“Athithi Devo Bavah”

I have always wondered if “Athithi Devo Bavah” has ever been followed. I guess it applies only to personal guests. Tourists in India have been looted many at times. I guess we Indians tend to miss out on the larger picture which translates into if you are nobody’s personal guest then you are nowhere. Let me get to the incident which drags me to state this.

Once I am settled in the hotel, this auto guy says he can take us to Wagah Border and back for Rs.500. I am told it should not cost more than Rs.400. Since we were in a hurry we decided to tag along. Also he claimed he would show us around the markets. While on our return trip, we realized that the “market” was a factory outlet! We proceeded with our journey. All of a sudden the auto driver asked us to take another auto claiming it to be that of his uncle. I was asked to pay Rs.50 to the other auto driver. So I took out Rs.450 and gave my driver which he refused. In other words he expected me to pay Rs.500 to him and an extra Rs.50 to his uncle. Wow! What an ingenious way to cheat!

I always wonder if my driver were to ever the Gurudwara uttering “Wahe Guru!”. An everytime he uttered it , I would like to remind him of the number of people he cheated this way!
Similarly in Haridwar, I was amused by the way Pooja was offered to the River Ganges. And to think I got fooled in my own land by my own people is a sad thing indeed. As I enter the temple I am told there is no separate temple or aarthi for the main deity. Just as we wonder why, we are asked to buy Pooja articles for Rs.20 (which is just some flowers and coconut and prob a betel leaf) . During the Pooja (I could not figure out a serious Sanskrit mantra) I am forced to give money to feed the Brahmins! Wow! Now feeding Brahmins is considered to be the most “punya” deed you could do in Hindu philosophy! So nobody actually refuses.

My friends and I were forced to part with Rs.50 to Rs.200 each so that we could get maximum “punya” ! What a way to gain it! The biggest joke was we were forced to part with the amount based on the fancy of the pujari. Our protests fell on deaf ears! The irony of the entire incident is he asks if I am giving the money whole heartedly. I thought it was Rs.50 and I said yes. When I part with my money he says it is Rs.100! Lol! Mind you ! And to top it all no Receipts!

My friends and I are then pulled into a temple supposedly of Mother Ganges! She is sweet no doubt decked in all her finery! The pujari holds my hand and demands money for Aarthi for the health of my family and he starts with Rs.500 upto some insane amount. I realized my pocket and my family would be much better off without it!

When these guys stand in front of the deity and close their eyes in contemplation would they ever feel the burden of these deeds? The bitterness they leave around them is far worse than the filth that Ganga is filled with!