It is possible that you may be getting a doubt that while God
is present everywhere and anywhere, why should one go to a specific
place, or why should one go on pilgrimages and seek God only in those
specified places. When you have been able to imbibe the essence
that is contained in the words which describe Advaita and transform
them into your experience, then you do not have to go to a specified
place at all - you do not have to go anywhere at all. But so long as
you are content only with using words and just talking about Advaita
and you have no experience at all, it is necessary that you should go
to certain places. You have to make pilgrimages. Yes,
for whatever you call Saguna, for whatever you call Sakaara, you are
seeking some form. There is a place and time for that. But once have
got over this feeling if you are seeking the Nirguna, the one without
attributes and the Niraakara, the one without form, then there are no
limitations of space or time.
Let us take the case of a cow. Inside the cow right through, there
is the blood, which is flowing in its body. It is this blood which gets
converted into milk. We can infer that milk, in its essence is present
all through the body of the cow. But if you get at the ear of the cow
and twist it, are you going to get milk? Or if you get at the tail of
the cow and twist it, are you going to get milk? If you want to get
milk, you can do so but only from a specified place. So also while God
is omnipresent and is everywhere, if you want to see Him, if you want
to realize Him, then you have also to choose a place and a time.
The proper thing to do is at the beginning to accept a Saguna Brahman,
that is a form with some attributes, and so on, and through practice
and through Sadhana, gradually get over the situation and reach and
attain the Advaitic experience. For the Saguna, that is one with attributes,
and for Sakaara, that is one with a form, there is always a predetermined
place. So at first, in that predetermined place and at that fixed time
you will have to take to it and derive the pleasure and benefit.
Discourse, Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian
Culture at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District in May 1972
