Holy places which sanctify us are generally called Teerthams. The Sanskrit word has the advantage of a double meaning in a single word. Teertham is water. Teertham is purifying. Sages who purify the human souls by their contact, by their teachings and even by the simple appearance of their devoted and sincere living of compassion, are called Teerthas.
Jabala darsana upanishad, one of the hundred plus upanishads, describes Teertham in its own way. It wants to lay stress on the yogic aspect and draws our attention to the yogic perception that the great Teerthams like Kasi, Prayag, etc all exist in our own bodies. Only thing is we must know how to visit them in our own bodies through yoga. It is really a different perspective. We stand to benefit by when we begin to think in that line. Even when we visit the external Teerthams, if we combine this yogic attitude along, we will stand to gain much more by our own inner richness.
srI parvatam sira: stAnE kEdAram tu lalAtakE |
vArANasIm mahAprAjna bhruvOrgrAnasya madhyamE ||
(Approached in the yogic way) Sri Parvata or Sri Saila is in the head. Kedar is in the forehead. O! Mahaprajna! Varanasi is in the junction of the nose and the two eyebrows.
krukshEtram kuchastAnE prayAgam hrutsarOruhE |
chidambaram tu hrunmadhyE AdhArE kamalAlayam ||
In the chest is Krukshetram, Prayaga is in the heart lotus. Chidambaram is in the middle of the heart. Kamalalayam is in the muladharam.
AtmatIrtham samutsrujya bahistIrthAni yO vrajEt |
karastam sa mahAratnam tyaktvA kAcham vimArgatE ||
The person who goes about visiting external holy places, not paying attention to the holy places that exist in once own self is like the one who throws away the precious stone at hand and searches through mere glass-pieces.
bhAvatIrtham param tIrtham pramANam sarva karmasu.
tIrthAni tOyapUrNAni dEvAnkAshtAdinirmitAn.
yOginO na prapUjyantE svAtmapratyayakAraNAt.
For all authentic purposes Teerthams attained by yogic mental attitude are the best Teerthams. Yogis always resort to such Teerthams and seldom they take to places consisting of water, wood-work and constructions.
bahistIrthAt param tIrtham antastIrtham mahAmunE |
AtmatIrtham mahAtIrtham anyattIrtham nirarthakam ||
Greater than external holy places are the holy places internal. The great Teertham ever is the Atman. Without this other places are meaningless.
Srirangam Mohanarangan
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Vivid explanation
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