Q1 INTERVIEWER: Please tell us something about yourself.

A1 AJAY UPADHYAY: I'm a long time citizen of here--a resident. My name is Ajay Upadhyay. I'm a Brahmin by caste and my Brahminhood is my duty. Worship (puja) and recitiation--performing rites--are my sacred obligations.

Q2 INTERVIEWER: Please tell us something about this temple.

A2 AJAY UPADHYAY: This temple--not now--but even before modern times was very ancient. It dates from five or six hundred years ago. And we are not seated on the very site of the fort of Raja Vicitra . It's this place--and we're seated on the very spot. And a lot of interesting things have happened around this fort. Yes, the Moghuls came here to rule. And the ruler here--the Raja Vicitra --gave a vicious retort--

Q3 INTERVIEWER: Please tell us something about this particular temple.

A3 AJAY UPADHYAY: This temple? It's Shiv - ji 's temple. People come here, they have darshan and perform puja . They beseech the Lord because of their sadness, ailments, their fear and--they beseech the Lord from the depths of their souls and ask “whatever distress may befall me, please quiet it, please protect me from it.” For these reasons, people come here, have darshan and perform puja .

Q4 INTERVIEWER: Could you please tell us what darshan is and something about its importance?

A4 AJAY UPADHYAY: Darshan has a very great significance. The person who has not gained (what he wants) comes before the Lord for darshan in order to obtain it--or in our (society)--especially in Hindu society-- darshan is an attitude of the heart--a feeling that persists from birth until death. Throughout the entirety of society, people get a tranquility in their hearts from darshan --(a tranquility that comes from knowing) that from darshan and puja all that is evil inside me will be banished and I will travel along the path of goodness.

Q5 INTERVIEWER: What does " darshan " mean?"

A5 AJAY UPADHYAY: Well, generally..

Q6 INTERVIEWER: For example, if I were to translate " darshan " into English--would it be "seeing?"

A6 AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, yes, that's it--it means "seeing." Whenever we've been seeing someone, or something for a long time and forget about him or it and then see him or it again then that feeling is awakened in our hearts again. When that feeling is awakened in my heart again then I'll travel upon the path of goodness because there is only goodness, not evil.

Q7 INTERVIEWER: So how to the people who come to this temple have darshan ?

A7 AJAY UPADHYAY: The people who come to this temple desire to meet the Lord--with their whole heart they come to meet (the Lord) and also because they have afflictions--someone has a problem with a ghost or (because) someone's child is in distress--or someone has a disease--like leprosy--people who've been afflicted by leprosy--in the hand for example. There are many afflictions for which there is no cure in homeopathy or in allopathy or in ayurveda - when a cure is impossible--in such a state people come for darshan and with their whole heart and soul (ask): "Lord, please take away my distress." With such feelings people desire darshan , sometimes they come out of their own joy and sometimes they come because of their distress---with such feelings people come here for darshan .

Q8 INTERVIEWER: Do people bring anything for darshan --like garlands or sweets?

A8 AJAY UPADHYAY: Here there is a particular form of worship--a particular type of worship. There is a rule that each deity must be offered different things. You can't offer the same thing to all of them. Take a goddess for example, in a Durga temple malas , flowers, coconuts and clothes are offered to her-- saris are offered.

(Q9) INTERVIEWER: What's offered to Lord Shiva?

(A9) AJAY UPADHYAY: Cannabis is offered to him, bhang . After that, thorn-apples, leaves from the bel tree and sweets are offered.

(Q10) INTERVIEWER: So, people offer all these things through the Brahmin priest?

(A10) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, yes.

(Q11) INTERVIEWER: Please tell us something about how this is done?

(A11) AJAY UPADHYAY: In our world, in India , theirs is a tradition that extends for centuries that worship in temples can only be done through Brahmin priests. But if you don't want to do that, you can still come to the temple, worship and make offerings yourself. There's no prohibition, no fixed obligation. You can go to the temple and make the offerings yourself or you can call upon a Brahmin to do it. You can do it both ways.

(Q12) INTERVIEWER: So, when people arrive at the entrance of a temple they bow their heads—why is that?

(A12) AJAY UPADHYAY: The reason is that it's a respectful greeting. It represents the custom of showing respect to those of high status. It doesn't just apply to being in a temple. Instead, whenever a person of high status, a respected elder or a person worthy of respect comes along, we bow our heads even from a distance. Why do we bow our heads? It's a sign of respect, of honor, of humility. So, when we come to a temple, we bow our heads in order to say, you are great, you are great.

(Q13) INTERVIEWER: Ok, let's go back to Lord Shiv—so when cannabis is offered to him it becomes prashad?

(A13) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, yes, it becomes prashad . And people eat it, understanding it to be prashad.

(Q14) INTERVIEWER: American students don't understand what prashad is? Could you explain what it is. Is it a blessing, a form of “grace?”

(A14) AJAY UPADHYAY: It is a material thing infused with grace. From one perspective, something that is offered becomes polluted. So, those who receive even the food leavings of an important person consider themselves very fortunate indeed. For this reason people to temples like Vaishno Devi, Amarnath, Badrinath and Kedarnath in order to have darshan and to perform puja. There they offer prashad and they understand this prashad as a form of the Lord—they take it and eat it and feel a tremendous joy that they have taken prashad. That's the most important thing about prashad.

(Q15) INTERVIEWER: Please tell us something about this temple—what's the symbolic significance of the swastika, for example.

(A15) AJAY UPADHYAY: In our Vedas and Puranas, our Sacred Texts, it's the most important symbolic letter. It means that whatever work there is to be done will be joyful—for example, for a wedding or performing worship or sacrifice in a temple or wherever, there will first be the sign of the swastika —it's an auspicious sign.

(Q16) INTERVIEWER: Are those two statues over there?

(A16) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, Lord Ganesh and Lord Hanuman .

(Q17) INTERVIEWER: And is Lord Shiv over there?

(A17) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, OK—let me explain. In our dharma, the worship of Ganesh is always performed first. In a wedding or for a sacrifice, the worship of Lord Ganesh comes first. For this reason, in any temple, the image or statue of Lord Ganesh is positioned first so that people will enter the temple only after paying their respects to Him. So, his darshan comes first and only after that the darshan of the other gods and goddesses. For this reason, the image of Lord Ganesh is erected first—He's present, right there in front.

(Q18) INTERVIEWER: What's on top of the temple?

(A18) AJAY UPADHYAY: That's a trident ( trishul ) For us, in our dharma, it's an auspicious sign—like the moon is for Muslims or for Christians who put something on top of their churches, for us a trident is built—it's a symbol, a sign of auspiciousness.

(Q19) INTERVIEWER: What do you think American students should know about India ?

(A19) AJAY UPADHYAY: American students about India ?

(Q20) INTERVIEWER: A story or incident or something that they would find interesting.

(A20) AJAY UPADHYAY: OK, I'll tell you something—I've read a little bit about other countries, about their lifestyles and it seems that people are so busy that they don't even recognize each other. I haven't witnessed this myself, but I've heard about it. But here, it's not like that. We call our mothers mothers and we worship our fathers. We understand society as a great sacrificial offering. Now I want to give the entire world the message to follow the conceptual foundation of this country—the peace that has been established here from fraternal love, from being present for each other in joy and happiness. If you follow this path then it is my deep conviction that in your families and even in your countries you will experience the same tranquility that we have here.

(Q21) INTERVIEWER: What neighborhood do you live in?

(A21) AJAY UPADHYAY: In Panntola—if you go past the market, my house is up on the left. Pannatola is the name of the neighborhood in which I live.

(Q22) INTERVIEWER: Why is it called Pannatola?

(A22) AJAY UPADHYAY: Pannatola? Didn't I tell you, a neighborhood is named after the most numerous caste. For example, there's Kanoniya Toli, Pandatoli, Harijantoli, Kasaitoli, Lohartoli—these names come about because a particular caste predominates in a particular locality. In our neighborhood priest predominate, so it's Pannatoli—our caste has the greatest number. The priests are in the majority so it's called Pannatoli.

(Q23) INTERVIEWER: Could you tell us something more about the temple?

(A23) AJAY UPADHYAY: That a Shivlainga and the lower portion that you're looking at—that section is called the “yoni.” The “yoni” is female, it's called a “vagina” in English, and that's the “ linga ” (penis). It's distinguishing characteristic is that in the coming age, the universe will be born from it. For this reason, it is worshipped because everything that is has been born from it. So, worshipping it is necessary because it's the creator of the universe. From the linga and yoni came the creation of the universe itself. Whatever there is—humans, birds, animals, or any kind of creature, even fish, they all could not have been born without the ling and the yoni. That's why we worship them.

(Q24) INTERVIEWER: How is the Linga worshipped?

(A24) AJAY UPADHYAY: To us the ling is the Lord and for this reason we offer it garlands, flowers, camphor, incense, red powder and ash and we worship it. Yes, and bhang and milk, light and incense and reading Sacred texts and in the evening there is a rotation of a lamp with a camphor flame. All of this is offered and that's Durga's temple over there—her quality is power—that's the Goddess Durga and her quality is power.

(Q25) INTERVIEWER: So the two are joined?

(A25) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes. Before everything else…in our dharm before everything was the primal energy. At first there was nothing at all in this world. Tens of millions of years ago there was nothing. So, there was only the primal energy and in our religion, this primal energy produced Brahma , Vishnu and Shiv a and after these three the entire universe came into being. For this reason, in our dharm, the mother is adored above all.

(Q26) INTERVIEWER: What is that over there?

(A26) AJAY UPADHYAY: Those small things over there are like this—those people who have had there most cherished wished fulfilled, who have a boon granted to them, have them placed here and perform a puja to the ghost of a Brahmin —they bring it here and do their puja.

(Q27) INTERVIEWER: Who are they?

(A27) AJAY UPADHYAY: They're ghosts of brahmins . For example, some one will make a vow to propitiate a deity if their work is successful and say that they will place an image here—so their work is successful and they come here and place an image. There are a lot of images of our Gods and Goddesses—a whole lot. There's the Goddess, there's Durga , there's Shankar there's Shiv there's Hanuman and there's Ganesh —there are many varieties, all different. There's Ram and there's Sita and there's Laksman . So, people give them all their special place. All of them just about—all of them are in the temple.

(Q28) INTERVIEWER: So, who's over there?

(A28) AJAY UPADHYAY: Well among them is Ram, and some are Hanuman. And some are probably Vishnu. Over there is the form of Krishna. There are many kinds of images. There are many kinds of Gods and Goddesses that have been placed here.

(Q29) INTERVIEWER: Whose head is that over there?

(A29) AJAY UPADHYAY: That head—well people just bring them and place them here after their desires have been fulfilled. I explained, didn't I, that people ask for their desire to be fulfilled and when it is they come here and “seat” an image. Their desire is fulfilled and they bring an image and seat it here—it could be any head you want.

(Q30) INTERVIEWER: When people come why do they ring the bell?

(A30) AJAY UPADHYAY: The bell? Yes, it's rung after puja , last—at the end it's rung, it's also an auspicious sign.

(Q31) INTERVIEWER: When people enter the temple to they ring the bell as well?

(A31) AJAY UPADHYAY: No, only after puja -so that the person who does feels that they have done the puja and can say “I have taken the Lord into my heart.” After giving attention to the Lord and after the puja , at the very end, the bell is rung.

(Q32) INTERVIEWER: Can only priests touch the linga?

(A32) AJAY UPADHYAY: Yes, yes, they can touch it. It's bathed morning and evening.

(Q33) INTERVIEWER: What about ordinary people?

(A33) AJAY UPADHYAY: No, ordinary people can't touch it. But people can offer water, milk, a lot of things can be offered but the specific act of bathing is performed by priests alone. We're astrologers. As far as planets are concerned, there are Ravi, Som, Mangal, Guru, Shukr, Shani, Rahu and Ketu, these are all planets. For us, there are nine planets. And we predict the destiny of others, we read palms—that's the line of destiny, that's the line of Pises, from this line we read what's going to happen in the future, what happened, what didn't happen, we explain all of that.