Rejuvenation of Hinduism

Significance of Temples

[Durgashtami Message] Why there is so much rush in the temples? There is only one reason. People think that if they go to the temples they can escape from the difficulties, which are the fruits of their sins. They are also thinking that they can also get the benefits, which are the fruits of good deeds, which in fact they have not performed. This is not true. Scriptures say “Avaśyam anubhoktavyam”. That means we must enjoy the fruits of our good and bad deeds. You cannot escape the result of your bad deeds and you cannot achieve the result of good deed, which you have not done. One cannot escape the punishment given by the judge in the court. Similarly, you cannot escape the judgement of God. If this fact is written at the gates of the temple nobody will enter the temple. What is the actual aim of the temple? One of the sixteen divine qualities (Kalyana Gunas) of God is beauty (Soundarya). For example, it is said that the beauty of Lord Rama disturbed the minds of even sages. Such beautiful God should be seen first (Draṣṭavyaḥ) as said in the Veda. So the Statue of God in the temple must be carved most beautifully. The priest should decorate the Statue in a most beautiful way, so that our eyes will be fixed on the Statue.

The next step is “Śrotavyaḥ” as said in the Veda. It means, after seeing the God we must listen to His other divine qualities. It is the duty of the priest to explain the other divine qualities of God. The third step is “Nididhyāsitavyaḥ” that is your minds should be filled with inspiration given by the all-round personality of God. With this you must come back to the house. But what is happening now? The Statue is not at all beautiful. The decoration is not at all inspiring. So, there is no question of any divine inspiration. When we go to temple the priest utters some Vedic hymns in Sanskrit which you are not at all understanding. When we come back from the temple you do not have any trace of devotion attached to the divine personality. Your devotion is only due to your desires, which are to be fulfilled by God. Your devotion is forced by your desires. Without realizing this actual concept, you are doing a non-useful exercise by going round and round the temples. What is going on in the temples now? Lights are lit (Diipaaradhana), camphor is burnt (Niiraajanam). Some eatable items are offered as Prasadam.

Vedas do not even mention such types of worship at all. This is also not the tradition of our ancient sages. This is nothing but a bad tradition inducted by the middle persons. How such types of worship are connected even with your desires? Is it not true that you are doing these worships with fear or selfishness? Such types of worships are neither benefiting the devotees nor the priests. Some merchants are reaping the benefits. For example, the devotee breaks a coconut, which costs five rupees. The priest takes half coconut. That is Rs.2.50/-. Due to large number of such coconut pieces, he is selling them to a hotel and gets one rupee per piece. The hotel gets Rs.1.50/- as profit. Instead of earning one rupee by false way, let the priest earn two rupees by true way. The true way is maintaining the idol by regular washing (Abhisheka) and decoration and explaining the divine virtues of God in mother tongue and take Rs.2.00/- as Gurudakshina. By this true way, not only the devotees but also God blesses the priest. The eatable items (Prasadam) offered in the temple should not be enjoyed by the priest, because it is nothing but cheating the devotees in the name of the God. Such food offered should not be given even to devotees, because the devotees are capable of earning their food. Such food should be distributed to beggars who can come under the following categories only.

1) Children, 2) Very old people, 3) People suffering with diseases, 4) Handicapped and 5) Hungry animals like dogs and birds.

So, the temples must be spiritual centers but not shops in which you can purchase the fruits of your desires. After coming from the temple your divine knowledge and devotion must improve. The temples must be like institutions, which impart spiritual knowledge to the people. The temples have become impure business centers due to the desires of the people. The temples should give devotion, knowledge for all the people and food to the disabled beggars. Even rich people are taking that food as remains (as Prasadam) after offering to God. In fact, God has not eaten anything from it. If you distribute it to beggars then God is really eating through them. The Statue requires only the washing of its dust (Abhisheka) and decoration. Nothing else is needed. The Veda contains only two types of worship.

1) Washing by bath (Abhisheka)

2) Cooking the food with help of the fire (Ijyaa or Yajna)

Except these two kinds of worship other methods of worship are only foolish acts and not mentioned in the Veda. You are not doing all these methods of worship to your father and mother who are also fulfilling your desires by giving their property to you. Since you really love them, you are not doing such things. Since your love towards God is artificial for getting some benefit, you are doing such foolish worships. By such worships you are not at all benefited because such worships have no logical connection to the fulfillment of your desires. Priests and merchants are fooling you and are getting the benefits. Such methods of worship are meant only for the human incarnation of the Lord. Veda says that the Lord does not dwell in the Statues. (Na tasya pratimā). The Gita says “Bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni” i.e., if you worship a stone you will be born as a stone. The Statue is only for vision but not for the worship. The Gita also says “Mānuṣīṃ tanum āśritam” i.e.; God comes down only in the human form.

For such human form only the sixteen methods of worship (Shodasa Upachara) like Avahanam (invitation), Asanam (offering a chair) etc., are meant. When your son is in some other country you are seeing his photo. Similarly, to see the past human incarnation of the God, Statues are meant. For the sake of present living human incarnation only these sixteen worships are really meant.

You can offer food to the present human incarnation but not to the statue or to the photo of your son, who is in another country. There is no better scholar or devotee than Hanuman. He worshipped only Rama who was the human incarnation in His period. He never worshipped the previous incarnations like Vamana, Narasimha etc. He never worshipped any Statue. The epic written by Valmiki is the only real authority on the history of Hanuman. According to that epic, Hanuman never worshipped even Vishnu, Shiva etc. He got the highest position that is the post of the Creator (Brahma in future). Radha was the greatest devotee who became the queen of the topmost 15^th World called Goloka. She also worshipped Krishna who was the human incarnation in her time. She did not worship even Rama who was the immediate past incarnation. The human body of the present incarnation is the real temple. The soul in that human body is God. The same thing is told as “Deho devālayaḥ”. The Veda says “Yāvatīrvai” i.e., all the Gods, dwell in the present human incarnation of the God who is called as Sadguru. Giving food to Him and satisfying His hunger fire is the real sacrifice (Yajna).

Kapila, the incarnation of Vishnu preached to His mother stating that a fool burns ghee and food in the fire in the name of sacrifice. This is in the Bhagavatam scripture. Krishna with hunger came and ate the food that was prepared for offering to fire in a sacrifice. Thus, He taught the real meaning of sacrifice. Krishna came to establish the justice (dharma). Will He spoil the sacrifice by eating the food? Therefore, fire lit in the sacrifice is only an instrument to cook the food but not the God itself to be worshipped. Such fire is the physical form (Bhuutaagni). The other from of fire is divine (Devataagni) which is the Sadguru as said in the Veda “Vaiśvānaro brāhmaṇaḥ”. The word Agni came from “Agri” which means that this Sadguru should be worshipped first. The Sadguru with His divine radiation is also compared to the radiating fire. Simple recitation of Vedas is of no use. The priest must explain the meanings and inner meanings of the hymns while performing the rituals. Rituals are the divine discourses from the Vedas and the priest must be the Sadguru who imparts the divine knowledge from the Vedas. There is no use of mere recitation of the Vedas, as said “Anarthajñaḥ”.

In ancient times Veda was preserved by recitation, as there were no books to preserve it. But now the Vedas are even computerized and there is no need of preservation of the Vedas by recitation. Therefore, such tradition should be discouraged. Blind people are led by blind preachers and are falling in the well, as said in the Veda, “Andhenaiva”. In Hindu Religion astrologers and priests must also realize the truth. By worshipping planets and deities, the results of bad deeds cannot vanish and the results of good deeds which are not done by you cannot be achieved. The internal pervading God in all these planets and deities (Parabrahma) is Lord Datta and He alone should be worshipped. The fan cannot move without current. The bulb cannot glow without current. The fan and bulb are the planets and deities. The current is Lord Datta. In other religions the same current is named as Jehovah or Allah.

The Veda says “Bhīṣodeti” i.e., the Sun shines only by the energy and fear of God. The Veda (Kenopanishad) says that the power of all deities is only God. So, all these astrologers and priests should be converted as Sadgurus, who preach about Lord Datta. They can also take some money (Guru Dakshina) from the people for their livelihood and there is nothing wrong because they are standing on the truth and are giving the real help to all the people who believe them. Only in this path, Lord Datta can protect you really by taking your sins on Him. He will undergo the punishments for your sake. Except this way, there is no other way to escape from the sins. But, remember that you must not expect Lord Datta to take your sins. You must be prepared to enjoy your sins and still continue to worship Him without aspiring anything in return from Him. You must prove your love by your practical participation in His service. Worship should not be with mere mind and words.

In other ways (i.e., worshipping planets and deities with desires) your bad results are postponed to the later part of this life or next life, which have to be paid with interest. The good results to be enjoyed in the next life are dragged to the present life with reduced values like pre-mature encashment of deposits. As a result, your next life is going to be miserable with full of difficulties from birth to death.

Today is Durgashtami; the demon Mahisha (He-buffalo) represents the foolish rigidity of mind. Today Durga killed Mahisha. Who is Durga? She is the three forms i.e., Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati and they are the powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. These three forms are of Guru Datta. So Durga means the power of God (Datta) who alone can kill Mahisha. The various scriptures quoted in this message are the various weapons of Durga. Durga means protection. Only this true knowledge can give protection. If these defects are present in other religions also they can also be rectified. A rigid person sticks to old tradition only. Such a rigid person drinks even the salt water from a well dug by his forefathers, as said by Scholars “Tātasya kūpo'yam”. Scholars also say that all the old is not correct (Purāṇamityeva). This is the inner essence of “Durgashtami” which is the festival today.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★