UNDERSTANDING HINDU SCRIPTURES & WORSHIPS
TO SPIRITUALLY ADVANCE
(Compilation for a discourse by N.R.
Srinivasan, Nashville, TN, USA, October 2017)
I was seriously thinking as to how to
get a cohesive and comprehensive idea for spiritual following from
the knowledge gained by reading Gita,
reading Upanishads and practicing
religion in the form of Shodasa upachara puja loaded with Veda Mantras and
other rituals and chanting of
Ashtotrtaras/Sahasranamas in praise of
deity focused upon in worship. Over a long period I was attracted to few things on which I made a deep study and came
to a conclusion as detailed below.
My attention was drawn to the mantras on Daharavidya (knowledge of Brahman) in MNU that said Devo Ekah in line with the Rigveda mantra “Eko viprah bahuda vadanti”. Here by bahuda it meant only 33 Vedic deities but this has turned out to be 330 million today influenced and exaggerated by Puranas with myths and stories and adding lower deities like Rahu Ketu Grahas taking our focus away from Surya devata and planets of higher level Indra, Varuna, Prajapati, Brihaspati and Earth. This group of Daharavidya mantras are followed by mantras on several Devatas like Indra, Aaditya, Mrittika (Earth), Mrityunjaya (Siva) etc., in MNU. This led me to the conclusion that the term Deva only refers to Brahman or GOD (Generator, Operator and Dissolver) and the deities we worship in the Vigraha form for Murti Upaasana are all Devatas. Unfortunately in all Hindu scriptures including Upanishads and Gita the term Deva is freely used to all Devatas though made clear in the Daharavidya and the Mantras that follow in MNU. Look at the mantra: “tapasaa devaa devataamagra aayan”—by tapas performed in the beginning devas (dwellers of Devaloka) attained godhood (the status of 33 devatas--devaa devataam). Here the word deva refers to all the inhabitants of devaloka excluding devatas but including even liberated souls in transit who are free from all desires. Also see the following mantras:
Brahma Medhavaa—Amidst residents of devaloka He is Brahma(n). Brahma is the Vibhuti of Brahman in Vedas. Brahma here refers to Brahman only.
Brahmaa devaanaam padaveehi kaveenaam rishi vipraanaam mahisho mrigaanaam—Among poets He is the foremost that shows the Path (rishi--guide--maarga-darsee). Among the intelligent He is a seer. Among animal He is mighty Bison.
Then I recalled the following sloka from Gita. For a moment let us identify Bhagavan and Krishna used throughout in Gita as referring to Brahman only which will not be out of context. This is true also as Vedavyasa used the name of Krishna and presented Gita to us as a battle field document which in all probability is not true as Gita seems to be a compendium of all Upanishads and was earlier called Yogopanishad which Vedavyasa re-edited as he did Vedas and Puranas.
“Yanti devavrataa devaan pitrun yanti prituvrataha|bhootaani yanti bhootejyyaa yaanti mad-yaajino -api vaa ||
The worshipers of the gods to go to the gods, the worshipers of the manes (pitrus) go to the manes, the worshipers of the spirits go to the spirits, and MY (GOD’s) worshipers come to ME.
Who are these gods? How many are there? Who is this “Me” in the sloka? For a moment let us not confuse the name of Bhgavan as Krishna the son of Devaki and the eighth avatar in the sloka. Then ‘Me’ refers to Brahman and the other gods referred in the sloka to the subordinate 33 devatas mentioned in Vedas. Spirits are those living beings in subtle form as Devagandharvas, Gajavadanas, Hayavadanas, Kinnaras etc. The word pitru denotes two types of super-human beings—those who are permanent dwellers of the Pitruloka and those who are translated to that region from the earth when they depart from the body.
If anyone has any desire to go to the moon, the sun or any other planet, one can attain the desired destination by following Vedic principles recommended for the purpose. We have practically seen this as possible by scientific achievement to reach moon and further attempts are being made to reach various planets. Darsa-paurnamaasa rite recommends a specific worship of demi-god situated on different heavenly planets. One can attain Pitru planets by performing a specific yajna. Similarly one can go to many ghostly planets and become a Yaksha, Rakshasa or Pisacha. Pisacha worship is called Black Magic. There are people who practice this black magic and think that is spiritualism but such practices are completely materialistic. A pure devotee, who worships Supreme Personality only achieves the planets of Vaikuntha (Tad Vishnoh paramam padam) without a doubt. Unfortunately many people have no information of these sublime planets where Vishnu lives and because they do not know they fall down. Even the impersonators fall down from Brahmajyoti.
Here is another mystic mantra in MNU included in Daharavidya:
“Chatvaari
Sringo trayo asya paadaa dveseersha sapta hastaaso asya |Triddhaa baddho vrishbho roraveeti maho devo
martyaa aavivesa ||
The syllable Om conceived as the Bull possesses five horns, three feet and two heads and seven hands (of oval shape). This Bull connected in a threefold manner, eloquently declares the Supreme. The Self-luminous Deity has entered the mortals everywhere. There are different explanations of this mantra about which I have talked about before. But one that is relevant in the context is the first line simply symbolically represents Brahman as a Kalpa Purusha. We all know Brahman is often referred as Time or Kaala and Samvatsara (Samvatasrova apaam pushpam; Kaalaaya namah). Without explaining its deeper meanings, if we simply write the numbers continuously mentioned in the mantra, it represents 4320000000 Human Years that is Kalpa. 4 comes from four horns, 3 comes from three feet, 2 comes from two heads and 7 zeros that follow comes from seven hands in oval (0) shape! This Brahman appears again and again for each Kalpa with his band of controllers to revive and rule the universe which is indicated by the roar of the bull.
This repeated appearance of the Supreme after the dissolution of one Kalpa in the next Kalpa to create new order can also be understood by the term Puror namah in the short Gayatri mantra: Om Tad Brahma | om tad Vayu | Om tad Aatmaa | Om tat Sathyam | Om tat Sarvam | Om tat Puror namah || Here Om Tat Puror Namah means the primeval cause that existed before creation. He alone existed in the beginning and then reappeared Kalpa after Kalpa to start creation and establish new order. Brahma here stands for expanding Prakriti which is a mode of Brahman. Sathyam stands for Brahman as explained before. Vaayu stand for the power of the Supreme perceptible as universal movement, Aatman for the individual Self; and the Serva stresses the omnificent nature of the Supreme.
In Ashottaras we come across deities like Krishna, Ganesha etc., whom we pray by the term “sat-chit-ananda vigrahaaya namah” probably with the intention of directing all our prayers to Brahaman in that Vighra form we worship. Otherwise Sat-chit Ananda cannot be sculpted and made into a vigraha (idol). This clarifies what differentiates Brahman from the other devatas. Brahman has a spiritual body composed of sat (eternlity), chit (complete knowledge), and aananda (spiritual bliss). Within this material world everyone takes birth according to one’s Karma. When we take birth within matter, we are conditioned and bound within a body composed of material elements--earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false identification (Maayaa). By combination of these elements we have a body of skin, blood, bones, vital organs, etc. Our true identity is that of a spirit soul (Self), completely independent from the material body. The nature of this body is actually opposite from the qualities of the Self. The Self’s (aatman’s) nature is sat (eternality), chit (complete knowledge) and aananda (bliss), but the qualities of the material body are asat (temporary), achit (full of ignorance), and niraananda (full of suffering). Brahman, or God (Generator, Operator and Dissolver), possesses a spiritual body, beyond material influence. He is neither born, nor hehas to die. There is no separate body and Self for GOD, as He is not conditioned by the material coverings. This is what separates Brahman from the 33 or misunderstood and propagated 330 million devatas within this material world. In archaic Vedic Sanskrit koti means kind. In modern Sanskrit it is a number which is Krore or 10 million.
Devatas, though very powerful entities, are ultimately embodied beings just as we are. The various devatas are actually posts of control, and not individual eternal entities. According to one’s karma, one is situated within the universe either in higher or lower planetary realms. Those who are highly qualified with goodness (sattva guna) take birth in the higher realms of existence as devatas. They attain a post as controller within the material realm. But that post, being within the purview of the material energy, must ultimately come to an end. Just as we are an eternal spirit Self, covered by a human body due to illusion, in a similar way, even Indra, Ganesha and Brahma are eternal spirit-souls covered by a devata body due to illusion. The only difference is the quality of illusion that is conditioning us. We are conditioned more by the lower gunas of rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance) whereas they are conditioned by the higher quality of sattva guna (goodness). Everyone within this material world (including the devatas), up to the topmost planet of Brahma Loka must ultimately face death.” Says Swami Prabhupada. Only difference is in the life span.
Once we attain the status of Sacchidaananda by our Sadhanas (spiritual pursuit), getting rid of all desires, we are in Brahmaloka enjoying the Bliss with Paramatman. This is what Sankara meant by Aham Aatma Brahman. You may recall here his visit to Kasi where he stood before Kasi Viswanatha and said “even though I have repeatedly said you and I are one I am now standing before you paying my obeisance, This is my first sin!”. In Vishishtaadsvaita Philosophy Sat in Sat-chit-aananda is considered as Sathyam (Chhandogya Upanishad) which is Sat+thi+yam, that says the Supreme alone is responsible for creation, sustenance and dissolution, and so we can only go to the top level of Sat-Chit-Aananda and not beyond. Sat means immortal, thi means mortal and yam means what is being regulated (Chhandogya). Brahman is even beyond that—Sathyam Jnaanam Anantam Amalam Aanadam Brahma. Sathyam is one who regulates mortal and immortals. Humans are the only mortals created by the Supreme and all other species mentioned above are immortals within the Kalpa (Gandhrva, Apsara, Kinnara, Deva, Devadevata, Devendra, Brahma etc.). Even these immortals have a time limit of One Kalpa when they are replaced by a new order. Brahman is Kalpa-purusha or Kaala-purusha, each Kalpa being 4320000000 human years. We are in the second half of Svetavaraha Kalpa (100 Brahma years). When the Kalpa pralaya (cataclysm) takes place new Kalpa dawns where Brahman as Kalpa- purusha establishes new order. Advaita philosophy is wrongly interpreted saying that the individual soul merges, gets absorbed, and gets dissolved in universal soul. Ramanuja later clarified that the Jeeva-atma joins and associates and integrates with the Parama-atma. It still exists as an entity but united with him inseparably in Brahmaloka from where there is no return. Madhvacharya in his Dvaita philosophy further clarified that this Jeevaatma that eternally exists as an entity in Brahmaloka has different status—Salokya, as a permanent resident of Brahmaloka, Sameepya, near to the Supreme in Brahmaloka and Saaujya, integrated with Brahman like his 33 controllers (demi gods). The controlling demigods (devatas) possess a life span that is equal to one day of Brahma (1,000 divya-yugas, or 4,320,000,000 earthly years). This category includes most of the elemental controllers as well as most of the demigods within the court of Indra. Various demigods such as Ganesha, Karttikeya, etc., are actually posts that are occupied by a particular living entity for one day of Brahma. When the dissolution (Pralaya) waters fill the universe, they leave their respective posts and allow other living entities to fill them. For example, it is described in the Puranas that in the present day of Brahma, the post of Karttikeya (Skanda) is being occupied by Sri Sanat-kumara, the great liberated son of Lord Brahma” Says Swami Prabhupada. Lord Venkatesvara who is worshiped as Skanda is Sanat Kumara who is hailed in the holy Bible in the Book of Revelations as descended from the planet Venus with 140000 angels to save the world from sin or establish Dharma. Sanat Kumara is also worshiped in several other religions about which I had informed you in detail in my discourses on Venkatesvara and Skanda.
This gives the clear explanation why Gita says that only those who meditate and submit to the will of the Supreme (Deva) will attain salvation. It does not harm worshiping other Devatas but the results are limited and are petty desires oriented. We have the choice open to us!
We all go to temple with certain expectation. Someone wants a seat in a college, someone wants a promotion, someone wants a nice partner, someone wants money, someone wants relief from physical pain and someone else wants his difficulties removed. Everyone is approaching “Ishtadevata” simply to gratify their senses. We are so foolish that we offer 5 cents worth of incense to Ganesha and expect him to make us win the lottery and overnight become rich! Such blind ritual benefits no one. We are enjoying and suffering according to our karma built up over many lives, yet we believe by offering a stick of incense, all of the reactions we have built up will simply be brushed aside and we will be given a special area within the material nature for unlimited enjoyment. Such a belief exists in faith-based religions. The fact is Ganesha has no interest whether you get a promotion or not. Can we really believe that there is a personality named Ganesha exists to look after our day-today welfare? We often hear from Pundits that Ganesha is an image symbolized to focus our concentration who have a lot to explain. Then why ask the image for blessings? Will an imagined entity who does not factually exist be able to help us? We all understand the mantra we chant while waving the lamp before the deity: “tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhaati”--His effulgence alone shines all others including the deity to whom we wave the lamp, yet we do not try to know who that One is!
I am not an atheist. May be these personalities can be as real as you and I. Ganesha may be living in his abode of Kailasa as many religious pundits say just as I am living in Nashville. The Vedas describe 64 dimensional planes of existence, of which we can experience only three—bhuh, bhuvah, and suvah. On the higher realms of existence, higher entities live, less limited by the matter – but still limited. The scriptures describe 400,000 species of living beings, both higher and lower than our own. Species such as, Gandharva, Apsara, Kimpurusha, Kinnara, Yaksha, Rakshasa, etc., up to the topmost material species of Brahman – whose species contains only one entity as mentioned. Our aim is to go up the ladder and integrate with the Supreme, that one entity, guided by the wisdom of Vedas and from whom all entities emerge time after time.
“Through meditation one can perceive these higher entities – the Gandharvas, Apsaras, Yakshas, and Devatas (Divine beings other than 33 Vedic deities). By purifying our consciousness we can enter these higher dimensional planes through our sukshma-sarira (subtle body composed of mind, intelligence, and identification) and see these beings face to face, just as I can see you if you are standing before me. Ultimately such experiences serve no spiritual purpose. We have simply raised our consciousness to a higher material plane. Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad Gita: “yanti deva-vratan deva”--Those who worship the devatas attain to the abode of their object of worship. This worship is not the common worship we see in temples, where a person simply tells, “Give me this, give me that.” Deva-vrata must be with full surrender to the particular devata. If one surrenders unto Lord Shiva or Ganesha, one will attain to the abode of Kailasha in the next life. In that abode the enjoyment and opulence are thousands of times greater than on this earthly plane. But from there one will again return to this earthly planet by the destructive influence of eternal time. Thus one would have simply succeeded in wasting his valuable time, while neglecting the actual goal of human life – self-realization” says Swami Prabhupada.
As Hindu Americans we are very enthusiastic to preserve our culture and dharma, wherever we are settled. We are keen to build a Hindu temple or form an India Association in which also Hindus are in majority and others are in insignificant minority. Do we really need an India Association as we have deserted the country with selfish goals or disgust?
Hindu American Temples (about 450 in USA) are planned and built by high intellectual philanthropists. No doubt they have made magnificent and generous contribution and devoted their time to Hindu community at personal sacrifice. They could have planned the temples better having a meaningful deity like Venkatesvara to suit all traditions while pleasing those grown with orthodoxy at the same time, with adequate focus on Teaching of Sanskrit, Vedas, Yoga and Meditation. Nothing prevents us from a rethinking as Thiruvaiyaru Temple has done. Probably in our nascent enthusiasm to preserve our traditions if not Dharma we failed to consult Vedanta institutions like Chinmaya Trust and had wrong advice or got obligated to donors with no vision on the future! We can still plan meaningful rituals and sacraments (samskaras) to suit all traditions as I have often spoken and progress towards spirituality. My discourses on Samskaras are very popular globally. All this can be done within the framework of Aagamasastra conflating with conventional Hindu religious codes without a revolution. Our Founding fathers have already done such changes somewhat in making American Religious Holidays a special worshipful day focused on a Hindu deity and Aagamas as in Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Labor Day etc. Even in the conservative and orthodoxy sectarian dominated India rethinking has started to keep focused on meaningful devatas and not to focus on sub-devatas and pseudo-devatas like liberated souls that are not incarnations but consecrated in temples that has as main deity Siva along with his Parivara like Ganesha, Kartikeya etc., or Vishnu or his incarnations and his Parivara (immediate family members) like Pradyumana, Aniruddha etc.
Recently the Temple Board of Tiruvaiyaru, a sacred religious center, decided to remove all altars of Navagrahas and 63 Nayanmars from Siva temple premises and in Puri Saibaba altar from a Vishnu temple earlier consecrated and worshiped according to Aagama Sastras. This should be an eye-opener for all Board Members of American Hindu temples in USA to focus on a deity like Venkatesvara, or Jagnnatha to suit all traditions with an outreach to other religions and not to focus on minor and falsified deities in Navagraha altars that are only prevalent in Saivite traditions. Unfortunately their focus is to add more and more relevant and irrelevant altars and Vigrahas in Hindu Temples to satisfy the liberal donors with their Ishta-devatas without focusing on the needs of the local Hindu population, purely to attract funds for the temple. We are not running commercial organizations here to attract rich entrepreneurs. No doubt we encourage shops and trading within the temple. We should be watchful here! Such trading activities invited the wrath of Jesus Christ to bring a new order in Judaism as history tells. The very purpose of bringing all traditions together is defeated in these acts with multiplicity of rituals, with few and sectarian participation except on a particular festival day like Divali or Holi that are loaded with fun and frolic, food, color throwing and fireworks. That makes it more a social event than a religious event with hardly any focus on a particular deity directed to the Supreme. Rama and Krishna are nowhere in the picture and Lakshmi dominates on Divali Puja Day. Hindu Americans, though have successfully come out of caste system, still can’t get rid of materialistic desire oriented sectarian worships with narrow outlook.
Multiplicity of deities and complex rituals do not attract interfaith caught families to Hindu Temples where one partner is from the major Abrahamic Religions of the country and the other a Hindu. Nor these will be attracted to Jewish Temples, Churches and Mosques. They often declare they are Spiritual but not religious (SBNR). They are neither religious nor do they know what spirituality means! Progressively they turn materialists or atheists whose number is alarmingly growing. After a few generations it will be hard to find an authentic Hindu American family with pure Hindu culture and Dharma. It will have the same fate as European Culture that got wiped out in USA. Alive to the situation and a vision on the future, Hindu Spiritual organizations have drastically reformed modality of Hindu religious worship to Hindu spiritual oriented worship to attract all people of different faiths to spirituality in temples located in their monasteries or Ashrams or planning, focused on ONE spiritual deity like Dattatreya or Dakshina Murthi or Linga, whose Spiritual leaders were staunch Saivites before and highly motivated by spirituality and Yoga.
Institutions like Chinmaya Mission, Divine life Society, Arshya Vidya Gurukul,
Fowai Forum, ISKCON, ISHA Foundation, Ramakrishna Math and other religious group monasteries are working from behind silently towards the cause of propagating Hindu Dharma without proselytization or stressing on ritualistic aspects but no one seems to have any one integrated approach or able to guide the community as to how to plan and manage the various Hindu religious Institutions around 450 in USA. Their goal seems to attract Western crowds into Hindu fold and boost the image of Hinduism. I wish they could all come together and guide us spiritually to unite and also contribute spiritually within the framework Hindu religious practices which the country badly needs with 40% SBNR (Spiritul But Not Religious) to which Hindu younger generation are enthusiastic to join having chosen their partners from Abrahamic religions. This is more important for Hindus as their very existence as a religious entity will be threatened as happened to European culture, though Hinduism will survive in India with continued fights and killings as is happening today. Even the messages of reformers like Rajiv Malhotra and VHP are not focused on this very much to set our own house in order instead of blaming others or pointing fingers at others. Baal Vihaar schools including those guided by Vedanta Spiritual Organizations are also not focused on study of Sanskrit and Vedas taught by trained teachers. Available limited time of the Youth (around 8 years) is wasted in learning mother tongue and Puranas and parrot chanting of slokas which are forgotten once the youth leaves the place for higher studies. No American born child speaks in mother tongue even with its sibling! English remains their mother tongue!
“Ancient Temples in India were not created for worship. Most modern temples are built just the way you build shopping complexes. Temple building is a very deep science. If the basic aspects of the temple – the size and shape of the idol, the mudra that the idol holds, the parikrama, the garbha griha, and the Mantras used to consecrate the idol if properly matched, a powerful energy system is created. In Hindu Tradition no one told you that if you go to a temple, you must worship and give money and ask for something. This is something that people have started now. Traditionally, they told you, if you go to the temple, you must sit for a while and come. But today you just touch your bottom to the floor and run away. This is not the way. You are required to sit there because there is a field of energy that has been created. (Meditation for a while in erect sitting posture after worship will help). Ancient temples were not created as a place of God or a place of prayer. No one was ever allowed to lead a prayer. It was created as a place of energy where everyone could go and make use of it. I don’t know how many hundreds of gods we have in India, but still look at the pathetic state in which people are living. Somehow all these gods are not able to lift them up. This is not about gods, this is just people’s own foolishness. They have never aspired for the Divine. All their aspirations are just for comfort, for wealth, for power, for pleasure, never for the Ultimate, and they think God is a tool to help them achieve all these things. Temples were advised only for people who were not on the spiritual path. In the tradition, it is clearly said that a person who has started his own spiritual process need not go to the temple every day. Or in other words, the temple is a public charging place, a battery-charging place for you. If you have your own self-charging system, then you do not have to go to the temple” says Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev of ISHA Foundation.
Hindu American Temples are established as a place of God or a Place of Prayer in America unlike what Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev thinks. Majority do not have a silent place or time to pray at home, or motivated. They are also influenced by the American Culture of Christianity of going to the churches on Sundays and do congregational worship. Present day Hindu Temple worship is mainly focused for those who are just unfamiliar with Hindu religion or beginners and who are at kindergarten level. Here again the rituals are not properly explained as to how they are focused on Tadekam (Supreme Power). - If our temples want those in temples who want go through spiritual path then they should change their worship pattern. “Advanced seekers should spend at least 15 minutes in the temple contemplating on the Svarupa or Self or the True Nature of the Lord and how our true nature is one with the Lord. This calls a separate silent place for meditation” says Swami Chinmayananda. He also says temples are meant for different levels of people and temples should focus on these different levels devotees’ needs.
American Hindus accounted for an estimated 1.0% of the total US population recently representing an increase of roughly one million people in recent years. The vast majority of American Hindus are immigrants from South Asia (mainly India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia (mainly Bali), the Caribbean (mainly Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Martinique), Fiji, Africa (mainly Southern Africa and Eastern Africa ), and Mauritius and other countries and their descendants. Additionally, the United States has a number of converts to Hinduism. At the same time marriage between a Hindu partner and a partner from other religions, mostly Abrahamic Religions, is rapidly increasing who say they are SBNR. Their visits to Hindu temples is casual and mostly for socializing. Currently, Hindu-Americans hold the highest education levels among all religious communities in the United States, though this is mostly due to immigration policies that favor educated Hindus. They are also the richest whose average earnings top the list among all. I will consider Hindu America truly wealthy when it puts everything it has into something more than ephemeral self-congratulatory branding. It will be wealthy when it can lead the country spiritually spreading the message of Vedic wisdom to establish Vedanta as the religion of the world as prophesied by Swami Vivekananda century ago when he addressed the world gathering of Religions to promote peace and harmony in the world and promote Universal Oneness.
In a true sense “Hinduism” is a wrong term and we have to find a new name for the religion or spirituality we follow in USA. It is not like Buddhism or Jainism or Christianity. -ism was a suffix fixed by foreign invaders. We do not have terms like Europeanism, Africanism etc. in English language. Now attempts are made to Sanskritize English to enrich English knowing its strength. Please listen to Rajiv Malhotra on the subject. Before that we had only a universal Spiritual tradition called Eternal Tradition or Sanatana Dharma. Probably Vedic religion and Vedantins as its followers may suit us. Unfortunately we have moved away from the Wisdom of Vedas long back to which we should think seriously of returning back. The word Hindu is geographical and comes from the word Sindhu River. Anybody coming from the land of Sindhu River is a Hindu that covers all religions of the world that are found in India now. Do we then need an Indian Association as well as Hindu Parishad? I believe this understanding or misunderstanding has encouraged Hindu Americans to choose their partners from all religions and consider all are Hindus. American Hindu Temples are open to all and are only restricted by temple etiquettes. Anyhow this is an issue that I can’t decide and we need the intervention and advice of spiritual Gurus and so I too continue to use the term Hinduism knowing it is wrong! Indus is no longer in India. Then should Hindus be called Gangeyas today? Only Indians can tell or India’s early rulers!
Many concepts of Hinduism, such as Karma, Dharma, Reincarnation and Yoga, have entered into mainstream American vernacular. There are around 450 Hindu Temples in America run on Traditional Hindu Agama Style. They have a strong influence on Religious and cultural life of Hindus and the Neo Hindu converts that attract good number of spiritual leaders from India. They should therefore move away from sectarian views and orthodoxy and reflect the wisdom of the Vedas: “Eko Viprah Bahudaa vadanti”, “aatmavat sarvabhooteshu”, “ Krinvanto visvamaaryam”, “Sanghacchadhvam sam vadadvam” “Krinvanto visvamaryam” in their religious following. They have been very successful in breaking the caste walls in USA with no official intervention or interference and also instrumental to unite all Hindus drawn from many lands. Religious cohesion, Spirituality and Outreach are all in their hands.
Understanding the worship of Venkatewsvara as Vishnu, Skanda and Devi in Tirupati on different days of the week, as well as knowing Skanda is Sanat Kumara hailed and worshiped in Esoteric Traditions by many religions and also realizing Sanatkumara is glorified in the Holy Bible in the Book of Revelations, Hindu Americans will be wiser to install Venkatesvara as the only deity and focus all their worships and rituals to him along with celebrations of festivals like Makara Sankranti, Astronomical Summer and Winter Solstice Days, Guru Purnima, Sravan Purnima, Sarad Purnima Kartik Purnima Rituals, Mahalaya Paksha Pitru Day, Phalgun Uttar, Navaratri and Divali. To this they could add American Religious Mass Worship Days like Valentine’s day, Father’s Day, Mother’s day, Labor day etc., suitably adapted and focused on Hindu deity Venkatesvara. They could also include colorful popular Brahmotsavam as added attraction and celebration. That should help in keeping the old traditions that are Universal in appeal to all traditions, colorful but spiritually focused at the same time. This would be a sort of evolution but not a revolution as contemplated by Spiritual organizations like ISHA in USA. This can be supplemented with learning of Sanskrit, teaching of Vedas in Baal Vihaar schools, teaching of Yoga and providing meditation centers in each temple as Bahai Temple and Kanyakumari Vivekananda Rock Temple in India.
The Vedic/Agamic approach in describing temple worship stresses that Hindus all worship One Supreme Being (Deva), though by different names and through different traditions.
The Puranic approach presents the idea that Hindus worship a trinity of separate Gods (devatas) and do not worship a Supreme Being.
Clearly for temples in the US, the Vedic/Agamic approach is the approach that is needed to create clarity about Hindu temple worship in the minds of Hindu youth as well as in the minds of non-Hindu community attracted to Hindu Temples.
The Historic development of Venkatesvara worshiped at one time as Sanatkumara in Esoteric Traditions including Hinduism who is explained as Skanda (Chhandogya Upanishad), later Devi or Baala Tripura Sundari (Baalaaji) and now as Vishnu will be more convincing as Devo Ekah and ideal deity to focus as Saguna Brahman. Even today this deity is worshiped as Vishnu for three days, as Skanda for two days and as Devi for two days which hurried visitors do not notice. Even Puranas say--Sanatkumara was born as Pradyumna worshiped as Vyuha in Pancharatra tradition of Vaishnavism; He was born as son of Siva at Siva’s request as Skanda; He was Maanasaputra of Brahma. Thus Sanatkumara is Son of GOD for all believers. GOD is Deva in Sanskrit (G=generator; O=Operator; D=dissolver that is one who is responsible for creation, sustenance and dissolution).
I believe even Vedic rishis who initially conceieved 33 devatas got them confined to 3 that are Sun, Firre and Air (Savitar, Agni and Vaayu) as is evident from Gayatri Mantras. If there are two or more Devatas to worship, inclination of the individual should be towards retaining only one of the two or of more forms. Constant awareness of the fact that we have to move from ‘many to one’ at every step and developing faith in Brahman (Deva) to match this awareness should be our goal. Only then, can an individual traverse from saguna form to the nirguna form of Brahman. Worship of a Devata like Venkatesvara will be most appropriate and appealing to all who are grown with many traditions worshiping many devatas and sub-devatas as well as spirit devatas in India. This will also help in promoting Interfaith and Outreach dialogues for bringing all faiths together and progress towards the Vedic wisdom of “Sanghacchadvam samvadadvam” and “Vasudhaiva kur tumbakam”—Come together, speak together; whole world is one family--to establish peace, happiness and harmony to progress together!
Hindu-Jewish Summit at Jerusalem on 18 February, 2008 sets at rest the wrong notion that Hinduism is idolatrous. The declaration reads: “It is recognized that one Supreme Being in its formless and manifest aspects has been worshiped by Hindus over the millennia. The Hindu relates to only the one Supreme Being when he / she prays to a particular manifestation does not mean Hindus worship gods and idols.” But they should also recognize that the One Supreme Being Hindus worship is not different from Jehovah (That I Am) they worship! Yet any casual visitor to Hindu Temple is not convinced and baffled by the Exhibition of Murtis (idols) with or without circum-ambulation space, facing all directions, like Kolu in Navaratri in the main hall (Mukhy Mantapa) in Hindu American Temples. Devotees run with sloka book to each deity cringing special favors. Children enjoy the exhibition of dolls running amuck all around! Those who have higher thinking do not really need a deity to focus. But for a majority Hindus grown with temple tradition, rituals and attracted to a charged atmosphere it is a compelling instinct to focus on a symbolically ideal Saguna Brahman. Worship of Venkatesvara as the only deity in Hindu Temples of America for reasons explained will solve all the problems with Universal appeal. Venkatesvara shrine in India is the largest visited shrine by people on Earth worshiped by many faiths today! Majority of us are dull-witted as for as religious worship is concerned:
Agnirdevoe dwijaateenaam muneenaam hridi daivatam | Prathima svalpabuddheenaam sarvatrae viditaatmanaam ||
The ritualists have their God in the fire (Agni); but the wise folk find him in their own heart. It is the dull-witted one that seeks God in the icon. Those who have higher understanding see God in everything”
I am neither a reformer nor a spiritual Guru nor a religious pundit but can share my thoughts and worries with you to spread the message. I have only analyzed here what you all read, preach, and practice, which I also do, but brought the thoughts together for Universal Oneness with which we started which in the long and winding path of human progress went in different directions. This is just a reminder to arise awake move forward as well as lead our country of adoption spiritually. How is that possible, one may ask? If one girl with an education (Malala Yosafzai), can change the world, certainly 3 million Hindus can set the house in order and contribute significantly to their adopted country which is sitting on a fence and calling themselves SBNR, if one billion Hindus in India are silent over it. They too will learn from us in due course. Hindus in India should at least correct their name first , as they do, constantly revolting to change the name of many cities and roads.
REFERENCES:
1.
Swami Vimalanannd, Mahanaaraayana
Upanishad, Ramakrishna math, Chennai.
2.
Jahnava Nitai
Das, Gods, Demi Gods and Incarnations, IndiaDivine.Org.
3.
Swami Prabhupada,
Bhagvad Gita, the Macmillan Company, New York, NY.
4.
Discourse on
Venkatesvara , That is Skanda, That is Sanat Kumara :
6.
Wikipedia and
other internet sources
7.
Swami
Chinmayananda, “Why do we visit temples”
8.
Sadguru Jaggi
Vasudev on Hindu Temples
APPENDIX
American Hindu Temples and Worship of One Supreme Being
(Extracted, Abridged and Edited by N.
R. Srinivasan, Nashville, TN, USA, October 2017)
According to our
Vedas, building a Temple of worship for the benefit of the community (Aalaya
prathishta), contributing our resources for this purpose and participating in
these rituals and performing sevas during these ceremonies are highly
commendable acts of Hindu Dharma. The glory of the Lord is seen and the
vibration of the Super Power is felt everywhere in the temple. Combined prayers
in temple are believed to be very powerful and benefit the entire community.
The holy presence of divinity (saannidhyam) in the temples will be felt when
the temple is built according to the sastras and the deities are properly
installed by the priests and sthapathis. The divinity of temples are further
secured and enhanced by continuous worship and periodic festivals in the
temple.
Here are three reasons why the Hindu temple is
especially sacred: One is the way it's constructed. It's constructed
according to very strict rules, very strict measurements are used so that helps
the sanctity be present, so construction. Second one is consecration: the
Kumbhabhishekam ceremony itself is brings life to it all. And then continuous worship.
The daily pujas that follow thereafter draw forth the blessings in a continuous
way so that after a period of time because of the construction, the consecration and the continuous worship it has a
very sacred feeling to it, all combined.
Usually Hindu
American Temples have a Balaji shrine and also Balaji temples are very popular.
Balaji
temple is the temple that has the central Deity as Venkateswara or the Deity
that's at Tirupati, also known as Balaji.
This is the most visited temple by people in the world. At Tirupati we
stand in line for hours because there
are so many devotees on any day. We are only allowed to view the Deity for five
seconds before we have to move on.
Temples in USA will have no such constrain in worship to focus on a
deity who is universal in appeal not only to Hindus but to all religions as
Son of God.
Contrary to
prevailing misconceptions, Hindus all worship a one Supreme Being, though by
different names. This is because the peoples of India with different languages
and cultures have understood the one God in their own distinct way. Through
history there arose four principal Hindu denominations--Saivism, Shaktism,
Vaishnavism and Smartism. For Saivites, God is Siva. For Shaktas, Goddess
Shakti is supreme. For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God and for Smartas--who
see all Deities as reflections of the One God--the choice of Deity is left to
the devotee.
Why do you have so many gods and goddesses?
Yes, there are
many, thousands in fact. Each god or goddess represents a different aspect of
the one God. And since God is infinite, it's no wonder there are so many
different expressions!
Where exactly does
the concept come from that Hindus are polytheistic and believe in a
multiplicity of Gods and do not have a Supreme Being?
One of the sources,
of course, is the Hindu temple itself. We walk in the door and encounter a
multiplicity of shrines each with a different God. The high-minded view of the
Upanishads is of Brahman, Absolute
Reality, the Supreme Reality which is both transcendent and immanent, that is
one and indivisible, infinite and eternal, all-pervading Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. Thus it is crucial that an explanation
is given that reconciles these two aspects of Hinduism.
Hindus do not
worship a one Supreme Being comes from the category of scriptures called
Puranas similar to the Iliad. There are 18 major Puranas which are designated
as either Saivite, Vaishnavite or Sakta. They are of course the folk narratives
containing ethical and cosmological teachings relative to God, man and world.
When taken literally, the Puranas definitely do present a concept of Hinduism
as a religion with a trinity of Gods: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver
and Siva the Destroyer. The Puranas, however, are classified as secondary
scripture, secondary to our primary scriptures which are the Vedas and Agamas
which are needed in order to avoid interpreting the Puranas as polytheism.
Hindus believe in a trinity of separate Gods:
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Concept of People on God who visit Hindu temple is based on the Puranas. The concept of Hindu worship comes from four denominations-- its four sectarian traditions--is
quite helpful in dispelling the false concept that Hindus are
polytheistic.
Saivam:
The religion which regards Siva as the Supreme Being and is exclusively devoted
to His worship, of sixteen sects.
Shaktam:
The religion which enjoins the exclusive worship of Shakti as the Supreme
Being.
Vaishnavam:
The religion which holds Vishnu to be the Supreme Being.
The
definition for the Smarta Sampradaya is found under Shanmatam: The six Vedic
religious systems: Saivam, Vaishnavam, Saktam, Ganapatiya, Kaumaram, Sauram
In other words,
Smartas or Vedantins have a choice to worship any one of the six major
Deities-- Siva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Subramanya and Surya--as the Supreme
Lord, as their Ishta Devata or preferred Deity.
Not all Hindus are
familiar with the category of scripture called the Agamas.
The Agamas are an
enormous collection of Sanskrit scriptures which, along with the Vedas, are shrutis or
revealed scriptures. The Agamas were part of an oral
tradition of unknown antiquity which some experts consider as ancient as the
earliest Vedas, 5,000 to 6,000 BCE. The Agamas are the primary source and
authority for temple construction and temple ceremonies. Each of the major
denominations--Saivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism--has its unique Agama texts.
If we took the Puranic approach, we would say
that for example at the Venkatesavara shrine, we are worshipping Vishnu, the
God of Preservation and at the Sri Shiva Lingam shrine, we are worshipping
Siva, the God of Destruction. In the Vedic/Agamic approach we would say the
Venkatesvara shrine is of the Vaishnava denomination of Hinduism which worships
the Supreme Being as Vishnu. The liturgy, temple ritual, is conducted according
to the Pancharatra Agama. The Sri Shiva Lingam shrine is of the Saiva
denomination of Hinduism which worships the Supreme Being as Siva. The liturgy
is conducted according to the Kamika and Karana Agamas.
The
Vedic/Agamic approach to describing temple worship stresses that Hindus all
worship a one Supreme Being, though by different names and through different
traditions.
The
Puranic approach presents the idea that Hindus worship a trinity of separate
Gods and do not worship a Supreme Being. Clearly for temples in the US, the
Vedic/Agamic approach is the approach that is needed to create clarity about
Hindu temple worship in the minds of Hindu youth as well as in the non-Hindu
community.
We must actively encourage all temples in the
West to help create this clarity as to Hindu belief by stressing on their web
sites and in their publications that first and foremost Hindus all worship a one
Supreme Being, though by different names and by different traditions.
Also
it would be quite informative for temples to share more information on the
specific temple traditions they are following such as:
*
Samaya: state whether the temple liturgy is of the Vaishnava, Saiva, Sakta or
Vaidika traditions
*
Agama: give the name of the Agama which governs the temple ceremonies
*
Murthi: describe the particular form of the main deity and the history of its
worship in India
*
Archaka: give background on the priesthood that serves the temple
*
Darshana: name the specific philosophy or philosophies that are being taught at
the temple
The American author
Mark Twain in his book 'Following the Equator' made an insightful statement
about India—“In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only
millionaire”-- certainly one way in
which India qualifies as a millionaire in religion is the rich diversity of its
Hindu traditions. We can all be proud of this diversity and share more
knowledge of it with our Hindu youth and the non-Hindu community through our
temple web sites, publications and displays.
In American Hindu
Temple tours we should avoid on talks about the trinity of Gods and this and
that and talking about the various Puranic stories as if they're real events.
So that kind of presentation without any deeper philosophy leaves the
impression that Hinduism doesn't have a Supreme Being, and it just believes in
a number of separate Gods and of course that's misleading. But it's damaging in
the West because that approach to religion is considered primitive. If a
religion doesn't have a Supreme Being it's looked at as primitive and not as
good as the Western religions which have a Supreme Being. So we should
definitely avoid such projections, and of course it's not true also. We need to get better information out there
on temple web sites, publications and elsewhere as well.
(From the speeches of Velan Samy of Hinduism
Today and Swami Chidananda of Paramartha Niketan, Rishikesh, India)
