Dharma Vahini

The ancients considered temples as not only Devamandirs (Temples of God), but also as Vijñanmandirs (Temples of Spiritual Wisdom). They knew that Paramartha (the supreme purpose of life) itself can be attained by the purposeful temple service, done consciously and with full knowledge of its meaning. They felt that temples are schools of learning or training grounds for the supreme transformation of man. They believed that the higher the sanctity of temples is maintained, the purer the human heart can be. You can guess the nature of the inhabitants of a village by simply observing the village temple and its premises. “If the temple is kept clean and pure with holiness in the atmosphere, you can infer that the people of that village are full of fear of sin, that they walk along the path of goodness,” so thought the ancients.

Such temples, which are the centres for spiritual wisdom and which teach the knowledge of the true Self, have today failed to maintain their ideals. Such serene and beautiful places are degenerated today into picnic places where people move about in revelry. Idlers incessantly gather in the precincts and play cards or draw charcoal lines on the floor to play dice or such other gambling games. As a result, many temples are today turning into the sporting places of Kalipurusha — a wicked demon and personification of Adharma (Immorality) in the Kaliyuga (Age). This is contrary to Dharma.

The temple must be considered as the heart of the village; it should therefore be kept pure and clean as befits the heart. Believe that God walks about in the temple; it is His residence. All have a responsibility to preserve the holiness of that atmosphere, which confers the joy of serving the Lord. Believe that the temple is the heart of all. The day this is done, Madhavatvam (the God principle) in man will shine forth as a jewel. This is the truth; this is the upholding principle behind the construction of temples.

Village authorities, government agencies, or devotees themselves must make all arrangements in temples that are needed for the spiritual development of man. Then only can the spirit of Divine splendour shine forth and spread to mankind.

This is not all. There are some ultra-modern critics who condemn the construction of Gopurams (a high pyramidal tower over the gates of the temple, or temple gateway), as so much waste of money. This reveals a total absence of farsightedness; no one with a high ideal or an upward vision or a great virtue will make such a remark. If you dwell upon the significance of the Gopuram, you can realise how holy, how mysterious, how revealing, its purpose is. The Gopuram beckons to all those who move in and around that village, who have lost their way immersed in the worldly pursuits, and who wander away from truth, “O ye mortals! Blinded by the fog of physical attachments and self-aggrandising urges, enslaved by the miasma of worldly desires which are fleeting and false, you have forgotten Me, the true nature, heritage, the eternal, the source and sustenance of you all. Forgetting Me, you are wallowing in grief; you are pursuing the mirage in the desert sands. Come, have faith in the everlasting Me! Struggle out of the darkness and enter the realm of light and come to the royal road of Shanti (Peace). That is the path of Dharma. Come, come, O come!” Thus does Lord Gopala call on all, with a raised hand (as Giridhari, the ‘Gopura’ resembles the Giri, the Hill), from aloft the house-tops in every village.

So, if seen through this more elevated insight, Gopurams help to abolish Athodrishti (Inferior downward outlook) of man and cause to develop Urdhvadrishti (Supreme upward vision). This is the Dharma (holding principle) underlying the construction of Gopurams. Such high ideals inspire these structures. This is the true meaning, a meaning which can be experienced and felt. The light on top of the Gopuram is the symbol of Akhandajyoti (Eternal Unbroken Light) which is the refuge of all; it is a symbol to remember the Supreme Lord who is Jyotiswarupa — embodied Light, Effulgence; it is an extraordinary light that brings Nitya Shanti (Eternal Peace). It inspires the inward vision, to establish in Brahmanishtha (Contemplation of Atma within), to realise the oneness with Hari (God).

Temples are like an oasis in the desert. For those who have lost their way in the hot sands of unrest and grief, they are abodes of peace and joy (i.e., Prashanti Mandirs and Santosha Sadanas), welcoming them to cool joyous peace. The Gopurams hold aloft the flag of the name of God, fighting the evil influence of Kalipurusha; all should offer their salutations to them for the service.

Many dull-witted moderns question the purpose of all the constructions and conditions, conventions and customs, which revolve around the temple. They cannot grasp any replies that are beyond their limited understanding. A patient suffering from viral (malignant) fever will find even sweet things bitter; so too, those afflicted with the viral fever of worldliness can never taste the real sweetness of truth. First, the fever must subside; then, they can appreciate the value of the things of the spirit.

Similarly, one should first ponder on queries as: What is the goal of human life? What is that exalted status or position, man must attain? Is it just eating, drinking, sleeping, craving sensory pleasures, and finally dying, like any bird or beast? No, certainly not. A little thought will reveal that it is not so. The purpose of human life is Brahmasakshatkaram (Realisation of the Absolute, of Brahman)! Without attaining the prosperity of the grace of that Lord, no one can experience Shanti (Peace). However much one strives to extract happiness from the multiplicity of worldly things, the quantum of satisfaction is very little; and, as for peace, one finds that it is impossible to get it through things of the world. The doubt naturally arises, why should one aspire for the Divine Grace or the realisation of the Absolute? The reason is, that is the original abode (i.e., place of origin) and refuge of all; there is no other destiny. So, one must take refuge in God. The Manas (Mind) can have Shanti (Peace) only when it merges in Paramatma (the Supreme Soul) which is Svaswarupa (the Supreme Reality), Sarvaadhishthana (the All-pervading), Moolakarana (the Primal Cause), and Satchidananda Rupa (the pure Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). Otherwise, it cannot experience Shanti.

Even the most comfortable house, equipped with all the luxuries man craves for, even heaps of treasure, are helpless to endow one with Shanti (Peace). Shanti can be won only by the realisation of God or by surrender to God, who is the very core of one’s being, the very source of all life and living. Consider this: Do those lucky enough to possess wealth, gold, property and comforts have Peace? Nor is this all. Are highly learned ones, persons of extraordinary beauty, those with super-human physical strength — are they at least at Peace? What is the reason for the misery of even these?

The reason is: they have ignored the One Absolute Underlying Principle, i.e., the Parameshwara Tattvam, only through which one can attain true bliss and peace. To truly die is to forget God. All lives, lived without the breath of faith, and devotion to the One Supreme Overlord, are despicable; lives spent without tasting the nectar of the Divine Principle, without gaining even an iota of spiritual wisdom — they are all wasted chances. Such men are most unlucky.

Our true form, the fountain of our joy, our fundamental basis is Paramatma (the Absolute Self, i.e., God). However, men at large have now forgotten this principle of Divinity. What an absurdity it is! Paramatma principle has become something outside and beyond, unnecessary, unsought for. The world, with its tinsel tawdriness, has become near and native, necessary and desirable.

Denying themselves the bliss derivable from surrender to the Lord, men are agitated pursuing devotion, temples, sages and dips in sacred rivers. A modicum of devotion will awaken them from this delusion. The Svasthana (place of origin, natural abode or native home) of man is Paramatma (God). It will teach them that what is crucial to attain peace is, only by taking refuge at one’s Svasthana, viz., God. Temples are invitations to that home, signboards directing man there. This is the aim of constructing temples.

On one occasion, Sri Ramachandra spoke thus to those assembled to hear Him on the Chitrakuta Hill: “Dawn breaks and dusk falls. With the dawn, greed for wealth awakes in man; with the dusk, lust gets hold of him. Is this to be the way of life? Is this to be the goal? With the passing of every single day, man has wasted one precious chance. He has taken one more step towards the cave of death. But, does he ever bewail his lot? Does he sorrow over the wasted day?” Note, how worthy of remembrance this message is!

It is because of such reminders that the culture of Bharat has God, the Brahmajnanam (knowledge of Brahman) as its central theme. “Bha-rata” means, the land that has Rati (Attachment) to Bhagawan (God). If the Westerners ‘abandoned’ everything in their single-minded devotion to the discovery of the mysteries that govern the objective world, here the Bharatiyas ‘renounced’ everything for the discovery and experience of the Absolute, which is the Prime Cause of the universe and which, if known, confers unshakeable peace.

The Westerners’ Tyaga (Abdication) is for the evanescent; the Tyaga (Renunciation) by the Bharatiyas is for the Eternal. The act of Bharatiyas is oriented towards Vijnana (spiritual wisdom); others’ acts are oriented towards Ajnana (Ignorance). One is austerity of light (i.e., Tapas); other is ignorance of darkness (i.e., Tamas). That is why even today, the splendour of the Rishis (Sages) and Yogis shines through the curtain of centuries on the faces of men as layers of impressions. If sometimes the shadows of despair, despondency, and discontent flit across those faces in this land of Bharat, it is forewarning of the decline of practice of Dharma itself and also a jibe at the culture of Bharat.

Temples are intended to instruct men in the art of removing the veil of tendencies towards the worldly sensory pleasures that lie over their hearts. That is the reason why Tyagaraja prayerfully sang in the temple at Tirupati, “Remove the veil, O Remove the veil within me, the veil of pride and envy.” The fog of Maya (Illusion) melted away before the rays of Grace of God and so, Tyagaraja could discern and describe the image of Divine auspicious charm in the song “Shivutavo, Madhavutavo” and drink deep the sweetness of that form. The churning of his heart by the chanting of the Divine Name produced Jnanagni (Spark of Spiritual Wisdom), and it grew into the flame of Realisation.

Not only in this Kaliyuga, but even in the earlier Yugas (Ages), the Krita, the Treta, and the Dvapara, Namasmarana (remembrance of the name of the Lord) has been the secret to cross the ocean of cycle of birth-and-death for man. Such remembrance of the Divine name happens when we visit holy places and temples. Therefore, going to temples and remembrance of the name of the Lord is the main Sadhana (Spiritual Discipline) to be followed, especially in the Kaliyuga, when the air is full of wicked and ungodly thoughts.

That is the reason why in the Gita, Lord Krishna has declared, “Among Yajnas (devotional and Dharmic acts), I am the Nama Yajna (Yajna of repetition of the name), the sacrifice that has the sacrificial offering at the sacred fire, the animal ignorance (Ajnana) itself.” For the cure of grief, for the earning of joy, temples, where the name of God can be remembered, are very essential. “For Ananda (Bliss), Smarana (remembrance of the name of the Lord) is the refuge; for Smarana, visiting temples is the refuge.” That is the series. There is nothing more fruitful than these, nothing more blissful or more charming.

“Having the greatly simple name of the Lord, the ever-available tongue to chant the name of the Lord, and the temple where His enchanting image is installed so people can see His form and sing His glory in an exalted voice... why should people hurry towards the gates of hell?,” wondered sage Vyasa. His wonder was born out of his own experience of the efficacy of the name and its remembrance. So too, Tulsidas! He lived constantly in the temple and described his experience as follows. “Alas! When men give up the name of the Lord and the temple, and seek peace and joy by other means and in other places, I am reminded of the foolishness of those who forsake the rich, fresh and tasty fare readily available on their plates and beg with outstretched hands for small quantities of spoiled and sour buttermilk from others’ homes,” he lamented. See how profound his observation was.

Even in Vedic discipline, the name of the Lord is emphasized as of utmost importance:

“Om ityekaksharam Brahma” (“Om - that one word is Brahman”), declared the Aryan sages.

Examine for yourself, whether any saint was saved and earned salvation without the name of the Lord or without the temple! For Gouranga, Jagannatha Mandir (Vishnu temple) was the inspiration and refuge. For Jayadeva, it was the Radhakrishna temple. For Nandanar, it was the temple which provided the source of realisation, isn’t it? Vallabhacharya, Tukaram, Kabir, Nanak, Meera, Radha, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Shankaracharya, Namadev, Tulsidas, Tyagaraja — all such great persons attained Divine vision and what is more, Divine wisdom itself, in and through temples, is it not? What need is there to dilate more? Even in recent times, was it not in the Goddess Kali temple built by Rani Rasmani that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa tasted all that Divine bliss and discovered his identity?

To desecrate such holy temples, to spoil the sacred atmosphere of their precincts, to forget their holy mission, and to pave the way for their decline and desecration — undoubtedly Adharma. How come those acts are Dharma? Those who do these things have neither inner nor outer light; they are in utter darkness. Mandirs (Temples and Temple Worship), Mathams (Monasteries or company of sages), Smarana (recital and remembrance of the name of the Lord), Puja (adoration of the images or idols), etc. — these are external sources of light. Dhyana (Meditation), Tapas (Austerity), Manana (Reflection), etc. — these are the sources of inner illumination. Devoid of both, how can these persons experience the vision of Divine glory or gain Vijnana (Spiritual Wisdom)?

Therefore, Tulsidas Goswami once declared thus: “If you require light inside the house as well as outside, then, place the lamp on the doorstep! So too, if you desire to spread the illumination of Shanti (Peace) outside yourself as well as inside, then, place the lamp of the name of the Lord on the tongue, which is the doorstep of your personality! This lamp on the tongue will not flicker, fade or be put out by any storm. It will confer the illumination of peace to you, as well as on all whom you meet, and to the entire world.”

Therefore, for the salvation of the individual, as well as of the world, the name of the Lord and the abode of God (Temple) are the best means. The very memory of the name of the Lord (i.e., Namasmarana) will evoke the vision of the true form or reality. It means, the Sakararupa (visual form) is essential. Temples are the places where that form, in all its enchantment and glory, is depicted for the inspiration of the aspirant. So, whether the ordinary eye sees that glory or not, in the perspective of the seekers of the Atmic truth, temples are indispensably valuable.