GEMS FROM THE
VISION AND PRACTICE
BEACH 10: HINDUISM FOR THE
NEXT GENERATION
Wave 3: Basics of Hindu Religious Worship : Page
3
There
are certainly several rituals for religious worship. But these rituals vary in
detail from region to region, from tradition to tradition and from time to
time. This variety itself is because of the inherent flexibilities in the
practice of Hinduism. It is further accentuated by the largeness of the
subcontinent with different roots in culture that goes back to several
centuries. But always the concept of worship is to first invoke
the god of worship in some kind of a picture or
idol or a lump of sandal paste or even some specific types of stones identified
for the purpose.
For
the principle of idol worship, click here
The
pUjA (ritual worship) begins with
such an invocation. The pUjA itself
consists of sixteen formalities. These include, besides the
invocation, the offering of a seat, offering water for various purposes,
offering water honey and milk for bath, offering cloth for dressing, offering
flowers as obeisance, offering eatables, waving flaming camphor, and finally
doing prostrations. The ceremonial waving of lighted camphor is called Arti. The prostration indicates a total
surrender to the deity of the pUjA.
The very invocation, which is the first formality, contains the essence
of the Hindu teaching. It says:
Oh God! I know
you are omnipresent.
But, for the purpose of my concentration and worship
Please condescend to make your presence felt here
In this idol (image, picture or stone or whatever)
For the period of the pUjA.
Maybe I am insulting your omnipresence
by requesting you to confine yourself to this form
But please pardon me, I know no other way.
All
this is contained in the mantra
(vedic chant) that is used for the invocation. In every formality of the pUjA, the mantra that is recited carries such high philosophical thinking
within itself. Throughout, it is the
attitude (Click
here for more on the importance of attitudes) that matters rather than the
real thing you offer. You may just offer some flowers and say that instead of
the silken clothes you would like to offer to the Lord, you are offering these
flowers. Similarly instead of pouring water over the image or the picture for
bath you may just sprinkle some drops of water on it and say this may be taken
as bath.
Incidentally,
mantras are everything in Hinduism.
They can do and undo. For more on mantras click here.
The
five elements being the ultimate purifier of all things in the universe, Hindu
tradition uses them effectively for such purposes in all their rituals. It is
mostly either water or fire. So every time something has to be purified, the
relevant quotation from the scriptures is recited and water sprinkled on the
deity before you. In temples
where the images of gods have been built in stone or metal for this very
purpose, the daily pUjA will have
elaborate procedures for ritually and physically bathing the deity and is
called abhisheka.
A
pUjA at home may take as small a time
as five minutes or as long a time as four to six hours. The eatable that you
finally offer to the deity is technically called naivedya the word simply meaning, that which is shown to God. It
could be any sweet dish, fruits, coconuts or any other specially prepared dish
and after thus being offered to God which the deity does not eat, of course
is then shared by those who have attended the pUjA and their friends and well-wishers. In fact Hindu scriptures
are very clear on the injunction that nothing should be eaten without first
being formally offered to God, and therefore nothing should be eaten which are
not offerable to God.
Flowers
are one offering to God which we do not take back in full. Flowers come from
nature, that is prakRti, and go back
to the Lord of that prakRti, namely
God. Since flowers are the only thing which we can leave wholly with the deity
of worship, Hindu deity worship always emphasizes a massive use of flowers.
Even the water which is used for bathing the idol is taken back in little drops
as lustral water, in the hollow of the right hand and swallowed immediately.
When anything is offered to God and then taken back for our use like this, it
becomes prasAd, meaning Grace (of
God). This takes us to the next topic, bhakti and grace.
Back to Homepage Back to Contents Back to
Organisation of Contents
Copyright İV. Krishnamurthy