Faith is where empathy is
With rage there is sin
Hatred finds place in hell
Forgiveness is where He is
Awaken! -
Dawn is breaking... -
Washing away the cover of darkness
Dawn is breaking...
Awaken!
May Lord Shiva bless you
Shake away the mist of dreams
Focus on the task at hand
It will take you down
the path to salvation
Every direction beckons you -
Aboard the boat of life -
- You'll be carried by
the holy river's tide
- Dawn is breaking...
- Awaken!
'Accept this offering O Keshava'
'Accept this offering O Narayana'
'Accept this prayer,
O Mighty Sun God'
'O Lord, creator of the universe remove
our miseries, vices and sorrows'
'Give us the ability
to lead upright, good lives'
- The fluttering leaves point the way
- The river flows as it cleanses your sins -
- And the temple bells sound
the presence of the Lord
- Dawn is breaking...
- Awaken! O traveler-
- Life is passing you by-
- Hold on to that faint string...
- and do what is only right
- Dawn is breaking
Welcome
I seek your blessings Punditji
You're late as usual
It's almost afternoon
I reached home late last night
after a wedding ceremony...
My 3 year old son was
crying relentlessly...
due to an upset stomach
I fell asleep, putting him to bed
Before I knew it,
the Sun God had risen
The sun doesn't rise according to
your convenience, Daya Shankar
Leading life by the rising and setting of
the sun is the duty of every Brahmin priest
And ostentation isn't the
objective of prayer
You may find gullible customers...
but you won't find God
Forgive me Punditji,
I didn't see you
How dare you touch and
defile Pundit Chaturvedi!
I am sorry Punditji.
Please forgive me
Kalua! Mallah! Come here... Hurry!
He's defiled Pundit Chaturvedi
Beat him up
Stop!
Stop! Don't hit him
'O Lord purify my mind, body and soul'
What's going on?
We are Brahmins
Lord Brahma himself gave us
this most superior caste
Even the shadow of that lowly
untouchable shouldn't fall on us
And he touched Pundit Chaturvedi!
'May this thread of Lord Brahma confer
upon me knowledge and wisdom'
Greetings Punditji
That poor man was beaten up
for your sake
And you didn't intervene?
Why should he?
That lowly fool has defiled
Pundit Chaturvedi
The divine light created by the Lord is
the genesis of all mankind
Then how can one man be
different from another?
Our scriptures also state this.
Don't they?
Are you trying to teach
Punditji the scriptures?
We challenge you to a debate with him
Shyam!
Lord Shiva has blessed me with
the knowledge of the scriptures
What about the truth of life?
Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva
- Awaken!
- Dawn is breaking
I'm sending sweets to your house...
offer them to the God sin your prayers
Thank you. My daughter
will bring the money
Punditji, what did that mystic mean?
Knowing the meaning is not enough
To understand religion,
one must live by its tenets
The world is full of so called mystics
If you want to grasp the true essence of the Hindu
religion pay attention to Punditji's teachings
Understand Mr. Paul?
Goras Nath, I'm not going to
change my mind,
I will not to be a part of any
religious propaganda
My child, come back in an hour
'I recite the names of the places
where you dwell'
'My sins from 7 lifetimes will be
destroyed by this recollection'
'By merely looking at your image...
'I'll no longer be touched by sin'
'I pray to you morning and
evening, O Lord'
'Detach me from Karma,
so I can only live to please you'
'Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva! '
'You are the incarnation of compassion'
'You're the very essence of life'
'Your eternal abode is the
heart of your devotee'
'I bow to you Lord Shiva and
your consort Parvati'
'My Lord Shiva is the one in eternal bliss'
'The one who is resplendent
and omnipresent'
'The one who embodies the scriptures'
'The one who is limitless and pure
like the sky. I adore you'
'O beloved Lord of all...
with shimmering jewels in his ears'
'Your beautiful large eyes...
full of mercy and a cheerful countenance.
I adore you'
'Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva'
May the mighty Lord Shiva bless you
Be careful. Do not eat street food or
take a helping from others
Communal riots broke out in Bhadohi
early this morning...
persons from a minority community
are reported dead
Many homes have been burnt down
What sparked off this Hindu-Muslim riot?
Hindu-Muslim animosity is part of our history
Any small scuffle...
can trigger a riot
Which means...
father and son...
husband and wife...
relatives and brothers
can forsake each other
But Mother Ganges never forsakes...
who-so-ever takes a dip
in Her holy waters
The River Goddess Ganges...
washes away his sins
and liberates him
In this modern world...
where virtues are disappearing...
we are fortunate for the
presence of Mother Ganges
Are your students late today?
Or have I finished my chores early?
All you have been quick at,
is forgetting, Parvati
Will you teach the students...
while I perform the prayers at
Vishnu Singh's house?
Today, is the fire ritual for Surya Prakash, let's hope
the Gods drive some sense into his head
He is unlike his father
So hot headed
This may take a lot of time
Many lifetimes I believe
I was referring to the fire ritual
That won't take much time
So, you won't be able to eat before noon
I am a Brahmin.
I feed the soul first
But you must eat.
Don't wait for me
The doctor has adviced you to eat on time
I am a brahmin's wife.
I know what is good for my soul
I will wait for you
You're a woman
You needn't live by the rule
sprescribed for men
I know
The scriptures also prescribe that
every woman be a dutiful wife -
Pativrat
Punditji!
I read somewhere that a woman's...
Pativrat Dharm
dictates she must obey all of
her husband's wishes
It is written in the Manu Smriti
In chapter 9, verse 154 - 55
Very good my child
Paul, a woman without husband
has no status in society
What are you learning from Punditji today?
We're on an interesting subject
A woman's Dharma as a dutiful wife
You've performed good deeds
in your past life...
to have the good fortune to come
all the way to India...
and learn about our religion and
culture from Punditji
And some unfortunate people,
despite being born here...
Shut up! Just shut up!
Don't interfere, Prabha
I have decided she won't go
She wants to study.
- Please let her go
Keep your mouth shut!
Punditji, do I have to be apart of the ritual?
It was difficult convincing
father to let me study further
Today is the last day for
submitting the application
But my brother says...
- You've studied enough!
There is a ceremony in the house
and she wants to go and study
You keep quiet, father!
Educated girls have neither
virtues nor values
Values!
Good values require that you
don't talk down to anyone...
especially to your father
As far as Mani is concerned...
she is not required at this prayer
Vishnu Singhji may allow her to leave
You may go, my child
Prabha will look after the
prayer preparations
Then, I will not be a part of this ceremony
You'll do as I say!
His ritual will take place...
and you will be a part of it
Pundit Chaturvedi is encouraging
her bad behaviour
If the elder brother is forbidding it,
why does he need to butt in?
He thinks he is God
And father and the foolish people
of Benares believe he is God
He is not!
And still he insists on controlling
everyone's life
You scoundrel!
Don't I know you'd love the same
You'd love to have Pundit Chaturvedi's
job and status
Welcome, sir.
Come, pray. Peace for father,
grandfather, your dead
That is ridiculous!
So what if he holds the highest
post of priesthood...
My knowledge is no less than his
Welcome madam
Perform the invocation ceremony,
seek the blessings of River Ganges
Ma'am, fees
You're doing well for yourself
You get to touch these sexy foreigners
need to earn my living.
Your father doesn't pay for my expenses
like he does for Pundit Chaturvedi
That's because you aren't the
Head Priest of our temple
Wouldn't you love to be the Head Priest?
- Dawn is breaking -
- Washing away the cover of darkness -
- Awaken! -
Whose baby is this?
What's wrong?
Vedika was playing outside.
A woman was thirsty
She gave Vedika the baby
and went to drink water
She didn't return
What?
You brought in a child from the street?
Not knowing his caste,
how dare you touch him?
It's a Brahmin's child
Vedika had asked the mother
You shouldn't have brought the baby home
His mother must be worried
Go back and wait for her
Vedika waited for 4 hours.
She didn't return
I hope all is well
You did tell her that you were
Punditji's daughter, didn't you?
Then she'll surely find her way here
You can go into the temple.
Everything's ready
Take him there. Play with him
Will you do the morning prayers
in the afternoon?
I have to boil milk for the child
He'll be hungry when he wakes up1
He'll disrupt Vedika's studies
He has already disrupted your
duties towards God
What if he was our own child?
I'm sure God will forgive the delay
He knows everything
You are right. God is omniscient
You little brat!
Mother, look what he has done!
I'll iron another uniform for you
Go, take a bath
I rushed home after the temple prayers...
to prepare everything for your father
But this little one is intent on delaying me
Vedika!
Pick him up!
I can't. I'm going for a bath.
I'll get late
I'll pick him when I finish
preparing the prayer plate
It's almost done
I'll just bring the plate
'Salutations to the mighty Lord Shiva'
Your love for this child has blinded you
I will have to bathe again
Has he made you bathe twice?
Mother, I'm leaving
I'll get your breakfast
- Mother, I've had the gruel
He was crying so much...
I thought Mani would be
here to mind him...
but she didn't come
I should've made your breakfast
I can take care of myself
From tomorrow, I'll wake up early
and help you...
That won't be necessary
If the child's mother doesn't
show up by tomorrow...
Inspector Sharma will take him away
It's good that you have come, dear
Wash your hands and make some
wheat pancakes for me
Or I too will have to eat gruel or
fodder meant for the cow
- How do I open my heart to you?
- I am devoted only to you
- My lord and master
- You are my world
- The colour of your love...
- Is the colour I wear
- Oh my lord, my love
- I am devoted only to you
Bastard! How dare you take
photographs of my sister!
Please don't beat him.
It's not his fault
- All that I see is you
Don't hit him so much that he dies
- My words speak only of you... -
- Even as the tears of love
- Wash away the kohl in my eyes
- You remain my beloved
The fault lies with our own people
They still suck upto these foreigners...
in the guise of providing
them knowledge
Punditji has come
You should get your daughter
married immediately
I will now tell you the
duty of a father...
as prescribed by the scriptures...
which means...
the groom's family,
his temperament, health...
reputation, knowledge, wealth and
the good deeds of his ancestors
Only by adhering to these 7 virtues...
can a daughter be given away
in marriage
And it is the duty of the daughter...
to aid her father in this task
Have you understood that my child?
Now listen to me!
If you dare to venture out of the house...
I will drown you and that foreigner
in the Ganges
Do you understand?
- Like the river flows into the ocean
- My being flows into yours
- The sound of your flute
- will lead me to you -
Your presence saved Paul
Had something serious happened to him...
Surya Prakash wouldn't have got bail
Any news of the child's mother?
I checked with the Police control room
No child has been reported
missing in this locality
Is there no way to trace the child's mother?
I can check in other villages
around Benares
But that will take some time...
About a week
If no complaint has been lodged...
it's unlikely you will find her
The woman has abandoned the child
It is your belief that...
everything is preordained
May be, God has sent us
this child for a purpose
Till Inspector Sharma gets
more information...
shall we keep the child?
Lmprove your punctuation
- Yes, father
Come here, my child
What happened on television today?
Thanks to this little one...
I couldn't go to Gayatri's house
to watch T.V.
Your little one could be
a blessing in disguise
All girls are born with a maternal instinct
I wish Vedika gets married
to a handsome young man...
Vedika's marriage will not be
according to your wishes...
but where it is destined
Fate preordains every relationship
in the world
You are lying to me
She's eloped!
And you have no clue?
I'll kill you, I'll kill everyone
I'll destroy this entire house
Have you gone mad!
Put that down!
Mani has driven me mad!
How will we face the world?
You and Pundit Chaturvedi have caused this
I've lost both my children, Punditji
What should I do now?
If Mani was your daughter,
what would you do?
I wouldn't be able to do anything
A girl who weds by her own choice...
is responsible for her own deeds
Consider her dead
Had Pandit Chaturvedi not entertained Paul
you wouldn't have to see this day
How dare you step on the holy flowers!
These non-believers have sworn
to defile our religion!
I'll teach you a lesson
Leave me
Stop it. Relax. Calm down!
Nothing can be achieved by
what you are doing
We need to protect our way of life,
our Dharma
Come join us in our fight
against all non-believers
Hail, the Mighty Lord Shiva
- To protect our religion...
- it's our duty to destroy its enemies
- Our culture demands this from us
Our religion is the most ancient
and the purest
Foreigners and non-Hindu forces are
constantly attacking our religion
Do not deviate from the path
you have chosen to tread
It is your path to salvation
Pray that we continue to march ahead
protecting our religion, our Dharma
May our endeavors succeed!
What happened my child?
I'll be with you in a while...
Have some patience
Quiet my child.
I'll sieve the flour and be with you.
Have some patience
I cannot touch you till I finish cooking
I'll have to bathe again
- Will you calm him down?!
I can't do anything,
till I serve your meal
Do you expect me to entertain him?
- Could you?
It will calm him down
You needn't touch him
There has been no news
of the child's mother.
We can send the child to
the government orphanage.
The government orphanage
will not be appropriate.
It's God's will that a Brahmin's child
has come to our house
The temple orphanage is
where he will be sent
I don't know how to decipher God's will...
but I've been thinking of something
You've started thinking?
Lord Shiva, have mercy!
Don't let the thought weigh on your mind...
speak out...
else you won't be able to sleep tonight
There is no one better than you at teaching
religion and the scriptures
Maybe, God wants this child to
learn religious values from you...
like you'd teach your own child
Are you suggesting we adopt the child?
What if his mother comes back?
Then the child will be fortunate to have
the love of two mothers
Like the son of Lord Shiva.
Kartikey!
Parvati!
Why are you wailing?
You've disrupted my meditation!
Do you think I'm here to entertain you?
'My Lord Shiva, I adore you'
'You're the one in eternal bliss'
'Limitless and pure like the sky'
'I adore you'
'My Lord Shiva, I adore you'
- My Lord Shiva, I adore you -
- You're the one in eternal bliss,
I adore you -
- My Lord Shiva, I adore you -
- Limitless and pure like the sky,
I adore you -
- I'd left him sleeping on the swing
- He must have said,"Bauji, pick me up"
- Quiet. Your father is sleeping
Kartikey
- Father, look at me
'Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva'
We have a swing!
'You are the one who embodies the scriptures'
Quiet, father is praying
'The one who is resplendent and omnipresent'
'The one who is limitless and pure
like the sky. I adore you'
Father!
Mother!
Father!
Hello!
I can perform the prayer for your
new house over the phone
It won't even mess up your house
Money? You can send it to
my website address
Ok. Good day
Sorry. It must be good night over there
Call from America
- Here comes Punditji
That was his client from America
Pundit Daya Shankarji has become world famous
We are suppose to serve and
not sell our religion
What's wrong with that?
Everyone should adapt to
the changing times
The Truth doesn't change with time
What our scriptures prescribe
is the greatest truth
But you won't understand that
Coming, son!
Come in, Daya Shankar
No, I am fine where I am
That child... that Vedika had brought home
The one Punditji considers his son
and you call Kartikey
His mother is here to take him
She had escaped to Benares
from the riot in Bhadohi
Parched, she fainted on the riverside
People admitted her to the
government hospital
The loss of her child made
her mentally unstable
Where is Kartikey's mother?
It's about time you met
I met her at the riverside,
looking for your house
Please come in...
Your entry into this house
cannot be prohibited
My name is Nafeesa
I run Dar-ul-Mohsenaat,
an institute for destitute woman
And she is Suraiya
She is Mustafa's mother
May Allah bless you for
sheltering her son
How is this possible! He...
- The child was very small
They hadn't circumcised him
- When the riots started in Bhadohi
she ran away to save her child's life
I found her at the government hospital
- She was not in her senses
- It took her a few years to
even speak properly
We visited many police stations
in and around Benares
We'd almost given up,
when we met Inspector Sharma
We bumped into Daya Shankarji
who brought us to you
Vedika
Mother, no! Please don't let him go
- Mother, I don't want to go
- Sister
- Sister
Take him away.
Father...
I don't want to go
Father!
- Quiet, father is praying
'We pray O Lord...
that you purify this home...
cleanse our bodies, minds and souls'
'Accept this offering O Keshava'
'Accept this offering O Narayana'
'Accept this offering O Madhava'
'Accept this offering O Govinda'
I want to...
I don't want any justification
I'll punish myself for your sins
You couldn't control your tongue...
so I'll hold back mine
From this very moment...
for indefinite time...
I take on the penance of silence
- Quiet, father is praying
You've cleansed yourself
God knows that it wasn't your fault
You needn't break your silence...
but please resume your duties
at the temple
- Father, I dropped the vermillion
Pundit Chaturvedi! The purest!
The ultimate in priesthood!
Fooled by his wife!
He ranks as a non-believer
The Muslim child has defiled
his temple and home.
All the cleansing is a cover up!
But what about Surya Prakashji's
temple affairs?
Do you still hanker for thatjob?
You are wealthy now
It's not the job...
but the person who runs that temple...
must be physically, mentally,
and spiritually pure
Pundit Chaturvedi, is impure now
Are you in your senses?
Pundit Chaturvedi has purified himself!
He should be removed from the position
Not as long as I am alive
Once again, you're wrong
I have endured Pandit Chaturvedi so far
But, not any longer
Will you remove him forcefully?
For that con man, Daya Shankar?
Con man?
I'd rather have a con man than
an impure man run my temple
And if you don't agree, father...
I'll force him to step down
Alright, Surya Prakash
You have Daya Shankar, Gorasnath...
the power of your organisation
And Pundit Chaturvedi...
has the strength of his faith
I challenge all of you!
- If you prove Punditji's impurity...
- I will end this relationship with him
God, you are the omniscient
I'm unable to purify my thoughts
and my heart
Despite my penance...
I am tormented
Give me the strength to surrender
to you completely
The kind of strength...
that will lead me to you
Father has broken his silence
On this moonless night...
I take on the Chandrayan Vrat
Where is Punditji?
He can't talk to you
Is he hiding behind the oath of silence?
He is doing his prayers
To atone for his sin she's taken
on another penance
Another one?
What penance will he do now?
Chandrayan
Chandrayan Vrat?
- Are you sure?
What's this penance all about?
The Chandrayan Vrat is the most
arduous penance in the scriptures
After the moonless night,
the devotee has to eat...
increasing 1 morsel per day...
reaching 15 morsels on the full moon night
After the full moon night...
the devotee reduces a morsel a day
till the moonless night
Apart from this, he can not eat
or drink anything
O Lord, with Your grace...
I complete the Chandrayan Vrat today
Any trace of sin in my deeds...
I surrender to you in this fire
Give me the strength, O Lord...
to continue to walk your path...
despite all impediments
Forgive me...
for committing such a grave sin
I'll never stray from my duty again
I forgive you
I've prayed to God with all my heart and soul
I hope He forgives me
The penance is over, right mother?
Yes, it is over
A petty squabble amongst a group
of Muslims and Hindus...
has turned into a communal riot...
in Sewapuri, a small town near Benares
To control the situation additional
forces have been deployed
Some bodies are charred
beyond recognition
Paul Gordon, a foreign journalist,
has been killed in this riot
Paul was writing a book
on the Hindu religion
- Who are you?
What are you doing here?
- I am a journalist, please leave me alone
- Surya Prakash is right
- Mani can't live in this house
- Where will she go?
- Your stubbornness has caused this nuisance
- She is my daughter. I will not abandon her
- Wait till Punditji arrives
He'll drill some sense into you
This is an emergency
It is true that...
Mani had abandoned this house...
but, being the father of a widow...
it is your duty,
according to the scriptures...
to provide for her food, clothing...
shelter, medicines etc
- The communal violence that
originated in Sewapuri...
- has spread like wild fire to Benares
- To control the situation,
a curfew has been clamped...
- in the Muslim areas of the city
- Rioting and arson have been
reported from many areas...
- in the ancient holy city of Benares
Mother!
'My Lord Shiva, the one in eternal bliss'
'You embody the scriptures.
You are resplendent, omnipresent'
Mother!
'You are limitless and pure like the sky'
'I adore you'
- Please listen! Open the door
Mother, Kartikey is here
- 'O benevolent Lord of the Himalayas'
- 'O eternal soul'
Riots have broken out in our area
It was tough bringing Mustafa here
- Kartik, he's your Kartik
- 'You are beyond human knowledge'
- Only you can save him
- 'O destroyer of evil. I bow to you'
- Please protect him
- Open the door! They will kill him
- 'The Ganges is Your crown'
- Please open the door
- 'The cresent moon Your ornament'
- 'You dwell in all living beings'
- Allah is watching you!
- 'O Lord and Master,
I adore You'- Please save this innocent life
You are his mother! He is your Kartik!
How can you beso stone hearted?
- 'O beloved Lord of all'
- 'Your beautiful large eyes are... '
- For God sake, help us
- 'always full of mercy'
- Please don't let him die!
Let him in, mother
Call your mother
Call out to her
Call her again!
- 'I bow prostrate to You'
- Call out to your father
Quiet, father is praying!
'O my Lord Shiva...
I adore You'
Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva
By not taking him back...
we've fulfilled our duty as Hindus
Haven't we?
Another prayer ceremony...
to calm my restless mind
With a calm mind...
- I shall perform my duty tonight
- I've heard, one of them tried to escape
- No. He was nabbed!
- The real task was done by Pandharee
- What did he do?
- Like those Muslims stabbed
the Hindu to death...
- Pandharee did the same...
- Women, old men, children,
he spared no one
- Our religion is being destroyed...
- by the non-believers
- We will teach them a lesson tonight
- Not one will be left alive
- We'll kill them all!
This is a very auspicious day
Today, as a Brahmin,
you pray for our faith
and Surya Prakashji...
will protect our faith, as a warrior
It's time all of us fulfill our duties...
to protect our faith, our religion
It's not easy to abandon the one you love
The divine light created by the Lord...
is the genesis of all mankind
Then how can one man...
be different from another?
Hail, the mighty Lord Shiva!
Surya Prakash...
violence is a grave sin!
This is a do or die situation
Sermons won't work here.
Only the sword will
Goras, get him!
- Mustafa
Love for that child has misled this priest!
I'll kill him!
From the day you were born,
I have tried to teach you the
meaning of religion
I will not let you tread the path of sin
Religion is not only devotion...
but also duty and deeds
Religion is unity and brotherhood
Religion means looking beyond
caste and creed
Humanity is religion
This...
This...
this...
this is not religion
'As You lead us...
to the place you dwell...
our sins of seven life times...
will be destroyed'
- Oh Lord of the heavens
- Blessed is thy name
- Be it God, be it Allah
You are the same
- Grant us all this wisdom -