Abstinence or Indulgence

The morning Guru Puja Aarti in Radha Gopinath, Chowpatty temple is always an exciting spiritual activity and I always long to attend it. Not only the meaning of this prayer touches my heart, but the melody and sincerity in singing swipes away the layers of indifference and rekindles deep sense of gratitude in my heart for what I have got. Devotees close their palms in respect, gently dance in swami steps and sing in unison. As the kirtan crescendos, it evokes spiritual emotions and the participants are deeply absorbed and mad in dancing on the tunes of Hare Krishna (I too join the dancing rave). The bliss on each face is indescribable. I often tell my friends, who often join me to visit the temple, that if there was some satellite which could indicate the happiness of the parts of the Mumbai city with colours of different intensity on the map, the area of the Chowpatty temple would be most bright. 

Most of the attendees are the resident monks of this temple. Following the vows of celibacy and dedication, these people have joined this mission of compassion, giving away their high-salaried jobs to share the divine message to as many as possible. They live a simple life, sleeping on the floor on straw mats, wearing white drabs or orange clothes, sharing common facilities in the temple. What surprises most people, is how they can remain out of marital ties and follow abstinence throughout their lives?

The Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer has brought the topic of abstinence in limelight. (I have not read the book but got to know about it). This book has sold over 100 million copies and some critics consider it so popular that it has done the unthinkable – knocked Harry Potter off his pedestal as prince of the young adult genre! The twilight is a series of books presenting the love story between a vampire (Edward) and a teenage girl (Bella). This book carries influence of the beliefs of author who is a devout mormon.The vampire actually refuses to indulge with Bella before their marriage to protect her and her human virtue. Some critics say abstinence has never been romantic (they have coined the phrase ‘abstinence porn’ for it) except for in Stephenie Meyer’s four-book Twilight series. But most of the reviewers and commenters say it’s unrealistic and less likely to happen in the real world which is so much filled with lascivious vibrations broadcasted overtly through various media.

I too would have agreed with them, had I not seen the monks in monastery of the Hare Krishna temple. Mere Abstinence (not only physical, but from even deliberating on such thoughts) seems difficult and boring, when covenants of religion are applied externally and theoretically. But when I see the monks, I realize that for them it’s not unrealistic and theoretical, but natural and practical. More than mere abstinence, it’s their indulgence in the daily spiritual activities like attending mangal aarti and other prayer sessions, reading, hearing, cooking, cleaning, dressing and worshipping the beautiful forms of the Lord and sharing this with others; practically doing everything with the Lord in the center of their activities makes it an idyllic setting for even outsiders to take refuge in from the daily trifle issues of life and find meaning and purpose in life. The smile which blossoms on each face after visiting a temple affirms this fact. It also testifies the sincere efforts of Radhanath Swami for making this place as it is today and being an ideal example of love, sacrifice and dedication for others. Every part of this temple and every devotee connected to this temple carry profound influence of his teachings and instructions and this fact doesn’t remain unnoticed.  

The beautiful forms of temple deities, prasadam delicacies, melodious kirtans, aromatic odors of incense or flowers, and warmth of love and care of fellow devotees makes it absolute ‘indulgence’ for all sensory faculties, making it easier to abstain from any other agitating temptations, if not impossible. I indulged in writing this article since I could not abstain from appreciating the abundant bliss floating in the Chowpatty temple hall during my favourite Gurupuja prayers and other daily festivities.