100707 - Temple and Its Power

Serene Sunday Reflections 07JUL19. Dear Rajkumar, श्री  गणेश  मंदिर   -  शिक्षा वाणी Serene Sunday Reflections   05MAY19 - HINDU’s SANATHANA DHARMA 12MAY19 - Sanathana Dharma in Vedic Views 19MAY19 - Vedic ways of PURUSHARTHA 26MAY19 - PURUSHARTHA The Blue Print of Practical Life 02JUN19 - Moksha 09JUN19 - MOKSHA & SWARGAM : POORTHA & ISHTA 16JUN19 - PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering 23JUN19 - RITUALS 30JUN19 - TEMPLE RITUALS 7th July 2019 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 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 (the 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 wrongdoings will turn Shankara into a Shila. अर्चकस्य प्रभावेन शिला भवति शङ्करः । आभिरूप्याच्च मूर्तीनां देवः सान्निध्यमृच्छति ॥ archakasya prabhAvena shilA bhavati shangkaraH | AbhirUpyAchcha mUrtInAM devaH sAnnidhyamRuchChati ||   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 from the 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. The 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 the front and back entry gates will be the head and leg of the God respectively. The 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 Shastra 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 of the priest. To understand the power of temples in detail, we shall reflect on Agama Shastra in the coming week.   ----- Next Week 14th July 2019 – AGAMA SHASTRA –----- More from DrTPS (www.drtps-shiksha.in /  https://rare-news-collection.blogspot.com/) at https://www.facebook.com/pg/hssicolumbus/posts/