We need to think and question

WELL done to POST columnist Yogin Devan for the article on the annual Amman prayer. It could not have been more appropriate.

It is time that we as a society woke up and realised that there is more to a prayer than its mere performance of rituals as was done by our forefathers.

While everyone may not have reached a karmic level to appreciate the deeper meaning of our great religion, it is time to now ask pertinent questions as we are in the information age, after all.

I believe what is required is that a clear distinction needs to be made between a priest and a guru. A priest performing a prayer is merely fulfilling a vocation like any other, while being a guru means that you have a spiritual message of enlightenment, as did Swami Sivananda, Swami Sahajananda, Sri Ramakrishna and others.

We need to be bold enough to question what we are told and whether this impacts on our lives positively, as opposed to just following mindlessly and performing meaningless rituals.

We will be doing our birth as a human being an injustice, as we have an intellect and need to use it.

It is now time for temple organisations to absorb and propagate what Devan wrote about hollow rituals, to spearhead a conference or workshop and start to rationalise many of our rituals and practices.

Once this is done, we must at the same time caution people against certain practices and individuals who clearly have no direction to offer our people.

I believe that during this time of Adi, a month dedicated to the Divine Mother, no amount of porridge, chicken, goat or even extra salt will satisfy her if our own mothers are hungry, sick or crying. Let us start there. DHAYALAN MOODLEY

Mobeni Heights