I received the following message from another Hindu bhakta. Below is my response to him.
I have a best friend who is a Christian. Before everything was fine but recently he has started talking about Christianity. He asked me to remove all photos of Hindu Gods and Sikhs Gurus from our house and told me not to go to Mandir or Gurudwara and don’t do any puja and take off the OM necklace. One day i wasn’t feeling well and he put his hand on my forehead and said something. Since then I am falling under his influence. But I don’t want to give up Hinduism. My sikh friend told me he has put on me some sort of black magic. When I go to Mandir I feel uncomfortable. My friend told me to burn some gugal agarbati . My wife told me if i convert she will leave me and all my family friends and relatives said the same. Is there a prayer in Hinduism which deals with black magic.
My Response:
It is a very sad and ongoing experience. Unless Hindu bhaktas awaken and remain united, we will struggle to face this challenge effectively. Unfortunately, Hindu bhaktas often resemble a group of cats, each going their own way. This is largely because sadhana dharma is inherently individualistic, with each person choosing their own path. This contrasts with Abrahamic faiths, where both sadhana dharma (personal practice) and samajic dharma (social responsibility) often overlap, creating a collective framework to address social, spiritual, economic, and moral challenges more cohesively.
I have frequently emphasized that we do not have a “private” God, even though we can cultivate a personal relationship through our chosen sadhana. However, we should not overlook the importance of satsangh—gathering together to learn from one another and address shared challenges. Yet, I often feel that even a small group of Hindu bhaktas—three or four—is more like trying to manage a group of cats, each independent and difficult to coordinate, rather than a manageable flock of sheep.
As I am retired from active life, I no longer have the energy or capacity to address this issue as I once might have. But it is crucial that we embrace the principle of collective action: we either sail together or sink together. While following Muktinath as an individual bhakta may align with the Hindu worldview, where personal sadhana dharma is central, it will remain a significant challenge to address external threats without unity and collaboration.
DB, 21-12-2024
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