PILGRIMAGE

(I also) go to bathe (ਤੀਰਥ ਉਤੇ ਇਸਨਾਨ) at sacred shrines of
pilgrimage (but, for me) the Lord's Name is the
pilgrimage. To Reflect on the Shabad (contemplation,
Shabad-Vichaar: ਸਬਦ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਚਾਰ-ਮੰਡਲ ਵਿਚ ਟਿਕਾਣਾ, etc.)
is the pilgrimage (for me, because of this) Spiritual
Wisdom (Aatamic-Giaan) arises within me (sggs 687).
<><><><>

Vultures roam around flying high over the planes, mountains, forests and water. However, there eyes are always fixed on the charnel-pits: depositories of the dead animals or bones. Similarly, the mind gripped by the Mayaic Budhi fly high like a vulture and wander around in directions.

As indicated in the Gurbani (SGGS), under the spell of ignorance or foolishness, many of us travel thousands of miles and climb high mountains to visit the so called sacred shrines of pilgrimage and bathe in their waters. But the eyes of our vulture like minds always remain fixed on corruption and falsehood — lust, greed, anger, emotional attachment, pride, stubborn-mindedness, enviousness, and so on.

Who are these people engaged in such worthless show of external religion and spirituality; and why they do it? Does the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) approve of it? If not, then what's the True pilgrimage as seen by the Gurbani? In this context, this Gurbani Reflection will attempt to reflect on the following: The Gurbani Rejects Pilgrimage: It is totally anti-Gurmat practice

Yes, religious pilgrimages (Yaatraa or Dhaam-Yaatraa, etc.) to the so called sacred shrines is absolutely against the Teaching of the Gurbani (Gurmat).

This practice is being carried on and promoted by those Sikhs who are students and followers of the greedy and crafty Brahmin. Otherwise, why would they be acting against the Gurmat (Aatam Giaan of the Gurbani)?

Being a waste of useful time and energy, religious pilgrimages (Yaatraa or Dhaam-Yaatraa, etc.) to the so called sacred shrines are not a part of the Gurmat (Teaching of the Gurbani), and, thus, they are repudiated (ਖੰਡਨ) by the Gurbani. Further, the Gurbani also rejects bathing at such places.

However, the spiritually blinds still go out of their way to visit such places anywhere in the world, and bathe at every pool (Sar or Sarovar) they can find. Even though the Gur-Shabad roars that the Lord and the true shrine of pilgrimage is within our body, but people travel in search for God at these external shrines plagued with falsehood and corruption!

The Gurbani declares any religion that allows such rituals is a "useless religion". The love for the Eternal Name of God (Naam: Aatam Giaan, Divine Knowledge...) is the only essential and necessary thing; everything else is a Karamkaand or worldly entanglement ("Niraaphal Kaamaa"). The Gurbani also tells us that the Love of God can be attained remaining right where we are, "here and now". Perhaps we can appreciate now as to how futile it is to visit the so called sacred shrines if we have not awakened the Love for God in the inner Home (Mool)! It is repeatedly declared by the Gurbani that there is nothing out there at shrines (or anywhere else for that matter) which is not within our bosom. Rituals inflames our false ego-sense (Haumai). The only purpose of religion is to eliminate this egotism, not to increase it! Accordingly, the Gurbani's edict is not to go visiting such places; they only fills our mind with more filth of ego-sense (Haumai), thus, they become vexations to the Spirit. Therefore, in spite of such stern condemnation of pilgrimage and bathing at the so called sacred shrines, those who still go on undertaking them are essentially showing their back to the Gurmat (Aatam Giaan of the Gur-Shabad). Baabaa Nanak says: The Manmukh (the self-willed, unwise, material being ...) is likened to a gourd. As the gourd will not shed its bitterness by bathing at the so called holy places, similarly, the mental filth of a Manmukh can not be washed off by bathing at such places. This is the reason such nonsense activities are rejected in the Gurbani; because such activities are nothing but "churning of water"! If one thinks otherwise, obviously then he has no clear understanding of the Gurmat and the Lord. Because, as proclaimed by Baabaa Nanak, such person is nothing but a stubborn fanatic (ignorant being). The Pujaaree Group And Rituals

Before the coming of Baabaa Nanak, such religious nonsense (propagated by the greedy and crafty Brahmins) in the society was on the rampant — rituals such as making pilgrimage to so called sacred shrines; bathing at the so called sacred ponds (Srovars or Sar) located at these shrines; mechanical reading of scriptures without understanding a word of them; applying the so called ceremonial religious garbs and symbols to the perishable body; worship of images and embodied beings (But-Prastee and Aadam-Prastee); performing religious Kirtan and dance for material gains; and other Karamkaand such as fasting, making vows, standing naked in the water, enduring hunger and poverty, sitting cross-legged, stubbornly practicing ritualistic postures and austerities, standing on their heads, making offerings and sacred feasts, intense meditations with the body upside-down, performing external worship services, making donations to charity in pride, performing fire sacrifices, digging wells and pools, building temples, the list goes on and on.

Because of such corruption, the temples were turned into the dens of mammon worshippers by the Pujaaree group (priests). Why? Like vultures, the Pujaaree group prays on simpleton's ignorance to swindle money out of them. Then came Baabaa Nanak as a Spiritual storm and totally blown away these swindlers and their nonsense rituals, beliefs, and ceremonies. How did he do that? With Spiritual Wisdom (Shabad-Giaan), he torn apart the bonds of Maya of those who applied his Teaching. Breaking the pitcher of evil passions, evil-mindedness, doubt, and duality he thus brought us freedom from the slavery of Spiritual ignorance. Baabaa Nanak reminds us: Unfortunately, we are falling back into the same dark pit of Spiritual ignorance from which Baabaa Nanak rescued us. What has gone wrong? The Tenth Master was well aware of the crookedness of this Pujaaree group. If we recall the history, for this very reason he burnt some of them alive in a well at Anand Pur Sahib and Dehra Doon. Apparently — and unfortunately — not all of them got burnt! Because, since his departure, the same old Pujaaree group has made the comeback in full swing; though in different garbs, names and forms. They have virtually confined the Sikhi to organized religious places, and they have again turned these places into the dens of mammon worshippers, corruption, worthless rituals and ceremonies. There are two types of ignorant people in the world: the one is illiterate ignorant, and the second one is educated ignorant. Since they both are devoid of the Intuitive Understanding (Aatma-Gian), they are relatively easy pray to the materially clever Pujaaree Group. Consequently, many of us have fallen back into the fold of same worthless nonessentials — empty rituals and ceremonies from which we were freed by Baabaa Nanak. The Manmukh And Pilgrimage

The Gurbani repeatedly reminds us that whosoever makes pilgrimages is none other than a Manmukh — a spiritually unwise, untrue, self-centered, materialistic, self-willed, materially corrupt being, Mayadhaaree, etc. In other words, as the Gurbani puts it, the Manmukh is a "stupid" being; for he does not understand the Gur-Shabad at all. The reason he does not understand Gur- Shabad (or Naam) is that his deluded mind is tied with the knot of false ego-sense (Haumai) and Maya. Afflicted with this grave disease, the Manmukhs stubbornly practice useless rituals and ceremonies. They wear religious robes and apply religious symbols to their bodies, which further increase their mindless pride.

According to the Gurbani, the Manmukh being is a beast. Just as the deer is unaware of the presence of musk within his body, the Manmukh also is unaware of the Essence of the Absolute Reality ever present within his body. However, the scriptures affirm that the True and the Wise (the Gurmukhs) do not go to pilgrimages since they are pure inside. To the contrary, the Manmukh filled with the poisonous lava of ego-sense inside repeatedly visits such places. Thus, Manmukhs with their evil mind and thievish bodies, go to bathe at the pilgrim places. The outer part of their body filth does get washed off by bathing at such places, however they end up accumulating twice as much of inner or mental filth. Like gourds, they may be washed off on the outside, but on the inside, they ever remain filled with poison of falsehood. To the contrary, a Spiritual Being (the Gurmukh) is blessed even without such bathing; while a thief remains a thief, no matter how much he bathes.

The root cause of Manmukh's suffering is selfishness, worldly love or attachment (Mayaic lifestyle). His selfish desires originate from ignorance of his Mool within (Source, Origin, Jot...). Fulfillment of each desire leads to further greed, and non-fulfillment to anger. Clearly, actions performed in material bondage (Mayaic efforts) do not result in purifying the mind at all. In other words, neither selfish nor ritualistic actions are cure to man's mental diseases and resulting suffering. However, due to the perverted understanding, the Manmukh undertakes pilgrimage in futile hope to cure his suffering. This will never happen, declares the Gurbani.

Material selfishness and doubts are the sense of separateness between the parmaatam and man. The living entity separated from the Mool within (Source, Origin, Jot...) is called Manmukh in the Gurbani. Thus, the Manmukh and his doubts and selfishness are one and the same. He is neither interested in the Intuitive Understanding, nor devotion. As such, with his external and superficial (false) efforts, he remains engrossed in material contamination. His consciousness remains stubborn within, and his speech remains insipid. Because of his selfishness, he is unable to associate with Sat (Truth). His actions are useless like the elephant, who takes a bath and then a moment later rolls in the dust again.

From ignorance comes the perception of individuality (false ego-sense). Thus, unaware of his true aim in life, the Manmukh wastes his life in addiction to enjoying the material senses. Consequently, he ends up doing everything contrary to the Dvivne Teaching of the Gurmat (Aatam Giaan). Under the spell of ignorance and delusion, he entertains the wrong notion that his material body is the real Self. This  false or mistaken identity is the seed of mental delusion, whose nature is conceptualization, which is the cause of  his sorrows and repeated pain and delusion.

In spite of the Gurbani's repeated rejection of any and all types of rituals, religious garbs, and ceremonies, the Manmukhs keep practicing them because they think the Supreme Lord is just as foolish and ignorant as they are. Being slave of their sensory apparatus, the Manmukh's emotional attachment to the sense objects makes his mental conditioning more and more dense. Such sense-blind mind is likened to a camel. For example, the camel eats thorny bushes even though it makes his mouth bleed. Similarly, the mind of a passion and ignorance-obsessed man indulges in all sorts of rituals for sense gratification even though he suffers. However, the Lord is not a toy or a plaything. As such, the Gurbani tells us the lord cannot be won over by Karamkaands or worldly entanglements (Mayaic efforts). In fact, it is the Karamkaands that have led to our separation from our Mool within (Source, Origin, Jot...) in the first place! Therefore, the Gurbani affirms that, without the True Name (Giaan, Divine Knowledge...), all religious rituals and wearing are like decorations on a dead body. Without the True Name, there is nothing in this world that can render us Pure. Baabaa Nanak says:

The True Pilgrimage

As revealed by the Gurbani in the preceding verses, visiting all sorts of shrines is the false pilgrimage. Bathing in ponds, making donations or charities in ignorance, performing all sorts of ritualistic acts, and so on, is nothing but a naked show of one's false ego-sense (Haume). As declared in the Gurbani, since this sort of false activities are in the mode of ignorance, the Lord is not pleased (or Realized) by them at all.

This brings us to the following question: what is the true pilgrimage and bathing then? As asserted by the Gurbani, the true pilgrimage is none other than the unbroken Shabad-Vichaar, which leads to Aatam Giaan (Spiritual Wisdom).

This leads us to yet another question: where is this true place of pilgrimage and ablution located? "Within this human body", reveals the Gurbani.

Apparently, not too many truly believe the Gurbani. Otherwise, why we should be wasting our time and energy in traveling and visiting all the external (unreal) places of pilgrimage like vultures.

It is interesting to note that, although making external pilgrimage to shrines has been repudiated by the Gur-Shabad, still it is being glorified and advertised by the Sikhs in the newspapers, magazines, Internet, other media outlets (for example, "Hemkund Yatra", and so on). Obviously, either such people have no understanding of the Gurbani, or they have no faith in it, or on account of their ignorance and selfishness (Manmukhtaa), they just don't care! Baabaa Nanak says:

How can we Realize the true pilgrimages within? It's very simple, indicates the Gurbani. All we have to do is join the friendship of Sat (Truth), within through the earnest Shabad-Vichaar. It is as simple as winking of an eye or crushing of a flower in the palm! It's so because Truth is very simple and open to all. It is simply loving the Self which is hidden within the body! However, it is the deluded mind that makes simple things complicated because it will read complex and far-fetched meanings in simple truth. Thus, it's the pastime of the deluded mind to look for cause for everything. People want complexity because they are not contented with simplicity. This is why so many religions and sects have come into existence with their own complex adherents and antagonists! Only spiritually awakened and mature can grasp the simple Truth in all its nakedness. Transiency is the proof of unreality of this world and its objects (Maya). All the external places of pilgrimage being fleeting (Maya) will vanish one day. Therefore, it is proclaimed by the Gurbani that the Real Place of pilgrimage is within the body, the Eternal Mool within (Source, Origin, Jot...). All else is a passing show. Those "excellent people" who have realized the "true pilgrimage" within are truly Wise (the Gurmukh) and truely contented, immersed in the Naam or Shabad-Surti.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 6:17 PM (PST)

[Home] [Article Menu]