Searching for Spirituality in Hinduism
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 27 Nov 2023
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
As we all know, India is a country of many religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism , Islam and some smaller religions or faiths such as Baha’i Faith or Dev Samaj.
Each of these have many shreds of the main facets of their religions and some which have acquired the status of the main religion itself.
One well known religious group is known as Kripalu Bhakti Tatva Darshan that was started about eight decades back by the deeply religious and scholarly person known as Kripalu in a small place known as MANGARH near the town of Allahabad. He was given the spiritual title of Jagadguru (World Guru) by a grouping of about 500 learned spiritual people in 1957.
Kripalu ji was born in 1922 and died in 2013 at the age of 91 years.
He had got constructed and started 3 temples known as Bhakti Mandir, Prem Mandir and Kirti Mandir. Kirti Mandir was located in Barsaana near the town of Mathura in UP (Uttar Pradesh). Bhakti Mandir and Kirti Mandir were located in Mangarh and Prem Mandir in Vrindavan in the state of UP.
These temples send information about their spiritual activities through their publications division located in Golok Dhamin Dwarka in Delhi. Their thrust is on people joining and supporting the Kripalu Darshan and following the tenets of the spiritual guru Kripalu and acquiring religious and spiritual peace and strength.
I know some people who have joined the Kripalu Darshan. They are deeply religious and financially support the activities of Kripalu Darshan. Their homes have portraits of the Guru. Even a clock that hangs on the main wall of their home has a photo of the Guru. Wherever you look at in their homes, you feel you are part of the Darshan. In fact it appears that the pillars and walls are oozing with the sight and smell of the Darshan.
If one asks a follower of the Darshan as to how they feel in their religious group, they immediately answer that they are happy and feel. a sense of oneness with the religious group. They are happy if other people also join the group and become friendly with them.
Many people have their own groupings — becoming a member of these groups is intellectually and socially satisfying. The world we see around us has people of different faiths and different ideologies who live as neighbours and friends and feel a sense of coming together in groups such as the Darshan of Kripalu. From isolation, one acquires togetherness.
Thus apart from religious strength, one acquires peace and humility by joining groups such as Kripalu Darshan.
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Hinduism, India, Religion, Spirituality
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 27 Nov 2023.
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