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1821
Monks' Dilemma
Monks' Dilemma
183
door steps, cutting supplies of food and other essential provisions and the battles were invariably lost resulting in enslavement of the rulers. It is the priests who advise rituals and events to please the deity as a cure to diseases and solution to other problems of people dissuading them to take proper treatment or take steps and make efforts to solve problems and as a result people suffer and often even die and suffer failures. Priests by and large are concerned with their selfish interests and security of income. They impress on the people that the worship of the idol of the deity, will cure and solve their problems. How can the lifeless idol which thieves can steal, sell or break, the idol which cannot protect itself, can do anything for others? By enforcing, inculcating and perpetuating such superstitious blind beliefs the priests are instrumental in alienating people from action (Karma), weakening and erasing their self reliance and confidence. Priests misguide and condition people to have faith in lifeless idols of deities and not in themselves, their own will power, their resolve and effort. Priests contrive to receive offers in millions in the name of the inanimate deity and enjoy the booty, the money which can be utilised more fruitfully in good and productive ways in education, hospitals, and in vocational help to the needy. Though some Trusts of temples have now started some philanthropic activities, only a fraction of total earnings is spent on these and the major portion is used by the priests, in the maintenance of temples which provide income and on rituals and events which are pretexts to extract more and more money. The Tirupati temple is being plated with gold at enormous cost, though the money could be utilised more fruitfully. Indulgence in reciting praise or the name of the deity for hours and days as is the usual practice in temples,
perpetuated by priests, is most unproductive waste of time and should be utilised in productive work. Terrorists easily kill such priests and devotees sitting right in front of their deity. In most events in temples the noise levels are over 100 to 120 decibels which cause debilitating noise pollution, many a time, flouting the laws by disturbing students during examination days also. The processions organised by priests of temples are a nuisance to general public, blocking roads and creating traffic jams and stampede causing injuries and deaths. There is no justification for continuation of the pernicious institution of priests. There are numerous cases of sexual abuse by priests, mahants and their elk, notably the institution of Devdasi' in religious garb."
There was no reply from Sadanand. Shree invited pundit Sudhanshu to speak.
Pundit Sudhanshu, "Pundits and priests are twin brothers and associate with each other in most of the religious and social events and functions. Priests rely on idols of deities and pundits on scriptures. Pundits are almost equally involved in religious activities in association with priests and more than them in social activities in marriages, birthdays, death rituals and others."
Deepti, "You are doing the same harm as priests. Marriages performed by you with all the fanfare of elaborate rituals are not always happy and end disastrously whereas marriages without your intervention are not always a failure and are more successful than those with rituals by you. What then is the utility of the institution of pundits?"
Father Joseph spoke next, "We help poor and downtrodden, give them food and clothing, provide educational facilities in
