Hindu Culture and Rituals Lect#8 to 12 - Sunday School ::...

Hindu Culture and Rituals Lect#8 to 12

Upasna Kanda, Janana Kanda, Why Temple and Idols, Ganesha, Vishnu,

Shiva.

Lect#8 Jnana Kanda

• When and how is the quest for Ultimate/True Knowledge begin?

• cannot remain satisfied with achievements in worldly life …..Who am I

• How can this quest of True knowledge be satisfied?

• Upanishads…..Guru…..

What is the meaning of Upanishad?

• Upanishads=

• Upa (near)+

• ni (below or determination) +

• sad (to sit down, to destroy, to lead).

Is anyone watching you?????

Why student must sit at teacher’s feet? Why should student do Namaskar

Which way is easier to quench thirst….. Attitude of humbleness)

Upasna Kanda: You Imbibe the characteristics of person/thing next to you…..So sit next to good ……

Why should student or anyone do Namaskar

Touching feet is total humbleness….

What is Brahman (God)

• =Oneness in Diversity : Brahman is Vital Force/energy which makes a body alive

• Brahman is One without a second. It is infinite/omnipotent/omnipresent/formless… It cannot be defined by words

• Eg.1 Government all pervading with many officials and offices, but is till “One entity “since it’s power exists everywhere

• Eg.2 Electricity pervades the entire world but when it functions through heater , radio…….

Does Hinduism have One God or many Gods?

• Brahman, acting through its creative power is called Creator- Lord Brahma; sustaining/maintenance power as Sustainer (Lord Vishnu), destruction/renewal power as Destroyer (Lord Shiva). Different deities (Gods and Goddesses) are smaller manifestations of the one Power.

Brahman is all pervading, like……

Difference between my body and me…

Eg. You are sister, daughter…. My hand hurts,..my eyes…

What is the application of dispelling ignorance of True Self Knowledge?

• Liberation of mind, body and intellect from fears of uncertainty

• Liberation of affects of hankerings from rebirth cycle

• Happiness and peace

• Power within to feel confident to handle anything and everything as part of life.

Lect#9:The Need for symbols

• What is the need for religious symbols? Idols? Temple? Answer is based on nature and intellectual ability of individual person

• Eg. 1 math problems

• Eg.2 a person can walk

• Eg.3 Many courses, concepts

Shakuntala Devi: The 'Human Computer…what about Others??

• In a 1977 appearance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Devi found the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in just 50 seconds, besting a slowpoke Univac computer that took 62 seconds to make the same calculation.

• Devi earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1982 after she correctly multiplied two 13-digit numbers in just 28 seconds before a stunned crowd at Imperial College in London, the Times reports.

Eg.2 A person can walk…. Baby?? Injured??

Lect#10:Symbolism of Temples & Idols

• Temples served as holy halls of retreat for masses like community centers of today and

• center for revival of creative arts and culture full of high values.

• Temples serve as “speed breakers” to soften our hectic life

Temple:Speed-Breaker of Fast Life……Community center…..Lectures..

Temple: Festivals..Music…Arts..Drama

IF God is All-Pervading, why do we need to have

temples or go to one?

• How will we become so highly qualified spiritually that we will not need an outer symbol to help us understand the concept of All -pervading and formless Reality?

Monuments of National Heroes to Remind and Inspire the generations to Live upto the Ideals set by these heroes

Lect#10: Ganesha Symbolism

Temple ..Santuary of Power of Purity…Vital Force.

The Hindu Temple - Where Man Becomes God • in order to prepare the

mind---to make it subtle, pure, and capable of seeing the highest Truth.

• The temple and idol are simply to help bring into our minds awareness of the presence of God All-pervading.

Temple structure

Temple:Garbha Griha: Arati is derived from the Sanskrit word Aratrika, which means something that removes

Ratri, = darkness

• Why in South Indian Temples, inside the garbha grha it is always dark?

• The camphor represents the vasanas (negative tendencies in our minds), when burnt we see Paramatma (Lord) in our hearts.

A Single Lamp can light hundreds more just as a

Man of Knowledge can give it to Many More.

Namaskar to Arti Flame…

• Ritual of putting our hands over the flame then touch our eyes

• What is seen by eyes goes into our heart and intellect.

• keep the Lord (True knowledge) permanently before our eyes to see HIM everywhere.

Rituals help us share…….

• Ritual as to why we put donation into the plate of camphor-flame

• when we gain this greater vision of the world (God’s presence everywhere) we will become generous and share our wealth and possessions

Arti and Prasada…. Purity & Peace

• Ritual of distributing of food that was offered to the Lord (prasada): which is always “sweet” because “sweet” is pleasant & acceptable.

• it is purity and peace gained in our heart and mind at the end of puja

• Take with reverence with 2 hands

Karma…Bhakati (Upasna)..Karma.. • Though the form is

outside us, the knowledge and awareness take place within.

• Eg family picture in wallet, office…

Temple & Idols: Discipline flying mind…

• But if the human mind consisted only of hard chemicals and neurons bouncing around in the skull, human thoughts would be no more true or valued than an afternoon tamale food-belch.

Installation & Devoted Prayer of Idols is like Serving our Most loved one…….

• The ceremony is literally the bringing and awakening of the Deity within the stone or metal image. By definition God is all-pervading and omni-present and so the idea of establishing the breath of the Deity within an image is impossible, God is already there! The purpose of the ceremony is not to establish the Deity within the image, but to awaken the mind of the participates, through the power of ritual, to the presence of divinity within the sacred image. At the beginning of the ceremony people see only stone or metal, but at the end they see God! The real installation takes place not in the stone or metal image, but in the minds of the participants.

Lect#12:Idol Worship-Concept of Trinity Powers Brahama, Vishnu, Shiva

Brahma Vishnu Shiva Family=Trinity

Once Upon a Time On Earth There was Man Fearless Strong, Disciplined, Caring…..

Symbolism of Shiva

Symbolism of Shiva Love+Justice

Shiva Destroyer vs Transformator Note the Black hole in a Galaxy/Universe cylindrical center.

Galaxy Physical Forces

Symbolism of Vishnu

AVATARS OF VISHNU • Matsya (fish)---saves Sage Manu from floods and

recovers the Vedas from demons. • Kurma (tortoise)---sustains the earth on his back. • Varaha (boar)---brings the earth back from the

bottom of the ocean where it was dragged down by a demon, known as Hiranyaksha; Varaha kills the demon.

• Narasimha (man-lion)---kills the demon King Hiranyakashipu, who was planning to kill his own son, a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

• Vamana (dwarf)---the first human incarnation of the Lord, kills the demon King Mahabhali, who had deprived the gods of their possessions.

• Parasurama (the warrior with an axe)---saves Brahmins from the tyranny of the arrogant Kshatriyas.

• Rama---kills Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. • Sri Krishna---the most popular incarnation;

Krishna's contributions throughout his life include the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.

• Buddha---Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and accept his teachings, but do not directly worship him. Some believe Balarama as avatar.

• Kalkin (a man on a white horse)---this incarnation is yet to come and will mark the end of all evil in the world.

TRINITY in Galaxy Create, maintain, Transform/Destroy

Our Love for someone makes them part of US (Thought & Action). We talk to Them…eg Plant lover, Pet lover, Pictures, Cross..

Now Idols or Ideals through Idols…….