What is TeerthaYatra? Srimad Bhagavatam, which is considered the natural commentary of Vedanta by Vyasadeva, declares about the Holy Places.
By Sri Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa Prabhu
What is TeerthaYatra? Srimad Bhagavatam, which is considered the natural commentary of Vedanta by Vyasadeva, declares about the Holy Places.
Auspicious indeed are the places where there is a Temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, in which He is duly worshiped, and also the places where there flow the celebrated sacred rivers mentioned in the Purāṇas, the supplementary Vedic literatures. Anything spiritual done there is certainly very effective. (SB 7.14.29)
All these auspicious places are known as Holy Tirthas. Shastras enjoin that one should make Teertha Yatra, or a pilgrimage Yatra to these Holy sites, in order to benefit spiritually.
Historical Significance of TeerthaYatra
From Srimad Bhagavatam, we see that the tradition of Teertha Yatra is very old, existing in this universe from the beginning of creation! In our recent history, there is an instance described in Srimad Bhagavatam about the pilgrimage of Vidura. It is said that Vidura didn’t take part in the battlefield of Kurukshetra and went on a Teertha Yatra across the globe. At some point, he returns to the palace of Yudhistira Maharaj who says: My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within Your Heart, You turn all places into places of pilgrimage. (SB 1.13.10)
In Yudhistira’s words, we can understand that a Maha-Bhagavata himself is a pilgrimage place! Also Mahabharat describes that even Lord Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Sri Krishna, did not take part in the battle but rather went on a Pilgrimage! It is mentioned that Lord Balarama visited Tirumala Venkateshwara during those days! It is a 5000-year-old visit!
Consciousness to be maintained during TeerthaYatra
When one visits Teertha Yatras, he goes there with the intention of seeking blessings of the Lord and His Great Devotees who can speak about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the way to reach Him. TeerthaYatra is meant for Tapas or voluntarily taking some inconvenience. One should not look for comforts during Pilgrimage.
What should we do in a Holy Place?
One will be endowed with all auspicious blessings if one performs austerities in a Holy Place. One should practice Brahmacharya, fasting at least for half a day, take a bath in the Holy River, refrain from liquor, meat, and gambling, take Darshan of Deities, and most importantly, one should chant the Holy Names of the Lord, and should hear the glories of the Pilgrimage Site as well as of the Lord from Saintly Devotees.
Important Places of Pilgrimage for All
India or Bharat is itself a place of Pilgrimage! Its land is blessed with the movement of the Lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Krishna, Rama, and many other Avataras. Although it is difficult to point out the places of pilgrimage for all, one’s life is considered successful if one can see the following pilgrimage sites:
Vrindavan and Mathura – the place of Lord Krishna’s appearance and Lilas – One can see prominent 6 – Goswami Temples and take bath in Yamuna river.
Ayodhya – the place of Lord Ramachandra’s appearance of Lilas.
Prayagraj – This place is called the King of all Pilgrimages! One can take a bath in the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati. One can also visit Venu Madhav and other famous sites of Pilgrimage.
Haridwar – One can take bath in Ganges which is flowing from the lotus feet of Sri Hari.
Rameshwaram – One can take bath in the lake and also see the Deity of Ramachandra and Lord Shiva.
Kasi or Varanasi – Darshan of Lord Vishwanatha and taking bath in Ganga.
Jagannath Puri – One can take the Darshan of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra.
Andhra and Telangana – One can visit Tirupati, Simhachalam, Mangalagiri Narasimha, Srisailam, Bhadrachalam, Yadadri, etc.
Char Dham – Every Hindu hopes to go for Char Dham at least once in his life. There are two kinds of Char Dham. One type is to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. One more type of Char Dham is to visit Badrinath, Jagannath Puri, Dwaraka and Rameshwaram (four places in four corners of the country and considered as “Sampoorna Char Dham)
It is enjoined in the Shastras that one should plan to visit pilgrimage places along with wife as soon as one reaches 50 years of age.
Bharat – Place of Spiritual Tourism
In a recent article, it was mentioned that Ayodhya attracted about 11 crore pilgrims in one year to become the #1 Pilgrimage place in the world. One can plan to come to India to visit these pilgrimage places and can stay for a minimum of a Mandala or around 45 days in India visiting these places. People should plan pilgrimage to these powerful places with the association of Devotees. Hare Krishna Temples offer a chance to visit many Pilgrimage places along with Saintly Devotees.
(Author is President, Hare KrishnaMovement, Hyderabad, and Regional President, AkshayaPatra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
