Do Hindus worship money?
“I’m not taking the piss, but you Hindus pray to everything… even money!†so said a certain acquaintance of mine, at university once.
He was browsing through a leaflet about Diwali, that was being distributed at a Diwali party which he came along to (many non-Hindus come to such events). He made his comment in reference…..
December 27th, 2007 at 12:43 am
PRAYING NO MATTER HOW AND USING ANY FOCUS IS FINE. THE PROBLEM HOWEVER IS THAT HINDUS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE RELEVANCE OF DHARMA AND THEREFORE THE PRAYER IS WASTED EFFORT OTHER THAN A LITTLE SENSE OF GUILT ON A TEMPORARY BASIS.
LIVING A LIFE BASED ON DHARMA IS HARD BUT EXPRESSION OF BHAKTI IS EASY, LARGELY TO ONLOOKERS. SWAMIS USE THE METHOD FOR RAISING FUNDS BECAUSE IT LOOKS GOOD.
December 27th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Indonesian Hindus use to prepare offerings and rituals to the lost spirits and bad spirits, but that does not mean that Indonesian Hindus are satanic worshippers….
December 27th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
For your information who told u that rubbish that us Hindus worship money we don’t we only worship, somone that is greedy for money may say that we worship money but as Hindus we do not worshp money that is just rubbish to me
December 28th, 2007 at 8:05 am
arghh, why do some people type in caps lock. It’s such an eyesore!
One of the four Hindu goals in life is artha (wealth) and its acquisition.
Maybe the interpretation and definition of artha depends on who you are? Knowledge for the Brahmin, money for the Vaishya?
December 28th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
firstly let me ask the writier of this script if she is a hindu or not becuase to me neha gohil is a hindu and what she has written as a journalist is wrong “u hindu’s” and also for her to say “i am not taking the piss” is very unproffessional.
let me inform you that all hindu do something called a chopra poojan which means we value the meaning of money and we wash it and clean it and do pooja so that lakshmi meaning money would always come in the house.
there is so much too learn about hinduism and to understand.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
raj, she was quoting what an acquaintance of hers at university said, those aren’t her own words hence the speech marks!
December 28th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
In the heat of this debate, one very important point of Hinduism has been missed out here… and that is:
When a Hindu couple get married, and the bride sets foot into her new marital home, the newly wedded bride sets foot into her husbands house as Laxhmi of his home .. thus the saying “amara ghar in Laxhmi che” ..
for the bride has added wealth of well being in holy matrimony .. this is wealth too .. and not to be confused with money.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I cannot say much to this matter, but for my personal knowledge and understanding of this so i know who to reply and answer back at people who may say something like this. We worship money on dhanteras, that is true, but the reason we do it I am not so sure if my theory is right.
Do we worship money because of laxmi? She is the Goddess of wealth, and wealth is usually valued by the “quantity of money” we hold in our pockets. We worship laxmi for the wealth she has given us, because it is a way of us thanking her for making us so wealthy, (healthy family, happiness ect).
Is my theory right? or is there a differnt explaination to why we worship money on dhanteras?
December 29th, 2007 at 12:13 am
Raj, don’t get mad!
That comment with “U Hindus…” is me quoting someone else, not me speaking as myself. Same goes with the the “p word”.
December 29th, 2007 at 4:13 am
People want to be healthy and wealthy. It is the utmost desire of most individuals. When money comes in our hands, we feel happy and satisfied and our heart starts thanking the Almighty God. We become thankful to Goddess Lakshmi and on Divali we perform special Puja in her name. When I see money in my hand, I respect it immensely and take good care of it. I feel as if Goddess Lakshmi is in my hands and I make the best use of it. This is the real Puja and no one should be ashamed to admit it. Those who criticize us for worshipping Money, may not have the real feelings. Neha has done an excellent job of brining the facts to our life and she must be congratulated for discussing it in a very simple way. I wish her all the best in life. Please visit my website - www.vikramsambat.org at let me know your suggestions.
December 29th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
A great debate.
Here are a few other thoughts for readers which go hand in hand, and are complimentary to wealth, and its creation, and therefore our Laxhmi Puja to thank the goddes of riches for her generosity.
1. We pray to, and thank Maa Saraswati, for our brain power leading to high educational achievements, and the following successes one achieves in life, and wealth generally follows such succesesses. Worthy of mention here is also the sacrifices of parents who put their children through such education, and work all hours to find the money for expensive fees.
Saraswati Sanmaan is generally also part of Hindu pride at Diwali celebrations where Hindu organisations award certificates and prizes to pupils and sudents of all ages for educational achievements and excellence.
2. Another example is our beautiful culture of Ganesh Puja (or Ganesh Sthapna), where prayers offered to Gahesh Bhagwaan at time of buying a house, a shop or a warehouse.
3. We also do dharti, or bhoomi puja where for example we may buy a plot of land on which to build, or for farming on, with a view to prosper.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Intresting…. well at least now I know WHY we do these puja’s. I want to say one thing, Raj, why are you mad at neha?? she quoted someone else’s words that wasnt fair of you. And, Neha, great article… because i know people say things like that, we just never talk about it when it gets said to us.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Yes I have been holding that Hindus are a hedonist society which governs its conduct with money. A Hindu will always focus on profit and gains in whatever pursuit he is engaged in which is why there has been no civilisation achievement by Hindus. Which is what makes the Hindu so pliable and soft incapable of even looking after his interests even in his own yard.Why do Hindus feel so threatened in India is a remarkable phenomenon and an index of our innate timidity and moral bankruptsy. Which is why people like Modi ,Advani etc can come to fore as their leaders .Which is why Hindus can turn anyone into Gods and Godesses as per convenience even a christian as Sonia Gandhi came to be annointed !Incidentally there were no Hindus before the 11th century!!Hinduism just didnt exist in times of Ram down to that of Ashok ! Hinduism is too shallow as it exists and will not be able to withstand christianity or islam any longer.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:49 pm
LOL - pull the other one maj gen aps chauhan.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
I havnt understood Pravin. Would like to be enlightened as these are very vital issues and there is little time to be lost.I see demise of Hinduism down the road travelling in once Hindu state ,Nepal and villages of India which once powered faith ,truth and righteousness but now are abject symbols of pecunary affectations. We work amidst these folk and are aghast at their decline and this comes from our creamy layers . Do Modi or his likes ever preach righteousness as Hindu value? Never.I have been close to his camp ,not part of it, and feel these are just as parasitic gang of politicians as any. How many have seen the latest video of JAGATGURU SHANKARACHARAY sent to me by Hindu karnti setup abroad.Astonishing how he preaches ISLAMISATION!
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
We need to talk on a direct basis Maj Gen APS Chauhan. I have e.mailed you on the add. given on your website - have you seen it yet?
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Worship
Wealth
Hindus do not worship like others. We bow down to the feet of elders, we pranam books, we namaste strangers, we see truth and Brahman in all things. It is not wrong to worship anything. Any isthadevata is there to help our finite minds reach the infinte Brahman. There are layers of worship. Thus a child may look at a painting of Krishna, Jesus, or the Koran and say how beautiful it is. But if the child stops there, it does not grow into a deeper understanding. A youth may look at ideas and hereditary ideology and think it is wonderful. But if the youth stops there, it does not grow into a deeper understanding. A young adult may look at raising their children with values and morality. But if they stop there, they does not grow into a deeper understanding. An older adult may look at society and culture and the meaning of humanity. But if they stops there, they do not grow into a deeper understanding. A sanyasim may look at transcendentalism, But if they stop there, it does not grow into a deeper understanding. The levels of worship lead us deeper into the truth. The problem of the simplification of worship is to think we are at the end. Whether we worship money, a stone, an idea, a book, a guru, an avatar; we are still at idolatry and need to push beyond. We do not believe in the simplistic notion of one way, one name, one book, etc of monothinkers. As such our construct of worship is different than the usual western construct of worship that looked at deeply is really just suped up (usually by guns, swords, and money) superstition.
Wealth is quite broad as Pravin has brought out. But let us consider the narrow idea of money. What is money? Is it not an abstract representation of what we value? Thus money (which has no value unless assigned by a group - particularly paper or cyberspace numbers) is a symbol (an idol perhaps). The power of this symbol is that it can solve the age old problem of comparing apples to oranges: what do you value more right now: $1 of apples or $1 of oranges. More significantly: translate your time and effort into a symbolic good - money. Now use the representative of your time and effort to acquire things of value to you: time with the family (vacation time), a nice TV set, a nice book, a temple, time with a guru. Now you see the power of money. It is not a trivial corrupting influence. It is a blood supply of commerce which is run on values. Some people have “better” values than others, no question. But I would not blame the blood for what the brain does. Respecting, or in a hindu sense worshiping, prana is a good. Without the wealth that Devi Prakriti creates in this universe of diversity, the Purusha is but an ephemeral soul and not material. And thus SitaRam, LakshmiNarayana are the material and transcendental state of being and both (all) aspects of that reality are worthy of worship by us puny minded finite egos.
Or not. LOL
hariaum
January 4th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
“..Do Modi or his likes ever preach righteousness as Hindu value? Never..”
Here are some thoughts to explain perhaps why it looks that way:
A simplistic observation here that “right of centre” & Hindu nationalist thinkers like Modi & millions others with the wellbeing of Hindu, Sikh & Buddhist India at heart, are having to “run afraid” of speaking out due to the brutal enforcement by the Congress Government of the “secular” law targeted only against Hindus & Sikhs if they dared to speak out against the attrocities openly inflicted upon the majority in India by people of that single faith “fondly” refered to as “the minority” by Congress, whose interests it sets out protect at any and all cost, against the wishes of the majority who disapprove of Congress domestic policy in India most especially the Haj subsidy.
What appears to have manifested itself and so voted for by people of Gujarat, is the beginning of the fight back and reclamation of our Hindu heritage of “preachings of our lost righteousness” of Hindu values.
The people of all other Indian states have taken note.
It is necessary for the masses to appreciate that whatever Modi, and millions who agree with him say, that Modi has to limit his thoughts and statements to be within the constitutional framework of Indian secular law and therefore any statement of “righteousness” he could make in the eyes of Hindus, is interpreted by delebrate malice as being communal hatered by others .. thus the accusation by Sonia Gandhi to call him “a mot ka farishta” - an ill judged communal smear if there ever was one, and that too by a Christian who herself passes legislation on communal law, and then discriminates against the majority under that very law that forbids communal discrimination ! Pull the other one Sonia.
This is a typical example of clever and sinister manipulation of democracy by Sonia where she is able to apply communal discrimination against the majority, by law, against the wishes of the Indian majority!
This point is a deviation from the main subject matter of discussion here however; I felt it was appropriate to offer a relevant alternative viewpoint.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Friends,
The ongoing discussion demonstrates how simple actions of life can become important ! every action is really important, but often we fgail to understand its basis, mode and purpose.
I do not wish to repeat what others have already expressed.
Yes Hindus worship money i.e. Goddess Lakshmi, but we do not worsjip Lakshmi alone, we also worship, inter alia, Durga and Saraswati. All the three are powers that are necessary and sufficient for functioning in this world. Those who worship money alone deserve to be condemned. Whether we love or like money or not, we certainly respect it, because we worship it, and therefore we do not ( should not) adopt unethical means to earn it.
We dont live by just one rule or book etc, we see the complexity in life and adjust ourselves accodingly. We also have Fore ‘Purushaarthas’, viz. Dharm, arth, kaam and moksha’. We all have to grow, and we wish to ataain happiness. For happiness these four Purushaarthas are essential. We must sufficient resources to fulfil our desires; but both the earning pof resources and desires must be based on Dharma i.e. Humane Principle. At the same time we must be aware that we are not fulfilling our desires for the sake of fulfilling them but for the sake of happiness. Then we may understand the real meaning of happiness. Moksha has many meanings, but here the most relevant meaning is ‘ liberation from unhappiness’ (Geetaa chapter 4, Shloka 16).
We also belive in 4 ‘Aashramas’ viz. Brahmcharya, Grahasth, Waanaprastha and Sanyaas. We worship money till we live in Grahastha aashram, and then we live to serve the society.
I must admit that we have forgotten our ideals and values and meanings etc and are not living as per real Sanatan (Hindu) Values.
I hope this rather short exposition would clarify the issue somewhat.
Vishwa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice Marshal (retd)
January 8th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Maj. Gen APS Chauhan’s view taken but he fails to understand and thus says ‘HINDUISM DID NOT EXIST IN TIMES OF RAM”. I am saying that the term Hindu is given by Invaders. We should all address it as ‘SANATAN DHARMA OR VEDIC DHARMA” which existed before Ram.
You are right in saying that Hinduism is too shallow as it exists and will not be able to withstand christianity or islam any longer but both Christianity and Islam are sectarian relegions and profess other religionists as pagan or kaffirs. This is what the universal releginon (Sanatan Dharma) does ot say.
You are right, Hindus (if I may use it for the benefit of all) must wake up and should not rely on Modi and Advani to do anything for them. They are oppoutunists. Every hindu should read “PROOF OF VEDIC CULTURE’S GLOBAL EXISTENCE” by Stephen Knapp. He has also given “An Action Plan for the survival of Vedic Culture in India and elsewhere”
One thing is for sure that Truth survives and Vedic Culture and Dharma will survive. I have my reservations for Laxmi Puja.
Labhu Vyas
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 am
Let me enlighten our fellow mankind that the tradition of Hinduism is whole and perfectly complete but you have to be a enlighten one then you will be able to understand or brain storm what this great holy minds and theirs traditions is. One way to be enlighten is to believe in God 100 percent then God may sent a Guru as per ones purity to instruct verbally as a negation knowledge which is beyond human intelligent.
The ritual of washing coin symbolize our God is beautiful if only you understand
Here in original sense coin is taken as a symbol of purity. Then this coin goes around and becomes impure thus on first day of Diwali this coin is clean with the milk to make it pure and sugar is used to remind us of Maya which will lure us. In nutshell Body Mind and Sprit is cleaned. The Coin as body and Sugar as mind and Milk as sprit or the three states of Consciousness Wake Dream and Deep Sleep
May you realized that
Neha Gohil many thanks for this article a good self indeed
AUM