श्री गणेश मंदिर - शिक्षा वाणी – 7th July 2019
Serene Sunday
Reflections
TEMPLES AND ITS
POWER
KEYWORDS :: Temple,
Construction, Installation, Daily Care, Devotees, Power
Last week we
reflected on the Temple Rituals, as a continuation, here the reflection is on the
Power of Temples since the Rituals are for maintaining the power in Temples. According
to Hinduism, temple is not just a prayer hall, it is the Source of Energy. God’s
presence is felt in the temples. Pooja Rituals are for producing the energy in
the temples.
Installation – The chief priest (thanthri - is the custodian
of the God/Goddess) will be associated with the temple since the time of installation.
All the power of the temple depends on various aspects like aitheehiya (story
behind the installation), power of the rituals, the people involved in
installation and materials used etc. To demonstrate the power of temples, we
take the examples of famous temples installed by Rama, Parasurama, Kuleepani
Maharshi et. al. As said in the below sloka – a person’s archana (proper offerings)
turns a Shila (stone) into Shankara (God) and any wrong doings will turn Shankara
into a Shila.
archakasya prabhavena shilo bhavathi sankaraha
anarchakasya aprabhavena shankaro bhavati shila
Temples may have only thousands of years story,
but rituals and achara – anushtana (explained in earlier Sunday Reflections) have
hundreds of thousands of years of heritage but might have undergone changes over
time depending on local situations. Yagna / Yaga was the first concept from where
Temples came into existence.
Most of the temples today are not powerful since
time of its inception but became famous and got the power by and from the
people visiting the temple. The power of the temples depend on the activities and
number of devotees visiting the temple.
The bimba (deity) in the temple is made of any
of these items - Mud, Wood, Stone, Granite, Mix of Metals (Panchaloha) etc. Construction
process starts at the Garbha Gruha (Sanctum Sanctorum) as it is believed to be
the Naval place of the God during his lying down position, wherein front and
back entry gates will be the head and leg of the God respectively.
Architecture of the temple is defined based on
the main deity and the area around. The location and the structure of the
temple including the entry is decided by the local story and is in-line with
the Agama Sasthra specifications. Yantra, Mantra and Thantra are the pillars of
powers. Yantras are the geometric figures that are used to conserve energy.
Mantras are the hymns with power in it. Thantras are the ritualistic actions by
the priest.
All the processes in any temple starts with Mantra
(chantings of the priest) and the power in temples depend on the mantra power. Next
week we shall reflect on the Power in these Mantras / Hymns.
----- Next Week 14th July 2019 – AGAMA SASTHRA –-----
More
from DrTPS (www.drtps-shiksha.in / https://rare-news-collection.blogspot.com/) at
+919502038875
No comments:
Post a Comment