Today, Hindus have a huge presence across the globe. There is a large population that lives abroad and others who need to keep travelling to foreign countries for various reasons like work, etc. There is doubt about the acceptance of such a practice in the context of the traditional Hindu view.
Srimajjagadguru Shankaracharya Svami Sri Nischalananda Saraswatiji Maharaja, Shankaracharya of Puri, has given us a detailed insight on the topic.
Hindu view on travelling overseas or living abroad
The Shankara bhashya of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mentions that the region across the oceans is considered to be an asuric kshetra (land of asuras and terrorists). Even if someone is residing in a totally unpopulated forest (having no contact with the people of that land), he cannot prevent the asuric bhava (demonic tendencies) from coming into him.
The prohibition related to going overseas applies to brahmins, kshatriyas and vaishyas, and where prestige is lost, those places are prohibited for shudras too.
Leave aside the land overseas, even though Bhārata is a divine land, there are differences in the quality of places here itself. Anga (falls in Bihar region), Vanga (falls in Bengal region), Kalinga (falls in Odisha region), Magadha (falls in Bihar region) have been mentioned as places that should be visited with the intention of teertha, then only the dvijatva (implying, the varna of brahmins, kshatriyas and vaishyas) remains protected, else not. If someone is visiting without intention of teertha they will have to redo their yajnopavita (sacred thread ceremony). While, those who are born in these places within Bhārata, would not be impacted since they belong to that place.
Maharajaji elaborates upon the spiritual significance of Kashi as an example. He adds that Harayana is very pure as it falls in Brahmavarta region, that is considered very sacred. The Brahmavarta region is referred to (as the place on earth) in the below verse from Manusmriti –
एतद्देशप्रसूतस्य सकाशादग्रजन्मनः।
स्वं स्वं चरित्रं शिक्षेरन् पृथिव्यां सर्व्वमानवाः॥(2.20)
Therefore, every place is not considered as pure. These distinctions are based on dharma and are not based on love or hatred (raga-dvesha).
Diversity in creation and it’s influence
When Maharajaji was in Vrindavan, there was a lack of rainfall for two long years. Then, all of a sudden, Davanal Kund received heavy rainfall. Thousands of dead fish were seen floating on the water. People said that when for two years there was no rain, the water had become dirty and stagnant. The fish learnt how to survive in it. Then, it rained all of a sudden and continuously. The fish that had developed tolerance to this dirty and stagnant water, could not survive in the new fresh water anymore. Hence, they died.
(This above example was shared to indicate that we are influenced by the land/conditions we live in.)
Similarly, the fish from the ocean are different from the fish that live in fresh water. If we put a freshwater fish in the ocean it will die and vice versa.
There is also difference between timings of a day – the night is different from the day or brahmamuhurt, for example. Then, during an eclipse, the situation is different again.
As per the Shankara bhashya of Chandogyopanishad, there is difference in the quality of air coming from various directions (north, south, east, west) even when there is only one atmosphere. Air flowing from one direction will give rain, and from another direction would give loo (hot summer winds experienced in the northern plains of Bharat), etc.
While the object remains the same, based on place and time, its influence becomes good or bad. This has been explained in the following verse from the Ramcharitmanas –
ग्रह भेजष जल पवन पट पाइ कुजोग सुजोग।
होहिं कुबस्तु सुबस्तु जग लखहिं सुलच्छन लोग॥7 (क)॥
English: The planets, medicines, water, air and cloth prove good or bad in the world according to their good or evil associations; only men endowed with a keen insight are able to know this.
Even within our bodies, different parts have different functions and are located at specific places. For example, the nose cannot be at the place of the eye. Excretion is done from the lower parts of the body and not the upper parts, and so on.
There are differences within our country itself, based on time, place and objects. If we put Ganga water in the container made of dog flesh, will it remain Gangajal? Even the quality of an object (like the container) matters.
There are different lokas or divisions of the universe. Nagaloka is the pace of nagas, antariksha is the residing place for bhutas and pretas, if we go higher there are ancestors (pitṛ) and gandharvas, and so on. Brahmaji will be present in the highest loka as per Taittiriya Upanishad. It is like the difference between the classes (first class, second class, etc) and position of seats when we travel by air or train.
We have differences in the quality of places within Bharat, as mentioned earlier. Even soils differ in quality in various regions of Bhārata. In places with white soil, brahmins prosper, yellow soil gives prosperity to vaishya, and similarly, red soil is for kshatriyas to prosper and black soil is for prosperity of shudras. People also appear different in different places.
The study of the worlds geography can be done on the basis of shastras. There are lands that have been considered as impure as per their nature, according to ancient scholars of geography. They are meant to be areas of asuras and terrorists. If a pure person from Bhārata reaches there, he is bound to get polluted under the influence of the land, water, heat and air, etc. of that region.
Many Babas, for instance, went to the West to spread knowledge and bless people out of their compassion but they themselves came under the influence of that land and got absorbed by the foreign culture instead.
All these distinctions shared above are given to us by the shastras to facilitate us, as means of our worldly behaviour, on the path of dharma. They are not based on love or hatred (raga-dvesha).
Any concessions available in kaliyuga?
Out of ignorance or helplessness people think that since it is kaliyuga, so a lot of concession should be there in dharmic matters. This is an ordinary belief which is often justified by many, taking the support of assumed flexibility in rules according to desh, kal, paristhiti (place, time and situation).
On the contrary, some rules are stronger in kaliyuga compared to other yugas due to the need for protecting dharma. Every aspect does not have concessions. In other yugas travelling overseas has not been considered to give as much loss as it gives in kaliyuga.
However, in kaliyuga, on doing prayaschita for this, paraloka is not destroyed but loka will still be impacted. This has been explained as you read further.
Guidance to those who travel overseas or live abroad
If we are not being able to follow shastras in any matter, it is best to accept our deficiency and not project that our actions are alright as per shastras. Maharajaji states few examples and experiences to guide us.
Overseas travel by Purvacharya of Puri, Srimajjagadguru Shankaracharya Svami Svami Bharatikrishna Tirtha (1925-1959)
He is the one who gave vedic mathematics to the world. It is a shocking reality that Bharat started stealing his principles of gannita but did not give ganita its due credit and importance. Then, he thought that only when foreign countries see the value in our ganita, would people in Bharat accept it (since they are not showing the capability of using their own intelligence). He went abroad for 8-9 months and stayed in America, etc. On his return to Bharat, he passed away after a short period of time.
His first statement on going there was that he has broken the limits given by the shastras and travelled abroad so that the science and knowledge he has, does not become extinct since Bhārata is not accepting it as it should.
His foreign students and their students, used the knowledge of the sutras given to them for development of computers. They used the principles of vedic mathematics.
Individual Limitations
Giving his own example, Dharma Samrat Svami Sri Karpatriji Maharajaji Maharaj said that he consumes extremely hot food that would burn others (even though he consumes no salt or sugar).
He guided –
You must be careful that if, due to the strength of capabilities, due to illness, or due to samskaras, if you have anything in our life that is against the shastras, do not justify it through your writing or speech. Openly accept that it is your personal shortcoming.
The behaviour that is against the shastras owing to situations, capabilities or samskaras should never be projected to be as accapted by shastras.
Considering the current context
Today’s time is very peculiar. The Odias in America wished to do consecration (prana pratishtha) of Sri Jagannath Bhagavan in their temple located there. Jagannath Bhagavan is their life. The pandit of Muktimandapa of the Sri Jagannath mandir travelled to America to do the prana pratishtha.
Does his brahmanatva (position of being a Brahmin) go or not?
If we view things from the above point of view, then no one would remain as authorised to perform the puja of Sri Jagannath Bhagavan and no one would remain authorised even to get any puja done. Gajapati Maharaja of Puri (he is the first and foremost sevak of Jagannath Bhagavan), himself travels abroad many times and even lives there for couple of months in a year.
Due to various compulsions, the desire to earn money and other reasons, people are going abroad.
Solution for Hindus living abroad
Some people have even left their jobs and returned to Bharat after listening to the discourses of Maharajaji and this resulted in their children dying of hunger. One must think wisely before taking the next step (and not be impulsive), warns Maharajaji.
A the same time, due to our limitations, if we have had to travel abroad or live there, we must not attempt to justify it as explained earlier. Instead, accepting that it is not permitted by the śāstras, we must try to rectify the ill-effects through prayashchita.
How to do the prayashcita?
We must keep taking the name of Bhagavan (nama japa) with a genuine feeling of repentance.
Set your goal
Alongside, we must attempt to come back to Bhārata. One could even consider moving to Nepal or Bhutan and try to get a livelihood there.
To protect ones svadharma, to live a life that is conducive to the attainment of moksha, to act according to dharma, efforts should be made to live in Bharat.
In the land of Bharat, even a small act of dharma gives more fruit (phala), as a tree does in fertile soil. For those who have the goal of living by dharma and attaining Paramatma, living in Bharat is even more important.
There is no need to take drastic decisions but one must keep trying to achieve the goal of living in Bharat. Once this happens, one must let go of the past and move on.