108 Facets of the Inimitable Guru
53. पुर्यादिक्षेत्रयात्राकृत् Puryādi-kṣetra-yātrā-kṛt
One who travelled to places of pilgrimage such as Puri
Puri on the east coast of India, in the state of Odisha, is one of the catur-dhāmas (popularly called ‘Char-dham’ or four sacred pilgrimage spots), and home to the great temple of Lord Jagannātha. The other three places included under the catur-dhāmas are Dwaraka, Badrinath and Rameswaram. Bhagavatpāda chose three of these, namely Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath to establish the Pūrva-āmnāya Sri Govardhana Math (eastern pīṭha), Paścima-āmnāya Sri Kalika Math (western pīṭha) and Uttara-āmnāya Sri Jyotir Math (northern pīṭha) respectively. Bhagavatpāda designated the kṣetra (sacred place) of Rameswaram as associated with the Dakṣiṇa-āmnāya Sringeri Math (southern pīṭha).
One other grouping of sacred places featuring Puri finds mention in a popular verse that states that Viṣṇu, mounted on Garuḍa, goes to Badrinath at daybreak, visits Varanasi at midday, partakes of food at Puri and retires to bed at Dwaraka, every single day.139
His Holiness was yātrā-kṛt, One who travelled to, and worshipped at all these sacred places, namely Puri, Dwaraka, Badrinath, Rameswaram and Varanasi during His tours.
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His Holiness, along with His disciple and successor-designate, Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin, visited Puri on 24th June, 1977, and was received with great honour by Śrī Nirañjana Deva Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin, the Śaṅkarācārya of the Sri Govardhana Peetham. His Holiness visited the Jagannāth Temple and offered worship there.
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His Holiness went to Dwaraka and installed Śrī Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī as the Jagadguru of the Dwaraka Peetham on 27th May, 1982. Holy waters from all over the country were used in performing the consecration ceremony. His Holiness, along with Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin, also had samudra-snāna at the confluence of River Gomatī with the Arabian Sea.
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On 30th May, 1967, His Holiness reached Badrinath (as mentioned under nāma 33). He had His first darśana of Lord Badri-nārāyaṇa in splendid isolation. Early in the morning of the 31st, He again proceeded to the temple and witnessed the ārati. He offered flowers at the feet of the Lord and performed arcana. He then went on to visit the important places in and around Badrinath along with half a dozen saṁnyāsins from different parts of India. He also offered worship at the shrine of Śrī Mahālakṣmī within the Temple. He had a dip in the tapt-kuṇḍ as well.
His Holiness visited the Pañca-śilas and Pañca-tīrthas of Badrinath. After visiting several holy places in and around Badrinath, His Holiness proceeded to Brahma Kapal which is the spot sacred to the pitṛs (ancestors). Finally, He visited the Mātā Mūrti temple, dedicated to the wife of Dharma-prajāpati who was the mother of sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa. He also visited Charan Paduka, where the feet of Lord Badrinārāyaṇa are etched. On the 1st of June, He proceeded to the Vasudhāra-tīrtha where the eight Vasus are said to have performed penance. The path leads to Mana Village, the last village before Chinese territory. Here, His Holiness met some Buddhists and acquainted Himself with their language and their way of life.
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His Holiness visited the temple town of Rameswaram a total of four times. His first visit was in 1957, with His Holiness reaching the sacred place on 5th November. His Holiness reached Pamban by steam boat. Then from the outskirts of Rameswaram Town where He was received with pūrṇa-kumbha, His Holiness walked through the main streets, in torrential rain, till He reached the Devasthanam Thiruppani Buildings, where He was to stay for a week. He performed the Candramaulīśvara-pūjā in the south-western corner of the famous third corridor of the temple. On the 7th, He took a sacred bath at Dhanushkodi during the lunar eclipse. On the 11th, He offered pūjā on a grand scale to Śrī Rāmanātha and Śrī Parvatavardhinī at the temple.
His Holiness’s second visit to Rameswaram was on 2nd February, 1965. He worshipped at the shrines of Śrī Rāmanātha and Śrī Parvatavardhinī. An utpātaśānti-homa was performed on His instructions to alleviate the sufferings of people affected by the cyclone that had hit the place earlier. His Holiness then went to the Rama Setu as described in the context of nāma 32.
His next visit was to perform the kumbhābhiṣeka of the Rameswaram temple scheduled for 5th February, 1975. His Holiness, along with His successor-designate, arrived at Mandapam and took a steamer to Rameswaram on the 3rd. After the ceremonial reception They were received at the temple with pūrṇakumbha and other temple honours. The Jagadgurus personally visited the yāgaśālās on the 3rd, as well as on the 4th and supervised the rituals. On the 5th, the kumbhābhiṣekas of the temple towers were conducted in the august presence of the Jagadgurus. Subsequently, His Holiness personally performed an elaborate pūjā with His lotus hands at the shrine of Śrī Rāmanātha. This was followed by the worship performed by His Holiness at the sanctum sanctorum of Goddesses Parvatavardhinī and Viśālakṣī.
His Holiness visited Rameswaram again in 1980, again with His successor-designate. The Jagadgurus reached Rameswaram on 11th February, 1980. On the 14th, the Mahāśivarātri-pūjā was performed by His Holiness. The Jagadgurus had a holy bath in the ocean on the occasion of the solar eclipse on the 16th. They then left for Dhanushkodi where They bathed in the sea, after which His Holiness sat in meditation for a while by the sea.
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His Holiness’s first visit to the holy city of Varanasi was on 30th April, 1967. On 1st May, He proceeded to the river Gaṅgā very early in the morning for a bath. He performed His morning ablutions and prayers on the banks of the sacred river, sitting in silent contemplation for nearly three hours, lost to the world and in communion with the Infinite. During His four days’ stay at Varanasi, He took holy dips in the Gaṅgā in various ghats, worshipped at the shrines of Lord Viśvanātha, Goddess Annapūrṇā, Dhuṇḍi Vināyaka and other deities, presided over two vidvat-sadas events and honoured nearly 160 scholars with cash prizes. Apart from blessing numerous devotees, He also visited the Varanaseeya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, the Sangaveda Vidyalaya and the Banaras Hindu University.
His second visit to Varanasi was in January 1977, to perform the kumbhābhiṣeka of Goddess Annapūrṇā (vide nāma 7). He made a brief halt at Varanasi again in May 1977. He visited Varanasi for the fourth time on 14th September, 1982, and stayed there for five days.
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