WORSHIP
- THE HINDU WAY
(A contribution by P Gopi Krishna, New Delhi)
The word
Puja came from the Dhathu "Puj", which means to worship, to
honor,
to welcome. The root of the word Puja is "Yaja" Deva Poojaayaam"
means
the service or activities that one cannot avoid from doing to
propitiate
or please God. Every country, state, religion, caste, family
and even
individual has its/their/his/her own belief and ways of
performing
Puja. Whatever may be the method or system or practice that
one adopts
or follows, there are, as per Hindu scriptures 4, 5
(Panchopachar),
8, 10 (Dasopachar), 13, 16 (Shodashopachar), 24, 32, 64
or 108
types of Upacharas or activities or services to propitiate God.
The
daily worship generally consists of sixteen phases or items
according
to a conventional practice usually referred to as
Shodasopachara
Puja. These sixteen items are not always necessarily the
same
throughout. They differ from occasion to occasion and may be from
place to
place or person to person. But a common sequence popularly
followed
by majority of the devotees is as follows:
1.
Avahanam - Invocation
2.
Asanam- Offering a seat
3.
Padyam- Water for washing the feet
4.
Arghyam- Water for washing the hands
5.
Achamaneeyam- A few drops of water for sipping
6.
Snanam- Bathing with water, milk or honey
7.
Vastram- Garments to cover the body
8.
Yajnopaveetam- The sacred thread placed across the left shoulder and
the
right bottom part of the trunk
9.
Gandham- Sandal paste
10.Pushpam-
Flower or flowers
11.Dhoopam-
Burning incense for fragrance and to intensify the feelings
of
devotion
12.Deepam-
Lighting to remove darkness, symbolizes enlightenment
13.Naivedyam-
Food for nourishment
14.Tamboolam-
Betel leaves with nut and other ingredients, a condiment
that
signifies completion of a meal.
15.Neerajanam-
Offering of camphor enkindled to have a better look of
the
Supreme both within and without
16.Atma
Pradakshina Namaskaram- Prostration before the Lord as a mark of
self-surrender
after making a parikrama.
(1) Aavahan
or Invocation or Praan Prathishta: We invite the Invisible
Supreme
Soul to manifest through the idol or photo that we keep in front
of us
for our prayers or Puja, or we imagine that God is residing in it
or we
imagine that God manifested in and through the idol or photo
accepting
our prayers or imagine that the idol or photo has life and God
is
accepting our prayers through the Idol or photo.
(2) Asan
or Simhasan or Throne: As we cannot and do not have the
capacity
to offer a magnificent throne to Lord, Who is the owner of the
whole
universe, we offer HIM a seat, according to our capacity, thinking
that HE
feels comfortable, and start decorating it inwardly with all
kinds of
precious stones, jewels, gold, flowers, cushions, etc., the
best we
can think of and request the Lord to be seated to accept our
offerings.
(3) Padyam. This
includes the symbolic offering of water for washing the
feet.
This custom dates back since the days when very few used to wear
shoes or
chappals and those days without convenient transport facility.
Offering
water to wash the dust and dirt off the feet. It is also a sign
of
respect to offer water to wash one’s feet. We can see the references
to this
act in our scriptures, especially with reference to Rishis,
Sages,
etc. We also do Pada Puja (worshipping the holy feet) to Saints
in our
houses.
(4) Arghyam: As we
imagine God has assumed the shape of a human being
with two
legs, two or four hands, one or more heads, etc., moved by our
prayer,
we offer HIM water with a feeling that HE would like to wash HIS
hands
before accepting our offerings, as we do before doing something
good or
important, sacred or taking food.
(5) Achaman: We do
Achaman (i.e., we sip water three times with mantras
like Om
Govindaya Namaha, Om Narayana Namaha, Om Madhavaya Namaha,
etc.)
facing
or sitting towards East to cleanse our inner-self (Antharangam)
with the
water purified with Mantras, so that any thoughts that we might
have
entertained either before or after starting Puja will vanish from
our
mind. Like this, we purify ourselves. As we cleanse our body by
taking
bath, we cleanse our inner-self by taking water saturated or
purified
with Mantras.
Again
here water is offered to God with a view that HE washes HIS face.
It is
the tradition in our houses that whenever any guest comes from
outside,
after ushering him into the house, we give him water for
drinking
as well as washing or at least sprinkling water on the face so
that the
guest feels relieved of the tiredness and strain of the
journey.
(6) Snanam/Bath: Bath given to the God
with Ganga Jal or milk, or honey,
or with
perfumed water, etc.
(7) Vastra
Yugmam: Then we offer good clothes to God and decorate HIM
with
excellent quality clothes, according to our capacity, as we do to
our
children on their birthdays.
(8) Yagnopaveetam: We
then offer HIM Yagnopaveetam, a sacred thread
placed
across the left shoulder and the right bottom part of the trunk.
(9) Gandham: We
offer God scented chandan (sandal paste) so as to give
coolness
to HIS body. The royal kings used to do this in the olden days.
We offer
Oordhwapundram or decorate God with Tilak or some such
decoration
to God’s face. The next step is Alankar God with Abharanas or
jewels.
As we feel that by wearing such and such ornaments, we look
beautiful
or we beautify ourselves with all kinds of alankaras, the same
way, we
should also feel that the Lord is Self only and we should
decorate
HIM with the same feeling and purpose so that HE looks
beautiful.
(10) Pushpa
Puja (Archana): We offer flowers to God with a lot of love
and
devotion to please HIM. Of late it has become a practice to offer
broken
or withered flowers, may be due to scarcity and sky-racketing
prices
of flowers, but, in fact, it must not be done so. God is full of
compassion
and mercy and HE does not protest, as HE understands our
compulsions.
We should offer a flower for each one of HIS sacred and
kalyana
name that we recite, whether it is Ashtothra or Sahasranama.
Here we
should always remember one very important point that most of us
just
throw flowers and Akshatas at God, in a routine way. But, it is not
the
right procedure. We should recite the names of our Lord with a lot
of love
and affection and with each name that we recite with love and
bhava
(feeling), we offer a flower to the Lord in such a way that first
we bring
the flower near to our chest or heart and offer it at the feet
of Lord
with a feeling that, Oh God! I am offering my heart (Colorful
Hridaya
Pushp) at Your Lotus Feet. Kindly accept it and remove all my
Doshas
such as Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Mada, Macharya, Irsha, Dwesha,
Ahankara,
etc. Kindly take me into your fold my Lord. That is the
essence
or meaning behind offering colorful flowers to Lord. Bhava is
very
important in all our spiritual (of course, even in social)
activities.
The same method is applicable while offering Akshitas or
Kumkum
or any such offering to Lord. It should always be humble, and
never
routine and mechanical. In other words, Archana is the heartfelt
offering
of Love to God. In Archana a devotee calls God with a variety
of names
as a loved one is called by different names affectionately.
(11) Dhoopam: Dhoop
represents the Gandh (fragrance) aspect of the
senses.
A Satvic sense of depicting a pure Gandha sense is the Dhoop. As
we give
Dhoop to babies in our residences, which is still in vogue in
villages,
especially in rainy season, so as to make the skin dry and
fresh
and protect them from diseases like cold, etc., due to high
content
of water in the air, we offer Dhoop to Lord also.
(12) Deepam: Deepam
is the Tejas or fire aspect. We light the lamp
immediately
after Dhoop with a view to see Lord more clearly and also to
witness
the beauty and majesty of the Lord is after alankaras.
The
words Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya, indicate the essence of bhava behind
keeping
a lamp in front of the Lord. The spiritual significance is: Oh
God!
Light my heart with the prakasha of knowledge and dispel the
darkness
of ignorance. It also signifies that the (true) Atman is
revealed
if one lights his heart with the lamp of Pure Love and Right
Knowledge.
With this bhava at heart, we light a lamp (Diya) or lamps in
front of
God. The other angle to this is that the lamp indicates
auspicious
sign. It has an important position in the Puja of Hindus. The
main
reason for keeping the lamp in front of God is that it is a sign of
good
omen (Mangala or Shubha kaarakam). The other reason is that in the
olden
days, where there was no electricity or limited use of
electricity,
our ancestors used to keep lamp(s) in front of God, so as
to see
HIS image or photo or HIS Divya Rupa clearly. Probably, even
today
one can notice in olden temples, in the sanctum sanctorum, that
they do
not keep or allow electricity bulbs. They show the God to
devotees
with the help of Aarati. Another reason, which I feel true, is
that after
we decorate God we perform Aarati, immediately after offering
Dhoop
with an anxiety or eagerness or desire to see how the Lord looks
and see
the Deity to one’s heart content. The light in front of the
Deity
will help us to see the image more clearly, especially in the
smoke of
Dhoopam.
(13) Naivedyam:
Naivedyam is the Rasa (taste) aspect of the senses. We
offer
all kinds and varieties of delicious food items, which include
sweets,
fruits, etc., to God, with all love, as if Ma Yashoda is feeding
Krishna, or Mata Sabari is offering
fruits, although tasted first, to
Lord
Rama. See the Bhava here. In fact, I was told that coconut is not
compulsory
in Puja, but somehow it has become a part of it now. (The
meaning
and purpose of breaking a coconut is dealt with separately and
will
follow later).
(14) Thaambulam/Betel
Leaves: As we offer Nut-powder (Supari) or Paan to
guests
at the end of a meal, we offer Lord betel leaves with supari (nut
powder
and spices) so that HE digests easily whatever we offered to HIM
to eat.
Here we should not offer HIM money, as it is offered only when
we offer
Dakshina.
(15) Neeraajanam: After
completing all the above Upachaaraas to Lord, we
do
Neerajanam with a view to remove any Drishti Dosha (evil sight) as we
all know
that HE has a wonderful personality and added to it, HE has
been
decorated so well and looking so handsome that it is very difficult
for a
devotee to take away his sight from HIM. This we do with pure love
as we do
it to our own small children. It is the practice in our
houses/temples
that immediately after Aarati, we pay our respects to
that
camphor flame by putting our palms over it and putting those hands
on our
eyes. But, I was told that, it is wrong, because the intention
behind
giving Aarati is to remove any evil sight (Drishti Dosha) and
also to
show God more clearly to the devotees, but not for any other
purpose.
As we do not pay respects to such activity when we do it for
our
children, the same way, we should not do it in temples or at homes
after
Aarati. And that flame should be kept aside and sprinkle a few
drops of
water to remove Dosha, as we wash the legs and hands of our
children
and wipe the eyes with water, immediately after removing
Drishti
Dosha.
Neerajanam
signifies the end of Sakara or Bahya (outward) Puja and is at
the end
to denote that all the Doshas and impurities will vanish in thin
air
after burning the Ajnan in the Jnanagni or Tapas.
(16) Atma
pradakshina, Mantra pushpam and Uavasana: We offer flowers and
Akshatas
with Mantras to Lord. It is done mainly to highlight and
explain
the divinity, greatness, compassion and love of God over HIS
subjects
or devotees.
After
doing all the above, if knowingly or unknowingly we commit any
mistake,
either in the performance of Puja or in our Bhava, we request
God to
forgive us, as we are human beings and our Manas or mind is
subject
to flirtations, and keep us in HIS Karuna Dhrishi (Merciful
eyes)
always so that we will not repeat such mistakes in future. Also we
request
HIM to bless us as we wish to offer all the above upacharas
every
day to HIM. Then we do Pradakshina, not only around the Lord, but
also
around ourselves, to indicate that my Lord you are in me as Soul
and
doing Atmapradakshina means doing Pradakshina around YOU only. Then
we do
pranam (prostration) and then offer Kshama Prardhana or Aparatha
Kshamapana,
with a view to offer all the mistakes at the Lord’s Lotus
Feet.
Having
manifested in and through the idol that we kept in our Puja
Mandir
and accepted our prayers and sevas, now we request the Lord to
take
rest in our hearts and live there forever, so that the divinity is
manifested
through us and ultimately we realize our innate divinity
within
and without, in other words, we merge in HIM thus removing the
ignorance
forever.
The
Sevas both in Sakara or Nirakara procedures are performed with a
view to
reach Him ultimately, which is known as Puja. In the Sakara or
Bahya
Puja style, the devotee directly (if he knows the significance) or
indirectly
worships his Ishta Daivam through offer of sevas in the shape
of
external articles to the object of worship, thereby involving Pancha
Tanmatras
(i.e., Sabda, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha) or Panch
Jnanedriyas
(i.e., Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue and Skin) while offering
Dhoopa,
Deepa, Naivedya, Alankaras to the Lord. The gross aspects of the
Pancha
Tanmatras in Puja are the Pancha Upacharas. They are Pushp,
Dhoop,
Deep, Naivedya and Gandh. The corresponding Pancha Mahabhoothas
(Five
Elements) are Sky/Ether (Akasam), Air (Vayu), Fire (Agni), Water
(Jal)
and Earth (Prithvi), which indicate respectively the vastness of
heart,
the fastness of manas, the tejas, the amrit and the patience
(saburi)
aspects of human being. In Manasik Puja, the devotee mentally
dedicates
everything at the sacred feet of his Ishta Daivam. In fact,
Manasika
Puja is considered superior to Bahya Puja.
In other
words, Puja should not and cannot be a rigid and systematic
procedure,
without which one cannot offer oneself to God, but it should
be more
of love oriented or bhava pradhana offering to God. Then only
the
heart opens up, otherwise it would be a routine and mechanical
procedure
to be followed. Through Puja, the devotee’s love and sense of
belonging
for his Ishta Daivam grow and thus the Bhava or relationship
with
Ishta Daivam matures and finally the devotee will succeed in
establishing
in his real self (Swa-swarup) through gradually
experiencing
oneness with the Ishta Daivam. Having understood what Puja
is, now
let us try to analyze and understand the essence behind Sakara
and
Nirakara or Bahya and Manasika Pujas.
Arranging
the Articles: First of all, before sitting in front of our
Ista
Daivam, we keep all articles that are required for performing Bahya
Puja
wholeheartedly and successfully.
Physical
freshness: Purity of body is conducive in making the mind pure,
so that
only purity emanates from us. So, we keep ourselves fresh before
we start
any Puja or any sacred work in order to get only right feelings
and
thoughts while we are performing Puja, and also emanate only such
statements
from us. Freshness also helps us to keep our concentration on
what we
are doing or offering to God. One should wear vibhuthi, chandan,
namam or
kumkum. Then we do Pranayamam before Sankalpam.
Sankalpam:
Sankalp or Sankalpam, literally means, taking a firm decision
or
forming a firm opinion. No work can be successfully accomplished
without
dedication. Like-wise, no Puja can be performed satisfactorily
without
invoking HIS blessings through sincere devotion and complete
surrender.
We pray to Lord to bless us to successfully fulfil our
resolve
to worship HIM through performing HIS Puja with heart, mind,
soul and
all senses together. Here in Puja, Sankalpam means reciting
those
words which will indicate what, who and where we are. Unless one
starts
any work, especially the one which is being done for the society
at
large, with pure and sacred sankalpa, the end result will be
disastrous.
Sruti Smruti Puranokta Phalaprapyartham, which means, that
in
Srutis (Vedas), Smrutis (Manu Smriti, etc.) and Puranas, it has been
said
that any karma being done with a desire should be started with a
pure and
sacred Sankalpa to get the expected result. The idea behind
praying
for the Sankalpasiddhi is to eradicate the feeling of doership
or
Ahankar. In other words, the result of Puja is thus offered to God.
To
achieve this object, first one should visualise the purpose or goal
and plan
meticulously what work should be done to achieve that
particular
goal and then start seeing the other points such as, who is
the
doer, where it is being held, when it is being performed, what is
being
done and what is the result of it. Once these have been identified
and
verified, then one needs to take Dhruda Nischay (firm resolve or
Sankalpam)
to do it according to the prescribed rules and regulations of
that
particular karma. These points have been included, probably, to
make the
devotee know and remember the place, the year, the month, the
gotram,
birth star, the thithi (star) or day, etc. I personally feel
that it
was included in our system or tradition in olden days because
the
people from Brahmana varna
were ordained to do all Puja ceremonies,
astrological
predictions, ceremonies in temples and society, etc., and
if they
do not remember the important points such as the time, day and
date,
the position of grahas, the name of the month or year or the
relevant
thithi, etc., they may err in their decisions and calculations
resulting
in wrong predictions. Now it has become a part and parcel of
the Puja
so as to tell God every day in which Kal(time)/Yug we are in,
where
(which area) we are offering Puja, which is the current year (name
of the
year -- there 60 names), month, ayana (side), paksha
(shukla/krishna
- i.e., first half or second half of the month) date and
day
(thithi), etc.
Kalasa
Sthapanam or Kumbha: This involves invoking Lords Vishnu, Rudra
and
Brahma, four Vedas, Gayathri, waters from all oceans and sacred
rivers,
such as, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna,
Thungabhadra,
Saraswati,
Narmada, Sindhu, Cauvery, etc., in the water
of Panchapatra,
then sanctifying
the vessel with Gandham, Kumkum, Akshata and Pushpam.
After
invocation, the Kalasodaka has to be sprinkled on all Puja
materials
and the persons performing Puja for purification.If
Sankhapooja
is to be done, then purified water has to be filled in the
Sankha,
then Puja offered to Sankha add a few drops of Sankhodaka to the
vessel
and then sprinkle the water on Puja materials and the persons
performing
Puja or Self (Atmanam ca Prokshyan). Then, Ghantanadam is to
be done.
Kumbha
means water-pot. It symbolises fullness. Sanyasins and eminent
persons
are welcomed with a Purna-Kumbha (a pitcher filled with holy
water).
All the sacred rivers like Ganta, Yamuna, Saraswati, Krishna,
Godavari, Kaveri, etc., are supposed to
flow into the Kumbha, filling
it.
The
Kumbha stands for generative power. Hence it is associated with the
Divine
Mother, the Grant Creation.
In
worship, the deity is invoked to enter the Kumbha, remain there
throughout
the Puja and then go back to His or Her own abode.
As the
Kumbha is meant to serve as a temporary image of the deity, its
various
components are equated with various parts of the deity. Thus the
jar
represents the body of the deity; the water in it stands for blood;
the nine
gems (navaratnas) placed in it represent the nine-fold
spiritual
power (siddhis); the kusha grass in the pitcher stands for
blood
vessels; the triple strands of yarn over the mouth of the jar
stands
for the nerves; the tower wound around the vessel is the skin,
the
coconut placed at the mouth of the jar represents the face, the
kusha
grass over the coconut stands for Lord Siva and the mango leaves
above
everything else stand for the matted locks of Siva.
During
Kumbha-abhishekam the sanctified water in the vessel is poured
over the
pinnacle of the vimana above the garbhagriha of the deity. The
is the
climax of the consecration ceremony and huge crowds of men, women
and
children throng to get a sprinkling of the sacred water on their
heads
(taken from the Vedanta Kesari, February 2000 - A Monthly Journal
of the
Ramakrishna Order)
The
absolute God cannot be grasped by the human mind, so we require
symbols.
If the devotee is very philosophical man, his symbol may be
very
abstract in nature: a vast expanse, the infinite sky, something
unlimited.
These are other images and conceptions, though subtle. A
person
who cannot think in an abstract way prefers to have more concrete
symbols.
So he has been given forms of the anthropomorphic type. This is
consistent
with the three major conceptions of God: God the Absolute;
the
personal God with qualities, such as kindness and love, but no form;
and the
personal God with both form and qualities. In Hinduism, we find
that the
personal God has not only qualities, but a variety of forms as
well.
And why should this not be so? From a psychological point of view,
the
ideal needs to be presented according to the understanding of the
devotee,
all the while reminding him that it is through the worship of
the form
that he is to reach the formless aspect of the divine. This is
the idea
behind image worship in India.
Image worship does not mean that
some
inert substance such as wood or stone is being worshipped. The
image is
also not a mere icon. It is a symbol of the lord. It reminds
the
devotee of the Lord, just as a photograph reminds us of the thing
photographed
(Ref. "Concept of God in Hinduism" by Swami Swahananda from
The
Vedanta Kesari, February 2000)
The idol
is a support for us in spiritual childhood. A form or image is
necessary
for worship in the beginning. It is an external symbol of God
for
worship. It is the reminder of God. The material image calls up the
mental
data. Steadiness of the mind is obtained by image worship. The
worshipper
will have to associate the idea of infinity, omnipotence,
purity,
perfection, freedom, holiness, truth and omnipresence. It is not
possible
for all to fix the mind Absolute. A concrete form is necessary
for
practicing concentration. To behold God everywhere and to practice
the
presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. Idol worship
is the
easiest form of worship for the modern man.
Idol
worship is not just limited to Hinduism. Christians worship the
Cross.
They have the image of Cross in their mind. The Muslims keep the
image of
the Kaaba stone when they kneel and do prayers. The people of
the
whole world keep some image or the other in their mind. The mental
image is
also a form of idol. Everyone is thus idol worshipper.
Pictures,
drawings, symbols etc. are all forms of idol only. Idols are
not the
idle fancies of sculptors, but are shining channels through’
which
the heart of the devotee is attracted to God and flows towards
him.
Many would say, "Oh God is an all pervading formless being and how
can God
be confined to this idol!" Are these people ever conscious of
His
omnipresence? Do they always see Him alone in everything? No, It is
their
ego that prevents them from bowing to the idols of God and with
that
motive, they put this excuse forward.
The idol
is a substitute or symbol. The image in a temple though it be
made of
stone, wood or metal is precious for a devotee as it bears the
mark of
his Lord, as it represents something which he holds holy and
eternal.
A flag is only a small piece of painted cloth, but to a soldier
it
stands something that he holds very dear. He is prepared to give up
his life
in defending his flag. Similarly, the image is very dear to a
devotee.
It speaks to him in its own language of devotion. The image
arouses
devotion in the devotee. A piece of ordinary white paper or
colored
paper has no value. We throw it away. However, if there is the
stamp of
Government on the paper (currency note), we keep it safe in
pocket.
Even, so an ordinary piece of stone has no value for us. We
throw it
away. However, if we behold the stone idol, we all bow our
heads
with folded palms, because there is the stamp of beloved lord on
the
stone. When you worship an image, we do not say; "this image has
come
from Punderpur. It was bought by Shriram. Its weight is 50 lbs. It
is made
of white marble. It has cost me Rs. 500/-" No! We superimpose
all the
attributes of the Lord on the image and pray. When our devotion
and
meditation become intense and deep, we do not see the stone image.
We
behold the Lord only who is pure Consciousness.
Image
worship is very necessary for beginners. By worshipping the idol,
the Lord
is pleased. The idol is made up of the five elements. The five
elements
constitute the body of the Lord. The idol remains an idol, but
the
worship goes to the Lord. If you shake hands with a man, he is
highly
pleased. You have touched only a small part of his body and yet
he is
happy. He smiles and welcomes you. Even so, the Lord is highly
pleased
when a small portion of his cosmic body is worshipped. An idol
is a
part of the body of the Lord. The whole world is His body. The
devotion
goes to the Lord. The worshipper superimposes on the images the
Lord and
his attributes. This is one of the easiest forms of
self-realization.
It is one that suits the majority of people today. A
look at
the picture of God will elevate our mind to divine heights. This
is truly
a wonder and a miracle.
The idol
or photograph of any God or Goddess is not just Stone or paper
or
whatever other material but is a symbol of the true deity so that we
can
focus our attention to the deity. With constant Puja, even a
personal
photo or idol worshipped by a devotee acquires a distinct
identity
of its own and starts responding to the devotee. The idol of a
deity in
a temple is all the more powerful since the Deity is invoked by
Mantras
and regular Pujas. As prescribed in the AGAMA SASTRAS, Yantras
are also
installed under the idols to increase the power of the deity
many
fold. Thus a powerful aura is built around the idol. Any object, be
it
ARATI, kum kum, turmeric, sandal paste, or holy water or even the
clothes
used to adorn the deity acquire a part of the aura. Thus we get
a part
of the deity’s powerful and beneficial aura when we bring any of
these
sacred objects near to us. Scriptures say that humans have nine
RANDHRAS,
(Navarandhras) i.e., orifices in our physical as well as
astral
bodies. Out of them, seven are in our head (mouth, two nostrils,
two
ears, and two eyes). The other two are meant for excretion of waste
products
from the body situated at the posterior end. Thus when we bring
the
palms, which are placed over the ARATI to our eyes, not only our
eyes but
our nostrils too get charged with the positive aura. When we
hear the
hymns and bells, our ears get purified. When we take the holy
water
our mouth gets purified. When the SATHA GOPURAM (the bell shaped
piece in
a Hindu temple with the feet of the God, placed on the head of
the
devotee by the priest at the end of the worship) is placed on our
head our
SAHASRA CHAKRA gets charged.
Thus ARATI
and other holy articles which are taken into the close
proximity
of the deity and are then given to us act as carriers or
vehicles
of the positive energy from the deity to us. The purpose is
thus
probably different from the ARATI given to small children to
protect
them from evil eye.
The
first is of course to do with light. Many temples in India are dimly
lit and
Arati gives an opportunity to get a better view of the God. Thus
the
light is physical and the devotion it evokes in the mind of the
devotee
helps kindle the spiritual light. While Arati is performed with
many
types of lamps, camphor is the most common ingredient in all
temples.
Camphor has excellent medicinal properties; especially it
protects
against many diseases in a hot climate that pervades most of
India. The
camphor and other aromatic substances purify the atmosphere
and when
the devotees place their palms over the Arati and bring the
palms to
their eyes and nose, they absorb the medicinal benefits. This
is born
out by the books on Homeopathy.
The
camphor used for Arati lasts for a little time thus signifying the
short
span of human life and the Avidya or Agnana caused by the
attachment
Maya, in the shape of physical and sensual pleasures. Thus,
Arati
inspires the devotee to seek God who is permanent and all
pervading.
"Make hay while the sun shines" is a popular adage. Since
Arati
lasts for a little time only, it compels the devotee to focus his
attention
on the God.
Bells
are usually rung while the Arati is given. The rhythmic sounds of
the
bells have a nice soothing and calming effect on our mind and help
us seeing
and sensing the shapeless God in the physical image that is
being
worshipped in front of us. In many temples, the Arati is also
accompanied
by chanting of Vedic Mantras or beautiful songs, which extol
the
virtues of the presiding deity, especially the all-pervasiveness.
This
activity reinforces the devotion of the devotee in his chosen path
to reach
spiritual enlightenment.
Shri Sri
Yogananda Paramahansa said, "When an offering is made of
flowers
or incense or flame from oil lamps or candles on the altar, they
represent
the devotion of man to God. The flowers symbolize the fragrant
love of
the devotee; the incense conveys reverence; the flame typifies
the
light of calmness in which is revealed the Divine Deity, residing on
the
altar of the heart"
One may
see the ritual of worship not as a mere physical exercise but as
a real
means through a communication between the self and the supreme is
established.
Understanding of such a communication is essential to reap
the
harvest of spiritual benefits.. Rituals may not be limited to the
act of
reinforcing one’s stance on earth, a religious identity. It
should
be the vehicle that leads one to the understanding of the entity
that is
fundamental to the origin of all religions. Such a communication
can only
be unifying and not divisive. This series may be aptly
concluded
by a quote from Ishopanishad, the mention of which is also
made in
Sri Sai Satcharitha:
Isa
vasya midam sarvam yatkinch jagatyam jagat tena tyaktena bhumjidha
ma
grudhah kasya cit dhanam
God is
omnipresent and HE owns this universe. We should, therefore,
enjoy it
with a feeling of sacrifice, to the extent that is necessary
for us
and the rest should be left to others in the society and never
ever
feel jealous of others.
The
readers are also requested to visit
http://www.mantraonnet.com/practices.html.
for a good collection of
explanations
for different questions pertaining to the spiritual
practices
followed in Hinduism.
Om Tat Sat
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