If God saves, who can kill ?

Editorial

India’s situation is getting worse by the day. The number of people infected by coronavirus is increasing day-by-day. Despite the fact that many States have imposed lockdown, the number of patients is not going down. This has put tremendous pressure and strain on the States. It is also being said that the States are not getting the assistance they need from the Central Government. Many are dying due to insufficient supply of coronavirus vaccines, ventilators, oxygen, remdesivir injections from the Centre. This has caused a lot of anger among the people about the Government machinery. There are cases where people are ready to turn into thieves to procure these things. Many patients are dying outside hospitals as beds are not available. Such is the overall dire situation.

According to experts, the spread of coronavirus will increase at the same rate in the country in the month of May. Nearly 5,000 people are expected to die every day during this period. Under these circumstances, only God can save India and Indians. However if one wishes that God should save us, we should also contemplate what have we done for God ?

Become devotees of God !

God only saves His devotees. Everyone should contemplate if we are devotees ? If not, God will not assist us. Moreover, temples across the country are taking initiative to help the coronavirus affected people. Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan, Shirdi Sansthan, Western Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti, Tuljabhavani Mandir Samiti, etc. have set up Covid Centres for the patients. Hundreds of beds have been made available by them. In various ways, they have contributed their might in this context. Temples had provided such help even during the previous coronavirus wave; however, in the current situation, this help appears inadequate. Such help is not coming from the country’s churches and mosques, madarasas. There have been a few instances where some Muslims are assisting, but it is unheard that any help is coming from the church.

Lakhs of temples in Maharashtra and across the country have been taken over by the State Governments. Otherwise, such temples would have provided more help during such a period. The money from Government-controlled temples goes to the Government and the Government spends it on other schemes. Basically, the Government has no right to take money that belongs to Dharma. This money should be spent only for Dharma. Yet under the guise of secularists and the so-called progressive Hindus, the temples are managed by the Government and the money is deposited with the Government. If temples had remained in the hands of devotees, it could have been spent on teaching spiritual practice to Hindus. Education on Dharma can be given to Hindus, from which Hindus will learn how to abide by Dharma. They will develop morality.

Also, if Hindus perform spiritual practice, sattvikata (Purity) of society will increase and God can prevent the problems being faced by society or will not let the problems to arise. This study is not done by the current politicians because they have not taken education on Dharma. Due to politics, their intellect has become selfish, greedy for power. As a result, such sattvik thoughts elude them. Even if someone tells them about it, they are not willing to listen. They will never be able to accept that they should abide by Dharma, take education on Dharma, perform spiritual practice since they are competing with each other to display their progressiveness, secularism. This is why, the country is deteriorating.

Abandon the hypocritical progressiveness !

Yet to get the country out of the current situation, one needs to have faith in God but nobody wants to pray to God. In the past or the present, many villages have a way of worshipping God and pray to Him when a crisis strikes the village. Indians are not seen praying or performing any rituals seriously to eliminate the coronavirus pandemic.

They perform Yajnas for cheap publicity for the Indian cricket team to win, Trump to win elections, for improvement in the health of an ailing actor, etc. Some Hindus by karma are performing rituals for coronavirus to end. However, their number is meagre. In such times, Indians need to pray to God through collective chanting, prayers, recitation of mantras and other religious activities. In this way, by God’s grace, this crisis can be overcome. However, we think we are citizens of the 21st Century ! Such action is unlikely to take place from us because of the ‘modern’ thinking; the perception is that we are living in the ‘scientific’ age. Yet those who are religious and pious should at least make such efforts. For a long time, Saints-Mahants, Shankaracharyas have been appealing to Hindus to perform spiritual practice but most in the Hindu society ignore it. Shrikrushna has said, ‘Na Me Bhaktaha Pranashyati I (My devotees will never perish).’ This is the word of God. Only if we become a devotee through spiritual practice, can we experience it spiritually. Spiritual practice is imperative to overcome the weakness and discomfort caused by the crisis.

Surrender unto God !

A plague had killed millions of people in India 100 years ago. People at that time were more faithful to God than they are now. Compared to that, the current situation is not so serious. There is no denying that there was no oxygen at that time. But, people of that time did not believe that the Government would help them. The situation was that nothing was expected from the British rulers. Although the present Government is trying to help the people, it seems to have numerous limitations. Birth and death are determined by God’s plan, yet it is our responsibility to use our wilful actions to protect our bodies. If one surrenders to God who gave us this body, then one can get the feeling of ‘If God saves, who can kill ?’