India is a land of diverse cultures and religions, where temples hold great significance for millions of people. However, in recent years, a new trend has emerged - VIP Darshan. This practice allows people with connections or wealth to bypass long lines and receive special treatment at temples. Recently, a video went viral on social media where an elderly woman was unable to get a glimpse of Lord Mahakal despite waiting in line for a long time. The reason for her disappointment? VIPs in front of her causing chaos and delaying her turn. The woman's frustration reached a boiling point, and she decided to take matters into her own hands by jumping over the barricade and entering the VIP Darshan System without listening to any of the security personnel. In a fit of anger, she shouted, "धर्म को धंधा बना दिया है” (religion has become a business).

Temples are considered to be holy places where people go to worship and connect with God. It is believed that for God, everyone is equal and there is no discrimination based on wealth or status. VIP Darshan culture goes against this principle of equality and humility.

In this system, people who pay more money get to skip the long lines and get a faster darshan of the deity. Temples need donations to keep running, but people should give them voluntarily. There should not be a system where people pay money to get a faster darshan in a separate line. This is not really a donation, it's more like a business transaction. If there are two separate lines, one paid and one free, it's not fair to call it a donation. By giving priority to VIPs, temples are creating a hierarchy among devotees which can lead to feelings of resentment and discrimination.

Moreover, VIP Darshan can cause chaos and safety hazards in the temple premises as it takes up a lot of space. The purpose of a temple is to provide a peaceful and spiritual environment for all devotees to worship and connect with God. The introduction of VIP Darshan goes against this principle and can lead to a loss of the sanctity of the temple.

In our opinion, temples should go back to their roots and follow the principles of equality and humility. Donations should be given willingly, without any expectation of special treatment in return. If someone can't wait in long lines, they can always pray to God from their home.

We can learn from the story of Bhagwan Ram in the Ramayana, who made a shivling and started worshipping it. On the other hand Ravana tried to take Shiv Bhagwan to his place to show his power, which led to disastrous consequences. This shows that the true essence of spirituality lies in our devotion and connection with God, not in the display of wealth or status.

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