Why have an Altar at home????

[Guest guest]

Greetings to all,

 

Ever wondered why we have a prayer altar at home???...Most Hindu

homes have a prayer room or altar. A lamp is lit and the Lord is

worshipped each day,Special worship is done on auspicious occasions

like birthdays or festivals . Each member of the family- young or

old, communes with and worships the Divine here.

 

The Lord is the owner of entire creation. He is therefore the true

owner of the house we live in too. The prayer room is the master room

of the house. This notion rids us of false pride and possessiveness.

The ideal attitude to take is to regard the lord as the true owner of

our homes and ourselves as the caretakers of HIS home. But if this is

difficult, we could at least think of Him as a very welcome guest.

Just as we would house an important guest in the best comfort,so too

we felicitate the Lord's presence in our homes by having a prayer

room or altar,which is at all times kept clean and well decorated.

Also the Lord is all pervading. To remind us that He resides in our

home with us, we have prayer rooms. Without the grace of the Lord, no

task can be easily done. We invoke his grace by communing with Him in

the prayer room each day.

 

Each room in a home is dedicated to a specific function like bedroom

for resting & sleeping,kitchen for cooking etc. So for the purpose

of meditation,worship and prayer, we should have a conductive

atmosphere - hence the need for a prayer room.

 

Sacred thoughts and sound vibrations pervade the place and influence

the minds of those who spend time there. Spiritual thoughts and

vibrations accumulated through regular meditation,worship and

chanting done here pervade the prayer room. Even when we are tired or

agitated, by just sitting in the prayer room for a while, we feel

calm, rejuvenated and spiritually uplifted. It is also believed that

the altar should be facing the East where the Sun rises cause it is

believed it considered good luck & lits the altar with warmth.

 

OM SHAKTHI

[Guest guest]

"Ever wondered why we have a prayer altar at home???...Most Hindu

homes have a prayer room or altar"

 

One main reason I can think of is that, our own home is the first

temple. Remember the proverbs : courtesy begins at home.

 

The alter is a point or rather a focus of our devotion, and from this

point the whole aura of devotion vibrates to the whole house, thus

creating the heavenly like atmosphere in the household. Heaven on

earth is when you have peace in your heart and mind in your own home.

Devotion/ Love to the divine must come from within.

 

It is rather ironic though that some people spend a lot of time and

money on the outside temple while neglecting their own. I know of a

case whereby this guy with 4 kids, spend almost all his monthly

salary on temples while his wife have to go around borrowing money

from others so that her kids can have food and go to school.

 

"It is also believed that the altar should be facing the East

where

the Sun rises cause it is believed it considered good luck & lits the

altar with warmth"

 

In Hinduism, Eastern direction is an auspicious one. The eastern

direction symbolizes regeneration or a renewal, such as a new day

beginning in the eastern direction ( the rising of the sun ). Two

famous Devi is associated with the Eastern region : Ushas Devi and

Chinnamasta Devi.

 

In the Rg Veda, Ushas is always "young, being born again and

again, though ancient, shining with a uniform hue" and "as she shone

in former days, so she shines now and will shine in the future, never

ageing, immortal". Ushas therefore does not age or decay.

 

Chinnamasta Devi reperesents the aspects of the DEVI symbolizes

transition, destruction, and recreation. A continuous process of

creation, preservation, destruction and recreation. Despite

decapitated herself, she defy death and still remain a potent force

in the universe.

 

Now what all these DEVI's got to do with the Altar you may ask?

Let the light of the auspicious east shine into our "altar"

or the

main focus of our devotion. This is the light of immortality. Our

devotion to the divine should always be like these two great

DEVI's : it does not fade away, and remained potent despite all

the setbacks in life.