Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar visits several spiritual sites in India, including Gondavle Budruk and Shirdi. While he respects the devotion of millions of pilgrims, he questions why these places still have problems that go against spiritual teachings. The answer is the split between spiritualism and materialism. People visit sites with a beggarly or selfish mindset rather than to strengthen their dharma. Namasmaran, or remembrance of the divine name, is offered as a solution to empower people and restore harmony by moving beyond narrow individualism or social/economic ideologies.

1. SPIRITUALISM
MATERIAISM
NAMASMARAN
DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR

2. In the district of Satara in Maharashtra
state there is a place called Gondavle
(Budruk).
I first visited this place; where there is a
samadhi mandir (shrine) of Sadguru Shri
Brahmachaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj;
about thirty years ago. I have also visited
the place called Shirdi where there is a
shrine of Shri Saibaba and Shegaon;
where there is the shrine of Shri Gajanan
Maharaj.
These are the places where millions of
devotees visit with reverence; every year.
I respect their feelings.
However the questions that used to
gnawing me were; “Why are these places
full of activities responsible for the

3. downfall of mankind? Why can’t these
(and other) spiritual masters change
these (and other respective) places for
better; through their devotees, local
administrative heads and/or the political
leaders? Why are these places immune to
spiritual rejuvenation and or
revitalization? Why do we come across
the socioeconomic and political misery?
Why do we find people in pitiable life
conditions in most respects?”
The answer to all these questions; is the
development of the split or chasm;
between the spiritualism and
materialism!
The saints and their shrines provide the
enlightenment and empowerment; but we
are intoxicated by petty selfishness to
such an extent that we visit these and

4. other places of pilgrimage in a parasitic
mindset. We visit these shrines and
temples with beggarly mentality. We
approach these abodes merely for trivial
gains for our own selves or our families.
All this is because we have forgotten our
DHARMA, which is different from the
concept of religion.
We have forgotten the concepts of pitru
dharma, matru dharma, putra dharma,
acharya dharma, kula dharma, raja
dharma etc. (duties or privileges assigned
to father, mother, son, teacher, pedigree,
ruler etc. respectively for individual and
global blossoming).
As a result; we are being dragged by
petty, narrow, superficial, glamorous,
and individualistic considerations born
out of disrespect (for our ancestral

5. traditions; wherever we belong to); and
leading to; hollowness on the one hand;
and we are being compelled by our
insecurity to visit shrines and temples out
of helplessness and meekness on the
other!
The split between the spiritualism and
materialism is evident today in the form
of lopsided materialism associated with
the cancerous growth of mercenary
vested interests on the one hand and
lopsided spiritualism associated with
unjustifiably glorified pathetic escapism
on the other!
Namasmaran is the solution, which
follows the answer to our questions!
Namasmaran empowers, enlivens and
enables us to get reoriented to and

6. explore the dharma concept and
reestablish the dynamic harmony and
justice within ourselves and the society;
ensuring individual and global
blossoming!
In nutshell, with namasmaran; we begin
to understand and get inspired to rectify
individual and social conditions so as to
achieve individual and global
blossoming (including the places of
worship). Further, it is to be noted that
namasmaran lifts us up conceptually;
above the dehumanizing and shackling
concepts of development prevalent in
socialistic and/or capitalistic ideologies
and societies. With namasmaran we
evolve holistic intellectual, emotional,
instinctual and physical responses in the
form of perspective, policy making,

7. planning and implementation; in all the
walks of life.
Namasmaran helps us to live holistically;
and neither lopsidedly spiritually nor
lopsidedly materially!