I just returned from a pilgrimage to two holy places- Kukke Subramanya (the ancient abode of Lord Subramanya) and Dharmasthala (on of the holiest temples of Lord Shiva). Am an extremely strong follower of God by nature but my belief transcends religious fundamentalism & materialism which manifest mostly nowadays & show up in the novel Baba's & Swami's who seem to be growing in numbers.
My write up is not about the Gods... after all, who am I to discuss about the Almighty, the benefactor! My note is on the devotees who flock to these temples.
Pilgrimages are bi focal- its nice to note that people are getting increasingly attracted to God- be it for they are inflicted with difficulties in life (& spiritualism is the answer) or due to better connectivity & transportation, making these far off centers accessible.
Yes, its a nice thing that to see thousands of us maroon pilgrim centers, but my only question is - do we visit them with a sacred belief & a divine notion?
In a place like Bangalore where I live (this may be true with other big cities as well), its become a fashion to set out on a travel on most week ends...and pilgrim centers are the most gullible (if I may use the term).
My most recent experience in Dharmasthala last week- a sacred & powerful temple known for Lord Manjunatha's power and miracles, tells something on our divinity. I had to stand in a serpentine queue with my wife for 2 hours to get a glimpse of the Lord. As I moved along this queue, I set my eyes on the different type of people, young and old, men & women, who occupied the line- some stood in utmost silence with hymns on their lips, some were just moving along but a vast majority of them were chatting - mostly about financial matters, films, current affairs & one group was busy rendering Kannada film songs to keep the group mates busy! In other words, it looked to me as if sacred Dharmastala was a picnic spot... just like another shopping mall.
I have no grouses against people flocking pilgrim centers. It is their right. But what I dislike is the gradual rise of 'pseudo faith' if I am allowed to coin the term.
I have colleagues in my office & other friends, who frequent Tirupati, another sacred Hindu temple in the South. Its really a tough ask, particularly for the aged & children to stand in queues for many hours to just get a few seconds of glimpse of the beautiful Lord Venkateshwara ( and the feeling that you are left with after seeing him makes anyone - even an atheist long for more).
But what is the point in visiting these places again and again with such great frequency? Has the lord written in his constitution that if you visit him more often, you are more blessed than others? In the south, I have seen many people talking pride that they visited Tirupati 10 times, 15 times in a year. They have to but only realise that by doing this, they are only inconveniencing genuine & devout people who with great difficulty & divinity set out to have his blessings.
Out of the thousands whom I saw at Dharmasthala, I can hardly fix a percentage on the ones who actually came with Reverance to the Lord... many, if not most, came over for a weekend holiday, for the free accommodation & food that the temple offers... where is all the faith???
The story does not end here, the place is littered & we Indians are world famous for spitting everywhere, whether its a temple of a shopping mall, we don't discriminate.
At the end, my mind is left pondering... is this surge in pilgrimages a real manifestation of the growing religious fervor in the society- or its just a mere exhibition of false bhakti. I mostly find it preposterous.
No, I am not blaming the crowds, I may be wrong when I have written this in my blog (I hope I am wrong). But I'd like to see these pilgrim centers remain as pilgrim centers and not week end picnic hubs.
Lets convey our divine feelings to the Almighty with utmost reverence & respect. To get His love, we need not frequent pilgrim centers... a few minutes of single minded meditation is enough.
Friends, we need to visit His abodes with lots of passion,discipline, devotion & attention.
I hope my blog is at least able to convert one picnic pilgrim into a serious devout yatri.
May Lord Manjunatha bless all!
