HINDU WORSHIP AND WISDOM

 HINDU WORSHIP AND WISDOM 

Hinduism engulfs ‘Hindu worship’, as one of the several Hindu practices.

Worship of God, offering prayers, at home, and in Temples have been in vogue for ages past, and such practices have inculcated unity in the Hindus, wherever they may be. Such worship, helped the community to elevate themselves, both physically and mentally. Worship also provided a unifying force, for a form of orderliness in the prayers.

Worship and prayers, got diversified with the passage of time, resulting in other forms of expressing devotion, like group singing, Nagara Sankeerthana, the evolution of discourses, pravachanas, a mix of dancing with singing, dancing with animals like oxen, and so on. Worship also provided other practices like involvement of animals like elephants, horses, camels, in pageantry; while monkeys and bears became a part of a form of puppetry; and so also the use of parrots and sparrows for trying once luck in predicting from astrological predetermined literature and so on. Even dogs and snakes have their place in some of the worship. Most people observe yearly once or twice the “Nagula chavithi or Naga Panchami” giving a place of honor to the reptiles; while dogs go with Kalabhirava signifying Time.

Hindus worship nature in all its forms. Bathing in lakes, rivers, oceans is considered not only holistic, but purifying the body and mind, as well as a way of inducing relaxation that elevate the mind and soul. Also, with time these practices led to huge congregations like the Kumbhmela, and so also twelve year cycle of “Pushkara Snan”, for all the major rivers flowing in India and that are based on the planetary configurations; and which also take into account the ephemeral states, the planetary confluences, the effects of high and low tides, and these also consider the influence of solar and lunar eclipses, and as well the half yearly earths declination.

Above description only opens the canvas to describe the varied nature of GOD being associated with NATURE and its habitation inclusive of humans, animals, reptiles and birds. BHARAT or India denote the same country and have long since been in use. The word “Bharatiyam”, characterizes the core concepts of the culture of BHARAT. Idol worship is a part of this culture. Based on individual tastes and practices, the use of small idols at home, and idols that are bigger in Temples, some of life size and some much larger, as for example of Lord Hanumanji known as Vayu Putra, the child of AIR with the capabilities of altering to take the forms that are small or big, based on the needs of the job requirements; which is so appropriate as air is everywhere like god is everywhere conceptually filling the available space.

Coming to idols, idol worship, in most of the houses, at the demarked place of daily prayers, a number of idols of different 

Deities, or framed photos of different gods, is not uncommon. This practice astonishes the people of other religions. Not knowing the truths, and not understanding their significance, have given place to ridiculing such forms of worship.

When a devotee offers the daily prayers, there is a family deity coming from generations; there can be a deity received from one’s Guru; there can be those going by the likes of the head of the family, or his spouse; or even those gained out of his or her experience gaining concentration in prayers, or resulting in holistic or material gains leading to a calmness in mind, developing patience and tolerance; and taking to a balanced approach to life, and accepting good and bad, positivity and negativity alike, tending to peaceful solutions with the clarity of mind, as consensus directive of the god that is within all living. 

The noteworthy feature of the Hindu Idol Worship is its coverage with prayers of praise to differing idols, with the appropriate names called ‘namas’, which describe each  of the deities characterization and capabilities of the respective gods. These Namas are variable for each of the variable characteristics and characterization. And yet god is considered as one, like all religions, with the individual deities becoming contributing to the unifying force of one and only one Lord.

The characterizations of individual Lords, or Deities being different, the prayers chanting them produce salutary effect on the body, its mind, and soul; inducing faith, peace of mind, calm and quite approach to issues of life, developing equanimity, balance views on life, clarity of thought and action; and with minimal interference and disturbances, ensuring satisfaction and purpose in life. The beauty of this form of worship is the prayers and spiritual recitations of the daily practices elevate the individual to a state of peace with himself due to the imbibing characteristics of each of the idols; and all assuming the oneness of a single Lord. For those who can’t assimilate this analogy, it is as simple as Milk, the base, giving rise to Cream, Butter, Buttermilk, Yogurt, Curds, Cheese, various types of Sweets, Whey, Solid Khova, Ghee or Clarfied Butter, and so on with ever increasing variety of edible foods. This analysis should obviate the e confusing and misunderstanding to recognize the obvious, putting a stop to narrow one sided fanatics, misinterpreting Hindu Worshippers.

Those who resort to deeply rooted devotional prayers would have some time or other might have experienced the qualities and characteristics of the individual idols with the possibilities of imbibing at least a few or more of such qualities and binding them to the path of devotion more and more firmly. These qualities also bind them firmly on the path of enduring satisfaction and put them on the path of shedding the cravings for worldly belongings, and putting one on the path of pure contentment, seeking unison with the creator.

The noble part of Hindu Worshiping is the acceptance of the good of all other religions, accepting good of them, rejecting the negativity of them; and at the same time being not critical of other religions; nor propagating Hindu beliefs, faiths and practices; and not clashing with other religions; with the firm view GOOD PREVAILS, eradicating NEGATIVITY.

MAY GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL IMMATERIAL OF FAITH.

CAUTION: Without faith in oneself and in god, the very existence becomes aimless and rudderless encountering incompetence and incompleteness in life.