Pilgrimage as a quest for self-fulfillment in Indian religions

Pilgrimages in India

Pilgrimage:

A Quest for Finding Oneself in India: Introduction

Humans are born with an incredible amount of mental capacity to learn and grow, yet we are not born with a pre-determined set of rules guiding our thoughts. Religious practice around the world is thus the result of a collaboration of ideas between humans within a society in order to bring a framework of understanding into everyday life. Yet even with justifications of existence provided by religion, some individuals choose to pursue unanswered questions, in order to find a deeper meaning to life, and existence. Pilgrimage is such a quest, and is the pursuit of knowledge, as well as a journey of the mind and body, in search of answers to the unknowable questions of the universe. Pilgrimage also serves to prove one's own devotion to his or her faith, and can be qualified as a measure of good will, intended for gaining the favor of the higher being, as well as proving to oneself the resolve which exists within. India, in particular, has perfected the idea of pilgrimage. Devotion to Krishna and the ways of Hinduism are, for instance, important aspects of religious believers in India; this feeling of devotion can only be reached through a pilgrimage of some sort, whether internal or external. Yet Hinduism is not the only religion of belief India. In fact, there are many others, just as important and just as interesting. But no matter what religion the pilgrimage is in reference of, the reward, the most important facet of the pilgrimage, for a successful and thorough quest, is the comfort of knowing one's own existence is justified. This paper will thus discuss this idea of pilgrimage and how it can be utilized to provide a sense of self-fulfillment for an individual.

The Idea of the Pilgrimage Expanded

The search for a higher understanding of life's elusive answers compels humans to take journeys throughout their life, whether it is the Muslim Hajj to Mecca, the Catholic voyage to Rome, or the Bhakti practice of pilgrimage in India. India in particular has many hundreds of religions, thousands if you follow links to religions of the past. Pilgrimage has existed for mankind for longer than recorded history, and therefore the idea of the long journey itself is central to human nature.

The pilgrimage is not always peaceful, either, as the crusades of the Christians to Jerusalem was conducted via war, and even the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage of Mohammed from Medina to Mecca, was under the auspices of conquest. The Sikh, the Indian warrior class which has separated its beliefs and practices from the majority Hindu population surrounding the Sikh, has made battle an important aspect of their freedom. Not all Indians have pursued the path of violence, however, and the Bhakti movement is one which will be studied in order to observe how non-violence and tolerance has shaken the foundations of India itself.

One aspect of pilgrimage which is shared by all pilgrims is the belief that they are following a path set before them, either by God or by a man, and therefore to take pilgrimage is to begin not simply a quest, but rather a divine trail intended to test the devotion of an individual. To enter into pilgrimage is not merely an escape from life as it exists, but rather a difficult challenge to be approached with intense fervor in order to prove one's own worth, even if it is a worthiness employed entirely within one's own understanding of God and the divine. It is important to any pilgrim to be able to find what they are looking for when setting out on a long journey, as pilgrimage demands, and therefore it is altogether wise to have some sort of guru or teacher to follow, whether that be Jesus, Mohammed, or Arjun, from the pages of the Bhagavad-Gita.

Forms of Pilgrimage

Just as different religions have different forms of pilgrimage, so does an individual. For the purposes of this examination, meditation and the Bhagavad-Gita will be examined in detail. Meditation is a form of pilgrimage which is available to those who are unable to travel, or who have questions of self which cannot be answered in any other fashion except for the exploration of one's internal thought process. Although meditation is considered an internal process, there are external factors that must be present in order to achieve the preferred state of conscious necessary to have a fulfilling meditation. Meditation guides help with this process by providing the environment and knowledge necessary to explore one's own soul.

For centuries foreigners have entered the Indian subcontinent wishing to have the secrets of India unveiled before them. This style of pilgrimage is rather different than that of the local, who understands pilgrimage as a fundamental part of being Indian, rather than as an optional getaway from the troubles of far away. For the foreign pilgrim, the journey is less about belonging to a ritual passed throughout generations within a community setting. The pilgrimage is generally also not about reincarnation and the various aspects of Hinduism and the lessons revealed by Krishna, unless of course this foreigner is a Hindu themselves. Rather, pilgrimage to India is about realizing oneself, and denying the internal concept of 'ego', which translates to 'self'.

A guru is generally still the teacher during this sort of trek, but the lessons learned are to be internalized. The concepts laid out in Bhakti partially relate to the pilgrimage of the foreign individual, particularly in equality for all men, and the toleration for others, but some of what Bhakti teaches is intended solely for the political process of India, which operated by excluding lesser Castes and weaker populations.

Meditation is a practice which can be performed anywhere, at any time, so long as the conditions are suitable for the individual engaging in meditation. Pilgrimage, in fact, can be performed entirely through meditation only, allowing those who are unable or unfit to perform a physical pilgrimage to still engage in the practice. Entering into meditation is different than simply thinking and recalling one's own memories and perceptions of the day, rather meditation is a self-guided journey into one's own conscious, allowing for the inner chambers of the mind to exercise itself on problems and questions which cannot be answered through cursory glances into the brain.

Meditation can even be about building oneself and one's mind, if the goal of the Hindu spirit is to reduce negative karma and lift off the weight of the mortal world, then building a system and structure for achieving that goal is necessary to continue following the aspirations of the divine. Working towards the goal of selfless being is not a decision which can be made in a short matter of time, and likely several lifetimes are what it takes in order for one's spirit to reach a state of enlightenment. Meditation, however, takes much concentration, and truly only the best of pupils can achieve the kind of inner peace that is required by this practice. Many people, however, utilize meditation in its more superficial form, whether it be for relaxation or for thought.

The story of the Bhagavad-Gita is an excellent Sanskrit description of meditation and the idea of pilgrimage as an essential part of life. It begins in a struggle for family, power, and control of the kingdom of Aruna, who is at odds with Kauravas family. The Gita is not the story of the conflict, however, but rather the conversation between Arjuna, the rightful heir of his kingdom, and the god Krishna. Arjuna is unsure of himself, both as a man and a potential ruler, he tells Krishna that he does not necessarily need to be a ruler to be happy, and that he would rather prevent bloodshed than to earn his kingdom through such savage means. This sacrifice is not pleasing to Krishna, who understands the concept of Karma as the cycle of life and death.

Krishna believes there is no actual death of the soul, as there is with mortal life. Rather, just the exchange of the soul between bodies during the process of death and subsequent rebirth. Karma is a concept which cannot be fulfilled in a single lifetime, it requires many lives in order to achieve enlightenment. In selfless service to one's God, Karma will be removed, and the weight of karma on one's soul will be lifted. Defy God by acting as a selfish being, and negative Karma will increase, causing problems in the future cycles of one's soul, and therefore an extremely negative consequence will be the result of constant denial of God. Krishna does not necessarily appear in one's meditation or individual pursuit of enlightenment; rather, Krishna is a representation of the ideal form of God in Hinduism.

There are only three ways to reduce one's own Karma levels and thereby reaching enlightenment, and this is perhaps simple, but the three devices are in themselves extremely comprehensive. The first, is that of renunciation, which is renouncing the selfishness of oneself, in order to move through life without greed or excessive possession, but also not living life without possession at all. Only what one finds is necessary is the key to reaching the balance required for renunciation, according to Krishna. Second, selfless service to God is a great way to reduce bad Karma from one's soul, by completing actions or yoga as small steps in gratitude towards God. Third is meditation, which is more than simply reflection, but rather the constant search for the higher truth and the path to enlightenment, to be taken seriously by every individual who follows Krishna. Therefore it is crucial not only to void out selfish actions in one's life, but also to take time to push every necessary action towards the divinity of one's own actions.

Near the end of the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna questions the preaching of Krishna's divine ability, and so Krishna reveals his true form. Wit hthe power of a thousand suns, Krishna appears before Arjuna, convincing him of the power and truth of Krishna, and the ways of meditation and yoga. Following the steps laid out by Krishna, the soul of an individual may be elevated to the level of the divine, allowing a truly enlightened person to reach the heavens.

An understanding of the fragility of man is necessary in order to be able to shed oneself from the restrictions of the mortal world, and therefore selflessness, and the rejection of greed, craving, temptation, and diversions from the divine path is necessary to achieve enlightenment. Telling Arjuna that he must choose between the paths of good and evil, Krishna always offers Arjuna, and thusly the readers, the free choice to choose which path they will follow. The Bhagavad-Gita demonstrates not only how rich of a culture India has, but also helps to make us understand why meditation and selflessness are valuable traits to possess.

The Bhakti movement has had many effects on the people and politics of India, particularly in Muslim-Hindi relations, which had been bitter since the days of the Muslim Mughal kings who dominated over the Hindu people. The practice of tolerance preached by the Bhakti resounded greatly to those who wished to avoid further conflict, and moderation became more important than extremism, an idea particularly important in Bangladesh in the East, and Kashmir in the North, both areas which have strong Hindu and Muslim roots and conflict. The Bhakti also work towards the removal of empty gestures and superstitious rituals put forth by the upper caste of Hindu society, in an effort to educate the masses on how they themselves are easily manipulated and controlled. The equality of all men is a strong anti-caste statement, and has raised the ire of the Hindu elite, who require the caste-system structure in order to maintain effective governance.

The Bhakti movement has not simply readjusted the structure of Hindu controlled India, but also removed requirements on language which were intended to confuse and suppress minority populations in every corner of India. Allowing Bhakti to be preached in any language whatsoever allowed for the rise of minority regions such as Bengali to the East, Gujarati in the West, and Punjabi in the North. A similar reshaping happened in Protestant Europe, which removed the shackles of Latin and the Catholic Church in Rome from the common European, who under Protestantism could preach in local language for locals to be able to participate in their own devotion to God. In many ways, the removal of language requirements in order to preach is the most important step to the devolution of the Caste system which has shackled India's politics for centuries while stifling independent thought and public dissent.

Conclusions

In conclusion, pilgrimage in India is the search for fulfillment in life, whether it is in the Bhakti tradition or otherwise. It is expected that most Indians, and even humans, will perform pilgrimages at least at some point in their lives, and often in small villages an entire community still lives their life according to the pilgrimage footsteps of past generations. A pilgrimage does not need to be especially long or arduous, but a successful pilgrimage does require that one learns from their experience, and takes that knowledge forward with them in their lives. The never ending search for the divine aspects of this world has institutionalized among most religions the practice of pilgrimage. Within India and without, humankind is always changing, and it is always important to be in touch with one's ancestral knowledge, particularly when the idea of reincarnation is so thoroughly practiced. Perhaps it is extremely comforting to humans in general to be able to follow a set of practices absorbed from family and communities around them, or perhaps meditation truly renders one's mind in its purest form, and the best and most prescient thoughts originate when one is in total concentration on their own being.

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