Let us find and follow the path of salvation, the path of returning to God.

God, the Supreme Person, is everywhere present through His various energies. The omnipresence of the Lord shines and becomes perceptible through His pure devotees, as are the sages, the authentic spiritual masters and intimate servants of the Lord. These holy beings feel the presence of the Lord in themselves, and in all places. They see all things as a manifestation of the energy of God, and in all things the Lord.

In reality, the various holy places or places of pilgrimage, which are scattered all over the world, have the main function of purifying the consciousness of the human beings who visit them from all defilements, by offering them an atmosphere saturated with the presence of the pure devotees of the Lord.

Anyone who visits a holy place must first seek out the pure devotees or holy beings, the sages who stay there, in order to listen to their teachings and strive to implement them in his or her life, thus preparing to find the path to ultimate salvation, to return to God.

In truth, bathing in the sacred river such as the Ganges or the Yamuna, or simply visiting the temples and other holy circuits of these sanctuaries cannot be the sole purpose of a pilgrimage, which remains incomplete if one does not meet the wise spiritual masters, those intimate servants of God, devoid of all desires other than that of serving the Supreme Lord. Because of their undivided service to the Lord, without the slightest tinge of self-interest or abstract speculation, Krishna, God, the Supreme Person is always present with them, His true servants. The service they offer to Krishna is accomplished mainly by listening to and singing His Glories.

The pilgrims must first listen to the lips of these authorized sages about the Lord, and then in turn glorify Lord Krishna through chanting or holy scriptures.

Thus, by their actions alone, the pure devotees of the Lord have the power to transform any place into a holy pilgrimage. The sacred places are such only through them. Through them, wherever they are, all defilements disappear, and how much more so in a place already sacred but made impure because of scoundrels of poor and limited knowledge who establish themselves there as professionals of spirituality, who seek only personal profit, even at the risk of sacrificing the holy reputation of the place of pilgrimage. Let us be careful.