We are from a land of Bhagavata Tungis where in every village of Odisha the Bhagavat used to be read every evening in a community hall or central place. It used to be attended by everyone including elders, women and children alike. The knowledgeable ones read and discussed it every day. There was no need for a godman or preacher to explain as the Bhagavat has been written in easily legible Odia meant for the common man. The Bhagavata in simple parlance describes the leelas (stories) of lord Krishna or lord Vishnu and his many Avatars (forms).
This practice which influenced the lifestyle and traditions is slowly becoming extinct and replaced by the audiovisual media and the homemakers, i.e, the women, are hooked to television serials which again have underlying morals where ultimately the good prevails over the evil forces. Despite this, there are people who do listen to Prabachans or spiritual talks on popular channels.
The point I am trying to make is every Indian is a philosopher and in spite of outward makeup is not ignorant about spiritual issues. They can very easily distinguish between a god, a godman and a professional preacher. Why then do they make a god out of a mere mortal and call him as god or godmanIJ The following phrase from the Geeta and its literary meaning is very well-known to every villager whether he is literate or not. They are very much aware of the Avatars and how difficult it is for God to become an Avatar and help the needy.
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyudhanam adarmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham paritranaya sadhunam vinashayacha dushkritam dharmasamstha panarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.
(O descendant of Bharat (Arjuna)! whenever there is a decline in righteousness along with rise of unrighteousness then I will manifest myself. For the salvation of the righteous, for the destruction of the wrongdoers and to establish righteousness, I manifest myself every eon).
Why does he then convert a preacher into a god without proper testingIJ All this starts with visits to Prabachans, worshipping pictures, forming Samitis, etc. It is not as if the preacher forces the audience. They are prepared to be taken for a ride. The main reason is it suits them as it provides them an identity and networking. If you just mention that you are the disciple of so and so then immediately you will be accepted in any other devotee’s house.
The other reason is most of the material demands like daughter’s marriage, son’s job and a new house get fulfilled, Maybe, by the sheer law of probability also. In this Kali Yug, where there is lack of peace in the households people would like to go and listen to something which gives them hope and peace. And these godmen provide just that. If we say they are not familiar with the lifestyle of these godmen, it would be wrong because people are concerned with their self interest.
Society has definitely a role to play when a common preacher announces that he is God. It is only by the support of followers that a preacher becomes a god. How many people protest when Aarati (worship) is done to such peopleIJ None! Aarati is supposed to be done to gods only. In fact, such scenes are shown by the media too, must be by public demand. Then suddenly, it is discovered that the preacher has a private life not acceptable to the public as they have made him into an avatar. Society has to be more vigilant before they make a person into a god and there so that there is no necessity to again question him when he starts behaving like an ordinary person.