WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE RISE OF CHEATING IN THE NAME OF GOD?– A RESEARCH!
(Kindly note: This reply is intended to protect the innocent people from getting cheated by a few bogus guys in the name of god. The bonafide gurus from authorized sampradhayas and the genuine spiritual personalities who are doing sincere service to the mankind should not take my reply offensive. I always honour them and I am aware of the importance of a bonafide guru in our spiritual practices!)
Question-1:
my question is – Can we become more practical and less emotional towards some situations in our life when we come to this path of krishna consciousness? Does it make us calm in rough situations in our life and make us more focussed on krishna? I have been chanting daily rounds of hare krishna mahamantra since 4 months and almost daily read books/hear lecture(as i m working also). But sometimes i feel stuck in some situations and not able to get through them intelligently. I become emotional and sensitive in many situations and feel helpless in those cases. Can you please guide on what shall i do to reduce this feeling and stay more focussed on krishna? Please hide my name prabhuji. and lack of confidence is also there for me in many situations.
Question-2:
Hare Krsna Prabhu, I had this doubt lingering in mind since long. I was brought up in a moderate customs and traditions following family and I got married into a family which is orthodox within the same caste by God’s grace. I have an elder co-sister who practices rituals and customs very deeply. She knows depth of each ritual and custom because her mother was practising all of them, some out of which even my MIL doesn’t know about. Due to this MIL always compares me to her and has a high opinion about her while saying to relatives.My mother was working due to which it was not possible to practice all customs and traditions thoroughly. My MIL including my husband do not understand that and they look down upon my parents and me, like what has your mother taught u.What I have observed is that..they do all these rituals out of fear that something might happen if we do not follow it or it’s a family tradition if we break it..we will get sin though some practices may not be practical in today’s age. I personally do not like following rituals and customs deeply leaving out my main responsibilities and spending most of the time in them. My question is , is it just by doing all these rituals and traditions we will reach God or else will go to hell. I have not seen devotion in their practices..it is just out of fear of sin occurring to them, if they do not follow, they do detailed pooja, not sure whether they are doing the correct way. In other aspects, both MIL & co-sister are not good in cooking, cleanliness, healthy (always falling sick and causing trouble to others). Prabhuji, is this the only way to reach God in Hinduism, how to deal with comparisons between my co-sister and me by my MIL & husband? I want to follow devotion sincerely without any showoffs according to Shastras. Please help me to come out of this inferiority complex.
REPLY:
This is the very important analysis in my view. Because, I have been closely watching the trend of the spiritual practices in all the major religions.
Now a days, in many cases, only those who follow the rituals nicely and speak attractively are considered as great devotees though he may be an egoistic person or a pretender.
Since most of the people are packed with emotions more than the intelligence, the pretenders in the spirituality are able to attract more number of followers and supporters.
I am very firm in my view that in many cases, EMOTIONS ARE REQUIRED WHEN WE LIKE TO FOLLOW BHAKTI YOGA (DEVOTION). BUT, WE SHOULD ALSO APPLY OUR INTELLIGENCE BEFORE APPLYING OUR EMOTIONS.
In other words, BHAKTI YOGA REQUIRES E.Q (EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT) MORE, WHEREAS OTHER YOGAS SUCH AS GNANA YOGA AND KARMA YOGA REQUIRES I.Q (INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT) MORE.
The feeling of LOVE is related to EMOTIONS.
If there is no emotional domination, there can be no Sweet love between two persons.
In fact, every living being is packed with emotions.
Even animals love each other. You can see Mother cow caring and licking her calf with love.
Therefore, without emotions, a man will live a boring life like a machine and he will have no attachments with the external world.
Therefore, GETTING RID OF EMOTIONS MEANS SANYASA, ie, RENOUNCIATION.
If there is only material renounciation, that person never takes birth again and attain salvation, ie, MUKTHI.
At the same time, if we desert the emotions on material things and DIVERT our emotions ONLY ON GOD, it is called BHAKTI.
Blind Belief is the product of emotions, whereas, Evaluating using the intelligence before showing our emotions is the recommended process in Bhakti.
Emotions are shown only when we have attachments with the world and persons.
Some examples:
Only because of having emotions——
(1) we expect appreciation from others.
(2) we cry when someone close to us dies.
(3) we feel when we are unable to meet someone close to us.
(4) we do not analyse the words of others and blindly trust them and later feel. BELIEF (Emotion) does not precede ANALYSIS (Intelligence) when we are packed with emotions.
(5) we develop affinity towards opposite sex without knowing the consequences. When we are dominated with emotions without pre-evaluation, we forget the consequences. Hence committing offenses and sins.
(6) we purchase some new product without analyzing whether it is really necessary to live.
(7) we take decisions seeing the outlook and words alone and later feel.
(8) we do not apply our intelligence when we choose the life partner. We decide just seeing the outlook and do not give importance for his/ her family background and character.
(9) many girls and boys involve in violations before or outside the marriage.
(10) many people invest in dupious finance companies trusting their promises of unachievable returns.
Therefore, in the material life BEING EMOTIONAL WITHOUT PRE-EVALUATION CAUSES MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS.
At the same time, in real life, we need some emotions for the smooth running of life.
For example,
(1) A woman bears the child in her womb and takes care of her new born child even sacrificing night sleep.
(2) A parent spends enormous money for the studies of his/ her child that is possible only with the emotional bond between them.
(3) Only because of the presence of emotion, a husband and wife live together throughout their life. If they have only intelligence and no emotional bond between them, their relation ends in separation soon.
Therefore EMOTIONS after accepting a person after evaluation using INTELLIGENCE are also necessary for smooth running of this life with other people.
If we have only intelligence abundantly and have no emotions, we can not retain the people with us. Others will not love you. They will treat you as if they treat a machine.
At the same time, if we have no intelligence or do not apply our intelligence before accepting the people and act only with the emotions, we will be cheated by others.
I can give many examples for that:
Though there are many genuine spiritual forums that do sincere service to the people and god, there are some bogus gurus and forums also that are luring money and cheating the women from others in the name of religion and god.
This is possible for them because most of the people are suffering in their life. They are ready to follow whatever these god men say. For example, if a so called god man says that some miracles will happen in their life and all their problems will be solved if they accept this god man, they are ready to follow that god man.
I could see a so called spiritual personality announcing publicly to the thousands of audience like this:
“Sow your money in the ground of GOD (Name hidden). He will give you thousand times more. Donate as much as possible to our organization that means sowing the seed in the ground of GOD. You will soon see reaping/ gaining thousand times more.”
I could see gold and diamond rings in three of his fingers. What is the need for a godly person to wear so many gold rings?
He further announced:
“Now, I am going to pray for all of you and your welfare. You too pray with me. Now, the God is coming sitting on a white horse between the grey clouds. Now, he has come near you and now, god is touching your shoulder that I am able to see with my closed eyes. He is now curing your diseases just by his touch. Now, he is pouring his sacred herbal medicine on your head. Now, you are cured…cured….God has come to you to rescue from your problems”
The devotees dance violently without bothering the surrounding and many of them fell down getting fainted.
This kind of approach is followed by some so called spiritual personalities because they want to keep the EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT (E.Q) OF THE AUDIENCE AT ITS PEAK AND INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (I.Q) OF THE AUDIENCE DORMANT BECAUSE THEY CAN GET MORE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THEM.
Now, the emotion packed devotee takes the money he had kept for the school fees of his son and gives to that god man. Later, he borrows to pay for the school fees.
This god man wears more and more gold rings; travels by costly cars; builds a very big house with 2-3 floors; enjoys all the comforts of life.
Whereas, this pitiful donor is looking for the people to lend him money.
This is how, the emotions of the people are misused by some so called god men.
That is why, our scriptures say: “A sanyasi (renounced person) should not run an organizational set up for his service”
Why such advice?
(1) Sanyasis are advised to have a simple mutt that is just a hut and live in it along with some practising MALE STUDENTS (Disciples), not female students.
(2) He can meet the visiting people and bless them.
(3) He should not run a business-like set ups because all his concentration will go for administrative responsibilities and he will get more and more attached to the administration.
(4) Then, he may develop enmighty against other spiritual forums and try his best to bring them down by any means and by preaching against them. They may like to become richer than their rival spiritual forum.
(5) When the spiritual forum grows, he will have to administer the people who are working in his organization worldwide. This itself will consume all his energy and he can not concentrate in self development and devotion.
In addition to luring the wealth of the followers, some of them lure the purity of women followers also that we see in news now and then.
They use some flowery words to bring the people under their emotional bond. Then, the persons start to donate as much as possible and also collect donations from others and pay to these dupious guys.
In many cases, the emotionally brain washed parents even allow their teen aged daughters to stay in the hostels run by such bogus personalities with the blind belief, without knowing the risk of leaving young girls in the custody of others. If the runner(s) of the mutt happens to be a bogus guy, the life of that girl becomes miserable. He starts to brainwash that girl through other girls involved in such violations with that guy.
In a recent incident in India, the existing girl followers of a bogus spiritual guy brainwashed the newly joined girls like this:
“Our guru is Krishna himself. We are like gopis. If you satisfy him personally, it is also a service to him through your body. By satisfying the guru who is Krishna Himself, you will be purified. You too will go to Krishna after death. We are longing for the day when we will get opportunity again. Now, you have got a rare chance to purify yourself. Go and satisfy our guru.”
Why such foolish things happen?
Because most of the people are emotion dominated and hence accepted that bogus guy without evaluating him applying their intelligence. They do not use their intelligence and desert that guy when he says that he is god.
BUT, THE REALITY IS: WHEN EMOTION DOMINATES, INTELLIGENCE STARTS TO SLEEP.
Hence, these bogus spiritual personalities make use of the BLINDLY emotional people and get all they want including money and body.
WHAT TO DO TO SAFEGUARD OURSELVES FROM CHEATING IN THE NAME OF GOD?
The only solution is that we should ensure that OUR EMOTIONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE APPLIED AFTER EVALUATING USING OUR INTELLIGENCE.
We should have that much of alertness in our every step in the life.
We should apply our emotions to satisfy god and guru WITHOUT CROSSING THE LINE OF DIGNITY.
Never serve a guy sacrificing your dignity.
Another important point I like to remind all:
A GURU SHOULD NEVER SEEK THE DIRECT SERVICE OF WOMEN TO TAKE CARE OF HIS DAILY NEEDS. ONLY MALE DISCIPLES SHOULD BE THEIR PERSONAL ASSISTANTS.
IF ANY GURU INVOLVES WOMEN IN HIS DIRECT SERVICE, HE IS A RISKY PERSON.
Your earned money is for your family as well as to help for the NEEDY PEOPLE including GENUINE DEVOTEES. Just apply your intelligence in finding out the genuinely suffering people and devotees and then help them.
Your body is meant for your husband or wife. Not for anyone else, whoever he may be. Therefore, never involve in violations with any spiritual personality though he performs some magics and tries to prove that he is god.
NO MAN CAN BE GOD. NO GURU IS PERMITTED TO INVOLVE IN PHYSICAL VIOLATIONS WITH HIS FOLLOWERS. YOU HAVE NO NEED TO GIVE YOUR BODY TO ANYONE EXCEPT YOUR HUSBAND/WIFE. IF ANY GURU TRIES TO BRAINWASH YOU or EVEN IF MANY GIRL FOLLOWERS ARE SUPPORTING THE ACTS OF A GURU, YOU NEVER INVOLVE IN SUCH VIOLATIONS SEEING THEM AND NEVER BELIEVE THAT SUCH ACTS ARE PERMITTED BY THE SCRIPTURES.
Of course emotions are required to go closer to god. But, you need not use your emotions to a man who claim himself as a spiritual personality, but, is involving in prohibited activities.
A genuine spiritual personality will always stay away from women and he will never speak unwanted things to the women EXCEPT ABOUT GOD AND SCRIPTURES.
THEREFORE, IF YOU FACE THE ABOVE TREND IN THE PLACE OF ANY GOD MAN, DESERT HIM IMMEDIATELY AND DO NOT WASTE YOUR LIFE THERE. IT IS NOT AN OFFENSE, BUT AN ESCAPE.
WHAT IS THE REAL DEVOTION?
It is personal between you and god. It does not need money. It does not need only big temples. It does not need materially rich god men who lead a luxury life.
Even a simple living and high thinking guru can make great changes in the minds of devotees. Even a small temple can make changes in our mind. A real devotee will be silent, less speaking, humble and consider himself as the servant of the servants of the Lord.
A Genuine devotee does not show interest in adding material comforts. He is always thinking of God and how to satisfy Him.
He selects a right guru and humbly serves his guru (spiritual master) as advised in the scriptures.
A genuine devotee does not like to be in limelight. Instead, he is always considering himself as an insignificant person.
Now, I am adding this advice:
SINCE THIS IS THE KALIYUGA, THE YUGA WITH THE DOMINATION OF CHEATERS, A DEVOTEE SHOULD ALWAYS KEEP HIS INTELLIGENCE AWAKE TO PREVENT THE CHEATING IN THE NAME OF GOD, WHILE SHOWING HIS EMOTIONS TO LORD IN THE FORM OF LOVE AND SURRENDER.
Thus, if we follow the devotion to God emotionally from our heart and at the same time, keep our intelligence awake to avoid getting carried away by maya, we can follow devotion safely AND AVOID CHEATING IN THE NAME OF GOD.
Hereafter, INTELLIGENCE SHOULD NOT SLEEP WHEN YOU HAVE EMOTIONS TO LORD. IN THE KALIYUGA, INTELLIGENCE SHOULD ALWAYS BE AWAKE AS A PROTECTOR FOR OUR EMOTIONS.
I hope this detailed analysis has cleared your doubts.