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Monks 'Dilemma
Before she could complete her sentence his companion came out and both sped away. In the meantime the person who was performing rituals after throwing the bones and adding to the pollution of the already polluted river came out. Deepti questioned him, "Is it proper to throw bones in the river and add to its pollution? Do you think that paying hefty sum to the priest and throwing bones in the Ganges and performing certain rituals will absolve your father from his wrong doings? Are the scriptures wrong? All canonical scriptures are unanimous that it is the actions of a person that shape his future and not such rituals. If you had spent the same amount which you have wasted in coming for the ritual and paying to the priest on some philanthropic work by helping someone in need it would have made your father's name memorable." The response was disappointing, "Sorry, I have to catch the train and do not have time to listen your lecture."
Monks' Dilemma
| 157 superstitious beliefs. The fact is that it is the devotee who gives and the Mahant takes, but the status is reversed and the giver, the devotee portrays himself as receiver, virtually a beggar and paradoxically the beggar is revered as a giver. Mahants, monks, priests, pundits, astrologers and their likes neither have competence nor will to give; they only take, plunder and exploit. There are temples of Bharat Mata, a replica of Vaishnodevi and others where priests and trustees run their similar fiefdoms.
The guest house where they were staying was spacious with over twenty rooms, some well furnished with A.C, some with coolers and the rest with fans only. The front residential portion for the Mahant and his family was palatial with princely comforts. This de facto guest house with exorbitant rentals was built as an Ashram on the land given free by the government for the purpose of providing accommodation to pilgrims free or at nominal maintenance rental. It is not followed in any of such Ashrams and all the conditions of allotment are being openly flouted. Mahants are enjoying and amassing wealth. Mahants are generally married and enjoy family life, yet they consider themselves as Sanyasi. They do not do any productive work and usurp a substantial part of the earnings of the pilgrims by exploiting their sentiments and
There are many such Ashrams, de facto guest houses or the fiefdoms of Mahants who have been exploiting the blind faith of the gullible since generations. Deepak and Deepti visited some of these and found all of them almost similar. On the way to Rishikesh they visited the headquarters of Gyatri Shakti Peeth. It was in a sprawling campus with facilities for stay, meals, meditation, yoga and training for the followers. The meals are prepared hygienically and served at a nominal price. They took their lunch here and also the herbal tea. They saw the Ayurveda pharmacy, being run by the Peeth and met the manager there. Deepti asked him about the purity and authenticity of raw medicines and the drugs prepared, "What is your source of procurement of raw medicines? Do you get your drugs tested in government laboratories or in your own?"
Manager, "We get the medicines from traders and also from big markets of herbs at Delhi and other places. We prepare the drugs according to the methods prescribed in Ayurveda scriptures and there is no need for testing."
Deepti, "There are specific rules for collection of medicines from the forest, the season, time, stage of maturity etc. It
