Symbolism of Temples and Rituals

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

A temple represents the body of the human incarnation (Deho devālayaḥ proktaḥ). The statue in the temple represents the Lord in the human body (Jīvo devaḥ sanātanaḥ). The Gita also says that the Lord enters a human body and comes down to this earth (Mānuṣīṃ tanu māśritam). The Veda says that the Lord can be seen here on the earth itself (Yat sākṣāt aparokṣāt Brahma). The temple and the statue are only models to teach this concept. Once the concept is understood there is no need of any model. Hanuman recognized the human incarnation (Rama) and sacrificed all His work to the Lord. He is not a householder and so He does not possess money to sacrifice. A saint can only sacrifice work (Karma Samnyaasa). He cannot sacrifice any money (Karma Phala Tyaaga). Gopikas identified the human form of the Lord Krishna. They are householders and so they sacrificed the fruit of their work (butter). Hanuman and Gopikas never worshipped any statue in any temple as per Valmiki Ramayana and Vyasa Bhagavata. Hanuman and Gopikas served the Lord without aspiring anything in return from the Lord. Through such path (Niskaama Karma Yoga) in which service is done only due to love and not aspiring for any fruit, Hanuman and Gopikas were given highest fruits. Hanuman became the future creator of the world. Gopikas were given Goloka, which is at higher level than even Brahmaloka. Therefore, the essence of Ramayana and Bhagavata is to identify the human incarnation of the Lord and serve Him. This is the aim of the temple.

As long as the sages were present the correct interpretation was given. But today the priests are in the place of sages. The sages recited the Vedas because there was no printing. They protected the Vedas. They knew the true meaning of the Vedas. These priests today recite the Vedas when there is no need because the Vedas are printed. These priests do not know the meaning of the Vedas and are mocked as divine animals by the Veda (Devānāṃ paśurahaha). The model concept of the temple is completely buried. The temples and statues are misused for their selfish business. Even the rituals are misused in a similar way. These priests misinterpreted the temples and rituals as the means for getting rid of the effects of sinful deeds and for attaining the results of good deeds, which were not done. They have simply thrown away the theory of Karma, which says that one has to enjoy the results of both good and bad deeds even after millions of ages (Avaśya manubhoktavyam). For doing worship in the temples and for doing the rituals they charge some petty money for their livelihood. They recite the Vedic hymns. They do not know the meaning of that Vedic hymns and they do not preach their meaning to the devotees. The devotees are also selfish who want to get rid of the sins and want the results of good deeds, which were not done by them. These priests exploited this selfishness of the human beings. The priest is like an unqualified village doctor. He charges ten rupees fees and prescribes medicines for one hundred rupees. The disease increases and the patient suffers a lot. Similarly, the priest takes ten rupees and makes the devotee to purchase some unnecessary materials in the ritual. Flowers, coconuts, fume sticks, oil lamp, betel leaves and nuts and camphor are purchased which are not at all found in the Veda.

In the Veda only, Yajna is described. Yajna means cooking the food and nothing else. Let the priest become a qualified city doctor and charge one hundred rupees fees who prescribes a medicine of about two rupees and the disease is completely cured. Let him not waste all these materials by ‘Dravya Yajna’ which means involving the materials. The only Dravya Yajna mentioned in the Veda is cooking the food. Except this there is no other Dravya Yajna. Let the priest explain the Vedic hymns and make every thing as Jnana Yajna to develop divine knowledge and devotion in the people. The priest should become a scholar and let him charge the Guru Dakshina without any wastage. Let him take all the money as Guru Dakshina, whatever the devotee offers. The oil is unnecessarily burnt in the lamp. In the daytime there is no need of light. In the night the electric light is present. Burning of oil creates air pollution. Similarly burning of fume sticks and camphor.

In the olden days the oil lamp was lit at the time of sunset as ‘Sandhya Deepam’. There was no other alternative. The oil lamp was viewed as a model of the Lord. But today the electric light is present and there is no need of oil lamp. Some people say that the oil lamp represents the knowledge, which is destroying the oil, and the oil is representing ignorance. Very good! You lit the oil lamp and look at it. You have understood the concept. Now why should you light the oil lamp again when the concept is already understood? In the olden days the fire was maintained because it was very difficult to light the fire by rubbing the two sticks. But now the matchsticks are present. Then why should you maintain the fire?

In the old Masjid Shri Sai Baba lit the fire with the sticks to avoid the scorpions and snakes. But today why are you maintaining the fire with sticks in the temple of Shri Sai Baba? With the help of these sticks how many poor people can cook their food. In the olden days the sages were in the forest. The fire was lit so those cruel animals do not approach. The smoke of the fire used to repel the mosquitoes in the forest. Why should you burn the fume stick today when the mosquitoes are absent? All these materials on burning produce the poisonous carbon dioxide gas, which pollutes the air and stops the rain.

Today the Yajna is also misinterpreted. After cooking the food with the help of the fire the food is to be offered to the guest. The Veda says that the guest is like a fire. The word Agni (fire) comes from the word Agri that means that the guest should be fed first. The hunger in the stomach of the guest is called Vaishvanara who is the divine form of the fire. The Gita says the same (Ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā). The Veda (Vaiśvānaro brāhmaṇaḥ praviśati atithiḥ...) calls the guest as Vaisvanara Agni. Lord Krishna went and ate the food prepared for the sacrifice. He taught the wives of the sages that offering food to the hungry person is the real sacrifice. Lord Krishna is the protector of Vedic Dharma. Will He spoil the sacrifice if its meaning were so? Kapila, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu condemned burning of food and ghee in the fire. The Veda says that food should not be destroyed (Annaṃ na paricakṣīta). The oil and ghee burnt in the lamp are also food. Giving food to the hungry beggar is the real sacrifice.

The fire in the oil lamp is called ‘Loukikaagni’. The fire of the electric bulb is called ‘Vaidyutaagni’. The hunger in the stomach is called ‘Vaishvanaraagni’. Vaidyutaagni is superior to Loukikaagni. Therefore, why should you burn the oil lamp in the night when the alternative electric bulb is there which will not cause the pollution. Even in the olden age they never lit the oil lamp in the daytime. The Vaishvanaraagni is the super most form. Therefore, when you lit the life-lamp by burning oil, ghee and food in the hunger of a beggar such an act is the real Deepaaraadhanam (lighting the lamp) and the real Yajna (sacrifice). There is no life in the statue and all these sixteen modes of worship (Upacharas) are meant only for human incarnation. Let the priest preach the meaning of the Vedic hymns so that the people become the real devotees and get the real grace of the Lord.

When you are worshipping the Lord, you should not aspire any fruit in return. Some people are sacrificing work and money but they are aspiring the fruit in return. Such a service is again a waste. If you teach the Nishkaama karma Yoga that is the service to the Lord without expecting anything from the Lord, then only the Lord will come in human form and suffer for your sins. Then only you can get rid of your sins. Except this one path there is no alternative. Either you have to pay or your father has to pay the fine. If you pester the Lord through the present rituals and methods of worship, the Lord will bring the good results from your next birth to be enjoyed by you with reduced values as pre-matured deposits. You do not know this secret and you think that you have soaped the Lord and got rid of the sins. Your present sins are thrown to next birth with increased interest. Your future life cycle is full of miseries from birth to death due to such interference. Therefore, the Lord is cleverer than you when you are adopting the ways of business with Him.

Cooking the food is called Dravya Yajna. Chanting the Vedic hymns are called Swadhyaya Yajna. Revealing the essence of the Veda is called Jnana Yajna. The Gita says that Jnana Yajna is more important than Dravya Yajna (Śreyān dravyamayāt). Shastra says that there is no use of chanting the Veda without knowing its meaning (Anarthajñaḥ). I am not criticizing the priests. Let them rise to the level of Sadguru. A devotee is spending rupees ten on purchasing unnecessary materials like flowers, fume sticks, camphor, coconut etc., The priest is taking one rupee as Guru Dakshina. The merchants are snatching the money of the devotee and the devotee is not benefited because all these materials are unnecessary for the Lord. Neither the priest nor the devotee is benefited. The Lord is also not pleased.

Therefore, let the priest take all the eleven rupees as Guru Dakshina. Let him explain the essence of the Veda to the devotees in the temple or while doing a ritual. When the devotee learns the concept of ‘Nishkaama Karma Yoga’ the devotee is benefited because the Lord in human form transfers his sins on Him and suffers for the sake of the devotee. In this path only the devotee is relieved from his problems. The priest should be at the level of the human form of Lord. The devotee should worship the priest who has become Sadguru. The Sadguru Himself will relieve the sins of the devotee by suffering for the sake of the devotee. There should not be business between the Sadguru and the devotee. The relationship should be divine love and sacrifice. Shri Sai Baba suffered the diseases of His devotees.

Without suffering the result of the sin cannot be cancelled. Even the Lord honours the judicial system created by Him and therefore suffers for the sake of His devotees. But a devotee should not aspire this. He should not agree for the suffering of the Lord if he is a true devotee. Therefore, the Lord suffers secretely without the knowledge of the devotee. Sometimes He exposes an example to just show the existence of this concept. The temple should be the abode of such Sadguru and not the abode of a mere statue. The inert temple with the inert statue is like the human body without life. The life of the temple is the Sadguru (priest) himself. The temple should be a center of preaching the spiritual knowledge and devotion to the public. The temple should be based on such divine knowledge (Jnana Yajna). Now the temples are based on false business and ignorance involving Dravya Yajna and Swadhyaya Yajna only. The ignorance is that you can get rid of the sins and get the results of good deeds without doing those good deeds by wasting some materials in the temple and by the priest’s chanting of some Vedic hymns. The business is that you are offering some materials to the Lord with which the Lord has no connection at all. The statue does not need the light of the lamp nor the statue smelling the fumes. The statue is not pleased with the flowers and is not eating the coconut or other offerings. Even if you are distributing some eatable offerings to the devotees in the temple you are doing it without discrimination and analysis. Some devotees are rich and do not need your food. Some devotees are sinners and you will get a part of their sin by offering the food. The priest should be the correspondent between the Lord and the devotee. Due to his inefficiency a fume stick says that it is the correspondent between the Lord and a devotee! Showing the statue, the priest is taking one rupee and the merchants are snatching ten rupees. Only the merchants are benefited since the priest is not doing his duty of preaching the knowledge.

Thus, the whole show in the temple is only ignorance and business. The net result is that the devotee is losing money and time. The innocent public is put to loss. Therefore, Lord Datta wants to rejuvenate the tradition of Hinduism. Before Lord Jesus came the situation was similar in Christianity also. Jesus rejuvenated the whole Christianity. But slowly the old ignorance and business are cropping even in the Christianity. They are burning candles and offering cake. The cake should be offered only to four categories of beggars (Old, children, diseased and disabled). There is no need of burning the candles in the daytime or even in the night when the alternative electric lights are present. The candles on burning cause lot of air pollution. The light is the Lord Himself as said by Jesus and as said in the Veda also (Tasya Bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti). The knowledge preached by Jesus should be explained in depth and such act should be the only activity in every temple.

Similarly, in Hindu temples the only activity should be explanation of the Vedas and the Gita. With the help of this divine knowledge the devotees must search for the human incarnation present in that generation. Such priests are also partial incarnations of the Lord as said in the Gita (Mama tejo'ṃśa sambhavam). There can be several temples and several priests. There can be several schools with several teachers and colleges with several lecturers. There will be one university and one chief professor in the university who is chancellor. Such a Professor is called Paripurna Avatara who can be recognized only by His special knowledge that generates love and bliss in our hearts. He possesses all the superpowers including creation, ruling and destruction of the world. Lord Krishna was such a Professor and exhibited the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world by showing Vishvarupa. When the Vishvarupa was exhibited it means the world was created. When the Vishvarupa was maintained for some time, it means the world is maintained. When the Vishvarupa is withdrawn, it means the world is destroyed. This proves the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world by the Lord. Bhagavadgita is the special knowledge given by Him, which creates love and bliss in the heart of every devotee. Thus, special knowledge, love, bliss and the superpowers are the complete signs of the original Lord who came down in human form. But He comes down in human form in every generation to avoid the partiality to a particular generation. This is very very important point. Therefore, you should search for the Lord in your present generation. The school teachers and the college lecturers must help you to reach that university Professor.

Krishna is Paripoorna incarnation because He entered the human body and projected Himself completely. Rama is Poorna, since He entered the human body and not projected completely. Kapila is Amsha, since a part of His energy entered the human body. Vyasa is Kala, since a ray of His energy entered the human body. All these are permanent human incarnations because the incarnation is permanent from birth to the death of the human body. Parashurama is a temporary incarnation, because He entered a human being called Parashurama for doing a work. When the work is completed, the Lord left Parashurama and Parashurama is Avesha incarnation. This Avesha incarnation may be Paripoorna or Poorna or Amsha or Kala as per the requirement. If required the Paripoorna (A Chief Professor or Chancellor of University) incarnation can be also more than one. For Ex.: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba and Akkalkot Maharaj were the two Paripoorna incarnations lived in the same time. Lord Krishna appeared as 16,000 Krishnas in the same time. Nothing is impossible to the Lord.

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