Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living and global spiritual leader, opines on the Tirupati Laddoo Prasadam row.

Today, Hindus across the world are heart-broken. The Tirupati Laddoo row has inflicted a deep wound, as well as outrage in the Hindu psyche. It brings back memories of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, a rebellion against the malicious act of the British (of giving cartridges greased with animal fat) that hurt the religious sentiment of the Hindu soldiers, who revered the cow as their mother. And now we see how the sentiments of the Hindu community have again been deeply wounded by the laddoo controversy. 

This is a crime which cannot be pardoned. It’s malicious and reflects the absolute greed of people involved in this matter. They need to be punished severely for playing with the faith and sentiments of millions of Hindus across the globe. Anyone remotely involved in this heinous crime should be put behind bars and all their assets should be seized.

To ensure such an incident is never repeated again it is crucial that the management of temples is handed over to Hindu saints, spiritual leaders, and religious figures. Handing over this sacred duty to devotees ensures that the temples are managed with reverence and dedication, rather than being controlled by self-serving officials, ruthless businessmen, or politicians whose primary interest lies in exploiting these institutions for financial or personal gain. A devotee will never even dream of committing such blasphemy. We should form a committee of spiritual leaders from both North and South of India that will oversee our temples management and safeguard their sanctity. The committee should also have a government representative who can intervene in case of conflicts. The major decisions, however, should be taken by religious boards; like how there are for other faiths; the Waqf Board, SGPC or CCI.  

This matter also highlights a larger concern about the adulteration of food consumed by the common man on a daily basis. If the ghee used in the laddoos was found to be adulterated, how can we trust the quality of ghee and other food products available in the market today? It is imperative to ensure that the quality of all food items is thoroughly checked, especially for any adulteration involving non-vegetarian ingredients in products labeled as vegetarian. Those who are found guilty of using non-vegetarian substances in vegetarian-labeled food should be punished by the law. We need to build a more humane society where ethics are valued.

We need to build a more humane society where ethics and values are upheld. Many devotees are so distressed by this incident that they are unable to sleep. Here, devotion and practices like pranayama can help one find peace. For those who wish to perform a ritual to purify themselves, they can fill a cup with water and chant the following mantra:

Apaha punantu pruthvIm prutivI pUtha punathu mAm ।
punanthu brahmanaspathihi brahma-pUta punatumAm. yaduchishtam abhojyam yadvA
duscaritam mama sarvam punanthu mamApo asatAm cha pratigraham svAhA ॥

Meaning: Water purifies the entire earth. Let this water purify my body and remove all impurities. If I have consumed that which was tasted by others, or eaten that which shouldn’t be eaten, may I be purified of all that. May the love of the Divine consume the untruth and return my mind to the state it was before.

With this prayer, chant the mantra three times and drink the water. Additionally, chanting the Pavamana Suktam brings solace and uplifts the mind.

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