Why Do Hindus Go To Temples

ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ

“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”

Why Do Hindus Go To Temples

The Many Benefits of Hindu Temples

Hindu temples serve as a center of religious, social, and cultural activities for the Hindu community. These temples hold significant importance and offer various benefits to individuals, communities, and society. Here are some of the benefits associated with Hindu temples:

Tradition: For many people, going to a Temple is an important part of their cultural or family traditions. Temples serve as a connection to their cultural roots and provide a sense of continuity and stability across generations.

Spiritual Significance: Hindu temples serve as sacred spaces where individuals can connect with the divine and deepen their spiritual practice. They provide a serene environment for prayer, meditation, and reflection, allowing devotees to seek solace and find inner peace. This is often attested by visitors to the Shirdi Sai Temple in Inverness, Florida by expressing their sense of complete calmness when they visit this Temple. The devotees believe that the atmosphere in and around the Shirdi Sai temple is charged with positive energy and helps in spiritual upliftment.

Community Cohesion: Temples serve as community centers, bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and fostering a sense of unity and belonging. They provide a platform for social interactions, festivals, religious ceremonies, and cultural events, strengthening social bonds and promoting harmony among community members.

Learning Opportunities: Many temples offer educational programs, classes, and workshops on various aspects of Hindu philosophy, scriptures, and practices. These initiatives provide opportunities for individuals to deepen their understanding of Hinduism, enhance their spiritual knowledge, and develop a sense of personal growth.

Ethical Values: Temples often impart moral and ethical values, guiding individuals to lead virtuous lives and cultivate qualities such as compassion, tolerance, gratitude, and humility. They provide a framework for personal development and encourage devotees to contribute positively to society.

Helping Teenagers: Temples often serve as community gathering places where teenagers can connect with others who share their values and beliefs. This can help teenagers feel a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation or loneliness.

Temples can provide teenagers with access to spiritual leaders or teachers who can offer guidance on issues related to morality, ethics, and purpose. This can help teenagers develop a sense of direction and purpose in life.

Many temples offer opportunities for meditation, prayer, or quiet reflection. This can help teenagers develop greater self-awareness and mindfulness, which can improve their mental and emotional well-being.

By participating in temple activities and teachings, teenagers can develop values such as compassion, generosity, and kindness and incorporate them into their lives.

Overall, temples can offer teenagers a supportive and positive environment where they can develop spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

Helping Elderly: Temples can provide spiritual support to the elderly by providing them with a space to connect with their faith, find peace, and seek solace during difficult times. Temples can offer opportunities for the elderly to connect with others who share their beliefs and values. This can help combat loneliness and social isolation, which can be a significant problem for many seniors.

Many temples have volunteer programs that allow seniors to give back to their community and stay active. This can help seniors maintain a sense of purpose and fulfillment, while also keeping them physically and mentally active.

Temples may offer counseling services to help seniors deal with grief, loss, or other emotional issues. These services can provide valuable support and guidance during challenging times.

Charitable Activities: Temples often engage in charitable endeavors, including providing food, shelter, healthcare, and education to the needy. Swaminarayan Temples and Hare Krishna Society are good examples of how they provide daily meals to devotees.

Economic Stimulus: Temples can act as economic catalysts, especially in areas with significant religious tourism, such as Shirdi and Tirupati in India. Pilgrims and visitors to these temples contribute to the local economy by generating employment opportunities, supporting local businesses, and boosting tourism-related industries such as hospitality, transportation, and handicrafts.

Cultural and Heritage Preservation: Large Temples in India and elsewhere often serve as repositories of art, architecture, sculpture, and ancient scriptures, showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of Hinduism and providing a link to its historical roots.

We get varied opinions about the existence of Temples. The benefits devotees derive from Temples as described here make a strong case for why Temples are necessary in a community and how they provide a place to turn to in their time of need.

Why should you have a Pooja Mandir in your home?

The tradition of a home temple or pooja mandir in Hinduism is centuries old and is deeply rooted in our culture. A mandir is not just a symbol of our gratitude towards the Lord, for we all know that without His grace and blessings, no task can can be easily or successfully accomplished. It is a testament of our unwavering faith and the conviction of our devotion.

A grand pooja ghar mandir is every devotee’s dream. It’s an offering to their Lord, as a thank you for not only giving us a shelter above our heads but also for giving us life. For reminding us of His omnipresence as the owner of the entire creation and therefore the real owner of the house we live in, which we earthly mortals inhabit only with His blessings.

A pooja mandir is important for many other reasons as well:

It is a way for us to welcome our deities and offer Him a permanent space in our heart and home. With His presence establish, the pooja mandir serves as a central spiritual compass in our life to ensure that no matter where we go, or how far we stray, we always know where to find Him.

With a dedicated mandap space, there is an inherent assurance that He is always going to be with us to protect our family from all harm and evil.

A home temple is place to invoke His blessings by communing with Him on a daily basis as well as special occasions.

Just like each piece of furniture or space room in our house has a specific purpose, so also a wooden puja mandir serves the purpose of creating a conducive atmosphere for the purpose of meditation, worship, chanting and prayers.

A puja temple holds our spiritual thoughts and channels our vibrations, which pervades through our heart, influences the mind and fuels the soul. No matter how fatigued or troubled we are, by just being in the prayer room our entire mood is transformed and we feel spiritually uplifted.

A home temple serves with the rite of passage from one generation to the other. It enables us to instill our religious values and inculcates good morals and Indian traditions in our children, similar to what we inherited from our own parents.

A pooja mandap is a special gathering place where the entire family can come together in unison, young or old, especially on special occasions to ceremoniously worship the divine and seek His blessings.

Last but not the least, a pooja mandir plays the pivotal role of being a family heirloom, which is a very important part of our family legacy that we wish to hand down to the next generation.

Importance and benefits of Prayer

Praying is essential for understanding God and for perceiving His existence through our body, mind and intellect. Praying to God at short and regular intervals makes it easier to establish communion with God. This article elaborates types of prayers and the benefits one can derive at various levels including activity, thought and attitude.

1. Origin and meaning

A. Origin

In Sanskrut language, the word for prayer is prarthana. It is formed by combining words, ‘pra’ meaning ‘intensely’ and ‘artha’ meaning ‘to plead’.

B. Meaning

‘With intense humility unto God, pleading with yearning for a desired aspect is termed as a ‘prayer’. A prayer includes respect, love, pleading and faith. A prayer expresses the helplessness of the devotee and his state of surrender, and he keeps offering his doership to God.’- Vaidyacharya (Dr.) Vasant Balaji Athavale, Chembur, Mumbai (Year 1980)

2. Importance

A. Developing love and respect for a Deity

‘With the aim of developing closeness with God and the Deities and to develop love and respect for them, we should pray. Praying creates awareness that ‘God, Deity and Guru are going to get everything done through me.’

B. Success in a task

When a desired task is undertaken after praying to a Deity, the task is blessed by the Deity. Besides, praying increases our Atma-shakti (Energy of the soul) and confidence. As a result, the task achieves excellence and success.

D. An easy method of worship that takes the worshipper from the gross to the subtle

People worship God to attain peace of mind in a demanding day-to-day life and to gradually move towards God-realisation. Most people, however, continue performing daily ritualistic worship and other religious rituals that are a part of Karmakanda (Spiritual practice of rites, rituals and observances performed at the physical level) all through their life. Worship according to Karmakandais at a gross level. God, however, is subtle in nature. Thus, worship to attain God should be one that takes us from the ‘gross to the subtle’. A prayer offered to God is at the mental level and hence, it an easy form of worship that takes us from the ‘gross to the subtle’.

E. An effortless path of communion with God

While performing sadhana (Spiritual practice), remaining in communion with God is important. Praying to God at short and regular intervals makes it easier to establish communion with God.

F. Faith and bhav (Spiritual emotion) for the Deity are generated

Due to the prayer, a Deity showers grace and spiritual experiences are its result. This helps to generate faith and bhav for the Deity.

G. Importance of a collective prayer

‘Collective prayers and hailing of God by children generate a specific harmonious reverberation that is capable of generating Holy waves in the environment. At such times, the mind concentrates on the sound due to which the faculties of memory and hearing develop further. Therefore, a collective prayer is considered important in schools.’ (Monthly ‘Rushi Prasad’ November 2010)

3. Benefits

A. Praying offers worldly and spiritual benefits

‘That a prayer offers both worldly and spiritual benefits to an individual has now been proved through scientific experiments too.’ (Monthly ‘Rushi Prasad’ November 2010)

B. Praying imparts benefits at all the three levels of activity, thought and attitude

1. Activity

Praying makes an activity abound in bhav, leading to fewer mistakes in the activity and hence, the seva unto God or Guru turns out as expected.

2. Thought

So long as the mind is active, thoughts are bound to appear in it. Thoughts obstruct the dissolution of the mind. Undesirable thoughts also result in misuse of energy of the mind. Praying is useful in preventing this misuse. Praying reduces anxiety and increases contemplation.

3. Attitude

Due to praying regularly, its impression is created on the mind and contemplation starts on it. Therefore, the attitude of an individual or a seeker starts becoming introverted.

C. Removal of mental stress

1. ‘When under mental stress, remembrance of God through a prayer relieves the stress and we are reminded of chanting God’s Name too.

2. Due to a prayer, doership of a task or seva is offered to God and hence, the mind is not stressed.’

– Ms. Bhakti Parkar, Sanatan Ashram, Devad, Maharashtra (Chaitra Krushṇa 4, Kaliyug Varsh 5111 [13th April 2009])

D. Reduction of ego

Ego generates unhappiness in human life. Man surrenders unto the all-powerful God through the medium of a prayer. He pleads to God through a prayer. This helps in early reduction of his ego.

E. Early dissolution of mind and intellect

‘Atmanivedan (Conversation with God with an emotion of surrender) unto God, constant praying and expression of gratitude lead to early dissolution of the mind and intellect.’ – H.H. Dr. Athavale (5th December 2007)

F. Forgivance by God or Guru

When an individual who has committed a mistake surrenders unto God or Guru through a prayer, they forgive him.

4. Types

Sakam (With expectations) and nishkam (Without expectations) prayers

1. Sakam prayer

A. Meaning

‘A prayer made for the fulfillment of a desire or worldly happiness.

B. Examples

1. ‘O God ! Let me acquire a lot of wealth.’,

2. ‘O God ! Let my stomachache be cured.’

2. Nishkam prayer

A. Meaning

A prayer that is devoid of any worldly desires. A nishkam prayer does not contain any worldly intention, desire or expectation. This prayer contains self-surrender unto God. This type of prayer eliminates ego and desires and leads to spiritual progress. A prayer pertaining to spiritual progress or Guru’s mission is considered a nishkam prayer.

B. Example

‘O God ! Please get the Dharmakarya (Mission unto Dharma) performed through me as per your expectations.’ – Vaidyacharya (Dr.) Vasant Balaji Athavale, Chembur, Mumbai (Year 1980)

An individual who performs sakam worship offers sakam prayers, while an individual who performs nishkam worship offers nishkam prayers. He who offers a sakam prayer gets entrapped in Maya (The Great Illusion), while he who prays in a nishkam manner moves towards God-realisation by overcoming Maya. Therefore, whoever performs sadhana for God-realisation should pray in a nishkam manner.

3. Vyashti (Individual) and samashti (For the sake of the society) prayer

A. Vyashti prayer

Praying for individual gain, removal of unhappiness, spiritual progress etc. is a ‘vyashti prayer’.

B. Samashti prayer

Praying for the benefit of our family, community, society, village, town, city, country etc. for removal of their unhappiness, their spiritual progress etc. is a ‘samashti prayer’. The perspective of a seeker in the preliminary stage of sadhana for God-realisation is limited only to ‘Me and my sadhana.’ However, it is necessary to develop a bhav of‘वसुधैव कुटुंबकम् ।’ (‘The entire universe is my home’) for God-realisation. A samashti prayer is useful in that direction, because pervasiveness and love towards others develops faster due to samashti prayer.

Significance of Tirtha Yathra or Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages have been an important part of the Hindu ritual and spiritual practices since Vedic times. In many respects they contributed to the growth of Indian civilization and the emergence of numerous sacred cities and urban centers. In the process, they contributed to the preservation of Hinduism, elevating the character and consciousness of its people, uniting them into one nation despite their regional and cultural diversity, and creating feelings of belongingness and brotherhood.

The pilgrim places of India stand testimony to its ancient past and spiritual distinction. They also stand witness to the living presence of God in numerous forms and guises all over the Indian subcontinent. Pilgrim sites and pilgrimages played an important role in unifying the country, despite its geographical and cultural diversity and preservation of its chief faiths.

If Hinduism survived in India despite intense social and political pressures, the credit goes in no small measure to the importance of pilgrimages in Hindu spiritual and religious practice. The earliest reference to them can be found in the Rigveda itself. For generations, Hindu spiritual teachers and gurus made them the focal point of their activities and teachings.

Nowadays it is easier to go on pilgrimages, but there was a time when going on pilgrimage meant risking a near certain death. They tested the strength of one’s faith and devotion, since most pilgrim sites used to be in remote and inaccessible places, and to reach them one had to pass through difficult terrains and dense forests, risking their lives.

Pilgrimages are beneficial both mentally and spiritually. They are an important part of Hindu ritual and devotional worship. Devotees go on pilgrimages to fulfill their vows or perform their obligatory duties such as marriage, initiation or tonsure ceremony. Some pilgrimages are undertaken to atone for past sins or express gratitude. People also go on pilgrimages to holy sites to mix the ashes of their deceased relations to help them obtain a good birth in next life or ensure their safe journey to the next world.

Water plays an important role in all pilgrimages. Most Hindu pilgrim places are located on the banks of rivers or near water tanks. Most temples also contain sacred ponds (kovela) where pilgrims can take a dip before entering the temples and seeing their favorite deity. The association with water is not by accident. It seems to be ancient tradition, dating back to even Indus Valley civilization. The Indus cities contained large water tanks, which historians believe were used for ritual purposes. Pilgrimages are meant for spiritual cleansing, and water is an important cleanser.

One may also see the connection between the two in the very meaning and purpose of Hindu pilgrimages. In Hinduism, pilgrimages are historically and etymologically associated with water bodies, rivers and lakes, or with paths or steps that lead to them. This is evident from the fact that in Sanskrit a pilgrim place is known as a Tirtha (tīrtha or theertha, तीर्थ), which is reference to a holy site or a pilgrim place.

Tirtha means a passage, a roadway, a fjord, a staircase or a descent into a river. Customarily and traditionally these attributes are associated with pilgrim places which happen to be upon the banks or near rivers and water bodies or on the top of a hill or a mountain.

In ritual worship, tirtham refers to sacred water, which is collected from a river, a coconut or a sacred pond and ritually sanctified for worship and cleansing. The word also has other connotations. In general usage, it refers to an eminent teacher or philosopher, ascetic, saint or sacred preceptor. It is also often used as a title or an epithet to refer to divine beings or pious people, as in case of a Thirthankara or the purest beings. While all places are knowns as Tirthas, the holiest among them is called Tirtharaj, mening the king among the Tirthas. The epithet is historically given to Prayag, which is located on the banks of the River Ganga, and considered one of the four must see holy sites.

In a wider context, pilgrimages serve as a reminder of our essential nature and our highest purpose upon earth. The symbolize the life of mortal beings as pilgrims who are caught in the web of life. We all are on a spiritual journey in search of liberation. Our final destination is the immortal heaven, upon reaching which no one returns. In Hinduism, pilgrimages remind us of this singular truth. We may undertake them for a number of purposes, but as the scriptures say the best ones are those which are undertaken to express love and devotion to God rather than for selfish motives

Pilgrimages benefit not only those who undertake them but also the holy places and the divinities who resided there. According to our beliefs, the images which we worship in temples and at holy places are not lifeless images. They embody the power of the deity. Hence, they are considered living incarnations (arcas), whose power increases in proportion to the attention and offerings they receive. It means our gods grow in strength and power and contribute to the welfare of the world if a large number of devotees keep visiting the holy sites and worship them with ritual offerings.

From the above, one can see that thirthas or pilgrim places in Hinduism have ritual and spiritual significance. They are essentially holy places, which are sanctified by the presence of God and which symbolize purity and divinity, in an otherwise impure world. They also play an important role in the preservation and continuation of our faith, as they draw worldly people and strengthen their devotional fervor and religiosity.

Thus, pilgrimages serve an important purpose in our lives, by helping us practice Dharma and keep our gods happy and nourished through offerings and sacrifices. By that, they contribute to the preservation and continuation of our Dharma. Because of their beneficial effect, we should not look down upon them as mere acts of superstition. India is considered a sacred land because it is home to numerous deities, saints and seers. They are spread all over the country. Each year, millions of people go on pilgrimages to visit them and seek their blessings. In the process, everyone is benefited.

However, one should not expect too much from pilgrimages or solely rely upon them for their spiritual wellbeing. Although they have a symbolic parallel with the spiritual journey of individual souls upon earth, they form a part of the Hindu ritual worship. Hence, it is still a part of the lower knowledge, which is helpful to gain a good birth in next life, but not very helpful to achieve liberation or escape from suffering in the mortal world. For that you have to practice virtues, detachment, renunciation, sameness, etc. You have to cultivate purity and become pure to achieve oneness with the Supreme Self.

Popular Hindu pilgrim places

Since, India has numerous pilgrim places it is difficult to list them all. The most important and popular Hindu pilgrim sites are listed below. Most of them have a long history, and date back to Pre-Mauryan and Pre-Buddhist era. For example, places such as Kashi, Mathura and Gaya were already famous religious centers by the time of Mahavira and the Buddha. Both of them, frequented the pilgrim places to spread their teachings and attract followers.

1. Char Dham: The name refers to any four holy sites or abodes namely. Currently we have two lists. One consists of Puri Jagannath, Badrinath, Dwaraka, and the other, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotr.

2. Panchadham: The name refers to a group of five sacred places. There are many panchdhams such as Pancha Badris, Pancha Kedars, Pancha Prayags, Pancha Gokarnanaths, Pancha Kesavas, Pancha Kashis, Pancha Naths, Pancha Tirthas, Pancha Bhutalingas, Pancha Sarovars, Pancha Puras, etc.

3. The site where Kumbh Mela is held. It is the holiest of Hindu festival, held every three years on a rotation basis at one of the four locations namely Praya, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.

4. Ancient holy cities: We have many ancient pilgrim sites. The holiest among them are Kashi (Varanasi). Prayag, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan, Rameswaram, Madurai, etc.

5. Ancient holy temples: We have numerous Hindu temples, some of whihc over 1500 years old. Prominent among them are at Kashi, Ujjain, Vaishnava Devi, Kedarnath, Tirupathi, Sri Rangam, Tanjore, Sabarimalai, Thiruvananthapuram, Pandharpur, Sri Sailam, etc.

6. Popular modern Hindu temples: These are not very ancient, but attract a large number of devotees such as Hare Krishna temples at various locations, Birla Mandirs, Radhaswami temples, Kali temples in West Bengal, etc.

7. Shakti Peethas: These are associated with Devi or the Goddess. There are numerous Shakti Pithas in India. Of them, 12 are the most prominent such as the Kamakshi temple at Kanchi, Chamundi temple near Mysore, Jogulamba temple at Alampur, Bhramaramba temple at Sri Sailam, Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapure, and so on. In addition, there are seveal prominent temples and pilgrim sites for each of the numerous manifestations of the Goddess such as Mahalakshmi, Saraswathi, Durga, Bhavani, Kali, Brahmi, Varahi, etc.

8. Vishnu temples: They include all the temples and holy places which are associated with Vishnu and his partial and complete incarnations and manifestations. Prominent among them are the Vshnu temples located at Dwaraka. Srirangam, Venkarachalam, Salagramam, Thothadri, Pushkar. We also come across the list of 108 Vishnu temples, known as holy places (divya desas). Devotees also go on pilgrimage to several popular temples of Vishnu’s incarnations such as Krishna, Rama and Narasimha temples in various parts of the country. The five Dwaraka temples known as Pancha Dwarak also attracted many pilgrims.

9. Divya Desam: Another important set of pilgrimages are known as the “Divya Desams.” They are the holy places, sanctified by divinities, where Lord Vishnu is worshipped. According to tradition there are 108 Divya Desams. Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati is one among them.

10. Shiva temples: Perhaps more temples and holy places are associated with Shiva and his numerous manifestations than any other god. They are grouped under different names such Trilingas, Pancharamams, Panchabhuta lingas, Ashta lingas and Dwadasa (12) Jyotirlingas. Of them the 12 Jyotirlingas are the most prominent. They are located at Somnath, Ujjain (Mahakaleswar), Omkareshwar, Vaidyanath (Devgadh/Parle), Bhimshankar, Rameshwar, Nageshwar (Dwaraka), Vishveshwar (Kashi), Trayambakeshwar (Nashik), Kedareshwar (Kedarnath), and Grishneshwar (Verul, near Ellora).

The Ten Amazing Benefits of Pilgrimages in Hinduism

Why should you go on pilgrimages? Some people believe that it is a waste of time and money. Some think that it is no better than going on vacation. Are pilgrimages truly beneficial? What is their significance in the ritual and spiritual practices of Hinduism? In the following discussion we will try to answer these questions and present the ten most important benefits of pilgrimages in the ritual and spiritual practices of Hinduism.

In Hinduism, pilgrimages are considered important for one’s spiritual progress, peace and prosperity upon earth. According to it, they contribute to the preservation, propagation and continuation of the faith, by drawing the people to gods and increasing their religious and spiritual awareness. In the ritual practices of Hinduism, they constitute an important and integral aspect of Hindu devotional service.

They also elevate our consciousness, by helping us engage in religious and spiritual activity, besides strengthening our commitment to the Dharma (duty) of nurturing the gods and to our ultimate aim of achieving liberation (Moksha) in the pilgrimage of life, which we undertake upon earth as mortal beings. In the past, pilgrimages played an important role in uniting the people of the faith, despite their cultural, linguistic and regional differences.

They played a significant role in creating the national identity and unity of Hindus during foreign occupation. They continue to promote the Dharma and feelings of universal brotherhood, perhaps even with greater vigor, despite the growing shadow of materialism. The following ones are a few important benefits of undertaking pilgrimages according to our tenets.

1. They prepare you for renunciation.

Pilgrimages help you break free from your daily routine and mundane problems, and perform devotional service to God. While for the wandering monks, life itself is a long pilgrimage to the abode of Brahman, for the householders it is an opportunity to practice temporary renunciation, in which they have to briefly leave everything behind and go on a spiritual journey to the abode of God. Each pilgrimage prepares worldly people for the ultimate renunciation in the last stage (ashrama) of their lives, reminding them of the life they have to lead someday in search of liberation.

2. They strengthen your devotional fervor

In daily life we remain preoccupied with our worldly goals and concerns and do not think much about God, nor do we pay attention to our spiritual goals or religious obligations. When we are on a pilgrimage, we find many opportunities to divert our minds to spiritual matters and strengthen our devotion. Pilgrimages are thus very useful to withdraw the mind from worldly matters and stabilize it in devotion or spirituality. One should not undertake them purely for pleasure or for recreation, but to honor one’s obligations or declare one’s love and veneration for the deity.

3. They help you engage in sacrificial actions

Each pilgrimage is a form of devotional service and sacrifice, during which you will find many opportunities to make small sacrifices to appease the gods or forgo your selfishness. During the pilgrimage, you will spend time and money, forgo personal comforts, leave behind your worldly priorities and bear with the stress and strain caused by the journey. Thus, pilgrimages introduce you to the practice of sacrifice and selflessness, by helping you put others before you, give up your selfish desires and personal comforts, endure the suffering caused by it, and in the process subdue your ego and practice virtue.

4. They help you meet spiritual people and practice satsang

Many pious and spiritual people live in and around the pilgrim places because of their purity and sanctity. For example, places such as Kashi, Mathura, Prayag, abound in religious ashrams and spiritual masters. It has been so since ancient times. The Buddha and Mahavira used to frequent them to gain followers. Even now, many spiritual people, sadhus and holy men regularly visit them and make them the centers of their activities. Hence, when you go on a pilgrimage, you will come across many spiritual people, yogis and babas, with whom you can interact and benefit from the association (satsang), seeking their advice, knowledge or blessings.

5. They cleanse your mind and body

Pilgrim places are powerful energy centers. They are filled with sacred presence and aura of the deities as well as the strong vibrations caused by the prayers and supplications of devotees, priests and saintly people. When you visit them, you become soaked in that positive energy and feel refreshed and uplifted. The strong currents of spiritual energy radiating from the powerhouses of gods cleanse your mind and body and remove your negativity and impurities. Thus, each pilgrimage is an opportunity to accumulate sattva, fill your mind and body with divine energy and elevate your consciousness.

6. They strengthen your relationship with God

Pilgrimages are good opportunities to cultivate nearness to God and strengthen your relationship with him. Just as your relationship with people improve with frequent and positive interactions, your relationship with God improves as you make frequent pilgrimages and spend time in his abode as his guest, expressing your love and devotion. With each visit, you will feel more affinity, familiarity and nearness. As the Bhagavadgita states, God responds to his devotees according to their faith. In whatever way they approach him and make the offerings, he accordingly reciprocates with love. Each pilgrimage draws you closer to God and strengthens your relationship with him.

7. They help you seek divine help and guidance

Pilgrimages are mostly made to seek divine help to resolving personal problems or fulfill one’s desires. It is a lower form of divine worship, since it is motivated by desire. Yet, it is not a sin to seek God’s help or intervention. A devotee earns the right to ask for God’s help when needed by virtue of his or her faith and devotion. The tradition supports it. Hence, many people undertake pilgrimages to make a personal appeal to their personal gods for help and guidance. Some vow to go on a pilgrimage if their prayers are heard, and they do when it happens. Thus, pilgrimages offer hope and courage to people to deal with their problems or endure their suffering. It helps them persevere in the face of adversity.

8. They help you overcome sinful karma

According to our scriptures, pilgrimages are the best way to overcome sinful karma. The Puranas described how in the past many devotees were able to rid themselves of the gravest of sins by going on pilgrimages. They also state that most pilgrim places where the deities reside have the power to cleanse your karma. For example, many people go to Varanasi (Kashi) to take a dip in the River Ganga and cleanse themselves of all sins. Many Hindu pilgrim places are considered good enough to overcome sinful karma, including past birth transgressions. Therefore, it is certainly beneficial to visit them and clear one’s sins to begin afresh.

9. They heal your mind and body

We have already stated that pilgrim places are suffused with a lot of spiritual energy due to the sacred presence of gods. Due to their auspicious and healing nature, they have the power not only to cleanse your mind and body but also remove your physical and mental ailments. The epics and Puranas vouch for the miraculous healing powers of many pilgrim places. They contain stories which narrate how by going on pilgrimages several devotees, pious men and women and even gods were able to overcome ancient curses or recover from incurable diseases. By those accounts, pilgrimages are considered useful for divine healing, especially when known methods of treatment are found ineffective.

10. They help you practice Dharma

Pilgrimages play an important role in the preservation and propagation of Hinduism. For all practical and spiritual purposes, each pilgrim center also serves as a center of Hindu Dharma. In the absence of centralized institutions and religious authority, they keep people bound to their gods and their faith, by helping them serve their gods and people who need help. As a pilgrim, you will find many opportunities to engage in purification practices such as charity and selfless service and cultivate virtue. In Hinduism, many rituals and sacraments are customarily performed at religious places so that devotees can benefit from the visit by engaging in good actions. Even today, many Hindus perform religious ceremonies such as a marriage or a tonsure ceremony near temples and other sacred places as a part of their religious duties.

Conclusion

Pilgrimages test your faith, devotion and commitment to your chosen deity. To undertake them, one requires personal effort and sacrifice. They prove how far you can go to affirm your faith and devotion. In the past, pilgrimages were arduous and dangerous. Many pilgrim places used to be located in difficult and inaccessible places. To reach them, devotees had to risk their lives. Even today, certain pilgrimages are risky, especially those which are located in the most inaccessible places in the Himalayas and mountainous regions. Pilgrimages form a part of ritual worship. They are meant mainly for Hindu householders. However, traditionally many ascetic people also undertake pilgrimages as a part of their spiritual practice. They keep wandering from one place to another to fulfill their vows and cultivate purity, and during their wanderings they visit pilgrim places also to engage their minds in devotion and contemplation. The wandering tradition of the ancient Shramanas, Vratyas, Adi Shaivas, Shaktas, Bhagavatas, Bauddhas, Jinas and other ascetic groups probably gave way to the idea of making pilgrimages, as numerous temples, monuments, memorials and religious places came into existence in the post Buddhist era.

Why Visit a Temple!

Why do we go to the temple? When God is everywhere, why is it necessary to go to the temple?  There are many people who are probably troubled with these questions. In this article we shall try to find a satisfactory answer. If you make an attempt to discover, you will find that temples are usually built where there is abundant positive energy. To go to such a place is definitely better than praying to God at any random place.

Not many know that the deity is first placed at the moolastanam or the prescribed place and then the temple structure is built over it. Moolastanam is the place where the earth’s magnetic waves are known to be the highest. Such positive energy is what we should go to the temple for. Going to the temple involves following a number of rituals. Did it ever occur to you why they are followed? Are they blind beliefs or is there any science behind it? Lets find out!

Be it walking barefoot or ringing the bell, everything has not only a spiritual but a scientific reason behind it. If you visit an ancient temple you will see that its built in a way where the center of the temple is the best conductor of positive energy that enters your body through your feet. By wearing  something on your feet, you will be preventing this positive energy from entering your body. Apart from this, cleanliness is also one of the major reasons behind this practice.

Similarly, ringing of the bell also has its own scientific significance. Spiritually it is said to be an act to get the attention of the Lord as you enter the temple. Science says the bells are created in such a way that the sound they emit have the capacity to unite the right and left parts of the brain. Once a bell rings, its echo lasts for 7 seconds. It is said that this is exactly the time that is needed for activating the 7 healing centers in our body. All this is possible only in a pious place like a temple. So next time anyone asks you why you are going to the temple, you have interesting answers to give. Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Important Hindu Rituals in India

Hinduism is not just a religion in India. It is a way of life. In Hinduism, rituals are performed to bring spirituality into human life and inculcate feelings of devotion and religiosity. Rituals are not only celebrated during life but continue after death, including burial and cremation practices. For Hindus, it is the Vedas – the oldest spiritual scriptures in the world – that have shaped and influenced their rituals. The Vedas are a collection of hymns and rituals that date back thousands of years. These priceless texts were passed on to several generations through oral narration.

Earlier, many Hindu rituals focused on the importance of performing the duties associated with one’s stage of life. The four stages of life are as follows:

Brahmacharya – Acquiring education and enhancing one’s character

Grihastha – Worldly pleasures and pursuits that include marriage and career

Vanaprastha – Spirituality

Sannyasa – The life of contemplation  

There are many ancient rituals that are not performed today, as their meaning and practice have changed over the centuries. For example, during Vedic times, yajnas were related to Karma and Dharma but now they are associated with social activities.

Significance of Hindu Rituals

For Hindus, receiving the blessings of the Almighty is of principal importance when performing the rituals. They believe when God is pleased by their devotion, he bestows his blessings upon them. Most of the Hindu rituals are performed on holy sites such as temples or in nature, but some are performed in the home.

As a part of the household responsibilities, a devout Hindu is expected to perform certain rituals every day. The morning rituals may include taking a bath or physical self-purification, offering prayers to the Sun God, or Chanting the Gayatri mantra. The most common rituals practiced in all Hindu households are puja, meditation, silent prayers, yoga, recitation of scriptures from Bhagavad Gita or bhajans, reading religious books, participating in Satsang (prayer meets), performing charitable work, visiting a temple, and chanting the name of their beloved God. It is through these rituals, prayers, and sacred ceremonies that Hindus pay their reverence to God.

Prayers or Pooja are an integral part of a Hindu devotee’s life. They perform these prayers under the assistance or guidance of Hindu priests or Brahmins. After every pooja, a sacred offering (or Prasad) is made to God. Such offerings are meant to be made without claiming reciprocal advantages as a mark of service to their Almighty.  Hindus believe that performing these rituals help in their spiritual betterment.

Performing Rituals at Sacred Sites

The Hindu texts and holy scriptures have laid down various rituals that Hindu devotees must perform throughout their lifetime. The holy sites are of great importance when it comes to the Hindu rituals because these sites are considered as God’s abodes. The holy scriptures have noted in great detail about the sanctity of holy sites where rituals are performed by the Brahmins. Hindus also pay homage to their ancestors at these sacred sites. Prayers are performed to bestow long-lasting peace and to help them unite with the Divine power.

Other Forms of Hindu Rituals

Yajna – While performing the yajna, offerings are made to different deities under the assistance of priests. A small sacred fire is lit and offerings such as food grains, ghee, and vegetable substances are present. Mantras are chanted simultaneously to invoke Gods like Agni, Indra, and Varuna. They are usually performed for the welfare of the family, to invite rains,and to welcome peace and prosperity. Some Yajnas are performed for a few hours while others last several weeks.

Japa – Japa means recitation of God’s name, either silently or audibly. The ritual involves a continuous recitation of God’s name to purify the mind and fill one’s consciousness with spiritual energy. This regular chanting can create vibrations in the mind and body and can lead to a spiritual transformation. Japa should be done out of pure love for God and not with an expectation to get something in return.

Why do we Hindus walk around the deity in a temple?

After offering initial prayers to the deity in a temple, Hindus walk around the deity. This is to receive the positive vibrations that are present in the deity. In most temples the deity is installed in the temple in such a spot and using such metals that it emits magnetic waves. This positive vibrations influence the devotee.

Hindus move around the deity in clockwise direction. In this form, the devotee is moving along the magnetic field and thus benefits from positive vibrations are received.

One never completes the complete circle of walk in a Lord Shiva. The devotee starts to walk in clockwise direction and stops at the line where the offering of milk and water flows from the sanctum sanctorum. Thus only 3 quarter is completed. A devotee returns and completes the rest of the quarter in anticlockwise direction.

The popular belief is that in Shiva temples the vibrations are present in clockwise and anticlockwise.

Hindu Temple : Reasons Behind Going To Hindu Temple

Hindu Temple, Does going to the temple and worshiping just mean pleasing God? Is it just to fulfill your desires? Why are so many temples built? Why the Cultivation of Devotion? These questions arise naturally. Going to the temple and worshiping does not mean pleasing God and fulfilling one’s desires in return. These are matters of faith. However, there are some things associated with this faith, which are also very important and indispensable for human life.

What is a Hindu Temple?

Temple means a place away from the mind. The temple also literally means house. Although usually referred to as a temple, the meanings of Devalaya, Shivalaya, Ramdwara, Gurudwara, Jinalaya, etc. are different. More importantly, the word temple in English does not mean temple. Whatever the meaning, Nepalis have strong faith in the temple.

However, the ritual of going to the temple has also changed today. There is a temple near the house, but the practice of walking from the outside with folded hands and not entering the temple has increased. The number of those who think that their duty is fulfilled after doing so is increasing. They say, there should be respect in the mind. You don’t have to go to the temple.

Of course, today’s people do not have time to go to the temple because of their busy schedule. But it is not good to build a temple and not to understand the secret behind going to the temple and the essence of spirituality. The reality is that the temple saves us from every kind of crisis. There are many benefits to going to the temple every day. What are those things like? Let’s see

Pashupati

Hindu Temple

Regular visits to the temple can prevent such crises:

Accidents:

If you go to the temple every day, you can avoid accidents in life. There is no fear of being killed. Thoughts of suicide never arise in the mind. Life goes on peacefully.

Fear of demons:

A person who regularly goes to the temple has a lot of positivity and spiritual strength in his mind. Because of this, negative energies such as ghosts, phantoms, phacas, masanas, murkutta stay away from such people. Going to the temple makes his life fearless.

Planetary Obstacles:

People who go to temples regularly are not affected by any kind of planets and constellations. Freed from planetary constraints. Half a dozen Saturn, Mars defect, Rahu’s Mahadasha, any condition can not fall hair.

Fear of getting sick or ill:

People who go to the temple regularly do not have any fear of getting any kind of disease or illness. Such people observe fasting, fasting, fasting, rules, etc. Their diet is also balanced. Therefore, such people stay away from all kinds of diseases.

Mourning or grief:

The habit of going to the temple communicates faith and self-confidence in a person, due to which there is no grief in the mind. He develops the power to live in possibility in every situation. Since every situation becomes normal for him, he never mourns.

Houses, courts, prisons:

People who go to temples regularly develop the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. He does not get involved in any kind of nonsense. As he walks on his own straight path, he does not get involved in any kind of quarrels and issues.

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Fear of Tantra, Maran, Mohan, Uchatan etc.:

A person going to the temple is not affected by the influence of demonic knowledge like Tantra, Mantra, Maran, Mohan, Uchatan performed by any enemy. No negativity can touch a person who goes to the temple with reverence for the one and only God. He does not have superstition, so no superstitious knowledge can weaken his firm mind.

Debt-free:

A person who goes to the temple every day will never face any crisis in his life and he will not sink into debt. Even a small loan doesn’t make a difference. If you develop the ability to think before you borrow, most of the time you don’t have to borrow.

Employment:

If an unemployed person starts going to the temple regularly, he will get a reliable job in a few days. A person who goes to the temple regularly never has such a problem. Such a person does not have to stay unemployed as he does his work by dedicating everything to God without any burden on his mind. Creation itself creates a working environment for him.

Anxiety and stress:

Unnecessary fears create anxiety and stress in the common man. Being under stress can lead to serious illness. Since a person who goes to the temple regularly has no such fear, his mind is always happy and stress free.

Domestic violence:

The seeds of anxiety, anger and strife do not remain in the mind of a person who goes to the temple every day. He spreads happiness even at home. Because of her understanding, every member of the family also has mutual harmony and love for each other. As a result, there is no fear of domestic violence.

How do the above things happen when you go to the Hindu Temple?

-There are peaks or domes in the temple. The energy and sound waves that hit the dome fall on humans. Such reflected waves help maintain the frequency of the human body. In this way the human body gradually harmonizes with the inner environment of the temple. From this man experiences infinite happiness. Every temple established earlier is the center of positive energy on earth.

-Ancient temples are established in the center of celestial energy. When you go to a temple with such a positive energy center barefoot, a kind of energy flows in the human body. When the person joins hands in front of the idol, the energy cycle starts moving in his body. When a person bows his head in front of an idol, the celestial waves reflected from the idol fall on his brain and affect the command cycle in the brain. It brings peace and creates positive thoughts in the mind. Suffering is alleviated and the future is bright. Walking barefoot on the floor puts pressure on the soles of the feet and regulates blood pressure.

-Before entering the temple, one has to take a bath, to purify one’s body and senses. Achaman should be done 3 times. Achaman purifies the body and mind.

-Worship is a kind of chemical action. This lowers the pH value in the inner environment of the temple, which affects the pH value of the person. It is an ionic action that changes the physical chemistry. This action cures many types of diseases. This action can also be done by taking medicine, it happens automatically by going to the Hindu Temple.

Prayer has wonderful power. The praying person can reach God through ether. The sound of mental or verbal prayer reaches the sky. If prayer is true, sincere, and positive, nature will do what it wants. Another thing is that praying awakens in the mind a sense of faith and positivity, which plays an important role in the development and success of life.

– Every day I go to the temple and get vaccinated on my forehead. Vaccination of sandalwood gives a feeling of peace and increases concentration. It also brings abundant spiritual benefits.

-The temple bell heals the human mind and brain. According to researchers, the sound of the temple bell once echoes in the human ear for 7 seconds. It transmits energy to the mind and brain. Infinite peace spreads in the brain. The energy level of the body increases. Strength increases due to physical and spiritual peace.

– Standing with folded hands in the temple. Doing so benefits the lungs and heart. It develops immunity. There is pressure on the points on the palms and fingers that are connected to every part of the body, through which energy is transmitted to those parts.

-The atmosphere of the temple is fragrant. Such an environment provides peace of mind and brain. Bacteria cannot live in such an environment, the risk of viral infection is reduced because camphor is burned in the temple smoke. Some bacteria are destroyed by the sound of conch shells and bells.

-People who go to the temple every day do not have stress, anxiety, depression and mental illness. But it is not enough to go to the temple and join hands. Regular prayers, worship or chanting should be done. There is no benefit in going to the temple and standing back and muttering whatever comes to mind.

Why should we sit in temple after visiting god?

Temple symbolizes for peace. Immediately after visiting god, all our mental tensions, angry and ego vanishes.

If we go out of temple premises immediately after visiting god, our mental status regains its position. It will again try to suppress and weak us. We are helpless in this matter.

If we sit for a while in temple premises, we can calm all our problems. Because of performing pujas and yagnas in temple, whole premises will be bound with immense positive energy. This energy tries to show its effect on our mental position and try to calm our disturbed vibrations in our body. So, whatever the little time we are going to spend in temple premises, we enjoy fresh breath and have healthy time.

Who is the lord of each number?

In Hindu mythology each number is designated with each god. In other words these gods can be called as planetary lords.

For the number one, Lord “Surya” (sun) is allotted.

For the number two, Lord “Chandra” (moon) is allotted.

For the number three, Lord “Guru” is allotted.

For the number four, Lord “Rahu” is allotted.

For the number five, Lord “Budha” is allotted.

For the number six, Lord “Sukra” is allotted.

For the number seven, Lord “Varuna” is allotted.

For the number eight, Lord “Shani” is allotted.

For the number nine, Lord “Khuja” is allotted.

All the above gods together called as ‘Nava graha  adhipathis’. According to their planetary position we believe our fortune changes. By seeing their date of birth details, astrologer calculates and predicts ones future. If there is any problem with planetary lord then he prescribes to please individual or all nine planetary gods.

What is Puja?

With populations centered mainly in India and Nepal, roughly 1.1 billion people in the world identify themselves as Hindu. As one of the world’s five most common religious beliefs, Hinduism consists of practices intended to enhance the religious, spiritual, moral, and cultural lives of those who practice this faith. Unlike Christianity, which focuses on worshiping a single God as a trinity, Hinduism emphasizes a belief in deities with multiple ways of manifesting themselves in both masculine and feminine forms. In addition, Hinduism represents a way of life, based on the tenets contained in the Vedas, the knowledge and concepts practiced by Hindu people in their daily lives.

A central cultural component of Hinduism is the incorporation of the puja into the religious practices of the Indian Hindu people. What is a puja? Puja, also referred to as pooja (singular) or poojas (plural), is a method of worship combining prayer and the giving of offerings to different deities.

Derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “to honor” or “to worship,” pujas are practiced not only by Hindu people but also by Buddhists and those who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of India. This lesson, however, focuses primarily on pujas as practiced within Hinduism.

What Happens in a Puja Ceremony?

Whether in a temple or at home, the puja ceremony is an important component of the Hindu faith for many Hindu people. What is a puja ceremony? A traditional puja ceremony typically consists of 16 to 27 steps that can be performed over different lengths of time, depending on the purpose of the puja. Shorter ceremonies, for instance, can be used for daily practice, while longer ceremonies might be used for special celebrations and festivals.

Some of the important components of a puja include:

An altar containing an image of the deity

Clay or metal lamps to light up the altar

Vegetarian food offerings made to the deity

An urn containing water for cleaning the image of the deity

Incense for burning in honor of the deity

A Hindu altar

A picture showing a Hindu altar containing an image of the deity

The Hindu performing a puja uses chants intended to venerate the deity and indicate their soul’s purity and intentions. Then the person performing the puja carries out a series of breathing actions to clarify the body and the mind. During the puja ceremony, the worshiper states their intentions and the purpose of the ceremony, as well as the specific requests or blessings made of the deity. Depending on the type of puja, the ceremony can be either elaborate or simple, as will be further described in the following subsections.

Hinduism Rituals: Elaborate Puja

Some Hinduism rituals involving elaborate puja are often carried out in temple settings or for special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Festivals celebrated during the year, such as Ramanavmi, Ganesa Chaturthi, and Durga Puja, also incorporate elaborate puja consisting of 27 steps. In addition to the basic components described above, such as an altar, lamps, food offerings, water, and incense, the Brahmin priest performs chants and offerings using the following steps:

Lesson Summary

Puja is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “to honor” or “to worship.” Many Hindu people practice pujas to strengthen their spiritual and physical lives by showing their devotion to the tenets of the Vedas, a set of practices and knowledge designed to enhance the daily lives of those who practice the Hindu faith. Pujas can be performed within the home by the layperson or in temples by Brahmin priests with specialized knowledge of the Vedas. Pujas are often conducted to ask for health, good fortune, and luck from the deity.

How is puja performed?

A puja is performed by inviting a deity to an altar. The layperson or priest then offers water, food, incense, and flowers to the deity. Pujas are often performed to request good fortune and health from a deity.

What is the ritual of puja?

The ritual of puja can be an elaborate or a simple ceremony in which the layperson or priest invites a deity and makes offerings to honor the deity. The layperson or priest then asks for the blessings of the deity.

How many types of puja are there?

There are many different types of pujas practiced within the Hindu faith. However, they can be classified into two broad categories: elaborate and simple. Elaborate pujas involve 27 steps carried out by the priest, while the simple puja involves 16 steps derived from the elaborate puja.

Why do we ring bells before praying?

Here’s a list of seven ancient secrets behind the use of bells in worship.

You have probably seen a bell in every temple you’ve been to since you were a kid. Even if you have never been to one, you couldn’t have missed the iconic Bollywood scenes that always seem revolve around a temple bell.

In Hindu culture, bells plays a very important role. From temples to altars at home, they are almost always used in rituals.

In fact, bells are also an integral part of Christian tradition. Bell towers can be found in old churches; even today, some churches ring the bell before masses during the day.

Apart from that, bells are also used during masses. And who can forget Santa Clause’s bell, right?

But have you ever wondered why bells are so closely linked with worship?

Here’s a list of seven ancient secrets behind the use of bells in worship.

1. Traditionally, the bell was supposed to be rung before starting worship, with an intention that the divine enters you and all demonic forces within your soul depart, and so do the ones outside it.

2. It is crafted with several metals and alloys, and quantities of these metals are mixed with accurate scientific calculations.

As a result, when you ring the bell, complete harmony is created between the left and right lobes of the brain, bringing you to a state of supreme calm.

3. The echo touches the seven chakras of the body, taking a minute on each which completely relaxes your body.

4. The aura of uttermost calm created by the sound, allows for the power of concentration in the brain to increase immensely and become strong.

5. The environment created puts you in a state of trance that takes calmness and worship to another level.

6. It prepares you for the prayer you are going to start, wakes you up and puts you in a state of awareness about prayer, so you can get lost in the mantras for a moment and absorb maximum spiritual gain.

7. A type of temple bell is also designed to produce the sound ‘Om’, a sound that is believed to have the same frequency as the frequency of the earth’s rotation around its axis.

10 Scientific Reasons Behind Why You Should Visit Hindu Temple

India is known for it’s rich Hindu culture and tradition. There are hundred’s of mesmerizing Hindu temples across the country in different design, shape, locations; but not all temples are built as described in Vedic literature.

Paying visit to the temples are not only to get blessing but to get a calm and better mind set. The following 10 scientific reasons are the actual purpose of visiting the temple according to the Hindu script.

1. The Location and Structure of The Temple

Temples are found deliberately at a place where the positive energy is available abundantly from the the magnetic and electric wave conveyances of north/south post push. The idol of God is set in the core center of the temple, known as “Garbhagriha” or “Moolasthanam”. Ideally, the structure of the temple is built after the idol has been placed in a high positive wave centric place. This *moolasthanam* is the place where earth’s magnetic waves are discovered to be most extreme.

2. Removing Your Footwear Before Entering Temple

Temples are the place that contains pure vibrations of magnetic and electric fields with positive energy. In olden days, temples were built in such a way that the floor at the center of the temple were good conductors of these positive vibrations allowing them to pass through our feet to the body. Hence it is necessary to walk bare footed while you enter the core center of the temple.

Another known reason is shoes and chappals are used everywhere hence they tend to get all the impurities like dirt, germs etc which spoil the pure environment of the temple and is the source of negative energy.

Five senses of Human Body are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. These are activated by the following actions in the temple:

The positive energy in the temple is absorbed properly only if you ensure that all five senses are activated in your body while you are in the temple. Also the place of worship is said to be pleased only if your five senses are pleased.

3. Ringing the temple bell when you enter the temple – Hearing Sense Activated

People who are visiting the temple should and will Ring the bell before entering the inner temple (Garbhagudi, Garbhagriha, Moolasthanam or womb-chamber) where the main idol is placed. These bells are made in such a way that when they produce a sound it creates a unity in the Left and Right parts of our brains. The moment we ring the bell, it produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for minimum of 7 seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our body. This results in emptying our brain from all negative thoughts.

This bell sound is also absorbed by the idol and vibrated within the Garbhagudi for a certain period of time.

4. Lighting Camphor in Front of Idol – Sight Sense Activated

The inner core of the temple is usually dark where the idol is placed. You usually close your eyes to pray and when you open your eyes you should see the camphor which was lit to do the Aarthi in front of the idol. This light seen inside the dark activates your sight sense.

The other reason of lighting camphor is for the idol to absorb the heat and vibrate within the Garbhagudi for certain period.

5. Put your hands over the camphor flames and then touch eyes – Touch Sense Activated

Once the camphor is brought to you after offering the prayer, you usually put your hands over the camphor to make your hands warm and then you touch your eyes with your warm hands. This action assures your touch sense is active.

6. Offering flowers to God at the temple – Smell Sense Activated

Flower, is good to see, spreads good fragrance, very soft to touch, the nectar given by flower pleases the tongue, and this combination is perfect for using at the temple.

Only specific flowers are used for offering to God like rose petals, jasmine, marigold based on different factors, amongst them fragrance is most important. The fragrance of the flower, camphor and instance sticks all together have the strong essence to keep your smell sense active and pleasant giving calmness to the mind.

7. Drinking Theertham – Taste Sense Activated

The next part of your act would be to drink theertham ideally from a silver or a copper vessel. The water used for theertham usually would contain Thulasi leaves dipped in water and must be stored at least for eight hours in the copper vessel.  According to Ayurveda, water stored in a copper vessel has the ability to balance all the three doshas in your body, (vata, kapha and pitta) and it does so by  positively charging the water. By drinking this Thulasi water you activate the taste sense. The other benefits of drinking Thulasi water from a copper or silver vessel also includes cure for soar throats, Fever & Common Cold, Coughs, Respiratory Disorder, formation of Kidney Stone, Heart Disorder chances will be reduced.

8. Doing Pradakshina around the Garbhagriha/Moolasthanam

Finally, after performing all the above rituals you have to walk around the idol inside the Garbhagirha, the inner most chamber of temple in clockwise direction for nine times. Pradakshina literary means right side in Sanskrit.

20 Amazing Scientific Reasons Behind Hindu Traditions

1. Joining Both Palms Together To Greet

In Hindu culture, people greet each other by joining their palms – termed as “Namaskar.” The general reason behind this tradition is that greeting by joining both the palms means respect. However, scientifically speaking, joining both hands ensures joining the tips of all the fingers together; which are denoted to the pressure points of eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them together is said to activate the pressure points which helps us remember that person for a long time. And, no germs since we don’t make any physical contact!

2. Why Do Indian Women Wear Toe Ring

Wearing toe rings is not just the significance of married women but there is science behind it. Normally toe rings are worn on the second toe. A particular nerve from the second toe connects the uterus and passes to heart. Wearing toe ring on this finger strengthens the uterus. It will keep it healthy by regulating the blood flow to it and menstrual cycle will be regularized. As Silver is a good conductor, it also absorbs polar energies from the earth and passes it to the body.

3. Throwing Coins Into A River

The general reasoning given for this act is that it brings Good Luck. However, scientifically speaking, in the ancient times, most of the currency used was made of copper unlike the stainless steel coins of today. Copper is a vital metal very useful to the human body. Throwing coins in the river was one way our fore-fathers ensured we intake sufficient copper as part of the water as rivers were the only source of drinking water. Making it a custom ensured that all of us follow the practice.

4. Applying Tilak/KumKum On The Forehead

On the forehead, between the two eyebrows, is a spot that is considered as a major nerve point in human body since ancient times. The Tilak is believed to prevent the loss of “energy”, the red ‘kumkum’ between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. While applying kumkum the points on the mid-brow region and Adnya-chakra are automatically pressed. This also facilitates the blood supply to the face muscles.

5. Why Do Temples Have Bells

People who are visiting the temple should and will Ring the bell before entering the inner sanctum (Garbhagudi or Garbha Gruha or womb-chamber) where the main idol is placed. According to Agama Sastra, the bell is used to give sound for keeping evil forces away and the ring of the bell is pleasant to God. However, the scientific reason behind bells is that their ring clears our mind and helps us stay sharp and keep our full concentration on devotional purpose. These bells are made in such a way that when they produce a sound it creates a unity in the Left and Right parts of our brains. The moment we ring the bell, it produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for minimum of 7 seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our body. This results in emptying our brain from all negative thoughts.

6. Why We Start With Spice & End With Sweet:

Our ancestors have stressed on the fact that our meals should be started off with something spicy and sweet dishes should be taken towards the end. The significance of this eating practice is that while spicy things activate the digestive juices and acids and ensure that the digestion process goes on smoothly and efficiently, sweets or carbohydrates pulls down the digestive process. Hence, sweets were always recommended to be taken as a last item.

7. Why Do We Applying Mehendi/Henna On The Hand And Feet

Besides lending color to the hands, mehndi is a very powerful medicinal herb. Weddings are stressful, and often, the stress causes headaches and fevers. As the wedding day approaches, the excitement mixed with nervous anticipation can take its toll on the bride and groom. Application of mehndi can prevent too much stress because it cools the body and keeps the nerves from becoming tense. This is the reason why mehndi is applied on the hands and feet, which house nerve endings in the body.

8. Sitting On The Floor & Eating

This tradition is not just about sitting on floor and eating, it is regarding sitting in the “Sukhasan” position and then eating. Sukhasan is the position we normally use for Yoga asanas. When you sit on the floor, you usually sit cross legged – In sukhasana or a half padmasana (half lotus), which are poses that instantly bring a sense of calm and help in digestion, it is believed to automatically trigger the signals to your brain to prepare the stomach for digestion.

9. Why You Should Not To Sleep With Your Head Towards North

Myth is that it invites ghost or death but science says that it is because human body has its own magnetic field (Also known as hearts magnetic field, because the flow of blood) and Earth is a giant magnet. When we sleep with head towards north, our body’s magnetic field become completely asymmetrical to the Earth’s Magnetic field. That cause problems related to blood pressure and our heart needs to work harder in order to overcome this asymmetry of Magnetic fields. Apart from this another reason is that Our body have significant amount of iron in our blood. When we sleep in this position, iron from the whole body starts to congregate in brain. This can cause headache, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cognitive Decline, Parkinson disease and brain degeneration.

10. Why We Pierce Ear

Piercing the ears has a great importance in Indian ethos. Indian physicians and philosophers believe that piercing the ears helps in the development of intellect, power of thinking and decision making faculties. Talkativeness fritters away life energy. Ear piercing helps in speech-restraint. It helps to reduce impertinent behavior and the ear-channels become free from disorders. This idea appeals to the Western world as well, and so they are getting their ears pierced to wear fancy earrings as a mark of fashion.

11. Surya Namaskar

Hindus have a tradition of paying regards to Sun God early in the morning by their water offering ritual. It was mainly because looking at Sun rays through water or directly at that time of the day is good for eyes and also by waking up to follow this routine, we become prone to a morning lifestyle and mornings are proven to be the most effective part of the day.

12. Choti On The Male Head

Sushrut rishi, the foremost surgeon of Ayurveda, describes the master sensitive spot on the head as Adhipati Marma, where there is a nexus of all nerves. The shikha protects this spot. Below, in the brain, occurs the Brahmarandhra, where the sushumnã (nerve) arrives from the lower part of the body. In Yog, Brahmarandhra is the highest, seventh chakra, with the thousand-petalled lotus. It is the centre of wisdom. The knotted shikhã helps boost this centre and conserve its subtle energy known as ojas.

13. Why Do We Fast

The underlying principle behind fasting is to be found in Ayurveda. This ancient Indian medical system sees the basic cause of many diseases as the accumulation of toxic materials in the digestive system. Regular cleansing of toxic materials keeps one healthy. By fasting, the digestive organs get rest and all body mechanisms are cleansed and corrected. A complete fast is good for heath, and the occasional intake of warm lemon juice during the period of fasting prevents the flatulence. Since the human body, as explained by Ayurveda, is composed of 80% liquid and 20% solid, like the earth, the gravitational force of the moon affects the fluid contents of the body. It causes emotional imbalances in the body, making some people tense, irritable and violent. Fasting acts as antidote, for it lowers the acid content in the body which helps people to retain their sanity. Research suggests there are major health benefits to caloric restriction like reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, immune disorders etc.

14. The Scientific Explanation Of Touching Feet (Charan Sparsh)

Usually, the person of whose feet you are touching is either old or pious. When they accept your respect which came from your reduced ego (and is called your shraddha) their hearts emit positive thoughts and energy (which is called their karuna) which reaches you through their hands and toes. In essence, the completed circuit enables flow of energy and increases cosmic energy, switching on a quick connect between two minds and hearts. To an extent, the same is achieved through handshakes and hugs. The nerves that start from our brain spread across all your body. These nerves or wires end in the fingertips of your hand and feet. When you join the fingertips of your hand to those of their opposite feet, a circuit is immediately formed and the energies of two bodies are connected. Your fingers and palms become the ‘receptor’ of energy and the feet of other person become the ‘giver’ of energy.

15. Why Married Women Apply Sindoor Or Vermillion

It is interesting to note that that the application of sindoor by married women carries a physiological significance. This is so because Sindoor is prepared by mixing turmeric-lime and the metal mercury. Due to its intrinsic properties, mercury, besides controlling blood pressure also activates sexual drive. This also explains why Sindoor is prohibited for the widows. For best results, Sindoor should be applied right upto the pituitary gland where all our feelings are centered. Mercury is also known for removing stress and strain.

16. Why Do We Worship Peepal Tree

‘Peepal’ tree is almost useless for an ordinary person, except for its shadow. ‘Peepal’ does not a have a delicious fruit, its wood is not strong enough for any purpose then why should a common villager or person worship it or even care for it? Our ancestors knew that ‘Peepal’ is one of the very few trees (or probably the only tree) which produces oxygen even at night. So in order to save this tree because of its unique property they related it to God/religion.

17. Why Do We Worship Tulsi Plant

Hindu religion has bestowed ‘Tulsi’, with the status of mother. Also known as ‘Sacred or Holy Basil’, Tulsi, has been recognized as a religious and spiritual devout in many parts of the world. The vedic sages knew the benefits of Tulsi and that is why they personified it as a Goddess and gave a clear message to the entire community that it needs to be taken care of by the people, literate or illiterate. We try to protect it because it is like Sanjeevani for the mankind. Tulsi has great medicinal properties. It is a remarkable antibiotic. Taking Tulsi everyday in tea or otherwise increases immunity and help the drinker prevent diseases, stabilize his or her health condition, balance his or her body system and most important of all, prolong his or her life. Keeping Tulsi plant at home prevents insects and mosquitoes from entering the house. It is said that snakes do not dare to go near a Tulsi plant. Maybe that is why ancient people would grow lots of Tulsi near their houses.

18. Why Do We Worship Idol

Hinduism propagates idol worship more than any other religion. Researchers say that this was initiated for the purpose of increasing concentration during prayers. According to psychiatrists, a man will shape his thoughts as per what he sees. If you have 3 different objects in front of you, your thinking will change according to the object you are viewing. Similarly, in ancient India, idol worship was established so that when people view idols it is easy for them to concentrate to gain spiritual energy and meditate without mental diversion

19. Why Do Indian Women Wear Bangles

Normally the wrist portion is in constant activation on any human. Also the pulse beat in this portion is mostly checked for all sorts of ailments. The Bangles used by women are normally in the wrist part of ones hand and its constant friction increases the blood circulation level. Further more the electricity passing out through outer skin is again reverted to one’s own body because of the ring shaped bangles, which has no ends to pass the energy outside but to send it back to the body.

20. Why Should We Visit Temple?

Temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as “*Garbhagriha*” or *Moolasthanam*. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This *Moolasthanam* is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the *shlokas*. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.

Power of prayer

The Power of prayer is immense. Every event at a Hindu home begins with a prayer. Even public events start with a short prayer seeking the blessings of god for the smooth running of events. Psychologists describe prayer as a “subconscious” and” emotional effusion”, an outburst of the mind that desires to enter into communication with the invisible. In the Vedic parlance, a prayer was more or less synonymous with mantra, used to communicate with God and seek blessings and wealth from him. Hindus in the Vedic period performed elaborate rituals, chanting mantras or prayers to seek God’s blessings in the fulfillment of individual desires or for seeking something important for the community as a whole. For eg: One of the most powerful and frequently chanted mantra in the Vedic period was the Shanti Mantra seeking God’s help in peace, health and well-being of everyone.

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चित् दुःखभाक् भवेत् ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः !!

There are many forms of prayer in Hinduism, however essentially all of them have the same purpose – To connect with God, express one’s love and devotion towards him and obtain his blessings. Every religion has formulated its own practices for praying to God. Prayer does not always mean worshiping idols. Even agnostic people accept the presence of a higher power. When does on pray to god? Most of us are reminded of god only when disaster strikes.  It is a human weakness that makes us look towards a greater power in times of distress.  Prayer whatever its form may be has astonishing effects on the human mind. There is a term known as the placebo effect in the medical world.  A fake treatment, the mere belief that he was given some powerful treatment can significantly improve the condition of the patient. This is the power of hope and belief. When your mind is free from the burden of some work after prayer to god, we humans tend to perform better. Prayer small or elaborate, its effects on the human psyche are immense. In Hinduism the prayers are generally elaborate affairs that have been shrinked into smaller versions owing to the busy lives of people. But the practice of prayer in some form is still practiced across every family setup.

Vedic rituals are a rare sight in today’s world. But they are much needed. The constant rush, pollution and all the negativity in modern day can be easily overcome with the help of rituals such as yagnas. Yagnas are something a present generation kid would have seen only in old movies.  In Vedic rituals medical herbs and wood vaporizes in the sacrificial fire (Havan) and enters the body through nose, lungs and pores, along with reciting of Mantras to purify and balance body, mind and environment. There specially designated yagnas for each and every occasion of human life.  A interesting fact that is worth noting that during one of the worst tragedies in Indian history, the Bhopal gas tragedy that ended up killing almost 32,00 people. One quaint family living within one kilometer radius of the disaster site remained completely unscathed because they were performing agnihotra or the sacrificial havan for Lord Agni. Agnihotra is an antidote even to pollution. This stands as an example of the amazing effects of Hindu practices.

Right from the birth of a child to the last rites of a man, all the rituals and life’s course has been written down explicitly in our ancient scriptures of knowledge. Most of us would be familiar with the Ganpati homam performed during house warming ceremonies. It is to ensure that there is no negativity in the new house. Ganesha is the foremost god in Hinduism. His alternate name is Vigneshwaran which literally translates to remover of obstacles.  In all our rituals and pujas there is a lot of meaning and significance.

There are several steps one must follow during worship. This helps a person pray to the deity whole-heartedly and also seek complete blessings of the god.

Bathing: Pouring water for bathing the idol with a conch or a vessel made out of bronze.

Clothing & Flower Decoration: An exquisite piece of clothing is worn on the idol.

Incense & Lamp: Dhupa or incense is offered to the feet and deepa or light is held before the face of the deity. During arati, the deepa is waved in small arcs before the deity’s face and then before the whole image.

Circumbulation: Pradakshina is done three times, slowly in the clockwise direction, with hands folded.

Prostration: The devotee lies down straight with his face facing the floor and hands stretched in namaskara above his head in the direction of the deity.

Distribution of Prasada: Last step is the Tirtha and Prasada, partaking of the consecrated water and food offering of the puja by all who have been a part of the puja or witnessed it.

Everybody who has been to temple would know these steps. When you enter a temple you wash your feet with water. This is because there can be many microbes on you and that shouldn’t destroy the sanctity of the temple not just that, a temple is a crowded place and germs spread faster in there. The next thing you do is ring the bell. It sets upon a vibration in your ears that activates your brain. Next is the sense of sight you see the arathi and the god decked up in all its glory. Next is the sense of taste. The tirtham or the prasadham enhances your taste sense. A visit to a temple is not just to satisfy your nagging parents but also for awakening your senses.

The Vedic people believed in the four aims of human life, known as the Purusharthas –

Dharma or Religion

Artha or Material Wealth

Kama or Sensual Pleasures

Moksha or Salvation

The structure and purpose of prayers in Hinduism are still connected with these aims. If prayer is an expression of one’s faith in the Dharma or religion and a means to understand and comprehend it, it is also a means to achieve the other three. It is also a means by which a devout Hindu can connect with his innermost self and become aware of his true identity.

In Hinduism, there are many annual festivals or occasions such as Shiva rathri, ekadashi, pradosham. There are specific ceremonies and pujas for every such event. Since Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, the innumerous number of pujas that vary from one god to another and one event to another are quite exhausting. But none of these pujas were prescribed without meaning. Superficial involvement in pujas and worship might make it appear boring but once one understands the true essence of worship, a spiritual experience awaits you.

The Meaning And Significance of Prarthana or Prayer in Hinduism

In Sanskrit and most vernacular languages of India, the word prarthana1 means a prayer or seeking. While the word has a deep religious connotation and peculiarly Hindu in its origin, in course of time it acquired a secular and generic meaning and became part of regular usage to convey the meaning of “to request, ask or politely seek something with a feeling of reverence or submissiveness.” In official usage prarthana means a petition (as a noun or adjective) or petitioning (as a verb) to a ruler, higher authority or official to resolve a problem or address a grievance.

The purpose of prayers

In the Vedic parlance, prayer was synonymous with mantra, a religious chant or incantation, used to communicate with gods and seek some kind of material benefit or favor from them. Vedic Indians performed elaborate rituals, chanting mantras or prayers to please gods and seek their assistance in the fulfillment of individual desires or realize any potentially important goal either for themselves or for others or for the community in general. They used prayers for one or more of the following.

To obtain powers, fulfill desires and seek protection

To nourish gods and ensure their favors and protection.

To cure diseases and overcome death and adversity.

To ensure victory in wars and against enemies.

To destroy enemies or weaken their resolve.

To make things auspicious and pure.

To invite peace and prosperity.

To ensure name, fame and success.

To overcome sinful karma and forgiveness for mistakes and evil deeds

To engage the mind in devotion and contemplation of God.

For example, one of the most frequently found prayers in the Vedas (peace mantra) wishes for peace everywhere: peace in the worshipper’s mind, body and environment or peace in the world, in the middle region of the celestial beings and in the highest world of the gods. Another prayer seeks perfection and wholeness of oneself and the world by becoming complete to reach out to That (God) which is complete and perfect in every way.

Types of prayers

In Hinduism prayer, or prarthana, takes on many forms. Their purpose, however, is essentially the same which is seeking communion with God or gods, expressing one’s love and devotion to them to obtain their blessings and favors or fulfill one’s desires. The Hindu Puranas and epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, emphasize through many examples that God never fails to respond to the sincere calls of His devotees and comes to their rescue. In extraordinary circumstances when too many pure souls pray to him and make a distress call, He even incarnates upon earth to destroy evil and restore order.

Some of the well-known forms of prayers are mantras (Riks, Samans, Yajus, Udgita), japas, kirtans, and bhajans (devotional songs). Mantras are incantations or chants, which are believed to be endowed with magical powers and powerful vibrations capable of manifesting reality or desired results through the intervention of gods. Japa is a continuous repetition of one or more names of God or some phrase from the scripture or given by a guru to calm the senses and control the mind or purify it. Kirtans and Bhajans are devotional songs, usually sung in groups to the accompaniment of music in front of the image of a deity or a guru. All prayers are meant to absorb the mind in the contemplation of God, which can lead to either purification or self-absorption or both.

Meaning of prarthana

Etymologically the word “prarthana” can be parsed and interpreted in different ways. Pra is used in Sanskrit as a prefix to a verb. It has several meanings. One of them is to wish or request. Another meaning is adoration or respect (as in pranjali). Accordingly we may parse the word as either “prar + dhana” or “pra + ardha + na,” meaning to ask or seek wealth. “Pra” means source, “dhan” or “ardha” means wealth and na is the sound that comes out of the openings of the body as in “nada”.” The word “dhana” is closely associated with the word “dhaanya” meaning grains, which was the most notable form of wealth in the ancient world.

Closely linked to these two words is the word “daan,” meaning charity. It was from the practice of giving food (grains) as charity to the needy people, probably the word “daan” came into usage. Interestingly, the corresponding word for “daan” is “donation” in English, “donat” in French and “donatio” in Latin, all of which along with Sanskrit belong to the Indo European group of languages. The underlying concept is that it is by praying one gains an entry into the source of all forms of wealth, which is God Himself.

However, the word can also be parsed in a different way, and perhaps more appropriately, to point to its true origin as the means or the technique to overcome suffering or adversity. According to it, prarthana means a distress call or paying adoration or respect. As stated before, “pra” means a wish, request, adoration or respect (as in pranjali). Arthra means distress, suffering, pain or agony. Thus, prarthana (pra+arthra+na) means either a wish or a request made by a person in distress or suffering or an adoration or respect shown to another person or a deity. Prayers are usually made by people in suffering, seeking the grace or mercy of God. Hence, one construe it as making a wish or request, seeking piety or mercy (ardra). Both meanings are appropriate. A prarthak is one who begs, solicits or wishes.

Prayer as a manifestation of speech

Thus, a prayer is a way of expressing grief, concern, fear, or want, seeking a possible solution. All prayers are but sounds or manifestations of speech (vac). Speech and sounds have a special significance in Hinduism. Speech is considered a deity in the Vedas and equated in several Upanishads to Brahman himself. Space (akasa) is one of the five great elements (mahabhutas). Space is the support for the deity speech. Speech which is filled with the purity and effulgence of God has the power to manifest through sacred sounds (mantras). The breath in the throat is considered to be the source of speech.

Space is the personification of Brahman in the objective plane. It is considered to be the medium of sound, while space itself is considered a subtle body of Brahman. Space is filled with vital air (Vayu) who according to the Vedas travels in all directions, riding upon innumerable horses and purifies everything. In the body it is called breath or prana, the overlord of all the organs who nourishes and sustains the body and without whom life is not possible.

Therefore, from this perspective, prayer is the means to communicate with God through the immediately available mediums of space, speech, sounds, and sacrifices. Our prayers travel from the earthly plane to the heavenly plane through space, propelled by the power of Brahman who is hidden in all sounds, especially the sacred chants of the Vedas. Sounds can reach what the eyes cannot reach. What the eyes and sounds cannot reach thoughts can reach. Since a prayer is a combination of thoughts and sound, it is a very powerful way to communicate with the subtle gods of both the mind and the worlds above.

Prayers in Vedic tradition

The Vedic people used various combinations of sounds in the form of mantras to pray to gods on various occasions. They chanted them for the protection of their kings before going to war, on the occasion of marriage, the birth of a child, initiation ceremony or death, at the time of the acquisition of some property or change of one’s residence. They also prayed for good harvest and favorable climate. Through prayers, sacrificial offerings and invocations, they aimed to purify things and people or appease the gods to seek their blessings for prosperity, peace and happiness for themselves and for their patrons. They believed in the efficacy of prayers and their ability to cleanse one’s sins, drive away evil, ward off diseases and change the course of human lives.

The early Vedic Indians were pastoral people, who lived in open grasslands, near major rivers and trade routes and usually surrounded by dense forests. Groups of families bound by common ancestry or professional dependency, lived together as small communities in villages, surrounded by a wooden wall, fence or moat serving as a protection against prying animals and hostile tribes. Not all of them practiced Vedic religion or lived in open or honored the caste divisions. Some lived deep in the forests and worshipped nature gods. There were some who worshipped different deities and did not acknowledge the supremacy of the Vedas.

However, one practice which was common to them was that they used ritual prayers, chants, spells and sacrifices as a part of their worship. Life must have been difficult for the people who lived in India at a time when the land was mostly covered by dense forests, filled with abundant wildlife, hostile tribes and dangerous animals. They were not yet brought under full control or made safer by Agni the fire god or Indra the storm god or Varuna the god of law. Abundant rains and frequent flooding of the plains by overflowing rivers made life difficult for the people who lived in small settlements along the rivers and the animals they domesticated such as goats, rams, bulls, cows, buffaloes, horses and elephants. Whether they practiced Vedic religion or not, prayers gave them hope and security against the vulnerabilities to which they were susceptible.

For the ancient people the overwhelming power of nature was too difficult to ignore. So in their prayers they aimed to protect themselves from the destructive acts of nature and from the mysterious diseases and calamities that struck them from time to time. Through prayers they also sought material wealth, peace and prosperity from the divinities whom the believed wielded enormous power over the elements and the vagaries of nature. They prayed for material wealth, such as cattle, good harvest, victory in war, health, progeny, success in some venture and so on. We know a little about the people who followed the Vedas, but much less about the rest, except for a few vague references about them found in the Vedic literature of the time.

The Vedic people believed in the four aims of human life, known as the Purusharthas, namely dharma or religion, artha or material wealth, kama or sensual pleasures and moksha or salvation. The structure and purpose of prayers in Hinduism are still connected with these aims. If prayer is an expression of one’s faith in the Dharma or religion and a means to know it and master it, it is also the means to achieve the other three. It is also the means by which a devout Hindu can find a way to come into contact with his inmost self and become aware of its sacredness and true identity.

It is however not true that the Vedic Indians used prayers to seek only wealth or happiness from various gods. While they aimed to enjoy good life and sought riches and expensive gifts from their patrons and donors, they were aware of the ultimate aim of human life, which was to find a safe passage to the higher worlds. The study of the scriptures and application of religious values in their day to day lives gave them a spiritual bent of mind and a deeper need to integrate and harmonize their spiritual yearnings and material cravings in a very religious and harmonious way. Through their prayers they sought wealth of all kinds, spiritual wealth, physical wealth, personal wealth, universal wealth, wealth of character, wealth of power and prestige, wealth of name and fame, wealth of happiness and joy and so on. They sought to fulfill their desires, without losing their focus on the larger aims of human life, that would enrich their lives and bring them knowledge, peace and prosperity. As a part of this grand scheme of life, they looked beyond themselves, praying not only for the welfare of themselves, but of the entire community to which they belonged.

The Vedas are essentially prayer books. In them we find different types of prayers: ritual prayers, spiritual prayers, prayers to reach out to gods, cure diseases, beget children, expiate sins, gain wealth, caste off evil, harm the enemies, seek protection from evil and so on. The early Vedic people used ritual prayers to perform elaborate sacrificial ceremonies to appease gods and seek their favors, according to well-established procedures and a strict code of conduct. Some of the rituals, such as the agnichayana rituals, lasted for months or years, as the priests had to build huge altars according to specific geometric shapes and patterns, while chanting the mantras or prayers. In the later Vedic period we see a definite shift towards spiritual prayers as the ritual was internalized and the human body itself was identified as the ritual place, the inner soul as an aspect of Brahman or Brahman itself and various divinities representing various organs or energies of the body. The emergence of devotional Hinduism through Vaishnavism and Saivism also contributed to this development.

Praying in Hinduism – Why and How-to Do It Right.

12 Reasons for Praying and 7 Techniques of Successful Prayer

Many of you, I’m sure, are confused about the underlying philosophy of prayer. Consequently, often your prayers are not answered. Here, I attempt to provide some insights into the success of prayers.

Why We Pray

To begin with, we must understand as to why do we pray? There are basically 12 reasons for prayer:

We pray to depend on God for help in distress.

We pray for asking God for enlightenment.

We pray for communion with God through single-minded devotion.

We pray for asking for peace from God when the mind is restless.

We pray for surrendering ourselves to God completely.

We pray to God for giving us the ability to comfort others.

We pray for thanking God for his blessings.

We pray for expecting God to decide what is best for us when we are in a dilemma.

We pray for making friendship with God.

We pray for melting the mind and ego in silence in God.

We pray for requesting God to give strength, peace and pure intellect.

We pray for asking God to purify the heart and make us abide in Him forever.

Two Parts of a Prayer

In essence, what the above 12 reasons convey to us is that a prayer has two parts: one is soliciting a favor from the Almighty and the other is surrendering ourselves to His will. While the first part is practiced by most of us on a daily basis, the second part is the real and ultimate goal because it implies dedication. Dedication means feeling the light of God within your heart. If your heart is devoid of divine light, you will not be happy, cheerful and successful in your lives.

Guard Your Selfish Desires

Remember, your success depends on the inward state of your mind. Your mind will create hindrance in your work if it is not in communion with God because He alone is the permanent abode of peace. Yes, I agree that most of us want to have riches, healthy lives, nice children and prosperous future. But if we always approached God with a begging attitude then we are treating Him as our bearer to supply the things required by us at once. This is no devotion to God but devotion to our own selfish desires.

The scriptures indicate that there are seven techniques of successful prayer:

When you pray just talk to God as a little boy would to a father or mother whom he loves and with whom he feels in harmony. Tell Him everything that is on your mind and in your heart.

Talk to God in simple everyday speech. He understands every language. It is not necessary to use an exaggerated formal speech. You would not talk to your father or mother that way, would you? God is your heavenly father (or mother). Why should you be formal to Him or Her? This will make your relationship with Him more natural.

Tell God what you want. You might as well be factual. You want something. Tell Him about it. Tell Him you would like to have it if He thinks it is good for you. But also say and mean it that you will leave it to Him to decide and you will accept His decision as best for you. If you do this regularly it will bring to you what you ought to have, and thus fulfill your own destiny. It will be possible for God to give you things that you should ​have wonderful things. It is really unfortunate, the marvelous things we miss, things God wants to give us and cannot because we insist upon something else, something only a fraction as fine as He wants to give us.

Practice praying as many times during the day as possible. For example, when you are driving your car, instead of the aimless thoughts that go through your mind, talk to God as you drive. If you have a companion in the front seat, you would talk to him or her. Would you not? Then, imagine the Lord is there and, in fact, He is, so just talk to Him about everything. If you are waiting for the subway train or bus, have a little chat with Him. Most importantly say a little prayer before you go to bed. If it is not possible, get into bed, relax and then pray. God will lull you to a wonderful carefree sleep.

It is not always necessary to say words when you pray. Spend a few moments just thinking about Him. Think how good He is, how kind He is and that He is right by your side guiding and watching over you.

Don’t always pray for yourself. Try helping others by your prayers. Pray for those who are in trouble or are ill. Whether they are your loved ones or your friends or neighbors, your prayer will profoundly affect them. And…

Last but not the least, whatever you do, do not make all prayers into the form of begging God for something. The prayer for thanksgiving is much more powerful. Make your prayer consisting of a listing of all the fine things you possess or all the wonderful things that have happened to you. Name them over, thank God for them and make that your whole prayer. You will find that these prayers of thanksgiving grow.

Finally, please do not pray to God to run after you to satisfy your selfish desires. You are supposed to do your work as efficiently and skillfully as possible. With faith in God and using the above techniques of prayer, you will have success in every walk of life.

Visiting a Hindu Temple

The Hindu temple is a sacred space where man and God commune. It is the home of God and the Gods. Within these sacred abodes, priests conduct puja rites–presenting flowers, water, incense, lights, food and other choice offerings–to honor God and the Gods and invoke their presence and blessings.

In this Insight, we explore the experience of attending a temple, drawing from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s wisdom on the mysticism of Hindu worship. While basic customs described here are common to temples of all traditions, we focus mainly on the style of puja done in the temples of South India.

God and the Gods are real beings; they are not mere symbols or figments of imagination. If you could view the temple from the inner worlds, you would see a brilliant ray coming from the Third World right into the temple on the physical plane. This ray allows communication similar to a live video conference. The priest opens the connection by performing puja worship. When the puja is performed with loving devotion, the ray becomes strong and inner doors open from God’s world to ours; the angelic helpers, called devas, hover around and through the temple, and blessings pour out to the devotees. A Hindu temple’s devonic rays have the power to transform the course of karma, open inner doors to new opportunities, assuage long-held hurts and provide inner visions equaling the fullness of devotion.

Devotion in Hinduism is known as bhakti. it is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the child-like wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of the esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere of the Mahadevas, the Deities, the Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds naturally inspire in man responses of love and devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful.

Devotion in Hinduism occurs on many levels and at different cycles of time in the evolution of the soul. All forms of devotion are equally valid, and none claims itself as the only proper form of worship. There is devotion to the tribal Deities, to the scriptures, to the saints and to the satguru. But the most prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be 330 million Gods. Even so, all Hindus believe in one Supreme Being who pervades the entire universe.

The many Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. These Gods, or Mahadevas, are real beings, capable of thought and feeling beyond the limited thought and feeling of embodied man. So, Hinduism has one God, but it has many Gods. There are only a few of these Gods for whom temples are built and pujas conducted. Ganesha, Siva, Subramaniam, Vishnu and Shakti are the most prominent Deities in contemporary Hinduism. Of course, there are many others for whom certain rites or mantras are done in daily ceremony, often in the home shrine. These include Brahma, Surya, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Agni, Chandra, Ayyappan, Hanuman, Mariyamman and others.

The Hindu traditionally adopts an Ishta Devata. This is a personal Deity chosen from the many Hindu Gods, often according to the devotee’s family background or the feeling of closeness to one form of divine manifestation. It is the unique and all-encompassing nature of Hinduism that one devotee may be worshiping Ganesha while his friend worships Subramaniam or Vishnu, and yet both honor the other’s choice and feel no sense of conflict. The profound understanding and universal acceptance that are unique in Hinduism are reflected in this faculty for accommodating different approaches to the Divine, allowing for different names and forms of God to be worshiped side by side within the temple walls. It may even happen that one may adopt a different personal Deity through the years according to one’s spiritual unfoldment and inner needs.

The Hindu religion brings to us the gift of tolerance that allows for different stages of worship, different and personal expressions of devotion and even different Gods to guide our life on this Earth. Yet, it is a one religion under a single divine hierarchy that sees to the harmonious working together of the three worlds. These intelligent beings have evolved through eons of time and are able to help mankind without themselves having to live in a physical body. These great Mahadevas, with their multitudes of angelic devas, live and work constantly and tirelessly for the people of our religion, protecting and guiding them, opening new doors and closing unused ones. The Gods worshiped by the Hindu abide in the Third World, aided by the devas that inhabit the Second World.

It is in the Hindu temple that the three worlds meet and devotees invoke the Gods of our religion. The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods reside. It is the visible home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the Earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple.

Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God’s divine presence. He is aware through feeling, through sensing the divine presence within the temple. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at His holy feet. It is important that we approach the Deity in this way–conscious and confident that our needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.

The physical representation of the God, be it a stone or metal image, a yantra or other sacred form, simply marks the place that the God will manifest in or hover above in His etheric body. It can be conceived as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the God or as the material body in or through which the God manifests in this First World. Man takes one body and then another in his progression through the cycles of birth and death and rebirth. Similarly, the Gods in their subtle bodies inhabit, for brief or protracted spans of time, these temple images. When we perform puja, a religious ritual, we are attracting the attention of the devas and Mahadevas in the inner worlds. That is the purpose of a puja; it is a form of communication. To enhance this communication, we establish an altar in the temple and in the home. This becomes charged or magnetized through our devotional thoughts and feelings, which radiate out and affect the surrounding environment.

Chanting and satsanga and ceremonial rituals all contribute to this sanctifying process, creating an atmosphere to which the Gods are drawn and in which they can manifest. By the word manifest, I mean they actually come and dwell there and can stay for periods of time, providing the vibration is kept pure and undisturbed. The altar takes on a certain power. In our religion there are altars in temples all over the world inhabited by the devas and the great Gods. When you enter these holy places, you can sense their sanctity. You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as darshan. The reality of the Mahadevas and their darshan can be experienced by the devotee through his awakened ajna vision, or more often as the physical sight of the image in the sanctum coupled with the inner knowing that He is there within the microcosm. This darshan can be felt by all devotees, becoming stronger and more defined as devotion is perfected. Through this darshan, messages can be channeled along the vibratory emanations that radiate out from the Mahadevas, as well as from their representatives, the Second World devas who carry out their work for them in shrines and altars.

To understand darshan, consider the everyday and yet subtle communication of language. You are hearing the tones of my voice through the sensitive organ, your ear. Meaning comes into your mind, for you have been trained to translate these vibrations into meaning through the knowing of the language that I am speaking. Darshan is a vibration, too. It is first experienced in the simple physical glimpse of the form of the Deity in the sanctum. Later, that physical sight gives way to a clairvoyant vision or to a refined cognition received through the sensitive ganglia within your nerve system, the chakras. Through these receptors, a subtle message is received, often not consciously. Perhaps not immediately, but the message that the darshan carries, direct from the Mahadeva–direct from Lord Ganesha, direct from Lord Murugan, direct from Lord Siva Himself–manifests in your life. This is the way the Gods converse. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that you experience each day. It is not necessary to understand the communication immediately. The devotee may go away from the temple outwardly feeling that there was no particular message, or not knowing in his intellectual mind exactly what the darshan meant. Even the words you are now reading may not be fully cognized for days, weeks or even months. The depth of meaning will unfold itself on reflection.

Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving darshan from the majestic Gods of our religion, can altogether change the life of a worshiper. It alters the flow of the pranas, or life currents, within his body. It draws his awareness into the deeper chakras. It adjusts his beliefs and the attitudes that are the natural consequence of those beliefs. But the change is slow. He lives with the experience for months and months after his visit to the temple. He comes to know and love the Deity. The Deity comes to know and love him, helping and guiding his entire evolutionary pattern. Darshan coming from the great temples of our Gods can change the patterns of karma dating back many past lives, clearing and clarifying conditions that were created hundreds of years ago and are but seeds now, waiting to manifest in the future. Through the grace of the Gods, those seeds can be removed if the manifestation in the future would not enhance the evolution of the soul.

Devotees ask, “Why do we circumambulate the temple?” When we come to the temple out of the world, off the street, we are often shrouded by negative vibrations, which can actually be seen in our aura. Our nerve system may be upset, especially now, in the technological age, when we often suffer from stress and strain, the insecurity of so many changes and the rapid pace of life. In order to prepare ourselves to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the great mandapam inside, we walk clockwise around the temple very slowly. In this way we prepare our mind. We consciously drop off worldliness, letting the sufferings go, letting all disturbances leave our mind the best we can, and trying to reach deep inside of ourselves where peace exists eternally. We become as celestial as we can during the time we are walking around the temple, so that we can communicate with the celestial beings within the temple.

In a Hindu temple there is often a multiplicity of simultaneous proceedings and ceremonies. In one corner, an extended family, or clan, with its hundreds of tightly knit members, may be joyously celebrating a wedding. At another shrine a lady might be crying in front of the Deity, saddened by some misfortune and in need of solace. Elsewhere in the crowded precincts a baby is being blessed, and several groups of temple musicians are filling the chamber with the shrill sounds of the nagasvaram and drum. After the puja reaches its zenith, brahmin priests move in and out of the sanctum, passing camphor and sacred ash and holy water to hundreds of worshipers crowding eagerly to get a glimpse of the Deity. All of this is happening at once, unplanned and yet totally organized. It is a wonderful experience, and such a diverse array of devotional ceremonies and such an intensity of worship can only be seen in a Hindu temple. There is no place on Earth quite like a Hindu temple.

Esoterically, the Gods in the temple, who live in the microcosm, can work extraordinarily fast with everyone. There is so much going on that everyone has the sense of being alone. The weeping woman is allowed her moment of mourning. No one feels that she is upsetting the nearby wedding. No one even notices her. The temple is so active, so filled with people, that each one is left to worship as he needs that day–to cry or to laugh or to sing or to sit in silent contemplation in a far-off corner.

Like the Hindu religion itself, the Hindu temple is able to absorb and encompass everyone. It never says you must worship in this way, or you must be silent because there is a ceremony in progress. It accepts all, rejects none. It encourages all to come to God and does not legislate a single form of devotion.

Hindus always want to live near a temple so they can frequent it regularly. When we go to the temple, we leave with our mind filled with the shakti of the Deity. We are filled and thrilled with the shakti of the temple in every nerve current of our body. When we return to our home, we light an oil lamp, and that brings the power of the temple into the home. This simple act brings the devas in the Second World right into your home, where they can bless the rest of the family who perhaps did not go to the temple. Each Hindu temple throughout the world has its own rules on how to proceed and what to do within it. In some temples, in fact most temples in South India, all the men are required to take off their shirts and enter bare-chested. However, if you are in a business suit in the South Indian temple in New York, that’s all right. You are not required to take off your shirt. Every temple has its own rules, so you have to observe what everybody else is doing the first time you go.

In the beginning stages of worship, a Hindu soul may have to wrestle with disbelief in the Gods. He may wonder whether they really exist, especially if his own intuition is obscured by assimilation of Western, existentialist beliefs and attitudes. Yet, he senses their existence, and this sensing brings him back to the temple. He is looking for proof, immersed in the process of coming to know the Gods for himself. He is heartened and assured by hundreds of saints and rishis who have fathomed and found close and enduring relationships with the Gods, and who then extolled their greatness in pages of scripture and chronicle.

The devotee stands before the sanctum and telepathically tells the Gods a problem, and with hopeful faith leaves and waits. Days or weeks later, after he had forgotten about his prayer, he suddenly realizes the problem has disappeared. He attempts to trace the source of its solution and finds that a simple, favorable play of circumstance and events brought it about. Had the Gods answered his prayer, or would it have happened anyway? He brings another prayer to the Gods, and again in time an answer appears in the natural course of his life. It appears to him that the Gods are hearing and responding to his needs. Trust and love have taken root. He goes on, year after year, bringing the Gods into his secular affairs, while just as carefully the Gods are bringing him into their celestial spheres, enlivening his soul with energy, joy and intelligence.

The Hindu looks to the Gods for very practical assistance. He devoutly believes that the Gods from their dwelling in the Third World are capable of consciously working with the forces of evolution in the universe and they could then certainly manage a few simpler problems. He devoutly believes that the Gods are given to care for man on the planet and see him through his tenure on Earth, and that their decisions are vast in their implications. Their overview spans time itself, and yet their detailed focus upon the complicated fabric of human affairs is just as awesome.

The Gods of Hinduism create, preserve and protect mankind. It is through their sanction that all things continue, and through their will that they cease. It is through their grace that all good things happen, and all things that happen are for the good. Now, you may wonder why one would put himself under this divine authority so willingly, thus losing his semblance of freedom. But does one not willingly put himself in total harmony with those whom he loves? Of course he does. And loving these great souls comes so naturally. Their timeless wisdom, their vast intelligence, their thoroughly benign natures, their ceaseless concern for the problems and well-being of devotees, and their power and sheer godly brilliance–all these inspire our love.

WORSHIP IS POURING ALL YOUR ENERGY INTO ONE-POINTEDLY ADORING THE GOD OR GODDESS FEELING YOUR LOVING SINCERITY, THE DIETY RESPONDS WITH LIFE CHANGING BLESSINGS

APPROACHING THE TEMPLE

TEMPLE MANNERS

REMOVE YOUR SHOES BEFORE ENTERING. BE RESPECTFUL OF GOD AND THE GODS AT ALL TIMES, AS IF APPROACHING THE BENEVOLENT LEADER OF A GREAT REALM. BRING YOUR PROBLEMS, WISHES OR YOUR SORROWS BUT LEAVE IMPROPER MANNERS OUTSIDE AS YOU ENTER THIS HOLY SANCTUARY. DO NOT ENTER THE SHRINES WITHOUT INVITATION. DO NOT SIT WITH YOUR FEET POINTING TOWARD THE DEITIES, THE GURU OR ANOTHER PERSON. HUGGING AND OTHER DEMONSTRATIONS OF AFFECTION BETWEEN ADULTS ARE NOT APPROPRIATE. REFRAIN FROM GOSSIP AND WORLDLY TALK. TREAT THE PRIESTS WITH RESPECT.

LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST

YOU WILL WANT TO LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST WHEN YOU GO TO THE TEMPLE, GOD’S HOME. PREPARE YOURSELF BY BATHING AND PUTTING ON CLEAN CLOTHING. TRADITIONAL DRESS IS BEST – SARIS OR PUNJABIS FOR LADIES, LONG DRESSES FOR GIRLS, AND KURTA SHIRT AND DHOTI OR PANTS FOR MEN AND BOYS. BUT ANY NICE, MODEST CLOTHING SUITABLE FOR SITTING ON THE FLOOR IS ACCEPTABLE.

PREPARE MENTALLY; BRING A GIFT

PREPARE YOUR MIND BY THINKING ABOUT GOD IN ANTICIPATION OF YOUR VISIT. BRING AN OFFERING, SUCH AS FRUITS AND FLOWERS. PROSTRATE AND WALK AROUND THE TEMPLE WHERE POSSIBLE. HANDS PRESSED TOGETHER IN NAMASKARA, GREET THE DEITIES AT THEIR SHRINES, STARTING WITH GANESHA, AND PRESENT YOUR OFFERINGS. INWARDLY FEEL GOD’S UPLIFTING PRESENCE, CALLED SANNIDHYA.

PROSTRATE TO THE DEITY

PROSTRATING IS A TRADITIONAL EXPRESSION OF WORSHIPFUL SURRENDER AND ADORATION. THE FORM OF PROSTRATION DIFFERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN. MEN PERFORM A FULLY PRONE POSE, CALLED ASHTANGA PRANAMA, IN WHICH HANDS, CHEST, FOREHEAD, KNEES AND FEET TOUCH THE GROUND. WOMEN PERFORM A KNEELING POSE, PANCHANGA PRANAMA, IN WHICH HANDS, HEAD AND LEGS TOUCH THE GROUND.

WORSHIP WHOLEHEARTEDLY

ARDENT WORSHIP TAKES MANY FORMS IN A TEMPLE. YOU CAN BE IMMERSED IN THE JOYS OF DEVOTION, IN PRAYERFUL COMMUNION, SEEKING SOLACE FOR A LOSS, SINGING HYMNS, CHANTING MANTRAS OR CELEBRATING A RITE OF PASSAGE. MEDITATION IS APPROPRIATE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE PUJA, AND EMOTION IS NOT OUT OF PLACE. GOD WILL RECEIVE YOUR DEVOTION, HOWEVER YOU OFFER IT.

THERE ARE THREE WORLDS OF EXISTENCE: THE GROSS PLANE WHERE SOULS LIVE IN PHYSICAL BODIES; THE SUBTLE PLANE, WHERE SOULS RESIDE IN ASTRAL BODIES; AND THE CAUSAL, DIVINE PLANE OF GOD AND THE GODS.

ATTENDING THE PUJA CEREMONY

CONDUCTED BY A TRAINED PRIEST CALLED A PUJARI, A HINDU WORSHIP SERVICE OR PUJA, LITERALLY “ADORATION,” IS SIMILAR TO A GRAND RECEPTION FOR A KING. PUJAS CAN LAST FROM TEN MINUTES TO SEVERAL HOURS, BUT ALL FOLLOW ONE BASIC PATTERN. FIRST, THE PUJARI PURIFIES HIMSELF, THE SACRED IMPLEMENTS AND THE PLACE OF WORSHIP. HE CHANTS IN SANSKRIT THE TIME, PLACE AND NATURE OF THIS PARTICULAR PUJA. THROUGH HAND GESTURES (MUDRAS) AND CHANTS, HE BESEECHES THE DEITY TO COME AND DWELL IN THE IMAGE. RINGING A BELL AND CHANTING MANTRAS AND HYMNS FROM THE ANCIENT VEDAS AND AGAMAS, THE PUJARI THEN OFFERS PRECIOUS SUBSTANCES TO THE DEITY, INCLUDING WATER, UNCOOKED RICE WITH TURMERIC POWDER, HOLY ASH, SANDALWOOD PASTE AND KUMKUM. SOMETIMES WATER, SESAME OIL, TURMERIC WATER, SAFFRON, MILK, YOGURT, GHEE, HONEY, LIME JUICE, VIBHUTI, SANDALWOOD PASTE, PANCHAMRITAM (MIXTURE OF FIVE FRUITS), COCONUT WATER AND ROSEWATER ARE POURED OVER THE DEITY IN A RITUAL BATH CALLED ABHISHEKAM. DEVOTEES ARE SEATED DURING MOST OF THE PUJA, IN SOME TRADITIONS, MEN ON THE RIGHT AND WOMEN ON THE LEFT. AFTER ABHISHEKAM, THE DEITY IS DRESSED IN NEW CLOTHES AND BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED WITH FLOWERS. AT THIS POINT, DEVOTEES MAY SING DEVOTIONAL SONGS. AFTER DECORATING THE DEITY, THE PUJARI OFFERS INCENSE, OIL LAMPS AND FOOD. HE OFFERS FLOWERS WHILE CHANTING 108 NAMES OF THE GOD. AT THE HIGH POINT OF THE PUJA, A LARGE, SACRED LAMP IS WAVED BEFORE THE DEITY AND THE TEMPLE BELLS ARE RUNG LOUDLY AS GOD SENDS HIS POWER THROUGH THE HOLY IMAGE OF HIMSELF. WHEN THE LAMP IS LOWERED, EVERYONE PROSTRATES TO THE DIVINE. THE LAMP IS THEN CARRIED OUT TO BLESS THE WORSHIPERS, WHO OFTEN LEAVE A DONATION ON THE TRAY (OR LATER IN THE TEMPLE OFFERING BOX). FINALLY, DEPENDING ON THE TRADITION, SACRAMENTS SUCH AS HOLY ASH, HOLY WATER, SANDALWOOD PASTE, KUMKUM, FRUIT, SWEETS AND FLOWERS ARE PASSED OUT TO BLESS ALL PRESENT. THESE INCLUDE A PORTION OF THE OFFERINGS – FLOWERS, COOKED FOOD AND MORE – BROUGHT BY DEVOTEES. DEVOTEES MAY THEN SIT IN MEDITATION, BASKING IN THE BLESSINGS INVOKED BY THE PUJA.

PARTAKING OF THE SACRED FLAME

THE SACRAMENTAL LAMP WHICH HAS JUST BEEN OFFERED AT THE HIGH POINT OF THE PUJA IS SOMETIMES PASSED AMONG THE DEVOTEES. THE DEVAS CAN SEE AND BLESS YOU THROUGH THIS FLAME AS IT LIGHTS UP YOUR FACE. SOMETIMES YOU, TOO, CAN GLIMPSE INTO THEIR WORLD. WHEN THE PRIEST COMES TO YOU WITH THE LAMP, HOLD YOUR HANDS A FEW INCHES APART WITH YOUR PALMS DOWN. REACH OUT AND PASS BOTH HANDS DEVOUTLY OVER THE FLAME. THEN BRING YOUR HANDS BACK, TURN YOUR PALMS TOWARD YOUR FACE AND TOUCH YOUR EYES WITH YOUR FINGERTIPS TO RECEIVE THE DEITY’S BLESSINGS. AT LORD VISHNU’S SHRINE, THE PRIEST MAY BRING OUT THE SILVER OR GOLD CROWN OF THE DEITY AND LIGHTLY TOUCH IT TO THE HEAD OF EACH DEVOTEE AS A PERSONAL BLESSING.

RECEIVING HOLY ASH & WATER

A SACRAMENT OFFERED IN MANY TEMPLES IS HOLY ASH, VIBHUTI, BY BURNING DRIED COW DUNG CAKES WITH GHEE, FLOWERS, YOGURT AND AND OTHER INGREDIENTS. IT SYMBOLIZES THE PURITY WE ATTAIN BY BURNING THE BONDS OF EGO, KARMA AND MAYA TO REVEAL THE SOUL’S NATURAL GOODNESS. THE PRIEST WILL PUT A PINCH OF ASH INTO YOUR RIGHT PALM. (ACCEPT ALL OFFERINGS WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND.) TRANSFER THE VIBHUTI INTO YOUR LEFT PALM, THEN APPLY IT TO YOUR FOREHEAD USING YOUR RIGHT HAND, GENERALLY THREE BROAD STRIPES FOR MEN, ONE SHORT STROKE FOR LADIES. NEXT, A SMALL SPOONFUL OF HOLY WATER, OR TIRTHAM, IS PLACED INTO YOUR CUPPED RIGHT HAND, WHICH YOU THEN SIP, AFTERWARDS TOUCHING THE RIGHT PALM TO THE CROWN OF YOUR HEAD.

ACCEPTING OTHER SACRAMENTS

CHANDANAM, OR SANDALWOOD PASTE, IS A TRADITIONAL PRECIOUS SUBSTANCE, VALUED FOR ITS WONDERFUL SCENT. A SMALL DAB IS PLACED IN YOUR HAND BY THE PRIEST, WHICH YOU TRANSFER TO YOUR LEFT PALM WITH A WIPING MOTION. DIP YOUR RIGHT-HAND RING FINGER INTO THE PASTE AND APPLY IT WITH A SMALL CIRCULAR MOTION BETWEEN THE EYEBROWS. KUMKUM, A RED POWDER, IS NEXT. THE PRIEST WILL EITHER PLACE A SMALL PINCH IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR INVITE YOU TO TAKE SOME FROM THE CONTAINER WHICH HE HOLDS FOR YOU. APPLY THE KUMKUM ON TOP OF THE SANDALWOOD, CREATING A DOT, BINDI, WHICH REPRESENTS THE THIRD EYE OF SPIRITUAL SEEING.

INTERNALIZING YOUR WORSHIP

THE BHAKTI OF UNCOMPROMISING SURRENDER, PRAPATTI, TO THE GOD DURING A TEMPLE PUJA AWAKENS THE AMRITA. THE AMRITA IS THE SWEET ESSENCE FROM THE SAHASRARA CHAKRA. IT IS THE BINDING YOKE TO THE DIVINE. SIT DOWN IN THE LOTUS POSTURE AFTER THE PUJA AND INTERNALIZE ALL THE FEELING THAT YOU HAD FOR THE GOD DURING THE WORSHIP. DRAW INTO YOURSELF THE PRANAS YOU FEEL AROUND YOUR BODY. THEN DRAW THOSE ENERGIES UP THE SPINE INTO THE HEAD. THIS IS DONE WITH THE MIND AND WITH THE BREATH. DEVOTEES WHO WANT TO AWAKEN THE HIGHER CHAKRAS AND SUSTAIN THAT AWAKENING ON THE SAFE PATH WILL THROW THEMSELVES INTO BECOMING UNCOMPROMISING BHAKTARS.

INVOKING SPECIAL BLESSINGS

AN ARCHANA IS A SHORT PUJA FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, USUALLY DONE AFTER THE MAIN PUJA. IT IS A WAY OF ASKING GOD FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC, SUCH AS SUCCESS IN SCHOOL OR BUSINESS, OR TO EXPRESS THANKS FOR GOOD FORTUNE. INFORM THE PRIEST THAT YOU WANT AN ARCHANA. YOU SHOULD BRING FRUIT AND FLOWERS, AS WELL AS THE ARCHANA FEE, ON AN OFFERING TRAY, WHICH CAN ALSO HAVE A COCONUT, INCENSE, KUMKUM, CAMPHOR AND SANDALWOOD PASTE. AS YOU STAND BEFORE THE SHRINE, THE PRIEST WILL ASK YOUR NAME, GOTRA (FAMILY LINEAGE), AND NAKSHATRA (BIRTHSTAR). DURING THE ARCHANA, PRAY FOR YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS. AFTERWARDS THE PRIEST WILL RETURN PART OF YOUR BLESSED OFFERINGS TO TAKE HOME.

CELEBRATING RITES OF PASSAGE

A CENTRAL PART OF EVERY HINDU’S LIFE, SAMSKARAS ARE SACRED RITES OF PASSAGE. YOU CAN ARRANGE FOR A SAMSKARA WITH THE TEMPLE PRIEST. THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THESE RITES, WHICH USUALLY INCLUDE A PUJA AND HOMA, OR FIRE CEREMONY. THE PRIEST WILL SET AN AUSPICIOUS TIME, EXPLAIN HOW TO PREPARE AND WHAT TO BRING, AS WELL AS WHAT YOU DO DURING THE CEREMONY. THE PRINCIPAL SAMSKARAS HELD IN TEMPLES, HOMES OR HALLS ARE: NAME-GIVING (11 TO 41 DAYS OLD FOR A CHILD, OR ANYTIME FOR AN ADULT ENTERING HINDUISM); FIRST SOLID FOOD (6 MONTHS OLD); EAR-PIERCING (1, 3 OR 5 YEARS OLD); HEAD SHAVING (1 TO 4 YEARS OLD); FIRST LEARNING (4 YEARS OLD); INITIATION INTO VEDIC STUDY (9 TO 15 YEARS OLD); MARRIAGE AND FUNERAL.

RELIGION IS THE HARMONIOUS WORKING TOGETHER OF THE THREE WORLDS. THIS HARMONY CAN BE CREATED THROUGH TEMPLE WORSHIP, WHEREIN THE BEINGS OF ALL THREE WORLDS CAN COMMUNICATE

FREE WILL AND SURRENDER TO THE DIVINE

AS WE COME CLOSER TO THE WONDERFUL GODS OF HINDUISM, WE COME TO LOVE THEM IN A NATURAL WAY, TO BE GUIDED BY THEM AND TO DEPEND ON THEM MORE THAN WE DEPEND ON OURSELVES. THE EXUBERANT ENTHUSIASM SO PREVALENT IN THE WEST, OF HOLDING TO AN EXISTENTIAL INDEPENDENCE AND EXPRESSING AN AUTONOMOUS WILL TO WIELD THE DIRECTION OF OUR LIVES, LOSES ITS FASCINATION AS WE MATURE WITHIN THE STEADY RADIANCE OF THESE GODS AND BEGIN TO REALIZE THE DIVINE PURPOSE OF OUR EARTHLY SOJOURN.

ONE MIGHT ASK HOW THE HINDU CAN BECOME SO INVOLVED IN THE LOVE OF THE GODS THAT HE IS BEHOLDEN TO THEIR WILL. SIMILARLY, ONE MIGHT ASK HOW DOES ANYONE BECOME SO INVOLVED AND IN LOVE WITH HIS MOTHER AND FATHER, TRUSTING THEIR GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION, THAT HE IS BEHOLDEN TO THEM? IT WORKS THE SAME WAY. WHERE YOU FIND THE HINDU FAMILY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER AND HAPPY, YOU FIND THEM CLOSE TO THE GODS. WHERE THEY ARE NOT CLOSE, AND LIVE IN A FRACTURED OR BROKEN HOME, THE GODS WILL UNFORTUNATELY HAVE BEEN EXILED FROM THEIR LIVES. THEY WILL NOT BE INVOKED, AND PERHAPS NOT EVEN BELIEVED IN.

MANY THINK THAT THE ULTIMATE DEVOTION, CALLED PRAPATTI IN SANSKRIT, MEANS GIVING UP THEIR WILLPOWER, THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND THEIR JUDGMENT. THIS IS NOT THE MEANING OF PRAPATTI AT ALL. NOT AT ALL. I SHALL GIVE AN EXAMPLE. PEOPLE WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY OTHERS WORK WITH FULL ENERGY AND VIGOR, UTILIZING ALL THEIR SKILLS ON THE JOB, DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. THEY GIVE OF THEIR TALENTS AND ENERGIES FREELY, BUT THEY DO HOLD BACK SOME OF THE ENERGIES AND FIGHT WITHIN THEMSELVES. THIS IS CALLED RESISTANCE. THAT RESISTANCE IS WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER ON THE ALTAR OF PURIFICATION. GETTING RID OF RESISTANCE, TO BE ABLE TO FLOW WITH THE RIVER OF LIFE, IS WHAT PRAPATTI IS ALL ABOUT. PRAPATTI IS FREEDOM. THIS TRULY IS FREE WILL. FREE WILL IS NOT AN OBSTINATE WILL, AN OPPOSITE FORCE INVOKED FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE PERSONAL EGO. THIS IS WILLFULNESS, NOT FREE WILL. FREE WILL IS TOTAL, INTELLIGENT COOPERATION, TOTAL MERGING OF THE INDIVIDUAL MIND WITH THAT OF ANOTHER, OR OF A GROUP. . IN RELIGIOUS LIFE, WE MUST HAVE PRAPATTI TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY, WHICH MEANS GETTING RID OF OUR RESISTANCE.

THERE ARE VARIOUS FORMS OF FREE WILL. THERE IS FREE WILL OF THE EGO, OR THE INSTINCTIVE MIND, THERE IS FREE WILL OF THE INTELLECT THAT HAS BEEN EDUCATED IN DHARMA, AND THERE IS FREE WILL OF THE INTUITION. FOR MANY, FREE WILL IS AN EXPRESSION OF THE LITTLE EGO, WHICH OFTEN ENTANGLES THEM MORE IN THE WORLD OF MAYA. FOR ME, TRUE FREE WILL MEANS THE DHARMIC WILL THAT IS DIVINE AND GUIDED BY THE SUPERCONSCIOUS. IN REALITY, ONLY THIS KIND OF WILL MAKES YOU FREE.

YOU MIGHT ASK HOW YOU CAN LOVE SOMETHING YOU CANNOT SEE. YET, THE GODS CAN BE AND ARE SEEN BY MATURE SOULS THROUGH AN INNER PERCEPTION THEY HAVE AWAKENED. THIS PSYCHIC AWAKENING IS THE FIRST INITIATION INTO RELIGION. EVERY HINDU DEVOTEE CAN SENSE THE GODS, EVEN IF HE CANNOT YET INWARDLY SEE THEM. THIS IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUBTLE FEELING NATURE. HE CAN FEEL THE PRESENCE OF THE GODS WITHIN THE TEMPLE, AND HE CAN INDIRECTLY SEE THEIR INFLUENCE IN HIS LIFE.

PRAY FIRST TO GANESHA. WHEN IN THE TEMPLE, TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN SIMPLE WAYS, SWEEPING THE FLOOR, POLISHING THE BRASS, MAKING FLOWER GARLANDS.

DURING THE PUJA, FOCUS ON THE ACTS OF WORSHIP, RATHER THAN LETTING YOUR MIND WANDER. LEARN THE INNER MEANING OF WHAT THE PRIEST IS DOING AND FOLLOW ALONG.

GO INTO THE TEMPLE AS YOU WOULD APPROACH A GREAT KING, A GOVERNOR, A PRESIDENT OF A GREAT REALM, ANTICIPATING, WITH A LITTLE TREPIDATION, YOUR AUDIENCE WITH HIM.

Significance of Going to the Temple

Why do we go to temples?

What is there in those structures that benefits us?

Why, then, do we have to visit temples every week?

If you ask anybody these questions, the answers often will be very subjective. “I get a lot of peace in a temple”, “My parents have asked me to go there”, “It’s supposed to be good” – these are the common answers you are likely to receive.

That’s because the correct answers have not been passed over from generation to generation. Information has been lost; as a result, we do things simply because they have been told to us, and without understanding why we do them.

A temple is the focus for all aspects of everyday life in the community – religious, cultural, educational and social. It is also the place where one can transcend the world of man. Our lives are merely stages in the progression to ultimate enlightenment. The temple is a place where it is believed that God may be approached and where divine knowledge can be discovered. All aspects of the temple – the principles of design and construction, the forms of its architecture and decoration, and the rituals performed – focus on the goal of enlightenment and liberation. And all of these are determined by ancient texts or shastras.

The temple is also an embodiment of the concept of energy which I have been mentioning. When we pray – it could be in the form of reciting mantras, or singing bhajans, or meditating – a surge of energy is created. In a temple, the intention of all devotees is common – to be united with God. When so many people think of a common goal and then take steps to create positivity, there is a lot of positive energy generated.

Positive energy is light and tends to rise. The purpose of a temple is to store this energy and hence the dome or vimana of the temple is constructed to do precisely that. Also, notice that the entrance to the garba griha or the sanctum sanctorum is low. All this is an effort to prevent the energy so generated, from escaping. The aarti is again a ritual which whips up energy. The camphor and ghee have particular properties which expedite the process.

The temple bell, which does the function of a doorbell – you are supposed to be ringing the bell before entering the abode of God – actually is a device which when rung creates vibrations to prevent the energy in the temple from remaining static. Even in our houses, it is advised to clap at the corners or in unfrequented areas like the attic. This is to keep the energy moving. Cobwebs trap energy. That’s the reason we are advised to clean them up. Incense does the same function, or increasing and activating energy. The dhoop available in the market, is also used for this job.

These same principles apply to other religious institutions as well. The effort is to increase positivity and retain it in order for the devotees to gain benefit from it. When you go to an energy-charged temple, the energy washes you and you come out cleaned.

Generally, the temples are located in a place where earth’s magnetic wave path densely passes through. It can be either in the out skirt of the town/village or city or even in middle of the dwelling place, or on a hilltop. The essence of visiting a temple is considered as the most auspicious act, one must pay twice a day visit on daily basis to the Temples located nearby places. In simple terms, these temples are located strategic to a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. Because of its location where high magnetic values are available, the Main Idol is placed in the core center, and also because they place a copper plate written with some Vedic scripts, which is buried, beneath the Main Idol’s placement known as “Garbhagriha” or Moolasthan (Sanctum Santorum), the copper absorbs the earth’s magnetic waves and radiates to the surroundings.

Thus, a person who regularly visit temple and circumambulates the Main Idol automatically receive the beamed magnetic values absorbed in their body. This is very slow and a regular visit will make them absorb more and more energy, which is scientifically known as positive energy. In addition, the Sanctum sanctorum is completely enclosed on three sides, thereby the effect of all energies will be very high. The lamp that is lit radiates the heat and light energy. The ringing of the bells and the chanting of prayers gives the sound energy.

The fragrance from the flowers, the burning of camphor gives out the chemical energy. The effect of all these energies is activated by the positive energy that comes out of the idol. This is in addition to the north/south pole magnetic energy that is absorbed by the copper plate and utensils that are kept in the Moolasthan known as grabagraham. The water is used for the Pooja is mixed with Cardamom, Benzoine, Holy Basil (Tulsi), Clove, etc. are mixed that is known as “Theertham”. This water becomes more energized because it receives the positiveness of all these energies combined. When persons go to the temple for the Deepaaraadhana, when the doors open up, the positive energy gushes out onto the persons. The water that is sprinkled onto the people passes on the energy to all.

That is the reason why in South India the men are not allowed to wear shirts inside the temple and ladies have to wear more ornaments while their visit to temple, it is through these jewels (metal) the positive energy passes through to their body . It is also proved that Theertham is a very good blood purifier, as it is highly energized. Hence it is given as Prasadam to the devotees.The energy which we have lost in a day’s work can be regained in this way and one gets being refreshed slightly. The positive energy that is spread out in the entire temple and especially around where the main idol is placed, are simply absorbed in one’s body and mind, for those who circumambulate. In addition to it, at the temples they offer holy water as theertha in spoons. This water is the main a source of magneto therapy kind because usually they place the copper water vessel at the Garbhagriha. It also contains the values of cardamom, clove, saffron, etc to add taste and Tulsi (holy Basil) leaves are put into the water to increase its medicinal value!

The clove essence protects one from tooth decay, the saffron & Tulsi leave essence protects one from common cold and cough, cardamom and benzoine known as Pachha Karpuram, acts as a mouth refreshing agents. This way, one’s health is also protected, by regularly visiting the Temples. The entire thing just become more energized locally, that the visit and consuming the holy water and the other offerings are worth for the visitor’s health and longevity.

Why do we need Hindu Priest?

How did Hindu priests originate?

If you read the texts of Jainism, you will find a different description of the origin of Hindu priests there. If you read Buddhist scriptures, there is a different description for Hindu Priest. But the best is found only in Vedas and Smritis. In Hindu rituals, All the tirthas on the earth are found in the sea and all the tirthas in the sea area on the Hindu priest’s right foot. The four Vedas are in his mouth. All the deities take shelter in the limb. Therefore, there is such a belief that by worshiping a Indian priest, all the gods are worshiped. Hindu pandit on the earth is considered to be Vishnu Swarup, therefore whoever desires welfare should never insult and hate Brahmins. The child of a Hindu priest should be considered a Hindu pandit from birth. The noun “Dvij” is derived from the sacraments, the name “Vipra” is derived from Vidyadhyayan. Those who are purified from Vedas, mantras, and Puranas due to Tirtha Snanadi.bHas become pious, that Brahmin is considered supremely revered.

As per Hindu religion, The whole world is under the gods and the gods are under the mantras and the mantras are under the Hindu priests. This is also a major reason why a Hindu priest is considered a deity.

At the heart of which is devotion to the master, deity, parents, and guest. One who leads others on the path of devotion, one who always narrates Puranas and preaches Dharma. In the scriptures, it is said that the fruit of Ashwamedha Yajnas is obtained from the philosophy of such a Hindu priest.

According to the mythology, once grandfather Bhishma Ji asked Pulastya ji, O Guruvar! How can man attain divinity, happiness, kingdom, wealth, fame, victory, enjoyment, health, age, knowledge, Lakshmi, son, brotherhood, and all kinds of Mars?

Then Pulastya Ji answered his question and said, Rajan! On this earth, a priest is always endowed with the virtues of knowledge and so on. In all three worlds and in every age, Vipradev is considered to be eternally holy. IndianHindu priest is also the god of gods. There is no one else in the world like him. He is the idol of Sakshat Dharma and is going to pave the way for salvation to all. The Hindu pandit is the Guru, the Revered, and the Pilgrim of all people. In the past, Naradaji had asked Bramhaji. Brahman! Lord Lakshmipati is pleased to worship whom. So Brahma Ji spoke, on which Hindu Pandit are pleased, Lord Vishnu Ji also becomes pleased. Therefore, the man who serves Brahman definitely gets Parabrahma Paramatma. The body of a Hindu priest is always the abode of Sri Vishnu. Those who worship Hindu priests every day through charity, value, and service, etc., perform the ritual of one hundred Ashwamedha Yajnas with the best Dakshina according to the Manon classical method.

The Indian priest who came to his house does not return disappointed, all his sins are destroyed. The wealth that is donated to a deserving Hindu Pandit in the holy country period is inexhaustible. He bears fruit in the incarnations, Hindu priest’s worshiper is never poor, miserable, and sick.

Lord Krishna, the guardian of the world, the cow, the protector of the Hindu priest, worships Kotish. In the holy feet of that Hindu priest whose footsteps God wears on His bosom, we have millions of prostrations. Hindu priest is the name of the power born of chanting, Hindu Pandit s the abode of devotion born of renunciation.

The name of lighting the lamp of Brahmanical knowledge is,

It is the work of spreading the light of Brahmanical knowledge.

Hindu priest is a way of living with self-esteem,

Hindu priest is a unique and indelible part of creation.

Hindu priest Vikral is the art of drinking halal,

Hindu pandit has grown up by overcoming difficult struggles.

Hindu priest is the light of knowledge, devotion, renunciation, all-purpose,

Hindu priest is the sky of power, skill, manliness.

A Hindu Pandit is neither a person bound by religion nor caste,

Hindu priest is the real God in human form.

A Hindu priest is also known as ‘Purohit’ or ‘Pandit’ has many responsibilities whenever they are responsible for performing rituals, ceremonies like wedding, Grih Pravesh puja, Satyanarayan Katha, astrology, Gayatri havan, and always follow the instructions of temple rituals. Thus it has become very common that during every puja a Hindu Pandit is been called to perform all the rituals.

Here are some roles and responsibilities of Hindu Pandit which one must know:-

Faith – Hindu priest are the most resourceful person when comes to spiritual knowledge. It is important that all the Hindu Pandits must be well versed with Sanskrit language and also read the Vedas well.

Hindu priest should also be able to recite the mantras which are in the Sanskrit language. The blessings from the priest are also considered to be sacred in many Hindu communities. The Hindu priests also spread the faith of Hinduism among many communities.

Rituals – Most of the Hindu Pandits performs puja every day or several times on one particular day. There are many Hindu rituals which get included in puja but all the pujas do not have same Hindu rituals. The Hindu priest knows very well that in what puja what Hindu rituals are performed. The priests when does pujas in the temples rings the temple bells and chants mantras to worship Gods.

Ceremonies that Hindu priests performs – It is said that all the auspicious ceremony rituals are performed by the Hindu priests such as wedding, Grih pravesh puja, Satyanarayan katha, astrology, gayatri havan. This ceremony signifies the coming of a young Hindu man in the family. Apart from these specified ceremonies, there are other Hindu rituals which the priests performs all the year round.

Responsibilities in Temples of Hindu priest –

In temples you find many Hindu priests who every day offers worship to Gods and also it is the responsibility of the Hindu Pandits that they take care the temples and maintain them systematically. They look after the temple altar and also as they are very well educated so they also gave the responsibility to write the newsletters for the temple. Not only this, many Hindu priests also offer religious classes to the followers of Gods.

When saints don’t know anything about Vedas or dharma They request God Please guide us or help us then God is given true knowledge about dharma. to all saints Then they start writing and created, books, Puran, Vedas, scripture, etc… In old days Guru, Saint, and brahman Have good knowledge about dharma.

Because they are very close with God. and doing prayers, Havan, Puja path, Yatra,anusthan, meditation, yoga, Always follow God’s guidance, and doing the right things.

What is the meaning of Bhudev?

Bhumi na devta, Means bhrahman devta. If you do any good religious ceremony properly with good explanation You will gain good knowledge about dharma, religion, And after the ceremony Please take good Blessings from Hindu priest or Brahman. All your dreams come true. If you do any religious ceremony. do it with a good heart, have faith in God, and trust. all your problems will go away. If you have any questions or problems please speak to the Hindu priest he will also guide you and give you a good solution.

What is the Significance of going to Temples?

We all have been to temples numerous times, but have you ever tried to understand the significance of going to temples? Some of the basic rules and norms that has been embedded in our minds right from childhood include dress modestly, remove your shoes before entering the temple, bring all your problems but leave food and improper behavior outside, never sit with your feet pointing toward the deity, mute your cell phone, men and women need to sit separately and should enjoy a spiritual time in the holy sanctuary.

Origin of Temples

Going back to the history, the ancient period is divided into four stages and is called as the Krta, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. The Krta also known as the Satya Yuga was called the golden age or the age of truth where there was no malice, deceit and had only righteousness. They all believed that there was only one god who lived among the humans. Then came the Treta Yuga where righteousness deteriorated by one fourth and here the main virtue was to acquire knowledge. They considered that god was a scarce entity and would descend to earth only when men invoked them in rituals and sacrifices. During the third division of time called the Dvapara Yuga, righteousness existed only in half the amount and eventually misery, disease, caste came into existence. The presence of god multiplied and each individual started forming groups and having their own images of god. However Kaliyuga is the present age of mankind. It is said that this age began at midnight between February 17 and 18, 3102 BC with righteousness being only one tenth. It is the time of anger, lust, pride, discord and there is very little room for true worship and sacrifice. Individuals are more involved with materialistic satisfaction and sexual desires.

Temples appeared during Kali Yuga. During this phase temples were built and icons were installed however, the gods ceased to come down. In contrast to the previous periods where the gods were available to all the individuals equally, in Kaliyuga only the priests who belong to the traditional hierarchy of professional worshipers and at the same time competent individuals could compel the presence of the almighty.

It is quite fascinating to note that both temple and contemplate came from the same origin from the Roman word “templum” which means a sacred enclosure. At the end of it all we have eventually lost the divine who resided amongst us during the Krta Yuga which is the same as saying that once man was divine himself.

Architecture

Temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as “*Garbhagriha*” or *Moolasthanam*. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This *Moolasthanam* is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the *shlokas*. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.

Most of the temples also called as Mandirs are built in accordance to the ancient scriptures by skilled Indian architects. The ideal temple has certain features like a central sanctum that enshrines the main deity. Other deities in the pantheon are represented by Murtis in secondary sanctums. Cultural and social activities are provided in separate facilities, trained and ordained priests perform the daily rituals. The very first step towards construction of a temple is the selection of an ideal land. It is said that the god always plays where groves, rivers, mountains, springs are near. And hence many of the ancient surviving temples in India were built in the lush valleys and groves where it is considered perfect for the residence of the god. Another important thing is the existence of water. Water is considered as a purifying and a fertilizing element and if not available it must be present in atleast a symbolic representation in the Hindu temples.

The Need to go to Temple

The one and only god: It is believed that according to the Hindu  mythology there are nearly 330 million gods. Though a majority of the Hindus believe in one Supreme Being, gods are considered as divine creations of that one being. These Mahadevas are considered to think and feel way beyond the restricted thoughts and feelings of the human mind. However just like how we like to believe that Hinduism has only one god ,but it has many gods, it is just only for a few of them for whom temples are built and pujas are done regularly. According to contemporary Hinduism some of the most prominent gods who are worshiped are Ganesha, Shiva, Murugan, Vishnu, Shakthi. Some of the other deities for whom daily ceremonies are done at the home include the Brahma, Surya, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Agni, Chandra. Following the traditional pathway it is observed that the Hindus develop an Ishta Devata ,a personal deity from the many Hindu gods mainly according to the devotees family background or some sort of closeness to one form of divine feeling. However, inspite of having a personal deity there is no sense of conflict to those who worship another deity. This profound understanding and acceptance helps in accommodating different approaches to the divine and at the same time enabling different gods to be worshiped by people within the same temple premises. Some individuals may develop a liking to a particular god based on one‘s own spiritual thoughts and inner needs.

Inner awareness: it is often noticed that after visiting a Hindu temple and receiving the darshan from the majestic gods, it can alter the life. It brings an inner peace to the whole body, mind and soul and alters the flow of the pranas or the life currents in the body. It alters the beliefs and attitudes though the change might be slow and gradual and may take even months together after his visit to the temple to understand the change in onself.  During this period the devotee tends to love the deity more and try and come closer to the supreme while at the same time they tend to believe that the Mahadeva will be there to help and guide his evolutionary pattern of life. According to the ancient science it is believed that obtaining darshan from the great temples of our gods can in fact change the pattern of our karma during our past lives which are seeds now that waiting to be manifested in the future. With the ultimate blessing of the almighty it is considered that these seeds can be removed if the manifestation in the future is not going to enhance the evolution of the soul.

Communication with the world: There are 3 worlds according to Hinduism. The first one being the physical universe, the second is the astral plane where the angels, devas and the spirits reside and third world is the  spiritual world of the deities, the gods. These inner worlds inspire a man to love and devotion which is an extremely wonderful feeling and evolution. It is here in the temple where all the 3 worlds meet and the devotee gets to invoke the gods. A temple is considered as a palace, a sacred place for the visible existence of the divine  and that is exactly why  it was preached by our ancestors to approach a temple in a very sensitive way as it is here where the god resides. They believed that these Mahadevas are the ones who work and live to protect , guide ,open new ways in our lives, remove evil thoughts from our lives .The Divya Darshan that we get can be felt by all devotees and that feeling becomes stronger and more defined as the devotion gets perfect. With the help of this  darshan , there can be a channelizing of the vibratory emanations that radiate from the Mahadevas.

A solution for everything: during the ancient age most of the people always wished to have a house near the temple so that they could visit it frequently. It might sound a little ridiculous to the present generations but they believed that when they went to the temple and came back their mind gets filled with the enormous shakthi or power of the deity literally in every nerve and cell of their body. And when they get back home and light an oil lamp it helps to bring the power of the temple into the home. They considered that in this way they could bring the second world inside their house too and perhaps help bless the rest of the family members who were not able to go to the temple. A lot of devotees enter the temple with a mind filled with sorrows and misery and telepathically communicates it with the god and leave with a ray of hope in their mind. Eventually they tend to forget about their prayer but later when they look back and realize that their problem has vanished. Here lies the question – was their prayer answered by the god who removed all their sorrow or was it something that would have happened even other ways. But the trust and love for the god by the devotees have taken the root where he brings god into his secular affairs and the gods are bringing him into their celestial sphere and enriching his soul with love, energy and radiance.

Puja: the depiction of the god either in the form of a stone, metal, simply marks the place where god will manifest. It would be nice to consider it as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the god. Just like how humans take up one body and then another during the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, just like that even gods go into a period of subtle inhabitation for a brief span of time. On performing pujas which is a religious ritual it is possible to attract the attention of the devas and mahadevas. That is exactly why we do pujas to enhance the communication  which becomes charged or magnetized through our devotional thoughts and feelings and at the same time radiate and affect the surrounding environment. Even chanting the mantras, satsangas or ceremonial rituals all helps to sanctify the process at which gods are drawn ,welcomed to dwell and stay there for a long period of time. The altar takes on a certain power and for this to happen the place must be extremely pure and undisturbed. This makes us feel the purity when we enter a holy place, it gives a feeling of the presence of the divine lord and the radiation from them can also be experienced.

It is quite natural to doubt the real existence of god especially if one is influenced by the western world thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. There is always a constant search for proof to know the existence of god and his wonderful miracles. However, it is believed that the rishis, saints have found a close and enduring relationship with the gods who have been there always to protect the mankind. It is understood and have been learnt from experience from many that it is through their sanction only all things tend to continue and through their will that things tend to cease, because of his grace all good things happen to people. Ultimately everything happens for the good and for a purpose is what we have all learnt to believe.

The Importance of Temples in Hinduism: A Gateway to the Divine

As one of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism is steeped in tradition and rituals that date back thousands of years. At the heart of these traditions lies the temple, a sacred space where devotees come to worship and connect with the divine. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of temples in Hinduism, examining their role in shaping the religion and the lives of its followers.

The Importance of Temples in Hinduism

Temples are integral to the practice of Hinduism, providing a physical space for devotees to connect with their gods and goddesses. They are a place of worship, contemplation, and community, and serve as a gateway to the divine.

Understanding Hinduism

Before delving into the significance of temples in Hinduism, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the religion itself. Hinduism is a complex and diverse faith, with roots that stretch back to ancient India.Key elements of Hinduism include the belief in reincarnation, the concept of karma as a governing principle, and the recognition of numerous deities.

Unlike many other religions, Hinduism does not have a single founder or scripture. Instead, it is a collection of beliefs and practices that have evolved over time, influenced by the region, culture, and traditions of its followers.

The Role of Temples in Hinduism

In Hinduism, temples serve as the physical manifestation of the divine, a place where devotees can come to offer prayers and seek blessings. They are seen as a sacred space, a place where the boundary between the material and spiritual worlds is blurred.

Temples are often constructed in areas of natural beauty, such as mountains, rivers, and forests, emphasizing the connection between the divine and the natural world. They are also designed to reflect the beliefs and traditions of the region in which they are built.

The Importance of Temples in Hinduism

Temples play a crucial role in the practice of Hinduism, serving as a focal point for religious and social activities. They provide a space for devotees to come together in worship and community, fostering a sense of belonging and connection.

Through their rituals and ceremonies, temples offer a means of connecting with the divine, helping devotees to deepen their spiritual practice and cultivate a sense of inner peace and harmony.

The Significance of Temple Architecture

The design and architecture of Hindu temples are deeply symbolic, reflecting the beliefs and traditions of the religion. They are often characterized by intricate carvings, elaborate decorations, and ornate sculptures, each with its own symbolic meaning.

For example, the towering gopuram, or gateway, that marks the entrance to many South Indian temples is believed to symbolize the gateway to the divine. The mandapam, or hall, where devotees gather for worship, is often designed to resemble a cosmic structure, representing the universe itself.

The Importance of Rituals and Offerings

Central to the practice of Hinduism are the rituals and offerings made at temples. These may include the lighting of incense, the offering of flowers and food, and the recitation of mantras and prayers.

Through these acts of devotion, devotees seek to connect with the divine and receive blessings in return. They also serve as a means of expressing gratitude and humility, reminding devotees of their place in the larger cosmic order.

FAQs

Why are temples important in Hinduism?

Temples serve as a physical manifestation of the divine, offering a space for devotees to worship and connect with their gods and goddesses. They also play a crucial role in fostering community and social connection among followers of the religion.

How are Hindu temples different from other places of worship?

Hindu temples are characterized by their intricate architecture

and design, which are deeply symbolic and reflective of the beliefs and traditions of the religion. Unlike other places of worship, such as churches or mosques, temples are often located in areas of natural beauty and are designed to integrate with their surroundings, emphasizing the connection between the divine and the natural world.

What rituals and offerings are made at Hindu temples?

Rituals and offerings at Hindu temples can vary depending on the region and tradition. They may include the lighting of incense, the offering of flowers and food, the recitation of mantras and prayers, and the performance of puja, a ritual that involves offering prayers and performing worship.

Can non-Hindus visit Hindu temples?

Yes, many Hindu temples welcome visitors of all faiths. However, it’s important to respect the customs and traditions of the temple, including dress codes, removing shoes before entering the sanctum sanctorum, and refraining from taking photographs or videos during worship.

Why do Hindus go to temples?

Hindus go to temples to seek blessings from their gods and goddesses, to deepen their spiritual practice, and to connect with their community. Temples offer a space for worship, reflection, and contemplation, helping devotees to cultivate a sense of inner peace and harmony.

What is the significance of temple festivals in Hinduism?

Temple festivals are an important part of Hindu religious and cultural life. They typically involve elaborate rituals, processions, and offerings, and are often accompanied by music, dance, and other forms of celebration. Temple festivals provide a means of connecting with the divine and fostering a sense of community and belonging among followers of the religion.

How can one benefit from visiting a Hindu temple?

Visiting a Hindu temple can offer a range of benefits, including spiritual nourishment, community connection, and a sense of inner peace and harmony. Temples provide a space for worship, reflection, and contemplation, helping devotees to deepen their spiritual practice and cultivate a sense of connection with the divine.

Conclusion

In Hinduism, temples are much more than mere places of worship. They are a physical manifestation of the divine, a gateway to the spiritual realm, and a means of fostering community and connection among followers of the religion. Through their rituals and ceremonies, their architecture and design, and their role in social and cultural life, temples play a vital role in shaping the religious and spiritual lives of Hindus around the world.

Educational Insight: Visiting a Hindu Temple

A Beginner’s Guide

 Be they luxurious palaces, rustic warehouses, simple halls or stone sanctuaries, Hindu temples are springing up all over the world, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Yet outside of India and a few places like Sri Lanka, Nepal an∫d Bali, what happens inside these temples remains a mystery—to young generations of Hindus as well as to curious newcomers. It’s all a bit intimidating at first. This Insight is designed to answer the common questions that arise: Why are temples important? What are the customs and protocols, the dos and don’ts? What atti¬tudes should one hold inside? Do all those rituals have a meaning? What is the priest chanting? All these musings and more are addressed here to help new¬comers—both Hindus and non-Hindus—enjoy and benefit from their temple visits.

This special Educational Insight was inspired by and produced expressly for the Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference

QUICK START…

Dress modestly, no shorts or short skirts. Remove shoes before entering. Be respectful of God and the Gods. Bring your problems, prayers or sorrows but leave food and improper manners outside. Do not enter the shrines without invitation or sit with your feet pointing toward the Deities or another person. Refrain from gossip and worldly talk. Mute your cell phone. Treat the priests with respect and obey visitor signs. Men and women avoid hugging and other demonstrations of affection, and usually sit separately. Enjoy a spiritual time in this holy sanctuary.

WHY ARE TEMPLES NEEDED?

A few years ago at a temple in Australia, while I was chatting with sons and daughters of key members, one youth challenged: “Swamiji, since God is omnipresent, what is the need to build large temples to worship Him? The cost of construction is large, plus then you have the ongoing cost of monthly maintenance that has to be met. Couldn’t all that money be spent in a better way?”

“Good question!” I responded. “Yes, it is true that God is everywhere, permeating everything, including this room. By looking intently around us, we should be able to experience God, right? But look around you now. How many of you can see God?” They all smiled and admitted they could not. I continued: “Practically speaking, God’s omnipresence is at a very subtle level, too subtle for most of us to experience without a lot of experience in meditation.”

That’s how I explain the need for the Hindu temple: it is a special space in which the inner and outer worlds commune and we can experience Divinity. If we want to see a distant galaxy, we can go to an observatory and look through a powerful telescope. To see into the nucleus of a cell, we go to a laboratory and use a microscope. Similarly, to know God, we can go to the temple and experience Divinity through the sanctified murti. Temples are especially sacred for three reasons: construction, consecration and continuous daily worship.

Hereditary temple architects, known as sthapatis, are commissioned to design and construct the temple according to the sacred architecture found in the Agamic scriptures. Consecration occurs through the powerful ceremony of kumbhabhishekam, with many priests performing elaborate rituals for several days. Then begins the perpetual schedule of obligatory pujas conducted by highly trained priests. These daily pujas sustain and build on the power set in motion at the kumbhabhishekam.

HINDU TEMPLES ARE NOT ALL ALIKE

Ideally, temples (often called mandirs) are built in accordance with the ancient scriptures, planned out by skilled Indian architects to resemble the traditional styles found in India. This ideal temple has certain features: 1) a central sanctum enshrines the main Deity; 2) other Deities in the pantheon are represented by murtis in secondary sanctums or shrines; 3) the structure has no basement; 4) cultural and social activities are provided for in separate facilities, not in the main area dedicated for worship; 5) trained, ordained priests perform a daily regimen of pujas (others do not enter the shrines); 6) the temple openly represents a particular denomination of Hinduism and a specific lineage of teaching and liturgy.

While these principles are well known among the thousands of communities of Hindus around the world, the reality is that each temple comes up in it own way, organically, with the above ideals flexing with the exigencies of the day, the resources and often mixed geographical background of the constituents. Hence, we now have a vast variety of temples, particularly outside India, each serving the needs of its community as a center of worship, culture, community service and spiritual fellowship.

Every temple is unique. Agamic temples provide elaborate pujas several times per day. The main Deities are in distinct, prominent sanctums. Individuals come and go at any time and worship privately or as a family. Other temples may be structured as a simple hall with a stage in front, and Deities on pedestals usually around the perimeter of the room. The style of worship here is often congregational, with temple members gathering at a set time for a structured service conducted by a priest or elder. In some mandirs devotees may do a simple puja themselves. Services may include some form of teaching, such as a lecture by a swami or lay leader, and devotional singing or dramatic readings from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Here is the format followed at the Hindu temple in Midland, Texas, as described by Dr. Padmaja Patel: “Every week on Sunday we gather at our temple from 10:30 to 12:30. After removing our shoes in our shoe room, we enter the main hall. The men and women sit separately. There are a set of shlokas and stutis that everyone chants together, followed by bhajans, which are usually in the call-and-response fashion. At the end of the session, our priest will perform a short puja to a particular Deity. Then we sing a food-offering song, followed by the ‘Om Jai Jagadish Hare’ arati, where everyone can come forward. There are usually four or five arati trays with which people can offer arati to their Ishta Devata, or chosen Deity. Then we adjourn to a separate hall and enjoy the blessed food offerings as prasad.”

Consult members of the community in advance to learn how best to prepare yourself to attend a particular temple.

WHAT IS PUJA ALL ABOUT?

The Hindu worship service called puja, literally “adoration,” is the central activity in most temples. Conducted by a priest, or pujari, puja is similar to a grand reception for a king. The ritual can last from ten minutes to several hours.

All puja follows one basic pattern. First, the pujari purifies himself, the sacred implements and the place of worship. He chants in Sanskrit the time, place and nature of this particular puja. Through hand gestures (mudras) and mantras, he beseeches the Deity to come and dwell in the image. Ringing a bell and intoning mantras and hymns from the ancient Vedas and Agamas, the pujari then offers precious substances to the Deity, including water, uncooked rice, holy ash, sandalwood paste and kumkum. Some rites include a ritual bath, called abhishekam, in which water, sesame oil, turmeric water, saffron, milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, lime juice, vibhuti, sandalwood paste, panchamritam (mixture of five fruits), coconut water and rosewater are poured over the Deity.

Devotees are seated during most of the puja, usually on the floor. After abhishekam, the Deity is dressed in new clothes and beautifully decorated with flowers. At this point, devotees may sing devotional songs. After decorating the Deity, the pujari offers incense, oil lamps and food. He offers flowers while chanting 108 names of the God. At the high point of the puja, a large lamp is waved before the Deity and bells are rung loudly as God sends His power through the holy image of Himself. When the lamp is lowered, everyone prostrates to the Divine. The lamp is then carried out to bless the worshipers, who often leave a donation on the tray (or later in the temple offering box). Finally, depending on the tradition, sacraments such as sacred ash, blessed water, sandalwood paste, kumkum, fruit, sweets and flowers are passed out to bless all present. These include a portion of the offerings–flowers, cooked food and more–brought by devotees. Devotees may then sit in meditation, basking in the blessings invoked by the puja.

18 STEPS FOR VISITING A HINDU TEMPLE

You will want to look and feel your best when you go to the temple, God’s home. Prepare yourself by bathing and putting on clean clothing. Traditional dress is best–saris or punjabis for ladies, long dresses for girls, and kurta and dhoti or pants for men and boys. But any nice, modest clothing suitable for sitting on the floor is acceptable. In anticipation of your visit, prepare your mind by thinking about God. Keep focused on your spiritual purpose during travel time, be it a few minute’s drive or a long pilgrimage. If traveling with family or friends, direct discussions to spiritual matters and away from worldliness.

Bring an offering: such as fruits and flowers or flower garlands. On arrival, it is traditional to circumambulate the temple where possible. Inside, greet the Deities at their shrines, hands pressed together in namaskara, starting with Lord Ganesha. You may prostrate and present your offerings. Inwardly feel God’s uplifting presence, called sannidhya.

The primary focus of Hindu temples is the worship ritual called puja (see p. 39). Puja is a ceremony in which the ringing of bells, passing of flames, presenting of offerings and chanting invoke the blessings of God and Gods. During the puja, focus on the acts of worship, rather than letting your mind wander. Over time, devotees strive to learn the inner meaning of what the priest is doing and mentally follow along.

Ardent worship takes many forms in a temple. You can be immersed in the joys of devotion, in prayerful communion, seeking consolation for a loss, singing hymns, chanting mantras or celebrating a rite of passage. Meditation is appropriate, especially after the puja, and emotion is not out of place. God will receive your devotion, however you offer it.

Dancing with Siva summarizes: “With offerings in hand, leaving our shoes outside, we enter through the gopura, or temple tower, wash hands, feet and mouth, and seek blessings at Lord Ganesha’s shrine. Next we follow the outer prakara, or hallway, clockwise around the mahamandapa, central chambers. Inside we leave our worldly thoughts at the balipitha, or offering place, then prostrate before the dhvajastambha, temple flagpole, and worship Nandi the sacred bull [or Garuda, Mushika, etc.]. Next we circumambulate the central sanctum, garbhagriha, usually three times, returning to its entrance for worship. During puja, we stand with hands folded or in anjali mudra, though according to temple custom, it may be proper to sit quietly or sing devotional hymns. After the arati, or waving of the camphor light before the Deity, we prostrate (ashtanga pranama for men, and panchanga pranama for women) and rise to receive the prasada, accepting them in the right hand. We walk around the garbhagriha one final time before taking our leave.”

1.         Worship at the Temple Gateway

As soon as you arrive, stand humbly before the temple entrance and raise your hands above your head in the prayerful gesture. Do this 3, 5, 7 or 9 times. You may prostrate here as well. Dinodia

2.         Remove Shoes, Rinse Feet & Hands

Remove your shoes (socks are usually OK, especially in cold climates). If a place is provided, rinse your mouth, feet and hands to purify yourself before entering the sacred premises.

3.         Worship at the Flagpole

Many temples have a flagpole where one may prostrate and pray, and a balipitha, offering place, where negative thoughts are left. Then worship the Deity’s mount, or vahana.

4.         Pray First to Lord Ganesha

Worship Lord Ganesha, the Lord of Obstacles. By honoring Him first, the dynamic blessings of the temple will be opened to you.

5.         Ring the Shrine Bell

Often there will be a small bell that you can ring to announce your arrival to the devas and Gods; its pure tones can easily be heard in the inner worlds. Thomas Kelly

6.         Greet the Deities

Visit and greet the Deity in each shrine. The priest will often guide the order to be followed and explain the unique powers of each Divinity. Offer a flower to each.

7.         Walk Around the Sanctum

Walk clockwise one, three, five, seven or nine times around the main shrine, withdrawing your awareness from worldly matters and directing it toward the Divine. godong/newscom

8.         Present Your Offering

Place before the shrine the offering tray or basket that you prepared at home or purchased (they may be available in stalls near the entrance). Put love into your offerings.

9.         Sit for Puja

During the puja, don’t let your mind wander. This is the innermost time for reflection and communion. Devotees stand during the last part of a puja, and prostrate at the end.

ABOUT SACRAMENTS

At the end of the puja, the priest passes out to the attending devotees various substances that were offered to the Deity. By partaking of these offerings, called prasada, one absorbs the blessings into one’s being. Observe the way experienced temple-goers receive these sacraments to properly learn the nuanced customs. First, the sacramental lamp which has just been offered at the high point of the puja is passed among the devotees. The devas can see and bless you through this flame as it lights up your face. Sometimes you, too, can glimpse into their world. When the priest comes to you with the lamp, reach out and pass both hands devoutly over the flame. Then bring your hands back, turn your palms toward your face and touch your eyes with your fingertips to receive the Deity’s blessings. (In some temples, the devotees take turns passing the arati flame in front of the murtis while singing “Jai Jagadish Hare….”) At a shrine to Lord Vishnu, the priest may bring out the Deity’s silver or gold crown and lightly touch it to the head of each devotee. This represents God’s feet being placed on your head. A sacrament offered at Siva shrines is holy ash, vibhuti, made by burning dried cow dung with ghee, flowers, yogurt and other ingredients. It symbolizes the purity we attain by burning the bonds of ego, karma and maya to reveal the soul’s natural goodness. It is applied on the forehead, generally three broad stripes for men, and one short stroke for ladies. A spoonful of blessed water that was offered to the Deity, or milk with which the Deity was bathed during the puja, may be offered for you to drink. Sandalwood paste, valued for its fragrance, is often next. A small dab is placed in your hand by the priest, which you transfer to your left palm with a wiping motion. Dip your right ring finger into the paste and apply it with a small circular motion between the eyebrows, or in your chosen sectarian mark. A red powder called kumkum is then given. The priest will place a small pinch in your right hand or invite you to take some from the container he holds before you. Apply the kumkum on top of the sandalwood, creating a dot, or bindi, which represents the third eye of spiritual seeing. Vaishnava Hindus traditionally apply a V-shaped tilaka on the forehead representing the feet of the Lord. Flowers may also be distributed by the priest, as well as cooked food. Many devotees wrap portions of their prasada to share with loved ones or place on their home altar.

10.       The Arati Flame

When the priest holds the lamp in front of you after puja, pass your open hands through the flame three times, then lightly touching your eyes each time to draw the blessings into you.

11.       Holy Ash

Accept the ash in your right hand (as with all offerings). Transfer it to your left hand, then use the right hand to apply it to your forehead. Ash symbolizes the burning away of impurity.

12. Blessed Water

The priest will place a small spoonful of blessed water or milk into your cupped right hand. Bring your hand up to your mouth and sip it. Thomas Kelly

13. Sandalwood Paste & Kumkum

Fragrant sandalwood paste is then given, followed by red powder. Apply a dot of these in the middle of your brow with your right ring finger. (See details in the sidebar above.)

14. Prasada and a Flower

Blessed food (prasada) may then be given, such as a piece of fruit, a sweet or a spoonful of cooked food. Lastly, one may receive a flower that was offered to the Deity.

15. Monetary Offerings

It is customary to leave a monetary offering in the temple donation box. In addition, a donation may be placed on the arati tray to support the priests and their families. Dinodia

16. Singing Bhajan

Singing is a superb way to express love and devotion. Bhajans and other hymns can be sung during the puja when the curtain is closed, or later on, by yourself or with a group. Dinodia

17. Japa and Meditation

After the puja, sit quietly and meditate on the Divinity within yourself. This is an ideal time for japa, mentally repeating your mantra while counting on a strand of beads.

18. Archana for Personal Blessings

Archana is a personalized puja in which the priest recites to the Deity your name, lineage and birth star. To receive an archana, you pay a small fee and present an offering basket.

SIX SECRETS ABOUT TEMPLE WORSHIP

1. ONE GOD, MANY GODS

In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be 330 million Gods. Even so, all Hindus believe in one Supreme Being who pervades the entire universe. The many Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. These Gods, or Mahadevas, are real beings, capable of thought and feeling beyond the limited thought and feeling of embodied man. So, Hinduism has one God, but it has many Gods. There are only a few of these Gods for whom temples are built and pujas conducted. Ganesha, Siva, Subramaniam, Vishnu and Shakti are the most prominent Deities in contemporary Hinduism. Of course, there are many others for whom certain rites or mantras are done in daily ceremony, often in the home shrine. These include Brahma, Surya, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Agni, Chandra, Ayyappan, Hanuman, Mariyamman and others.

The Hindu traditionally adopts an Ishta Devata. This is a personal Deity chosen from the many Hindu Gods, often according to the devotee’s family background or the feeling of closeness to one form of divine manifestation. It is the unique and all-encompassing nature of Hinduism that one devotee may be worshiping Ganesha while his friend worships Subramaniam or Vishnu, and yet both honor the other’s choice and feel no sense of conflict. The profound understanding and universal acceptance that are unique in Hinduism are reflected in this faculty for accommodating different approaches to the Divine, allowing for different names and forms of God to be worshiped side by side within the temple walls. It may even happen that one may adopt a different personal Deity through the years according to one’s spiritual unfoldment and inner needs.

2. TEMPLES ARE TRANSFORMATIVE!

Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving darshan from the majestic Gods of our religion, can altogether change the life of a worshiper. It alters the flow of the pranas, or life currents, within his body. It draws his awareness into the deeper chakras. It adjusts his beliefs and the attitudes that are the natural consequence of those beliefs. But the change is slow. He lives with the experience for months and months after his visit to the temple. He comes to know and love the Deity. The Deity comes to know and love him, helping and guiding his entire evolutionary pattern.

Darshan coming from the great temples of our Gods can change the patterns of karma dating back many past lives, clearing and clarifying conditions that were created hundreds of years ago and are but seeds now, waiting to manifest in the future. Through the grace of the Gods, those seeds can be removed if the manifestation in the future would not enhance the evolution of the soul.

3. THREE WORLDS COMMUNING

Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere of the Mahadevas, the Deities, the Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds naturally inspire in man responses of love and devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful.

It is in the Hindu temple that the three worlds meet and devotees invoke the Gods of our religion. The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods reside. It is the visible home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the Earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. These intelligent beings have evolved through eons of time and are able to help mankind without themselves having to live in a physical body. These great Mahadevas, with their multitudes of angelic devas, live and work constantly and tirelessly for the people of our religion, protecting and guiding them, opening new doors and closing unused ones.

The reality of the Mahadevas and their darshan can be experienced by the devotee through his awakened ajna vision, or more often as the physical sight of the image in the sanctum coupled with the inner knowing that He is there within the microcosm. This darshan can be felt by all devotees, becoming stronger and more defined as devotion is perfected. Through this darshan, messages can be channeled along the vibratory emanations that radiate out from the Mahadevas, as well as from their representatives, the Second World devas who carry out their work for them in shrines and altars.

4. WHERE PROBLEMS CAN BE DISSOLVED

Hindus always want to live near a temple so they can frequent it regularly. When we go to the temple, we leave with our mind filled with the shakti of the Deity. We are filled and thrilled with the shakti of the temple in every nerve current of our body. When we return to our home, we light an oil lamp, and that brings the power of the temple into the home. This simple act brings the devas in the Second World right into your home, where they can bless the rest of the family who perhaps did not go to the temple.

The devotee stands before the sanctum and telepathically tells the Gods a problem, and with hopeful faith leaves and waits. Days or weeks later, after he had forgotten about his prayer, he suddenly realizes the problem has disappeared. He attempts to trace the source of its solution and finds that a simple, favorable play of circumstance and events brought it about. Had the Gods answered his prayer, or would it have happened anyway?

He brings another prayer to the Gods, and again in time an answer appears in the natural course of his life. It appears to him that the Gods are hearing and responding to his needs. Trust and love have taken root. He goes on, year after year, bringing the Gods into his secular affairs, while just as carefully the Gods are bringing him into their celestial spheres, enlivening his soul with energy, joy and intelligence.

The Hindu looks to the Gods for very practical assistance. He devoutly believes that the Gods from their dwelling in the Third World are capable of consciously working with the forces of evolution in the universe and they could then certainly manage a few simpler problems. He devoutly believes that the Gods are given to care for man on the planet and see him through his tenure on Earth, and that their decisions are vast in their implications.

5. PUJA IS COMMUNION

The physical representation of the God, be it a stone or metal image, a yantra or other sacred form, simply marks the place that the God will manifest in or hover above in His etheric body. It can be conceived as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the God or as the material body in or through which the God manifests in this First World. Man takes one body and then another in his progression through the cycles of birth and death and rebirth. Similarly, the Gods in their subtle bodies inhabit, for brief or protracted spans of time, these temple images.

When we perform puja, a religious ritual, we are attracting the attention of the devas and Mahadevas in the inner worlds. That is the purpose of a puja; it is a form of communication. To enhance this communication, we establish an altar in the temple and in the home. This becomes charged or magnetized through our devotional thoughts and feelings, which radiate out and affect the surrounding environment.

Chanting and satsanga and ceremonial rituals all contribute to this sanctifying process, creating an atmosphere to which the Gods are drawn and in which they can manifest. By the word manifest, I mean they actually come and dwell there and can stay for periods of time, providing the vibration is kept pure and undisturbed. The altar takes on a certain power. In our religion there are altars in temples all over the world inhabited by the devas and the great Gods. When you enter these holy places, you can sense their sanctity. You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as darshan.

6. DEALING WITH DISBELIEF

In the beginning stages of worship, a Hindu soul may have to wrestle with disbelief in the Gods. He may wonder whether they really exist, especially if his own intuition is obscured by assimilation of Western, existentialist beliefs and attitudes. Yet, he senses their existence, and this sensing brings him back to the temple. He is looking for proof, immersed in the process of coming to know the Gods for himself. He is heartened and assured by hundreds of saints and rishis who have fathomed and found close and enduring relationships with the Gods, and who then extolled their greatness in pages of scripture and chronicle.

The Gods of Hinduism create, preserve and protect mankind. Their overview spans time itself, and yet their detailed focus upon the complicated fabric of human affairs is just as awesome. It is through their sanction that all things continue, and through their will that they cease. It is through their grace that all good things happen, and all things that happen are for the good. Now, you may wonder why one would put himself under this divine authority so willingly, thus losing his semblance of freedom. But does one not willingly put himself in total harmony with those whom he loves? Of course he does. And loving these great souls comes so naturally. Their timeless wisdom, their vast intelligence, their thoroughly benign natures, their ceaseless concern for the problems and well-being of devotees, and their power and sheer godly brilliance–all these inspire our love.

OTHER TEMPLE EVENTS

ANNUAL FESTIVALS

Many annual festivals are celebrated in temples. These are auspicious days when the veil between the worlds is thin and God and the Gods can touch our world. Festivals provide the opportunity to go on pilgrimage, journeying to a far-off temple for blessings and renewal. Celebrated with unmatched fervor but with paced regularity, festivals serve as a reminder of one’s identity and allegiance to Hindu traditions and ideals. As Professor Dr. Shiva Bajpai remarked, “Festivals, pilgrimages and temple worship are the faith armor of Hindus.”

RITES OF PASSAGE

A central part of every Hindu’s life, samskaras are sacred rites of passage, such as coming of age and marriage, and childhood rites, including name-giving, first feeding, ear-piercing and head-shaving. They are held in temples, homes or halls. You may observe samskaras in progress during your visit. Consult with the temple priest for more information. These rites usually include a puja and a homa, or fire ceremony. If you request a samskara, the priest will set an auspicious time, explain how to prepare, what to bring, and what to do during the ceremony.

FIRE RITES

Major pujas in temples are often preceded by a homa, or “fire-offering,” among the most ancient forms of Hindu worship. Fire is the object of worship, and oblations are offered into a sanctified fire pit, which is usually made of earthen bricks. One or more priests sit near and tend the fire, offering wood, ghee, grains and dried herbs while chanting mantras from the Vedas and Agamas. The rites invoke the temple’s main Deity as well as other Gods, such as Ganesha, Agni and Varuna.

In a Hindu temple there is often a multiplicity of simultaneous proceedings and ceremonies. In one corner, an extended family, or clan, with its hundreds of tightly knit members, may be joyously celebrating a wedding. At another shrine a lady might be crying in front of the Deity, saddened by some misfortune and in need of solace. Elsewhere in the crowded precincts, a baby is being blessed, and several groups of temple musicians are filling the chamber with the shrill sounds of the nagasvaram and drum. After the puja reaches its zenith, brahmin priests move in and out of the sanctum, passing camphor and sacred ash and holy water to hundreds of worshipers crowding eagerly to get a glimpse of the Deity. All of this is happening at once, unplanned and yet totally organized. It is a wonderful experience, and such a diverse array of devotional ceremonies and such an intensity of worship can only be seen in a Hindu temple. There is no place on Earth quite like a Hindu temple.” Living with Siva

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

WHAT IS THE COSMOLOGY THAT GIVES RISE TO THE BELIEF IN GODS AND DEVAS?

 Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere of the Mahadevas, the Deities, the Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds naturally inspire in man responses of love and devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLE?

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha: Mandir is the Hindu name for a place of worship or prayer. Mandir is a Sanskrit word meaning the place where the mind becomes still and the soul floats freely to seek the source of life, peace, joy and comfort. For centuries, the mandir has remained a center of life, a common community place where people forget their differences and voluntarily unite to serve society.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: On this Earth plane the Gods have a special home, and that is the holy temple. It is in the sanctified temple, where regular and proper puja is being performed in a pure way, that the Gods most easily manifest. You can go to a Hindu temple with your mind filled up with worries, you can be in a state of jealousy and anger, and leave the temple wondering what you were disturbed about, completely free from the mental burdens and feeling secure. So great are the divine psychiatrists, the Gods of our religion, who live in the Third World, who come from the Third World to this world where our priests perform the pujas and invoke their presence over the stone image.

WHY ARE TEMPLES NEEDED?

BAPS: Every religion in its own tradition builds houses of worship. It is the mandir that fuels our faith in God, strengthens our society and teaches us to trust one another and to become trustworthy. Schools will educate the mind, but who will educate the soul? Hospitals will mend a broken arm, but who will mend a broken heart? Cinemas and arcades will excite the mind, but where will one go for peace of mind? The mandir is a center for learning about man, nature and God. It is where ethics and values are reinforced. It is where people celebrate festivals and seek shelter in sad times. It is where talents in various arts–music, literature and sculpture–are offered in the service of God.

Are there varied views regarding the Gods and temple images, or murtis?

Yes, from the Agamic perspective, the murti is considered a sacred medium of the Divine. Another view is that the various murtis are symbols of the facets of Divinity.

Acharya Ananda Swami, Pitampura Temple, West Delhi: The sanctum sanctorum is the place where God resides. In Hindu culture, the idol is made based on the form of God which our rishis and saints saw through their penance and meditation. So, for us the idol is not just something made of stone; it is a form of God, a living God. These idols are established in the temples following directions given in our Shastras and Vedas. Once the idol is established with due rituals, that place becomes the garbhagriha, or sanctum sanctorum. To maintain the purity of the temple, only the priest can enter the sanctum or touch the Deity.

Chinmaya Mission: God, the infinite, the formless, is exceedingly hard to contemplate upon. Most of us need some grosser expression. Symbols of the eternal principle are called idols, murtis. These idols represent the eternal principle, God, the ideal…. If we are not yet able to see the Lord in everything, we are asked to first practice seeing him in at least one image and then slowly expand our vision (Bal Vihar Teacher’s Handbook, Grade Five).

BAPS: Sanatan Dharma believes in murti puja–worshiping Bhagwan, His avatars and Deities in the form of images. Followers believe in the presence of the Divine in such images and offer them worship with faith (shraddha) and loving devotion (bhakti). In turn, due to His grace, the Divine accepts this bhakti. Throughout Sanatan Dharma’s history, He has let His manifestations and Divinity be known through various murtis and [miraculous] events.

HOW SHOULD ONE PREPARE TO GO TO THE TEMPLE?

Devotees should come with complete mental and physical purity. In the temple the devotees should engage in bhajan, kirtan and worship of God. Before we enter the temple, we must purify ourselves by sprinkling of water and also purify our inner self by chanting holy mantras. Even our dress should be sattvic and light colored or even white. We must wear fresh clothes and avoid wearing leather items, like belts and shoes. Our heart should have sattvic feelings when we come to the temple.

WHY HAVE MANY TEMPLES IN THE HINDU DIASPORA COMBINED THE FUNCTIONS OF TEMPLE AND SATSANG HALL IN ONE FACILITY?

Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, Ram Mandir, Toronto: When people move from an environment they are accustomed to, they try to accommodate situations and in so doing may create a new approach to getting something done. When people settled in the colonial countries, they were given accommodations in simple lodges, and there was only one gathering hall. They placed the Deity there, did their puja there and congregated there for satsang. They held their havan there as well. But in India that would not happen. In the Caribbean it became a place for darshan and shiksha (teaching) and satsang because it was the only place they had, and this is what is evolving in North America today–like our congregation here in Ram Mandir. We are trying to create an environment where people come and sit and listen and learn, an institution not only for darshan but for spiritual learning, and learning about the Hindu way of life.

Padmaja Patel, Midland, Texas: In North America, in addition to temples of traditional South Indian style, there are many community temples which include a satsang hall and murtis. Our local temple falls in that category. To best utilize the space and money, we also have a stage in the hall for children’s cultural performances. The current design serves our small community well. The other important factor is that some of the smaller communities cannot afford to have a full-time priest, so this type of non-traditional temple serves them well.

Acharya Ananda Swami: In North India there are also many temples where the design is such that the idols are placed inside a satsang hall.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF WALKING AROUND THE TEMPLE OR SHRINE?

There is a special importance of pradakshina (or parikrama). For different Gods and Goddesses there are different numbers of pradakshina one has to undergo. Most knowledgeable devotees undertake pradakshina as part of their routine of worship. The devotee can do general pradakshina for all the Gods, once, thrice, eleven, twenty-one, fifty-one times or even more.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: When we come to the temple out of the world, off the street, we are often shrouded by negative vibrations, which can actually be seen in our aura. Our nerve system may be upset, especially now, in the technological age, when we often suffer from stress and strain, the insecurity of so many changes and the rapid pace of life. In order to prepare ourselves to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the great mandapam inside, we walk clockwise around the temple very slowly. In this way we prepare our mind. We consciously drop off worldliness, letting the sufferings go, letting all disturbances leave our mind the best we can, and trying to reach deep inside of ourselves where peace exists eternally. We become as celestial as we can during the time we are walking around the temple, so that we can communicate with the celestial beings within the temple.

HOW DOES THE TEMPLE HELP INDIVIDUALS?

BAPS: A hectic routine packed with work tensions and idealistic ambitions, imperfect relationships and demanding family stresses, leaves the average individual with an ardent craving for answers to life’s unlimited questions; the most burning being: “How can I attain peace of mind?” Sometimes the individual may turn to alcohol, substance abuse, crime, gambling or other such vices, helplessly in search of peace. Many genuine efforts are also made, such as recreational activities, days off or retreats. The mandir offers a refreshing tranquility. Through its natural teachings and activities of prayer and worship, the mandir generates devout faith in God and in fellow man and guides the individual towards spirituality. With this new-found faith in God, the individual embraces physical, mental, and spiritual purity. The teachings and natural activities of the mandir offer the individual an understanding that peace of mind does not lie in addictions and other such vices. They mold the character of the individual by endowing basic virtues of humanity such as fidelity, courage, forgiveness, unity, friendship, honesty, humility, tolerance, understanding, patience, charity and universal brotherhood. Thus, the mandir also plays an indirect role in improving society by improving the state of the individual.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHOWING OF LIGHTS?

BAPS: Only through the light of knowledge can one welcome Bhagwan in one’s heart. The symbol of this knowledge is light. Only in the light can one have Bhagwan’s darshan. Arati is the ritual that welcomes Bhagwan with light.

Acharya Ananda Swami: Fire worship has a significant role in the temple. It is used in the puja and archana. We light the dipas and perform the arati in which the role of fire is very important. When special festivals or functions are held, dipas or lamps are lit ’round the clock.

WHAT CULTURAL IMPORTANCE DOES THE MANDIR HAVE?

BAPS: Throughout the history of Hindu civilization, mandirs have been the most significant patrons of architecture, sculpture and painting. Mandirs were also great patrons of the performing arts, supporting the performance and teaching of devotional vocal and instrumental music. Mandirs also promoted a tradition of devotional dance. These traditions of music and dance were developed in the mandir and spread out into the wider culture. Without the mandir’s patronage, these priceless artistic traditions would not be available for the world to appreciate today.

TEN TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR VISIT

1. Attend a puja at the temple at least once a week. Experienceing the divine energy of God and the Gods on a regular basis helps keep you pure and strong in your religious commitments.

2. Dress in traditional Hindu clothing. This helps put you in a religious mood. Keep special clothing just for the temple.

3. Make your travel to the temple a religious time. This prepares you to arrive in a spiritual frame of mind. Don’t focus on problems or projects at home, work or school. Don’t think or talk about politics or business. Listen to religious music or chanting while in transit. Tell the children uplifting stories.

4. Bring an offering. Ideally, bring a flower, flower garland or fruit for each shrine at which you worship. The act of giving makes you receptive to blessings.

5. Put prana into what you offer. Prana is the energy that exudes from your hands. Buying a garland is good, but making one is even better. When the priest puts your hand-made garland on the murti, it’s almost like you are touching the Deity yourself.

6. Focus on the worship service and the priest’s chanting. Don’t let the mind wander. Learn, at least generally, the meaning of what the priest is chanting. Similarly, when singing bhajans, keep focused on the meaning of the song.

7. Stay for a while after the ceremony. Don’t rush away. Sit and meditate. Bask in the divine energy of the temple. This is also an ideal opportunity for japa.

8. Light an oil lamp in your shrine room when you get home. This brings devas who were at the temple right into your sacred space. From the inner world, they will bless the family and strengthen the spiritual force field of the home.

9. Watch for auspicious days. The Deity’s presence is stronger on some days than others. By attending the temple on the most auspicious days, you become attuned to the Deity’s blessings. For example, blessings are especially strong during the annual festival days.

10. Gain strength by taking vows. It is common to take a vow, or vrata, during festivals. A typical vrata is to fast during a day of temple ceremonies and break the fast that evening.

Why Should We Pray ?

With intense humility unto God, pleading with yearning for a desired aspect is termed as a ‘prayer’. A prayer includes respect, love, pleading and faith. A prayer expresses the helplessness of the devotee and his state of surrender, and he keeps offering his doership to God. There is a noble adage – ‘Open the door of a day at dawn with the key of prayer and shut it with the latch of prayer at night’. In our hectic daily life we lose our mental peace. That peace is obtained through praying. Even the impossible becomes possible because praying bestows us with the strength of faith and God’s blessings. Let us understand why should we pray to God.

1. Why Should We Pray – Importance of prayer

A. Developing love and respect for a Deity

With the aim of developing closeness with God and the Deities and to develop love and respect for them, we should pray. Praying creates an awareness that ‘God, Deity and Guru are going to get everything done through me.’

B. Success in a task

When a desired task is undertaken after praying to a Deity, the task is blessed by the Deity. Besides, praying increases our Ātma–shakti (Energy of the soul) and confidence. As a result, the task achieves excellence and success.

C. Attaining peace of mind

While performing a task after praying, peace of mind is attained and a task performed peacefully and with a steady mind is done well.

D. Worship that takes the worshipper from the gross to the subtle

People worship God to attain peace of mind in a demanding day-to-day life and to gradually move towards God-realisation. Most people, however, continue all through their life with daily ritualistic worship, other religious rituals, etc. that are a part of karmakanḍa (Spiritual practice of rites, rituals and observances performed at the physical level).

Worship according to karmakanḍa is at a gross level. God, however, is subtle in nature. Thus, worship to attain God should be one that takes us from the ‘gross to the subtle’. A prayer offered to God is at the mental level and hence, it an easy form of worship that takes us from the ‘gross to the subtle’.

E. An effortless path of communion with God

While performing sadhana (Spiritual practice), remaining in communion with God is important. Praying to God at short and regular intervals makes it easier to establish communion with God.

F. Generation of faith and bhav towards the Deity

Due to the prayer, a Deity showers grace, and spiritual experiences are its result. This helps in generation of faith and bhav (Spiritual emotion) towards that Deity.

G. Importance of a collective prayer

Collective prayers and hailing of God generate a specific harmonious reverberation that is capable of generating Holy waves in the environment. At such times, the mind concentrates on the sound due to which the faculties of memory and hearing develop further. Therefore, a collective prayer is considered important in schools.

2. Why Should We Pray – Benefits of prayer

Praying imparts benefits at all the three levels of activity, thought and attitude. Benefits of prayer across both worldly and spiritual aspects to an individual has now been proved through scientific experiments too. Hence through this article we shall understand the various benefits of prayer.

A. Helps in becoming introvert

1. Activity : Praying makes an activity abound in bhav (Spiritual emotion), leading to fewer mistakes in the activity and hence, seva (service) unto God or Guru turns out as expected.

2. Thought : So long as the mind is active, thoughts are bound to appear in it. Thoughts obstruct the dissolution of the mind. Undesirable thoughts also result in misuse of energy of the mind. Praying is useful in preventing this misuse. Praying reduces anxiety and increases contemplation.

3. Attitude : Due to praying regularly, its impression is created on the mind and contemplation starts on it. Therefore, the attitude of an individual or a seeker starts becoming introverted.

B. Removal of mental stress

1. When under mental stress, remembrance of God through a prayer relieves the stress and we are reminded of chanting God’s Name too.

2. Due to a prayer, doership of a task or seva is offered to God and hence, the mind is not stressed.

C. Reduction of ego

Ego generates unhappiness in human life. Man surrenders unto the all-powerful God through the medium of a prayer. He pleads to God through a prayer. This helps in early reduction of his ego.

D. Forgiven by God or Guru

When an individual who has committed a mistake surrenders unto God or Guru through a prayer, they forgive him.

Atmanivedan (Conversation with God with an emotion of surrender) unto God, constant praying and expression of gratitude lead to early dissolution of the mind and intellect. – His Holiness Dr. Athavale

3. Why Should We Pray – Spiritual significance

Picture based on subtle-knowledge depicting the subtle-benefits of praying to God with a spiritual emotion

4. Westerners becoming aware of the importance of prayers

The westerners are only now becoming aware of the importance of prayers mentioned in Hindu scriptures thousands of years ago !

A. Positive effect of prayers, classical music and virtuous words on water and food

Why are Temples Important?

Temples are very important for one’s personal growth and development. They are a place where we can go to receive guidance from our Heavenly Father, learn more about His plan for us, and make covenants with Him. In the temple, we also receive power through priesthood ordinances that enable us to overcome challenges in our lives and return to live with Him someday.

All over India, there are many temples that people can visit. Each temple is special and has its own unique history.

The most important thing to remember when visiting a temple is to be respectful. This means removing your shoes, keeping your clothing modest, and not touching any of the statues or paintings.

Temples in Bangalore

In Bangalore, there are many temples that are very famous.

One such temple is the Sri Someshwara Temple. The temple is located in a place called Ulsoor. Ulsoor is a very beautiful and peaceful place. The temple is surrounded by trees and flowers. There is a pond in front of the temple where you can see many fish swimming around. It is a very calm and serene place.

ISKCON Temple Bangalore

Located in Rajajinagar, Iskcon Temple is a very beautiful and large temple. The temple is decorated with lights and flowers. There are many statues of Lord Krishna in the temple. People come here to pray and offer their prayers to Lord Krishna.

Dwarkadhish Temple

Dwarkadhish Temple is located in Basavanagudi. It is a very old and famous temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. People come here to offer their prayers and worship Lord Krishna.

Famous Indian Temples

There are many Indian famous temples that attract a lot of devotees from all over the world. Some of these are:

1.         The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as Thirunagar, is located in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in the world and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

2.         The Brihadeeswarar Temple, also called Peruvudaiyar Kovil or RajaRajeswara Temple, is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the largest and most famous Hindu temples in India.

3.         The Meenakshi Amman Temple, also called Madura Meenakshi Temple, is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the most important Hindu temples in South India and is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi.

4.         The Kailashnath Temple, also called Ellora Cave 16, is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It is one of the largest rock-cut temples in the world and was built during the reign of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty.

5.         The Mahabodhi Temple, also called Great Buddha Temple, is located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar.  This temple also has great historical value as it is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

6.         The Konark Sun Temple, also called Black Pagoda, is located in Konark, Odisha. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important Hindu temples in India.

These are just some of the famous Indian temples that attract pilgrims from all over the world. If you ever have a chance to visit India, be sure to include some of these magnificent structures in your itinerary.

Conclusion

Temples are one of the most important aspects of Indian history. They are not only a place of worship but also a storehouse of our culture and tradition. The architecture of the temples is also very unique and it has been said that they are one of the wonders of the world. India is home to some of the most beautiful temples which attract tourists from all over the world.

The Mystical Importance Of

Preserving Hindu Temples

The Saints and Sages, inspired by their love for humanity

and their desire to see suffering reduced in the world, have

identified some very powerful spiritual centers which can be

visited by people to harness the healing and uplifting effects,

and they have constructed Temples there to mark the

sacred sites and ensure that their healing powers be nourished

and preserved.

In India, there are many great Temples. A few are very famous and prospering due to the donations of many pilgrims who visit each year. Though Hinduism has no centralized organization like the Catholic faith, and each Temple is more or less entirely self-sufficient, the world’s wealthiest religious institutions are Hindu Temples. Famous Temples like Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Shirdi in Maharashtra, Shri Siddhivinayak in Mumbai, Soma Nath in Gujarat, Vaishno Devi in Jammu, Meenakshi in Tamil Nadu, Sabarimala in Kerala, Jagganath in Puri, and Vishvanath in Kashi receive millions of visitors a year and their worth in US dollars is in the billions.

Some of these Temples still hold massive amounts of gold and diamonds and precious gems and metals and artifacts from ancient times like Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala which is said to be the world’s wealthiest Temple. Many such Temples have been looted by British and Mughal invaders and in more recent times by corrupt priests and temple managers including government officials who oversee temples seized by the Indian government. But a few temples still have great wealth and great popularity. Wealthy Temples have often decorated the inner sanctums with gold and silver and gems for their spiritual power. These substances help to open channels to the inner realms so that the Devas can affect things in the world. The placement of such valuable substances in Temples is not merely symbolic but has great mystical significance and is essential to their ability to bring spiritual energy into the world for the benefit of humanity. Many wealthy Temples have their Gopurams and Vimanams (temple towers) gilt in Gold to attract Devas and they have massive amounts of gold and other precious minerals within which creates a light that can be seen for a great distance from the inner realms. Many smaller and lesser-known Temples are however crumbling due to neglect and many are suffering from the desecration of selfish and worldly souls unaware of the spiritual power of these sacred sites.

Nearly every Hindu person in the world is aware of famous Saints like Shirdi Sai Baba, and there are few who do not have great reverence for Baba in particular. But there have been many thousands of Saints throughout Indian History who are not as well known. Their contributions to the world have been equally important. Many of these Saints have constructed sacred sites for the benefit of humanity. These Temples remain as their blessing to the world. The stories and the teachings of the Saints may inspire people, but it is the Temple that carries the shakti of the awakened masters as a blessing to the people. These blessings can heal a person; they can answer questions; they can empower people’s efforts, and they can stimulate spiritual initiation or awakening for sincere seekers. Through the mystical science of Temple construction, these blessings can be housed, preserved, and maintained over centuries so that a person need not read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to learn Yoga: they can go to Chidambaram Nataraj Temple which was consecrated by Patanjali himself and receive the direct blessing of the master to awaken their practice of Yoga. Any amount of reading on the subject would not give true knowledge which is attained in practice which must be initiated by an awakened master.

For the Temples with great fame, there is no trouble maintaining the ancient structures and conducting regular worship as prescribed by the shastra to preserve the spiritual energies of those Holy places. It is estimated that there are around 2 million Hindu Temples in the world today. Many of these temples were established by great Saints. Many are the Jeeva samadhis (resting places for the physical remains) of the Saints. Many of the Temples have great spiritual significance which is not well known or even forgotten entirely. These Temples each have unique effects upon pilgrims who visit them and they house unique and varied Vigrahas (consecrated images of the Lord). Some of these Vigrahas are wish-fulfilling; others reflect a person’s inner state to them; others answer questions; some hold the power to heal disease; others help to overcome obstacles; some aid in education; others help to resolve ancestral debts; some remove the effects of bad deeds; some help to bring about happy marriage; some help to bestow progeny, and a few even hold the power to remove the effects of doing bad deeds in other holy sites.

The Vigrahas (Temple Icons) are unique and varied. They are not mere stone. Through the rituals of consecration, pranapratishtha and kumbhabhishekam, they become channels for spiritual beings to access the physical realm and they become supercharged transmitters and amplifiers for spiritual energy. Through these sacred rituals, bimba (a stone statue) becomes a vigraha (a sacred image of God). The vigrahams and Temples that house them are treated with great reverence, as a manifestation of God in the world, because of the sacred nature of their existence and the role they play to grant access to spiritual beings to heal and bless the living. Many such images were created with rare characteristics to facilitate a particular type of healing work. Great prayogams and austerities were conducted by the Saints at many of these sites in order to build the spiritual shakti for the benefit of the world. The energy of a Saint is their blessing. It is not their acts or their words, but their energetic presence in the world that stabilizes human consciousness, allows for the prayers of common people bound by egoism to be heard and answered, and initiates the spiritual awakening of seekers. Their mere presence creates energy centers in the world where they have lived and especially where they have conducted intense spiritual practices. Many Temples have also been constructed at naturally occurring sites of great spiritual power. Vastu shastra has knowledge of the flow of energy in the world and provides guidance for building designs based upon this knowledge. The construction of Temples helps to preserve and increase and spread positive spiritual energy for the benefit of humanity.

Each Temple is unique. The image of Lord Murugan at Palani is known to have been made according to a secret Siddha procedure. The image is not carved of black granite like most others in the region but made instead of an alchemical amalgamation of navapashana, nine poisonous minerals, which when combined create a specially potent healing effect. This is like the alchemy of Ayurveda which turns poisonous liquid mercury into potent medicine capable of healing all diseases. Many Temple icons are made of solidified mercury also and these are also thought to have immense healing power. Some Temple vigrahas are swayambu, meaning naturally occurring, not carved by human hands, but made by God. In certain cases, Temples have been formed around sacred formations in mountains and other natural features of the land. Many Temples are the sites of important spiritual events, like Rameshwaram where Lord Rama stopped to worship before building a bridge of arrows to leave India and go to Shri Lanka or Ahobilam where Narasimha is said to have defeated the Demon, Hiranyakashipu. There are countless temples that have great significance attributed to them by the scriptures like the 12 Jyotirlingas, the Pancha Bhuta temples, the 64 Shakti Peethams, and countless others.

Many people are aware of a few famous Temples like Rameshwaram where Lord Ram is said to have established the Shivalingam which is worshiped today. There are many lesser-known Temples of equal importance. One priest I know works in a Ramalingeshwara Temple in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, which is also said to have been established by Lord Rama. There are many Temples great and small established not just by Lord Rama, but by the many thousands of other Saints and Rishis and Avataras. Each has been placed for a specific purpose by Divine Grace.

My Guru in Hyderabad had one master who used to take him to small, unknown Temples all over India and talk to him about the great importance of those sacred sites. He said that their spiritual power was held not in the building or the stone images but in energetic manifestations which he called “aksharas.” Akshara is the word for the Sanskrit sounds or letters. Akshara can also mean something which is “fixed” or also “sacrifice.” These energetic bodies get fixed in certain places where great sacrifices have been conducted. They imbue the physical matter around them with a certain energy, like a positive spiritual radiation. The beeja aksharas (seed syllables) inscribed on the pratishtha yantras installed along with the deity’s image and recited by the priests during rituals of consecration, help to establish these energetic manifestations. The aksharas may not be in proximity to the Temple building or the Vigraha worshiped there. In certain cases for various reasons, the aksharas will be located some distance from the inner sanctum of the Temple. I noticed once when I was keeping a few very powerful Vigrahams in an apartment complex where hundreds of other people lived, that though the physical statues were kept within the building, their energetic presence was outside the building in a forested area nearby. This undoubtedly occurred in order to help protect the people living in the building from the intensity of the spiritual energy which would not have been conducive to their health or happiness in such close proximity. There is a reason it is said that no person should live in a Temple. The Spiritual energy is power like medicine which can heal in the proper dose or hurt or kill in too large a quantity.

Such powerful spiritual energies occur on account of a combination of factors. But it is the procedures of worship and purification that help to sustain and maintain these spiritual presences which bestow the blessing of the Temples. The image itself is not so important, though spiritual energy tends to increase in them through centuries of worship. It is for this reason that certain long-lasting substances like stones that are conducive to holding spiritual energies like granite and marble and certain metals like gold and silver and copper and bell metal are prescribed for use in worship. The energy is not necessarily connected to the physical items themselves. The spiritual energy is in fact removed entirely from the sacred Temples regularly during rituals of purification and reconsecration. The ancient Temples have very powerful aksharas there which are capable of great things. These aksharas have magnificent power which can act as a conscious entity does. There is Divine consciousness in all things, but the aksharas are potent with the energy of Divine consciousness. Each of these Temples has a powerful effect on human consciousness and upon the course of history. Each has its part to play in helping to avert certain disasters and increasing the prosperity and wellbeing of humanity. Each was established by God through the work of pious people to serve a particular purpose. Guruji has talked about hundreds of such temples and their significance. He tells of visiting these temples and the mystical experiences he has had there.

Most people are not aware however of such powerful energetic presences around them, though there are many in every city on Earth. The Saints and Sages, inspired by their love for humanity and their desire to see suffering reduced in the world, have identified some very powerful spiritual centers which can be visited by people to harness the healing and uplifting effects, and they have constructed Temples there to mark the sacred sites and ensure that their healing powers be nourished and preserved. Many such sites exist throughout the world whether they have been marked by a sacred structure or not. Some hold great power to heal and bless; others have the power to cause harm. Just as the selfless acts of spiritual souls can establish very nourishing and beneficial aksharas, the selfish and wicked deeds of ignorant souls can be equally powerful to open channels to the lower astral realm through which dark forces can wreak great havoc. There are dark aksharas also which cause much suffering for all who come close. Places of intense tragedy, like battlefields, often contain hundreds of such aksharas which inhibit human prosperity a great deal. For this reason, the scriptures have prohibited the building of temples in such places. In these sorts of places, it is likely that demonic forces would work through the channels opened by prayer. Even when a temple becomes neglected or desecrated, this can create an opening for dark forces to work through the spiritual channels of the temple. This is why priests conduct various rituals of self-purification before entering the Temple or coming in contact with the sacred images within. Such images have great power to amplify the prayers and intentions of the people. They can amplify people’s negative thoughts as well if certain precautionary measures are not taken to approach them with a spiritual mindset.

Each time a person bows at the Temple flagpole, they leave a little bit of their selfishness, their negativity, and their attachment. They in turn receive blessings from the sacred site and each time drain the sanctity of the Temple a little. This is one reason, there is always a bali peetham in close proximity to the dwajastambha (flag pole). Daily offerings of cooked rice are made at the bali peetham. These offerings are made in order to help remove negative energies left by the Temple devotees. Rice is very absorbent and can hold a great deal of energy for a short time. These offerings are also made for the benefit of spiritual beings, ghosts, and demons which get satiated by the offerings and leave the Temple unharmed. These beings seek to gain access to the physical realm to fulfill their selfish desires. A Temple has a propensity to become a doorway to the physical realm for spiritual beings caught in darkness and intent upon harming humanity if its sanctity is allowed to be deplenished. This is why the shastras mandate that every Temple must be purified and reconsecrated every 12 years through kumbhabhishekam rituals. Daily offerings are made in Temples to remove negative energies and to sustain positive spiritual energy, but even with these regular offerings, the sanctity of the Temple is bound to become degraded over time.

The basic daily rituals include abhishekam (bathing rituals) for each deity and bali offerings. After 12 years generally, significant damage to the spiritual aksharas will begin to occur which necessitates special rituals to be conducted. If these rituals are not done, the aksharas which had been blessing the people, averting world tragedies, and stabilizing human consciousness can easily become negative forces through which spiritual beings can cause great harm to the world. If the daily rituals are discontinued in a Temple, the spiritual energies are depleted much more quickly. Certain inauspicious events occurring in the Temple also will tend to cause harm to the spiritual energies there and necessitate a re-consecration to occur sooner than the prescribed 12 years. If repairs or renovations are done to a Temple, this disturbs the flow of spiritual energy and it is considered necessary to re-consecrate the Temple immediately upon completion of such work. If a person or a large animal dies in the Temple, also this is thought to require a reconsecration. Certain extremely inauspicious events would even lead to the need to abandon a particular site, like the killing of many people in the Temple.

This is why, the shastras have recommended that if worship is discontinued for a sacred icon of God after pranapratishtha rituals have been done, that image should be placed into running water like a river or ocean. This helps wash away any potentially harmful effects and returns the energies to the Earth. This is the best prescription for a sacred image that has fallen into neglect for which it is not possible to do the property rituals to sustain its spiritual power. Adhivasam (placing the image in water) is also done in the case of damage to the physical icon. Damage is considered inauspicious. It is thought that worship of such an image could even cause harm. To avert this potential, the image is returned respectfully to the water.

Though the sacred icons can have a great deal of spiritual energy associated with them and they are afforded great reverence by the devout, it is understood that God is in all things. Stone is stone. It will one day crumble into dust. It does not last forever. Nothing in this world lasts forever. Only God is eternal. In the case that a vigraham is damaged, a replacement can be made. Then through special rituals, the spiritual energies can be taken out of the damaged image and then placed into the replacement. It is a mystical science, which requires continual effort. Though this process is considered “idol worship” by detractors, this cannot be claimed if there is knowledge of the process of consecration. The physical image has certain iconography which has an effect on consciousness when viewed. But the image itself is a point of focus for our meditation, not really a manifestation of God. God is in all things. When a person meditates, they begin to see God in everything. A channel is opened through this spiritual awareness which allows human consciousness to more easily go into a state of deep meditative awareness. This also opens channels to allow Devas access to the physical realm to bless the people. But these channels are spiritual and not physical.

During the reconsecration of any Temple, all the spiritual energies are removed entirely from the Temple. A temporary pavilion is constructed outside the Temple. The spiritual energies associated with each vigraha and the associated temple towers are all placed into kumbhas (water pots) kept outside the Temple in the pavilion. Then the Temple is purified completely of all negative energies. It is made to be pure, like a clean slate, through the rituals. Then rituals are done to build the spiritual energies before they are placed back into the shrines and Temple towers. Through such rituals, all negative energy is removed from the sacred Temple and the spiritual energies are built. The icons become more powerful and the Temple towers become able to project the blessings even further to the surrounding area. When we maintain Temples, they bring peace and prosperity to people in the surrounding area. Yet when Temples are neglected, dark forces rush in, to try to cause harm through the channels opened by the Saints.

The design of almost every Temple has been extremely deliberate. There are shastras that detail the elaborate specifications for Temple design. Each architectural feature has been placed with an energetic purpose. Each item offered also serves a mystical purpose.

I attended a recent consecration of a new Temple performed by my Guru in the US. In every Temple consecration, yantras carved in gold or silver or copper are installed in the peetham under the deity. Along with these, nine gems and seven metals are installed also to help empower the image. At this particular consecration, along with the nine gems associated with the nine Planets of Vedic astrology, numerous additional pearls were installed. This was done to help balance fire energies associated with the property’s vastu. The property had its entrance in the South East, the direction of fire. This was necessary due to the orientation of the access road. There are several vastu doshas in that direction on the property which in combination with the SE entrance had been increasing the fiery energy of the property. The Temple in fact experienced several fires. A fountain was also installed in the South East in order to help pacify these fiery energies. These things together have eased the imperfections of the property and stopped troubles through fire. Without such measures, surely the fiery energy of the property would have a propensity to be increased by the worship done there and destructive forces sent to the surrounding areas through the Temple towers. This is a great example of the mystical significance of the Temple structure and the specific valuable materials used during Temple consecration. If invaders were to seize this Temple and remove the images, they would find a wealth of pearls. They may ask the question “Why does God need such wealth.” They may decide that they could make better use of this wealth and sell these pearls, but then the pearls would no longer be able to ease the fiery energy of that powerful site. With powerful aksharas established, yet tempered by the intentional design and specific offerings, the sacred space could begin to cause great harm to those who desecrated the site and to society at large. There are great karmic repercussions for disturbing the sanctity of a Holy site like this. We can understand in this light the great importance of preserving our sacred Temples, their land, and their assets.

I have heard some people say that the Temples in India own too much land. They claim Temples that having this land does no good to society. They argue the land should be seized from Temples and given to poor people to farm or be used in some other way. Much Temple land has been lost in recent years. The land associated with the Temples is important for their proper functioning. Each Temple structure and every vigraham has been designed in relation to the shape and size of the specific Temple property. For the Temples to maintain their maximum effect to bless the people, it is essential that the historic property for which the Temple had been designed be maintained. Undeveloped land or agricultural land is much more conducive to supporting the manifestation and dispensation of spiritual energy than land inhabited or used by people. Many Temples are surrounded by a great deal of forested land, which acts as a nature reserve for positive spiritual forces which serve humanity. Even as the destruction of the rainforests leads to the extinction of many rare species of plant and animal which thrived in the unique habitat of the forest, the destruction of sacred Temple lands is closing channels to the inner realms and stopping the blessings to the world by displacing many spiritual beings and energies which thrive in the conducive atmosphere of the Temple land. Temple lands provide refuge for many rare and beneficial spiritual beings and forces that are a great aid to humanity. But most people do not see these spiritual things and so they think of material benefits only. We must remember that everything that is has come from the Lord and that the physical realm depends upon the support of many inner plane beings and forces. We can feel the great power of the sacred spiritual sites which have been well maintained. We can also feel if we pay careful attention to the negative energy of spiritual sites which have been neglected.

There are many spiritual sites I am aware of where the proper rituals are neglected, that I personally work to purify and re-energize. I will tell of one such site. It is a Buddhist Stupa not far from where I live in Virginia. This Stupa was built by a powerful Tibetan Lama on land owned by one devotee. That devotee was going to donate the land to the Lama, but after the Stupa had been constructed and consecrated, the plan changed and this devotee sold the land to a famous musician. After this only limited access was granted to devotees of the Lama and the Stupa fell into disuse. Since that time the land changed hands again. Today, that Lama has passed from his mortal body, but his devotees are still granted limited access to the Stupa. When I first visited it, frankly it felt terrible. It was dusty and dirty. Cobwebs blocked the doorway and poisonous black widow spiders were everywhere. It felt haunted and seemed to be projecting vile energy all around it like toxic radiation. I went with one disciple of that Lama. We cleaned the Stupa and carefully removed the spiders and then we chanted a few Vedic hymns and Tibetan mantras. Quickly and nearly effortlessly it seemed the energy shifted. What felt like a channel to the dark realms, quickly began to feel like that Lama again and the Stupa again began conferring the blessings of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas to the surrounding area. Since that time, I have encouraged the Devotees of that Lama to go and clean the Stupa and to practice there as often as possible. I check in on it occasionally myself also. It is not difficult to maintain, because Stupas like this were designed to send out blessings without the need for elaborate daily rituals, but it does still require some effort, or the positive spiritual energy quickly degrades into a potent curse to all who come near.

The presence of Temples in this world is a great blessing and a great responsibility. We should not keep them around because they are beautiful to look at. We must have some understanding of their spiritual effect on the world, and we must maintain them energetically, including cleaning them regularly and repairing damage to the structures and sacred images within. This work brings us into direct communion with the blessings of the Saints and the many thousands of Devas working through the sacred Temples. Participating in such work is not really possible at the big and famous Temples like Tirupati. People vie for these opportunities and only the rare few are lucky enough to be blessed with such opportunities. Even a large donation is insignificant for such wealthy Temples. But there are many equally powerful and equally important sacred sites that are suffering from neglect and are in great need of our help. We must do what we can to clean them and restore them to their previous glory before it becomes too late to save them. There is a certain point of no return after which it is no longer possible to reestablish what has been lost. Then our connection to the Sages and Saints and the unique aksharas of these Temples will be lost forever. We should all do what we can to educate people about this pressing concern and donate as we are able. The Agamas tell of unspeakable punyam (merit) which is incurred by supporting the efforts to preserve the sacred sites and participating in the sacred rituals of kumbhabhishekam which maintain our connection to the ancient sages. Sanatana Dharma is the world’s oldest living religion because we still have an energetic connection to our ancient Sages. We must fight to preserve this connection by working diligently to preserve the sacred sites before it is too late.

7 Reasons Why Visiting The Temple Is Good For Your Health

Why do we ring the temple bell?

Temple bells are made of a combination of metals like lead, copper, cadmium, zinc and nickel. The ringing of the bell creates a pleasing chiming sound that helps calm you down. “The hearing sense is activated when you ring the temple bell. The sound creates harmony between both the hemispheres of the brain,” 

Why do we light camphor?

Lighting of the camphor has a two-fold purpose. Camphor is often lit in a thali during an aarti because it activates the sense of sight in your body according to Dr Bhagwati. When the thali is brought in front, we hover our hands over the burning flame and touch our head or eyes with it. By doing so, our sense of touch is activated.

Whether you are a believer, an agnostic or an atheist, you can’t deny how your spirits and senses feel elevated when you visit a temple. The fragrance of incense sticks, the tinkling of bells and the chanting of prayers has a calming effect on your body. With our hands folded in prayer and our eyes shut, we place our biggest fears and greatest hopes in the hands of the almighty we trust. Irrespective of the problems with which we came in, we leave rejuvenated, happy and content. Ever wondered why we feel so enlivened after a temple visit?

Irrespective of where you belong to — North India or South India — no temple in the country encourages the use of footwear in the temple space. “It’s because temple spaces are high in pure vibrations of magnetic and electric fields. The temple floors are good conductors that absorb positive energy. Walking barefooted on these floors will help the energy pass through your body.” It is also symbolic of leaving your ego behind according to Dr Bhagwati.

Why do we ring the temple bell?

Temple bells are made of a combination of metals like lead, copper, cadmium, zinc and nickel. The ringing of the bell creates a pleasing chiming sound that helps calm you down. “The hearing sense is activated when you ring the temple bell. The sound creates harmony between both the hemispheres of the brain,” says Dr Bhagwati.”

Why do we light camphor?

Lighting of the camphor has a two-fold purpose. Camphor is often lit in a thali during an aarti because it activates the sense of sight in your body according to Dr Bhagwati. When the thali is brought in front, we hover our hands over the burning flame and touch our head or eyes with it. By doing so, our sense of touch is activated.

Why do we offer flowers at the temple?

Be it hibiscus for Ganapati or lotus for Laksmi, flowers are always a common fixture in temples. The sight of colourful blooms coupled with their sweet smell is enough to bring us out of a bad mood. The sense of touch is also activated by the softness the flowers says Dr Bhagwati.

Why do we drink theertham?

The ‘theertham’ or holy water is a mixture of pure water with herbs and flowers stored in a copper or solver vessel in front of the idol. “It is supposed to activate one’s sense of taste,” adds the doctor. Drinking water stored in metals like copper does have its own health benefits. “Storing water in copper vessels for over eight hours can also balance the tridoshas: vata, pitta and kapha,” she says. The metal charges the water with positive vibrations, which on consumption can provide a host of health benefits for the body. “Issues such as colds, cough and sore throat are mitigated when you drink the theertham,” says Dr Bhagwati.

Why do we do pradaskina?

Once the prayers are offered, it is a custom to walk around the idol clockwise. Dr Bhagwati says, “The term pradakshina literally means ‘towards the right.’ While the pradakshina is performed, the body absorbs the good vibrations from the idol and the temple premises, aiding good health and a calm mind.

Temple rituals are not blind traditions that are followed by droves of believers without any thought behind them. It is evident that every ritual has a symbolic and a scientific objective behind it.