SreeNarayanaGuru

[gopu]

Temples are the heart of Hindu religious life and its social manifestation. The temple acts as a medium through which devotees approach godhead. Temples bring devotees closer to divine. The idols at temples are concrete expressions of godhead, which cannot be otherwise comprehended or grasped directly as we do the world around us. When we worship at temple, we temporarily step out of the worldly life and try to have the glimpse of transcendental reality. The deity which is the object of devotion and worship, guide the devotees in their pious endeavor.
The atmosphere at temple is totally different from the world outside. Devotion and longing for god permeates the atmosphere at a temple. Rituals and worship at a temple inspire human mind and help it turns towards god. Devotees do not go to a temple without preparation. The concept of cleanliness and purity of mind and body are of primary importance. Devotee’s bath and wear clean clothes. They repeat the holy name of god and think of the deity as they get ready. They carry flowers and fruits and other offerings according to their means to the temple. Most of these offerings are clean, colorful, fragrant and highly pleasing to mind.
Thus there is a physical and psychological preparation for visiting temple.
Sree Narayana Guru expressed the needs of temple thus: “Temple must be kept scrupulously clean. Enter a temple only after taking bath. Speak of good things. Remember God. Breathe fresh air. Some go to the temple and purify mind and body through fasting and such. Some shed desire through faith. Some earn the blessing of God. All that depends on faith. All this is good. So temple is also necessary. “
For those who have taken up the religious life as pursuit, temples offers strength and facilitate their pursuit through rituals and various other form of worship while still living in the world with detachment. Most Hindu temples have many legends of such devotees and the fulfillment of their devotion through the grace of the deities of those temples.
But we know that temples became symbols of privileges and oppressive customs in the hands of upper caste Hindus. Instead of functioning as institution that liberate and unify the devoted and the faithful, they became means for perpetuating social division and inhuman inequalities. Temples were like fortresses that guarded the privileges of the wicked few who claimed to be the sole arbitrators of religious truth.

• A portion from the paper presented by Binu Kesavan on the occasion of NATIONAL SEMINAR ON SREE NARAYAN GURU AND SOCIAL REFORMATION IN SOUTH INDIA at Dravidian University Kuppam, AP on 30 and 31 October 2008

[Vijay]

This is a true presentation of social events in relation to Hindu Religion by Mr Binu Kesavan.

The enlightened know that all human beings are made of five elements and there is no sanctity in Hinduism or anywhere to perpetuate caste prejudices which form part of erstwhile feudalism. This has nothing to do with the core of Hinduism, we know.

The so-called Brahmins who are not realized souls but by virtue of their being sons of those who lived for God, did all the game standing by the feudal Kings and be-fooled them creating fear about God in case they were not appeased. The kings were made subservient to them in the process at the helm of affairs in the kingdoms!!

The said Brahmins in India did not pursue God but created only barriers and barricades between God and man. They were creating fortresses and they ruled the kings under duress, making them inferior by virtue of caste at the highest level.

Nobody would question them who proclaimed themselves to be thus above Kings and Gods. God in Heaven and Kings on earth were also their prisoners! And they enjoyed all the pleasure of sins at the height of materialism.

The Shudras were made to believe that they would go to heaven if they offered their wives and daughters to Brahmins and their feudal agents for their pleasure pleasing God! Strangely the priestly class would not touch any Shudra and even the children born to them in that community as bye-products of their nocturnal activities! How can such a man go to heaven and find God?

For their convenience and for feudal lords, they created temple prostitution and gave it a "divine name" Devadasi system for serving God!! It all happened in the precincts of God!

This is the filth and dirt of Hinduism - the great River of eternal wisdom churned out by the sages and the great Rishis of India which was turned into monopoly of certain sections. There is no point in saying "upper caste" - there is point in saying "lower caste" about them responsible for this degeneration.

This is not to belittle the great efforts of sages and Rishis of India who formed the great school of spiritual thoughts. The greatness rests with them including the Great Guru who reveals the glory of Great Hinduism at the core, which has been
kept under lock and key by the so-called Brahmins and their agents as their looted intellectual property!

Well, truth and God are not prisoners of anybody. We see the wrath of God working against them now! All so-called Illams are gone! The so-called temples which were the shelters of sins are no more now! All the fields which were once soaked in the tears of of the branded lower castes are lying waste now! Why? Nothing but wrath of God!!

In my childhood, my late father would sadly speak of a poor Ezhava woman who was tied to coconut tree and beaten up for taking some grains for chewing while walking along the ridge of a paddy field! Nobody understood her hunger - but the theft she committed!! All this happened once upon a time! Don't worry!! There is no point in being furious about it now. All are gone with the great flow of time.

Under the king's regime, feudal lords and so-called upper caste people enjoyed such privileges even to kill the innocent!!

This was not and still is not Hinduism at all. True Hinduism is totally different like an eternal dawn as revealed by the Guru!! The Guru was light before whom no darkness had any place! They all got dispelled by the effulgence!!

This is not to say darkness is gone for ever!!
Darkness will return where there is no light!!

Our Forum has all time relevance - and we should keep it up, sustain the golden lamp ever shining!

All human beings are one and the same as the Guru said! They are made one and the same all over the world! As David Hume said, "Be a philosopher - but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man!" This is the cardinal tenet of any Religion!!

The mind-set is wrong with the people also. Deep down if they think they are "lower caste" still and so inferior, what is the use? Who can correct them? This is all happening despite having a great Constitution - the magna carta, the bed rock of our Great Nation!

The wrong impressions created by the so-called Brahmins must be dispelled and the mind kept clean in order to enjoy God! Nobody is high, nobody is low! All are human beings with equality before our Constitution and God! What else?

People should change their deep mind-set being inferior. Both inferiority complex and superiority complex are false. There is no such thing. All are human beings with dignity of life. That is all. There is no fun in fighting the shadow which is man’s own inner creation. One should not have inner shadows!

Now coming back to Mr Binu Kesavan, we appreciate him who concludes:

"But we know that temples became symbols of privileges and oppressive customs in the hands of upper caste Hindus. Instead of functioning as institution that liberate and unify the devoted and the faithful, they became means for perpetuating social division and inhuman inequalities. Temples were like fortresses that guarded the privileges of the wicked few who claimed to be the sole arbitrators of religious truth."

Truth is not to be contained in any iron casket like dead body! It belongs to the entire humanity as ever living, ever shining!! That is the core of Hinduism which is not against anyone!! God is this pure consciousness, pure awareness!!

Those who maintain purity of heart at the temple or under the open skies really enjoy the bliss of God, the Kingdom of God!! In fact, the whole Universe is the actual Temple of God! Ours is only artificial - so the Guru would discourage it except for keeping them as a nursery! The Guru would say sans words, You are God, within you, you are God! Look and see, Look within and enjoy! The Guru's exhortations were coming to that end with the Mirror Installation, a great challenge to the then existing open thoughts!!

There is only humanism and love of God without discrimination and differentiation at the core! Falsehood has happened due to false people. The world is both light and shadow as ever!

Nobody can have any peace out of discrimination and differentiation according to Yoga Psychology that has given shape to Vedanta, the Adwaitha Philosophy!! It is this non-duality working for realization of one’s inner self, realization of God and peace!! That is eternal wisdom ever shining forth - Non-Duality!!

The Great Guru bless!!
God bless!!
Peace!

[gopu]

well said Vijay, thanks a lot.

[Vijay]

Thank you!!

There is no such thing as caste! It is all man-made.
However, it is deep-rooted in the human psyche. All that is negative goes deep into the mind. All negative thoughts go deep into the mind. Caste is simply one such negative thought. It is nothing real like one's personal name - good or bad!

One is made to believe that you are this and that. And the person, our of ill-wit, also strongly believes that he is this and that, it is a corruption of the mind.

Everybody is a human being! Nothing less, nothing more!!
This is what is true as the Guru has said!
Meditation also leads to this pure state of mind which is pure awareness and we follow God, the Guru!
In deep sleep or in our dreams, we seldom remember we are this and that. It is an entirely different world for us. There are no caste feelings, all social programs are gone with mental cleansing. Spiritual purity is spirit purity. Purity of the soul means a pure state of mind without malicious, negative thoughts. Then, there is nothing but peace of mind and bliss!!
This state is called Satchitanananda - Truth - Consciousness - Bliss!! This is the purest state of mind one carries deep within. And God is not to blame, if that state is vitiated by man! God has made it pure as in an infant!

Even the so-called caste people are also not happy. Because they think they are this and that which is not true. At deep core nothing works except the trutg - the Sat! If people want peace, all such thoughts have no place. It is in a prestine, pure state of mind one experience peace and bliss. Drink is also not a remedy to transcend this state. Because, one has to drink constantly, spoiling oneself and the precious life! The Guru doesn't advocate drinking! He is against it.

Why should one believe that one is this and that simply because it is said so by others? The truth is that all are spirits, all are infused souls!!

Some people derive a certain amount of pseudo happiness out of a self-created super ego of being "Forward Savarna!"! In the west, they are black1 Even Gandhiji, a born Brahmin by caste, was treated as a black among the white! Then, what is the use of color? It is a fallacy, it is ridiculous to by colors!

And the savarna people had to exert force to make others believe and think about them so! How sad! Caste is no deeper than the pigment of the skin! Even the pigment is not real color of the skin! Our knowledge is skin-deep!

It is a very pitiable state.

Community and caste serve good in some way for uplift of certain sections of people which used to be suppressed over a centuries. So they find mention in the Constitution. Some sections of people are socially backward, economically backward, educationally backward. They have to be uplifted.

Being backward or forward doesn't mean that people who belong to these categories are either inferior or superior.
Now, Scheduled Castes mean to say something else! The word scheduled means something inferior for the majority of people who do not know even the meaning of Schedule! Such people think they are superior! Schedule only mean list or table! But, who will understand it? They also feel that they are inferior. Unless they themselves do not know the meaning of the term, there is no hope for them!

Only knowledge it light! And in this light, darkness has no place!!

Well, the Guru has laid emphasis on certain aspects of life, in order to be spiritually enlightened - like purity of the mind, purity of the body, cleanliness of surroundings, personal hygiene, truthful and honest living, enterprising quality, non-drinking, virtuousness, etc, etc. The term human being is very significant. Man becomes a human being.. It is a becoming and it is not a fixed state. Nobody is growing in a fixed state.

Transcending the social barriers, one should grow and develop like the Guru! Not that the Guru has done the duty for all the rest - and we need not do anything! That is not the point of having the Guru like a flag!

The Guru means that man should break one-own inner psychic barriers and grow out like butterflies!

So, the color is beautiful.. the ocher yellow color is a spiritual destination!

It is all a throwing away, starting with caste! Caste color is not the actual color of the infinite soul
that we carry in our heart like anybody else!

The Guru has shown us the way like in the Science of Spirituality!

The pure awareness is required deep down.
When one lights the lamp it is enough.
The darkness that surrounds, gets dispelled!!

LET US FOLLOW THE GURU.. IN LETTER AND SPIRIT!
OTHERWISE, WE CREATE A MOCKERY OF HIS GREAT TEACHINGS!!
PLEASE LET US FOLLOW THEM BY HEART!!

It doesn't mean that SNDP should not talk about caste!
They should, so long as various sections of people remain where they have been
for centuries! It is well within the framework of the Constitution.
In a political world, it is all essential in order to survive.

Caste has no more importance as for humanity!
That is all.

God bless!!
The Great Guru bless!!

Vijay

[bhailog143]

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[abishek_pdssingh]

jai gurudev.
excellent brother vijay.your thoughts and words are rocking and glittering in mind. gurudev created so many temples to teach common people to come to know about what is temple??? and after that to teach them how to use it.but things got reversed in some minds.they considered it as privilage for doing same like by others.still sndp is following the same pattern.when the change will come...???

people should understand what gurudev told in final time of temple buildings construction times.we need now schools and auditoriums .not temples.this is the theme we should follow ...group joinings should happen...education should get first privilage, character will generate through education and is the second privilage and money will follow back by this.we should take a pledge for the coming new year, Education , character and finally and automatically money will guide us to the generations.

jai gurudev...