THE TEMPLE BELL

THE TEMPLE BELL — I Don’t Ring It to Call God. I Ring It to Awaken

Myself to His Presence. Why do we ring a bell before entering a temple?

Is God asleep? Does He need to be informed that we have arrived? Or

have we misunderstood who really needs awakening? One Sunday,

during a puja organised by his parents, Dr. Abhishek Gilara casually

picked up a pair of manjiras while pandits performed bhajans. As the

manjiras continued playing, something unexpected happened. The

rhythm captured his attention. The outside world began losing its hold

over his mind.

There was no office. No tomorrow. No yesterday. No distraction. For those moments, there was only the

bhajan. That simple experience led to a much deeper question: Could the temple bell be doing something

similar? Perhaps the bell is not an announcement to God. Perhaps it is an announcement to ourselves: You

have entered His presence. Now become present yourself. In The Temple Bell, Dr. Abhishek Gilara

explores the relationship between rhythm, attention, ritual, gratitude, surrender and devotion, and asks us

to reconsider an action millions of people perform almost automatically. The book moves beyond the

physical bell to an even more important one—the inner bell of consciousness. The bell that rings when

ego rises. The bell that calls us back when our mind wanders. The bell that reminds us to be grateful when

success comes. The bell that tells us to surrender what lies beyond our control. And the bell that asks us

to carry our spirituality beyond the walls of a temple and into our everyday behaviour. Because perhaps

the greatest blessing of visiting a temple is not always that God changes our circumstances. Perhaps it is

that our encounter with God changes us. DON’T JUST RING THE BELL. BECOME PRESENT.