Pilgrimages
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. We often make all things around us the way we want them. Even during our pilgrimages, we have begun to look for whatever makes our heart happy, gives comfort to our body and peace to the mind. It is as if external solutions will fulfil our needs and we do not want to make any special efforts even in our spiritual search. Our mind is resourceful—it works to find shortcuts in simple and easy ways.
2. Even pilgrimages have been converted into tourism opportunities. Instead, we must awaken our conscience and souls and understand the truth. Let us not tamper with either our own nature or that of the Supreme.
3. All our cleverness is rendered ineffective when nature does a dance of destruction. Its fury can and will wash away all imperfections. Indian culture, based on Vedic treatises, assists in human evolution, but we are now using our entire energy in distorting these traditions according to our convenience instead of making efforts to make ourselves worthy of them.
4. The irony is that humans are not even aware of the complacent attitude they have allowed themselves to sink to. Nature is everyone’s Amma and her fierce blows will sooner or later corner us and force us to understand this truth. Earlier, pilgrimages to places of spiritual significance were rituals that were undertaken when people became free from their worldly duties.
5. Even now some seekers take up this pious religious journey as a path to peace and knowledge. Anyone travelling with this attitude feels and travels with only a few essential items that his body can carry. Pilgrims traditionally travelled light, on foot, eating light, dried chickpeas and fruits, or whatever was available. Pilgrims of olden days did not feel the need to stay in special A C bedrooms, or travel by luxury cars or indulge themselves with delicious food and savouries.
6. Pilgrims traditionally moved ahead, creating a feeling of belonging towards all, conveying a message of brotherhood among all they came across whether in small caves, ashrams or local settlements.
Attempt any eight of the following questions on the basis of the passage you have read:
(i) How did the pilgrims move ahead traditionally?
(ii) What is the irony about humans?
(iii) How have pilgrimages been changed into tourism opportunities?
(iv) When does all human cleverness become ineffective?
(v) How were the pilgrims of olden days different from the pilgrims today?
(vi) How is nature everyone’s Amma?
(vii) Why does the writer say, our mind is resourceful?
(viii) What are rituals?
(ix) Find the word in para 3, which means the same as `demerits’.
Answers
(i)Traditionally, the pilgrims moved ahead conveying a message of brotherhood among all.
(ii) The irony is that humans are not even aware of the degradation they have sunk into.
(iii) Nowadays, pilgrims carry with themselves various gadgets of comfort and luxury and a pilgrimage has been reduced to an extended picnic.
(iv) All human cleverness becomes ineffective when nature enacts a dance of destruction.
(v) In the olden days, pilgrims travelled light, on foot, eating light dried chickpeas and fruits and whatever was available.
(vi) Nature is everyone’s Amma and the fierce blows of nature make everyone understand the truth at last.
(vii) Our mind is resourceful since it always shortcuts to indulge in whatever wish to do and find shortcuts in simple and easy ways.
(viii) Rituals stand for an established or prescribed procedure for a religious rite.
(ix) Imperfections
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