It is very difficult
To explain in Banaras
because the word Hindu is very new
while Banaras is way older
I stay in the famous town of ‘Kashi Vishwanath’
and my name is Pawan
Shrikant Mishra, Archak from Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi
Kishore Kumar
Baldev Nath
We’ve been here since 85 years
I chant prayers here
My name is Bholanath Aughar Pir
Aughars are those
who are the residents of a crematorium
Keenaram Baba Avdhoot
protects this place
This is the land that has given birth to Kabir
If you worship an idol then there is a form
But if you talk of Kabir, there god is formless
So, a lot of beliefs came together to form Hinduism
I do not pray at all
Neither do I read any religious texts
I take a photograph of God and just meditate
In Hinduism,
you can either believe in God
Or you cannot also believe in God, at the same time
So, I follow the rituals and the cultures of Hinduism
But I don’t believe in God
Temples are not built for Lord Brahma
because according to the legends when he created the entire universe
he also created Goddess Saraswati
Lord Brahma got infatuated with Goddess Saraswati
It means, he got entangled in his own creation
and he became unworthy of being worshipped
Hinduism is the only religion that portrays that
even if a God makes a mistake he will be punished for it
Hence, he is not worshipped.
If you ask about religion In Banaras, it’s identity is ‘Sanatan dharm’
Sanatan is not as such, a one God philosophy
It’s a journey from badness to goodness
If we try to find the origin of the word Hindu search for its core
we won’t really be able to find it.
The Hindu religion teaches us to love each other
Maintain goodwill
Religion is that path
which can never be erased
What is religion?
Religion is something that helps you progress in life
Religion is not a boundary
I will recite a line for you
What’s written in the name of religion
is not fire
It is like smoke,like smoke,like smoke
Hinduism is a way of life
One who lives in that manner is a Hindu
In a way, everyone is born a Hindu
because every religions have a beginning
but Sanatan has no beginning
It has existed since time immemorial
If someone doesn’t understand Humanity
they cannot understand Hinduism
The path of faith
crosses all obstacles
While the path of sin
drowns
Once you enter the temples here,
you cleanse yourself of all your sins
Shia, Sunni, Khurd, Ahmadiyya
all are present here
Catholics, Protestants
are also here
There are Jews
Parsis
Sikh
and even after that exists Banaras
We feel like we are links attached to each other
We live like a necklace of links
even if one link breaks
the entire necklace will break
Who is a Hindu
I don’t believe in any Hindu or Muslim
I only believe in humans
I am proud to be a Hindu
As I belong to a Hindu nation
where the maximum population is Hindu
Hindus are those who abide by the philosophy
Anyone who claims to be a Hindu is not a Hindu
Like I am
a boy from a Hindu family
but I am not a Hindu
We wish to understand these two things
wherein Pluralism emerged in Banaras
Hence, Banaras is not a part of living
But an art of living
Varanasi is not on Earth
and the main ruler here
Lord Vishwanath
when we summon him in our morning prayers
we pray to Lord Vishwanath for the well being of all the creatures of the universe
There’s a sweet prayer that we all sing to Lord Vishwanath
What is there in that ordinary leaf that has enchanted you my lord.
You have no desires for elephants and horses.
Humans
Found a God
They found a God
whom could not understand
‘Ling’ doesn’t have any proper form
He has a primitive form
Ravana said he has a snake around his neck
and dreadlocks on top of his head
He gave this visual description.
Shri Kashi Vishwanath
Where Kashi Vishwanath resides
Where 36 crore Gods reside in Kashi
In the evening, the people of Kashi, carry a lamp and a sacrament of Bhang
They happily roam
Wearing good clothes and with Kajal in their eyes
They step out with pride
The truth is he doesn’t have a single rupee in his pocket
but he considers himself the greatest king
because he prides himself in knowing that his master is Lord Vishwanath
Hence, we are the greatest king
but when he goes to his own king
He carries a broom and sweeps his court
People take a bath at 3, 4 am at the banks of Ganges
They carry ‘Gangajal’ for Lord Vishwanath
Our love for Bhole Baba is bigger than our devotion for him
If Lord Shiva is here right now and listening to me
First thing I’ll say is that I love you
The least you can do for me is
you find somebody is actually a replica of yours
My most loved God is Lord Shiva
The Lord of the universe resides here in Kashi
He is the king and the teacher
Hence, in the colloquial language of Banaras
there is a tradition of calling each other as ‘Raja’ or ‘Guru’
Using the terms ‘Raja’ and ‘Guru’ directly indicate to the Lord
If you see him in the evening, he will look a certain way
He looks different during day time
at night he appears different
I don’t know how many forms the Lord can take
He eats ‘bhang’ pellets
smokes his pipe and remains chilled out
‘Ganja’ and ‘Bhang’ gives peace of mind
If Lord Shiva could have poison
why can’t we ?
He is Lord Shiva
And Lord Shiva can be offered very simple and inexpensive things
Like ‘Bael’ leaves, ash, ‘Bhang’ and ‘Dhatura’
With these things, he is totally satisfied
He is in a state of trance and in the euphoria of bhang
and whatever the devotees ask for, he agrees to their wishes He blesses them
He’s a creator, he does Tandav and a destroyer He does everything
He is the God of the downtrodden people
that is his most important form
27 of the world’s religion reside here
It is an amalgamation of faiths.
Since birth till the end of my life
Banaras has not left me
Hinduism or Sanatan is a very deep thing
Neither do the people have the capacity to understand this faith neither do they have
the willingness to learn
They think if they worship a bit and follow some rituals..That’s it
People get happy and forget about everything else
The Lord never asked us to visit his temple
Or only worship him
Wherever you are,
Whenever you are helping someone
you are worshipping him
Even when you are not devoted, you somehow still devoted to him
I believe there is no ‘Ram’ and no ‘Krishna’
Because you can be ‘Ram’ yourself you can be ‘Krishna’ yourself
Your body is the Lord’s temple
And whenever you find him, you will find him within yourself
There is peace in Kashi for the ones who seek peace
Kashi is of supreme importance
As it is the religious capital of India
There’s no pilgrimage higher than Kashi
People come here looking for the
bliss
for the peace of mind
for joy and for spiritual awakening
Whoever comes here
takes something from here
Doesn’t leave anything
This is all a blessing from Lord Shiva, Mother Ganges and Annapurna
because we are the residents of their city
If dying here is considered holy,
Imagine how holy it is to live here