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| Vagbhatananda Guru (1885-1939) |
Conversations - 2
Rama : Okay! I concede to your
point that idol-worship is absurd. Still, do you think you can stop the
practice? The rush in temples is increasing day by day. The number of devotees
is swelling manifold.
Krishna: These people are
blinded by faith and they have been there all the time. Due to the increase in
transport facilities, they have a better access to the temple premises
nowadays. Take the example of the jail system under the British. The inmates are
increasing. The British are constructing additional cells. Even then, it can’t
cater to the growing demand. So, what’s your inference? Are the rulers inefficient?
Going by the number of convicts, can we deduce that the maintenance of law and
order is weak? On the contrary, it is due to the efficient upkeep of probity
that the wrong-doers are getting caught. Jail gets filled in no time! The
rulers can naturally hope that criminal-minded people will lie low and they
never venture out when the administration turns ideal. Likewise, when our
campaign reaches out to people, they will shy away from practicing
superstitions.
Rama : Do you mean to say that the convicts filling the jails and
the devotees thronging to the temples are similar?
Krishna: The devotees are
worse! You know why? A thief goes forth in the dark because he doesn’t have any
other means to support his family. After the act he goes home straight.
Thieving is a criminal offence but he has to make a living for the sake of his
family. And what does a devotee do? From
the money earmarked for the family, he/she makes a beeline to the temple and
expend it on the lazy priests and tantriks
for selfish ends. In other words, the selfish devotee is spending his/her hard
earned money for buying superstitions. In the process, the family too becomes
superstitious.
Rama : It’s not like that,
friend. When a devotee enters the sanctum sanctorum, bhakti melts his/her heart and he/she becomes one with the divine.
Krishna: So is the case with
the thief! He also plays to his favorite god before setting out for the act. His
bhakti multiplies as he enters the “sanctum sanctorum”. He is ever too willing to part with a major
share the booty as a thanks-giving gesture. Once he is inside the “sanctum sanctorum”
, his bhakti knows no bounds. Even after the mission is accomplished, there
wouldn’t be any shift in his loyalties. The police is running after him and he
remains a true bhakt! Do you think he is true believer? No. The real devotee
does not go to temples.
She/he is the one who keeps on
wondering about the creation. Like the primal energy source – the sun – kept unsupported
in space! Such a devotee is never inclined to buy bhakti through an idol made of granite stone. It is ridiculous to eulogize
the God’s act of lifting a mountain by one hand and using it as a shield from
rain. Similar act is done by Ravana too. The miracles performed by avatars are actually diminishing their
greatness. And the rituals carried out by the devotees are blasphemy of sorts! Take
for example, the various kinds of dhara/abhishekam
starting with tender-coconut water.
Rama : Yes, it’s time we
stopped undesirable practices like killing of animals in temples. However, I
don’t find anything wrong with rituals. People like you are creating confusion among
devotees. They lose the sense of belonging. Moreover, you have a certain
double-standard. You believe that even an atom is Brahman. At the same time, you denounce people whose intellectual
capacity is not high.
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| Syed Haider Raza |
Krishna : You’ve got me wrong!
It is true that the atom can be conceived as Brahma. In fact, the whole world is Brahman. You cannot take out any individual or entity from the
whole and brand it as Brahman.
Because God-worship has three levels – the Universe, jeevatma and Paramatma
and it has to be accomplished by successfully connecting each level. The Paramatma should be given ultimate
reverence and devotion. The gods are much lesser and the rituals for pleasing
them are even vulgar! For this
reason, I would advise you to forbid your mother and sisters from visiting Shiva
temples.
Rama : You’re going too far!
What’s so despicable about Lord Shiva?
Krishna : Is Shiva abstract or
realistic ?
Rama : Of Course realistic.
How can it be otherwise with the Lord, clad in leopard skin smeared with ash
and travelling atop a bull?
Krishna : Then why this image
is not installed in any of the Shiva temples?
Rama : Anybody who visits the
Shiva temple can worship shiv-linga.
That is the ideal image.
Krishna : Have you understood
the literal meaning of Shiv-linga? It
means the linga of Shiva. Can you
tell me the meaning of linga in
Malayalam?
Rama: What is there to get
excited about? Linga can be masculine
gender, feminine gender or neutral gender. If you analyze deeply, linga means symbol. The devotees
visiting Shiva temples see the identification mark of the Lord which enables
them to remember Him. You are harbouring obscene thoughts in mind and hence
jumping into wrong conclusions.
(Continued)
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