Hindu Temples & Worships Based on Very Deep Science
(By N.R. Srinivasan, Nashville,
TN, March 2018)
“We need to make temples not just
a center of rituals and congregation but lighthouses of philosophy and
knowledge, which are the basis of Hindu Dharma” says Sri Ravi Shankar, a Yoga Philosopher
from India. Only when we come in
communion with our inner Self, the Divinity within, we can find freedom from
maladies that affect our body-mind-sense complex. Hindu temples are founded on a practical
science that helps establish this reinforcing contact with the Divine. Hindu
philosophy offers the know-how to achieve this communion and freedom.
Influenced Aby Hinduism Einstein based his philosophy: “Religion without
Science is blind and Science without Religion is lame”. Here there is more
stress on Religion to conflate with Science to lead a better life than Science.
The modern man endowed though with a
scientific bent of mind, intellectual upbringing and a technological
background, not infrequently tends to be influenced by misguiding views and is
often pestered with needless doubts and skepticism. There is no dearth of
logical wisdom and intellectual ideas in the Hindu Temple culture to convince
the modern mind of the scientific temper underlying the spiritual concepts and
worship practices. Hinduism more often
than not conflates with science than any other living religion in the world.
“A temple is unlike a church or a
mosque. The church belongs to a parish, which has a priest in charge of the
parish and a congregation. Once a week people come together there for worship;
so it is a place of assembly, of congregation, and collective prayer. And they
have some ritual also. A mosque is also a place for collective prayer. Once a
week they all assemble for that. But the temple
is an altar of worship and therefore people come at different times, during
the day, offer their worship, and go. In Tirupathi, for instance, you can stand
before the deity for only half a minute. You wait in the queue for darshan
(Divine view) and it takes only one or two minutes. That is the darshan. It is
over. The man has been waiting for that for one day in the queue…It is darshan,
because it is an altar of worship.” says
Swami Dayananda.
Hindu temple was created as
a place of energy where everyone could go and make use of it. Temples in some famous pilgrim centers
were built based on very deep science.
But unfortunately modern temples
are built just the way we build shopping complexes. Even some old temples have
been reduced to such complexes due to human greed. Temple building is a very deep science based
on Vaastu Sastra and Silpa sastra. If the basic aspects of the temple – the
size and shape of the idol, the Mudra(gesture) that the icon holds, the parikrama
(complex rituals),
the garbha griha, (sanctum) and the
mantras used to consecrate the idol
to make it Archa Murti are properly matched, a powerful energy system is
created.
You
do not go to a temple for worship to give money and ask for something. This is
something that people have started now. Traditionally, we go to the temple to
sit for a while and spend some time and come. You are required to sit there because there is
a field of energy that has been created. In the morning, our elders before they
went out into the world, the first thing they did was go and sit in the temple
for a while. This is a way of recharging our body and mind with very positive
vibrations of life so that we go into the world with a different perspective.
Today we do not follow their wisdom.
Temple is thus created as a place of energy where everyone could go and
make use of it.
There
is a whole science of idol-making where a certain form is created with a
particular material and energized in a certain way. Different idols are made in
different ways where they relocate or rearrange the Kundalini power in you in certain places to make them into
completely different possibilities. Idol-making and its consecration is that
science through the radiant energy of which your energy system in the body can
be rearranged. India is one place where they went into
elaborate systems of idol-making. This has been misunderstood by other cultures
as worshiping some doll as a god. If
you look at it from the standpoint of modern science, we know today that
everything is the same energy postulated by Einstein. But everything is not the
same in the world. This energy can be like an animal or this energy can
function like the Divine. The physical
body itself can be transformed into a Divine entity if we just reorganize our
systems in a particular way. This is what happens when we enter a temple in
some of the famous pilgrim centers. Look at the criticism we hear even before
we start and the frustration we undergo in visiting Balaji Temple in Tirupati.
You are able to stand before the deity just for a minute or so only when you are pushed away
to accommodate others. Yet the energy you get or charged with the divine power
is not explainable but can be only experienced. If we re- arrange the energy
system in the body which is just a mass of flesh right now, it can become a
divine entity. The whole system of Yoga
is oriented towards this. Hindus even start worshiping such Yoga gurus as
Divines. Conversation had taken place
between such Archa form of deities and humans as we learn from the history of
the life of saints like Ramanuja, Ramakrishna Parmahamsa and others.
In this context, it is relevant to
quote the following observation of Srikant, the author of the well-known book: Power in Temples – A Modern Perspective: “The
Murti of a Deity in a temple is a dynamic source of spiritual power. There is
an efficacious science of mantras and rituals for the installation of power in
the Murti of a Deity by invoking the spiritual power from the infinite source,
Brahman. According to Vedanta, Brahman is at once Intelligence and
Energy. We tend to consider a block of stone or metal as inert and
lifeless. But today’s science knows that there are tremendously moving energy
fields within them that are in a sort of web-like relationship with the whole
universe. Hindu philosophy
compliments this view of science by highlighting the fact that the stone and
everything else are the manifestations of Paraa-Shakti, the transcendental
supreme Energy of Brahman, which is at once Energy and Intelligence.’’ We know the story of Ahalya who remained as a
stone for several years due to a curse and then brought back to life by the
divine touch of Srirama. Energy vibrations and forms are two important aspects
of the phenomenal universe. The world of forms is the gross expression of
energy. Both these aspects are used in invoking the spiritual power and for
communion with the Divine. The energy vibrations are employed in the form of
suitable mantras and the form aspect as the Deities. Thus, there is a well-coordinated science in the background of temple
worship and it is the bounden duty of temples to make the modern world
sufficiently aware of this fact.
Those who visit temples and offer their devout worship will experience
its sublime benefits by way of reduction in tensions, reinforcement of the
inner faculties, and the salutary effects in the material and spiritual
dimensions of life. Only when man comes
in communion with his inner Self, the Divinity within, he can find freedom from
such maladies that affect his body-mind-sense complex.
There is no dearth of logical
wisdom and intellectual ideas in the Hindu culture to convince the modern mind
of the scientific temper underlying the spiritual concepts and worship
practices and temple traditions. Although volumes can be written supported by scientific studies I give below
few examples. For more details go through my various discourses posted on my
Blog Hindu Reflections.
Religious Hindus pay their obeisance
to Lord Ganesha by standing before the deity with legs crossed and hands also
crossed along the breast, with their fingers squeezing the air lobes. In this
posture one has to sit down touching the floor and then get up and repeat this
exercise as many times as one has vowed to do. This exercise is not easy. It
purifies vital plexus which tunes the psychic power of the worshipper. Though
many make fun of this practice there are medical studies made in U.K. which
show health benefits. Squeezing
the ear could be useful in treating heart problems according to an Indian
Medical Team, working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in London.
The simple procedure of squeezing the ear produces a temporary effect on heart
dynamics, causing a small reduction in pulse rate, a profound drop in the
amplitude of the pulse and a drop in the peak and mean flow velocity.
It is the Hindu custom to remove footwear before
entering THE LORD’S HOUSE, or any house for that matter. It is believed that footwear carries germs
dust and dirt from the streets. It is
also customary for people to wash their hands and legs before they enter any
temple. This is an example of how the
Hindus maintained sanitation and cleanliness of their surroundings.
Prayer with devotion brings about inner peace and
invokes the Aatman (God) within you. When mantras are chanted with correct
pronunciation and intonation, a divine atmosphere is created with holy vibrations
all around.
Theertha
(holy water) usually contains water, Tulasi (mint like herb), flavoring
agent--lilac, cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, cooking camphor. All ingredients used
here have high medicinal value and health benefits.
Let us examine the Hindu practice of circumambulation. We cannot draw a circle without a center
point. The Lord is the center, source and essence of our lives. We acknowledge
this by performing Pradakshina.
Recognizing Him as the focal point in our lives, we go about doing our
daily chores. Also every point on the
circumference of a circle is equidistant from the center. This means that wherever we may be or whoever
we may be, we are equally close to the Lord. His grace flows towards us without
partiality. This is the application of Hindu mathematics. Similarly Homa-kundas are also designed with
its knowledge of Geometry.
The tradition of using vermilion in the hair parting
by married women finds favor with Hindu religious writers because this point is
just above the suture in the scalp and a little above the point where the soul
resides. This point is more delicate in women than in Men. The application of
vermilion helps avoid wrinkles and skin problems and also protects one from
evil influences. It also deters the spread of lice.
The roots, skin, fruits and the leaves
of the Bilva tree are used for medicinal purpose. Bilva has astringent, edema
lessening, anti-diarrhea and laxative and appetizer properties hence, can be
used to cure both internal and external diseases. The Tulasi leaf has great medicinal values
and is used to cure various ailments, including common cold. It is known to be
the only thing used in worship which, once used can be washed and reused in
Pooja—as it is regarded as self-purifying.
Bell
ringing is an ancient Vedic ritual and one can see multiple bells hanging over
the domes in many Indian shrines. The moment bell sound happens your brain is
emptied of all thoughts. Invariably, you will enter a state of trance where you
are very receptive. This trance state is the one with inner awareness.
Normally, you are so occupied in mind that the only way to awaken you is with a
shock! Also its sound echoes the sacred word OM.
Camphor
used in temples for Aarati not only has a highly spiritual value in Hindu customs
but can also be beneficial to the environment in which it is burned. Camphor is made through an ancient Ayurveda
method by distilling the bark and wood of a coniferous tree called Camphor
Laurel (Cinnamomum camphor) that is largely found in Asia, particularly in
India, Sumatra, Indonesia and Borneo. White camphor is a crystalline substance
with the chemical formula C10H16O, which is a fantastic anti-oxidant. As an
excellent germicide, camphor is burned to purify the atmosphere, it is also
believed to remove negativity from the environment.
Darbha is
considered a sacred material in Vedic scriptures and is said to purify
the offerings during such rituals. Kusa grass is a ground up and the essence
used for Kusa oil (to be used in summer for its cooling effects) and Kusha
flavored juice also drunk for its cooling effects. In tribal medicine it has been used
variously to treat dysentery and menorrhagia and as diuretic. In Ayurveda,
it has been used to treat urinary dis-eases, diabetes, epilepsy, piles,
dysentery, and heavy and prolonged menstruation. It is used to treat
repeated abortion and spiritual disorders of all types. It is used to
improve the complexion and to treat internal and external wounds. It also
has tonic effects to help in emaciation, severe debility or after serious
illnesses. The
Holy Grass known as Dharbha has the highest value in conducting the phonetic
vibrations through its tip. Priests sprinkle the holy water at every nook and
corner of the place, where the function (punyavarchana) is held. It is also a powerful disinfectant for food
material. If powerful X-ray radiation can be absorbed by the Holy Grass, why
can it not absorb the ill-radiations spread over the atmosphere?
The ash paste from yagnas has strong
medicinal and disinfectant value when done with Vedic prescribed materials.
Applying this paste on the forehead seems to strengthen the nerve currents.
Some of the ash from the holy fire is preserved in the houses all through the
year to apply to the foreheads as an effective remedy against minor ailments
and ward off evil. Fagots of peepal (Aswattha) tree and wood resins incense
used in Yagas have great medicinal and
disinfectant values. The fumes resulting from Homas spread a pleasant fragrance
in the closed up spaces of the temple, removing the musty odor.
Abhisheka rituals, when done
periodically with choice materials help in preserving the original glaze and
beauty of the sculpted divine figure without developing cracks or chipping.
Some of the idols in famous temples in India are said to be divine sculpted,
and are more than two thousand years old.
In the Vedic culture, where everything is looked upon as an expression
of the Lord, works of art were another glory of the Lord that receive even to-day all care and attention for long
time preservation in addition to limitless reverence. Abhishekam waters are used as soil nutrient in
Temple gardens.
Our Sun lies 93,000,000 miles away,
surrounded by the vacuum of space. Sound won't travel through space, of course.
But with the right instrument, scientists can "hear" pulsations from
the Sun. It is
most astonishing that this sound reverberates sacred mantra
"OM". Scientists are still
trying to correlate why/how the ancient Hindu mantra and sun's sound conflate!
Vedas say “Om Tad Brahma”—Om is
Brahman. “Omityekaaksahram Brahma”-The
one syllable OM is Brahman.
James Hartzell is a postdoctoral
researcher at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, in Spain; a
Guest Researcher at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences at University of Trento,
in Italy, and a Consultant for the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia
University, in New York. His MRI scans show that memorizing ancient Sanskrit mantras increases the size of brain
regions associated with cognitive function. Professional
Vedic pundits from several government-sponsored schools in the Delhi region
were recruited for the study. MRI scanning was remarkable. Numerous regions in
the brains of the Pundits were dramatically larger than those of controls, with
over 10 percent more grey matter across both cerebral hemispheres, and
substantial increases in cortical thickness. Does that mean substantial
increase in the gray matter of critical verbal memory organs are less prone to
devastating memory pathologies such as Alzheimer's? We don't know yet.
Anecdotal reports from India's Ayurveda doctors suggest this may be
the case. What about Indian Psychiatrists? Are they conflating or conflicting?
This raises the possibility that verbal memory “exercising” or training might
help elderly people at risk of mild cognitive impairment retard, or, even more
radically, prevent its onset.
A pilot research findings of The Department
of Physiology, Pondicherry, International Stress Management Association,
Hyderabad, Department of Physiology, Little Flower Medical Research Center,
Kerala reveals depression, anxiety, stress and cortisol were
significantly decreased and blood pressure was regulated within normal
limits and MMSE scores and spatial memory was significantly improved
followed by regular chanting of
Mantras.
Science is based on well tested data.
There is nothing speculative about it. Religion is also a science with the same
characteristics of exactitude in its principles, methods attainable results.
Religion basically is a Science of Life. It tries to enquire into the nature of
the self —the question it asks are: Who am I? What are my relations with
environment and fellow beings? Who controls my destiny? Why do I commit
mistakes for which I suffer much later and so on? Man is a body-mind complex. So, he soon
discovers like physical development, mental development is also necessary. He
also discovers that progress depends more upon his mind than his body. That is
why we find religion lays more important on mental development than upon
physical. Religion is concerned with man’s internal growth, growth in ethical
and spiritual terms. Einstein
says the science can change the nature of an element, but it is only religion which
can change human nature. It is only religion that can remove hatred from our
hearts that can give us a new outlook, a new attitude towards others that can
transform us into saints. It is this change that gives religion its
authenticity that proves that Religion is also a science. Hindu Dharma is more
focused on this than any other religion guided by the wisdom of Vedas. In this context it is worth going through the
wisdom thoughts of Sridharan Karikeyan “Science and Religion of the Upanishads
sent through courtesy India.Divine.Org, for propagation.
“The rational spiritual philosophy of
the Upanishads finds practical expression as a
religion, as is usual with any other spiritual philosophy, it must be known as
the ‘Religion of the Upanishads’. What is now being
practiced as the Hindu religion is only a highly corrupted version of this
religion. Hindu religious practices have to undergo thorough reformation to
live up to the most scientific spiritual philosophy of the world which
constitutes their essence.
The Religion of the Upanishads is the religion of ultimate freedom, a religion that
promotes personal liberty. It does not require anybody to invariably follow a
particular faith or to uphold any specified belief or to observe any prescribed
rite or discipline; it is absolutely devoid of such demands and dictates. You
are at liberty to ponder over whatever is preached to you and then accept only
that which is felt reasonable; no dogmatism and no authoritarianism. This
religion does not recognize the services of priests and mediators; it also does
not recognize any differentiation between the God and the worshiper or between
the leader and the follower. All is One; there is only ‘I’, all in One.
Religion
of the Upanishads asserts unity of origin and unity
of essence of all beings. It is all about transcending the diversity of
external appearances and characteristics and attaining to the unity of inner
essence. The spirit of this inner equality makes it devoid of all kinds of
discrimination and hatred. It is the universal religion. What it presently
lacks is proper dissemination of its principles. Effort to inculcate these
principles in the minds of all has to start at the very stage of childhood.
This is essential to illumine their future lives with positive values and
broader vision of universal oneness.
All
known religions possess various sets of prescriptions on rites and observances
as a means to practice their distinct spiritual philosophy. These prescriptions
mostly aim at appeasing the God of their perception, for favors of physical
well-being. This appeasement is made by singing praises to that God, visualized
in human form, and by offering presents in the form of money, gold and other
valuables; this is akin to bribing some power-wielding, greedy mortals for
securing protection and favors. In contrast, Religion of the Upanishads does
not approve of this notion of appeasement. For, it does not consider God as a
glorified being in human form, amenable to appeasement and inclined to deliver
favors in return; moreover, it does not recognizes the acquisition and
arrogation of physical possessions as a goal of spiritual pursuit. Religion of
the Upanishads, on the other hand, holds that durable happiness is obtained
only by living the life in conformity with the principle of Ātmā. An action
that is in conformity with this principle is known as Puṇya karma (meritorious
deeds) and the opposite as Pāpa karma (evil thoughts and deeds) When a puṇya karma is
done, the doer feels contented and enriched, since it resonates well with his
inherent essence which is SAT-CHIT-ĀNANDA. On the other hand, when a pāpa karma is done, the doer is upset
internally as it is repugnant to his very essence. This contradiction between
the inner essence and the outer expression throws him into a chaos which
diminishes his strength and culminates in his total ruin. In the social front,
when pāpa
karmas become rampant threatening the peace and well-being of the society, the
ultimate ruling principle, SAT-CHIT-ĀNANDA, intervenes by churning out
sufficient opposite forces to contain the adverse impacts and to finally assert
itself. This is what Gīta says ‘saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge’
(4.8). Pāpa
karmas are like obstructions to natural flow of water in a river; when they
reach an intolerable level, water musters sufficient force and thrashes away
all the obstructions with a violent sweep.
All
self-centered pursuits for physical yields will end up in retaliations and
entanglements. Only by abiding with the principle of Ātmā that one can secure
hassle-free, durable happiness. We should therefore get enlightened about that
principle. That is why Upanishads say that only by knowing the Ātmā one can
attain bliss. Gīta prescribes this knowing as the only one goal deserving to be
pursued, not too many, as would be the case with physical benefits (Gīta 2.41
to 2.44).”
Hindu
philosophy offers the know-how to achieve the communion with the Self and attain freedom. The temples are founded on
practical science that helps establish this reinforcing contact with the
Divine. With a deeper understanding of this fact, the youth in the U.S.A. can
make the best use of the temples for their cultural and spiritual evolution and
all-round progress, thereby benefiting them and at the same time enriching
others who come in contact with them.
This also calls for rethinking in the mode of temple worship and spiritual
management by American Hindu Temple authorities instead of running to India for
any guidance for Physical and Spiritual Management of Temples. Hindu Temples in
India are State controlled today unlike in USA.
We should seek the guidance from our Spiritual Gurus and Vedic wisdom. “We are becoming what I call a nation of
yogis and Spiritual Gurus” says Dr. Phil Goldberg, Author of American Veda.
We are fortunately blessed with such Gurus to-day who are located in USA with
their Ashrams (monasteries) who are also alive to the Hindu American Way of
Life.
Bibliography:
1) Swami Jyotirmayananda, The Sigfnificant Role of Hindu Temples and
Religious Institutions, Ramakishna Math, USA
2) Kartikeyan Sridharan, The Science
of Upanishads
3) SriniVasan N.R., Various Discourses
on Hindu Temples and Traditions, Hindu
Reflections, <nrsrini.blospot.com>
4) Speeches of Modern Spiritual
Gurus—Swamijis Dayananda, Devananda, Bhaskarananda, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Ravi
Shankar and others.
5) Swami Lokeswarananda, Science and
Religion, The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India.
No comments:
Post a Comment