Why do temples provide special queues for quick darshan to those who give more donations? Shouldn’t everyone be equal in the house of God?
God is definitely equal to all. But his equality is not the equality of a dead stone that has no regard for what anyone does to it. His equality is the equality of a living, loving person who naturally reciprocates with those who love and serve him. The Bhagavad-gita (4.11) states that God rewards all people according to how they approach him. So if someone renders him more service, then naturally God reciprocates more with him. Offering that which is very dear to us – money – is one important way of rendering service to him. So those who donate money are also rendering service to him. Naturally God reciprocates by giving them some special facilities.
We may say that such a preferential darshan arrangement is made by temple priests who want more people to give big donations. Even if that is true, the practice of making such arrangements is not wrong; it is in harmony with God’s reciprocal nature.
The important point to note is that God doesn’t reserve his blessings only for those who give donations. Nor does the fact that those who give donations and get quicker darshan mean that they necessarily get greater blessings. God ultimately sees the attitude of our heart. If someone gives a big donation and goes proudly in front of God, that person will not get as much blessings as some other person who waits humbly in a queue for the turn to take darshan.
If we can’t offer him much money, we can still offer him something just as valuable: our time. By waiting patiently in the queue to have his darshan, we are offering him our time. God notices and rewards this offering too. So just because some people get quicker darshan doesn’t mean that they alone get God’s blessings and others don’t. God blesses everyone.
Money and time are both ways of offering our devotion to Krishna. Some people may offer more money and less time; others, less money and more time. God accepts the offerings of both. Jiske paas johotahai,vevodesaktehai.Bhagavantobhaava-graahihai.Johum bhava se dete hai, ve vo svikaar karte hai7.
7 Whatever people have, they can offer that. God is eager for our devotional attitude. Whatever we offer with devotion, he accepts.