What We Have Been Taught Since Childhood
Since childhood, most of us have been taught a set of beliefs and practices that we have followed without questioning. These beliefs promise worldly success, happiness, and the fulfillment of desires through worship, rituals, and charity. However, do these practices truly align with the teachings of Sanatana Dharma, or are they merely distortions of spiritual wisdom? Let us take a deeper look at what we have learned, compare it with reality, and understand the true path of dharma.
1. Worship as a Means to Fulfill Desires
We have been conditioned to believe that:
🔸 If we worship Hanumanji and offer him prasad, all our wishes will be fulfilled, and we will pass our exams.
🔸 If we offer water (jal) and belpatra to Shivji, he will be pleased and grant us whatever we ask for.
💡 Reality Check:
This understanding of worship is transactional—we are treating God as a wish-fulfilling entity rather than surrendering to Him with love and devotion. True Bhakti (devotion) is about surrender, not bargaining. If a student studies sincerely, they will pass exams—not because they offered prasad to Hanumanji, but because of their efforts. Worship should be a means to purify our minds, seek spiritual wisdom, and cultivate divine virtues—not a way to fulfill material desires.
2. Rituals as a Shortcut to Erasing Sins
Many of us have been told that:
🔸 Reciting the Hanuman Chalisa will erase all our sins.
🔸 Chanting the names of Ram, Krishna, and Shiv will burn away our sins and purify us.
💡 Reality Check:
While chanting God’s name helps in purifying the heart and mind, it does not erase the consequences of our past actions. The Law of Karma is inviolable—every action has a consequence, and no amount of chanting or rituals can erase our past karmas unless we truly transform ourselves from within. True devotion is about inner purification and self-realization, not about escaping the consequences of our past misdeeds.
3. The Materialistic Definition of Success
From childhood, we have been taught that the purpose of education is:
🔸 To get degrees, secure a high-paying job, accumulate wealth, and enjoy a luxurious life.
🔸 That there is no limit to our desires, and we must keep struggling to earn more money, buy more property, and gather more material possessions.
As a result:
- We dedicate our entire lives to chasing wealth—even at the cost of our health, peace, and relationships.
- By the time we grow old and finally have time to enjoy life, our health deteriorates, and we spend all our money on doctors and hospitals.
- In the end, we were born empty-handed, and we will leave empty-handed—yet we spent our entire lives accumulating things we can never take with us.
💡 Reality Check:
True success is not about accumulating wealth but about attaining inner peace, wisdom, and selfless service. Money and comfort are necessary, but greed, attachment, and obsession with material wealth only lead to suffering.
4. The Illusion of “Bribing” God
Many people, while running after money, often engage in unethical actions—cheating, lying, harming others—but they believe that:
🔸 Their sins will be erased if they donate to temples, perform rituals, and chant prayers.
🔸 Offering prasad, doing puja, and giving charity will absolve them of their wrongdoings.
💡 Reality Check:
This mindset treats religion as a business transaction—where we believe that God can be bribed to forgive our sins. True devotion is about self-purification, inner transformation, and surrender to God—not seeking material rewards. Merely performing rituals without inner transformation is meaningless.
5. The Truth About Karma and Rebirth
One of the biggest misconceptions is that pujas, anusthans (rituals), yagnas, or astrological remedies can change our destiny. Many people blindly follow:
🔸 Astrologers and pandits who claim to change fate through rituals.
🔸 Religious ceremonies that supposedly remove all negative karmas.
💡 Reality Check:
- The law of karma is absolute. Our present circumstances are the result of our past actions, and no ritual can erase our karmic debts.
- The business of astrology and rituals thrives on people’s fear and ignorance.
- If we accumulate good karmas (punya), we may enjoy temporary pleasures in heaven, but once our punya is exhausted, we will be reborn.
- If we commit bad karmas (papa), we may suffer in hell, but once our punishment is complete, we will be reborn.
🕉 The only way to escape the cycle of birth and death is through selfless devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and surrender to God, as taught by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.
6. The Greatest Lesson from COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a turning point for many of us. It taught us a profound lesson:
💡 We lived comfortably with just 10% of the resources we normally consumed.
💡 The rest was nothing but materialistic indulgence.
💡 No matter how much wealth we accumulate, we can only use a limited amount of it in our daily lives.
Yet, we continue burning ourselves out in the pursuit of wealth and possessions. But for whom?
- Are we accumulating wealth for our next generations? If they are capable and virtuous, they will create their own success.
- If they are incapable and irresponsible, they will waste everything we accumulated for them.
🔹 Instead of leaving behind wealth, we must give them good sanskaras (values), true Sanatana education, and a strong spiritual foundation.
That will be the greatest gift they will thank us for.
7. The True Teachings of Sanatana Dharma
True Sanatana Dharma is not about blind rituals or material desires. It is about:
✔ Living a life aligned with the Vedas—doing what is dharmically right and avoiding what is prohibited.
✔ Following the principles of Satya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Shanti (peace), Prema (love), and Karuna (compassion).
✔ Keeping our hearts pure by eliminating ego, hatred, anger, greed, and selfish desires.
✔ Seeing God in all beings and serving others selflessly.
✔ Transcending the material world through devotion (Bhakti) and selfless action (Nishkam Karma)
Let’s Awaken to the True Path
It’s time we break free from:
❌ Superstitions and blind rituals
❌ Materialistic illusions and greed
❌ The false belief that pujas and donations erase sins
🕉 Let us purify our hearts, practice true devotion, live righteously, and strive for moksha—the ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
🇳🇪 Jai Bharat, Vandematram 🇳🇪
