Chapter XII

The ancients considered temples as not only Devamandirs, but also as Vijnanamandirs. They knew that God can be attained by Service, done consciously and with full knowledge of meaning. They felt that temples are Academies of the higher learning where man developed the real culture of the mind. They knew that the House of God in the heart of Man will be as clean and holy as the House of God was, in the hamlet where he lived. You can guess the nature of the inhabitants of a village by simply observing the village temple and its environs. "If the temple is kept clean and with holiness in the atmosphere, you can infer that the pure villagers are full of the fear of sin, that they walk along the path of Goodness" so thought the ancients.

Such Divyajnanamandirs, such Atmopadesaalayas, such Institutions of Spiritual Inspiration, have today degenerated into places where 'offerings' are distributed, and picnic parties revel. Idlers gather in the precincts and play cards or dice or such other games. Kalipurusha sports in glee when such groups gather in the temples.