Prof (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Mehta
The Hindu Temple is the crown of the society designed to bring the human soul (Atma) and the Supreme Soul (Paramatma) in union through deep faith and devotion. Our Vedic system is a unique system evolving immense treasures of intricate and magnificent knowledge of science and cosmos. Whatever is the part of The Sanatan Paddhati is completely scientific in all respect, though we haven’t yet fully explored.
In this context, Sarvpalli Dr. Radhakrishanan writes, “If philosophy of religion is to become scientific, it must become empirical and found itself on religious experience.”
“The sacred Geeta: The most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song existing in any tongue_perhaps the deepest and the loftiest philosophy the world has to show,” says George Anastomose. The Geeta throws light on the whole web of mysteries on the earth and life beyond by answering how to seek path in this illusionary world. In the Verse 16, Chapter 07, The Geeta, Lord Krishna said to Arjuna:-
Chatur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukritino ‘rjuna,
arto jijñasur artharthi jñani? cha bharatarshabha.
It mans- O the best among the Bhartas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto me- the distressed, desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
The concept of God in Hinduism runs in two parallel lines: One line consists of the concept of Nirguna Brahma (God without manifestation). Second line consists of Brahma (the embodied from the God). Since, the souls in the human body are embodies souls; it becomes easier for human beings to propitiate before the Idols of Gods in the manifestation.
The necessity of concentration on embodied form of God was the main reason behind the construction of temples for Gods and Goddesses; however, concentration of mind is absolutely necessary for establishing union with God. This is a difficult thing to do whether, one attempts to worship God in manifested form or in the form which is not manifested.
But Arjun mentions his difficulty to Lord Krishna in Verse34, Chapter 06, The Geeta:
Chañchalam hi manah krishna pramathi balavad dridham
tasyaham nigraham manye vayor iva su-dushkaram
It means-The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind. It is believed that construction of temples started in Kaliyuga (the last of the four epochs). In the earlier Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dwapar Yuga, the devotees were able to make direct union with God.
The temples are the pyramidal structures, the dome or the conical structures well explained in Shilpa Shastra, Aagama Shastra and Vayu shastra of Atharva Veda. The structure of the temple is built aerodynamically and the deity is protected from the entire five elements of nature and always well-guarded with care. When we enter the Garbh -griha of a temple, or the Sanctum Sanctorum, innermost part of the temple where the Statue of the Holy Deity is established, we feel an increase in our body temperature. This happens because the energy is being entrapped in the deity and also it is the centre of gravity of the temple.
The deities depicted on the Gopura indicate those deities of various forms and energy entering inside through their way. For example, if we see a deity, Vaaraahi (a Goddess with a head of boar wrapped in a crimson red coloured saree), it indicates that moisture, humidity and the temperature control of the room inside are being maintained at the feet of this deity. This indicates, for every form of energy entering, a presiding goddess will be carved, for that god or goddess is deemed to work to protect the Lord from any calamity entering from his or her side. We do understand that each God and his incarnations are all the interpretations of various forms of innate energies only. This is well proved in Bhagvad Gita in Vishwarupa Sandarshana Yoga.
All the energy around i.e. from the fire, water, sun, sky, planets, air, earth, thunder, sound and people, is collected from inside. We do notice that the tip of the Gopura is made out of metal to maximize the energy of the convergence. Now, once this energy is collected from the most sacred deities and the blessings of the prime deity, it has to be passed onto us. This gets accumulated by concentrating on the deity with our eyes and praising the Lord wholeheartedly so that all our body fills with vitality and pleasure and a nature of giving thanks to Him for giving us life and letting us what we are supposed to be. This is called Darshana, in Sanskrit.
After all, life and death are a game to Him, the Lord, so we bow in respect and conclude to request Him to reside in our hearts and make us pure until we leave this body. The more beautiful the Idol, the more interest in us to see and thus, more energy we gain. Our prayers in the temple have a psychological platform. Prayer and Human life have a correlation with birds’ life. Prayer means, we establish a medium or dialogue with all pervasive power of God. Our true prayer originates from our soul. Neither material nor any thought is imperishable in this world.
In our prayer, we say, “O God! Bless me with the celestial Bliss, the strength of power, Grant me the serene power of harmony, so we see into the life of worldly things, and return to mankind the great bliss of Your Peace and Harmony to my fellow beings on this earth.”
“O God! Bless me with the Direction of Harmony to ameliorate the suffering mankind.”
Whatever we submit to God through the medium of prayer, it strikes against a medium and comes back to our conscience as an illumined energy and blesses us. There is a great power in our prayer which guides us onto great path of life. The temple is an ultimate embodiment of the source of energy- the cosmic energy, a pre-requisite to make us positive, energetic and spiritual. The temple vibrates with energy and the visitors in the temple gets transmission of this cosmic energy.
More of cosmic energy is accumulated when we walk around the main Gopura in a clockwise direction. This is called Pradakshina in Sanskrit, which means a proper way of wishing and bowing to the Lord or in other words accepting Him as a whole and wanting Him all our life. More cosmic energy is accumulated when we do good deeds and speak about the Lord’s names. When we meditate in the temple we become ‘a living soul, while with an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things’ (Wordsworth). This, visiting temple and meditation, above all, helps mankind for Peace on societal level.
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