Adiyen…

We see a huge rush of the general public visiting temples for various reasons, ranging from ista prapti, pariharam (which comprises 90% of the crowd) to bhagavat nithya kaikaryam, mangalasasanam, etc.

Now, even people from a Srivaishnava background, when they visit temples, often see it as a “trip” to cover 108 divya desams, 9 temples of Azhwar Thirunagari, or others. They visit with great enthusiasm, but if we ask them the names of the temples they visited or basic details like Perumal’s name, Thayaar’s name, or which Azhwar was born there, they don’t even care! It finds no place in their memory! 😢

Mostly, people in their mature age (40+)—who should be acting as role models for youngsters—don’t even know the names of a few Perumals or Acharyas, nor do they have any real spirit behind temple kainkaryam. Won’t this ultimately harm the sampradayam? As Hindus, as Srivaishnavas, we are all asthikas with a strong urge to visit temples. Thousands, lakhs, and even millions visit temples, but if there is a purappadu, a simple recitation of Chitham Sirukaalai Paasuram, or even the act of properly wearing Urdhva Pundram, we see people running away or being completely unaware of it.

When asked, they justify it by saying things like, “Visiting a temple is not a memory test,” or “Did Bhagavan expect us to know all these?” A simple example—lakhs of people visit a Shiva temple for Shani pariharam, but if you ask them the name of the deity in that kshetram, they blink! 😢

I mean… age or life hardships might be a factor, but the same 40-year-old can recall, in detail, politics, cricket scores, and even 80’s movies—so why not these? If even those from Brahmin/Srivaishnava families—who should be the torchbearers of sampradayam—behave this way, what will the next generation learn from them? 😢

Shamikkanam if adiyen has made any apacharam, but there truly should be an emphasis on the right way of visiting temples. Divarir should enlighten us, Swamy.

Dasan