The faith of crores of Hindus is on test

ThroughoutIndian history, several iconic temples were looted and destroyed by foreign invaders and later by regional empires. Somnath temple was looted and destroyed several times for the massive gold and jewels it possessed. Other temples so plundered include the Meenakshi temple at Madurai in the early 14th century and the Jagannath temple in Bhubaneswar. A sad irony is that such devious accumulation continues unabated, albeit by desi looters.

I am not a politician. I don’t belong to any party. But I am a Hindu. I try to live by dharma and karma. Sincerely. Honestly. I worship Shri Ram, the Maryada Purushottam. When Ram Lalla’s temple came up in Ayodhya after 500 years, my heart was one of contentment as it marked the fulfilment of a wait that generations together did not live to see.

Today I am heart-broken, as are millions of others, on coming to know that crores of temple have been siphoned off by the very people, who take pride in calling themselves as “Ram bhakts”. That money was the offering made by common people, including farmers, workers, students and women. The donations were placed at the all-pervading Ram’s feet.

Bhakt Ramdas built a Ram temple at Bhadrachalam, with his money and the treasury of the Sultan of Golconda. For misusing government money, he was imprisoned and tortured for 12 years by the Sultan. It was the divine intervention of Lord Rama who repaid the debt to the Sultan in the middle of the night in his chamber that Ramdas was freed. The Sultan realized his mistake and understood that it was Rama and Lakshmana, disguised as young warriors, who appeared at midnight, and became Ram Bhakt and apologized to Ramdas. Till today, the offering of pearls and valuable gifts to Rams on Shri Rama Navami day continues. It follows the tradition set by the Sultan of Hyderabad in 17th Century.

Where do these Chanda Chori bandits, who robbed our faith and betrayed our trust, stand?

A true Sanatani, someone who truly worships Ram, cannot even imagine stealing from Ram Lalla’s temple. It’s like robbing your own 5-year-old child.

When we were children, we grew up hearing stories of Chambal valley dacoits. They looted everything in sight and vanished into the ravines. Bollywood even made heroes out of some of them. Films were shot there, songs were sung, and crime was almost glorified. But even in that world there was one law that everyone understood. If a murder is committed, the demand is simple: an eye for an eye. Because the murder is not just of a body. It is a trust. Today when we hear of Chanda Chori, the wound feels the same.

For 113 crore Hindus, Ram Mandir is not brick and stone. It is faith. It is the dream that our forefathers carried to their last breath. They died waiting, praying, believing that Ram Lalla would one day come home. So, when faith is betrayed, when offerings meant for Ram are siphoned off, it does not feel like theft. It feels like a stab in the back, a murder of Aastha itself.

Hindu faith, Sanatana faith, cannot be destroyed. Many invaders tried over centuries. Our personal devotion to God is the path to salvation. It’s the gift of saints like Chaitanya Maha Prabhu, Mira Bai, Tulsidas, Adi Sankaracharya, Rama Krishna Paramahansa, Vivekananda and many others. The Hindus devotion to God is unwavering. The ‘bhakti’ or ‘faith’ in God is considered an influential social reformation in Hinduism as it provided an individual focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one’s birth, or gender.

If society demands the harshest punishment for the murder of one person, what should be the punishment for those who murder the belief of crores?