Temple worship...contd..

[Guest guest]

WHY DO THEY BREAK COCONUTS?<br><br>The priest

breaks the coconut and once the coconut is broken the

sweet water in the coconut comes out which is taken as

Tirtha. Coconut represents Ahamkara (ego) and with the

support of the master this coconut (ego) is broken in

front of the idol i.e. at the altar of truth. The sweet

water of happiness, the sweet water of joy becomes the

Tirtha. <br><br> Just as Ahamkara is hard to break; the

coconut is also hard to break. Every time a coconut is

broken it is a suggestion that Ego (Ahamkara) has to be

broken.<br>The water in the coconut existed even before it was

broken but you were not able to experience it, because

of the hard shell covering it.<br><br> Similarly, in

our lives also the sweet water of happiness exists

but the shell of our ego is so hard that it deprives

us of the joy of experiencing it. <br><br>Hari Aum

!<br>-- Adapted from an article in Vivekanda Kendra