Last week thousands of deeply religious people saw the very basis of their faith crumble to pieces, when the revered Makara Jyoti at Sabarimala was suspected to be nothing short of man-made. While this has not yet been proven, it does make one wonder about the basis of our religious faiths.
We create temples in any free space of land, contribute generously to adorn an idol asking for blessings in return, begin any activity only before or after the Rahukala, admonish anyone who doesn't perform poojas and celebrate festivals at the peril of financial woes. We have unknowingly and relentlessly driven ourselves into a life of unnecessary obligations. We even feel obligated to God, or our understanding of it.
We spend an entire life gossiping, smirking at another's loss, wishing to make some more, and then travel to holy places in order to achieve salvation. We keep a Bhagavad Gita on a shelf and learn each verse by-heart without ever understanding it. We speak of virtuous heros in mythological epics only to forget it. I find absolutely no logical connection between what we preach and what we practice.
We have surrounded ourselves with convenient methods to help us believe that we have washed away our sins and alleviated from petty thoughts. We bathe in the dirt ridden Ganga to clean ourselves. We unfailingly visit a neighbourhood temple, after spending the entire week arguing with our spouse and children. Our escape routes are easy. It involves a ringing a bell, 10Rs in the 'Hundi', 3 turns and a full stretch on the floor to feel more devout.
Do we think of our religion as an escape route from the dark chambers of our minds? Have we just made an object of our beliefs, wrapped them in a pretty package and placed them on mantels, only to assume that all's well...?
We create temples in any free space of land, contribute generously to adorn an idol asking for blessings in return, begin any activity only before or after the Rahukala, admonish anyone who doesn't perform poojas and celebrate festivals at the peril of financial woes. We have unknowingly and relentlessly driven ourselves into a life of unnecessary obligations. We even feel obligated to God, or our understanding of it.
We spend an entire life gossiping, smirking at another's loss, wishing to make some more, and then travel to holy places in order to achieve salvation. We keep a Bhagavad Gita on a shelf and learn each verse by-heart without ever understanding it. We speak of virtuous heros in mythological epics only to forget it. I find absolutely no logical connection between what we preach and what we practice.
We have surrounded ourselves with convenient methods to help us believe that we have washed away our sins and alleviated from petty thoughts. We bathe in the dirt ridden Ganga to clean ourselves. We unfailingly visit a neighbourhood temple, after spending the entire week arguing with our spouse and children. Our escape routes are easy. It involves a ringing a bell, 10Rs in the 'Hundi', 3 turns and a full stretch on the floor to feel more devout.
Do we think of our religion as an escape route from the dark chambers of our minds? Have we just made an object of our beliefs, wrapped them in a pretty package and placed them on mantels, only to assume that all's well...?
I guess we all go through this phase of life of deep inner thoughts on how the world works. And that really shapes who we turn into for the rest of our lives. Good read! Keep writing. Cheers.
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