Dwindling values, daunting ambitions

H P Sah

Religions of the world have often been the source of highest values of life. Jainism gave the message of non-violence, Buddhism taught compassion, and Christianity proclaimed that God is another name for love. These were not merely verbal lessons: the Tirthankaras, Buddha and Bodhisattvas and Jesus Christ lived these values and proved that human beings could emancipate themselves from the slavery of passions only by practising them in life.

That has been the essence of all religions. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the emancipatory force of religions has become an instrument in the hands of some selfish ‘gurus’ to exploit the innocent followers. Religious faith is made by such people a matter of blind faith in them and their commands.

As people begin to blindly follow the dictates of some self-appointed religious authorities, religion takes the form of superstition. This is how the drama of the babas, gurus and so-called godmen (who get exposed from time to time) starts. What is the reason behind it — is it lack of scientific knowledge? Perhaps yes, but partly. Highly qualified doctors, engineers and administrators are found in the chela-list of these babas and gurus. It is not primarily the lack of scientific knowledge, but lack of clear understanding of religion that makes people fall in their trap.

Buddha, Jesus Christ, Kabir, Ravidas, Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh... gave us glimpses of divinity by practically living these values. The essence of their teaching is to make people rise above the slavery of sensuous pleasures and seek eternal joy that everyone could get by leading life based on these values.

What a horrible degeneration it is that most people now think that religion is the medium to fulfil all desires!

Misunderstanding the essence of religion is the fundamental reason behind people falling prey to the self-styled babas and gurus. Innocent people become victims of these babas only because they are driven by desires like job, promotion, success in business and personal life. If one fails to achieve success by ordinary human means, one turns toward gods and godmen.

It is, thus, a sort of blindness also. People fail to see that what they do in the name of religious faith. If we pray for the sake of fulfilling our wishes then the object of our desire is most important for us. It is more important than even god, who becomes only an instrument of fulfilling our desires.

If god fails in doing so, then he is not as important. This means that we give him less importance. It amounts to demeaning god although we don’t do it consciously. Hence worshiping and praying for the sake of a desire is clearly a sacrilege, an irreligious act. Worshipping god because he is the source or embodiment of highest values is a genuine act of reverence.

Only if people could understand that they worship god genuinely when they don’t attach any desire to it! But if they do, they either become atheist or worship only for the values enshrined in god, for the sake of having a share of divinity in life.

In either case, they do not fall prey to a guru, who fools and exploits followers.