Why Do We Pray At Temples?

What are temples and why do we built such place to worship Gods? If we look at the issue generally, in any religion, there is a need for people to gather and worship their God. By doing so they are able to teach and educate the rest about their God. Preaching the teachings and also help built the community has been the main purpose. For these purposes one need no specific building structures or rules but in Hinduism the scope is not limited to these reasons.

Universal Energy - Sleep, Meditation And Idol Worshipping

In Hinduism, the science takes precedence rather than belief. Our bodies are consists of 5 elements which are Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Ether. The first 4 elements mainly for the body are easily available on Earth. Our body is able to refresh itself through various acts like eating, drinking and activities. But for the 5th element which is for the soul, is only available from the sky. This element, Ether is also known as the universal energy or the Cosmic energy is the most important of the elements.

According to the "Law of Attraction" if one focuses on certain needs and pour in the complete emotion as if it has been fulfilled, it will trigger the Universal Energy to fulfil it. So in Hinduism we meditate on such requests. Meditation not only gives us energy and solution for achieving our desires, it also has many medical benefits.

These medical benefits are derived from the influx of Universal Energy and it works the chakras in the body thus healing the body and mind. This Universal Energy also known as God by itself as all energy can't be produced but can be only harnessed from the existing source.

We can absorb this Universal Energy by 3 ways.

1. By sleeping we naturally absorb this energy but the amount is very little. Most of the time, the energy will be exhausted within the day. A proper time of sleep is required. The best time to acquire such energy through sleep is at around 9pm to 12am. If we sleep during these hours, we will able to receive energy equivalent to 3 hours of rest for every hour of sleep. From 12am to 3am, we will be able to harness energy equivalent to 1½ hours and from 3am to 5am, we will be able to get 1 hour of energy for each hours. But this energy will start to drain if we sleep further after 5am. As such we notice that we feel very tired in the morning even when we wake up late. To avoid such incidents, in Hinduism, we start our prayers early in the morning and we set many rituals to be done at early hours not only because it’s the right time but also to make sure we get of the bed.

2. The best way of harnessing the "Universal Energy" is through meditation. By meditating, we are able to perform many miracles. Meditation allows us to set our mind vibration to equal the vibration of atoms. Once we achieve this, we able to communicate our desires to the universe and all our wishes can be achieved. But this is not an easy thing to achieve. Furthermore one can easily lose their mind in the universe if they are not properly trained by a guru.

3. Meditators can easily lose their focus and concentration. To help them temples are built in such an intricate way. ”Moorthi”s (idols) are built in the temples. These Gods are given shapes and stories to accompany such designs. But these stories not always were created. Many stories are based on true accounts and history

Unlike other religions that stand firm against idol worshipping, Hinduism neither prescribes nor proscribes worship of idols. In Hinduism, it’s about worshipping the God through the Idols not the Idols itself. The Puranas and the Agamas give descriptions of idol-worship both in the houses and in the temples. Idol-worship is not peculiar to Hinduism. Idols are defined as images or sculptures not only physically but also that of mind. Everyone needs to hold an image in mind when they pray, like Christians worship the Cross. They have the image of the Cross in their mind and the Muslims keep the image of the Ka’aba. Such practices are considered as idol worshipping in Hinduism.

"IT IS MUCH DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON GOD AS THE UNMANIFESTED THAN TO FOCUS GOD WITH FORM, DUE TO HUMAN BEINGS HAVING THE NEED TO PERCEIVE VIA THE SENSES."

- BHAGAVAD GITA, LORD KRISHNA

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Worship is the expression of devotion, reverence and love to the God. Idols are shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the God in it and pours out his devotion unto it. It is the appalling ignorance of the modern sensual man that clouds his vision and prevents him from seeing Divinity in lovely and enchanting idols of His form.

In temples, the Gods are believed to be brought alive by priests using special mantras and place these powers into idols called ”Moorthi”s. These idols often times given 4 to ten hands and weapons are entrusted into each hand. What these weapons are for? In many cases they accompanied by stories like the killing of a specific demons.

Brahmamuhurtha And Its Significant Effects.

What are these weapons really for? These represent certain qualities of the Gods that are warranted by the worshippers. Let’s compare this situation to a human figure. If a child is asked to draw a lawyer, the child will draw a man in a black robe and holding a roll of paper which appears to be the court orders. If the same child is requested to draw a doctor, the child will draw a man with a stethoscope in a white robe. The characteristic of the man might just be the same but what distinguishes the profession is the apparel worn and what is hold by the person. This goes same to Gods. If a person goes to temple to pray so someone needs to be cured of some disease, he needs to pray to God that represents that character i.e. Amman. Goddess Amman holds a bunch of herbs in hand that represents medicine to cure sickness.

By focusing on the herbs on an idol, we will be able to trigger the Law Of Attraction of wishing the cure for the disease. Same goes to a person who is facing some difficult situation, He needs to focus himself getting out of such entanglement. This is shown in knot held by Lord Ganesha. This knot represents the problem. He also hold the Moodaka which represents the reward once the problem is solved. So when we pray to remove the problem, we should focus on the knot and imagine that it unties by itself and once it unties, we should image that we acquire the reward. This way of focus allows us to achieve our desired results. To further enhance the result, rituals are performed. In this case we have to perform "Toppukaranam". Please refer to the previous post on the subject.

(http://theindianheritage.blogspot.com/2009/03/thopukkaranams-super-brain-yoga.html)

TEMPLE STRUCTURES AND RITUALS

In regards to the temple shapes, temples are designed with golden tops and shaped as a "Gopurams" with ”Moorthi”s right in the center. This is to harness the energy from the universe. Gold is the best conductor of electricity. By placing it on the top of the temples, these domes are able to absorb the energy and channel it to the “Moorthi”s right in the center. The energy is stored in the “Moorthi”s. Please note that black colour has the highest absorption powers.

A TYPICAL HINDU TEMPLE WITH A GOLDEN TOP
(GOPURAM) IN RAMESHWARAM, TAMIL NADU.

When the priests perform Deepaaraadhana, this energy is transferred to the worshippers through the fire. When the worshippers put their hands on top of the fire and places them on their foreheads, the energy transfers from the fire to the body through the Pineal Gland which is also known as the "3rd eye".

Not only that, these temples is located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as "Garbhagriha" or Moolasthanam. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This Moolasthanam is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be at the maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the slokas. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.

Further, the Moolasthanam is closed on three sides. This increases the effect of all energies. The lamp that is lit radiates heat energy and also provides light inside the Moolasthanam to the priests or poojaris performing the pooja. The ringing of the bells and the chanting of prayers takes a worshipper into trance, thus not letting his mind waver. When done in groups, this helps people forget personal problems for a while and relieve their stress. The fragrance from the flowers, the burning of camphor give out the chemical energy further aiding in a different good aura.

The effect of all these energies is supplemented by the positive energy from the idol, the copper plates and utensils in the Moolasthanam / Garbagraham. Theertham, the “holy” water used during the pooja to wash the idol is not plain water cleaning the dust off an idol. It is a concoction of Cardamom, Karpura (Benzoin / Camphor), saffron, Tulsi (Holy Basil), Clove, etc... Washing the idol is to charge the water with the magnetic radiations thus increasing its medicinal values. Three spoons of this holy water is distributed to devotees. Again, this water is mainly a source of magneto-therapy. Besides, the clove essence protects one from tooth decay, the saffron & Tulsi leafs protects one from common cold and cough, cardamom and Pacha Karpuram, act as mouth fresheners. It is proved that Theertham is a very good blood purifier, as it is highly energized. Hence it is given as prasadam to the devotees. This way, one can claim to remain healthy by regularly visiting the Temples. This is why our elders used to suggest us to offer prayers at the temple so that you will be cured of many ailments. They were not always superstitious. Yes, in a few cases they did go overboard when due to ignorance they hoped many serious diseases could be cured at temples by deities.

A Hindu Temple Are Designed According To A
Human Body To Maximize Its Potentials.

When people go to a temple for the Deepaaraadhana, and when the doors open up, the positive energy gushes out onto the persons who are there. The water that is sprinkled onto the assemblages passes on the energy to all. This also explains why men are not allowed to wear shirts at a few temples and women are requested to wear more ornaments during temple visits. It is through these jewels (metal) that positive energy is absorbed by the women. Also, it is a practice to leave newly purchased jewels at an idol’s feet and then wear them with the idol’s blessings. This act is now justified after reading this article. This act of “seeking divine blessings” before using any new article, like books or pens or automobiles may have stemmed from this through mere observation.

Energy lost in a day’s work is regained through a temple visit and one is refreshed slightly. The positive energy that is spread out in the entire temple and especially around where the main idol is placed, are simply absorbed by one's body and mind. Did you know, every Vaishnava (Vishnu devotees), “must” visit a Vishnu temple twice every day in their location. Our practices are NOT some hard and fast rules framed by 1 man and his followers or God’s words in somebody’s dreams. All the rituals, all the practices are, in reality, well researched, studied and scientifically backed thesis which form the ways of nature to lead a good healthy life.

The scientific and research part of the practices are well camouflaged as “elder’s instructions” or “granny’s teaching’s” which should be obeyed as a mark of respect so as to once again, avoid stress to the mediocre brains.

The Lost City of Dwarka

The Lost City of Dwarka

(By Rohini Gupta (http://www.epicindia.com)

Dwarka, city of legend and mystery, capital of blue skinned Krishna, the mystic golden land which arose from the ocean at his command and returned under the waters when his feet no longer walked the earth. Dwarka was Krishna’s stronghold, a fort built to be invincible. A city of mythic proportions, everything about Dwarka is as magical as the story of the man who built it.

The poets described Dwarka as a city so golden that it cast its radiance on the ocean for miles around it. Dwar means door, and Dwarka is a city of many doors or a gateway. It was an island, connected to the mainland by many bridges, and legend says that Krishna asked Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to build him a city more beautiful than any before it.

Krishna’s story is well known. He was born in a prison and smuggled out to the peaceful pastoral village of Brindavan far away from the tyranny of Mathura. Krishna was just a teenager when he returned to Mathura and rearranged the political landscape of ancient India by killing Kamsa and putting the old king Ugrasena back on the throne.

Though he was not the king, Krishna was always the ruler. His Yadav clan is probably the first democratic society in the world and their system of government sounds very modern today. They were a federation of six tribes who elected their leader, but retained their king as head of the state with no real powers. Krishna, the elected leader was in actual control and made all the decisions.

An underwater archaeologist of the ASI examines an ancient structure off the shore of Dwaraka; a circular structure on the shore at Dwaraka; fragment of an ancient structure found underwater; remains of an ancient structure in the forecourt of the Shri Dwarakadhish temple. - (Photo courtesy ASI),

Like all leaders in a democracy Krishna struggled to keep the Yadavs together. The six clans each had it own leader, and there were factions within the council. The power struggles were endless, each faction jostling for control, sometimes stooping to slander and back stabbing with an occasional murder thrown in. Krishna’s hands were full just keeping his contentious clan together. He was such a towering personality that his leadership was never in question but it did not stop his rivals from plotting against him, trying to discredit him in the eyes of the people. In one notable instance they accused him of theft and it took him years to sort out the scandal.

When Krishna killed Kamsa and was unanimously elected the leader of the Yadavs, he was so young he had not even finished his education. He was sent to Guru Sandipani’s ashram to complete it. The ashrams of ancient India were the universities of today and Sandipani’s ashram was one of the best.

However Krishna was given little respite to study. Kamsa’s powerful father in law, Jarasandh launched attack after attack on Mathura. Krishna and Balaram, almost single handed, withstood seventeen assaults, but when Jaransadh enlisted foreign allies and planned to attack the city on all sides, then Krishna began to look for an alternative.

That he chose retreat shows his foresight. In those days the warrior classes considered retreat to be a disgrace. Krishna was accused of running away from battle many times in his life, but it was his audacious retreat that changed the fate of his Yadavas. He turned them from a broken tribe into a kingdom talked about all over the world with awe and wonder.

Krishna chose a remote location, far beyond the reach of Jarasandh. He picked distant Dwarka on the western coast of India, far from Mathura, and spent a year putting his plans into action. He built on the sunken remains of a previous kingdom, Kushasthali, which itself was built on older ruins, all underwater. Krishna reclaimed a hundred miles of land from the sea and called in Vishwakarman, the architect of the gods to give him a city that was the envy of the world.

The Mahabharat and the Bhagwad Puran and other texts, describe the wonders of Dwarka. The most expensive and luxurious materials were used. In those days of unbelievable riches, it was quite common to use precious stones, gold and silver as construction material. Royalty and rich nobles invariably used gold, those who could not afford it used silver or metal.

Dwarka was a city of rose and gold. The palaces and many of the mansions were built of gold, over which pink lotus domes towered, topped by soaring golden spires. The floors were made of emeralds. Precious stones studded the walls and crystal arches curved overhead, inlaid with gold. The houses were beautifully decorated and sculptures adorned the walls. Even the cowsheds were made of silver, brass and iron.

The gardens are specially mentioned. Lavish gardens were planted with fruit and flowering trees, shade trees lined the roads and fragrant flowers scented the air. Lakes and ponds full of lotuses and fountains and waterfalls delighted the eyes. The heavenly Parijaat tree was planted in abundance.

Colourful flags flew on the fort walls and cleanliness was extreme. The Bhagwat Puran describes a time when Krishna returned to the city. To welcome him every alley, lane and road was swept and sprinkled with scented water, garlands of flowers hung from every arch, and on every doorstep incense burned sweetening the air. From the higher floors above the road women dropped flower petals and lotus garlands on the procession as it wended its way down the streets, accompanied by music and dancing.

Dwarka was a very well planned city, following the highly developed science of town planning. The architect, Vishwakarman, first mapping out the highways, lanes, gates and parks. He sectioned off plots and divided the city into six zones, residential and commercial. He planned out the port and created the bridges and gateways and the fortifications. Everything was laid out in detail before the construction began.

Dwarka was built to be invincible. Two lines of massive fort walls built from huge stone blocks, ran all around it and the sea itself served as a moat. The island was cut off from the mainland and could only be approached by boat. Vishwakarman built several bridges which could be withdrawn in case of attack.

Like many kingdoms of the time Dwarka had a passport system. Its citizens were issued with a clay seal which had to be presented when they entered or left the massive gates. The seal of Dwarka was a mythical three headed dog and seals matching the description have been found in the undersea ruins today.

Dr. S. R. Rao (Archeologist)

The fortifications of Dwarka made it hard to reach. The walls were furnished with watchtowers and machines to fling fire, inflammable liquids and missiles. Its structure and location made it inaccessible and the only time it sustained damage was when the attack came, not from land or sea, but from the sky.

The Bhagwat Puran describes how King Salwa acquired an flying machine that could fly at great speed and high enough to be invisible. He mounted an two pronged attack on Dwarka in which his army laid siege to the fort while he waged war from the skies, at a time when both Balaram and Krishna were away.

The Mahabharat mentions the preparations for war. The city was sealed, no one allowed to move in or out. Mines were planted on land and the moats were filled with sharpened spikes. The bridges were removed, the docks closed to all traffic and the streets barricaded. The army was paid in advance, with gold, to keep their motivation high.

Most of the battle of Dwarka took place on land. Krishna’s son Pradyumna led the Yadav army to meet the besiegers and defeated them. But Salwa flew above the city and destroyed its structures and gardens from the air, swooping out of nowhere and taking the defenders by surprise. When Krishna returned he used his unique weapons to destroy both Salwa and his air chariot. The description given sounds very much like a missile. Salwa’s car was too high to be visible but Krishna flung a weapon that smashed into it and brought it tumbling down.

The story of Krishna and Dwarka is told in the epics and Purans, all of which are considered history. While most Indians believed that Krishna was a historical figure, many historians did not agree. Today even the die hards are changing their stance as ruins have been discovered exactly where the epics placed the legendary city, off the coast of western India, under the sea.

The excavations of Dwarka began in the early 1980s when marine archeologists found underwater stone walls. The discoveries made after that all confirm the description in the texts. They have found six layers of ruins, each above the other, showing signs of being submerged over periods of time, just as the texts described the older cities upon which Dwarka was built.

The harbour has been located, and massive triangular stone anchors suggest large trading ships. The river channel leading into the city has also been identified. Ships from across the ocean berthed in the outer harbour, and smaller vessels ferried men and goods down the Gomti river to the fort.

Stone blocks under the sea could be the ruins of the thick fort walls. Archeologists even describe holes in them that may have held flag poles. The epics describe the colourful flags which flew high over Dwarka’s walls.

Many objects, fragments of pottery, metal and stone have been uncovered, including a stone statue of Vishnu. A clay seal was also found, showing a three headed animal, just like the three headed dog mentioned in the texts.

In an interesting story, Badri Narayan, who was one of the marine archeologists investigating the site reported that all the crew members, including those who knew nothing about Krishna had “dreams full of strange visions on the night of the discovery. We felt we had stumbled on something great and unusual.”

Today findings indicate that the whole western sea coast of India may have sunk by over forty feet. Epic history, legend and fact are coming together as more and more discoveries are made on the sea bed.

Dwarka submerged shortly after Krishna left the earth. The city he had reclaimed from the ocean and turned into a marvel waited only until he was gone before it sank back to the bottom of the ocean.

After the Kurukshetra war there were 36 years of peace, while the Pandavas ruled in Hastinapur and Krishna returned to Dwarka. But all was not well in Dwarka. The Yadavs race has become too used to the easy life, too unruly, and too violent, and in the end they destroyed themselves just as predicted.

One day the men went to the mainland shores with Krishna and Balaram. They drank too much and began to argue. The arguments became violent. When Krishna and Balaram tried to mediate they were both attacked. Krishna and Balaram retired in disgust and the violence went on all night. In the morning the beach was a graveyard. No one lived, even those who had survived the battle of Kurukshetra died on that fateful shore.

Balaram retired to the forest and gave up his body. Krishna returned to Dwarka but only to make the last arrangements. Once he had sent his charioteer to fetch Arjun, he also retired to the forest and shortly left the world.

By the time Arjun arrived the city was in shock and panic, unable to believe that Krishna and Balaram were gone. The bodies of the dead still lay on the shore. Arjun performed all the last rites, lit the funeral pyres. Then, following Krishna’s instructions he gave orders to evacuate the city.

Today we know that an erupting undersea volcano can cause the huge tidal wave that is a tsunami. The description given in the texts matches a tsunami exactly. For weeks the signs were ominous. The sky was full of fiery meteors, clouds of dust and smoke obscured the sun and the moon. That sounds like an erupting volcano.

Animals are often the first to sense disaster and it was no different in Dwarka. Birds and animals howled, shrieked and cried. Rats and mice emerged to take over the streets. Animals are rarely caught in natural disasters, they sense then early enough to leave.

That was not all. Gale force winds battered the invulnerable walls and rivers changed their course and began to flow backwards. Tidal patterns often change before a tsunami. When the final end came it was over in minutes, which also sounds like a killer tsunami wave.

On the seventh day after Krishna, the evacuation of Dwarka began. The Mahabharat describes the caravan stretching for miles, chariots, carts, horsemen, soldiers, woman and children, all departing in haste. They were barely in time. Battered by the sea, the city began to break apart even as they scrambled to safety. When the last one reached the shore the big wave came and washed the golden city away.

Arjun saw it vanish under the waves, watching the great palaces, mansions and residences submerge. With tears in his eyes he watched Krishna’s golden palace disappear under the waters. The whole city was swallowed by the ocean in minutes and where Dwarka once stood the sea left no trace, becoming as calm and quiet as a lake. The age of the Mahabharat ended and the dreaded dark, degenerate Kali age took over the earth.

Dwarka may have sunk but the story lives forever. The epic stories have been sung by poets, told by story tellers, and kept alive all across the country for centuries. Today the excavations on the sea bed are unearthing the magic again. There are plans to build an underwater tunnel museum so that visitors can walk amid the fort walls on the floor of the ocean. Perhaps, after five thousand years, it is time for Dwarka to come alive once again.

FOREWORD

Hi my friends. Before you proceed on reading my views on my Hindu religion, let me tell little information about myself.

The truth is I lost my faith in religion and God when I was 10 years old. Being one of only 3 Hindus in a school full of Malays and being raised far from any other Indian, I had very little knowledge about my religion. I was always mocked by my Muslim friends. My other 2 Indian friends gave in to them. 1 started reading Quran and the other was half lunatic even at that age, he doesn't know what he was doing himself. I had a lot of questions, I asked my elder brothers and sisters and even my parents. None of them was able to explain anything to me up to my satisfaction. I was always hushed to hide thier inability to explain.

Slowly, I started to loose my faith. I started to believe that all rituals are craps, made by humans to make a living from the poor people. According to my mother, I was not able to speak until I was 5. So my grandfather prayed to Lord Murugan and promised that I will pay my respect by taking a small vel on my tongue when I'm ready. Since I started to loose my faith, my mother opted to ask me to do it on my cheek instead. I fasted accordingly and took the vel but I couldn't get into trance as I should be. This made me loose more faith.

After my 13th birthday, I started to question myself if religion is fake, what make the universe and how live force came.

Since I am living in a multi racial country, I had the advantage in learning other religions. I started learning Islam and its way of living in my school but it still couldn't answer a lot of my questions.

During that time a group of church missionary used to come to my house every month to preach us. My mother is a very generous woman, so she never turned them down. They used to preach me and always leave books for me to read on including bible. I always have a lot of questions but none of them was able to explain the descrepancies with thier religion and sceintific facts.

I knew there is God but I just couldn't trust the religions. My search continued. I have read so many books until I lost count. My desire to know more never lessened. Finally with internet I was able to access more books than I ever could. I was able to read books on Hinduism translated into english.

I began to understand more on my own religion like I never did before. I realised that all rituals and practices done by my family have deep meanings but my family was practising them blindly. As my family many more people doing the same.

Recently I explained my views about Hinduism in one of the internet group. Suprissed and overwhelmed with the response I decided to create the blog.

In this blog I will from time to time will try to explain my views and understanding about religion, ritual and cultural practices. I at no time claim to be the fully qualified person in religion practices. All articles written here are merely my understandings on the said topic. I must inform you that some of them might sound offensive to others.

One of my reasons of writing these articles is for me to learn more about Hinduism. I welcome open and honest opinions. Please do critise my articles by giving referral links so I can learn more.

Readers and responders are reminded to keep the language clean as many young minds too will read these comments. I will try not to delete or edit the comments as much as I can but some sensitive issues or words might need censorship.

'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya':

My respects for Vasudeva, the Supreme Lord.

Dvadasaksara-mantran(SB: C4:8-54)