Denying themselves the bliss derivable from surrender to the Lord, men madly run about in the name of Bhakthi, pursuing sacred spots, sages and sacred rivers. A modicum of genuine Bhakthi will awaken them from this delusion. It will teach them that man can obtain Santhi only by returning to one's native home, viz., God. Until then, homesickness will haunt him.

Temples are invitations to that home, signboards directing man there. On one occasion, Sri Ramachandra spoke thus to those assembled to hear Him on the Chitrakuta Hill: "Dawn breaks and dusk falls. With dawn, greed awakens in man; with the dusk, lust gets hold of him. Is this to be your way of life? Is this to be your goal? With the passing of every single day, man has wasted one precious chance. He has taken one more step towards the Cave of Death. But does he ever bewail his lot? Does he sorrow over the wasted day?" Note, how worthy of remembrance this message is!

It is because of such reminders that the culture of Bharathavarsha has God as its central theme. "Bha-ratha" means the land that has "rathi" or attachment to Bha-ga-vaan or God. If westerners renounce everything in their single-minded devotion to the discovery of the laws that govern the objective world, here in Bharathavarsha men renounced everything for the discovery and experience of the Absolute, which is the Prime Cause of the Universe and which, if known, confers unshakable Santhi.

Westerners renounce for the evanescent; here, the renunciation is for the Eternal. This is for Vijnana, theirs is for Ajnana. This is Thapas, theirs is Thamas. That is why even today, the splendour of the rishis, sages and yogis shines through the corridor of centuries on the faces of men; if sometimes the shadows of despair, despondency and discontent flit across those faces in this land, it is a forewarning of the decline of faith in Dharma itself.

Temples are intended to instruct men in the art of removing the veil of attachment that lies over their heart. That is the reason why Thyagaraja cried in the temple at Tirupathi, "Remove the veil within me, the veil of pride and hate". The fog of Maya melted away before the rays of Grace and so, he could discern and describe the image of Divine Charm in the song, "Sivudano Maadhavudano" and drink deep the sweetness of that Form. The churning of his heart by the Divine Formula produced the spark of Jnana, and it grew into the Flame of Realisation.