I am not much of a temple going person. But I am not an atheist. I believe that there exists some super natural power that controls all of us and our lives. I just believe that you don't need to go to temple to pray to God. Praying and thinking about God can be done anywhere and everywhere. So my visits to the temple are less and they usually happen because my parents/MIL ask me to or during special occasions. But Thirumala is an exception here. Some how, that GOD, Venky as I call him , always manages to attract me and I seem to want to go there. But I digress here and this post is not about him.
However, as today happens to be "Sri Ram Navami" and also my dear husband's star (Tamizh) birthday and also that I am at home and not at work, I thought, why not ? Go to a temple today, take Jillu along and she will also find it a change.I checked with my mom and she was also ready to go.
The temple was crowded this evening, as expected. What I did not expect was my purse to be looted. Yes, I had a small purse only for holding cash (Today, there was about 400 to 500 Rs) inside my larger hand bag and suddenly i find that the my bag is wide open, my inner zip where the purse usually is, is also wide open and the small purse has vanished, just when i try to take out some change to be put in the "pooja" tray. I had the purse before I entered the temple for sure because I bought the "archana thattu" before entering the temple. I noticed that my purse had gone, almost after 20 mins or so after 1 round of the temple and we were waiting for the "archana" to get over. Of course, needless to say, retracing our path did not produce any desired results ( in case it had fallen by mistake) and the purse remained lost.
I am not sure exactly when and how it got lost. It might have happened when there was a crowd in one narrow corner of the temple when Jillu got sandwiched between a few people and I was trying to pull her towards me. Or it could have happened when the "Archana" was being performed and Jillu was constantly demanding me to carry her. I think the crowd got to her and she was unusually cranky the whole time there. She insisted of being only with me and did not even go to my Mom and I had to carry her as well.
And then after I complain to the manager of the temple, the manager comes back and generally announces to the crowd to be careful and that there already has been 3 such incidents reported. My GOD !!! Which means that definitely my purse has been stolen and not dropped by me by mistake.
We cannot be safe in the temple also these days? People CHOOSE to STEAL in temples? The place where people come to pour out their problems, to find peace, solace, to pray.
I have traveled by bus and train for so many god damn years and have never been looted. And after all these years, to be looted like this leaves a very bitter feeling. I have been brooding over this the whole of this evening and cant seem to get over it. Its not just the money. But what is the world coming to, if people are ready to cheat and steal in temples and holy shrines as well ? Where are we headed to ?
I am really concerned for our next generation going by all that is happening right now (not just this, bit also the corruption, the crime, the injustice and the wrongs that seem to happen everywhere).
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel ? GOD only knows !
13 comments:
thefts in temples are very common these days.... the more crowded it is, the more the risk... i remember my mom used to tell me to wear old slippers to the temple, since there was a good chance that they would be stolen.... and its so well entrenched in my mind, that I am especially careful in temples.... I agree that this does not bode well for the next generation, but then what can u expect in a place where sculptures and deities are stolen from temples/??? we recently visited the saptha vidanga sthalams around Thiruvarur, and were shocked to realise that out of the seven temples, the original emerald lingam exists in just 2 temples today! in two others they are smaller, but still emerald, so i am not too sure about them, but in all the others, there is nothing! the pujari told us that they had been stolen years ago!!!!
Lavs, you are talking about petty thieves and petty thefts here, but what you and I have to understand as a bigger picture is, TEMPLES are no more a place for worship or to pour worries or to get some solace, they are glorified commercial hot spots. If you have more money you get so close to GOD, if you don't have money, sorry, just stand out. So GOD is no more common for all, he is close to the people who are rich, I mean, the temple administration is playing a broker role between the rich and GOD to make them go close.
As you rightly said, a calm and a peaceful heart, can worship GOD even from the BED, we need not go to a TEMPLE, because he is there everywhere and TEMPLE is just a conference room to have a group chat with him.
Freeyaa vidu, everything is an experience, thank GOD that this Rs 500 loot is not pinching you or your family's next meal, be thankful to GOD for that.
mm.. bitter experience. Especially if it makes us feel like complete bumblers.
True about @Anu says. When god himself/herself is being stolen, what is a little purse. Women with children are easy picks.
One suggestion if i may. When going to temple and just a temple, carry only money with you and not the purse. Or put it in a bag that is not a purse. Like a polythene cover or something.
@All : I know that thefts in temple is very common and that GOD himself is not safe. But then when it happens to you personally and you experience it, the bitter feeling it leaves behind is too too much ! Knowing something is different from feeling it :( and I just could not digest the fact. As L_R rightly said, it makes you feel a complete fool and knowing that you fell right into the trap :( just simply does not help at all
@Anu : you are so right abt the slippers too. And that happens even in chowltries as well. Esp, youa re sure to lose it if you had got it just recently. Its so sad abt Thiruvarur :(
@Sat : you are very right, only i couldn't (still cant) digest the fact that I was so silly to have been so care less :(
@LR : Yes. Need to do something like that. My mom has also been saying the same thing. Only, I have got so used to carrying it everywhere that i just went the same way yday as well. :(
OMG! i know how u must be feeling Lavs.. had I been in ur place, would have been brooding for days on end..
this said, I think the concept of temple has lost its sanctity long back. one are loots like this, then are loots of other kinds where people can bribe priests/mangement to get 'special darshan' and the likes.. but yes, it is a scary world to raise kids in..
@AJCL : Yeah A, its so bad !!! I have not completely got over it yet :(. Yesterday I went shopping and got myself a better hand bag :(. These couple of years, I have not ventured out much (to crowded places) along with Jillu, but can no longer do that. Got to proof myself better.
Lavs, the feeling of guilt, regret and then things like conscience exist for only ppl like us who believe in the same. For those looters, temple is a better place as ppl r busy doing what they believe in and so they r safer. Its sad, but as u say, kalyug it is :(
I lost my purse too recently .. must hv accidentally dropped it in the auto bcoz I remember paying the driver from mine, just 2 days after that incident @ home happened. I felt so bad that 2010 is shaping up so badly for me already :( But then I ws glad that though I hd gone to an ATM just sometime before to draw money, I hd returned without doing so thinking I cn do it later as the husband drew some rt then. I just wanted to thank God that I lost only rs.100 or so. What if I wud hv withdrawn some 1K or 2K? Scary!
@Swaram : Indeed ! Thank god that you didn't withdraw the money from ATM :). I am also grateful that only that purse went away and as I had kept my debit cards separately, i didn't lose them as well. That would have been a greater loss and pain!
the thief is being really honest.he stole in a temple in front of the omochi.so let him judge and melt out punishments.if those do exist of course..free
I am not trying to critize or support any religion. I would like to share my experiance in saudi arabia being an Hindu myself..
In SA, muslim used to pray 5 times a day inspite of their office hours.they have a special room for prayers in Malls, Hospitals, offices and other public places. As our refreshing rooms in the building ,prayer room is must in SA as for them the first and formost duty is to follow their God.
after the call for the prayer during the routine time there, the all traders and shopkeepers just leave their shops unguarded ,open and proceed to the mosque. No one touches the things of the street seller who has gone for the prayer.I have always wondered as this seems to be a miracle for me as I have encountered my slippers lost left in front of the temple.
I doubt, sometime do we really belive in god honestly. If so, our surrounding should not this much corrupted.God is another name of disipline, honesty, forgiveness,generosity,belif,trust,sharing... why blame other when we are the sinners. I learned a lot in S&A and feel people should learn good things from others too what so ever their religion or caste is...
It really hurts that people are making making money for food ,to fill 3 times a day of theirs and the dependents by robing in the temple of Lord Tirupathy, God of wealth. No food for poor people in the Land of wealth....
I take this medium to request all people to server the poor people in their basic needs then to give a big donation to the temple..
@soin : welcome back, after a long time :)!. what a thought ! a thief being honest ! mudila soin !
@Sakthi : welcome here ! what you say is very true indeed. if everybody is honest and forthright and disciplined, there won't be so much chaos and corruption in the world!.
@soin : do u believe in god punishing wrong doers before his/her life ends?
well i dont believe in the normal form of existing god.self is god is my belief..free
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