Guest guest Posted February 13, 2000 Report Share Posted February 13, 2000 Significance of temple worship (An Article from the Religious Section of The Hindu taken with permission: "Copyrights 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.") A temple is a house of ``cosmic spirit'' and an abode of Gods in this land. By spending a little time within its precincts and worshiping the consecrated idols, religious fervor will be kindled in a man. A distinctive feature of this repository of culture, tradition, art and religion, is the huge tower at its entrance. ``Admiring and paying respect from a long distance to these awe-inspiring structures will fetch fruits'' is an adage. Emphasizing this, saint-poetess Avvaiyar has advised people to visit these houses of God and not to reside at a place where such a storehouse of faith does not exist. Temples were built centuries ago by great rulers. ``Hide yourself in a little space before the idols, which are but visual representations of the forms of God and rest in Him for a while,'' says a poet. Saints, in their tours spreading the message of God, paid their obeisance at various temples and sang in praise of the deities installed therein and encouraged educational and cultural activities. Some of these messengers of God engaged themselves in rendering service of different types in these shrines like cleaning the premises, raising flower plants, fetching holy water, grinding sandal paste and lighting lamps. Their mission was that these divine places should inspire people and the entire society should prosper. The temples were built strictly according to the norms laid down in scriptural manuals, which also contained guidelines about their management, maintenance, daily worship, purity of the priests and methods of going round by the devotees. The spirit of absolute reverence displayed by the visiting persons should be governed by high principles of moral standards. The sanctity prevailing within also depended on the conduct of the devotees. They should be pure in their thoughts, words and deeds. Prayers should be offered with single-minded devotion. No pomp or extravagance need to be shown, says Saint Thirumoolar who had included a chapter in his work Thirumandiram exclusively on temples and the significance of worship in them, said Prof. V. Rathinasabapathy in a lecture. The saint has pointed out that the rituals are to be conducted at the timings stipulated in the instructions. The precincts should be kept tidy. Even a stone removed unauthorizedly may affect the managements concerned. Procedures, if contravened, may delay the onset of monsoons resulting in natural calamities. Extraordinary emphasis is laid on the purity of the temple employees. The images installed reflect the effulgence of the Supreme Lord and hence devotees coming out will enjoy peace within. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 13, 2000 Report Share Posted February 13, 2000 Hi! The temple of God or the Infinite is meant to be, in a subtle sense, a place where one can dissolve the ego, with no fear of being ridiculed by any one around. Since man can not do that ego dissolution in the material and physical world easily, he/she has a place to go where this sacred act can be performed within oneself and through some type of temple service without any material gain from it. The great saints who knew this very well wanted every one to make such a temple going and praying as part of the regular life. -- Vis Ram Chandran wrote: > Ram Chandran <chandran > > Significance of temple worship (An Article from the Religious Section of The > Hindu taken with permission: "Copyrights 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet > Initiatives Inc.") > > A temple is a house of ``cosmic spirit'' and an abode of Gods in this land. > By spending a little time within its precincts and worshiping the consecrated > idols, religious fervor will be kindled in a man. A distinctive feature of > this repository of culture, tradition, art and religion, is the huge tower at > its entrance. ``Admiring and paying respect from a long distance to these > awe-inspiring structures will fetch fruits'' is an adage. Emphasizing this, > saint-poetess Avvaiyar has advised people to visit these houses of God and > not to reside at a place where such a storehouse of faith does not exist. > > Temples were built centuries ago by great rulers. ``Hide yourself in a little > space before the idols, which are but visual representations of the forms of > God and rest in Him for a while,'' says a poet. Saints, in their tours > spreading the message of God, paid their obeisance at various temples and sang > in praise of the deities installed therein and encouraged educational and > cultural activities. Some of these messengers of God engaged themselves in > rendering service of different types in these shrines like cleaning the > premises, raising flower plants, fetching holy water, grinding sandal paste > and lighting lamps. Their mission was that these divine places should inspire > people and the entire society should prosper. > > The temples were built strictly according to the norms laid down in > scriptural manuals, which also contained guidelines about their management, > maintenance, daily worship, purity of the priests and methods of going round > by the devotees. The spirit of absolute reverence displayed by the visiting > persons should be governed by high principles of moral standards. The sanctity > prevailing within also depended on the conduct of the devotees. They should > be pure in their thoughts, words and deeds. > > Prayers should be offered with single-minded devotion. No pomp or extravagance > need to be shown, says Saint Thirumoolar who had included a chapter in his > work Thirumandiram exclusively on temples and the significance of worship in > them, said Prof. V. Rathinasabapathy in a lecture. The saint has pointed > out that the rituals are to be conducted at the timings stipulated in the > instructions. The precincts should be kept tidy. Even a stone removed > unauthorizedly may affect the managements concerned. Procedures, if > contravened, may delay the onset of monsoons resulting in natural calamities. > Extraordinary emphasis is laid on the purity of the temple employees. The > images installed reflect the effulgence of the Supreme Lord and hence > devotees coming out will enjoy peace within. > > --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > > Get what you deserve with NextCard Visa. ZERO. Rates as low as 0 > percent Intro or 9.9 percent Fixed APR, online balance transfers, > Rewards Points, no hidden fees, and much more! Get NextCard today and > get the credit you deserve. Apply now. Get your NextCard Visa at > <a href=" http://clickme./ad/NextcardCreative3 ">Click Here</a> > > ------ > > Discussion of the True Meaning of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy focusing on non-duality between mind and matter. Searchable List Archives are available at: http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ Contact Email Address: advaitins > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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