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why do we go to Temples

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prasad1

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Unlike other organized religions, in Hinduism, it is not mandatory for a person to visit a temple. Since all Hindu home usually have a small shrine or ‘puja room’ for daily prayers, Hindus generally go to temples only on auspicious occasions or during religious festivals. Hindu temples also do not play a crucial role in marriages and funerals, but it is often the meeting place for religious discourses as well as ‘bhajans’ and ‘kirtans’ (devotional songs and chants).
In the Vedic period there were no temples. The main object of worship was fire that stood for God. This holy fire was lit on a platform in the open air under the sky, and oblations were offered to the fire. It is not certain when exactly the Indo-Aryans first started building temples for worship. The scheme of building temples was perhaps a concomitant of the idea of idol worship.

As the race progressed, temples became important because they served as a sacred meeting place for the community to congregate and revitalize their spiritual energies. Large temples were usually built at picturesque places, especially on river banks, on top of hills, and on the sea shore. Smaller temples or open-air shrines can crop up just about anywhere - by the roadside or even under the tree.Holy places in India are famous for its temples. Indian towns - from Amarnath to Ayodha, Brindavan to Banaras, Kanchipuram to Kanya Kumari - are all known for their wonderful temples.

 
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We derive and renew the energy, pleasure, satisfaction and happiness from worshiping
in a Temple especially at the Sanctum. Vibration and Atmosphere of that area of the
Temple give some sort of peace. Praying in the Temple is entirely different from the house
and it has its own sanctity, because of Yantra Pradhista. We do visit the Temples to
fulfill our deeds. The temple plays a significant role in our cultural life. These are only
a few to quote.

Balasubramanian
Ambattur
 
I have been involved in construction and running of the temple here in USA. I do not have to go to temple. I do not pray for material things from God. Idol worship is a means to achieving knowledge, not an end. I love the community of friends be it in the Temple or Gurudwara.
When I visit any city, I find out the local temple and visit it. We also make it a point to visit Temples in India.
Of late I have started to doubt my reason for visiting temples. I go through the motion of doing archana, praticrima, and namaskaram. I do have the reverence of the place, but I may not have the bhakti that others have. I am skeptical of claims by others of miracles. I love the architecture of caves and temples as a tourist. Last time we went to Amritsar to the Golden Gurudwara and was happy to have visited.

My dilemma is this:
Is my motivation justified, or am I just going through the motion?
<unneeded comment as we are trying to work out a solution and this does not help the cause - praveen>
 
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I have been involved in construction and running of the temple here in USA. I do not have to go to temple. I do not pray for material things from God. Idol worship is a means to achieving knowledge, not an end. I love the community of friends be it in the Temple or Gurudwara.
When I visit any city, I find out the local temple and visit it. We also make it a point to visit Temples in India.
Of late I have started to doubt my reason for visiting temples. I go through the motion of doing archana, praticrima, and namaskaram. I do have the reverence of the place, but I may not have the bhakti that others have. I am skeptical of claims by others of miracles. I love the architecture of caves and temples as a tourist. Last time we went to Amritsar to the Golden Gurudwara and was happy to have visited.

My dilemma is this:
Is my motivation justified, or am I just going through the motion?
I can dare ask this question since the "rationalist" left the coop, and expect a reasonable answer, instead of getting bashed for my birth. LOL

You are doing a great thing, which itself shows that the drive of energy towards God is
in you and I am sure that will take you promptly to visit the temples to acquire new
thoughts and processes to decorate your temple and the temple of your mind which is
swirling around the emotion and feelings of God.

Balasubramanian
Ambattur
 
As a saivite, apart from the mathematical arrangement of the temple, i like the idea of placing my sin on the palipeedam and asking for forgiveness. Darshan after the abhishegam is what saivite saints have strived to experience, being in the presence of God.The very fer thevarams i have read lead me to believe that I like being inside myself in my kovil. I do not have the same experience at home.nalanda
 
who do we go temple

In the Bhagavad Gita, one can notice - a pious men starts to do devotional
activities and services to the God in different ways. Of them, a few are
mainly - the distressed, the person who is fond of accumulating wealth, next
comes the inquisitive person and yet another is one who is in search of true
knowledge for the absolute. It encompasses the varies aspects. As the souls
of the human body are embodied souls, it facilitates it facilitates every human
being to have an opportunity to propitiate before the Idols of Gods/Goddesses
in Manifestation.

These days it has become an easy cake walk for every one (either sex) who
possesses a Computer either in the Office or at home. I am not telling a new
thing which you all know. I only reiterate and present it here just for a recollection
of your concepts. One should not think that this man tells something which is
known to everyone. It is boring.

The present day technology offers a solution (we do not have to worry about
buying books or magazines and spend money) for gaining efficiency in all fields
including rituals, temple visits, fulfillment of our day to day duties, etc. It offers
a great deal of valuable information/inputs which helps everyone to know or to
have an idea of the importance of temple visits and the location of the temples in
and around your area and then last but not least the sanctity of the temple visits.
You can, if time permits, storage the data you have perused in the web sites and
plan according to your family convenience, preferably to go with the family
particularly with the children to enable them to have our awareness of our
culture and practices that we follow , accordingly. As I have been telling in
this forum, whenever an opportunity arises, Temple Visits has its own significance
even though we are dedicated, devoted and do Pujas daily at home voluntarily.

Balasubramanian
Ambattur
 
Why do we go to Temples?

Our Temples are repositories of our rich Culture, where Philosophy, Art, Music and Dance florished. All the civilizations in the world gave importance to their place of worship. In our Country our Kings spent major part of the wealth they captured in wars to build Temples, as a mark of atonement of the loss of lives.

Vedic Religion does not suggest idol worship. "The Vedic ritual of the propitiation of the natural elements is known as Yajna in which the gods were offered ghee, honey, purodasa (a sacrificial offering made of ground rice) soma- (wine)-and meat of animals. That is why it was called balikriya (oblation- offering) or pashukarma." All our religious practices are conducted around Homa or Havan. This is what Maharishi Dhayanda Saraswathi of Arya Samaj declared by calling "back to Vedas".

How ever, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan says that idol worship was already there when Vedic Aryans entered Bharatavarsha and Temple worship was accepted by Aryan religion and synthesized into rituals of what we see today. "He believed that the Hindu images of God do not tell us what God is in himself but only what he is to us. What the life is to us and what we essentially hold as true about life." Festivals in Hindu Temples gave an occasion to come together and gave a sense of unity that strengthened them as a community.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.
 
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Temples are meant for gaining concentarion and they force you togoround the precincts nine times resulting in medical,benefits like reducing blood pressure and giving relaxation o the nervous system. But nowadays they have become commercial centres devoid of bhathi and purity. No concentarion. No visits to temples .
sundararajan.
 
Aryan invasion theory is not considered a valid theory now. The present position is the population is indigenous and arya is a word of respect and not a race.

How ever, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan says that idol worship was already there when Vedic Aryans entered Bharatavarsha ***

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.
 
Temples vs Vedic rituals

Dr Radhakrishnan was one of the foremost scholars of his time (an indicator of which is the Bhadra Mahapurusha Yoga in his horoscope) but his writings miss the impact of later achaeological discoveries/other revelations.


My view in this regard is - Vedic religion is the elaboration of what Bhagavan Krishna neatly explained
"devan bhavayatanena tey deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha"


Whereas in Temples we see the elaboration of another Gita verse
"patram pushpam phalam toyam yo mey bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty upahritam ashnami prayatatmanah"


Obviously the difference lies in
the first one focussed on "selfless karmayoga - that of helping the Gods prosper and thereby enabling the Gods to aid us when in need"
the second one focussed on "Bhakti yoga" - in fact the word Bhakti emphasized, repeated in the verse

Additionally, in Vedic civilization fire and the Sun were considered to be the means of reaching out to the Devas
while in latter-day civilization images made of stone/various metals were considered



Our Temples are repositories of our rich Culture, where Philosophy, Art, Music and Dance florished. All the civilizations in the world gave importance to their place of worship. In our Country our Kings spent major part of the wealth they captured in wars to build Temples, as a mark of atonement of the loss of lives.

Vedic Religion does not suggest idol worship. "The Vedic ritual of the propitiation of the natural elements is known as Yajna in which the gods were offered ghee, honey, purodasa (a sacrificial offering made of ground rice) soma- (wine)-and meat of animals. That is why it was called balikriya (oblation- offering) or pashukarma." All our religious practices are conducted around Homa or Havan. This is what Maharishi Dhayanda Saraswathi of Arya Samaj declared by calling "back to Vedas".

How ever, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan says that idol worship was already there when Vedic Aryans entered Bharatavarsha and Temple worship was accepted by Aryan religion and synthesized into rituals of what we see today. "He believed that the Hindu images of God do not tell us what God is in himself but only what he is to us. What the life is to us and what we essentially hold as true about life." Festivals in Hindu Temples gave an occasion to come together and gave a sense of unity that strengthened them as a community.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.
 
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Unlike other organized religions, in Hinduism, it is not mandatory for a person to visit a temple. Since all Hindu home usually have a small shrine or ‘puja room’ for daily prayers, Hindus generally go to temples only on auspicious occasions or during religious festivals. Hindu temples also do not play a crucial role in marriages and funerals, but it is often the meeting place for religious discourses as well as ‘bhajans’ and ‘kirtans’ (devotional songs and chants).
In the Vedic period there were no temples. The main object of worship was fire that stood for God. This holy fire was lit on a platform in the open air under the sky, and oblations were offered to the fire. It is not certain when exactly the Indo-Aryans first started building temples for worship. The scheme of building temples was perhaps a concomitant of the idea of idol worship.

As the race progressed, temples became important because they served as a sacred meeting place for the community to congregate and revitalize their spiritual energies. Large temples were usually built at picturesque places, especially on river banks, on top of hills, and on the sea shore. Smaller temples or open-air shrines can crop up just about anywhere - by the roadside or even under the tree.Holy places in India are famous for its temples. Indian towns - from Amarnath to Ayodha, Brindavan to Banaras, Kanchipuram to Kanya Kumari - are all known for their wonderful temples.




Thanks for this information
 
@iyerscottaleger
I thought you may have derived your name as a descendant of Ayre, one of the 6 parishes in the Isle of Man located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles.
A lot of Britishers have the last name Ayre or Ayres.

Just curious. The gun in your avatar makes one think about Carl Jung's archetypes. Would you happen to be an American and a supporter of the NRA?
 
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