When The God In Your Own Heart Lurks With Hunger

There is a temple close to my house. As a kid I have played on this land where today the temple stands tall. There was a garden in that space where my granny used to take me to play. It's the place where I first began crawling on the soft grass.

Today the land is thronged more with crowd of people and many idols of Gods.

I see a lot of people gathering to gain peace of mind and blessings from the God. At occasions even I used to go and sit there. But over a period of time the crowd of Gods within the temple has grown with popularity. Today it looks more of a business than place of spirituality.

There are some people that beg on the roads. Many near the road. Losing their self respect. Some out of poverty, some out of helplessness, some out of laziness. Then there are some who donate - heavily to the God and to the poor and some meagerly to both. While some have enough only to give it to the God in return of a favor fulfilled by Him.

It's quite an irony...while the idol sits nicely in the temple, it gets bathed and prayed by the Pandits, and the temple gets closed for God to take rest but people are least cared about.

I wonder if God really resides in any of the temples we know when the one in the hearts of men is more asleep than awaken.

You feel sad about a lot of worldly happenings but all you can do is be a mute spectator.

While in the turmoil of these thoughts, I heard this beautiful bhaktigeet song by Sudhir Phadke, mused about its meaning and just felt, 'let me try to awaken the God in my heart'.

कुठे शोधिसी रामेश्वर अन कुठे शोधिसी काशी
हृदयातील भगवंत राहीला, हृदयातून उपाशी

झाड फुलांनी आले बहरुन, तू न पाहीले डोळे उघडून
वर्षाकाठी पाऊस धारा, तुला न दिसला त्यात इशारा
काय तुला उपयोग आंधळ्या, दीप असून उशासी

रुद्राक्षांच्या गळ्यात माळा, लाविलेस तू भस्म कपाळा
कधी न घेऊन नांगर हाती, पिकविलेस मातीतून मोती
हाय अभाग्या भगवे नेसून घर सन्यासून जाशी

देव बोलतो बाळ मुखातून, देव डोलतो उंच पिकातून
कधी होऊनी देव भिकारी, अन्नासाठी आर्त पुकारी
अवती भवती असून दिसेना, शोधितोस आकाशी

Link to the song is as below (Please press the play button once the site opens) :
http://www.mazafm.com/marathimusic/details.php?image_id=1231

For those who don't understand marathi, here's what it means:

Where do you search for in Rameshwar and Kashi
when the God in your own heart lurks with hunger

While the tree looks full with blossoms, you don't even care to see it with open eyes
Every year it rains and there are showers, but you can't even understand what they convey
What's the use O blind folded man, when you have a lamp but you keep it under your pillow

You wear a garland of Rudraksha, and apply a tilak on your forehead
Without taking a plough in your hand, you reaped pearls from the soil
But ultimately, you are so unfortunate that you leave your home and your people despised, just to become a hermit

God speaks through baby's lips, God shakes through tall peaks
Sometimes God becomes a beggar, and pleads for food
What a pity that when it's all near you, you can't see it and search for it in the skies