The same Adi Shankara who supposedly made the rules at Guruvayur, made a statement having a profound meaning = "Bramha Satya, Jagat mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva napara", "Aham Brahmasmi".
If you deeply understand the meaning of these statements, you will realise that there is no need to visit any temple, church, masjid, gurudwara and any other temple. What are these temples any way? A means of asking gullible public to pay for receiving some UNKNOWN blessings of QUESTIONABLE GOD.
People should just stop going to any temple - be it the Tirupati, or the Jyotirlings or the Devi temples. GOD is not so cheap that it will get swayed by offerings of earthly human. What can you offer in any case to the ALMIGHTY who has created all and who is also residing in you.
Temples have converted GOD into a business to earn money and Power. These are just like a market place, a subji mandi.
RE:What is GOD?
by Ganapathy Janrdhanan on Jun 06, 2007 11:14 AM Permalink
Hi Gururaj, Your experience in temples seems to be very demoralising.Temples,masjids,churces,gurudwaras are for meditating and enjoying peace of mind.Now peace of mind differes from people to people.Your experience need not be the same for others.If you cannot achieve the peace of mind in temple as you rightly pointed out do not go there.But if you have a headache do not cut off the head to solve the problem.You must go deep to cure it.Ultimately it is you, and you alone who, can attain moksha and therefore, should train yourself not to get entangled in the worldly matters including temple administration etc.Therefore,when you go to temple go within yourself and see GOD in you.If you can do this you need not go to the temple.But every one would not have achieved your level.Hence a visit to temple is required to keep in touch with HIM.HE IS AWARE OF ALL ACTIVITIES IN TEMPLE AND EVERY WHERE.
These days, many temples may have become "business" centers, as you said.
But, you are wrong when you say that a temple is constructed to collect offerings from people. Why do you people make such irresponsible statements? If you can't see anything more than "offerings", money and business at a temple, please don't visit a temple. Please don't spread your false ideas everywhere. Already, religions have enough problems.
RE:What is GOD?
by S. RAMACHANDRAN on Jun 06, 2007 09:37 AM Permalink
I 100% agree with the views. Look deeper into thyself and you will see both the Temple and the God
RE:What is GOD?
by sujeesh areekara on Jun 06, 2007 09:48 AM Permalink
Excellent...My friends are enlightened...Temples are a means to reach your goal..there is absolutely no need to depend on them or conduct poojas there...For those who are short of time and knowledge.. it is the easiest means.
RE:What is GOD?
by jaydeep dalwadi on Jun 06, 2007 09:30 AM Permalink
You are correct in your early part of your post. But not in you lower part of you post.
Aham brahmasmi is correct. But only he who is purna can say this not every person on the face of this earth.
Use words properly, words are saviour and words are killer as well.
Now coming to you point of temples being places where you pay to get blessings.
I guess you had some nightmare visiting such type of place. Temple is meant for those whole are deeply in worldly affairs and are not able to completely disconnect from the day to day life. Its a place where you are supposed to do dhyana on God. That is why we placed idols of those who attained sumpremity or who were born sumpreme. This place is for meditating.
You don't need to pay to get bless. You need to love God to get blessed. And love for God happens to lucky ones or who initiate there own self on the path of meditation on bramha. Yes this is possible. Passing through the difficulties which come in way of the sadhak as parikshas you attain a state where you receive the showers of ultimate blessing of the bramha.
Now talking about temples. Temples have not converted God in business. But the people running those temples are not spiritual but yearning of earning they livelyhood. Does this mean that temples are corrupt places? NO they are not.
Lots of saints in our history who have taken birth in every part of India have been very frequent visitors of temples. At that time the priests were pure. In todays world
RE:RE:What is GOD?
by Gururaj Vaidya on Jun 06, 2007 09:48 AM Permalink
The Point was, why should the Ravi and Ravikrishna make such a fuss about going to a temple in the first place? If you are so liberated as to marry a Christian (Nothing wrong in that), then why bother to go to a Hindu place of worship? If you have shown that you dont believe in the Hindu faith, then why make a fuss about taking your son, born out of an act of faith defiance, to seek blessings again to a temple of the same faith. Is it not being hypocratic?
RE:What is GOD?
by Gururaj Vaidya on Jun 06, 2007 09:43 AM Permalink
Surely a Temple is inanimate. What I meant was certainly the people running the show. GOD doesnt need any money or anything else for that matter.
I suppose what you are referring to as "receive the showers of ultimate blessing of the bramha" is the self realisation process. For that you do not need to visit a temple. And looking at the state of various temples ( I have been to many ) I would like to know where you can meditate. Take Tirupati. You cant even stand in front of the deity but for a brief moment. One is better off to be in nature, away from the maddening crowd and away from a temple. Looking at the mad rush to seek GOD and his blessings as is seen in Hindu temples, I am sure GOD also will get fed up and run away from the temple.
RE:RE:What is GOD?
by Shankar Shinde on Jun 06, 2007 10:31 AM Permalink
Dear Gururaj, I support your views 100%. But everybody do not born with deep faith in god. To develop that faith he need to follow some rituals like pooja and visiting temples. As said by lord krishna, very few are curious to know god. So though it is not necessary to visit temple for everyone, for common people it is one of the means to develop faith and love for god. Even great saints like Gyaneshwara who called the body itself as a temple, they advised common people to do wari(pilgrimage). I hope u got my point...
