To many Maharashtrians, the poem given below may seem to be a perfect example of a classic Marathi Poem. Poems such as these are flooding the mailboxes these days. Many may applaud the poet and the words he has used in the poem. But what we need to understand is that the poem makes fun of God Krushna.
By writing and reading such poems we are only encouraging people to treat our deities as imaginary or fictional. It is not about Hindus or muslims or about Religious conflicts, but about sheer recognition of Hindu deities in the society. It is surprising that while we worship the same deities in a temple we do not hesitate to mock at them for our cheap jokes.
This tendency to mock at and humanify deities rests on the hidden attitude among Hindus that the deities are fictional!
These are the fruits of years of Cherished Macaulaian Education System that pays no homage to the Hindu culture. In our hidden and innermost minds, we have been taught through out our education days that Krushna and Ram and the other Hindu deities are fictional and imaginary. Western Education mentions Hinduism as Paganism ! While it pays respect to Jesus Christ. Over the years, this slow poisoning has worked its effect and destroyed the temples of faith towards deities that existed in the Hindu mind.
It is not a wonder that today artists like M.F. Hussain can draw nude paintings of Hindu deities, show Hindu deities in objectionable postures and Western Companies treat our Deities as non-living icons for decorating T-Shirts, undergarments and even toilet seats!
We have unfortunately not been taught the teachings of Saints like Tukaram Maharaj, Samartha Ramadas Swami and Saint Tulsidas due to which we have lost faith in our own deities. The effects of Macaulaian Education are far worse than effect of attacks of muslims. We have re-built the temples of Somnath but who will re-build the destroyed temples of faith towards deities ?
We as Hindus should oppose the mockery of our own deities and hold firm faith in them.
What does Hindu Dharmashastra Say ?
The Hindu Dharmashastra says that a deity is a principle manifestation(Sagun) of God. It is a personal form of God. Dharmashastra recognises 11 main deities for the Bhuloka. Since at any given moment, the name, touch, form, taste and smell go together, making fun of the deity’s name for any reason is like mocking the deity itself. As per one’s sins, one attains the respective loka.
