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Sunday, December 3, 2017

Tirtha yatra

'Tirtha', is commonly understood by us as a pilgrimage. Most of us think that it's simply a visit to a holy place, may be taking a dip in a holy river or a pond and things like that.‘Tirtha’ literally means a ford or a crossing, where crossing the river is easy; most of the temples in India are located at the banks of various rivers. It reflects the crossing over from one phase of life to another. The term 'Tirtha’ symbolizes the crossing from this world to the beyond, it symbolizes a place where God is closer and the results of worship are generous, where one's prayers are amplified.
So these Tirthas are not place specific, they are merely states of minds of people. We need to feel the Tirtha within ourselves only then the real motive will be solved. The state of mind after meeting a spiritually evolved being even in the middle of a brothel or a slaughter house (places which generally we consider as unholy) is also a Tirtha, that can be achieved any where and any time and by anyone of us. As Dharmarāj in Mahābharat described his uncle Vidur as a Tirtha himself, as he had evolved to an extent that by meeting one could experience the Tirtha.
For an actual Tirtha to happen there is no need to go some where, no need to meet some one, no need to take a dip in some water...Its the journey that takes you a step closer to yourself , closer to one's "Atmā " (one's inner continuousness). The spatial dimension of it helps, but it's certainly not the only way to be there.
For example if one visits the Kumbha mela, and due to his/her ego decides not to take a dip in the water (some of us don't take the dip as we feel that the water is dirty) but if that person is ready and evolved to accept the divinity of the time and space he/she will experience the cross over within, just by being at that part of the space. On the other hand if he/she doesn't go to the mela but is in a state of mind of cross over they are still experiencing a Tirtha.

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