Of God men and Good men

God men and Good men seem to contradict each other. This fact took me by surprise. I had innocently assumed that any person who establishes himself as the link between god and lesser men has to be a good man, in fact a saint. So I looked up to Guru Nanak and Shirdi Sai Baba and knew them to be men a little above the rest, who loved mankind as if each one was their own kin. So they were elevated to the status of gods themselves. All prophets through the ages have led humankind through the mysteries of life helping them face problems and find solutions. Most importantly giving them solace, a place to go to when all else fails. That is what God men are all about.

But let us shift focus on today’s God men. They are mired in corruption charges. They own huge bank balances, vast tracts of land, institutions, run schools and ashrams, apparently for societal good. They get mired in controversies dealing with corruption and sexual assault. They are at loggerheads with the State.

The funny and sad part of it all is that their followers turn a blind eye to all this and continue to hang on every word the Baba says. Why? Is there such a lack of faith in one’s own self? Is it necessary that I need to have a so-called Guru who shows me how to live life? Why do we need to be spoon fed on ways to lead a good, righteous life? Are we so lost that we are confused as to what is the right thing to do?  If we commit a crime or are facing problems, no amount of worship through havans and dips in the Ganga can see out of our situation. We have to bear the onus of our wrongdoing. No gems and no fasting to appease the gods is going to give us a short cut to redemption. But the Gurus have a whole list of curative measures lined up. How will appeasing a certain god on a certain day get you a job if you don’t work on your qualifications? Think about it.

And the situation is so strange today that people raising their voice against such blind faith are killed. So, you tone down your voice out of fear. That is the only way the false men of God know how to keep blind followers in their camp. People who have lost the capacity to think or meditate on their own are anyway lost forever. They will forever be puppets in the hands of these puppeteers who know exactly what will make these faithful happy with themselves.

After all God men are not necessarily Good men.