Talk 6 by Prabhuji
What is ‘inner pilgrimage’?
Some of the devotees took an appointment to see God. ‘Oh, God, we have heard that going to pilgrimage purifies us, reading scriptures purifies us, now all pilgrimage centers are polluted, overcrowded, noisy, commercialized. And all Scriptures are supposed to be purifying but there are very few people to tell the real meaning of scriptures. Oh, God, in this time, in this situation, how do we human beings attain the purity, attain that salvation’.
God laughs, “Yes pilgrimage centers are crowded, but you have to understand the purpose of creating the pilgrimage centers’. So I called them as ‘teertha yatra’, meaning ‘a travel which purifies’. So when you go to a pilgrimage centre which is in a beautiful place, with natural scenic beauty, mind naturally becomes calm. When you take a holy dip and possibly you will meet some Mahatmas who can give you some wisdom. So the purpose is not just to get a holy dip but to meet a realized person, some Jnanis and get wisdom. So it is said, ‘Teertham karoti theerthani’, at the banks of such holy places, rivers, there will be always some Mahatmas- Jnanis who will bring that purity to that place. So the purpose of visiting pilgrimage centers is not just having a holy dip but to have a darshan of such Mahatmas and purify yourself. That is the purpose.”
So God continues, “Today you have package tours, one day tour, two day tour where you buy a ticket and have a pre-packaged darshan and come back. So where you have time to meet such Jnanis, I understand your problem.” Then he says about scriptures, “Yes, most of the scriptures are corrupted by human mind, like everything in the world. The human mind is corrupted, and teaching of scriptures is also corrupted. But there is one thing which is not corrupted, that is the Atma in you. The Atma the self in you is pure, it is the divine light, it is eternally pure and nothing can corrupt it.
As the question “Who am I? And do a inner journey, inner pilgrimage. You will find something holy and sacred within you that is called Atma Linga. Have darshan of this Atma Linga and be pure, nothing can pollute this, no corruption can touch this and it’s also very simple. The process of going inward, understanding who you are, is your journey. Nobody can touch it, no one can spoil it, do this inner journey and attain that purity.”
One of the Jnanis was sitting and talking about Atmagyan. One of his disciples said, ‘Swamiji I want to go to a pilgrimage’. Swamiji asked why? Disciple said, ‘I have heard that if I take a holy dip in such and such a river all my sins will be washed away’. Swamiji laughed and said, “Yes I have also heard of it, it seems there are big trees on the banks of the rivers, and when you go there, all your sins go and sit on the top of the tree. When you take dip you will be free, but when you come out of the river, all the sins will come back with their friends, grandparents and relatives and sit on your head again.”
Actually pilgrimage means, a place where you get purified. What purifies you is, ‘nahi jnanena sadrusham pavitramiha vidyate’, nothing purifies more than Jnana. And what is this Jnana, Atmagyan, the knowledge of the self. What is this knowledge of self? Knowing that you are ‘divine light of the self’ which is eternally pure is Atmagyan. And that only is most purifying and nothing else. Don’t worry about external things, just go inwards, your body is the divine temple and in the heart, have the darshan of Atmajyothi, divine light of the self, Atma-Linga and attain freedom from all the sins.
Transcription by Atmajyothi Satyavathi
Light of The Self Foundation 