Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

POOJA (WORSHIP)

Through Bhakti flows Divine Love; Through Divine Love flows Grace; Through Divine Grace flows Wisdom; Through Divine Wisdom flows Nectar of immortality.

Peace Chant May my speech be one with my mind, and may my mind be one with my speech. O thou self-luminous Brahman, remove the veil of igno- rance from before me, that I may behold thy light. Do thou reveal to me the spirit of the scriptures. May the truth of the scriptures be ever present to me. May I seek day and night to realize what I learn from the sages. May I speak the truth of Brahman. May I speak the truth. May it protect me. May it' protect my teacher. Shaanti Mantra Om, O Gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious. You adorable one, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious. May we sing praises to you and enjoy with strong limbs and body the life allotted to us by the Gods. Om Peace, Peace, Peace During the Vedic period prayers were offered to a variety of entities that included natural phenomena like Ushas, planetary bodies like Sun, Moon, etc., gods like Rudra, Indra, Mitra, Varuna, etc., the elements like Aapaha, Prithvi, Agni, Vaayu and Aakasha, or certain forces like Savitri, Gayatri etc. These prayers were in the form of supplica- tions, eulogies, benedictions, invocations or simply requests for conferring some worldly benefits like progeny, food, riches or com- forts. It is indeed interesting to find a Sookta that is addressed to no deity in par- ticular that contains the seeds of agnosti- cism. "Kasmai Devaya Havisa Vidhema" To which God, shall we offer the oblations. — Rig Veda (Prajapati Sookta - 10th mandala Hymn 12) The epic period in contrast to the Vedic period has a plethora of personalised gods and god-heads that are projected as Om- niscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. The prayers of this period are remarkable for their devotion in easily understandable lan- guage. The period of Kaavya literature is marked by a hallowed tradition of commenc- ing any literary work with a Mangala which in essence is a prayer addressed to a chosen deity. “I welcome devotees by whatever path they come unto me, and I give them firm faith in that path itself,” says the Lord. Prayer to the Blessed Lord : “Please be- stow on all your devotees purity of heart, simplicity of mind and ceaseless devotion to Your dancing Divine Feet.” Om..Peace-peace-peace Rig Veda

Bell : There is a bell within you, of which the temple bell is but the echo, the outer image. It rings when the doors of the inner temple open wide. In the silence of the inner altar, the bell brings the aware-

Prayers have psychotherapeutic effect

ness of the circle of the love that spreads and spreads from one horizon to another, until the circumference merges in the Love that is God.

on the persons saying their prayers. Vibhooti : Since it is materialized out of nothing and since the ash is specifically as- sociated with Shiva, it is reverentially known by devotees as Kailasa vibhooti, the sacred Ash of Shiva who resides on Mount Kailasa. It is named Vibhooti because it burns away all sins. Vibhooti is a constant reminder of the evanescence of the body which ultimately is reduced in cremation to a potful of Ash!. Prasadam : Any substance, generally food, offered to a deity or saint and that is then distributed among the devotees. Prasadam or Prasad is said to contain a small fraction of deity's or saint's shakti or spiritual energy and blessing. “O my God, the whole world has given me up, and I rest my life on Thee alone. Thou art my trust all-in-all. That brings peace to my being. In all the three worlds there is no stay for me. I cast my burden now on Thee alone. Like a bird perched on the branch of a tree, I have no place or point of support except Thee. We bow down to Thee, O Lord. Do with us as it pleases Thee. We do not know how to speak to Thee: we but prattle like children. Do Thou listen to us. we pray. We are, without Thee, like unto or- phans forlorn and forsaken. Oh, protect us, save us, lift us up. O Lord, Thou art the uplifter of the fallen, the shield of the weak. With love we come to Thee. Do not cast us away.” --Tukaram “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practise as auster- ity, O Kaunteya, do it as an offering to Me.” — Swami Chinmayananda “The Holy Geeta” Chap. IX/27.

Doorva : Doorva grass, offered to Ganapati, is con- sidered to be life-energising to a devotee. Thoughts, like these blades of grass, should be humble and ego-less.

L a m p The lamp, the wick, the oil, Are essential to make the lamp bum bright Take one away-there is dark turmoil! Have all in good trim-there is good light! You must know, your body is the lamp; And your mind the oil; the tongue, the v So, keep them fit, and lit with Peace, Joy and love of the Soul.

Coconut : When you take a coconut to offer in the temple, you take it after removing the fibre; then you offer it to God, breaking it into halves. This is the symbol of destroying the ego to remove the fibre of desire-for- sense objects and surrendering to the Lord.

Kalasha :The Kalasha represents the human body. Its mouth is Brahma (Creator), its base is Vishnu (Sustainer) and in the middle is Shiva (Destroyer). Its water contents stand for purity and love for the Divine. The green

leaves indicate the life principle immersed in the Divine. Thecoconut symbolises the fruition of fulfilment of life when the human body is transformed into a Temple of God.

Aarathi : Aarathi is just one more prayer, with which the pooja should close. The camphor is itself a fragrant substance, and one's essence is the fragrance of the spirit.

Food Prayer

harir daatha harir bhoktha harir annam prajaapathihi harir viprashareeraasthu bhunkte bhojayathe harirhi You are the Food

When it bums, it gradually fades out in illumination, giving warmth, and illumination to those around. So too, one should so live (bum oneself out), that one is the source of comfort and inspiration to others with whom one comes in contact. Install light in your heart and be a light to others around you.

You are the giver of the Food You are the enjoyer of the Food Therefore I offer all that I consume at thy lotus feet.