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Monks 'Dilemma
Monks' Dilemma
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an hour. Deepti met the sponsor Seth Karamchand and enquired, "What will be the total expenditure by you for organising this event."
Seth Karamchand, "The fees of the Pundit and his team are Rs. fifty thousand. In addition I have to pay for their lodging and boarding expenses which will cost about Rs. twenty thousand. I will have to give a set of complete dress to all of them. It is also obligatory to present a gold ornament which may cost around Rs. thirty thousand. I am also arranging breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner for all who are attending the programme.
Deepti, "Your total expenses may swell up to Rs. five lakhs. The pundit will get a hefty amount through donations he is managing cleverly. There are many really disabled and destitute who need help. The amount you are spending in this useless event would have helped many needy. Your name is Karamchand. You should believe in good karmas which alone can bring success or boons according to the scriptures. The Pundit has not done justice in telling the story from the Bhagwat. He wasted more time on songs and collections."
Seth Karamchand, "I am only following the family tradition. My father used to organise the event annually.
Deepti, "There are several old traditions. Some are good and relevant and many others are even obnoxious and should be abandoned like keeping women in veil and confined within the four walls of the house. There was Sati tradition and wives were burnt alive with the dead husband. This has been banned legally yet it is revered. People still go to quacks and tantrics for treatment and suffer and even die for want of proper treatment available now. Many in our country still practice
sacrifice of helpless birds and animals as offerings to lifeless idols of deities and stoop down to the extent that they even sacrifice children of others and their own also to get boons for cure of diseases and fulfilment of other desires. Diseases can only be cured by proper treatment and desires can be fulfilled and success can be achieved only by commensurate action (karma) and appropriate effort. Listening to Bhagwat any number of times will not solve any problem. Of course emulating the good actions of the great and successful icons of the past mentioned in the Bhagwat will certainly help. The business of quacks, tantrics, pundits, mahants, monks, astrologers and such other parasites thrives on the human weakness to get success without proportionate effort."
Seth Karamchand, "You have a very valid point and I shall certainly keep it in mind while spending money in future on obsolete rituals and traditions."
Shree got an E-mail from Vibha, "I shall be at Jaipur next Monday for a meeting with the Chief Minister and shall request him to inaugurate our school building and also our first tree planting (vanmahotsava) at Jhadol. I was informed that you have a programme to come to Udaipur. If it suits, you may come to Jaipur so that we both meet the C.M. and then go to Udaipur."
Shree consulted Deepak and Deepti. She joined Vibha at Jaipur. The Chief Minister was impressed by Vibha's presentation about the project at Jhadol and accepted the invitation. On the way to Udaipur they stopped at Ajmer to visit the revered Dargah of Khwaja Mouddin Chishti also called as Garib Nawaj, a Muslim saint famous for his
