Pilgrimage has held great significance in India for centuries. Traveling wasn't easy at that time—people traveled long distances on foot or by bullock cart. Along the way, they encountered diverse people, languages, customs, and lifestyles. Each stop was fraught with difficulties, but the experiences were life-changing.
During this time, some devotees approached Saint Tukaram and said, "Maharaj, please join us on this pilgrimage."
Tukaram, with a calm smile, said he wouldn't be able to accompany them, but handed them a bitter pumpkin and said, "Wherever you bathe, dip this in the holy water...
Wherever you visit, let this one also have darshan..."
The pilgrims took the pumpkin with them without question.
Throughout the journey, he bathed himself at every holy place he visited—rivers, lakes, temples, and pilgrimage sites—and with the same devotion, he bathed and visited the pumpkin.
After several days, the journey ended. The devotees returned with pumpkins.
Saint Tukaram Ji affectionately invited everyone for a meal and specially prepared a pumpkin curry.
As soon as everyone took the first bite, they exclaimed in unison, "Oh! It's still bitter!"
Tukaram Ji calmly asked, "This is the same pumpkin that visited every holy place with you all...
Yet why hasn't its bitterness changed?"
Hearing this, a deep silence descended upon the pilgrims.
They understood—Pilgrimage isn't just about changing places,but a process of transforming the mind.
If bitterness, anger, jealousy, and evil persist in the heart,no matter how many pilgrimages you visit, the journey remains incomplete.
A true pilgrimage is one that transforms us from within, not from without.
Without purifying our inner selves,we return like that bitter pumpkin.
Read more : - The Divine Guru
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