FW: Karma Bhoomi - Sadhana Bhoomi

May 31, 2007

Hare Srinivasa,

namaskAra,

Please go through the detailed email here about Karma Bhoomi, Sadhana xethra,

Foreign travel etc.

Your suggestions and comments are most welcome.

namaskAra

B.Gopalakrishna Varna

3. foreign travel

Posted by: " S. Venkatesh Bhat " bhats

Wed May 30, 2007 3:31 am ((PDT))

Namaskara

The subject of foreign travel and living there is being widely debated in the

Madhva community. Most scholars oppose it. At the same time some great persons

such as Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Puthige Mutt, Dr. B.N.K.

Sharma, Sri K.T. Pandurangi and Sri Bannanje Govindacharya have travelled

abroad. So, who is right and who is wrong? I posed some questions to Sri

V.Badarayanamurhty, author of the English translation of Saint Sri Vadiraja's

Bhugola Varnanam. He was a Vedic scholar plus bhugola shastra expert plus school

teacher and well versed in English too and held in high esteem by the

Sripadaraja Mutt Swamiji. His answers were as follows:

1) People think India alone is karma bhoomi and the rest of the world bhoga

bhoomi. This is wrong. The present India's geographical boundaries were formed

in 1947 by politicians. Before that Bharata desha was much bigger, including

Pakistan and other areas. Earlier kings ruled over Gandhara (Afghanistan),

Kamboja (Cambodia) etc. Sri Vijayadasaru refers to Ghatodkacha performing tapas

in Berberikadehsa (land of Berbers i.e. Egypt) on the banks of the Neela river

(Nile) and near the Mahisagara Sangama Kshetra (Mediterranean Sea). In earlier

yugas, the term Bharata Khanda referred to the entire world we know now since

kings such as Bharata and others upto Parikshit ruled it. Prithu Chakravarthi

was the one who made the entire world fit for cultivation. According to Vayu

Purana, Bharata Khanda/Varsha referred to three areas: 1) from the source of

Ganga upto Kanyakumari, 2) the entire Asia and Europe region (Eurasia) and 3)

the entire Bharata VArsha area from Himavan mountain at the southern edge of

Kimpurusha Varsha (invisible to human beings) which is north of Arctic Circle

down to Kanyakumari and the souther ocean. Huma birth is possible only in karma

bhoomi and all places of the world we know is karma bhoomi.Bhoga bhoomi is areas

invisible to human beings where rishis and other great souls enjoy the benefit

of sadhana and perform tapas. This is substantiated by Agasthya Nadi Jyothisha

where manuscripts/horoscopes of people living in any part of the world refer to

their good and bad deeds. We earn punya and papa wherever we are...India,

America, Japan...

2) No doubt the area between Himalayas and Kanyakumari is the most sacred part

where maximum punya is obtained but that does not mean we should not move out of

this area. Even within India, Badari and Udupi are said to be the most sacred

for Madhvas where japa and pooja fetch the maximum benefit.

It does not mean people living in Chennai or Bangalore should leave their place

and go to Badari or Udupi. Sri Madhvacharya jumped from Badrinath to Uttara

Badari, says Madhva Vijaya. Where is Uttara Badari? It is 96,000 kilometres away

in the Himavan mountains where ordinary human beings cannot go.(The same point

was mentioned by Dr. Satyanarayanachar in his discourse at Poornaprajna

Vidyapeetha on the occasion of Madhva Navami recently). No sin is acquired just

because we fly out of Indian air space. Wherever we are we acquire merit if we

follow scriptural injunctions, we acquire sin if we violate them.

3) People who travelled abroad in earlier times were ostracised and forced to

perform prayaschitta because they travelled in boats for months together without

bath, japa etc and came into contact with people who had no Vedic samskaras and

were forced to eat unclean food. Nowadays aeroplanes take us to U.S. in 24

hours. As soon as we land there we can take a bath, perform japa, pooja and eat

our own cooked food and continue with our business. That is what Sri Puthige

Swamiji is doing. He fasts while travelling. So there is no question of sin.If

some people accuse people who travel abroad of being sinners, we need not take

it seriously.

4)Madhva philosophy has not spread far and wide because Swamijis and scholars do

not travel aboard for preaching. Christians and Muslims and those who advocate a

bohemian way of life travel far and wide and spread their respective

philosophies. That is why the world is in this shape. There is no point in

orthodox Madhvas complaining about the bad state of the world if they do not

preach freely. Swamijis and scholars must travel to all parts of the world and

preach Madhva philosophy. The world will definitely become a better place then.

ISKCON founder Sri Prabhupada travelled to America and converted lakhs of people

to a Vaishnava way of living. He did not acquire sin. Our Swamijis and scholars

can do the same thing.

5) Some people say the atmosphere in England, U.S. etc is bad because it is very

difficult to get pure food, everything is non-veg etc. and so we should not go

there. Actually it is the other way round. Sri Prabhupada went there for that

reason and made many turn to a clean way of living. When Sri Puthige Swamiji

went to Kazakhstan he met many Muslims who had converted to ISKCON and had given

up meat and alcohol and who were getting up at 3 a.m.

in that bitter cold and dancing to the name of Lord Krishna. Dharmastala was a

barren place once. Sri Vadiraja went there and installed an idol of Lord

Manjunatha and that place became holy.

6) Madhvas who fly abroad often on assignments need not feel guilty. They can

perform japa wherever they are and even spread the glory of Acharya Madhva to

the extent they can. Any place where a saligrama is placed or where a devotee of

Lord Vishun and Acharya Madhva lives is holy. The sankalpa mantra can change.

Start with " Gangecha Yamunechaiva...Bharata Varshe Bharata khande Meru

dakshinaparshve..and then instead of " Dandakaranya Godavari theeray " say

" America kshetra.. " There is nothing wrong. Lord Vishnu and Mukhyaprana are

present in America too. Otherwise nobody can live there.

7) If Sri Madhva is Jagadguru, his philosophy must be let known to the entire

world. Otherwise, we should call him only " Bharatadesha guru. " If areas other

than India are unholy why call Sri Madhva a jagadguru?

8) Prayaschitta after a foreign trip is optional depending on one's state of

mind. We do prayaschitta pavamana homa even after returning from a hospital

stay.

These points were made by Sri Badarayanamurthy in a series of letters to me in

the 90s. Any response is welcome.

Venkatesh Bhat

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pskdhar · April 23, 2013

Dear Respected Sir

A very well balanced, reasonable and sensible argument. I personally congratulate you for a wonderful article. Many discussions are taking place about Brahmana visiting abroad. Whatever be the reason for foreign travel i am surprised to know that it is sin. I have been travelling abroad for the last 30 years due to professional commitments. How many times prayaschita i should do. Your article is a backbone for people like us. Thank you sir. We pray SRIHARIVAYU to bless you with health and happiness.

Prakash Kulkarni, IISc, Bangalore