Darshan* – The real meaning!

Other day, I sat to read my last blog and questioned myself, am I trying to suggest that there is no importance of the place of worship?!

Am I trying to suggest that, all the temples, shrines, mosques etc have no importance on the spiritual path???

Yes and No!

The fact is that places of worship have their importance but how we look at these places of worship makes all the difference. Secondly, these places have importance from a religious point of view, but spirituality and religion are two distinct things. Probably, this can be a topic for my next blogs. But that’s later.

A few years back, one of the followers of Shri Kaka Maharaj had come to seek his blessings and wanted a remedy for his problem. After listening, Shri Kaka Maharaj suggested him to visit the temple of Lord Hanumana for 21 days. When he returned after 21 days, his problem was resolved but for one small thing….

Shri Kaka Maharaj, looked at him and asked, “In which hand did Lord Hanumana hold his Gada (mace)?” and believe me he had no answer. He tried very hard to recollect but couldn’t answer. Shri Kaka Maharaj told him, that is the reason his problem is not solved completely. Shri Kaka Maharaj further added, “You visited temple just as a ritual but you never went to Lord Hanuman with love, you never paid attention to details.”

The problem is not in visiting places of worship. The problem is with our approach. It is very superficial and just done as a routine, without love and involvement. Commercialization of these places is another reason but can be discussed later.

Let me quote Shri Sadguru from one of his discourse, had explained the real meaning of ‘Darshan’.

A visit to a place of worship, for example, Shirdi, the devotee goes to take the Darshan of Shri Sai Baba. When he visits the temple, he finds shops selling, Garlands, Sweets etc at the doors of the temple. He buys all this stuff and offers it to the deity. The Priest in the temple, takes the offering, at times touches the idol and gives back the Sweets as Prashad^#. And this is what he calls Darshan. The joy, happiness, satisfaction that he gets from darshan is temporary and short-lived. In spite of visiting these temples year after year, the happiness, satisfaction, lasts for a couple of days, a week and in some cases for a month, but not beyond. After some days he gets back to his routine of a stressful life. Which make one feel, if we are part of almighty (Shri Sadguru), then why do we suffer?

Shri Sadguru says, that the problem is in the way we do it. The whole process is very superficial. If we really want to take darshan, we need to look beyond the rock idol of the lord. We should try to recollect the life, work, good deeds of the lord while taking darshan.

Think of the life of Shri Sai Baba, when you visit Shirdi and try to imbibe those values. That will make us sensitive towards living being. Think of his teachings that concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, help, charity, contentment, inner peace and devotion to the God and Shri Sadguru. And most important, surrender to the true Sadguru.

When we visit Lord Hanumana, think of his faith, devotion dedication towards his Shri Sadguru (Lord Rama). This will help us understand the real meaning of worship (Bhakti).

So next time we visit the place of worship we must surrender ourselves and try to imbibe at least one good quality, of the Lord.

Jai Sairam!!!

* Darshan, (Sanskrit: “viewing”) also spelled darshana, in Indian philosophy and religion, particularly in Hinduism, the beholding of a deity (especially in image form), revered person, or sacred object.

# Prashad – (Sanskrit pronunciation: [prəsaːdə], Sanskrit: प्रसाद), variantly spelled as Prasadam, Prasad and Prasadaa, is a devotional offering made to a god, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees.