We turn to our deities when we are in some deep shit. As if HE is carrying a big box of tissue to wipe you off. Is he partial or does he make you stronger? Many questions arise in my mind when I see people sit for hours in prayer.
Question 1. Is s/he partial?
Is God partial? Does he favour all those who offer hours and hours of prayers? Does he grant wishes to those who visit the idols? Go for pilgrimage? Does he take time to look at the other half, who still says a small prayer and gratitude? If s/he is so partial, why is he esteemed as a deity that he can’t believe in the purity of the heart?
Question 2. Does time devoted matter or Devotion?
Is it only about the time devoted to offering prayers, going to temples, and spending much more time on the way rather than in the temple itself? Does he ask us to come and offer our time and prayers in front of an idol? Or does he look at how much Devotion one has? Even if I spend 2 mins of my time but do it with no malign emotion, would that not matter?
Question 3. Does fasting purge the soul?
The ultimate reason to pray is to ask for forgiveness and thank you! But when we fast for some days or several ones at a stretch, is it to prove our Devotion to the supreme power or to purge our bodies of toxins?
Question 4. Do we have a choice or is everything predestined?
Humans have always believed that we have thinking power so we can make choices (intelligent or not, that’s a discussion for another time). Is everything written beforehand, so what are the choices that we make? Did God create a flowchart that gives yes and no and then follows the arrow? Or that we choose according to what has already been selected for us?
He is the one with immense forgiveness and patience. He believed in love and gratitude, so why does he still favours those who spend hours in front of him? I have so many questions and he is not here to answer them.
We only hear stories but never see him, yet we have faith in his presence. S/he is everywhere; if we believe and are grateful, it should be enough for him. My belief in him is so far. When one pretends to be a devotee, his God is also pretentious. I thank him and ask for strength to carry out my plan, which is enough for me.
A mother of two, Preeti Bhandari is a colloquial writer. She believes in simple living which reflects in her writings. As the Editor of Narisakti, she intends to use her vast experience to propel this platform to a cult status among entrepreneurial networks. When not writing she is quilling, both with paper and thoughts.