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.

FROM THEN TO NOW

From then to now

by J. L. Gupta

“GRANDPA! You told me that the wheel of providence is ever on the move. Change is the law of nature. What has changed since you were my age - say during the last 50 years?”

            “Everything has changed - my child! The attitudes, the times and the values - all have changed. Let me illustrate. You know that I have always followed the rule - early to bed and early to rise. People of my generation are always up before dawn. 'The early morning has gold in its mouth?' At that hour, the birds are chirping. There is a symphony in the air. It is music to the ears. The flowers unfold. These are more odorous. It adds to the freshness in the environment. It is soothing for the mind.”

            “You, my child, go to bed after midnight. By the time you get up, the golden glory of the morning is already gone. The crows are crow­ing. People are rushing to their offices. They are honking. It is noisy. It is hot.”

            “Can you visualize the two scenes? The dif­ference symbolizes the change.”

            "What else? Grandpa!"

            "Traditions and institutions have changed, my son. Even marriage has come to have a different meaning. Some years back, marriage was a sacrament. The man and woman were bound togeher for life. They pledged to remain together through thick and thin - forever and ever. Marriage gave the couple a home. It was their "harbour" during the storms in the ocean of life. And then motherhood was the fulfilment of a sacred mission. You know, when 'Adam was imbued with the holy spirit', he called 'woman - Eva - the mother of all.'”

"Thanks to man's progress, a sacred sacra­ment has been reduced to a mere contract. Matrimony has become a 'matter of money'. A man and a woman even now take the oath before the Holy Father or the holy fire. But mar­riage is no longer a union for life. It is now like a sentence of imprisonment. It can be suspend­ed at any time. It is no longer the union of two persons in love. It has been reduced to a 'three act play'. The man and the woman became husband and wife. The marriage is 'announced'. There is more 'clamour' than 'glamour'. There is more sound than sincerity. There is more loneliness than love. Instead of leading to connubial bliss, marriage begins to mean misery. Consequently, it is 'denounced'. Finally, by a decree of the court, it is 'renounced'.” “What God had joined, man puts asunder.”

“That is not all my son. Materialism has over­ taken even the maternal instincts. Motherhood signified a 'system in one word'. The dignity the grandeur, the tenderness of a mother were divine. A woman's soul lived in the love of her child. It was her whole existence. Today, the club, the cards and the kitty parties are more important than the kid at home. The child faces the cold and cruel world by himself. He does not get the gentle hand or the love from a moth­er's heart. He never hears any stories on his mother's knee. She sings no lullabies to him. She does not fashion his future. The ayah proxies for her.”

"And man is what his mother makes him. When you do not have a good mother you can­not have a good human being. A child who has spent his days and nights in the arms of an ayah, missed the caresses and kindness of the mother, whose years of childhood have passed in spite of the maternal indifference, does not grow up to be a confident young man. A con­tinuous sense of insecurity haunts him. At a young age, he is a decrepit. No wonder, hav­ing missed the mother's love, he looks for peace in marijuana."        

HONKING & HOUNDING

“HONKING & HOUNDING”

   By

           J.L. Gupta

A pleasant winter morning. Thanks to the long week-end, the Children and I do not have to go for work. The grandchildren also do not have to rush to catch the Bus. So, we decided to catch on our sleep. But the elusive sun rays which have been rare this winter were already peeping into the bedroom, lending their warmth and falling straight on my face. And then the incessant honking of horns on the road outside was a clear indication of the fact that some parents had come with the children or sent them for the periodic weekly meeting with the teachers at the School in the neighbourhood. One is left with the impression that in India, we do not believe that noise can even disturb or that it is, in fact, an environmental pollutant. Thus, the young as well as the not so young, driving the latest limousines with horns blaring all the time, never think that they are doing anything wrong or that they can actually disturb someone’s sleep. So, much against my wish, I get up and see that the Tea and newspaper trolley is already there. And what catches the eye? A popular Daily has stories of crime and criminals. Rape and murder. Scams and scandals on the front page. Are we a nation of Criminals only?

A look inside the paper. One finds advertisements. Of all kinds, shapes and sizes. Or news of terror and terrorists. Violence everywhere. In Gandhi’s INDIA? Nothing to bring a smile on the face? Only disappointment and disgust. Nothing interesting to read. No CARTOONS. No crisp Middles. Nor Articles by experts on subjects of national interest. Why? Nobody seems to care or question. If commerce is overtaking the country, can the media managers be really expected to be an exception? Are they not answerable to the big business houses that employ them on fat salaries? Are they not expected to show substantial increase in the receipts? Do they have no targets to meet before ensuring their packet at the end of each year?

Can we really talk of the freedom of the press as guaranteed under the Constitution? Or has it been sacrificed at the altar of goddess LAXMI or subjugated to the arbitrary, unquestionable and unregulated WILL of the Media Managers?

The Print media is not alone. The story is the same in case of even the electronic section. After all, we are all a product of the same society. It is also plagued by similar problems. Commerce, crime and violence dominate the TV screen as much as the newspaper pages. The Anchors, with a few exceptions like Dr. Pranoy; Rajdeep Sardesai and Ms. Barkha Dutt, are invariably trying to bully the guests who are ostensibly invited to discuss dispassionately, talk objectively and present a realistic picture to the public. The guests seldom get the chance to have their say or the voice even heard. Similarly, the people including some leaders also do not miss any opportunity to accuse the media and say “Oh! You have been bought.”

What is really happening? Is the media no longer a watchdog? Is the media fast becoming a monster managed by the Managers? Why are the business houses buying media? Did the Radia tapes not indicate the hard realities? We have to face facts! Can Media too, be easily maneuvered with money bags? I say- A definite No!!But like the Drivers on the road, the EDITORS & MEDIA MANAGERS, the people and politicians need to keep the larger public interest in view. If that happens,  HONKING on our roads and HOUNDING the media men should soon be history in our country.

"WHEN MINI MADE MY DAY"

"WHEN MINI MADE MY DAY"

BY

J.L.GUPTA

Jan.22, 2015 was my 74th birthday. I wrote a short piece 'GOOD DAYS ARE BACK'. Published it after 12 noon. But on account of some reason not known to me, it appeared to have been published on Jan. 21, 2015. How? I do not know. There were Calls and comments. One, even from a ‘nephew’ whom I cannot reach. Despite desire. Hope, we shall meet soon. Daylong celebrations followed. Gifts. Good wishes. An elaborate Dinner. With the whole family present, it was a feast. So many cakes! Baked by my sister Usha and granddaughter Nandisha. But most of all Mini made my day by reading out her following speech-

“First of all, I would like to say that I feel very proud to be a part of a family which is led by such a wonderful human being. So positive, so vibrant, so strong, so loving and OUR ROCK . He is my father but frankly I see a friend in him with whom I can share my heart and feel completely protected.

Right from day one I have felt very comfortable in his presence and have felt the ease to go to him for finding a solution to any problem. In the last 20 years, ever since I have known him so closely I have only seen him as a very large hearted person, who is ever ready to go out of his way to help everyone.

His positivity towards situations makes me wonder sometimes that probably he has a direct connection with God. I have learnt a lot from him. His love and concern for each and every  member of his immediate or extended family is worth appreciating.

May it be my stomach ache or Vikas’s piles’ problem or mom’s sugar or Mama Ji’s heart trouble or Aadya’s leg problem, he will want  to know about and solve everyone's issues and problems.

• His inexhaustible spirit and zest for good things needs a special mention. His mere presence infuses freshness and positive energy in the surroundings. You can go to him at any hour of the day and night. You will always find him fresh, full of lovely ideas and a childlike purity. He has a heart of gold. Through his living he has set very high goals for us.

We all know that children imitate their parents and I know for sure that if you have parents who are such ideals themselves, children have a lot to learn. I have and am trying to learn a lot from him.

I am sure everyone present here agrees with me 100%.

In these 73 years, Papa, you don’t know you have become the role model for how many!

May God bless you! We all love you a lot!”

Nothing touched the heart more than this ‘short and significant’ Speech. Words of love spoken from the heart by a near and dear one! Priceless. Was truly touched! What I felt is beyond words. Thank you Mini! May God bless you!