Spirituality should not be based on sentiments but should be based on philosophical understanding. Many people carry a wrong notion that merely by visiting holy places or by donating money in temples they will come closer to God. But the fact lies elsewhere. The most important aspect of devotional life is purification of heart because with our impure hearts we won’t be able to understand God. We sometimes witness unsavory scenes in holy places and within the premises of the temples because many people do not understand even the basic tenets of devotional life. The holy places like Vrindavan, Mayapur, Jagannath Puri are abodes of God but we do not have access to it because these places are covered by Yogamaya, Krishna’s internal potency. So, although we may go there but we may not experience divine bliss if we do not have the right attitude and loving devotion for Lord.
I remember one of my acquaintances was about to visit Jagannath Puri. But a day before he was in anxiety because he was not able to find his favourite liquor brand which he wished to carry to Puri. Utterly shocked I asked that why he wants to carry liquor to Puri, he replied that in morning he will visit temple and offer worship and later in the day he will enjoy near the beach with his friends and family members, and so liquor was important.
People develop such mentality because they do not understand the real meaning of the word devotion. They do not understand the purpose of visiting temples and holy places. It is very much required for us to be well equipped with spiritual knowledge if we really want to understand God and our relationship with God. This is why saintly people have always advised us to hear more about God from an advanced devotee. And when we visit any spiritual place then we should mostly do it in the association of the devotees where we will get abundant opportunity to get a philosophical understanding about God. Historically also we see that when Maharaj Parikshit was cursed to death then he preferred hearing about Krishna from Sukhadeva Goswami, son of Veda – Vyas and a highly realized soul. Similarly, when Vidura went for pilgrimage then he had lots of philosophical discussion with sage Maitreyi. Srila Prabhupada explains “devotional service begins by one’s hearing about the Lord” (Bhagavad Gita 18.55 purport). So we should always try to understand philosophically about God and how we can re-establish our relationship with him. This would ensure that our devotion for God does not become sentimental but instead it appears sensible.
