"Bathing at shrines (places of pilgrimage) the filth (of ego) departs not. The religious rites and rituals are all the ostentations of self-conceit." says The GURU.
"Bathing at shrines (places of pilgrimage) the filth (of ego) departs not. The religious rites and rituals are all the ostentations of self-conceit."
Page. 890/7
"The filth of ego is not washed even if one bathes at hundreds of shrines."
Page. 39/6
Sri Guru Nanak Dev clearly says that by visiting & bathing at shrines the filth of ego is not washed. How can one attain peace unless one obtains Name (God) :-
"Wandering at shrines the malady (of ego) is not eradicated. Without God's Name how can one obtain peace."
Page. 906/1
"How can giving alms and donations and many ablutions wash off the filth of the mind ?"
Page. 243/8
"Wandering at the sixty eight holies one remains in duality & is ruined. How can the filth of sins be washed away (by bathing at these places of pilgrimage).
Page. 1013/2
Sri Guru Nanak Dev asks the readers of the vedas :-
"I enquire from the readers of the vedas that how can the Lord be obtained by wearing religious garbs, by visiting holy shrines or by giving alms.
The world is being cheated without obeying (the God's order / word)."
Page.1012/13
Sri Guru Nanak Dev was asked, "At which shrine you wash yourself?"
In Answer he says :
"Deeming God to be the pilgrim station's tank, I have bathed my mind there in."
Page. 1286/3
Sri Guru Nanak Dev says that bathing at other places of pilgrimage is useless. Contemplating on the word (of the Guru) gives clarity in the mind :
"Why should I go to bathe at place of pilgrimage ?
God's Name is the only place of pilgrimage.
My bathing station is the contemplation of (Guru's) word which gives inner divine knowledge."
Page. 687/14
The Guru says :
"No pilgrim station is equal to Lord God."
Page.1328/19
"Contemplation on Guru's word is bathing at a holy place on an auspicious day."
Page. 411/16
"The mind is not purified by millions of charities and ablutions and with various purifications & pieties.
Nanak he who utters the God's Name with his tongue, all his sins are washed off."
Page. 706/18
"Wandering at shrines the malady (of ego) is not eradicated. Without God's Name how can one obtain peace."
Page. 906/1
Sri Guru Arjan Dev says :
"Bathing at shrines the filth (of ego) departs not."
Page. 890/7
Sri Guru Nanak Dev says :
"How can giving alms and donations and many ablutions wash off the filth of the mind ?"
Page. 243/8
"Wandering at the sixty eight holies one remains in duality and is ruined. How can the filth of sins be washed away (by bathing at the place of pilgrimage) ?"
Page. 1013/3
"Rubbing with water the body is cleaned but it again becomes dirty. Bathing with the great elixir of gnosis (divine knowledge) the soul and body are rendered pure."
Page. 637/4
"I would visit the shrines if this pleases the Lord when it does not please the Lord what would I obtain by visiting places of pilgrimage."
Page. 2/11
"Why should I go to bathe at the places of pilgrimage ?"
The real place of pilgrimage is God's Name.
Meditation on the (Guru's) word is my pilgrim station and it gives divine knowledge to the soul. The Guru's gnosis (word) is the true place of pilgrimage where the ten festivals (as mentioned in Hindu religious books) are ever being celebrated and it destroys the ten sins. I ever beg for God's Name. O Lord the world sustainer, grant me this boon (of God's Name)."
Page. 687/14
So meditation on Guru's word is the only place of pilgrimage and the Guru's disciples need not visit any other shrine. The True Guru, the Guru's word and God, all are one entity & the only place of pilgrimage for the disciples :
"The All-competent True Guru, who ever contemplates NAM is the only place of pilgrimage.
Page. 140/3
Sri Guru Arjan Dev says :
"He, who bathes at places of pilgrimage and wanders over the earth, finds no place of rest hereafter.
There (in the yonder world) this method/culture (of bathing at shrines etc.) is of no avail. By this he simply becomes pleasing to the people here."
Page. 216/6
"One may go and live at his selected place of pilgrimage & place his head under the saw (to be sawn into pieces) but his soul's impurity departs not, even though he may make lakhs of such efforts."
Page. 642/1
"Man may bathe (at places of pilgrimage) day & night but filth of ego does not depart from the body."
Page. 265/17
"The mind is not purified with millions of charities and ablutions and with various purifications and pieties.
Nanak he who utters God's Name with his tongue, all his sins are washed off."
Page. 706/18
"Man receives the merit of millions of ablutions, done on auspicious days, when he utters the praise of the Lord. Alms giving of all types are lower to uttering the praise of the Treasure of Virtues - God."
Page. 49/2
The True Guru declares :
"God's Name alone is my bath & ablution and God's name is my perfect donation."
Page.1145/16
"I recognise only one God, the Destroyer of sins and not any other and I only utter His Name."
Page. 715/7
"In the philosophy of Nanak, there is only God's Name (& nothing else is to be done or believed.)"
Page.1136/16
The disciple should ofcourse visit the places visited by the Gurus as :
"Where ever my True Guru goes and sits, beautiful is that place, O Lord the King. The Guru's disciples search out that place and take & apply dust thereof to their face."
Page.460/27
By visiting such places one gets motivation to obey Guru's word, history of the Guru is understood, one meets true disciples and instruction of the Guru's is grasped. This in itself is a big achievement. But if one claims that by visiting such places the sins are destroyed then that claim is against the Guru's word & therefore wrong. Had that been true then there would be no need to recite NAM & one may commit sins & wash those sins by visiting such places and bathing thereat. Friends who do not properly understand Guru's word are led astray by such propaganda. The sanctity of the sarovar (Tank) dug by Sri Guru Ram Das has to be maintained by us as has been maintained in the past by the sikhs. The disciples suffered innumerable difficulties and privations and unhesitatingly laid down their lives to protect its sanctity. This would be done even now by the disciples if necessary as it is our most respected place. But saying that by bathing in that tank or by visiting that place saying that by bathing in that tank or by visiting that place the sins are washed off is against Guru's word/instruction (Gurbani). There is always one standard to test a principle & we cannot have two standards for testing a principle. So if by bathing and ablutions at places of pilgrimages of Hindus the sins are not washed off, then how can bathing at our own places of worship wash off the sins.