Varanasi - City of Inner Awakening

In today's (21st April, 2014) morning Satsang Paramahamsa Nithyananda spoke about the tradition of Yatras and going to the energy fields that give strength to the people. He followed this with a Question and Answer session for people preparing to come to Inner Awakening in which he shed light on people's incompletions about poverty. He finished off with Dial the Avatar, answering more devotees questions. TRANSCRIPTS:- The impact of kshetras and teerthas on the spiritual growth is something extraordinary! Actually, my whole life is a long yaathra. I am born in a teertha kshetra which liberates people just by remembrance, and spent so much of my time in travelling to teertha kshetras in my life. Even now I don't stay in a city or village if there is no temple there! I stay only if I can go to the temple in the morning! The influence of teertha kshetras, especially teerthas like Jeevan Mukthi Nagaras (cities which liberate)! Please understand, in Hindu Tradition, we have seven cities, Jeevan Mukthi Puris -- Kanchi, Kashi, Maya (Haridwar), Avanthika, total seven cities, Mathura, Ayodhya, Dwaraka. These seven cities are called Jeevan Mukthi Puris, which give liberation either when you visit or by leaving the body there, or by living there. There are some like Arunachala, just by remembering you get liberated! Apart from all these, Kashi has a very fascinating influence over people. It is really, really, fascinating! Not because we are doing our Inner Awakening there; even by its very essence, the moment I remember Kashi, I am.....! If I plan to go to Kashi, a few days before itself already I am in Varanasi....I am in Kashi! I wanted to define "Yaathra". "Yaathra" is: travelling to a place which puts you in a highest state! Going to a place which gets you back to the space! Going to a place which gets you back to the space! Going to a place which gets you back to your own space! Going to a place which gets you back to your own space is Kshetra. Kshetra is a place which stands for certain spiritual energy, certain ideology. All our temples and ashrams are the modern-day Kshetras. All our temples and ashrams are the modern-day Kshetras. Please listen! All our temples and ahsrams are the modern-day Kshetras. And this concept of Yaathra is unique to Hinduism, please understand. Tens of thousands of years before any religion invented any Yaathra or any pilgrimage, we were doing pilgrimage, we were doing Yaathra. It is through Yaathra, India was kept united. Please understand, the priests from Karnataka are doing puja in Kedarnath. Priests from Maharashtra are doing puja in Rameswaram. Priests from different parts of the country do puja in the other parts of the country in the temples. By this great spiritual tourism, this country's fabric of enlightenment was kept alive.The backbone of this country..... Even "backbone" is too small a word. "Fabric" is the right word. Means, the whole basis of this country is enlightenment. Yaathra is one of the very important aspects of Hinduism. Going to the energy fields, being there, giving people the experience, strength....! You cannot compare among the Kshetras, Varanasi, to any Kshetra. The city has the world's largest floating population. Please understand, per day three lakh (300,000) people enter the city and leave the city. The floating population of the city is three lakh people! It means, per month, almost 3 x 30 = 90 lakhs! Per year almost ten crores! It is far, far, far ahead of any other religion's any pilgrimage centre. And the funny thing is, throughout the year this pilgrimage happens! All through the year this pilgrimage happens! I have so much to tell about Kashi! Such a fascinating city! Such an amazing city! As I said yesterday, if you do good or bad in some remote village, no one will know. Even if you are fasting for some purpose, or protesting, if it is done in a remote village, no one will know! But if you are sitting in the Headquarters, Jantar Mantar, Delhi, whether you do good or bad, the whole world will know, especially the decision-makers will know! You will be able to influence decisions. Same way, if you do any spiritual practice for Inner Awakening anywhere in a corner, you may or may not get; but by doing it right under the nose of Vishwanatha, Annapoorni, in their breathing space, it is an unimaginable, extraordinary experience! I don't even want you to think because Inner Awakening is happening there in Kashi I am promoting Kashi. Kashi does not need to be promoted by anybody! It stands by itself! And Mahadeva has committed that he won't give up on Kashi! Never forsaken! Avimuktha Kshetra! So, now I will move to the next segment of the morning satsangh.