Importance of visiting temple and following rituals.

I have been asked several times by my foreign  friends - Why Hindus visit temples?
After researching and talking to few experts, I found few reasons. Apart from spiritual need, people went to temple for social and scientific reasons.

Darshan: We visit temple for Darshana or see the 'sight' of the supreme lord. This helps the devotee to connect the god mentally and emotionally. It also help in concentrating fully with god and forgetting the rest of the universe around us. This 'Dhyana' or mediation creates vacuum in our continuous flow of thoughts that facilitate to attain peace.

Idol: God is humanized in the form of 'idol' that helps devotee to concentrate on an object. It gives a definite shape or form to our imaginary thoughts. In addition, every god or supreme power has certain characteristic to his/her personality and we ultimately wish to have them or improve in those area.

Rituals: Rituals in Hinduism are in different form. One set of rules are for temples and another for personal life. Temple rituals revolves around "pranpratishtha" or installing the idol of a deity in the temple with proper rituals of invoking god/goddess with sanskrit chanting, bathing the idol with milk, water, honey, clarified butter and yogurt (panchamrut i.e. 5 nectors or liquids), dressing up with cloth, flowers, ornaments, offering food and singing bhajan (devotional songs).

Every ritual invokes human 5 senses - touching(touching the deity), seeing(seeing the deity), tasting (panchamrut), smelling (flowers, camphor, and other things), hearing (the chanting, arti, bhanjan)...bring 'self' the present state or in temple completely.

On daily basis the worshiping is done in smaller scale to invoke and sleep the god in the form of idol. The same process is followed at home in much smaller scale.

There are other rituals in Hinduism are meant for social occasions such as marriage, and death and so on... this signifies the life and meaning we have for every part of the life and the way we accept and respect it. These rituals associated with the special occasions reminds us our duty or role or 'dharma' during that phase. Most of them are beneficial and scientifically  proven. For example, the silver toe rings are part of acupuncture  therapy that regulates uterus function in women and avoid diseases associated with. It also improve a sexual desire in women and therefore forbidden for unmarried  or widows to wear them.

Concept of Brahma: This concept remind us the value of I. I am Brahma. So do others. The temple may have one of more deities whom we worship or devote ourself with the concept of I am one part of the universe. I am also God. The devotion teaches us to let go off "I" that is main cause of stress and conflict in the personal and professional life.

Architecture: Most ancient temples have magnificent architecture that have scientific as well as spiritual significance. The scientific meaning of the temple architecture is associated with the scientific construction that includes the decor, angles, lights, the environment and the other things.

The common features of the temples are:
1. Central sanctum enshrines for the main deity
2. Secondary sanctums are for other deities such as Ganesha, Nandi and so on...
3. The space for the trained priest to perform rituals
4. The space in-front of the main deity is for devotees to stand/sit to worship or attend the Arti
5. The outside areas  either within the temple premises or outside the temple premises meant for public for attending social functions or discourse
6. There is additional space for devotees for pradkshana or parikrama or walk around the garbha graham or main section of the temple, but this is within the premises/external boundaries of the temple.

Pradaksihina or Parikrama: The reasons behind pradkshana is - we consider god is center part of our action, our thought and our world. When we go around, we keep the deity at the center of the gravity and consider it as the main focus of our existence. This concept usually helps devotees to consider to take life as it comes or consider this is devoted to the god /universe and we all are part of it. This is one of the ways to keep our mind balanced and peaceful by removing the focus from 'self' or 'I'.

The role Temples in Society: Temples, in general, played a larger role in the society that provided educational, social support in addition to providing them an emotional, and a spiritual support. Most temples in ancient India were also served as educational institutes or gurukul and the center for social gathering in the evening. The additional space within the temple is provided to people to held social rituals and ceremonies. The spiritual guru used the same space to give the discourse that taught most to stay away from materialistic, physical or emotional vices. The environment also helped to inculcate the basic virtue through friendship, forgiveness, humility, tolerance, courage, guidance and more...thus improving overall improvement.




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Why Hindus Worship 'Shiva Linga'?

The lingam or Shiva Linga is the most sacred symbol of Hinduism, as it represents the Lord Shiva, who is worshiped across the Indian subcontinent by Hindus.

Contrary to popular belief that originates from partial meaning of Linga, there is an altogether different meaning and significance to Shiva Linga that is far beyond this superficial belief.

The Meaning of Shiva Linga.

Shiv Linga symbolizes the God himself or his source of energy or cosmic eggs (Brahmanada), and signifies emergence or origin. The base of Shiv Linga represents female yoni, which signifies mergence; thus, Shiv Linga forms highest source of energy in the universe where every life begins...this is the symbol of emerging or beginning of life and merging into the momentary life where everything is ephemeral. The true identity of Shiva Linga is shoonya – void – and symbolizes the sign of zero in ancient mathematics. This also conveys the teaching of leading an “egoless” life in the service of people and the god. The Ganga on the Shiva's head represent the river meeting ocean i.e. devote 'self' into god/universe.

Hindus have always considered life in totality and connect it with universe. The body and energy points, or Chakra, are all scientifically explained and well connected with culture through various religious and cultural practices.

“Self” is not given importance and thus, the Western concept of describing Shiva Linga is factually incorrect.

Shiva Linga and it's concept

The Mythological Story.

The popular and powerful sage Shukaracharya was visiting Lord Shiva in Kailash, one of the sacred Hindu mountains in the Himalayas. When he reached Kailash, he saw that Lord Shiva was busy copulating with Shakti (Goddess Parvathy, Lord Shiva's wife). Lord Shiva was so engrossed in the act that he didn't realize the presence of Sage Shukaracharya. The Sage, well known for his short temper, got annoyed and cursed Lord Shiva in that people would worship his Linga (genitalia) in the future, which was against the usual worshiping practices/norms.

Mahashivaratri.

"Nature specializes in a kind of paradox: Nature destroys and her destruction is always constructive destruction. The bud is destroyed when the flower blooms, and the flower fades when the fruit emerges. The fruit decays when seeds are scattered and seeds decay when plants sprout.

“This process of constructive destruction is Shiva, the annihilator. This Shiva-Ratri is the destruction of the ego  in the discovery of the Self (Shiva).“May all devotees come to experience at least the shy rays of the early dawn at the end of one's inner Ratri, in the emerging beams of Shiva’s spirit in us.

“Be quiet. Be silent within. Blind, Deaf, Mum - be. Invoke . Be expectant. Let Shiva happen - TRY." -Swami Chinmayananda

Shiv Temples.

It is also believed that if a person died where people worshiped Shiv Linga, his soul would go to Shiv-Lok or Shiva's world. This is one reason, one will see a “shiva” temple in every part of India from Kailash, the northern point in Himalaya, to Rameshwara, the southern part, and also Somnath in the west to the eastern point of India.

There are twelve main Jyotirlings and five panch-bhuta Lingas in India.

The 12 Jyotir-Lingas are as listed below:

1. Kedarnath,

2. Kashi Vishwanath,

3. Somnath,

4. Baijnath,

5. Ghrusneswar,

6. Tryambakeshwar,

7. Bhimshankar,

8. Mahakal,

9. Mallikarjun,

10. Amaleshwar,

11. Nageshwar, and

12. Rameswar

The 5 Pancha-Bhuta Lingas are as below:

1. Kalahastishwar,

2. Jambukeshwar,

3. Arunachaleshwar,

4. Ekambareshwar of Kanjivaram, and

5. Nataraja of Chidambaram.

सत्य ही शिव है । शिव ही सुन्दर हैं ।

#Mahashivratri #shiva #shiv lingam #linga #hindu #Hinduism #mythology #zero #devotion #spirituality #sandhyajane