The worldly God
By Ram Ramnath
The setting is majestic. As He lords over (what else?) the seven hills, His vast army of devotees pours in for but a moment’s tryst with Him. Even a 24x7 regimen at the sanctum sanctorum is not quite enough, it appears, to salve the pilgrims’ restless ardour . Expressions such as ‘sea of humanity’ – a favourite with Indian journos , especially the politically aligned ones, to describe the turn-out at public rallies or at funerals of powerful politicos – are not quite adequate to describe the everyday scene at Tirumala. Perhaps, ‘river of humanity’ comes closer – a swollen, fast paced one with a particularly swift current in the sanctum sanctorum, as the river is urged on to the cries of ‘ jaragandi, jaragandi ‘ (move on) by well meaning volunteers. To put the numbers in perspective, the weekly turn-out at the shrine will put the entire armies of many nation states in the shade.
Which is why it is not a bad thing at all for the TTD ( Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) to accept a gift of sixty Plasma TV sets from a large hearted NRI, an eminence no less than the personal physician of George Bush. Does this mean that there will be live telecasts from the sanctum? And perhaps a few screens will also telecast the highlights of the day’s proceedings. The TTD will, no doubt, come up with several astutely positioned products ( TV Darshana, TV archana etc) to ease the pilgrim’s progress to the Lord himself. And why not? What may be the secret, I wondered as I trudged up to Tirumala , behind Balaji’s immense popularity? Lest someone accuse me of being a sinister free marketer, advocating competition between the Gods of Hinduism’s rich and abundant pantheon, I am just an ordinary pilgrim – but, let’s face it , which other temple has this kind of mass appeal, cutting across all levels of caste, creed and language divides?
As I climbed the hill, there was a fervently religious group ahead of me, forever chanting the Lord’s name while behind me , also trudging up to see Venkateswara , was a group of men heatedly discussing their latest bets in the Bombay matka circles. A small, if symbolic indicator, of His universal appeal. Another intriguing description of the Lord is quite revealing – ‘ Vaddi Kasulavada’ ( literally, the Lord who settles accounts) - could this be the reason that the vast laity can easily relate to Him?
Proceeding along these lines of thought, it is quite interesting to compare the two great Gods of the Hindu pantheon – Balaji or Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. Shiva’s personality ( can someone supply me with a better word to describe a God’s character? The language of Christendom is woefully inadequate when it comes to Hinduism’s bewildering array of Gods and Godesses and all the different things they are capable of) is colourful, fanciful, capricious. Not only is His abode in Mt.Kailas somewhat inaccessible, He even discourages the persevering few who make it from disturbing His higher level thoughts. He is the originator of tune and beat, the ‘Nadbrahman’, the supreme artiste’. When not lost in meditation, he could be performing a cosmic dance of indescribable beauty. When not ‘locking up’ Ganga’s torrent, , He could be burning Kama to cinder. Not for Him the mundane day-to-day issues of negotiation, mediation ( the Devas usually went to Vishnu for mediation) or settling the accounts. Definitely artistic, somewhat elitist, devoted to the ‘higher’ pursuits. It is therefore not surprising that many of Shiva’s ardent devotees tend to be artistes and performers, classical musicians and dancers, poets and playwrights, sadhus and sanyasis who seem to draw their inspiration from this cosmic performer but who also , in a manner of speaking, keep their distance from the mainstream and mundane world of commerce and materialism.
Vishnu, on the other hand, is the preserver. His is the firm hand that keeps the show going, the mainstream running. Everyday problems to be addressed and resolved. Alliances and associations to be forged, rivals to be outwitted ( Devas to be united, Asuras to be vanquished) . Personal loans to be arranged ,including one from Kubera for his own marriage – who says retail banking is a modern phenomenon? Working groups to be formed, books to be balanced. Children to be raised and wives to be assuaged ( even if that means setting up residence downhill for Alamelu Manga). Any man of this world can tell you what a crucial role Vishnu has to play to keep this world order steady. It is no wonder then , that Balaji’s devotees range from the grocery shop owner round the corner to the man placing bets on the next cricket scores to the Birlas and Ambanis and almost everyone in between – for He is the God of this world, the worldly God.
Therefore, I ask, what is wrong if the TTD has a hundred different types of darshanas and if Tirumala is a place where power, prestige and money decide how soon you can get to the sanctum and the length of time you can spend there ? Let there be no doubt, this is the way of the world. Something tells me that Balaji will cast a benign eye on this new proposal to install TV sets to transmit the sanctum proceedings. Live coverage, greater reach, 24x7x365 viewership, advertising revenues, more funds for upkeep of the temple , enhanced pilgrim amenities and of course, greater devotee satisfaction. All that remains is for TTD to launch a satellite channel for global broadcast , launching the era of DTHDS – Direct to Home Darshana Seva.
Why not? It is the way of the world and the worldly God may have no reservations.
By Ram Ramnath
The setting is majestic. As He lords over (what else?) the seven hills, His vast army of devotees pours in for but a moment’s tryst with Him. Even a 24x7 regimen at the sanctum sanctorum is not quite enough, it appears, to salve the pilgrims’ restless ardour . Expressions such as ‘sea of humanity’ – a favourite with Indian journos , especially the politically aligned ones, to describe the turn-out at public rallies or at funerals of powerful politicos – are not quite adequate to describe the everyday scene at Tirumala. Perhaps, ‘river of humanity’ comes closer – a swollen, fast paced one with a particularly swift current in the sanctum sanctorum, as the river is urged on to the cries of ‘ jaragandi, jaragandi ‘ (move on) by well meaning volunteers. To put the numbers in perspective, the weekly turn-out at the shrine will put the entire armies of many nation states in the shade.
Which is why it is not a bad thing at all for the TTD ( Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) to accept a gift of sixty Plasma TV sets from a large hearted NRI, an eminence no less than the personal physician of George Bush. Does this mean that there will be live telecasts from the sanctum? And perhaps a few screens will also telecast the highlights of the day’s proceedings. The TTD will, no doubt, come up with several astutely positioned products ( TV Darshana, TV archana etc) to ease the pilgrim’s progress to the Lord himself. And why not? What may be the secret, I wondered as I trudged up to Tirumala , behind Balaji’s immense popularity? Lest someone accuse me of being a sinister free marketer, advocating competition between the Gods of Hinduism’s rich and abundant pantheon, I am just an ordinary pilgrim – but, let’s face it , which other temple has this kind of mass appeal, cutting across all levels of caste, creed and language divides?
As I climbed the hill, there was a fervently religious group ahead of me, forever chanting the Lord’s name while behind me , also trudging up to see Venkateswara , was a group of men heatedly discussing their latest bets in the Bombay matka circles. A small, if symbolic indicator, of His universal appeal. Another intriguing description of the Lord is quite revealing – ‘ Vaddi Kasulavada’ ( literally, the Lord who settles accounts) - could this be the reason that the vast laity can easily relate to Him?
Proceeding along these lines of thought, it is quite interesting to compare the two great Gods of the Hindu pantheon – Balaji or Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. Shiva’s personality ( can someone supply me with a better word to describe a God’s character? The language of Christendom is woefully inadequate when it comes to Hinduism’s bewildering array of Gods and Godesses and all the different things they are capable of) is colourful, fanciful, capricious. Not only is His abode in Mt.Kailas somewhat inaccessible, He even discourages the persevering few who make it from disturbing His higher level thoughts. He is the originator of tune and beat, the ‘Nadbrahman’, the supreme artiste’. When not lost in meditation, he could be performing a cosmic dance of indescribable beauty. When not ‘locking up’ Ganga’s torrent, , He could be burning Kama to cinder. Not for Him the mundane day-to-day issues of negotiation, mediation ( the Devas usually went to Vishnu for mediation) or settling the accounts. Definitely artistic, somewhat elitist, devoted to the ‘higher’ pursuits. It is therefore not surprising that many of Shiva’s ardent devotees tend to be artistes and performers, classical musicians and dancers, poets and playwrights, sadhus and sanyasis who seem to draw their inspiration from this cosmic performer but who also , in a manner of speaking, keep their distance from the mainstream and mundane world of commerce and materialism.
Vishnu, on the other hand, is the preserver. His is the firm hand that keeps the show going, the mainstream running. Everyday problems to be addressed and resolved. Alliances and associations to be forged, rivals to be outwitted ( Devas to be united, Asuras to be vanquished) . Personal loans to be arranged ,including one from Kubera for his own marriage – who says retail banking is a modern phenomenon? Working groups to be formed, books to be balanced. Children to be raised and wives to be assuaged ( even if that means setting up residence downhill for Alamelu Manga). Any man of this world can tell you what a crucial role Vishnu has to play to keep this world order steady. It is no wonder then , that Balaji’s devotees range from the grocery shop owner round the corner to the man placing bets on the next cricket scores to the Birlas and Ambanis and almost everyone in between – for He is the God of this world, the worldly God.
Therefore, I ask, what is wrong if the TTD has a hundred different types of darshanas and if Tirumala is a place where power, prestige and money decide how soon you can get to the sanctum and the length of time you can spend there ? Let there be no doubt, this is the way of the world. Something tells me that Balaji will cast a benign eye on this new proposal to install TV sets to transmit the sanctum proceedings. Live coverage, greater reach, 24x7x365 viewership, advertising revenues, more funds for upkeep of the temple , enhanced pilgrim amenities and of course, greater devotee satisfaction. All that remains is for TTD to launch a satellite channel for global broadcast , launching the era of DTHDS – Direct to Home Darshana Seva.
Why not? It is the way of the world and the worldly God may have no reservations.
2 comments:
Hey Good one Guitarman! Nice blog.
Hello guitarman! Nice blog! I am glad I just found it by casual coincidence! Seems to be a modest man! Do you know why Lord Venkatesha also called Srinivas who resides on top of this Tirumala Hills, is favouritely addressed as Govinda?
Wait to see the explanation in my next posting in my blog!!
shanthasv!
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