Temple worship

[Guest guest]

Today I had the chance to visit two very lovely

Hindu temples just outside of Chicago, IL. This was my

second and third time ever stepping into a temple, and I

must say it was easier for me (less nerves) today than

it was the first time.<br><br>I couldn't help but

notice how different the two temples felt. My experience

at the first was very strong -- almost overpowering

-- vibration coming from the entire building. The

second was more relaxed and warm (it helped that there

were less people here than at the first) and I felt

quite comfortable there.<br><br>I am home now and feel

very worn out by the whole day (we spent many hours in

the car as well), but somehow I feel spiritually

uplifted. I feel that I was surrounded by God today and I

was able to sit and worship.<br><br>After my

experiences today, I would like to ask the members here a

couple of questions. First, do you attend temple

regularly? If so, what purpose does it serve for you? If

not, why not? Do you experience temples differently?

<br><br>I appreciate your input on this subject. <br><br>Om

Shanti<br>Erica

[Guest guest]

i feel going to the temple n feeling good depends

on the individual . unfortunately i dont get time to

go to the temple regularly . (it is not that iam

against it )definetely iam missing some thing but it is

not the only thing . spirituality is state of

satchidanand .it means being in continuous aannad offcourse

with truth n honesty .<br>ifeel going to the temple

may add speed to the whole process but it is not the

only factor .leaving ur work neglecting ur duties n

going to the temple i feel is not good but yes if u r

able to visit temple with every thing n it gives u

aanand it should be continued . i feel our heart it the

biggeat temple .

[Guest guest]

I go to Temple for the the Dharshan <br><br>the

close connection with God there<br><br>a place for

<br><br>this can be achieved also in your home<br><br>a spot

set aside for God<br><br>where a lamp is lit

<br><br>where incense is offerred<br><br>fruit and water

offerred<br><br>where camphor is burned<br><br>where bhajans are

sung<br><br>and your whole being offerred in service to the Lord

of your heart<br><br>to worship is to pay

attention<br><br>Love baba

[Guest guest]

Thank you baba. I do have a place set aside in my

home for God. I don't know any specific rituals, so I

do the best I can. The important thing to me is that

I focus on God while I am in the space, and that

the concentration spreads to all parts of my

life.<br><br>I felt such a different energy at the temple. The

air was somehow alive. I could definitely feel

it!<br><br>Erica

[Guest guest]

Hi Erica<br><br>I have not yet visited a Hindu

temple - I personally feel that I need to find my own

way into God and Dharma before doing this. I came to

Hinduism through years of yoga practice, and was brought

up in an atheist family, so I guess the esoteric

approach is easier than the organised one for me, right

now anyway.<br><br>I have a shrine I have assembled

from items which are personally important to me, but

it contains the basic elements common to many Hindu

shrines: statuary, icons, and the equipment for bringing

food, flowers, water, incense and fire to make a

puja.<br><br>This is not something I do every day, as I believe

that a close personal connection with the Self is more

important to spiritual development than ritual worship.

However, I do offer a puja if I feel lost or disconnected,

or I have a specific thing I need some help with. I

find achieveing darshan helpful in these

circumstances. <br><br>Padma

[Guest guest]

Temple worship, is not mandatory in "Hinduism".

Unlike other faiths, there is no day designated for

people to go to temple to pray together. People are

instead encouraged to go whenever they wish and offer

prayers either on their own or through the priest.

Typically the puja involves an offering of flowers, fruits,

incense, together with prayers, and ranges from a simple

prayer, to very elaborate diety-specific rituals.

<br><br>There are however many, many days in the year,

designated for the honoring of different devas and devis. On

several of these days, people are encouraged to go to the

temple and participate if they wish. Generally, people

go to those they feel specially attracted to, or to

those they are used to going as part of family

tradition. In a few of these, which are considered community

festivals, people also participate in group prayers.

<br><br>What is encouraged in general is to have a temple in

one's home in the form of a "puja" (prayer) room,

however small or elaborate one wants it or is able to to

make it. As baba108 has put it beautifully, the idea

is to have a place to bring one's attention to

whatever an individual holds divine.<br><br>On a more

personal level, I am not much of a temple goer, though

more because I don't have one nearby that I can

resonate with. In my home while I have a specific place

where I meditate everyday, I have several altars in my

home all over my house, where I honor and bring the

energies of Masters into my home. For me, it is more

important to make the home into a temple than to have a

place within the home that is one.<br><br>There are

many fascinating aspects of this topic, and I look

foward to it being explored further by the members of

our satsangh. <br><br>Thanks Erica! for bringing up

this topic. <br><br>_/\_ Tat twam asi<br><br>Uma

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the post Umadi, about Worship.<br>Yes,

it true that Hindus don’t necessarily have to go to

temples on specific days at a specific time. Many people,

especially the womenfolk, do make it a part of their daily

routine to visit temples but that is because they wish

to.<br><br>I can’t even remember when is the last time I

visited a temple. <br><br>To worship, one does not have

to go to temples. Certain days are ordained for

worshipping certain Gods and Goddesses, and many people do

that. <br><br>What I know is very specific to a Bengali

Household and I will try to list down what I

can.<br><br>Mondays are reserved for Shiva Worship. When I was in

Singapore, it was a part of my routine to visit a temple

every Monday. It used to visit that temple every Monday

morning or on a Monday evening. This temple was on my way

to work and en-route, I would stop and just bow down

before Shiva before proceeding to work. It had a very

beautiful architecture and that is what fascinated me. If

someone is interested, the temple is close to the

AlJuneid MRT station in Singapore.<br><br>Tuesdays and

Saturdays people worship Kali. Saturdays are also days for

worshipping Shani (Saturn) and Narayan

(Vishnu).<br><br>Thursdays are reserved for Lakshmi Puja or worship. This is

normally done by the women folk. And Lakshmi Puja takes up

a bigger significance when it’s a full moon night.

Women fast and worship Lakshmi.<br><br>Apart from

these, over the year most Gods and Goddesses are

worshipped on a grand scale. Durga. Kali, Ganesha - have

their specific annual worships.<br><br>What I mentioned

was typical of Bengal. Now in other states in India,

different days are reserved for different deities. I know,

for example, Hanumana, the monkey God, is worshipped

on Tuesdays in North India and on Saturday in

Maharashtra.<br><br>I would like to know more about other Gods and

Goddesses and when they are worshipped. I would request all

members to participate and give their

opinions.<br><br>Thanks

[Guest guest]

My Guruji said that it is mandatory that everyday

the sadhaka will do the Nitya Puja - daily rituals

related to Puja (i think worship is not the right term

for it), then go for the specific Yogasanas and then

Dhyana (may be Meditation as I personally feel that the

word Meditation is also not adequate english word for

the word Dhyana).<br><br>But yes Puja and Japa is a

must for everyone. Now if the Temple is near by then

the Sadhaka - specially for the Tantrik Sadhaka

should visit the Temple and chant his Mantras there for

the Siddhi.<br><br>But in every Hindu Family House

there is a small Temple whether small or big or you may

also call it an Alter.<br><br>While I was travelling i

found that small temples are there in Bihar, Varanasi,

Kerala, North India anmd every where. and people - who

are rather religious to pay visit or at least bow

down there.<br><br>With regards<br>Kosongo

[Guest guest]

There are two types of worship:<br><br>1. Archa.

(idol of worship). The devotee feels the presence of

God in it. And as such the inanimate image soon

acquires a new meaning, becomes our object of love, of

heart's hankering and of eye's rest.<br>2. Pratima. The

symbol is the locus, on which the devotee concentrates

his thought. But no sooner the thought is centralised

then the locus goes out of his vision and no necessity

thereof is felt. <br><br>In the beginning of our

spiritual life, we need an idol or an external symbol to

help us to concentrate. But as we progress in

spirituality, we no longer feel the necessity of external

symbols, as we realise the Brahman in our own hearts.

<br><br>One such external symbol, is going to temples. There

is a lot of hidden meaning in going to

temples.<br><br>If one enters an orthodox Hindu temple, the inside

of the temple is absolutely dark. There is an idol

in the temple but you cannot see it because it is

enveloped by darkness. You go to the priest and hand over

the camphor and coconut you have brought. The priest

burns the camphor. The moment the camphor is burnt the

light dispels the darkness-enveloped area. Once the

darkness is dispelled, the idol is visible in front.

Earlier, even though the idol was in front of you, you

could not see it due to the darkness.<br><br> The

priest then breaks the coconut given by you - the

devotee. Once it is broken, the sweet water that emerges

is taken as "Tirtha'. <br><br> The beauty of this

ritual can be comprehended only when you understand the

symbolism behind this which is as follows :<br><br> Going

to the temple is like entering into this world. Just

as there is darkness in the temple when you enter,

so also when we are born, we are born with darkness,

which is in the form of ignorance.<br><br> Just as in

the presence of darkness you cannot see the idol,

which is right in front of you, so also you are not in

a position to see what is right in front of you due

to ignorance.<br><br> Lord Krishna in the Gita says

"Ajanane Na Tu Jnanam Avrtam Tena Muhyanti Jantavah". By

ignorance one's intellect is covered, hence the

delusion.<br><br>WHY IS THE CAMPHOR BURNT?<br><br>The priest burn the

camphor in the fire. The fire here stands for fire of

knowledge - Jnana Agni. Agni always stands for knowledge.

In the fire of knowledge, fire of wisdom, fire of

enquiry, the priest burns all your past (notions, beliefs,

conclusions, etc). The moment the camphor is burnt, the light

emerging out of the fire dispels the darkness. Just as

darkness is dispelled in the presence of light, ignorance

is dispelled in the fire of wisdom. The act of

burning of camphor stands for Guru Upadesha. As a result

of Guru Upadesha there is an understanding,

cognition that dawns and this cognition which is the fire

of wisdom burns away the ignorance and you become

aware of your true self i.e. the Murti becomes visible

before you. <br><br> This idol (Murti) was right in

front of you earlier also but you were not able to see

it because of the darkness. The moment this darkness

gets dispelled you can see it. So also your true self

is always present, but you are not aware of it

because of your ignorance. The moment this ignorance is

destroyed by the fire of wisdom the true self which

eternally exists surfaces out.