Om; Year by year, a blessing arises that becomes an opportunity of pilgrimage.

Recently, myself and Acharya Rabindra, following our Shringeri pilgrimage some years ago, continue in the footsteps of our Parampara and as Adi Shankaracharya made a visit to Nashik, we too went on another pilgrimage to the Shri Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple[1] and the Shri Kalaram Temple[2] in Nashik.

The following is a reminder of the true meaning of pilgrimage.

For uncountable millennia certain places have been dedicated only to prayer, to worship, to meditation. Such sacred places are places where there is a particular concentration, a vortex, of an unnamed spiritual energy. It is a holy place of pilgrimage where manifestation of divinity took a form that conferred grace upon an ascetic, or revealed the divine word, where thousands gather and scatter flowers, offer worship, offer charity, receive healing, have their wishes fulfilled. An adhikarin, a worthy one, fulfilling the qualifications, s/he may receive the rarest privilege of the darshana of Shiva.

Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik

Kalaram Temple in Nashik

A pilgrimage may be undertaken with many different spiritual goals in mind. It may be an act of Pashcattapa, acknowledging to oneself one’s failures, misdeeds, acts of hurt, dishonesty, or violence. One then wants to be freed of the burden by undertaking a Prayashchitta, an act of atonement and purification. These acts of atonement can take many forms. After completing the pilgrimage one forgives oneself, feels lightened, unburdened, ready to make a fresh start with a clearer heart and a cleaner mind. It becomes a transition from past burdens, fixations, obsessions, and self-repeating habits, towards shaping for oneself a new personality and a fresh plan for sculpting one’s thoughts and sentiments.

The mystery of sanctity is such that the spot identified was dug and an icon was found there, buried centuries ago. Such icons are called svayam-bhu, the self-manifested ones. Thereafter a temple may be constructed at the holy place.

The pilgrim makes the resolve to thank the Divinity for the opportunity of being at a place where the Lord of the Universe at one time made Her/His playground and wrought miracles and uplifted and liberated the souls from misery, granted grace to an ascetic, and revealed the Divine Word. “May I succeed in these acts of renunciation and self-purification” – prays the pilgrim before leaving his/her accustomed place for shores and conditions unknown.

During such a pilgrimage, an inspiration may arise in one’s mind that one has been freed not only from death, but from fear of death (which is the true cause of all death principle) and now one feels ready to enter the life of a renunciate. It was at that time I felt an electric current rise up into me, that whirled around me three times and then subsided. It was an immersion into a holy river of light, flowing from the mind of Brahma, the feet of Vishnu, from the hair-locks of Shiva, through countless generations of Himalayan Masters.

(excerpted & adapted from the booklet: “What is a Pilgrim” by Swami Veda Bharati)

Footnotes:

[1] The Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is an ancient temple in the Trimbakeshwar town in the Nashik District of Maharashtra, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve jyotirlingas.

The word ‘Jyotirlinga’ means the ‘Pillar of light’. This divine Jyotirlinga is the only Jyotirlinga in India that represents not only Lord Shiva (Triymbak-raj) but also Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. The linga has three faces, which represent the Trinity or Trimurti (i.e., Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) who are considered as the Creator, Preserver, and Destructor of the entire universe.

[2] The Kalaram Temple is a temple in Nashik district in Maharashtra, dedicated to the Lord Shri Rama. The Kalaram temple derives its name from the black statue of Lord Rama. According to ancient epic of the Ramayana, Lord Rama was sent in exile for 14 years. After the tenth year of exile, Lord Rama along with his brother Lord Lakshmana and his wife Goddess Sita, lived for two and half years on the northern bank of the Godavari near Nasik at a place known as Panchavati.