It takes some time before the practice of truth becomes part of one’s being as one learns to lie very early in life – mostly to avoid punishment, but also to please others.

The most difficult to learn was patience (point 2): Climatic conditions in West Bengal naturally induces slowness, indolence and lassitude - and the concept of being ‘on time’ is far less important to people than in most Asiatic countries. There are, however, infrastructural impediments and strikes or large public meetings, which may block traffic for quite some time.  It is, indeed, a major practice in patience to wait and wait... but such ‘waiting time’ can be used to reflect over and analyze one’s behavior and thoughts - leading to deliberately rejecting the negative ones, and learning to dwell on the positive ones.

To forgive (point 3) any slant or hurt is something one must practice assiduously. Once forgiven, any slant or hurt must be put into the ‘recycle bin’ of memory to avoid bitterness or anger in mind.  It is stored, but not erased because memories sometimes are useful to avoid the same mistakes repeatedly and thus increase one’s awareness of thoughts and actions. Memories can also be projected to help others in creating awareness about the features of action/reaction - the eventual consequences of one’s thoughts and actions.

A basic human trait to be cherished is compassion (point 4). Some are compassionate from a very young age; others make a conscious decision to develop it later in life – and better late than never, as the saying goes. Compassion may take many forms, but must always emanate from the heart... spontaneously and without expectation of any return of compensatory favors. As an added reason, I can quote what Sri Krishna said to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra: Detaching one’s action from personal reward changes the quality of one’s action”.  Detachment is not the same as being indifferent, so be aware of the subtlety between the two concepts. A detached attitude is positive and therefore prevents the popping up of thoughts of, for example, envy and jealousy... two of the most detrimental emotions for achieving harmony in life.

One of the first dictums of Sri Sri Babathakur I learned by heart and practiced assiduously - and which I have over and again repeated to a vast variety of people is related to acceptance (point 5) in the above list. He called it the ‘Formula of Fourfold A’: “Accept, Adjust and Accommodate to reach the Absolute.” It leads to stunning results if properly applied. This formula, if properly followed, at first astonishes people because it leads to easily mingling with all sorts of people.  Then the joy of clear-headed interaction happens and ends with an expanded capacity to remain level-headed in all sorts of situations.  When the ego, through this practice, is conditioned to take a secondary place in one’s thoughts and behavior, life becomes much easier.

From the above practice of the fourfold A it automatically follows, that physical and mental control (point 6) is a pre-eminent consequence.  If one accepts, adjusts and accommodates to any given situation, the level of both mental and physical control will take a gigantic step forward. One is then on the path of transforming Ahankar to Ahamdev, from mental self-centredness to Consciousness. The sequence in which I first wrote the above list was random.   I now perceive that the Guru is guiding the thoughts so that there is a meaningful sequence to the writing.

Theft (point 7) is inculcated from early childhood, but it is very difficult for a hungry child to understand why some have their bellies full and others not. As one grows, it is not only hunger pangs which may incite one to steal.  Other causes include jealousy, envy, instant gratification and anger over socio-economic disparity in economically developing countries.  Even in welfare states thieving is not unknown - however that is mainly due to the thrill experienced in pulling off a theft, followed by the instant gratification impulse.

Inner and outer cleanliness (point 8) represent yet another aspect of control.  If the mind has less negative thoughts, it becomes easier to practice bodily and environmental cleanliness.  Mental cleanliness can easily be practiced through meditation, japa or any method suitable to one’s character, but such practices must be pursued over an extended period of time, and with full awareness of what one is practicing, to carry any result.  To participate in gatherings with saintly people or in groups to sing the praise of Divine can also be helpful. The Rishis of yore set up some rules for cleanliness as part of religious rituals, as they probably had perceived that if framed within religious beliefs, people would follow them (which in turn would benefit the whole community).

To develop a benevolent intellect (point 9) means to practice positive thinking. Intellect can be described as a step over the ordinary mind work, and below Consciousness (Bodh), which is the constituent that differentiates humans from other animate species. A brilliant intellect is partly an inherited attribute, but it can also be developed through awareness of the subtle characteristics of an individual. When one uses the intellect in a positive way, the sense of right and wrong will be easily grasped through analysis. The step from analysis of things happening around us to self-analysis is not insurmountable.  It just requires willingness to bravely face one’s less benevolent thoughts and behaviors and take a firm decision to change the perception of many aspects of life. Through introspection, using meditation or musing as a conduit, one can consciously change the pattern. When the progress of one’s inner corridor to higher Awareness is obstructed by influences of societal bearing like backbiting, greed, revengefulness or bitterness, intellect can be trained to negate or transform such feelings to more positive ones, or deliberately use the mental ‘erase mechanism’ called forgetfulness.

Through the practice of the previous mentioned aspects of mind and intellect, one reaches the state of Knowledge (point10). We can build up both individual knowledge and spiritual Knowledge (notice the use of capital!). The former is of things and happenings in the physical world (science) and the other from the subtler and subtle-most aspects of an individual (non-physical science). Only through deliberate search for the non-physical aspects can the Knowledge, subtle and subtle-most aspects, be revealed.

There are two ways to go – one of duality/plurality and one of Oneness. The duality aspect is comparatively easier to practice as the path consists of a Divinity and the worshipper following some elaborate rituals, whereas in the Science of Oneness the worshipped, the tools, the manner of worship and the worshipper are but one and the same - on different levels of Consciousness. ‘Knowledge of Oneness’ or ’Oneness of Knowledge’ as propounded by Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur therefore needs lots and lots of introspection, which most people are unable or unwilling to do.

To end this sketchy description of the main tenets of Sanathan Dharma, I feel the need to add that to me, Sanathan Dharm is the easiest way to develop one’s thoughts and behavior so as to create Awareness of the Divine aspect of life and live at a higher level of harmony in the midst of a turbulent society. 
 

The Concept of Pilgrimage in Hinduism


by  Sri Ajit Halder


A pilgrimage is a religious journey to a sacred place (Teerthasthaan) undertaken by one person or a whole community travelling as a group to perform a ritual at the holy site. Any person who makes the trip to the holy site is called a pilgrim (Teerthayaatri). Hinduism encourages devotees for their own spiritual benefit to visit temples or sacred shrines as an act of pilgrimage. The site may be linked with the pilgrim’s belief or faith, may be the place of birth or death of the founder of a religious sect to which the person belongs, be a location where a deity is worshipped in a temple famous for its architectural beauty and antiquity, or any site that is believed to have special spiritual powers. So it seems that there are many reasons to motivate people to embark on a pilgrimage.

From the above discussion it will be clear that a pilgrimage is not just an aimless travel. The person undertaking the journey pre-selects the place of pilgrimage after much careful consideration given to choose the place, and the travel plan finalized well in advance of the trip. A strong religious urge is felt inside the heart and mind of a person who undertakes the journey to a known destination of spiritual significance.  One wonders why this urge is felt to go on a pilgrimage.  Is it the opportunity to worship the deity and pray to receive the divine blessing to remove the ills of worldly life, or is it the thrill to be experienced all along the long journey as well as the charm and beauty of the scenery to be seen on way to a temple or shrine?  It may also be the encouragement to go on a pilgrimage provided by parents, elderly relatives or a family member, who had been to that holy place before.  Whatever may be the motive or the attraction for pilgrimage, people inspired by religious devotion have been on pilgrimage for hundreds of years.

Places of pilgrimage

The four holy sites, Chaturdham, namely Badrikashram in the Himachal Pradesh in north India, Rameswaram in Tamilnadu in the south, the Jagannath temple in Puri in the state of Utkal in the east, and Dwarka in Gujarat in the west of India are adored as holy places of pilgrimage.  Hindus believe that visiting these four holy places and offering puja to the presiding deity (or deities) will be spiritually rewarding, and that they will receive the blessing of Moksha, salvation, which will relieve them from worldly sufferings.   Varanasi, situated on the bank of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, is considered to be the seat of Lord Viswanath (the guardian and protector God of the universe), and hence should be added to this group. The sites mentioned so far are ancient and religiously important sacred places regularly visited by the Hindus. There are other countless holy sites, for example, the fifty-one Peethasthaan which are fifty-one holy places where fell the pieces cut off from the body of Sati Parbati, Lord Shiva’s consort. Also on the Himalayas, Pancha Kedar, the five Kedars, Devaprayag, Rudraprayag and many other sacred sites are to be found dotted all over that mountain range. So the sites of pilgrimage are far too many to be mentioned in the short space of this article.  A striking feature of a pilgrimage site is the fact that besides the main temple, there are other shrines in the vicinity of the temple which the pilgrims visit and make offerings.

During their time at a holy site, the pilgrims pray, chant hymns (mantras), sing devotional songs, make offerings to the deity and worship often in a congregation of devotees to demonstrate that they are devoted to their religion – all in the hope of coming closer to God in the process.

It is interesting to note that in modern times, more and more new places are being added to the list of established sites of pilgrimage.  Mention may be made of the Dakshineswar Temple on the river Hooghly near Calcutta, associated with the pious life and preaching of Sri Ramakrishna.  The Belur Math, linked with the memory of Swami Vivekananda, and visited by the thousands of the followers of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, has also assumed importance as a place of pilgrimage.  I should mention here my good fortune of visiting two sites made sacred by His Holiness Sri Sri Babathakur. The first one is the head quarter of the Saccidananda Society in Kolkata, and the other one in Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi. Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur stayed at both the sites, and held religious discourses on divine wisdom that spiritually uplifted the minds of devotees.   At both places sanctified by His holy association, I stood in reverence before the portrait of that saintly figure, feeling within me the receipt of His blessing.

Pilgrimage was often hazardous in the old days due to a lack of proper roads.  The pilgrims had to negotiate mud tracks in rough terrains, and unsheltered roads travelling through in an unfamiliar region.  There was the additional hazard of encountering thugs and robbers who might plunder and loot their belongings, and who would cause physical injury often resulting in death.  Indeed, many pilgrims lost their lives on the road to pilgrimage. So before the pilgrims took to the road, they bade emotional farewells to their loved ones because there was the uncertainty that they might not return back to their homes at the end of their trip.  True, in olden days the condition on the road was bad but in modern times too pilgrims face hazards in some trips.  The perilous pilgrimage to Amarnath is a case in point. Pilgrims use trains, cars, helicopters to reach their destination but there always remains the last few kilometers of walk through hilly tracts, and many pilgrims die before they reach the shrine.  Ignoring the danger, pilgrims still risk the hazards of the road and are killed before they reach the Amarnath cave to offer puja to Lord Shiva’s statue formed by ice. We pay our respectful homage to all those pilgrims who lost their lives in their religious mission to visit Amarnath and other shrines.

As there are many places of pilgrimage scattered over different regions of India, it will never be possible to visit all major pilgrimage sites in one’s life time.  So a person may prefer to visit the site which is considered religiously most important to him/her for pilgrimage, at least once in life.  To the Bengali devotees, the visit to Gangasagar island in the Bay of Bengal and offering Puja at the temple of Kapil Muni is the supreme pilgrimage they can wish for. The oft-quoted saying in Bengali is:

Bahu tirtha baar baar, Gangasagar ek baar’ meaning that –

one may be extremely fortunate to visit several places of pilgrimage, but to receive the supreme spiritual gain, a pilgrimage to Gangasagar is a must and is the principal religious aim of a Hindu.  So strong is the religious attraction to visit Gangasagar.

Concluding Remarks

A devout Hindu practices rituals as part of his/her religious living.  Pilgrimage is an important ritual as the Hindus believe that going on a pilgrimage will help them to feel closer to God.   Because of this fervent belief, the ritual of Pilgrimage deserves to be included in the group of other Hindu rituals. In this context it will be rewarding to turn our minds on the principal rituals.  The most honored rituals are five in number, and these are quoted below:

(i) Parameswara (God) – a Hindu believes in One God of many virtues, and the goal of Hindu religion is to realize God in this worldly life
(ii) Prarthana (Prayer) - by means of prayer, a Hindu devotee establishes union with God
(iii) Purushartha (Law of Karma) – the reward of an act performed by an individual depends on the good or evil character of the action performed
(iv) Punarjanma (Rebirth) – a Hindu believes that at death the human body dies but the soul lives on and enters into a new body
(v) Praanidaya (Compassion shown to living beings) – Hindus practise Ahimsa by not being cruel to any person or living being, and not causing injury to any human or living being

This article proposes to add Paribraajan (Pilgrimage) to this list of five rituals so that the new set of six rituals will serve as a more useful guide to a Hindu aspirant to lead a religious life. 

The author was on pilgrimage to the holy city of Varanasi, and he wishes to share with the reader the feeling he had standing on the top step of Varanasi’s famous Dasaswamedh Ghat, watching the pilgrims perform rites on the bank of the Ganges to cleanse their souls off worldly sins.  I watched many pilgrims offering ‘tarpan’ for their departed elders and ancestors, and praying for peace in their after lives.  I noticed many saffron-robed sadhus in the crowd, and men and women whose varied styles of dress indicated that they had come from different Indian states.  Many were chanting mantras and singing hymns.  The melody and rhythm of these devotions rose above the din of the crowd.  I became engrossed in watching the various offerings made by the pilgrims, and the air was ringing with divine sound.  I considered myself lucky to have witnessed religious activities on the ghat, which strengthened my Hindu faith.  Observing all these rituals taking place in Varanasi - amongst the most sacred places of pilgrimage to the Hindus - spiritually inspired my mind.  But Varanasi held for me an additional appeal.  Varanasi is the place where my parents and their parents and ancestors had also been on pilgrimage.  They walked on the streets of Varanasi and sanctified the place by their presence.  This thought raised in my mind a deeper sense of the holiness of Varanasi.  No doubt the same uplifting feeling I experienced in Varanasi, resonates in the minds of people who had been on a pilgrimage to Varanasi and to other holy places.