Guest guest Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Om Namah Sivaya In the Kali Yuga and in the material world of busy day-to-day life, the temple of the Lord affords great opportunities for the evolution of man through concentration and devotion. The precincts of the temple are so sacred and give a peace which no other atmosphere can give. There is a divine vibration in the entire area. By the constant and regular Puja during the three sessions of the day, the recitation of the Holy Vedas and chanting of specific Mantras throughout the year, the auspiciousness of the temple increases everyday and the entire atmosphere elevates the soul of man to a very great degree. The shrine in which the Murti of the Supreme Lord is installed is a hallowed place which exerts a powerful spiritual influence that can transform the minds of persons into a state of higher purity. The daily worships through prayers, invocations and Abhisheka and Archana, performed at the temple, endow the whole environment with a holiness and splendour that infuses into all a feeling of reverence, piety and devotion, whenever they enter its premises. But the sanctity of the temple should be carefully maintained by observing the prescribed rules usually connected with the maintenance of places of divine worship. External and internal Saucha are both necessary in the worship of the Devata in a temple. The temple dedicated to the Archavatara of the Lord is a visible representation of the body of the Virat-Purusha and the rituals of worship in the temple are objective acts expressing the whole process of spiritual Sadhana. The temple is the microcosmic embodiment of the universe indwelt by the Antaryamin, Isvara, whose worship we conduct at the sacred temple. The Lord is invoked by means of the powerful Mantras of the Srutis, Smritis and Tantras and the Murti in the temple becomes a living manifestation of the force of the Divine, ready to fulfil the noble aspirations of the devout Archaka. Archana is the easiest and the safest means of cultivating the love of the Almighty, for it becomes the link between His transcendent being and the world in which the devotee is placed. The one special feature of Archana-Bhakti is that it seeks to evoke the finer forms of the religious consciousness in man through offering to God articles of devotion by means of the physical forms which are the immediate aspects of the manifestations of God-Being, revealed to the senses here. Hence Archana is the foundation on which is constructed the grand edifice of spiritual effort and realisation. It is one among the nine gems of the way in which man aspires to reach God. Worship the Lord with intense faith and aspiration. The Lord will surely bestow His grace upon you all. All are blessed—one who causes the temple to be built, who actually builds it, who assists in it, who is happy about it, who performs worship in it, who prostrates oneself before it with faith and adorns the Lord always in one’s heart, with sincerity and love. The Lord is everywhere and He allows Himself to be adored at particular places on account of the supreme compassion that He has for all beings. ----By Sri Swami Sivananda Sivaya Namah Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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