All About Bharatiya Sanatana Dharmam otherwise known as Hinduism : Ch.7- 6.2. - Swami Sivananda

-
==========================================


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
10/04/2020.
6.The Philosophy And Significance Of Idol-Worship -2.
2.An Integral Part Of Virat
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.

For a beginner, Pratima is an absolute necessity. By worshipping an idol, Isvara is pleased. The Pratima is made up of five elements. Five elements constitute the body of the Lord. The idol remains an idol, but the worship goes to the Lord.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------


2.

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 Virat (cosmic) body is worshipped. 

An idol is a part of the body of the Lord. 

The whole world is His body, Virat form. 

The devotion goes to the Lord. The worshipper superimposes on the image the Lord and all His attributes. He does Shodasopachara for the idol, the sixteen kinds of paying respects or service to the Lord. 

The presence of the Deity is invoked (Avahana). 

Then a seat (Asana) is offered. 

Then the feet are washed (Padya). 

Then offering of water is given (Arghya). Arghya is offering hospitality. 

Then comes bathing (Snana). 

Then the image is dressed (Vastra). 

Then comes the investiture with the sacred thread (Yajnopavita). 

Then sandal paste (Chandana) is offered. 

Then comes offering of flowers (Pushpa). 

They are the symbols of the heart-flowers of devotion, love and reverence. 

Then incense is burnt (Dhupa). 

Then a lamp is lit and waved before the Deity (Dipa). 

Then food is offered (Naivedya). 

Then betel is offered (Tambula). 

Then camphor is burnt (Nirajana). 

Then Svarnapushpa (gift of gold) is offered.

In the end, the Deity is bidden farewell to (Visarjana). 

### In these external forms of worship, the inner love finds expression. The wandering mind is fixed now in this form of worship. The aspirant gradually feels the nearness of the Lord. He attains purity of heart and slowly annihilates his egoism.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
3.

To the worshipper who believes the symbol, any kind of image is the body of the Lord under the form of stone, clay, brass, picture, Saligrama, etc. Such worship can never be idolatry. All matter is a manifestation of God. God is present in everything which exists. 

Everything is an object of worship, for all is a manifestation of God who is therein worshipped. The very act of worship implies that the object of worship is superior and conscious. This way of looking at things must be attained by the devotee. The untutored mind must be trained to view things in the above manner.

Next : Idol-Worship Develops Devotion

To be continued ....


==========================================

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Speech by Swami Vivekananda - Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, February 1, 1900) :

-
Image
The Mahabharata -  Speech by Swami Vivekananda - Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, February 1, 1900)   The other epic about which I am going to speak to you this evening, is called the Mahâbhârata. It contains the story of a race descended from King Bharata, who was the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntalâ. Mahâ means great, and Bhârata means the descendants of Bharata, from whom India has derived its name, Bhârata. Mahabharata means Great India, or the story of the great descendants of Bharata. The scene of this epic is the ancient kingdom of the Kurus, and the story is based on the great war which took place between the Kurus and the Panchâlas. So the region of the quarrel is not very big. This epic is the most popular one in India; and it exercises the same authority in India as Homer's poems did over the Greeks. As ages went on, more and more matter was added to it, until it has become a huge book of about a hundred thousand couplets. All sorts of
Read more

"Ratha kalpana"

-
Image
1. We have the famous immortal metaphor of the chariot explaining the Atma and the Body.       2. In the chariot sits the Sarathi ( driver), and the Yodha ( warrior).       3. In the body stays the Paramatma, the Self and the Jeevatma, the Ego and the entire technique of the Adhyatma Yoga is explained.     4. Here the Ratham ( chariot) represents our body,       5. Five horses are our five sense-organs ( Panchendriya),     6. Lagan ( kadjnan/saddles) of the horses is our Buddhi(intelligence),     7.  The Sarathi is our Mind,     8. Yodha is our Atma.
Read more

All About Bharatiya Sanatana Dharmam otherwise known as Hinduism : 2.1.5

-
Image
CHAPTER 2. HINDU SCRIPTURES : 1.5     1.The Scriptures : 5 5. The Ramayana The Ramayana, the Adi-Kavya or the first epic poem, relates the story of Sri Rama, the ideal man. It is the history of the family of the solar race descended from Ikshvaku, in which was born Sri Ramachandra, the Avatara of Lord Vishnu, and his three brothers. The ideal characters like Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and Sri Hanuman that we find in Ramayana firmly establish Hindu Dharma in our minds. The story of the birth of Rama and his brothers, their education and marriages, the exile of Sri Rama, the carrying off and recovery of Sita, his wife, the destruction of Ravana, the Rakshasa King of Lanka, and the reign of Sri Rama, are described in detail in Ramayana. How a man should behave towards his superiors, equals and inferiors, how a king ought to rule his kingdom, how a man should lead his life in this world, how he can obtain his release, freedom and perfection, may be learnt from this excellen
Read more