Priests at Puri’s Jagannath Temple Disgrace Hinduism
By M.P. Prabhakaran
Bangalore, India: All progressive-minded Hindus must have hung their heads in shame at the news: that the priests of Puri’s Jagannath Temple fined an American for the ‘sin’ he committed of having entered the temple. The questions they all must now be asking are: Are there no legal authorities in India to challenge the audacious act of those priests? Who in the world gave them the power to impose fine on anyone? Are they getting fattened and battened by the offerings of the devotees, many of them from abroad, to bring disgrace to Hinduism? Where in Hindu scriptures is it said that a devotee cannot enter a Hindu place of worship simply because he was born into a different religion or nation? For that matter, where in the scriptures is the word Hindu used or defined?
Ever since a few 18th century British visitors to this temple, in the Indian state of Orissa, described in astonishing terms the spectacle they witnessed, it has been a place of great attraction for Westerners. The spectacle the Britons witnessed was the annual Ratha Yatra (chariot procession) the temple is famous for. They were wonderstruck at the sight of the 45-foot tall, multi-ton chariot carrying the statue of Jagannath (literally meaning the Lord of the Universe), which is one of the synonyms of Lord Krishna, being drawn by devotees and some of them even throwing themselves in front of it. They described what they saw as “juggernaut,” which was their way of saying “Jagannath.” Their description also gave birth to new word in the English language.
The etymological origin of the word and exaggerated stories about the chariot procession made Jagannath Temple very popular in the West. It owes a great deal of its fame and prosperity to its Western visitors. In denying entry to it to one such visitor, the priests have disgraced not only the temple and India, but also Hinduism. As one C.N.N. Nair says in a letter that appeared in the March 5, 2007 edition of The Asian Age, a popular Indian daily, “It is ironic that this denial of entry is practiced by the followers of a Lord [Lord Krishna] who had categorically proclaimed that, ‘To me all beings are equal; I have no favorites, nor enemies.’” Mr. Nair’s quote is from the Bhagavad Gita. Do the priests believe in what is said in the Gita?
It’s the all-embracing nature of Hinduism, its adaptability, its tolerance, and its absolute respect for individuality and individual freedom that enabled it to survive years of onslaught by foreign invaders. The most admirable feature of the religion is that one can choose one’s own path and still reach Him. “You can reach Him through football,” said Swami Vivekananda, the famous Indian sage who introduced Hinduism to the West in the 19th century. Religious labels have no place in Hinduism. It is the way of life one chooses that qualifies or disqualifies him for entry into God’s premises. The American who traveled thousands of miles to be on the premises of a temple dedicated to the Lord of the Universe more than qualifies for it. In saying that his presence made the premises “impure” and punishing him for that reason, the priests of Puri have stooped to the level of Osama bin Laden, the Number One terrorist in the world today.
The main reason given by bin Laden for starting the carnage in America on September 11, 2001, which, thanks to the stupidity of the Bush administration, is continuing in Iraq now, was that Americans’ presence on the soil of Saudi Arabia polluted Islam’s holy places in that country. Not for a moment did he pause to think that Saudi Arabia owes its security and prosperity, which in turn enabled his family to amass immense wealth by doing business in that country, to Americans’ presence there. So also, the Jagannath Temple of Puri and famous temples elsewhere in India owe their prosperity and fame partly to the generous contributions and writings of Americans and other foreigners. Numerous collection pots are placed on the premises of temples. Why can’t the priests put warning labels on those pots prohibiting foreigners to put their “impure” money into them? They won’t. Their potbellies will begin to shrink when contributions from foreigners stop.
Traveling around the world is one of my passions in life. If I know that the place I am in is home to a famous temple, church, mosque, or pagoda, I make it a point to visit that religious site. It is the intellectual curiosity and fascination for history, more than anything else, that draw me to it. At no time and in no place have I been asked by the authorities of a religious place to what religion I belong to. At no place have I seen any warning preventing people belonging to certain religious denominations from entering that place as I have in many Hindu temples of India. It's about time the authorities of those temples gave up their medieval mentality of treating everything foreign as mlechha (impure). Foreigners who come to Hindu temples come there with more admiration and respect than many Hindus I know.
Tamil Tigers Roam Rameshwaram
The Asian Age letter referred to above goes on to ask: “Aren’t there any atheists, criminals and other anti-social elements in Hinduism who enter the temple? Why aren’t they stopped?”
The questions remind me of a brief conversation I had with an assistant at the famous Rameshwaram temple, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, during my recent visit there. The assistant asked my name while guiding me through the temple’s labyrinthine complex. When I told him “Prabhakaran,” his face lit up.
“That name is very popular around here. He is a hero to many,” he said.
“So, you like Velupillai Prabhakaran, eh?” I asked.
“Of course, who doesn’t? He is a good man,” he replied.
Mark it: Velupillai Prabhakaran, head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organization in Sri Lanka that has been fighting to create a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in that country, is a very popular figure in the holy city of Rameshwaram. The sea separating Sri Lanka from Rameshwaram, it may be noted, is less than 16 miles wide. Rumors are rife that many wanted terrorists belonging to the LTTE have crossed over to the city and are roaming the premises of Rameshwaram temple which, according to legend, was founded by Lord Rama himself. The reason given by a German, whom I ran into at Madurai airport, for excluding Rameshwaram from her itinerary was the fear of Tamil Tigers’ presence there.
It is a shame that the priests who act in the name of God have problem allowing law-abiding foreigners inside the temple but none whatsoever when it comes to terrorists. All they are concerned about is the Hindu stamp on the visitors' faces.
In entering a temple dedicated to the Lord of the Universe, the American did not commit any sin, the Puri priests may note. The Lord embraces all who come to Him, as long as they come with no evil intentions. The biggest sinners here are the priests who punished him. They made their sin unforgivable when they destroyed the food that was prepared as prasada for thousands of people. Their sick minds’ reasoning for doing it was that a Christian’s presence inside the temple had made the food “impure.” As Mr. Nair says in his Asian Age letter, “The food could have been given to the hundreds of beggars around the temple complex.” That would have expiated their sin, I may add.
“Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavanthu [Let happiness happen to the entire world],” says the famous Hindu prayer. My request to Puri priests is: Please stop chanting it, unless you want to be charged with hypocrisy, too.
[Originally published on March 13, 2007. It has since been slightly edited.]
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Readers' Responses
Other Disgraceful Acts of Hindu Priests
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whole-heartedly endorse the views expressed in the article. Kindly permit me to
add some of mine which are based on others' writings and my own personal
experience.
The present Jagannath Temple was originally a sacred monument to the compassionate Buddha. It was converted into a Vaishnava temple when Hindu Sanatana Dharma was converted into Brahmin Shamanism. I was surprised to learn this fact from Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's book Indian Philosophy.
It was in 1998 that I last visited Puri with some foreign, including Austrian and Croatian, friends. I was ashamed to see bare-breasted Brahmin priests jump on the bonnets of our car, begging. More shameful was the behavior of the priests inside the temple.
At the entrance to the temple, there is a library of rare, valuable manuscripts of Hindu scriptures. Poor relatives of Puri priests have been stealing those manuscripts and selling them for cash. They also sell pornographic material portraying Lord Krishna, which is very popular among foreigners, and run brothels using the services of Devadasis.
At the Sun Temple of Konarak, less than 19 miles away, the sculptures in stone
that I had seen in the 'sixties are now missing. Who stole them?
Kulamarva Balakrishna, Vienna, Austria
March 16, 2007
There Are Bigots in All Religions
Well done, Mr. Prabhakaran! You have exposed the trivialities and fanaticism in Hinduism. Unfortunately, there are orthodox bigots, the so-called upholders of the faith, in all religions. Do you think we Parsis don't face this problem? I might say it's far worse!
Adil Gandhy, Mumbai, India
March 13, 2007