The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on “Teertha-Yatras” and why we should embark upon one, whenever we get time and opportunities. We’ve witnessed in due course, the benefits of undertaking such spiritual journeys, including physical benefits and the benefits pertaining to our “Atman” (Spiritual growth). Also, in yesterday’s episode, we witnessed how these “Teertha-Yatras” have been an integral part of our “Sanaatana Dharma” for thousands and thousands of years. We’ve seen how the “Alwars” and “Nayanmars” undertook such “Yatras” all around our Bhaarata Desha to sing in praise of Bhagawan Vishnu and Bhagawan Shiva respectively. In addition to this, there are “Shakti-Peethams” dedicated to Goddess Devi, and other important “Punya-Kshetras” dedicated to Bhagawan Ganesha, Bhagawan Muruga, etc. Notably, another example for this is Saint Aruna-giri-naathar, who was an ardent devotee of Bhagawan Muruga. He has gone around various temples dedicated to Bhagawan Muruga, such as Swamimalai, Tirutthani, Palani, Tiruchendur, etc. and has sung the famous “Tiruppugazh” in praise of Bhagawan Muruga. In similar lines, not only in the south of India, but there are also great examples of great saints in the north, east and west of India who have undertook such great “Teertha-Yatras” in their lives and have established enormous amounts of “Punya-Kshetras” around the country. 

Extending this point a bit further – We might wonder why “Mahatmas” or “Spiritual Masters” are constantly on spiritual tours to various places! For instance, we would have seen great Mahatmas starting from Adi-Shankaracharya, Bhagawad Ramanuja, etc. to contemporary Mahatmas such as Kanchi Maha-Periyava, Puttaparthi Sai Baba, Shirdi Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, etc. embarking on tours very often. Why do they do so? There are multiple angles of looking at it and we shall discuss a few in today’s episode. One angle / way or looking at it is to spread the significance of our “Sanaatana Dharma”. Wherever these Mahatmas travel to, they would establish “Punya-Kshetras” at all the important places. This is why we see various places having “Mutts” of Adi-Shankaracharya for instance – At Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Sringeri in Karnataka, Puri in Odisha, etc. In similar lines, we would also be able to see other Mahatmas establishing their Ashrams / Mutts at various places across India. All this is to make people understand the importance of the various principles of our “Sanaatana Dharma”. Moreover, for those people who wouldn’t be able to travel to have the “Darshanam” of the Mahatma / Spiritual Master at their own native / dwelling places, the Mahatma comes to their place to give their divine “Darshanam” and “Anugraham” to these people. This is a very important concept in our “Sanaatana Dharma”. Rather than the disciple going in search of the Guru for knowledge and enlightenment, at times, for the deserving disciple, the Guru comes in search of him / her to provide his / her divine “Anugraha”. Thus, in order to facilitate this practice, Mahatmas keep travelling from one place to the other to meet their eligible and deserving disciples. This is one way of looking at it. 

Another way of looking at it is – Wherever the Mahatma goes, every place becomes a “Punya-Kshetra” and the divine vibrations that emit from the Mahatma would stay in those places forever. This would enable devotees / disciples to obtain the supreme knowledge / enlightenment from many such places across the country. When the Mahatma / Sadguru chooses a place to travel, He / She would ensure that all their divine “Anugraha” is poured into that place, so that thousands of devotees would benefit out of it. They establish temples / Ashrams / Sannidhaanams, etc. wherein an enormous amount of Pujas, “Punya-Kaaryas”, etc. keep happening all the time. This creates the divine vibration in that place and this benefits all the people who visit these places. This is the reason why I’ve been constantly emphasising on the fact that normal people like us should visit these places regularly without fail. This is another way of looking at it. 

The third angle is very simple – Mahatmas / Sadgurus are completely detached souls! It simply means that they are completely free from any sort of worldly attachments. When we talk about “Worldly attachments”, it also involves attachment to a particular place. If the Mahatmas / Sadgurus remain in one place only at all times, they might indirectly start developing an attachment towards that place! Of course, they have their minds under complete control, but still, there might be a slight chance of this happening. It is for this reason also, do Mahatmas / Sadgurus keep travelling all the time. This “Yatra” thus, signifies to the outside world and sends an indirect message of “Detachment”. If one keeps travelling from one place to the other constantly, it signifies that he / she doesn’t belong to any particular place, and the Mahatma belongs to the entire world! The purpose of every Mahatma’s birth in this world is to serve all the living beings in this world with equality, compassion and love, and also to spread the knowledge and enlightenment to every living being. 

Hence, for all these reasons, Mahatmas / Sadgurus are always “on the move” to various places as part of their “Spiritual journey”. So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and let us strive to allocate some time from our other schedules to embark on trips to such important “Punya-Kshetras”, to obtain the divine “Anugraha” of the Guru / Mahatma and Bhagawan! We shall take this point further in the upcoming episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of an important discussion on “Teertha-Yatras”, and what are some prerequisites, benefits, etc. that we should understand with regards to this context. In these lines, we’ve witnessed how visiting all our expansive Indian temples are in a way an opportunity to increase our “Adrishta-Phalam”, wherein our “Punya-Karma” keeps silently increasing. Moreover, visiting a temple regularly washes away our sins that we’ve done earlier in our past births as well. This is with regards to the spiritual aspect of it. Also, walking around the temple premises and by circumventing the presiding deity of the temple gives us indirect physical exercise and fresh oxygen to breathe. In many temples we would be able to witness massive “Prahaaras”, wherein there would be countless numbers of trees planted on either side. This is collectively referred to as “Nandavanam”. While circumventing the deity through this “Nandavanam” gives us fresh oxygen, and gives us a break from all the polluted air that we’re breathing every passing day. Moreover, if we’re circumventing the deity for a specific number of times, it serves as a good way of burning all our excessive calories which we’re accumulating every day because of our erratic food and sleeping habits. Thus, visiting “Punya-Kshetras” is also an antidote to many lifestyle diseases that we talk about in today’s context, and readers should make a note of this seriously. 

Moreover, to add further to this important point of discussion – Many of us are suffering from some peculiar physical ailments today, such as obesity, overweight, etc. So if we’re into these things, what would be our immediate course of action? We would go to the gymnasium immediately and start “working out”, so as to reduce the fat content in the body. The gym trainer would also immediately prescribe a strict diet for us to follow regularly. This diet plan would be highly restrictive in nature and would entail us to eat only fruits / vegetables / food with a lot of fibre-content, etc. Rice would be completely taken off the radar as it simply keeps adding carbohydrates! Thus, we follow all these instructions carefully and for instance if I’m weighing 85 Kgs, after months of working out and with strict dieting control, I can reduce it to, say 65 Kgs. However, this is not the end of all! If I sit down and relax for a few days by losing out on our control on diet and workout, we would immediately put on weight and reach 85 again! 🙂 We would keep wondering, “Oh wow! We had spent 6 months to one year trying to lose 15 Kg of weight, but within just one month, we regained this much weight!” However, if we come for “Yatras” constantly and if we keep walking continuously, automatically our calories would come down, wouldn’t they? If we go on “Yatras” frequently, we would automatically restrict our diet, because the focus would be more on visiting more temples and worshipping the presiding deities there, rather than on the food that we consume. Thus, automatically, the purpose is getting served, isn’t it? This is what we’ve to understand here. 

If we look at our Sanaatana Dharma tradition, “Teertha-Yatras” have been something that has been intertwined with our regular way of life. If we look at the “Alwars”, “Nayanmars”, etc. who had dedicated their entire lives to Bhagawan Vishnu and Bhagawan Shiva respectively, there are instances of these people travelling to various places to sing in praise of various presiding deities at various “Punya-Kshetras”. All the 108 “Divya-Deshams” of Bhagawan Vishnu across our entire Bhaarata Desha have been visited by Thirumangai-Alwar singlehandedly. In addition, many other Alwars have visited several of these “Divya-Desham” temples at various time periods and have sung in praise of the presiding deities over there. Similarly, amongst the “Nayanmars”, people like “Appar”, “Maanika-Vaachakar”, “Sundarar”, etc. have travelled extensively across our Bhaarata Desha to sing in praise of Bhagawan Shiva. This is why, similar to the 108 Divya-Deshams for Bhagawan Vishnu, there are 276 “Shiva-Sthalams”, including the various “Jyothir-Lingas”  all across India. In fact, it is also believed that Maanika-Vaachakar has even swam across the Bay of Bengal to reach Sri Lanka and has sung in praise of Bhagawan Shiva at Anuradhapura, Kandy, etc. 

Hence, we can see here that “Teertha-Yatras” assume enormous significance in our “Sanaatana Dharma” and we should ensure that we make use of this golden opportunity given to us by Bhagawan to embark on a few! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode as well to witness more! Stay tuned! 🙂  

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of an important conversation that is happening between Bhishmachaarya and Sage Pulasthya, with regards to the various characteristics and benefits of embarking upon “Teerta-Yatras”. Readers should remember that it is this conversation which Sage Naarada is referring to, in order to give a reply to Yudishtra’s question. While we go deeper into the context of “Teerta-Yatras”, we should not forget the situation in the Mahabharata story where this comes. Yudishtra and Co. are preparing themselves to commence a “Teerta-Yatra” for the next few years and as they are about to commence their journey, Sage Naarada knocks at their doors! As Sage Naarada comes, Yudishtra asks an important question to him, pertaining to the benefits of undertaking such “Teerta-Yatras” in one’s lifetime. For this, Sage Naarada is making a direct reference to this conversation between Bhishmachaarya and Sage Pulasthya, which we’re currently witnessing. Yesterday, we had stressed upon yet another important point that when we’re embarking such spiritual tours, we should never have that “I” attitude in us. We should always develop that humility wherein we should recognize Bhagawan’s divine “Anugraha” for giving us such a golden opportunity. Moreover, we’ve also witnessed that while travelling on such tours, we should give bare minimal importance to the physical comfort, and the focus should completely be on worshipping the deity / Guru who is presiding over that place. For instance, if we’re visiting an “Ashram”, we might not be able to expect 5-star or 7-star facilities over there. We would only get basic minimum facility to make a living. We should learn to adjust to it and focus on our spiritual development, rather than craving for more physical comfort and needs. 

Thus, the point is very simple – When we’re embarking on “Teerta-Yatras”, we should be prepared to face any sort of hurdles that might come our way. This is where our Sanaatana Dharma talks about two important “Phalams” (Fruits or Benefits) – “Drishta Phalam” and the “Adrishta-Phalam”. To put this in simple context of understanding, if we’re feeding a living being with some food and if that living being is relishing the food that we’re serving, the happiness that we gain out of it is the “Drishta Phalam”. Whereas, by feeding a hungry living being, we obtain the “Punya-Karma” for performing that act. This keeps invisibly accumulating in our “Karma List” maintained by Bhagawan. Thus, the “Phalam” that we obtain through this route is nothing but the “Adrishta Phalam”. Now applying this to our context of “Teerta-Yatras”, by taking that effort through manoeuvring all the physical hurdles, we obtain the invisible “Punya Karma” called the “Adrishta-Phalam”. When we visit all the places wherein Bhagawan Krishna, Bhagawan Rama, Bhagawan Shiva, or either of all the Spiritual Masters have set their foot upon, automatically our minds are going to get purified and with this, our “Adrishta Phalam” is going to be on the rise! This is one way of understanding the point on why we should be ready to sacrifice our physical comfort. 

Moreover, we shall also understand it in another way – In today’s context, given all our erratic and haphazard food habits, sleeping routines, work environment, etc. many of us are seriously lacking physical exercise. I’m sure most of our readers might agree to this point without any doubt! Because of the lack of physical exercise, we start developing “lifestyle diseases” such as blood pressure, diabetes, etc. at a very young age itself. All of us might be knowing that many of our temples and other places of worship are expansive in terms of area and perimeter. Thus, if we’re ready to stretch ourselves a little bit more, by walking (Circumventing) around the deity of the expansive temple(s), this would indirectly serve as a good physical exercise for all of us, isn’t it? For instance, if we’re visiting the holy “Kshetra” of Tirupati-Tirumala, and if we’re dedicating time to walk and climb up the seven hills, what more exercise do we require? 

Of course, we can argue by saying that we’re doing “work-outs” at home with certain gym equipment, and why should we really invest time in walking / climbing hills or mountains to visit these “Punya-Kshetras”? There is a definitive difference between “working out” at home / gym as against walking / climbing up to reach a “Punya-Kshetra”. The mindset with which we do the workouts / jogging, etc. at home might be very different from the mindset with which we visit a temple, isn’t it? While we walk up to Tirupati-Tirumala, we would keep chanting “Mantras” or “Slokas” like Vishnu Sahasranama, etc. and while doing so, we are indirectly purifying our mind in the process of purifying our body. Thus, both these purposes get served here, isn’t it? Whereas, when we’re “working out” at home, we might not be very sure if we would have such spiritual thoughts within us.

Hence, the point here is that, if we visit a “Punya-Kshetra”, it is a golden opportunity to cleanse both our mind and our body together! So for today, let us understand this important point, and let us ponder over it. We shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well, to witness more such important points! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Pulasthya and Bhishmachaarya exchanging an important conversation with each other with regards to the benefits that a person would receive when he / she embarks on a “Teertha-Yatra” to visit important “Punya-Kshetras” across our Bhaarata Desha. As part of this discussion, the duo talks about those qualities that one should not possess while embarking on spiritual journeys. One important aspect among the lot is “Karthrutva Buddhi” – Many times we might be having this thought that it was only because of our own effort were we able to undertake the “Yatra” successfully. This attitude is not right. Instead, we should always have the humility to accept that it is only with Bhagawan’s divine “Anugraha” we are able to visit these places and get the benefits out of it. Secondly, the duo also speak about those of us who have “Ahankara” and “Mamahaara” (Anger and self-pride). If we have these bad qualities in us when we’re embarking on such tours, we would not have the purity of mind from within us. Only if our minds are pure, will we be able to enjoy any benefit of the “Teertha Yatras”. Readers should keep both these points in mind very clearly. 

Moving on with the conversation further thus, the duo discusses various other important points. Firstly they talk about how one should have accumulated enormous “Punya-Karma” in the past birth(s), so that he / she gets this opportunity today! This is extremely true for all of us – For instance, if we’re able to obtain an opportunity to visit Mathura, Brindavan, Dwaraka, Ayodhya, etc. where Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet have been imprinted, what amount of “Punya-Karma” we’ve done earlier! We should be able to pay our gratitude to Bhagawan for giving us the apt reward for whatever we’ve done earlier! Similarly, it is not easy to obtain the divine “Anugraha” and a close proximity of a Guru (Spiritual Master or a Mahatma) in one’s lifetime. Like I’ve told many times earlier as well, a Guru can be anyone who is a spiritually realized soul – Be it Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi or Shirdi Sai Baba or Puttaparthi Sai Baba, Ma Anandamayi, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, or whoever – If a Guru has to talk, render some advice to us, guide us, etc. we should be damn sure that we’ve done enormous “Punya-Karma” (Good deeds) in our previous births! It is only because of this, the Mahatma reaches out to us. Thus, we should take this as an opportunity to gain the maximum benefit out of our Guru’s advice. This is one important point that we should remember. The crux here is very simple – If we’re getting an opportunity to visit any of the “Punya-Kshetras” including a Guru’s abode, it is all because of our “Punya-Karma” that we’re getting this reward from Bhagawan. We should utilize this in the right way. 

Secondly, whenever we go for “Teertha-Yatras” a person who gives more importance to the physical comforts and preferences, would never be able to benefit out of the entire exercise. Many of us make this mistake – When we travel as a group of say, 100 or 200 people together for a spiritual tour, many of us would not be preferring to stay in a shared accommodation (Dormitory types). All of us want a nice 5-star hotel with all the physical comforts to stay. We should remember one thing here – We’re not going for a business or a leisure trip. This is a spiritual tour. While embarking these kinds of tours, the focus should only be worshipping the deity / Guru, rather than the physical comfort. Some of us also have this requirement today – Whenever we travel in a train, many of us would only want the lower berth and not the middle or the upper ones. This is because we’re too lazy to get up and down the middle and upper berths everytime and we might end up “straining” ourselves by doing so! These are the physical comforts that we should be ready to give up for a noble cause. We should have a clear understanding that the reason behind the travel is to obtain the divine “Anugraha” of Bhagawan or the Guru. For this, things would not be easily happening. Only if we are prepared to undergo some suffering, will we be able to obtain the “Anugraha”. We should always remember that nothing in life comes very easily to us. We should slog our way through to achieve something. Similarly here also, if we’ve to really obtain the divine “Anugraha” of Bhagawan / Guru, we’ve to be prepared to manoeuvre a few physical hurdles. Only then we would become eligible for receiving the “Anugraha”. 

So for today, let us understand these two points very clearly – Firstly, if we’re able to embark on any spiritual “Yatra”, we should understand that it is because of our accumulated past “Punya-Karma” that we’re getting this reward. Secondly, while embarking on the “Yatra”, we should not give importance for physical comfort. We should learn to accept whatever situations come by, and should not crib or keep complaining about them. If we’re not having this tolerance within us, we would slowly become ineligible to obtain Bhagawan’s / Guru’s “Anugraha”. So let us understand these important points today and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed why India is undoubtedly the land of “Sanaatana Dharma” and why it can never be destroyed, no matter how much some fringe elements might try! We have enormous “Punya-Kshetras” with exemplary spiritual vibrations! We have enormous rivers, which have their origins from Bhagawan Himself in many cases. The water that flows through these rivers are extremely pure and is capable of washing away all our sins instantaneously. Moreover, the unique practices that we follow as part of our “Sanaatana Dharma” are closely aligned with nature and give us enormous benefits, both physically and spiritually. Also, the various art forms such as music, dance, theatrics, sports, etc. are again closely aligned with our “Sanaatana Dharma” and to various “Punya-Kshetras” that are spread all across our Bhaarata Desha. Thus, we can say that our Bhaarata Desha is a global hub for “Sanaatana Dharma” and it would always be the same forever, no matter whoever says / does whatever! Readers like us must be firm in this and deep-rooted in our thoughts and actions. 

Moving on thus, we shall come back to the context wherein Bhishmachaarya is explaining the importance of “Teertha Yatras” to a group of great Maharishis, including Sage Pulasthya. We had earlier witnessed how Sage Pulasthya is posing a question to Bhishmachaarya in this regard. This conversation is referred by Sage Naarada while replying to Yudishtra on this same context. Readers should not get confused here – Initially, Yudishtra asks a question about the importance of “Teertha Yatras” and Sage Naarada refers to an important conversation that took place between Bhishmachaarya and Sage Pulasthya. Of course, the conversation given in the “Teertha-Yatra Parva” by Sage Vyaasa in the Mahabharata text is enormously huge and if we’ve to look at it line by line, it would precisely take the time that we would require to cover all the “Punya-Kshetras” in this country! Hence, within this short duration of time and within the reach of my knowledge on this subject, let us witness what Bhishmachaarya has got to say. If readers want a more detailed accord on this, we shall have a separate discussion some other day and in some other context. For now, I shall read out a few names of Punya-Kshetras that Bhishmachaarya is listing out here. As Sage Pulasthya asks thus, Bhishmachaarya first gives a reply – “Oh Sage Pulasthya! Before we delve into the effects and benefits of going on a “Teertha Yatra”, we shall first discuss who are eligible for obtaining all these benefits! Only those whose mind, hands, legs, and other parts of the body are pure in nature, would be eligible to enjoy the spiritual benefits of embarking on “Teertha Yatras”. Only those whose “Vidya” (Education / Knowledge), “Tapas” (Concentration at high levels and dedication towards the subject) and “Keerthi” (Interest towards this subject) are at high levels, would be able to enjoy these benefits!” 

Bhishmachaarya continues thus, “Oh Sage Pulasthya! You’re a person who knows much more than what I know. You would agree with my statement here – Those who are high on “Ahankara” (Self-pride), “Krodha” (Anger / frustration”) and “Mamakaara” (Selfishness / greed that I should be the owner of everything in this world) would never be able to enjoy even a single benefit of embarking on “Teertha Yatras”, no matter how much he / she strives to embark on one! Moreover, if one has the intention that it was only because of me and my efforts, the “Teertha Yatra” was a success, he / she would never be able to enjoy any benefit of it. One should completely surrender to Bhagawan and develop the attitude that it was only due to Bhagawan’s divine Anugraha that I was able to embark on this “Teertha Yatra” and successfully complete it! Only then, the benefits would reign into that person!” 

These are very important statements that Bhishmachaarya and Sage Pulasthya are discussing here. Many a time when we go for some “Punya-Kshetra” visits, it is quite common for us to get into this mindset – “Oh! It was only because of my effort did I reach that particular spot! People in that place were extremely surprised and asked, how did you manage to reach there without any problem!” The moment we hear such statements from someone, our ego would rise up immediately and we would automatically start crediting ourselves for the journey that we’ve undertaken. This is what we refer to as “Karthruthva Buddhi”. This simply means taking credit for whatever I’ve done! If we have a lot of “Karthruthva Buddhi” within us, we’re never going to enjoy any fruit of embarking on the “Teertha Yatra”. Instead, we should have the mindset thus, “Oh! We were extremely fortunate that Bhagawan had provided His divine Anugraha to us. Of course, when we went there, we had prayed for all of you as well! Perhaps, you would also get the opportunity to visit the Punya-Kshetra very soon!” 

Thus, we can see clearly here that attitude is very important! If we have a selfish attitude and undertake the “Teertha-Yatras”, they are not going to bear any fruit! We’ve to be very careful here. So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion forward! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on “Teertha-Yatras” and “Punya-Kshetras” and what are the benefits / effects we would receive with it. Moreover, we’re also in the process of witnessing various practices that are allied with visiting a “Punya-Kshetra”, like feeding cows, elephants that reside in the temple. We’ve also witnessed what are the benefits of feeding cows in brief. Moreover, we’ve also witnessed what are the associations that language, art forms such as dance and music, etc. have with various “Punya-Kshetras”. We’ve had a detailed discussion on how Tamil and Sanskrit have been Bhaarata Desha’s ancient languages and how most of the literature of our “Sanaatana Dharma” are based on these two languages. However, I’m not trying to say here that other languages of India do not have a role to play in our “Sanaatana Dharma”. If we look at Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, etc. each language has a rich literature in terms of our “Sanaatana Dharma”. We’ve had various Mahatmas who incarnated in the places where these languages are spoken prominently and have taken stupendous efforts in propagating our “Sanaatana Dharma” in their respective regions. Thus, when we talk about “language”, we see here that every language has a pivotal role to play in our “Sanaatana Dharma” and all of them are associated in some form or the other with one or many of the “Punya-Kshetras” that are there in India. 

Moreover, if we look at some other things that has its connection with our Bhaarata Desha – Punya Bhoomi – We have some medicinal practices too. We have different kinds of traditional medicinal practices that are associated with different places in India. For instance, we have Unani, Siddha, Ayurveda, etc. that are based out of various regions within India. These medical practices are even today revered and due importance is being given to promote them in a big way. For instance, even when the Covid-19 pandemic struck the entire world recently, it is widely believed that even though the “English medicine” system did not have a cure for it, our traditional medical systems did! In fact, there are stories of many people who had been affected by Covid-19 and they had got completely cured with Siddha / Ayurveda medicines. Thus, our ancient medical system is truly world-class and we have enormous resources for it within our Bhaarata Desha itself! 

Thus, by looking at all these points, what do we infer in an overall level? India is a land of “Sanaatana Dharma”, and all these allied practices, systems, languages, art forms, etc. are the ones contributing to it! At times, some people would try and lift up their heads and talk nonsense about it! However, none of what they say is true! They might say that our “Sanaatana Dharma” is not inclusive in nature – I’ve given enough justification to prove that our “Sanaatana Dharma” is more inclusive than any other practices across the world. More than just human beings, our “Sanaatana Dharma” goes one level deeper to include animals too into the fold of inclusivity. Some people might keep ranting that “Sanaatana Dharma” is not “Secular” in nature. The fact here is that, there can never be a more secular practice than “Sanaatana Dharma”, which can be proved in multiple contexts. Moreover, if we prove all these to some people, they might not have a befitting reply to give us, but would instead rant that they would not rest until they destroy “Sanaatana Dharma”. Let me tell one thing clearly here – All these people would rest some day, but our “Sanaatana Dharma” can never be destroyed! It has been there in practice for over a lakh years, and would always be in practice for another lakh years! Hence, we as ardent devotees of our “Sanaatana Dharma” should discard all these noises that some people constantly keep making, just for being in the limelight and for obtaining cheap publicity! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of an important discussion on “Teertha-Yatras”, “Punya-Kshetras” and what all we should do while visiting them. As part of this discussion, we witnessed the importance of feeding cows and elephants while visiting temples. This is an age-old practice that is being followed by our ancestors, and in fact, our “Sanaatana Dharma” stands out uniquely in this – No other religion in this world talks about “inclusivity” to such a deep extent as our “Sanaatana Dharma” does. If we look at all our age-old practices like these, we would observe why our “Sanaatana Dharma” is closely associated with science! This is why we say that our “Sanaatana Dharma” is a “Scientifically proven way of a healthy, prosperous and a peaceful living”. Coming back to the context of cows and other animals, we can see here that our “Sanaatana Dharma” not only talks high about human beings, but also about other animals. In fact, various deities have various animals as “Vaahanams” (Vehicles). For instance, Bhagawan Ganesha has the rat as His “Vaahanam”. Bhagawan Muruga has the peacock as His “Vaahanam”. In similar lines, Bhagawan Vishnu has the “Garuda” (Eagle) has His “Vehicle”. Goddess Devi has the lion as Her divine “Vaahanam”. Bhagawan Shiva has the dog as His “Vaahaanm” (This is why we worship Bhagawan Shiva in the form of “Kaala-Bhairava”). The list is endless! 

Thus, the point that we’ve to understand here is that, our “Sanaatana Dharma” gives equal importance and reverence to all living beings together, irrespective of whichever living being it might be! This is the reason why in our Sanaatana Dharma we have the revered practice of feeding and respecting various animals. Hence, while we visit “Punya-Kshetras”, we should adhere to all these practices. For instance, if we go to Dwaraka, there would be a thousand cows standing there inside the “Go-Shaala”. We ourselves can go inside the “Go-Shaala” and pay some ten rupees or so, obtain a full vessel of milk from there and offer it to Bhagawan Krishna, who is the presiding deity there. All of us know that Dwaraka is the erstwhile kingdom of Bhagawan Krishna, and is one of the most important “Punya-Kshetras” in our Bhaarata Desha. 

Moving on further, we shall discuss the next important point that is related closely to these “Punya-Kshetras” – All of us know that India is a land of various art forms such as music, dance, etc. In the northern part of India, Hindustani music is very popular, and so are other related forms of music that are derived from it. Similarly, there are various dance forms such as Kathak, etc. that are very popular in the North. In similar lines, if we travel towards our South India and towards Tamil Nadu, “Carnatic Music” is the most popular traditional music form. Similarly, “Bharatanatyam”, “Kuchipudi”, etc. are the most prominent dance forms here. Thus, if we analyze this a bit more, each “Raaga” (Tune), “Thaala” (Rhythm), and various forms of “Abinayam” (Dance steps) are all connected to various “Punya-Kshetras” in our Bhaarata Desha. If we consider instruments, it is the same story as well – “Veena”, a traditional classical music instrument, is closely associated with Goddess Saraswati, who is considered to be the Goddess of Knowledge and Education. Similarly, if we take the “Mridangam” (A percussion instrument), it has a divine connection with Bhagawan Shiva and His “Rudra-Thaandavam”. Every step that Bhagawan Shiva takes during His divine “Cosmic Dance”, can be captured in the Mridangam instrument. 

Like this, each and every art form that we have in India is closely associated with various “Punya-Kshetras” in India. In these lines we have the various “Sabhas” in various big temples wherein such music and dance events regularly take place even today. There are various “Sabhas” such as “Chitra-Sabha”, Taamira-Sabha”, etc. which are closely associated with performing the Bharatanatyam dance form and Bhagawan Shiva. If art forms are closely associated with “Punya-Kshetras”, so are languages too! For instance, in South India we have the famous literary works of the Alwars, Nayanmars, etc. in Tamil. The Alwars have extensively travelled all over India to sing in praise of Bhagawan Vishnu in various “Punya-Kshetras”, which are widely revered as the “Divya-Desams” of Bhagawan Vishnu. There are 108 such “Divya-Desams” which all form part of the “Punya-Kshetras”. The literary works of the Alwars who are twelve in number are in Tamil Language and are referred to as the “Naalaayira Divya Prabandhams”. Similarly, when it comes to Bhagawan Shiva, the 63 Naayanmars are ardent devotees of Bhagawan Shiva and have composed what is collectively called “Tevaram”. Here too, there are 276 “Shiva-Sthalams” which form the “Punya-Kshetras” dedicated to Bhagawan Shiva, and to all these temples, the Naayanmars have travelled and set foot there! These are located all over our Bhaarata Desha and assume enormous significance. Similarly, Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in India along with Tamil. If we look at all our literature comprising of the Vedas, Upanishads, Ithihasas, Puraanas, etc. Sanskrit is the language in which all these are written. Thus, we’re able to see how language plays a very important role in the context of “Punya-Kshetras”. 

So for today, let us understand up to this point, and let us continue this discussion even further to witness many more! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on “Teertha Yatras” and “Punya-Kshetras” and how they are important for all of us. In fact, we’ve been witnessing this discussion for a few episodes now and we’ve understood many important points in due course. Yesterday, we witnessed that each and every temple, river, place, etc. has its own significance and spiritual vibrations. In due course, we’ve also answered an important question in this regard – Why at all should we go to a temple to experience Bhagawan’s divine presence, and why can’t we do it sitting at home itself? Of course, we can always do that, as we’re performing our “Nitya-Karma” and other Pujas that we do every day. However, the vibrations that we would experience when we go to a temple are entirely different, and that cannot be equated to what we might experience at our homes. This is because, the presiding deity (The “Sanctum-Sanctorum”) of the temple is highly charged spiritually, with the constant chanting of “Mantras”, Vedas, etc. on a minute-by-minute basis. Moreover, these temples are consecrated by great Aachaaryas and in many cases, Bhagawan Himself in some form or the other! Thus, when a “Vigraha” of a deity is consecrated by an Aachaarya, it gains enormous power from him / her, along with the already existing spiritual vibrations that it might have from within. Hence, this assumes enormous significance, and readers should understand this. 

Apart from this, there are few other points that we’ve to understand – When we go to a temple regularly, it brings in some form of discipline in us. When we circumvent a temple’s deity, it indirectly serves as a physical exercise of walking, and apart from this, it also gives us fresh oxygen for us to breathe, as the “Prahaaras” would be surrounded by various trees and plants. We also have the practice of having something called “Arasa-Maram” in Tamil, which means “The main tree of the temple”. Circumventing this “Arasa-maram” has been an age-old practice followed by our ancestors for hundreds and thousands of years. If we observe, most of the temples would have either a neem tree or a banyan tree as the main “Arasa-Maram”. Inhaling the oxygen generated by neem trees have extraordinary medicinal effects, and indirectly it helps streamlining our breathing and other respiratory related processes. Thus, the purer the oxygen we inhale, our brain gets activated more and more, and this is where our intellect and intelligence increases! Thus, these are the important gains that we obtain physically by visiting all these temples. 

Moreover, when we go to all these ancient temples, we would find “Go-Shalas” (A shed for housing cows), wherein many cows would be housed and fed. Our ancestors have had a regular practice of feeding these cows everyday before they consume food. This gives enormous spiritual benefits. It is widely believed that if we feed a cow, circumvent and worship it, even our deadliest sins get washed away within moments! Moreover, the cow is a holy animal and is one of the most gentle animals ever! The cow is the dearest animal to Bhagawan Krishna and is believed to house all the 33 crore Devatas within its body. Hence, if we worship a cow and circumvent it with devotion, it is equivalent to circumventing the entire world full of Devatas and various deities! If we’re feeding a cow with ardent devotion, it is equivalent to feeding a thousand Brahmin Pandits. If the cow’s breath is felt by our body as we feed it, it gives us enormous amounts of positivity and it calms down our mind and body. The cow’s urine, as we all might be knowing, has enormous medicinal effects, and is one of the main ingredients (“Panchagavya”) in Ayurvedic treatments. More than all these, if we feed cows everyday, it is widely believed that all malefic effects in our horoscope would disappear immediately and we would get relief! Of course, there is a huge science behind all these, and due to lack of time, I’m not going into all these for the moment. We shall discuss these points in detail when the time and context comes. But what we’ve to know here is that, while we say that we’re visiting “Punya-Kshetras”, it is important that we worship the cows as well. Thus, these are the scientific reasons as to why we have the age-old practice of feeding cows and worshipping them. 

Also, in many south-Indian temples we have another age-old practice of having and maintaining an elephant. Feeding an elephant also has enormous amount of significance. All of us might be knowing that the elephant signifies Bhagawan Ganesha and in this Mahabharata context too, we’ve witnessed in our earlier episodes that it was none other than Bhagawan Ganesha who had jotted down all whatever Sage Vyaasa had to say! So, whatever slokas and narratives that we’re explaining today, are all written by Bhagawan Ganesha, and isn’t our duty to pay our due respects to Him as well? Thus, from the next time when we visit a temple, we should make sure that we feed the cows and elephants there and pay our due respects to them. 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion even further to witness a few more important points! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important point as an extension of the discussion on “Teertha-Yatras” and “Punya-Kshetras”. We had earlier witnessed that by visiting various “Punya-Kshetras”, our minds and bodies get purified and thereby, this would enable us to walk the path of “Dharma” quite easily, without any strain. Moreover, if we look at all the “Punya-Kshetras” of India, they are unparalleled as compared to any other place in the world. For instance, we had witnessed yesterday how each and every river of our Bhaarata Desha has its significance as per our “Sanaatana Dharma” literature. For instance, River Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Cauvery, etc. have existed even during the Tretha Yuga time period, which is around 100,000 years ago. We can witness references made to these rivers by Valmiki Maharishi in his Ramayana text. Not only this – Subsequently, Sage Vyaasa’s Mahabharata which we’re currently witnessing, also has enormous references to the same set of rivers! Sage Vyaasa, as we had witnessed, has composed the Mahabharata text towards the end of the Dwaapara Yuga and in the beginning of the Kali Yuga. Moreover, Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana also talks about the origin and course of various rivers in India. Thus, if we see all this together, we can conclude that the rivers of our Bhaarata Desha have unparalleled significance and this is why it is widely said that if we take a holy dip in these rivers, all our sins would get washed away. Most importantly, Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet have time and again touched these river waters, and with this, the purity of these rivers are unparalleled as well! Hence, this point gets vindicated! 

Moving on further, now that we’ve discussed how our great rivers are significant, we shall witness why “Kshetras” are important. We have many important places like Mathura (Birth place of Bhagawan Krishna), Ayodhya (Birth place of Bhagawan Rama), Bhadreekaashrama (Divine abode of Shri Bhadreenaatha Swamy), Kaashi Kshetra (An important place for Bhagawan Shiva), Dakshineshwar (An important temple for Goddess Kaali, situated in Kolkata), Srirangam (Dwelling place of Bhagawan Ranganatha in the reclining form at Trichy), and the likes. The list is countless, and I’m only pointing out a few of them for the benefit of our readers. Each place has its own significance with regards to Bhagawan’s divine presence in all of them in some form or the other. Now we might ask a question – “Oh! Why should we visit Ayodhya or Mathura or whatever place? So what if Bhagawan Krishna and Rama took birth there? They are not here now, aren’t they? Hence, what are we going to gain by visiting these places now after thousands of years of their birth?” The answer is very simple – It is not important for us whether Bhagawan is in the form of “Sthoola Deham” (Physical form) or “Sookshma Deham” (Omni-present in an invisible form). This is where our Sanaatana Dharma as a way of life stands out uniquely as compared to the others – Bhagawan can exist in any form at any point in time! 

Then why should we visit Mathura and Ayodhya? We can experience Bhagawan at our homes itself, isn’t it? The answer is very simple – Every temple has its own spiritual vibrations. There is always a difference between experiencing Bhagawan in a temple, as against experiencing Bhagawan at our home. Of course, I’m not saying that we should stop doing our Pujas at home. That’s not the point. However, in a temple, Pujas and offerings take place continuously and with this, the power of the “Sanctum Sanctorum” is enormous. Moreover, many temples in India are consecrated by great Maharishis and at times, Bhagawan Himself. Hence, the power that these “Sanctum Sanctorums” emanate is extremely high. If we experience these vibrations, it gives us an unparalleled peace and tranquillity to our minds. This is why we visit temples and other “Kshetras”. 

So for today, let us understand this point very clearly as we move on with this discussion further! We shall continue this in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on why we should embark on “Teertha-Yatras”. We had witnessed an in-depth meaning on this accord, wherein we’ve seen how our mind gets purified by the spiritual vibrations that we would be exposed to, while visiting a “Punya-Kshetra”. Moreover, while we’re taking a holy dip in any of our sacred rivers of Bhaarata Desha, like River Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery, Godavari, Narmada, Tungabhadra, Thaamraparni, etc. we say that our sins get washed away and we become pure. This simply means that we’re getting freed up of our past “Paapa-Karma”, which otherwise might have misled us in many ways. Now that all these are washed away, automatically our body and mind gets purified, which in turn would enable us to walk the path of “Dharma”. Thus, by embarking on “Theertha-Yatras”, we ourselves are paving the way for us towards “Dharma”, and through this, Bhagawan is giving us a golden opportunity to mend ourselves! Hence, we should take it in this positive way as we move on. 

Moreover, we should understand one important aspect here – If we consider any river in India, it would have some “Deiva-Sankalpa” (Bhagawan’s divine will) behind its origin and its course today. Whereas in other parts of the world, I doubt whether there might be such reverence and significance for any river(s). In our Bhaarata Desha if we consider any river – Be it River Ganga for instance – We’ve discussed enough and more about how Mother Ganga came to this world from Bhagawan Shiva’s divine hair. In fact, this is why we often refer to Bhagawan Shiva as “Gangaadhara”, or “Jataadhara” – Because, He was the one who held River Ganga into the folds of His long hair! As the River Ganga falls on to the earth subsequently – Thanks to King Bhageeratha’s request, it falls in three directions – One, towards the “Deva-Lokha”, the other towards the “Aakaasha” and the third towards the “Manushya Lokha”, and this is why this place where the river originates is known as “Tripagatha”. Thus, all these rivers would find some place in our ancient “Sanaatana Dharma”, in our Ithihasas and Puraanas. For instance, we’ve witnessed a huge accord on the rivers of Ganga, Shrona, Sarayu, Yamuna, Mandaakini, Godavari, Tungabadra, etc. during our previous Ramayana project. There are extensive discussions on the courses of each of these rivers, how they had changed course with time and Yugas, etc. In fact, Bhagawan Rama Himself has crossed and walked along all of these rivers! Similarly, Bhagawan Krishna had spent all His childhood days along the banks of River Yamuna at Mathura / Gokula / Vrindavan. These places are highly revered and respected, along with the significance of River Yamuna which flows through all these places, aren’t they? 

Thus, we can understand here that the rivers that flow through our “Bhaarata Desha”, have enormous significances and somehow all of them find a place in our Sanaatana Dharma literature. Similar to the rivers in the Northern part of our country, those in the south also have their own significance. It is in between the banks of the River Cauvery and Kollidam (Tributary of River Cauvery) in the southern Indian city of Trichy, are the iconic temples of Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoil. While the Srirangam temple is dedicated to Bhagawan Ranganatha (Bhagawan Vishnu) who was transported from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka by King Vibhishana, the Thiruvanaikoil temple is dedicated to Bhagawan Jambukeshwara (Bhagawan Shiva) and Mother Akilandeshwari (Goddess Parvathi Devi) and is revered as one of the important “Pancha-Bhoota-Sthalas” of Bhagawan Shiva! Thus, we can witness here that the River Cauvery is revered in the southern part of India enormously as River Ganga is revered in the Northern part of India. Hence, taking a holy dip in these rivers assume a lot of significance, and we should do it atleast once during our lifetime. However, if we consider rivers from other parts of the world, we might not be able to attach any sort of spiritual significance to them. This is the reason why our Bhaarata Desha is considered to be a “Punya-Bhoomi”! 

Moreover, each and every temple that we witness in our Bhaarata Desha – From the North to south and east to west, has its own significance. We have enormous number of Mahatmas who originated from India – Be it Jagadguru Adishankarachaarya, Madhvachaarya, Bhagawan Ramanujachaarya, the Alwars, Nayanmars, contemporary Spiritual Masters such as Bhagawan Ramana-Maharishi, Shirdi Sai Baba, Puttaparthi Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, etc. All these great Mahatmas have dedicated their entire lives to spread the significance of our “Sanaatana Dharma” to the entire world, and in return, the world recognises India as the “Land of peace and Dharma” even today! Hence, it is not only about temples or rivers. It is also about great Spiritual leaders (Mahatmas, Alwars, Aachaaryas, Gurus, etc.), who teach and guide us towards the path of the ultimate “Moksha”! We might be wondering why all these Mahatmas chose India to incarnate and not any other place in this world! The answer is very simple – India is a land of “Sanaatana Dharma”, and will always continue to be so forever! 

So for today, let us understand the real significance of our Bhaarata Desha and let us feel proud to be citizens / closely associated with this great “Punya-Bhoomi”! We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂