Of Consciousness and Faith

I am an agnostic. I wish to redundantly clarify that I am not an atheist. The past weekend I was fortunate to behold some quaint art and architecture, reminiscent of sketches in the Amar Chitra Kathas, when I had the misfortune of visiting the ISKCON temple in Bangalore.

Even as my slippers felt the sack -- I did not get obtusely extravagant; I just left my slippers in a sack, with my friends' -- I felt my tummy growl rebelliously. I mean, I am not in the habit of polishing off slippers for breakfast,  literally or figuratively; my stomach simply did not feel right. It must have been the pizzas that I had gorged myself on in the morning, I reassured myself. We stepped into the temple.

People thronged in queues to see the various vignettes, effigies and other carvings of Krishna, the herdsman widely purported to be the eighth incarnation (avataar) of Vishnu (one of the Trinity) after Matsya (The Fish), Kurma (The Tortoise), Varaaha (The Wild Boar), Narasimha (The Man-Beast), Vaamana (The Short Brahmin), Parashurama (The Man with the Axe) and Rama. Yes, coming back to what I was saying, the crowds trickled into the sanctum to get a glimpse of the statue of Krishna, the herdsman with the flute. One could, if one wished, consecrate offerings to the Lord and have a special consecration ritual performed. For which one had to buy archana tickets. The tickets ranged from Rs. 10 to Rs. 50. If one bought a higher priced ticket, it appeared, one deserved a better and a more elaborate consecration ceremony!

Even as the crowds circumambulated the deity, bespectacled scholarly people stood by the path, by the tables, waiting to bring to the light of the masses and exhorting them to buy the various artefacts, simulacra and books that the ISKCON had brought out to perpetuate Krishna's glory worldwide. Fervent and affluent devotees bought effigies and photographs while the others sated their pious senses by staring at them in utmost reverence during the pradakshina (the circumambulation) and walked slowly, secretly hoping that they would be reciprocally noticed from up there for a proportionately long time.

A well run temple showcasing well the legends of Indian mythology, I thought. And then I let my mind abstractly wander unto the usual thoughts of one man exploiting another man’s faith in the supernatural. These thoughts ran through my mind inductively, as they often do at temples and other places run in the name of religion, taking almost a well-rehearsed course. But what I saw during my egress has not ceased to amaze me till this moment. The tortuous path led into a restaurant by name Prasadham (Prasadham, in Tamil, refers to the consecrated offerings, betokening God’s benedictions in his offering to the devotees, dealt out in token amounts to the devotees). The glutton that I am, my gaze was impelled by divine forces -- my bovine forces rather -- in the direction of pizzas and pastries. And consequently towards the labels and the price tags. The boards said: Prasadham: Pastry – Donation Rs. 20. I then gradually came to grips with the nuances. One would receive a pastry as the Lord’s prasadham if one doled out a donation of Rs. 20! A higher amount as a token donation would fetch one a commensurately higher token of benediction!

Beset with ideas that I was unable to stomach down an already wobbly tummy, I came out without having so much a nibble at the Prasadham, token of the Lord’s benediction! I felt apoplectic when I realised I had grown fully conscious -- conscious of Krishna, I mean. 

 
NB: My apologies if, at places, the intended sarcasm (if evident at all!) stirs anyone’s sentiments. Please allow me to clarify once again that I am an agnostic and I am not an atheist. Also, with reference to the above case, I have nothing against a restaurant doing good business inside a place of religious worship. In fact, that would, if anything, indicate the tolerance of the religion and goodwill. What I cannot take is people playing upon the faiths of other people. If these stunts (say, calling the sweetmeats Prasadham and writing ‘Donation’ on the price tag. Ok, that is a little flimsy for an example. But I'm sure it has its more serious counterparts.) are merely excuses for innovative creative thinking, I will tender my apologies right at this point. But it occurs to me that, to the millions of poor and uneducated masses that visit in all earnestness to pay homage, the stunt sometime ceases to remain merely that, a stunt. And, I have many a time had the misfortune of observing that, in almost every such endeavour, there seem to be undercurrents of exploitation of faith by the commercial elements; on various levels, I should add. In fact, the Indian tourism ministry would do well to take better care of and showcase better the exquisite art and sculptures that our history has given us; there is nothing wrong in hoping to extricate some revenue. My only point is that, in the process, the sentiments of the theist should not be played with. Comments of readers are welcome.

- posted by Dileepan @ 9:57:00 am

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