THE BEST TEMPLE

“THE BEST TEMPLE”

                                                  BY

 J.L. Gupta

We raise a building' with bricks and mortar. Then we ceremoniously install the idol. We call it a temple. We kneel there in apparently absolute devotion. We sing God's praises. We implore Him. We seek His mercy. We pray. After all this, the moment we step out, everything is forgotten. We start looking for a prey. Man who is capable of achieving the highest stoops down to the lowest. Ego, phantom desires, wild imaginations overtake him. Passion and not reason, greed and not gratitude, hatred and not love rule the man's mind. He fights for water. For a small piece of land. For a job. He fights for everything. With everything. Hands & Arms. In this land of the Vedas and the Upanishads, non-violence had always been the creed. Today, we resort to violence on the slightest pretext. Within this generation, we have the instance of a man like Mahatma Gandhi being murdered within the precincts of a temple.

Why? Is human body a mere bundle of bones and flesh that can be smashed, shattered and scattered at will? Are human eyes mere "globules of glass” that can be gouched or doused with acid at the whim of a man? Are human hands and legs mere sticks of wood that can be chopped off as and when one likes to?

No! Human body is God's most beautiful creation. God, as we all acknowledge, is omnipresent and omnipotent. The Upanishads tell us: "One supreme God dwells in the hearts of all human beings." He resides within all of us. Human body is, thus, the best temple. God shines there in His own right. He manifests His own glory in the form of love, affection and wisdom.

Every man is "divinity in disguise". Any violence by one human being against another is violence against God.

         He has given us two hands to serve. He has given us a heart to love. Lest we should hurt anyone by our speech, God has given us two eyes, two ears and one tongue – so that we see and hear before we speak. Service to mankind is the best way to serve God. Supreme excellence can be achieved by man by devotion to his own kind.

There is an ancient Indian prayer: "Let all people- everywhere- be happy.”  Let us practice it. Let everyone pray for the happiness, peace and prosperity of all.

The aim of all religions is to implant the holy ideal of love in the hearts of all human beings. It is on account of our craving for power and tendency towards self-aggrandisement that we have converted even religion into "walled enclosures” of hate and fanaticism. No wonder some of us damaged a church and demolished a mosque. Religious animosity only breeds chaos and conflict. If we suppress our ego and decide to serve the fellow human beings to the best of our ability while working on any job, in any part of the world, this globe would be a much happier place to live on. This would be the real heaven.

We find the sages telling us: "Mandir Masjid Tere. Dhaam; Ishwar Allah Tere Naam." God is one. Say the prayer in any language. Address it to any name. It will reach the same God. Just as prayer has universal appeal, love of fellow human beings should be the universal rule. A body with a loving heart, a clean conscience, a clear mind shall be the best abode for any God. With these assets, man shall be the best temple. Buildings are wholly unnecessary.