Why not build a University, or Hospital, rather than a temple?
Gaurangi Arora, 16
Whenever something about temples comes up in the media, we hear people saying, “Why not build a hospital or a university rather than a temple? The money, land and resources could have been better used that ways!”
Are temples just a place where people gather, ring Bell, put a coin, and come back?
Do these temples serve no other purpose?
Let us have a look
Temple’s unflinching Altruism
According to a report by Dr. Masaru Emoto published by the TOI, the food we eat absorbs and carries the same emotions as of the cook. This invisible transference of energy affects the consciousness and thereby the actions of the person who eats it.
And thus, temples, prepare and distribute prasadam (sanctified food, prepared with love and offered to the Lord) to all visitors. Specifically ISKCON, through its Food for Life initiative, has fed more than 812 crore meals since 1974 and is currently delivering 20,00,000 plates to the needy for free every single day. Since this food is lovingly cooked, it not only nourishes the body but also the soul.
During COVID we saw how all temples had come forward by giving donations, supplying essentials and giving prasad to the needy and affected ones., ISKCON alone distributed more than 5.4 crore plates of full meals in Delhi-NCR without any bias of caste, gender, or religion. Meals were home-delivered by devotees, risking their own lives.
Temples act as De-addiction centers
At a time when physical comforts and facilities have increased, ironically, it is the mental problems that have drastically shot up. According to a forecast, India would rank first in the world for having the highest rate of teen and young adult suicides by the year 2025!
Isn’t that bewildering that our India, the land of culture, would be a such country? Spiritual Organisations are doing their best efforts to help the youth of our country by organising discourses, festivals, association groups, dedicated programs for them to help them cope up with these issues.
More than 78,000 youths have benefitted from various programs organized by ISKCON and have helped youth to cope up with depression, drug addiction, pornography, and/or negativity. Such is the aura and ambience of our ISKCON temples that as people enter, the vibrant kirtan, the mesmerising odor and the beautiful darshan of the Deities captivates them. People feel a change, and their anxiety abates instantaneously.
The funda is simple as explained by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita —
“param drishtva nivartate”
By giving higher taste to people, they are able to overcome such things.
Temples serves as a consultation hub
Another way by which temples help people is through their discourses and personal guidance by the devotees. People are not able to cope up with the fast-paced world, deal with issues and hence intake anti-depressants, sleeping pills etc.
People benefit immensely from the spiritual discourses in temples, where they get enlightened through the lens of the scriptures (which are not mythology but teach us how to live our life), get a chance to share their problems, and gain insight. Such counselling and guidance on life issues by spiritual mentors is an amazing service temple provides, free of cost.
Temple aids in building a complete personality
For leading a successful life, a complete and healthy personality is necessary. The basic dynamics involved are represented in the form of universally accepted four quotients denoted as “PIES” :
- Physical Quotient (PQ): a healthy Physique
- Intelligence Quotient (IQ): sharp Intelligence
- Emotional Quotient (EQ): sound Emotion
- Spiritual Quotient (SQ): strong Spiritual Knowledge
The spiritual quotient is the measure of the spiritual knowledge which informs about-
- Who am I? What is the goal of my life?
- Who is the Controller of this creation? What is my relationship with Him?
And therefore to awaken people, and to help them figure out their purpose of life, the temple grants spiritual knowledge. Otherwise is there any use in stepping into the car without knowing the destination?
Temples give us an opportunity to attain liberation from all miseries of life
As explained above, spiritual knowledge plays a vital role in our holistic personality. It aims at curing our diseases forever and reestablishing one’s original identity. Yes, that is right! This body is not our original identity. We may assume it like that but our actual identity is different. In Bhagavad Gita (15.7), Sri Krishna says —
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
“The living entities in this conditional world are My fragmental parts, and they are eternal.”
So, in the temple, we are provided such knowledge that we step out of the rat race and revive our original consciousness.
There are many more services the temple provides selflessly, like helping tribes. ‘Tribal care’, an ISKCON’s initiative is uplifting the physical, social, cultural, and spiritual well-being of tribal communities throughout India while enabling the preservation of traditional spiritual values of harmony with God and nature.
Along with it, there are Bhaktivedanta hospitals under ISKCON, where more than 250,000 people are provided medical aids and benefits. Former President of India, Late Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam said,
“Bhaktivedanta Hospital’s commitment to providing quality healthcare services to everyone, without any discrimination, is really commendable. When I visit the hospital facilities, I see the righteousness prevailing. Please keep it up”
In the end, I would like to conclude by stating that everything has its own purpose. We can’t replace one thing with another.
Hospitals and universities are important in their own sense because they give us education and provide us with healthcare at the material level. Hospitals help us to cure our temporary illnesses.
Whereas Temples are the Spiritual Universities and Spiritual Hospitals which provide healthcare and education of a different kind, at the spiritual level. Temple helps in curing our material diseases forever.
