At the Purnakumbh at Prayag, with its millions of pilgrims, Adi Sankara’s Bhaja Govindam verse 17 suddenly comes to mind: “One may go to the Ganga Sagar on pilgrimage or undertake severe fasts or perform charity. (However) all schools of thought hold that, without wisdom, such a person will not find liberation in a hundred births.” What is the jnana which Sankara deems essential for liberation? It is the discrimination that eventually leads one to the direct knowledge of Self, without identification with body. It is the growing awareness that one may really not be the body or mind, that one might be the spirit, an integral part of the universe, the atma in param-atma.
Without this seed of awareness all pilgrimages are merely religious tourism, all charity just a balm for the heart. Often by strengthening the ego, these have an effect that is just the reverse of what is intended. What should be a matter of piety becomes a matter of pride. What then is the value of pilgrimages and charity? Are all the faithful merely wasting their time, money and energy to no effect? Not really.
Pilgrimages have their value. Not every pilgrim wants to go on a pilgrimage in order to become liberated. Not every charitable person does charity because he wants to become enlightened. These things soothe the mind and engender goodwill. Often, they bring one closer to one’s ishta devta, one’s chosen diety, by making the mind focus on one’s faith in a special way.
Pilgrimages have another advantage. The accumulated faith of hundreds of thousands of people in one place creates a milieu that is unique in its ability to transport the mind, at least for the duration of the pilgrimage, to a different plane.
Like snow all around affects light in a very special way, mass faith affects the atmosphere in a special way, making it more conducive to bliss. Often this lambent feeling itself makes the pilgrimage worthwhile. To an enlightened person, the very wisdom makes it unnecessary to embark on any pilgrimage as he sees everything and everyone as his own self. There is no distinction between the subject and object.
Everything becomes holy and the pilgrimage destination is wherever the enlightened person is. If this is indeed so, why did Sankara bother to write this verse? Who was he addressing? At the Purnakumbh, at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, I feel the presence of Saraswati, too. She smiles, as she must have smiled on Sankara when he was inspired to write this beautiful poem, and tells me: This verse is not for every pilgrim or everyone giving alms. Sankara wrote this for those misguided people who think that their pilgrimages and charity will advance them on the spiritual path.
But without the quality of wisdom, humility and without true understanding of the meaning of pilgrimage and charity, even a hundred births will not move them closer to enlightenment. So, go on pilgrimages if you want to. Give charity if you are so moved.
Just do not think that these will help you climb the spiritual ladder. To do so, wisdom is essential and this will not come through pilgrimages or charity. If you want to climb this ladder, your pilgrimage should be inward; perhaps helped by the grace of your guru or the imperatives of your own prarabdha.
And, if you succeed in your pilgrimage, everything you do for anyone will be charity of the highest order but you will not think you are doing anything charitable.