07 Feb 2005
First you must decide the level in which you are present. If you are in the preliminary ignorant state, you can proceed to the pilgrimage because that will satisfy your psychology. There is no use of analyzing the psychology in the preliminary level. At this preliminary level the devotee feels that the Lord exists in a particular place only and it must be visited to see the Lord. Actually the Lord does not dwell in any statue or does not stay in a particular place. The priests belonging to those places make such advertisements for commercial gains. In this preliminary level, even if the psychology is wrong, it has to be satisfied in its own way.
Now if you have traveled up to certain point in the spiritual path, you can analyze the psychology and satisfy it, only if it is found to be correct. I can advise you, assuming that you are a developed soul in the spiritual journey. The main aim of the pilgrimage is to change the place in which you are present. You require fresh air on a hill, in a forest, or on the bank of a river. The change of the place is essential because the mind always desires a change. You must satisfy the mind for such small things. You should not force the mind in every single point, like your child. If you force it in every little point it will not obey you in the major point. The fresh air is thus congenial for the mind to concentrate on the Lord. In such a place you can sing devotional songs and conduct spiritual discussions about the Lord. But you need not make a long journey for such fresh air. A long journey has several disadvantages like improper food, absence of movements of the body in the train or bus, etc. Such bad food and inconvenience leads to illness. The freshness you got in the distant place is lost on your return journey. Also the illness you acquired in the forward journey to reach that place will not allow you to receive that fresh atmosphere to your best capacity. Instead of such a long journey, you can make short journeys at the end of every week to get such an atmosphere in the nearby places. The short journey will not disturb you in any way. Always sitting at home is not good from the point of the psychology of the mind. Both extremities must be avoided. Therefore do not stay continuously at home. At the same time, you should avoid very long journeys. Both the draught and flood must be avoided. Similarly in the case of food also both fasting and over eating in one meal only should be avoided. You should not fast on the whole day. At the same time you must not overeat for one meal in a day and remain without for the rest of the day. You must eat limited food more frequently in the day. Overeating for one meal, releases a lot of sugar into the blood, which damages vital organs. Thus, both food and travel must be in limited quanta, avoiding both the extremities. This will maintain a good health, which will be helpful not only for your worldly work but also for the spiritual effort. The Gita says the same (Yuktahaara Vihaarasya…). You can make a long journey to visit the Sadguru to receive the special divine knowledge from Him. You can also make long journeys for propagating divine knowledge. Shankara travelled long distances to meet the Sadguru called Govinda Bhagavatpada and also to propagate the true knowledge. But now such long journey is not necessary even for these purposes because electronic media are well developed to meet such needs without the need for any journey.