The way to trouble God
For the Religious minded people, rituals & devotional celebrations hold deep spiritual meaning, so missing them causes a feeling of being deprived of crucial opportunity for spiritual growth, connection with their faith & the almighty himself.
Had the opportunity of experiencing two very contrasting patterns from the recently concluded Mahashivaratri celebrations
First,
Religious celebrations at home have always left a deep spiritual
impact involving a strong sense of satisfaction when accomplished in “Propah”
. traditional manner.
Ahead of Mahashivaratri a situation threatening disruption of important age old traditions inherited & practiced by the family emerged. With “family” purohit ( அர்ச்சகர்) throwing in the towel (அங்கவஸ்திரம்?) , every effort to draft “suitable” personnel proved futile . Ultimately it dawned that ; “Self dependence” would be the best option ! ( which eventually proved most convenient & ideal too). Surfing the social media yielded required result. Was able to locate a qualified priest (கனபாடிகள) with very authentic pronunciation & voice that rang out like a huge Bronze temple bell. With this digital support & some experience of our daily Abhishekam with milk, sandal & water extended to eleven items and with three(Instead of the usual 5) home cooked neivedyam Items , the Shivaratri Maha Pooja at home was accomplished successfully.
Next,
Enticingly packaged delusive religious events/rituals (ரூம் போட்டு யோசிப்பாங்களோ? ) which are offered to the gullible masses as glamorous quick-fix options are established by foundations & individuals looking to en cash susceptibility of people. The fare dished out as pioneering interpretations of ancient precepts, are often only distorted versions of the conventional norms.
, With Purveyors & advertisers of Religious Goods &
Services establishing huge platforms &
network for selling spirituality(God),
there is abundant Religious “Entertainment” available on TV on festival days.
In a
consumer-driven society, it’s no surprise that even faith has become
commercialized. The problem is that the
focus is too much on hype, and too
little on religious.
Here are a few observations & and Assortment of “lessons” I learned on Mahashivaratri day
1.Self-realience motivates one to transcend barriers
2. Bilva patra,flowers , coconut,fruits etc pilfered surreptitiously from others’ property & offered to the almighty by people experiencing intense divine frenzy Is a perfectly honourable & acceptable.activity
3. The main feature of Mahashivaratri, Upavaasa & Jagarna have now transformed to Annadanam( read gluttonous Gorging) & wild whole night revelry, courtesy Modern day Spirtiual dispensations.
4. The new enticing commodity is
mega theatrical prayer to God, replete with Garish Sets , VFx ,
outlandish costumes , psychedelic music .and muscular men attired in vedic style designer
clothing gyrating deliriously before offering a fiery arathi
to the lord .
5. Religious traditions are being
stripped of their sacred contexts and used brazenly for branding or
marketing purposes,.
6. Those seeking out this type of “Instant Nirvana” are generally wealthy people who, after paying astronomical ticket prices are cooped up in enclosures adjacent to the ramp . And as their messiah & “Star” compere struts down the aisle they scream in ecstasy shedding tears profusely.
& some “Spicy”ones:
7. Kitchen is the most pivotal space in the house. Our existence is decided here. A right ingredient in wrong quantity or wrong ingredient in right quantity can propel you to the restroom for the rest of the day.
8, Sheep can actually sneeze like humans !
9. Piglets (liiitle pigs) can run very fast ………really vVVv fast !
10. Real time is when the Surgeon says 10 minutes & 10 minutes turns forty,
11.நம் முட்டாள்தனத் அறிய மிக பெரிய புத்திசாலித்தனம் தேவை !
& to wind up,
Devotees immersed in piety were waiting patiently after Darshan in the temple courtyard for Prasadam.Everything was peaceful. Out of nowhere, a gentleman tried jumping the line. Screaming expletives he stormed past a lady talking on her phone pushing her hard and vanished at lightening speed. The shocked crowd , many of them busy on their phones, (Probably talking to the Lord himself), took about 6 1/2 minutes to react & assess what happened. The poor lady was shivering and still in shock. Gradually one by one people started to console her . She even got a dozen hugs from random young women who even apologized for what had happened . Everyone advised someone else to take her to a hospital to ensure this incident did not haunt her in the future. Soon the temple priest arrived carrying prasadam and gave it to the lady duly reciting the Aashirvada mantram. The crowd clapped & whistled
Made me realize that for every single maniac , there are dozens of kindhearted people out there ! but, Is this Holy Day Oblation Or…just crazy evolution?
Om Namah Shivayah or should I scream seeeva, seeeeva, seeevaaaa !
