Are we all not equal in the eyes of God?
Nowadays, news keeps buzzing about celebrities’ grand visit to the holy shrines of our country. The amount of importance and facilities that are provided to them makes me wonder if such privileges should be extended to them, especially in places of worship. Shouldn’t everyone be treated equally, at least in front of God?
If we look at the general norm, the common man has to stand
in long queues while visiting the temples, wait patiently for several hours, just to get
a glimpse of the deity and is usually shooed away hurriedly by the priests or
the security from the temple premises. It does not really matter how far you
have come from or how long you have waited. Not much concern is shown for the
elderly, either.
In contrast, when any Bollywood star or a celebrity visits a
temple, grand arrangements are made, the entire premises is cordoned off so
that they can leisurely walk around, perform elaborate pujas and rituals, get
special attention and blessings from the priests, and spend as much time as
they would like. Is this really fair?
One could argue that these are the privileged people who may
donate handsomely to the temples, or there could be security issues. But, should
one's faith and devotion be measured in these materialistic terms? When we are
in the presence of the divine, we are all mere human beings, irrespective of
our social or economic status, and seeking his blessings with full devotion.
Shouldn’t there be an end to this VIP culture of temple
visits? Can’t these celebrities stand in line as common citizen and wait
for their turn? What makes it so special for them?
Can we not develop a system that does not discriminate and
does not encourage disparity, at least in the holy shrines? Can we all be
treated equally, at least in front of God?
Hmm, quite an interesting and very relatable perspective. My take on this? It’s a question of the haves and the have-nots—but not just in the conventional sense of celebrities or people in power.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that privilege is often subjective, shaped by which queue you're standing in. For someone waiting in the general darshan line, even the Rs. 100 darshan queue can seem elite. And for those in the Rs. 100 line, someone paying ₹50,000 for a special pooja might appear even more privileged. Then, of course, enter the politician or the celebrity entourage, who can bypass every line entirely.
So you see, it's all relative. It's not just about fame or fortune—it’s about stratification layered across systems we’ve accepted as normal. As much as I agree there should be no special preference for celebrities, perhaps it’s time we looked at abolishing the paid darshan system altogether. Bhakti is always absolute - everything else is just subjective.
Thank you for your perspective on this. I quite agree that paid darshan or anything which requires monetary or status favors in temples should be completely done away with.
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