God for Sale

It was a new start for me and I found myself in the middle of an extremely chaotic phase! I need a break! And my sense of break was to have a conversation(rationalization/realization) in an extremely serene atmosphere! With no one to stare, no one to question. A blissful silent conversation to whichever superior force that in ways control the earth, to understand why I am running about in life! To reason out if there is any sense at all in the hustle I seem to make!

Im an ardent devotee of Krishna – solemnly baptized & christened “Mary” with considerable knowledge of the muslim practices (as a large chunk of my college & hostel life was in a muslim institute).  Mr. PI Patel’s religious consciousness is not foreign to me!

Seeking a day out for emotional balance & to remain connected with the supremacy I set off early morning with just a coffee to a famous krishna temple ( name withheld for fear of religious attrocities against me!). It was 3 hours journey from home! I went there, appalled with the hugeness i walked fast to reach my abode of peace & tranquility as soon as possible! But lo the moment i reached there I saw so many people crowded in one corner of that huge temple! Did the good lord step out of his shrine and walk till that small gate? he had larger ones the other end dint he??

They handed me a card in which a slogan was written and they were directing us in – one at a time! there were marble slabs placed till u reach the shrine at specified distance and u had to recite the slogan – “once in every step u take”!! Excuse me – I thought i came here to talk with him – to find peace! The pandit in charge was shouting aloud – chant loudly. NO – revolted my mind. I came here to talk with HIM to find that small smile behind that flute which i can find only with utmost concentration and the coolness that the water with Tulsi leaves gives me! Im not going to chant, im going to talk – hare krishna hare krishna – came the voices left, right, front and back! And by the look on their faces, they had no clue of what they were chanting or why they were! It was the only feasible way to reach the top they must’ve figured, quite like me.

I reached the jeweled statue, couldnt search for the smile as I was busy revolting agains the chanting/talking stuff still! I climbed still higher the shrine..wow a whole museum of idols, books, cinema halls, handicrafts, and eatables. I adored the sculptures, browsed through the book titles ( gasped at the prices of both), wondered since when “sponge cakes” were offered as prasadas! mused at the childrens T-shirt caption that stated “I lost my heart to (somethng related to heaven)! i mused only at the “lost my heart” words of it! wondering where I have heard it before.. my mind wandering to all the movies that had used those words!  and craved for food as my eyes landed on the huge supply of sweets, burgers, samosas that were there!

In short in my religious trip for a reunion with the self or the atma or the paramatma, I had a complete chat with the wordly trifles! I thought of food, i thought of dress, bags, sense of fashion, sculptures, artistic tastes, captions, wayward thoughts! everything but God!

Having the option of other lords to save me i thought i’ll set on the next trip
(the same day)! Many of you would be thinking Y need to travel to a holy place, why not ur home, a park – as God is there everywhere! As i said I just wanted a silent, peaceful talk with him, calm down my racing mind and a cool, serene atmosphere! I couldn’t do it at home, coz home was just too congested! No parks coz they apparently dint like the idea of a lady sitting alone in a park and i was confronted with a questioning face with such authority that i meekly succumbed to their unvoiced orders and headed home every time i visited a park alone with the intention of just sitting & meditating!

All said and done i set off my trip to the dome of peace & silent enduring – church! I carried some bread along ( a traditional offering in one of the churches here)(name withheld for fear of religious atrocities against me!) I traveled 2 hrs again the same day to find my tranquilizer and lo it was closed. In a sense I was happy, the place would be deserted and I can blabber what i want and find Mr. Peace & ask for some of his peace portion.

The guard looked curiously at the large pack of bread i was carrying! He has his reasons to stare as I do look a Hindu and the papers were full of stone hurls and violence of Hindu people against Christians! Well he directed me towards the Priest – well he is an appointed member, a mediator – but i thought i traveled in the hope of a direct conversation. I need to rush back. Its 7 and I may have a good 2 hrs journey back! I went to the Priest nevertheless, gave him the bag as my mind raced to the lonely corridor dimly lit to relieve my mental burden. But i was not to hasten, my mediator wanted my complete information, perhaps hes going to submit my file to the almighty! But we were following open door policy till now, right? even with the Almighty?

What is your name? Where are you from? You traveled all the way till here? How did you get to know of God? (err? no one else knew? i get some reward/incentives?) Are you of this church, How often do you come..thus flowed his unending quiz..long enough for me to be aware that I have to schedule my appointment with Mr. Peace for another day! As i rushed out his door he called me back to inform that I should surely meet him the next time i visit the church! His tone remided me of a beautiful lady (Guys now dnt ask me if she’s single – No she’s not!) from Poland whom i met n a bus & who started talking to me about religion. She was telling me why do I believe in a God who is into violence and adultery and why nt convert into christianity (i dnt let out my PI situation to her ;P). I smiled a very pleasing one thinking that no matter how muchever people tease me for my foolishness I’m certainly better than a damsel from Poland who expects people to hop into religions at her words like it was a running train!!! God save her from the “real people who are actually into violence!!”

Yesterday I dint for once pray for health, peace or wealth for myself or my family..but i prayed nevertheless for the supreme power which is believed by all to control earth, planets heaven and what not! I prayed that let him/her/it not be “sold” like this!! I thought the religion in me was to discipline me! I remember my mother taking me to the pooja room to check if i lied! I till date don’t have the guts in me to lie to my boss of taking a leave due to “food poison” without turning away from the God’s pic in the living room! But with t-shirts,caps,bags,walls,papers, everything having his name I have no choice but ignore! I might covet something that was sold to me, but i never would revere it.

Religion is sold, its a commodity today as dangerous as drug setting people violent on the roads. Are we foolish to believe the louder the screams the more the Lord hears it? Are we stupified to believe we are waging a tug war with the supreme power and the more the number of people in our side the more the chances of pulling him to us? Are we blind enough to actually believe that killing a creation would reinforce our tie with whom we believe as the creator! Or plain – are we ready to be the monkeys of those political wizards who take advantage of the situation in a strikingly coincidental manner – blast after blast!

Or is it coz its the age of commercialization! Today God out there is all about marketing techniques, promoting, increasing customer base, ensuring customer loyalty and the worst – competition and trust me competition that is the worst of its kind!!! Rush..grab this fantastic offer – God for Sale at 100% discount. *conditions apply. (u benefit only from promoting it further, even if it costs lives! peace! watever!)