5 Things That Happen When Spirituality Meets The Internet

In a world where almost everything is going online, spirituality cannot be far behind. God, as they say, is omnipresent. So why should He not be present in the virtual reality as well? We now live in a time where these five things would have been inconceivable 20 years ago.

1. Buying puja items online in India - Whether you embrace your spirituality on a daily basis with morning and evening prayers, or you do it on certain days a year – Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, and so on, you would definitely need to visit the market for agarbatti, kalash, etc. No more! From customised puja kits to decorative diyas, you can purchase all essentials puja items for your prayer room as easily as ordering a new book or appliance online.


2. Ordering prasad online - Gone are the days when you needed to stand in a long queue among throngs of other devotees to get your hands on the sacred prasad offered to deities during puja. Today, technology has made it as easy as booking your share of the divine prasad online.


3. Offering prayers online - When there is a will, there is always a way. And when that way is via the internet, it’s definitely hassle-free. For those who feel blessed to start their days with a humble aarti, but are deprived of either time or means to do it – you now have websites where you get a virtual setting to offer prayers and aarti online. If this isn’t virtual reality, we don’t know what is!


4. Downloading religious apps - There are apps for everything today – from keeping track of your expenses to keeping track of your ex! So it should not be surprising that religious apps – which offer you hymns, e-books, and holy images of your gods – are also available for your downloading gratification.


5. Live-stream pujas - Imagine being a Bengali living thousands of miles away in New York, yearning for the traditional Durga Puja celebrations at Belur Math back home. Now, with internet live-streaming, they can watch it unfold on their very phones while taking the subway to their work. God bless the internet? Indeed!