A Pooja Dilemma

It’s not just a story to narrate here, but a real conversation I heard lately. We are a very God loving Indian family, with everyone following the rituals and thanking God for all he has bestowed to us. No doubt, the same runs in new generations too. Recently we had a pooja, in our hose. All guest congregated well on time, pooja alter was set and so the Pandit ji arrived too. Within no time the pooja started. Pandit ji tied thread to all trailed by kumkum.

My 5 year old daughter was running around from one guest to other as she never settles down. Soon Panditji started declaiming the holy mantras and Sanskrit was out of reach for all. In last he summoned by saying that he has requested all the Gods to be a part of pooja, and they have arrived, so we all should begin now.

Suddenly a voice took away the whole crowd. My little one said, but where the Gods are. And why they came on your calling? Are you their master?

Panditji said I did say mantras and so called them to bless you. Confused further my daughter says but mom says God is everywhere even within us then why you called them? And which one did you call? Someone from guest said, beta Pandit ji know all about God, we should begin the pooja, and else God would feel dejected.

My daughter usually never settles till she gets answered properly. She said how come panditji know all? Is he the Engineer of Gods like dad is of computers? Finally the atmosphere became bit tensed and someone from family said, beta your mom will answer everything later on. Let’s do pooja now. And asked pandit ji to begin.

Once again the atmosphere turned into holy mantras reciting. And my daughter gave a concluding statement to me by saying, mom all this is confusing, can you please call me once we get ladoos to eat, and she left to play in room.

This pooja actually curved a series of questions in everyone’s heart. God calling by mantras, god dejection, panditji special rapport with God and so on I had to answer to all this soon.

But my young brain has revealed me that there is yet a line between faith and fear of God. She had faith in God, but what all elders depicted was a fear. Young brains teaches us many things by their questioning, sometimes beyond our answers. Let the faith within fortify and not the fear conquer so that we have apt water to drench the young brains.