Why do we go to temple for worshiping........?

[kkavita]

Hi. People say that God lives within us, in our heart. Then why do they go to temple for worshiping GOD?

[ngn3d2000]

Because we want to share our problems and questions to the creator world. If we sit at home and pray we never feel the energy and relief as praying in temple.

[sinthuja]

In temple ,the slogan said by guru makes the surronding place with good radiation. Each and every words in slogam makes good radiation.

The word RAMA and SHIVA are the most powerfull words which create a new thougths in our mind.In temple we think that we are praying to god.

It's not like that we are talking with our inner soul by which we are moulding ourself

[Purav D. Divecha]

Temples were never originally meant for God worship (most of the ancient ones). They were meant as energy places to go to sit and contemplate be it with God or the universe or with nature. Of course since they were places of energy certain effects could be seen and heard and certain idols put by those who had certain visions of the types of energy at those places.

[rajatarora]

There is no denying the fact that GOD resides in our Heart. But The place where he resides needs to be clean, not merely by washing with water but by killing our Bad characters, In order to clean our heart ,Mind & soul we need a place (Like Mandir, Gurudwara) where everytime Hari Puja goes on. By listening to THE LORD'S Praise one can kill his/her wrong deeds or evil character (i.e. SHUDHI) & here where GOD will come and meet u as per your wish & desire. As U may have heard the phrase "HARI ANANT HARI KATHA ANANT". His Kath purifies every individual but one needs to Listen it.

[omguruom]

When a piece of string is joined together with other string it becomesn strong rope... So to when the Children of God, gather together and pray/meditate, there devotion becomes amplified!

[acobulareddy]

In my knowledge, if you realise god "in you", "in every where" and "in every thing" in the world then you will not ask this question. you are asking because you have not yet realised... there are many otherways to realise the same, pooja, yoga, meditation, music, dance, living life, etc... Temples are one of the way to realise the above.

[Guiding Thoughts]

The above link is to a article posted on scribd. It may answer your questions. In my personal view we go to a temple as the atmosphere in most temples is calming. Every one comes to a temple with clean thoughts(relatively clean) and so the thoughts in the atmosphere induce mental peace and stability and give hope. We go a hospital - because everyone there is also looking for some solution to a problem and there is someone (a doctor) who knows enough abt the subject to solve it. You may find this article interesting.

 

If you are highly evolved and can find God in your own self and others around you- i guess the need may not necessarily arise. Most sages / Rishis were their own temple. Thats my view.Great question- i wondered abt it myself

[Guest Yogesh Vaishnav]

Hi

 

Vedic holy books(3500BC) doesn't insists on PUJA (going to temple and worshiping idols). In fact vedic way of pleasing Gods is by performing yagya with agni.

PUJA became popular somewhat later (100-500BC). It can be said to have started during times of Ramayana and continued to the Mahabharata.

Both the ways of worshiping Gods are popular in present times.

We can do Yagya and put our offerings in Fire. Fire will deliver our offerings to Gods who live high in Clouds.

We can also do PUJA by visiting temple. In a temple one can worship a stone idol. It is necessary to understand that it is not idol worship. In fact a devotee is using idol as a symbol of God so that he/she can concentrate on his divine form while doing DARSHAN.

 

My knowledge to this is limited but however I would like to share it:

According to Ramayanana, Rama made a linga and worshiped it with flowers. I believe this was the first incident of PUJA written in our holy books. This place is now known as Rameshwaram (Jyotir Linga in Southern most India)

Another incident many years after Ramayana happened in Mahabharata. It was Arjuna who worshiped a stone in Himalayan region. He did so as to get special weapon "Pashup-astra".

 

--

Yogesh Vaishnav

[Guest Yogesh Vaishnav]

 

why do they go to temple for worshiping GOD?

 

Hi

 

We can worship God anywhere because he himself told in Bhagwad Gita that he is Omnipresent (Present in all, living/non-living).

We can worship God in his formless avtar. We need not to go to temple and worship everytime.

 

The reason why people go to temple may be:

1. The environment of temple is full of bhakti which invokes spark in devotee's heart

2. Darshanam, which is verty important. When a devotee is in eye-contact with his Lord, God will scan his problems by looking down to devotee's heart through devotee's eyes and fix them. So we are not supposed to ask/demand God, he is intelligent enough to identify our problems and resolve them. This all is done during Darshan, hence it is very imp.

3. Prasadam, it is considered as God's blessing. A symbol that your problems are heard. It could be something to eat, drink or a flower!

4. Offerings, it is devotee's desire to please God by offering flowers, cent sticks, coconut (Shri-Phal, king of all fruits), kum-kum, rice, sandal, etc.

 

Regards

Yogesh Vaishanv (Google me)

[razious]

Temple worship is symbolic. Temple is a symbol of our body only. If you ask anyone knowledgible in temple vastu you will here the close anology between the body and temple. All the 108 varma points of the body are there in the temple.

 

Realized mystics of all religions do not engage in temple worship but worship in their heart. They prescribe an inner worship.

 

A few example:

 

Narayana suktam , declare the place of Narayana to be in the Heart in the form of a light , a fraction of the hair width in size.

 

Tiru Mantriam a tamil mystiic work by the Saint Tirumular declares;

 

Mind is the shrine, Flesh body is temple ,

Mouth is the entrance door for the lord,

For who knows clearly, Jeeva is Siva Linga,

Five sense organs are the five lights

 

Islam Mysticism holds;

 

God does not reside in the building of stone and metal made by people

He resides in the Heart of creatures.

 

Till one realises this one searches god everywhere, in mountan top, in far away ilands, in temples,

 

There is a beautiful Zen story on this state of affair.

There was a zen master who become known for his wise counsel to any problem of any body.His fame reached far and wide and even to heven on to God's ears. God decided to consult him for His problem and visited him.

God put before the Zen master his biggest problem:

" I dont have any privacy and a breating time of rest - human creatures constantly seek me out all the time and disturb me for their never ending wants. I consulted the councel of celestrial beings in my hevenly abode. They told me to go and live in the toppest mountan peeks, far away ilands, in deep woods - where humans cannot reach. I traid all that but in vain. Now-a-days these human creatures can reach any where. Please Show me a perfect hiding place so that I am never distrubed by the human creatures again.

 

And the Zen master advised:

 

Hide in the place where they will suspect of you the least, and that their own heart.

 

God took that advise and found no more disturbance, because from then on creatures are searching him every where in the universe except where he really is.

 

Magic Flute