Ponderings

Talk and meditation on Kashika Stotram Verse 5kāśī-kṣetraṃ śarīraṃ tri-bhuvana-jananī vyāpinī jñāna-gaṅgābhaktiḥ śraddhā gaye’yaṃ nija-guru-caraṇa-dhyāna-yogaḥ prayāgaḥ |viśveśo’yaṃ turīyaḥ sakala-jana-manaḥ-sākṣibhūto’ntarātmādehe sarvaṃ madīye yadi vasati punas tīrtham anyat kim asti || 5 ||This body is the sacred field of Kāśī; the all-pervading stream of knowledge is the Gaṅgā, the Mother of the three worlds. Devotion and faith are the holy place of Gaya; the yoga of meditation on the feet of one’s Guru is the Prayāga. The Lord ofthe Universe is the Fourth (Turīya) state — the Inner Self, the Witness of the minds of all beings. If all these dwell within my own body, what other place of pilgrimage can there be?