Selling blessings in the God’s market!

Xpre$$!ons...
(published in deccanherald.com)

In His name we fight, in His name we kill and then swear upon His name of not having committed any crime. For His love to be known by many names He divides us, playing a joke with the country’s secularism but He is still the same; Godly and heavenly. It is not an atheist voice; it is the voice of a God’s devotee.

Recent visit to Banashankari temple near Badami (In North Karnataka) surprised me for its polluted land and corrupted scruples. When we go to visit some place at least after five-years one expects change and here everything seemed to have changed. The temple’s surrounding which used to be fairly clean, was filled with garbage. The temple’s interior needed immediate cleaning, unless one evades the dark corners of the temple. For some reason, even the space where a tap existed at the entrance, was converted into an area to store footwear; unlike in the past shoes were not allowed in the temple premises.

Many devotees fail not clean their feet before entering the temple, leaving the temple sullied. And then there is a cell for collecting funds for the temple. What happens to the funds? Why can’t the temple caretakers take charge of maintaining cleanliness? There are all kinds of rules framed for people who seek ‘darshan’ but no rules for maintaining cleanliness!

Cleanliness, says the proverb, is next to Godliness. We humans, are expected to take bath before we visit a holy place but if the holy place is dirty, then what are we talking about? So many dips in the purest water all in His name and not one dip for His holy place! It seems like a disgrace to the holy place, especially when you exploit every situation, in the name of God.

The priests’ today tend to behave like the frustrated auto-drivers in the metro city; they grab all that does not show in the meter. Rules are rules, agreed. Are they same for all? They are also paid extra, for that extra ‘darshan’ . Then why is it that most of the priests stand in the temples screaming ‘move fast’? Pay for your blessings in the God’s market, if that is the only way but make sure your ‘darshan’ is clean!