As we wake to greet a new day, the world looks different. Is this because each day keeps changing or because we see things differently every day? It would be good to see some consistency in our daily life, as uncertainty is something we dislike. So what can we do to remove the “un” from uncertainty? A simple answer could be to control your thoughts, because thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits over time, and habits reflect your character. Therefore, you are what you think. Or is the solution as simple as that? Possibly, but we find it hard to believe in simple solutions. These days we are so used to a sophisticated life, that we continue the same trend with the way we think.

I’m 26 years old and I have heard many people say, “Earn all the money you need until you reach the late 40s. And then, after your bank balance is comfortably large, you can confidently say that you don’t care about money.” A lot of people in our society have achieved this goal. And having built a comfortable base, they need to find new goals in their lives. This is where the philosophical missionaries come to their rescue, and there’s a wide choice of Godmen available. They use a platform based on teachings of thinkers (I prefer not to call them philosophers) like Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and others, giving them a modern avatar. Godmen heading these “ashrams” come in all shapes and sizes, with fancy hairdos, ranging from a bush-like creation to a style made popular by pop stars of the ‘70s. Compare these with the great thinkers, did they ever build huge ashrams or have fancy hairdos? All they did was to have a very simple approach to life. But it’s difficult to make people understand a fundamental fact - that the basic ingredients to a good life are simple and straight-forward thinking, with a touch of practicality.

All that today’s Godmen have done is serve old wine in a new bottle, by marketing age-old concepts like yoga, meditation, and pryanayama in a guise of modernity. In addition, they provide their devotees or followers, whatever you choose to call them (I feel ‘guests’ would be appropriate), with huge palace-like ashrams and meditation halls. I am sure even the Maharaja of Mysore would envy these luxurious present day “palace-cum-ashrams”. Some of these Godmen are adept at magic shows, entertaining guests by pulling out watches and gold chains from thin air. And occasionally, to remind people that their powers are undiminished, they seemingly produce sacred ash (vibuthi) from their persons.

These shows are followed by long lectures, covering topics as diverse as the Mahabharatha, or the war in Iraq. Most of them also talk vociferously about the divide between the rich and the poor, pompously entreating devotees to donate generously to the less privileged. And of course, they teach by principle, living luxurious lifestyles and whizzing around in C Class Mercedes. This probably explains why their devotees seem to be getting richer…

Modern day Godmen have honed their technique into a fine art. When they run out of topics to discourse on, it’s a signal for the maha aarti song to begin. And in case you’re wondering, the aarti is for themselves. In the course of their discourse, they would have made the point that they are on par with the Almighty.

In my opinion, these Godmen have a reason for their luxury cars and 5-star lifestyle. What would they do if their devotees actually took heed of their teaching and began giving away their riches to the poor? There would be very few rich men left, and thus, very few devotees for Godmen, as most of their formerly rich devotees would be busy eking out a life, and would have no time for their spiritual spiel. These Godmen are nothing but hardcore businessmen in saffron attire.

Isn’t it time we asked ourselves how most Godmen become multi-millionaires in a very short time? How do they find the money to construct magnificent buildings in prime localities of metropolitan cities? It’s a well-known fact that powerful politicians are among their most ardent supporters, gifting them land and finance, in exchange for support during election campaigns or during Rath Yathras to demolish a mosque or to build a temple. And how can we forget the millions of dollars of donations they receive from overseas devotees? It’s no wonder these Godmen go abroad on tours more frequently than the officials in the Foreign Ministry.

But although these factors contribute to the success of spurious Godmen, the most important factor is our unswerving faith in their ability. We are still (and always will be) searching for something that’s right in front of us and staring at us in the face. We have to channelise our thoughts, so that we don’t fall into a trap that promises spiritual solace. It’s time to develop the art of thinking, rather than hiding in an ashram, trying to learn the art of living.