As an Indian and as a Hindu it is our inherent nature and attitude to boast over our religion and rituals to celebrate with. We Hindu have several ceremonies to observe in different seasons. Different individuals have also different option and choice to practice his own way for celebrate the rituals. Some people observe one or two day fasting and meditate whole day his/her own respected God or goddess. The whole motive remain behind these activities is to get a desired aspiration and expectation. Some psychologists attribute these activities as some kind of latent psychic disorders and nothing else. Being a Hindu or being an Indian off course a matter to proud and a sacred, ancient religion no question or ambiguity in this fact but where is the sacred flawless unadulterated principle of Hinduism, which took its birth from the cradle of Vedas? Are we celebrating the principles of holy Vedas? Truly and explicitly the answer is wrapped inside a cloth of doubt. The principle and practice of Vedas is mutilated by several prophets and different cult makers in different time. If Veda's basic rule and commandments are constant and ancient, unalterable then why in different time in our history different cults aroused and relinquished? why our Hinduism took different turn in different eras in history? Why several invaders attacked India and successfully full filled their malaise desire of robbery and reign over whole India, which thrashed Indians into the slavery and storm of bankruptcy, misery, grief? Why Indians suffered slavery for different races in our wretched glorious past? Still we are gloating and boasting about our great heritage and culture, why? The bitter truth and atrocious fact is that we got defeated by others due to our foolishness and weakness, and still we didn't take any lesson from the past.
The great monk swami Vivekananda repeatedly advocated the worth of wisdom and hard work to the people of nation and perhaps vehemently aimed and endeavoured to wipe away the blind foolish believes in Hinduism till his last breath. Have the people of India thrown his nation saving sacred deeds and principles into the dustbin of idiocy? Swami Vivekananda preached "In the nation where hunger and illiteracy prevails an individual can't think about religion'' Only hard work and knowledge, wisdom can save a downtrodden nation and race from the black hole of upheaval. Still the people of India and so called Gurujees, Babajees and different Ashrams making and compelling the mind of common people to dwell in those time and money wasting orthodox fanatic believe. They preach different theories and examples about different demons and Gods, wrapped in the completely imaginary fascinating lies and irrelevant stories. Ritualistic often advocate to celebrate those strict rules and regulations after taking oath and vows dedicated for certain cults. In Hinduism there are several groups and cults and have their own way to celebrate different rituals and ceremonies, which off course divide the integrity of Hinduism.
The ritualistic people endow themselves with variety of outfits of different colours and different symbols e. g. "some holds some weapons like trishuls, saffron coloured clothes, foreheads marked with sandal wood paste long vermilion and, Rudraksha beads wearing on neck etc. etc. Even some sect of intelligent and intellect people belonging to group of bureaucrats, doctors, govt employees, administrative officials are also not uncommon examples. These peoples use to have a fanatic obsession towards ritualism. They got a pseudo satisfaction and exhibit themselves as the great religious sacred persons. In reality and the dark side of many of these persons have been found out that they suffers some kind of psychological dilemma in their personal life. Many of these persons also are the good examples of camouflage in the outer skin of divinity and devotion but the flesh and blood are of dangerous corruption and malaise desire with the greediness for wealth. Examples are not rare to trace those people whose amount of worship and devotion is directly proportional to their act of bribery, lie, betrayal and attitude of hypocrisy. They practice so much religious activities and celebrate those rituals in a very high expenditure and extravaganza inviting peoples to pamper them with gorgeous food items in the so called group feast meant to please Gods and Goddesses and to sick their blessings for the prosperity. These high profile celebrations are also the ways to exhibit the religiousness and aristocracy and to influence the people of society. In such celebration commonly known as satsangas some high level Gurujees (religious preachers) are usually invited. Off course they charge some fees for these ceremonies. Some high class gurujees are so much in demand that they take very high price for their speech. This fees may vary from few rupees to beyond lacks. often this amount is not defined as fees but termed as Guru Dakshina. The common subjects in these speeches are:-to give up all the worldly attachments, to have blind confidence upon god, to leave all the longings for materialistic wants and desires, to have restrainment upon the mind and it's basic desires like sex, hunger, angry, hatreds, violence etc. All these advices are good but those gurujees who always use to advice their disciples in real life; do they apply these principles for themselves? Are these gurujees are beyond the blood and flesh of human race? Are they hailed from some another planet?
Nevertheless it is not an unknown fact that these gurujees, babajees lead a life like a great highly paid filmstar. They have bullet proof luxurious branded A. C. cars. Ashrams where they live and use as residence not less than the facilities provided in grand five star hotels. Also it is a common thing in India that these religious or dharma gurus using electronic mass media as the easiest mean to gain publicity and popularity. So many dharma gurus and gurujees have the pending cases of fraud, misappropriation, sexual harassment, murder and several criminal cases alleged against them in several Indian judicial courts. The most surprising fact is that in spite of all these allegations, several blind followers still have the faith and good will upon these religious charlatans. In India everything feasible and is a profitable business with the brand of religion. In a country like India where the economical state is much debilitated and still incessant efforts and initiatives are required to quench the basic need of breads and butters, in that country time and money is wasted rampantly and blindly upon these worthless practices. There are persons who even hesitate and express their misery to buy a news paper and text books for their children but can spend thousands of rupees on these rituals in the hope to please God and get prosperity. These nonsense people forget and unable to perceive the simple worldly truth that only hard work and perseverance can only bring the prosperity and happiness. Even Hindu pregnant ladies are observed to celebrate fasting in the name of god. What else the best example of foolishness and illiteracy can be sited?
There are people and regions in India where voodoo, witch practices are still believed and is the heritage of specific society and tribes. In the name of witch practice several innocent persons and children are being killed brutally. Criminals and mafias are also so obsessed with the feeling of religiousness that they also used to follow certain religious leaders and God. They use to donate huge money to certain ashrams, temples and gurujees in the hope to cut down the sin of their vice deeds. In India there are numbers of psychic healers who are earning a good by taking advantage of the desperate and psychic patients who fails to find any mitigation of their predicaments though the general stream of medicine and treatment. Often these patients suffering are due to their abnormal psychic manifestation. Generally doctors fail to detect any physical abnormality through every possible medical test upon them. These sorts of people use to have faith and trust upon this sorts of witchery and witch doctors. They can opt to cross any level of foolishness for their pseudo ailments. They spend money and use to kill animals and (sometimes to humans also) birds in the name of sacrifice to God.
If India and Indians are poor, then how come the people use to spend such a huge money on worships, building deities, idols etc. ? So many govt. holidays are granted in a year, then how can we compete and thrive in world market, where everything has been globalized. We waste a large part of economy by worthless expenditure through these religious rituals. People(often a gang of illiterate and unemployed fellows) use to collect donations from home to home shop to shop for the worship ceremonies. These ceremonies are good for nothing neither these are aimed for any benevolent deed for needy peoples but an wonderful schedule of eat, dance and drink programme for a group of unemployed, unsocial group of nuisance fellows. They use to block the whole traffic and roads in the name of God's procession. For this one has to wait for hours to get the road cleared, hence necessary works gets delayed. Think a while about a critical patient whose survival at that moment is in a threshold of life and death, who needs to reach the hospital to be attended in emergency. Life of a human being, duty of a person is least counted in compare to these nonsense and worthless celebrations. What kind of devotion these people want to exhibit to the society? By these rituals has any unemployed got a job? Has any hungry foodless baby got a drop of milk in its mouth? Has any chronic disease suffering person mitigated from his/her disease? Or our God blessed us so much that our house, courtyard, backyard, bags, vessels got filled up with money and food that we need not to do labour and hard work for years and decades, our worry for bread butter and illness disappeared forever? How can we overlook the grievances, predicaments of a common individual for the sake of religion? No religion no rituals no God/Goddess are above the basic rights of an human being. There has been a tradition in our political system and politics that always the subject matter of religion has got the first priority. Any vital issue raised, if a question to compromise the religion and specified caste arises, then all other vitality is thwarted away and religion is given the first privilege.
Often so called self declared prophets and other religious charlatans arrange mass public gathering for a religious meeting or demonstration. Religion always has been proved out to be a best fruitful trade. One can sell chalk dust, fragrance stick burnt dust in high price as the blessed, miraculous powders known as bibhuti. Now a days these so called prophet find the common people most gullible and in that way they can snatch a lump sum money from the pocket of rich by mesmerizing them through various trick full words and advices, moral anecdotes and proverbs. With the mask of Hinduism and ideology of pseudo honesty these self claimed prophets use the basic policy of self glorification by attributing themselves with different events of miracles or occult powers. The worst fact is various film stars, political leaders, professors, sport stars, business icons also support them blindly and due to this reason common people and the illiterates, financially backward peoples also rely with their faith upon these prophets and often deceived. These ignorant and irrational mind of people usually have high regards for these prophets. For them and if some insult is made to these prophets their pupils and followers can come out to create and trigger communal riots and mass destructions to public properties. They often expect miraculous cure, use to waste time over vastu sastras, Astrologies (Jyotis sastras), defferent ceremonies to please different planets like Sani, Vrihaspati, Rahu, Ketu. The people often have a belief that their suffering is due to some negative powers from different solar planets and also due to some earthly ill dark powers. For these reasons they use to sick the advices of their Gurujees.
These blind orthodox beliefs are so strong that it is not an uncommon fact in high class society peoples. They use to take suggestion from these gurujees and pundits to start a new venture or business. They use to worship the machines of factories and motor vehicles so that those would never get into accident and would run smoothly. One unusual fact is often noticed in these peoples that, they may never respect or spend the money on their old parents but they donate these gurujees a lot in the hope to earn virtue. The leaders of different political parties' woe the common people with the policy of religion to snatch their votes. Very often they declare and invite mass gathering of their supporters to celebrate oblation aimed for the peace and prosperity of the country. Such foolish idea and practice they used to celebrate to make the public befool. By this treachery activities they want to exhibit their kind heartedness and worries for the common people. These leaders waste tons of costly edible oils ghee and milk in the sacred oblation fire meant to dedication for God. They don't even a conscience or commonsense to ponder about that the amount of money got waste could have been utilized to feed poor, homeless children, with that money several primary schools might have started for the education of poor children.
When and after how much betrayal, self-deceit we will learn? Why we need these religious teachers and prophets? What achievement religion and religiosity has contributed for our quality of life and for the development of our nation? How much we self-deceit to our morallity and to our conscience? As I know as a common man and individual no god or demon will pay me or feed me without my duty and work. As much as we live in this materialistic world pros and cons, roses and thorns, sorrow and happiness will be inherently attached with our daily life. We can't simply avoid them or escape from those realistic worldly matters, but to gain mental peace our sincere efforts, wit and wisdom are necessary.
We don't need a coach/tutor to drink water or to take food we don't need a gurujee to know the God. We breath, eat, drink, sleep automatically, a baby takes its breath when it gets it birth, as a baby takes milk from its mother and it is all the spontaneous autonomous properties what nature has attributed with every living being. Nature has all set up in our soul and mind to feel the existence of omnipotent, omnipresence yet invisible and vital factor God. We need not have to sick a coaching from a self proclaimed, self glorified prophet. We must understand and perceive in our core of heart and soul that god need not to be wooed to excuse or pardon our sin or God will never got angry and curse us if we don't make a prayer by leaving or overlooking our necessary works or duties. God need not a loudspeaker to listen our prayer. God never ever has told us that we should disturb others to make a prayer for him. Using a loudspeaker for a prayer is nothing but simply an outrageously foolish concept to practice. Whether it draws the attention of God or earns some blessings is doubtful but certainly it disturbs others.
We can't prosper without wisdom, hard work and discipline. Peoples of other nations and countries are prospering because they are honest to the policy of their nation. If we individually not contribute to our nation by the endeavourance and perseverance, simply the hollow principles and policies of bootlicking political leaders and prophets will drown us in the whirlpool of slavery. We must be realistic and rational in our thoughts and deeds. There are much in our civilization by which we can stand alone and above in the whole world. We have our unique treasure of ancient medical science, Vedic mathematics, and unique skill of knowledge in literatures, architectures. We have to utilize them. Serve and culture those knowledge for the benevolent utilization of human civilization.
