Of monetary donations etc.

[Guest guest]

Respected members:

 

Reference : Mail from M P Bhattathiry <mpmahesh and

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy titled " stealing our money "

 

With due respect and without wanting to injure the sentiments of anyone,

there is nothing shocking this writer notes from what has been mentioned.

This plunder has been going on for ages.

 

Most temples are in bad shape. The original architecture, the pristine

glory, the precincts, the idols (at least reportedly this seems to be true

for Palani), the rituals, the pooja items, the rules, prasadam, the various

articles, traditions and practices, almost most of these have been

corrupted, discarded or diluted or modified to suit the emerging trends.

This is a broad generalization and may not be true for some temples etc.

 

All these in the name of that Holiest of Holiest !!. It is well known

universally that Religion is big business and especially in India there is

no need to ask. Every person worth his name wants a piece of the cake.

Banks and financial institutions are vying with each other to appease the

trustees for the money. Begging is one of the most paying rackets at

least in Bombay, when you see lame, handicapped beggars stack neat piles

of coins of various denominations on their begging-mat and do a brisk

business of exchange at premium. For example at the Haji Ali mosque you

will find the approach lined with 50 beggars of which every 5th beggar will

have this coin-exchange business because 'danam' or charity is espoused for

devout Muslims - like in every other religion- and the gullible devotee has

to donate once he comes out of the mosque. Now, the innocent devotee,

perhaps because he is a real devotee is scared of the repercussions of a

single act of charity, so he strikes a intelligent solutions. He donates to

40 beggars !! but since the amount at his disposal is say 100 units, he

gets this changed into smaller denominations by paying a premium to the

business-beggar (in a way the premium also contributes a cut to the

business-beggar and he does not get his normal dole). Now once this 100

units of money is converted into 500 units of small change, our devotee

friend merrily starts donating to each beggar in a line.

 

As he exits from this marathon charity, he feels quite relieved and his

heart is full and satiated for he has contributed to 50 souls and Allah has

just asked him to do 'charity'. He has maximized his reach and this is his

illusion.

 

Before proceeding further honorable members please do not misunderstand the

above narration concerning a different religion,caste etc. Read between the

lines.

 

Many temples have the 'ticket' system wherein different rates are levied to

cater to different levels of comfort. Always, the man who pays more gets

to have a close look at the Lord.

 

If you visit the majestic Madurai Meenakshi temple as soon as you enter one

of the main entrances, what do you find? Only dingy shops with various

items. These are not just flower/fruit shops, but shops selling toys, soft

drinks, beverages, eatables etc. Everyone is doing a brisk business. Some

years back at the Venerated Kanchi Mutt, inside the mutt premises as this

writer was waiting to have a darshan of the Maha Periava, one of the

attendants was offering his 'influence' for a closer darshan for a price

!!.

 

This writer is not aware of the present state, but some years back the

famous Chitrakulam temple tank near the Adi Kesava perumal Koil at Mylapore

was surrounded by stink, filth and debris. Some local unemployed guys hit

on an idea of enchasing on this filth to foster their political ambitions.

They started a movement to garner support to rebuild, renovate and restore

the Chitrakulam tank to its original ancient glory. There were lot of

allegations, donations, abrupt change in project schedules and amounts.

Today this writer is not aware of the exact state but over years great

noise and pretentious concern was being lavished on this voiceless pond!!.

 

What can the sole individual do? Be simple in understanding the gravity of

this problem and your own involvement by way of active encouragement. This

does not require an exercise of intellectual debate, discussion and all

around ‘tsk tsk’ deploring of the state of affairs. We are the cause and

we ought to straightaway take some action steps like :

 

1. Do your Sandhyavandanam regularly. To many this may seem quite silly and

unconnected but there is a connection. The Mahaperiavar of Kanchi, Shri

Shri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi Shankaracharya long back lamented the

general degradation of spirituality to the abandonment of this Nitya Karma

by persons who have had the Upanayanam. HH always stressed that if

something basic that has been laid down by the Vedas as an essential

routine, is not adhered, then the very act of non - compliance would disbar

man from getting the blessings of the Vedas. Even the Gods may pardon, be

charitable, excuse and have pity on humans, but not the Vedas.!!

 

While there is no punishment or hell declared for not doing the Sandhya,

what is clear is that this single routine is so essential for this blessed

world of ours to have some sanity and order. It is said in the ancient

Vedic lore that a single man performing this routine sincerely can bring

rains to a parched farmland!!. The evils which beset the minds of man are

part of the evils which attack the Sun, our Lords, Heavens and all over.

The ancient mythical Rakshasa, goblins, spirits, ghosts and asuras can all

be overcome by the holiest of the holiest 'Argyam' offering. In today’s

parlance these evil forces are variously termed as “violence, greed,

jealousy, heartburn, hankering after accumulation of materials, desperation

for lasting fame, desires to extract maximum juice out of life in the

shortest possible time, unbridled pursuit of pleasures, constant lookout

for newer means of gratifying the senses, stressed living, living beyond

one’s means (using credit cards for instance, irrespective of one’s

justification )â€

 

How many of us are doing the Sandhya sincerely? This is not meant as an

insulting rhetoric but put as an inquiry originating out of deep anguish in

this writer's heart.

 

2. If at all you want to be charitable and want to donate. Take simple

approach. The Lord has always stressed that the highest donation is the

donation of 'food'. " Danatileye sirunde danam, annadanam " Just buy one

Kilo of rice or any good vegetable say a big cabbage, a kilo of potatoes or

a dozen bananas. Something sumptuous and filling and nutritious. Identify

a needy family or individual. Give with kindness and if possible request

him/her to eat. It is possible that he/she may not do it immediately. Do

not bother. Identify charitable institutes and donate directly in food

form. Take up a day or one time(say noon meals) expense. Visit the place

personally and buy the foodstuff at a reputed place and carry the same

yourself and distribute to these needy people. One loaf of good bread a

week is a good starter. Just one loaf. Do this directly with involvement,

without regret or remorse or feeling stingy. Do not worry about the fact

that these people have a tendency to discard or feed their own pet animals

(stray dogs etc). Cast no judgement. This is highly preferable to feeding

so-called people from ' higher caste' if you get the drift of what this

writer implies.

 

Once in 6 months, coupled with your daily Sandhya this will ensure that you

cover all possible charities over your lifetime and you may get a ticket to

Vaikuntam without Queuing up!!

 

In the golden age, when our blessed ancestors lived, there was a class of

people exclusively dedicated to Vedic chanting for the welfare of the

world. This class was supposed to sustain by the liberal and reverential

donation of alms and active support of the King and commoner. The moment

this charity was diluted and withdrawn gradually, this class started

feeling the pinch of hunger and in cold panic out of the primal biological

instinct of survival, they started looking at opportunities outside their

self-imposed cloistered world. They found that by the sheer power of their

Vedic chanting which was coursing in their genes, they could command all

the knowledge and this proved to be a turning point in this unique

civilization. Doors opened everywhere. They started travelling, expanding

their scope and knowledge and contributing to the world, economy and

governance. They started proactively seeking so called ‘ employment’ and

looked down upon their own ‘vocation’ as something degrading. Gradually

greed invaded and the circle of corruption was complete with its attendant

jealousy, crude competition, desperate clamor for climbing the top and

getting power, pelf, money, command, respect, fame and so on. Everything

went for a toss. The first thing thrown out of the balcony was the daily

Sandhya. External accompaniments took the front row. The bigger, glamorous

and highly visible form of worship became the norm.

 

Now for some this might give rise to a new dilemma. What will happen to

the temples, places of worship if people stop donating directly ? Where

will the money come for the Lord's upkeep, the dress, the temple items,

accoutrements, equipments, the salary of the priest etc. This writer’s

reply is : Do not bother. Worship is from the heart and if you have

sincerely chanted your Gayathri during Sandhya there is no further need for

you concern yourself with these mundane things. Your role/responsibilities

have been fully discharged and you have excelled in your core competency in

the spiritual arena. You have complied with the dictates of the Vedas and

you may once more revert merrily to your normal self in your material and

sensual pursuits but only until the next Sandhya i.e. if you have done the

morning Sandhya you may steal, be corrupt and enjoy till the Madhyanikam.

At which point you have to revert to your original Vedic self and do the

Madhyanikam and until the Sayam Sandhya you are free as a bird in your

pursuits. This is said with conscious intent. You are requested to ponder

on this last sentence

 

As one great man put it succinctly " Have purpose, the means will follow "

 

Om Tat Sat

Tat tvam asi