Well if you plan to visit Tirumala Tirupathi anytime, only two things are certain
1) Money is omnipresent and omnipotent
2) The Lord in all his magnanimity will not extend his hand for money, rest will do
Well the legend has it that the Lord Venkatesa wanted to marry Goddess Padmavathy and needed money so he borrowed lots of money from Kuberan (Lord of Money) . As a devotee we are trying to pay back the money Lord got so that he can repay Kuberan.
It is true that lots of money flows in to the hundi and the authorities are doing a lot to make the pilgrims feel at home. I am not sure about the exact status of Lord's debt and the interest incurred, if it were like EMI then no matter how much money is paid it won't fulfill the debt after so many long years.
The fact is the people in and around the Lord right in front of his nose are snatching money, cutting all corners and demanding money. Everywhere you go money is demanded as a birth right. I felt total foolishness in Anna Hazare's campaign after a visit to Tirupathi, there is corruption in every Indian, every soul and he is trying to cleanse the society. Annaji please visit Tirupathi and realize India is not what Gandhi dreamt of .
When someone demands money in front of his own God illegally, what sort of ethical sense does the place make. I mean the sense of spirituality is totally lost.
For head tonsure sitting right below the board stating "Do not pay anything extra for the barber" the barber demands 500 rupees. Only comfort factor is that he completes the shave and asks not in the middle. What sort of guts a person has sitting just below the board and demanding money, which is against the boards orders. The same is repeated at ear piercing/boring place - 500 rupees demanded.
One goes to temple, someone or the other plucks few Tulsi leaves and says it is from some puja and asks for money. Stories of cutting the queue for money is well known. Give 1000/2000 rupees I will join you right in front of the gate, many touts can be seen bargaining.
End of the day, the view of the Lord ranges only from Microsecond to minisecond, if you manage to keep your head straight despite all pushing and shoving. Well here too if you manage to give 10 rupees in a manner hidden from the camera, you can view for few seconds. Money pays.
All this for a pilgrimage of spirituality!
I will be the least surprised if anti-social elements use this to full effect. It is a clear disaster waiting to happen.
Corruption is so rampant that unless one day Lord comes alive from the statue and slaps somebody on the face things are going downhill.
1) Money is omnipresent and omnipotent
2) The Lord in all his magnanimity will not extend his hand for money, rest will do
Well the legend has it that the Lord Venkatesa wanted to marry Goddess Padmavathy and needed money so he borrowed lots of money from Kuberan (Lord of Money) . As a devotee we are trying to pay back the money Lord got so that he can repay Kuberan.
It is true that lots of money flows in to the hundi and the authorities are doing a lot to make the pilgrims feel at home. I am not sure about the exact status of Lord's debt and the interest incurred, if it were like EMI then no matter how much money is paid it won't fulfill the debt after so many long years.
The fact is the people in and around the Lord right in front of his nose are snatching money, cutting all corners and demanding money. Everywhere you go money is demanded as a birth right. I felt total foolishness in Anna Hazare's campaign after a visit to Tirupathi, there is corruption in every Indian, every soul and he is trying to cleanse the society. Annaji please visit Tirupathi and realize India is not what Gandhi dreamt of .
When someone demands money in front of his own God illegally, what sort of ethical sense does the place make. I mean the sense of spirituality is totally lost.
For head tonsure sitting right below the board stating "Do not pay anything extra for the barber" the barber demands 500 rupees. Only comfort factor is that he completes the shave and asks not in the middle. What sort of guts a person has sitting just below the board and demanding money, which is against the boards orders. The same is repeated at ear piercing/boring place - 500 rupees demanded.
One goes to temple, someone or the other plucks few Tulsi leaves and says it is from some puja and asks for money. Stories of cutting the queue for money is well known. Give 1000/2000 rupees I will join you right in front of the gate, many touts can be seen bargaining.
End of the day, the view of the Lord ranges only from Microsecond to minisecond, if you manage to keep your head straight despite all pushing and shoving. Well here too if you manage to give 10 rupees in a manner hidden from the camera, you can view for few seconds. Money pays.
All this for a pilgrimage of spirituality!
I will be the least surprised if anti-social elements use this to full effect. It is a clear disaster waiting to happen.
Corruption is so rampant that unless one day Lord comes alive from the statue and slaps somebody on the face things are going downhill.
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