HINDU GOD IS UNBELIEVABLE – SAY YOUNGSTERS

The statement that Hindu God  is unbelievable was and is made by many people, particularly youngsters. I also said the same once upon a time, until years of pondering made me realize otherwise. I often asked :

What made foreigners from all over the world  come to India and  seek spiritual knowledge? Whereas many Indians were slowly losing belief in God.   

What made people like Swami Prabhupada  attract so many foreigners (in the 1960s and  1970s) into the movement called the Krishna Consciousness movement (ISKCON)?  And he could construct 108 temples all over the world in a little less than ten years. All for the global population interested in spirituality. And even today the movement continues unabated without a pause.  

I  chanced  to meet a very learned person associated with ISKCON who said that in the West, unlike in India, people then and now do not know what it means to know GOD and connect to him. They are totally in the dark about religion and understood spirituality as something associated with the mind. When their eyes were opened, and convinced, they readily followed Krishna Conscious movement and the teachings with all good and serious intentions. It was easy for them as the foreigners  were not obsessed with their religion in particular.  

Then why are young   Indians  turning away from their  beliefs and God when Indian knowledge is so well absorbed by the people from abroad.

India is  the land of spirituality, which was and is looked at with awe by the people and visitors from abroad. They are amazed with so many paths to reach God. So many Yogas. So many practices – like Mantras, Tantras , Yantras, etc. So many Gods to worship. However this plentiful is largely misunderstood by its own people.

As a child, when I went out with my friends, I found all following their own path and as a community of students we all felt confused. Elders and teachers found it difficult to explain why this diversity existed  when there is only ONE  GOD. It was confusion confounded. Too many paths, with too many explanations would confuse the most intelligent. This plentiful of everything relating to knowledge about GOD has led to many Gurus also preaching their philosophy by running  down and insulting other philosophies and groups. Everyone of them said and say  that their teachings and path to  God is the truth and all others are bogus. Too many philosophies , Gurus, etc has led to a confused  younger generation  to the point of their losing faith and belief in GOD. They therefore feel that Hindu God is unbelievable.

We say that Charity begins at home. Is it not the responsibility of parents and teachers to educate children about the reality. The religious teachers should be more tolerant and stop critisising other practices and paths. If this  negative teaching is not substituted by positive teaching, the same religious teachers would be abandoned  without students and followers in the near future.