Importance of Prayag

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Some time back, the government of Uttar Pradesh renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj.

The name Allahabad is only from Akbar’s time. Lord Brahma himself has explained the importance and greatness of Prayag.

In the whole Earth, it is Bharatavarsha which is karma bhumi — the land of spiritual action. The rest are all bhoga bhumi — lands of enjoyment.

Those who are born in places other than Bharatavarsha and live in places other than Bharatavarsha, they live according to the laws of karma. They can never get out of the bondage of karma. Do good — get good. Do bad — get bad.

Their lives are governed by this simple rule. Their present experiences are based on their past deeds, their future experiences will be based on their present deeds.

Only those who live in Bharatavarsha get another option — to get out of the shackles of karma, of cause and effect, of birth after birth. They can aspire for, work towards, and achieve liberation — mukti.

This is possible only in Bharatavarsha. The spiritual side of those in Bharatavarsha is naturally enhanced. When they take initiative, divinity helps them.

In Bharatavarsha, a sadhaka can attain control over his senses. In Bharatavarsha, a sadhaka gets to develop the power to control the mind — to control the restless mind.

In Bharatavarsha, a sadhaka can relinquish greed and unwanted desires for objects and pleasures. Living in Bharatavarsha, a sadhaka can, with effort, achieve control over kama (lust).

Does any other culture speak about brahmacharya? Seeing the power of brahmacharya, some religions have adopted it — but only for a few like their priests. In Sanatana Dharma, brahmacharya is an ashrama that everyone has to go through and get trained in.

Even a householder, if he practises abstinence on forbidden days, it is considered as brahmacharya.

A sadhaka of Bharatavarsha can establish control over the enemy called anger through courage. A sadhaka of Bharatavarsha can easily overcome ignorance, arrogance, and gain progress in the path of dharma. These are either impossible or not as easy in other places — says Brahma.

Saptadwipa Vasundhara
There are seven continents on Earth surrounded by oceans. Among them, the greatest is Jambudwipa. There are nine varshas in Jambudwipa starting with Kimpurusha Varsha. Bharatavarsha is one among them.

Other than Bharatavarsha, the other eight varshas, Devas can come and live in as and when they want — as and when they feel like. In Bharatavarsha, they can come only when called, only when invited.

That is why we have avahana in yagas and pujas.

This is the importance of Bharatavarsha. In Bharatavarsha, the land between Himavan and Vindhya Giri is very, very auspicious.

Even within that, the land between Ganga and Yamuna is even more auspicious. This is the yagavedi for the whole universe.

Geographically, this is called Doab — land between two rivers.

Among pilgrim places — tirthas — Kurukshetra is great. Naimisharanya is greater than Kurukshetra. Greater than Naimisharanya is Prayag.

Brahma says that once, he kept all the yagas on one side of a balance and Prayag on the other side. Prayag stood heavier.

That was why this place was named Prayag — greater than yagas, nobler than yagas.

Lord Shiva and Mahavishnu together kept this name. This is another important thing.

The name has many other connotations also:
प्रकृष्टो यागो यत्र — yaga performed here, just by the fact that it is performed at this place, becomes great.
प्रकृष्टाः यागाः यस्मात् — just because it is done here, yagas become great.

Simply remember Prayag’s name three times a day — all your sins will be wiped, all troubles coming from your own past sins will be gone.

Gravest of sins, which don’t go away even after performing many danas, yagas, japa, tapa — those sins start shivering in fear just as you decide to go to Prayag.

They shiver and shake just as fragile trees do in a storm. As you proceed towards Prayag, as you take every step, the papas want to jump out of your body and run away. Upon just reaching Prayag, they disappear.

मनुष्याणां च पापानि तीर्थानि प्रति गच्छताम् केशानाश्रित्य तिष्ठंति तस्माद्वपनमाचरेत्

Here is another important point — whenever you are proceeding for a pilgrimage, the papas within you rise up to your head and stay in the hairs.

That is why it is important to shave your head at places of pilgrimage. When you do that, your papas also go along with them. Before taking bath in Triveni Sangam, it is good to shave off the hair.

It is for the same reason, hair is shaved even in connection with death rites. Hair of the whole body of the yajamana is shaved before performing yajnas.

If you take bath in Triveni Sangam with a desire in mind, you achieve that. If you do that without any desire, you will get moksha.

Brahma says there is no difference between his own Satyaloka and Prayag.

Asthi visarjan done at Prayag — for such a person, in any of his subsequent births, he will not face any problem in life.

We see such people — those whose lives are smooth. Someone who leaves his or her body even from thousands of kilometers away remembering Prayag — attains Brahmaloka.

This noble act must have been done for them in a past birth.

The place between Ganga and Yamuna — at the confluence — this is considered to be the womb of Bhumi Devi.

Devas, Rishis, Yakshas — they all perform yajnas at Prayag even today, on an ongoing basis, in sukshma roopa.

Sri Hari Mahavishnu himself has performed yaga at Prayag. Any dana performed at Prayag has immense benefits.

Do this pilgrimage with faith.

या चॆष्टा यस्य तत्फलम् — the result always depends on the bhava with which you are doing it.
यादृशी भावना यस्य सिद्धिर्भवति तादृशी — as is your attitude, so is the outcome.

Now you can decide for yourself — Allahabad or Prayagraj.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi