Manavaseva Madhavaseva

Super star Amitabh Bachan has decided to donate nine cores to the Tirupati Temple!. Another devotee has pledged her entire wealth of 5 cores to the temple!. Recently the Prime Minister of Srilanka donated a gold crown to the Gurvayoor temple!.  India is replete with stories of the rich and the famous donating cores or rupees to the temples.

The real fact is that our Bhagawan would not distinguish between the huge sum of amounts donated by these rich people and the small amounts donated by a common man. Whether it is a flower, a leaf or water, Bhagavan accepts it, if it is offered with devotion.

It is time for our Hindu devotees donate money to Hindu charitable organization and to other NGO’s working towards the development of the Hindu society. Nine cores rupees would feed approximately 25000 daily for a year.  Wouldn’t God bless you with moksha if you could do that? If this contributed to projects like Ekal Vidyala, it would have supported the education of at least 6000 single – teacher schools around the country.

The Hindus need to move away from such extravagant spending in the name of luxury and for prestige. Our Bhagavan will be pleased to bless us if we provide services to the poor, hungry and under privileged. Our scriptures also advocate the same. Serving humanity is like serving Bhagawan. As we Hindus believe that Bhagawan exists within each one of us. So serving the needy is like serving Him.

We often expect the government to spend the devotee’s offering to the Hindu temple for temple renovation and Hindu charitable services. The government is eager to loot temple funds and divert it for politically motivated social and infrastructure development programs. The recent controversy of the Kerala Government proposing to use the funds from the Sabarimala temple for infrastructure development around the temple is not new. A few years back the government even borrowed money from the Devasom Board to pay salary for government employees. The political parties have ensured that the long tentacles of politics have virtual control over the temple administration. A few months back, there was also a controversy of the Karnataka Government selling of temple property to Christian organizations. The freezing of the property of the Kanchi Sankaracharya by implicating him in false cases is another example of the political parties and pseudo secular government to destroy Hindu institutions.  Where as the governments are either ignorant or not willing to interfere in disputes between various church groups on ownership of church building and church properties, because the government has no control over Christian and Muslim religious institutions or funds they accumulate from within India or from abroad. The government also cannot interfere in the affairs of the Muslim community and their thriving mosques and madrassas. They have no jurisdiction over these. So why do temples have to be controlled by any government?

It’s high time for Hindus to be pro-active. Hindus need to be aware of the sinister and nefarious motives of the politicians and the government. Hindus need to join together, act assertively to protect Hindu temples, religious institutions. It is time to take pro-active and sound policy decisions to protect our temple wealth, sacred land. A passive, indifferent, surrendering attitude will not ensure our future or strengthen our community. Let us all join together, protect, preserve and promote our sacred heritage.

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