Why does our culture not tell us the reasons for our religious practices?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, many times we are taught some practices in our culture, but we are not told why we have to do it. Then it becomes difficult to accept. Let’s say, we have to memorize thousand names.
There is no rationale given for doing that. That is, to some extent, the sad state of spirituality in India. Spirituality has two limbs.
There is philosophy and then there is religion. So, this is like in science, there is theory and there is experiment. Theory offers us postulates.
You didn’t saw a fruit falling, you postulate it. It may be there is a force, a force by which particles are attracted to each other. The theory is conceptual.
The experiment is what helps us to check the theory. To prove it or to disprove it. So, similarly, in spirituality, there is philosophy and there is religion.
So, philosophy gives us the concepts. There is God and God can be accessed through his own will. And by connecting with God, we become purified.
Our inner positive, pure, potent side comes out. All this is the philosophy. And then the religion comprises of specific practices.
It may be go in the temple and bow down before God. It may be chant the names of God, such as Vishnu, Sahasranama or whatever it is. So, now the cultural, the religion has many aspects, culture is one of them.
But these religious practices which are there, sometimes they get divorced from the philosophy. So, Ishwara Prabhupada is the author of Bhagavad Gita as it is, a prominent commenter in the Bhagavad Gita. So, he said that what happens if there is philosophy only without religion and there is religion only without philosophy.
So, if there is only religion without philosophy, then it becomes either sentimental or fanatical. Sentimental. Oh, why should you do it? Oh, we have always done that.
It’s good to do it. Now that, to today’s generation, it just doesn’t appeal. Oh, it becomes fanatical.
My way is the only way. And some religions are extremely fanatical. If you are not following us, you are going to go to hell.
Not only are you going to go to hell, we will help you get there faster. So, that is because of the religion is divorced from philosophy. Now the other is that if philosophy is only there and religion is not there, then everything stays simply in the head.
Okay, maybe it is like this, maybe it is like that. Like you have a theory but you know experiment to either prove or disprove the theory. The theory just stays as it is.
So, in general, the practices, the religious practices, they are much more widely known than the philosophical principles behind those practices. And India has been for millennia a religious country, highly religious country. These practices have been there.
And it also had a strong community of spiritual intellectuals. They were originally known as the Brahmanas. And the Brahmanas, over a period of time, they became, you could say power hungry or they developed an entitlement mentality.
Why they started thinking? Just because we are born in a Brahmanical family, so we are Brahmanas. And they started demanding prestige. And that led to the perpetuation of the discriminatory caste system.
So, the Brahmanas, their original purpose was to learn scripture, understand this philosophy and teach this philosophy to others. But many times, the priests that are there today, their role is not to educate. Their role is simply to facilitate the religious practices.
So, they come and they chant some mantras, they do some rituals and then they take some Dakshina and go. Now, this does not lead to any education. And those who already have some pious instincts, they may just accept things as they are.
But those who have a questioning attitude, the Brahmanical community that is there, they were meant to serve them by providing answers. You see, the Bhagavad Gita, it’s a very rational book. It’s a very open intellectual discussion.
Arjuna is asking questions. Krishna is not telling Arjuna, just do this. Krishna is actually giving answers.
And at the end of the Gita also, Krishna tells Arjuna now, Now, deliberate. In 18.63 he says, now, deliberate deeply on what I have said and then decide what you want to do. Do as you desire.
That means, here in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is appealing to Arjuna’s intelligence. So, that was the original tradition where intelligent questions were appreciated and intelligent questions were answered. But unfortunately, because of the history of the Brahmanas becoming caste conscious and entitlement mentality afflicting them, they stopped discharging their responsibilities.
And that’s why many of us, we grew up with the culture but without the philosophy. So, even now, there are a few areas where this, few forums where this intellectual aspect, the philosophical aspect is also being stressed. Vishal Prabhupada, who is the founder of ISKCON, he stressed the temples shouldn’t just be cultural centres.
Temples should also be educational centres. So, wherever we have programs, we just don’t have kirtans and prasad and EDT worship. We also have talks, discussions and not just lectures but also question answers.
So, this is one small way in which we are trying to offer the philosophical wisdom of the scriptures in today’s times. But yes, without the philosophy, things just feel, why do I have to do this? And if they are thrust on people, then often people become resentful. So, I feel, especially those of us who are intelligent, when we seek the answers from the right sources, we get the answers.
And then we can share the answers with others. That way, the cultural can be connected with the philosophy. The religious and the philosophical can both be harmonized.
Okay. Just a comment in this regard.