Religion and Sprituality

Once I told someone, I am a very religious person. Now I know I am not. I am actually a spiritual person. There is a meeting point between religion and spirituality and so I pass on to the other side at times.

We went to Tirupati recently. It was actually a very easy trip (comparatively). I say comparatively because it was easy for us because of my father-in-law who arranged the trip very well. So, we went to the temple and it hardly took 1.5 hours for us to get the darshan and come back.

I was looking at the deity and felt its really grand and magnificent. They keep the lights very dim and it looks as if the God is un-perturbed by the hum-drum going on for His darshan.

I realised my mom-in law has eyes filled with water. She was so over-whelmed. I remember my mom to go this way when we went to Tirupati earlier or to Amarnath. There were other people there who have walked all the way to Tirupati to get the darshan and then were waiting in line cos they cant afford to buy someone to get a quick dasrshan. I sometimes wonder whether He will bless them more than me, well, I think yes, I think they deserve it also.

There were others who were non-stop doing roll overs to pay their respect to God. Looking at all these people, I really felt like I am a very small person in front of them as far as belief is concerned.

I have been a traveller, my blog title says that. Arriving is nearly the same whereever you go. Its the journey which has always excited me and will continue to do so always even in the future. Journey is enriching. Even if it is the same journey from home to work. Every journey will be new. Arrival is stale. Its always the same.

Life is series of journeys and arrivals. A person who maximises her journey and minimises the arrivals will have a better vision and allround development.

All this does not mean arrival is not important. Arrival can be the desired outcome of a journey. And so, going to such places like Tirupati and paying their best wishes to God bring tears in the eyes of people, as they have done a very difficult journey from far away places, taken all the trouble and now darshan of the Lord is the result of their journey.

For me, the concept of paying for getting darshan done is itself so materialistic, that getting overwhelmed becomes very difficult. I am unable to separate the God from the commertialization happening in His name. And so, that samarpan does not easily come.

I guess we are just different types of travellers. They are more focused on religion so corruption outside the shrine does not matter to them and I am more focused on spirituality and so believe in simplicity and serenity when it comes to holy places.

They are simple people. Its easier for them to get the feeling of samarpan and so, probably they will reach the nirvana earlier and more easily and I am a more complicated person and so it will require many more journeys for me.

I am looking forward to all those journeys...