Advaitam and Science

OM, Purnamata purnamitam purnat purnamutachyate, purnasya purnamataye purnamevavasishyate – Bri.Up V.i.1

IDOL WORSHIP IN SANATANA DHARMA

IDOL WORSHIP IN SANATANA DHARMA

The idol worship is called the vigraha prarthana.  What is vigraha?  It is that which helps us to worship / meditate.  Vigraha symbolises that which cannot be seen or experienced.  We invoke the divine power in the vigraha and we worship that vigraha.

There are different types of vigraha

1. Mandala vigraha:

It is the tantric diagram drawn with different colour powders and in that tantric diagram the divine power is invoked and worshipped.

2. Deepa

We light a lamp while doing pooja and in that lamp the divine power is invoked.  When we light a lamp and worship it as God, then the divine power is automatically invoked in that lamp.   Some people decorate the lamp itself in the form of the deity.

3. Ghata

A pot is filled with water and it is assumed as a vigraha; usually this type of worship is done for kula deva worship or devi upasana during the Navaratri festival, graha pravesha or varalekshmi poojas etc. People decorate the pot itself as a deity.

4. Chayapata

The painted photos of the divine forms are framed and worshipped.  These are the very common form of worship.  One of the famous portrayers of divine pictures was Raja Ravi Verma.  The pictures are worshipped as vigraha.

5, Pratika

Some symbols like the symbol of Om, swastik, srichakra, mahameru etc are worshipped as the vigraha.  Mahameru is the three-dimensional structure of Srichakra.  Any divine form in spatika or saligram are worshipped as vigraha.

6. Bhimba

Bhimba means idol.  It is very commonly seen in temples.  In some houses they use bhimba as vigraha for worship. 

There are different types of bhimba.

Parthiva bhimba

The idol made of mud (Prithivi) is called parthiva bhimba and they are used for worship for a very short period of time like for festivals like ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri etc.  The divine power is invoked in that idol by chanting mantras and then the idol is worshipped.  After that festival is over then the idol is given back to Prithvi by dissolving it in water.  One should take care that the idol is not broken before dissolving it in water.  If it breaks before the idol is dissolved in water then the invoked divine power will dissipate and it will affect the person doing the pooja in a negative way. 

Dharu bhimba

They are the bhimbas made of wood.  They are mostly used in houses.  In some temples also they use the dharu bhimba.  Care must be taken to maintain the bhimba, else it is easily prone to damage. 

Shila bhimba

It is the bhimba made of stone.  It is used in temples. The divine power invoked in the shila bhimba will be very powerful and it is suitable for temples only.  If it is kept in houses then the poojas must be done with care following ritualistic tradition. 

Loha bhimba

They are the bhimbas made of metals.  These bhimbas are commonly used in temples, some people use it in their home.  Just like shila (stone ) the divine power invoked in the metal will also be very powerful and proper pooja practices must be followed. 

The divine power pervades the entire universe.  It is dissipated everywhere.  When we do pooja and worship, the same power become concentrated in that vigraha or bhimba.  This practice will help us to dissolve our prarabhdha karmas.

THE IMPORTANCE OF POOJA IN SANATANA DHARMA

THE IMPORTANCE OF POOJA IN SANATANA DHARMA

In the ancient times dhyana , yagna and Atma jnana were important in Sanatana dharma.  Later in the puranic period and after that poojas and temple worship gained importance.  In the medieval period poojas are done as a ritual to welcome guest in home and done to thank certain important people in special occasions.  Aditi pooja and pada poojas are the perfect example for such poojas.  After the medieval period, poojas gain more importance because people found it more comfortable than doing dhyana or yagna, and poojas are performed to worship the Lord.  Initially, it was done in places of worship like temples or public grounds but nowadays it is done personally in every household.  In this article let us see

1. The different ways of doing pooja,

2. The different places for doing pooja and

3. The different types of pooja. 

There are four different types of doing pooja.

  1. Bahya pooja – The outer way of doing pooja by chanting mantras aloud accompanied with certain rituals.
  2. Manasa pooja – The inner way of doing pooja by chanting mantras and doing the rituals mentally.
  3. Rahasya pooja – This is a very special pooja done between two individuals, like a father and a son or the guru and the sishya.  This pooja is usually kept very secret.  It is in such poojas that the puniya/ papa of the father is transferred to the son or the puniya/papa of the guru is transferred to the sishya.  It is considered as a very special pooja. 
  4. Atma pooja – This is the pooja done to the Atma (Self).  Some people do pooja to the Atma assuming it as a vigraha or even otherwise they do pooja for Atma mentally.

The different places in which the poojas done in Sanatana dharma

1. Nitya pooja –  Poojas are done in some houses on an everyday basis and it is done to create a positive atmosphere.

2. Naimittika pooja – Poojas are done on special occasion like the birthday celebration of the child, house warming ceremony etc and in some families they are done in an elaborate manner.

3. Utsava pooja – poojas are done on common festival occasions like deepavali festival, Navaratri festival, Pongal festival etc.  Pooja graces the festival occasion.

When the poojas are done in the graham (house), it is known as Gaarhikam pooja. 

When the poojas are done in the temples it is known as Shetriya pooja.

When the poojas are done in the social places like mandapas, common grounds, it is known as Samoohika pooja.  This type of poojas are common during Chaturti festival or Navaratri festival.

Different types of Pooja

1.  Vaidika pooja – In this type of pooja they chant only the Veda mantas, mainly from the Sukla Yajur Veda.  It is not usually accompanied with any mudras or asanas.

2. Tantrika pooja – It is said that the culture of pooja itself came from the tantrika pooja.  They are the very intense way of invoking and worshipping the Lord.  There are three types of tantrika pooja.  They are Vaidika tantra, Saiva tantra and Satheya tantra.  Tantrika poojas are based on Tantra sastra.  Tantrika poojas are very famous in Kerala, west Bengal and Kashmir.

3. Pauranik pooja – These are the poojas based on the puranas.  In Ramayana, Lord Sri Ram prescribes a set of poojas, in Srimad Bhagavata Purana, the Gopikas perform Katyayani pooja etc.

4. Aagamika poojas – The poojas based on the Aagama sastras are said as Aagamika poojas. The temple architecture and the pooja methods are based on Aagama sastras.  This type of pooja is very famous in Tamil Nadu and in Tamil families.

5. Pancharatrika pooja – This type of pooja is based on the Narada Pancharatra grantha.

6. Vaikanasa pooja – it is based on the vaikanasa grantha.

Both pancharatrika pooja and vaikanasa pooja are performed by vaishnavas from Tamil nadu and Andra Pradesh.

7. Pradeshika poojas – Some families and communities they do poojas in their own way, based on how their ancestors had done the pooja or based on the region in which they live.  They are not entirely based on the Vedas.  They are commonly said as the poojas for the Kula daiva. 

The main objective for doing pooja is to prepare one’s mind for Brahma Jnana.  When we do pooja we easily connect with that divine power.

RISHIS OF SANATANA DHARMA

RISHIS OF SANATANA DHARMA

Sages are known as Rishi in samskrutam.  Rishis have a very important place in Sanatana Dharma. The Rishis revealed the Vedas.  The Vedic mantras exist as subtle vibrations in space.  They were manifested along with the creation.  An ordinary mind cannot access these vibrations.  The Rishis, by their meditative power, were able to access these subtle vibrations, and decode them and reveal as mantras.  All the vedic mantras were revealed in this manner.  Since the Rishis revealed the mantras the Rishis are said as mantra drishta (seer).  Sanatana Dharma is not complete without the Rishis. 

The meaning of Rishi is: Ru means sabda (sound). Rishi means a person through whom the divine sabda (divine sound) is revealed.  There are different kinds of Rishis in Sanatana dharma. 

Sapta Rishis – The group of seven Rishis is called as Sapta Rishis.  Their duty is to advice the Devas (gods) and they normally reside in the higher level of existence called the Devaloka.  The Sapta Rishis change with each manvantra.  A manvantra is a period of time which lasts for many millions of years.  The Sapta Rishis of this manvantra are

Jamadagni

Bharadvaja,

Gautama,

Atri

Vasishta

Kashyapa

Viswamitra

If the human beings worship them we receive help from them to solve our problems in life. 

  • Brahmarshi – The Brahmarshis are Rishis who are the knower of Brahman.  They are also the knower of Veda.  They are always established in contemplating on Brahman.  The famous Brahmarshi is Sage Vasistha.
  • Devarshi – The Devarshis are the Devas (gods) and at the same time they have Brahma jnana.  One of the famous Devarshi is Sage Narada. 
  • Rajarshi – The Rajarshis are the rulers of the kingdom and at the same time they have Brahma jnana.  Some of the famous Rajarshis are King Janaka, Sage Visvamitra etc.  King Janaka, even while established in Brahma nishta all the time, he ruled his nation very efficiently. 
  • Kandarshi – Kanda means a section of the Vedas; Kandarshi means the Rishis who have revealed a section of the Vedas.  For example, Purusha Suktam was revealed by the Narayana Rishi, Gayatri mantra was revealed by Sage Viswamitra.  So they are all said as the kandarshi.
  • Maharshi – Maharshis are the Rishis while being established in Brahma nishta, they were able to contribute immensely to the Vedas and humanity.  Veda Vyasa was said as the maharshi.  One of the Brahma rishi of the modern time was Sri Ramana Maharshi. 
  • Pararshi – Parashis were able to merge their Self with Brahman.  They merge the Vyashti to samashti. 
  • Srutarshi – Srutarshis have great knowledge of Brahman.  They teach others about Brahma jnana.  One cannot expect them to be always established in meditation.
  • Rishi – A Rishi must have revealed at least one Vedic mantra and he must have started a Gotra (family line or sishya line). 

The ten famous gotras in India are

  1. Bharadvaja Gotra
  2. Kaushika Gotra
  3. Vatsa Gotra (Briguvanshi vatsa rishi)
  4. Kaundinya Gotra
  5. Kasyapa Gotra
  6. Vasishta Gotra
  7. Jamadagni Gotra
  8. Visvamitra Gotra (Sishya gotra)
  9. Gautama Gotra
  10. Aaitreya Gotra

These gotra has many branches in it and other than Vishwamitra all the other gotras are Putra gotra.

Some Rishis have started a dharshana (philosophy) like the Yog philosophy.  Yog philosophy was started by Maharishi Patanjali.  Such Rishis are said as sastra pravartaka. 

The Rishis are the seer of the truth and so they are said as Satyadrashta.  Since they have revealed the mantras they are said as mantradrashta. 

The Rishis play a very important role in Sanata dharma.  Vedas cannot be revealed to the world without the contribution of these Rishis.  They have spent their life time in meditation to reveal the Vedas.  Let us worship the Rishis for their incomparable contribution to the humanity.

THE MUTTS AND THE DESA NAMA SAMPRADAYA ESTABLISHED BY SRI ADI SHANKARACHARYA

Sri Adi Sankaracharya in order to protect the Advaita Philosophy and the Vedas he established four mutts in the four corners of India.  He also established the desa nama sampradaya (the ten title), which the sanyasis studying in the mutt will receive after completing their formal education in the mutt.  In this article, we will see about the mutts established by Sri Adi Sankaracharya and the desa nama sampradaya. 

In the east, he established a mutt near the city of Puri, in the state of Odisha.  It is known as the Govardhana peeta.  He a started a system of Vedanta education and named it as Poorvamnaya.  His disciple Padmapada was the first acharya in that peeta or Mutt.  The sanyasis in the mutt after completing their formal education receive the title vana and aaranya.  After receiving this title they were given the name Prakasha.  They study and practice the Sama Veda and the mahavakya they practice is “Tat Tvam Asi”. 

In the north, in the town near Joshimath, in the state of Uttarakhand, Sri Adi Sankaracharya established a Mutt known as Jotir mutt.  The system followed there is known as Uttaramnaya, and his disciple Todakacharya is the first acharya of the mutt.  The titles given to the sanyasis are Giri, Parvata and Sagara.  After getting the title the name given to the sanyasis is Aananda.  They study and practice Atharva veda and the mahavakya they practice is “Ayam Atma Brahma”.

In the west, in the town near Dwaraka, in the state of Gujarat, Sri Adi Sankaracharya established a Mutt known as Kalika peeta.  Later the sanyasis changed the name as Sarada peeta.  The system followed there is known as Paschimamnaya, and his disciple Hastamalaka is the first acharya of the mutt.  The titles given to the sanyasis are Thirtha and Ashrama.  After getting this title the name given to the sanyasis is Swarupa.  They study and practice Rig veda and the mahavakya they  practice is “Prajnanam Brahman”.

In the south, in the town Sringeri, in the state of Karnataka, Sri Adi Sankaracharya established a Mutt known as Sarada peeta.  The system followed there is known as Dakshinamnaaya, and his disciple Sureshwaracharya is the first acharya of the mutt.  The titles given to the sanyasis are Puri, Bharati and Saraswati.  After getting this title the name given to the sanyasis is Chaitanya.  They study and practice yajur veda and the mahavakya they  practice is “Aham Brahma Asmi”.

Apart from this, it is said that Sri Adi Sankaracharya started a mutt for himself, in the town of Kancheepuram, in the state of Tamil Nadu.  It is known as the Kanchi Mutt.  The title given to the sanyasis there is Saraswati.  To identify them as unique they join a name Indra along with their title. 

Later on the sanyasis who belonged to the desa nama sampradaya, they formed seven akharas to protect the Vedas, the mutts, temples and the sanyasis from the invaders of India.  The sanyasis belonging to the akharas trained themselves in martial arts and trained themselves as warriors and fought the invaders.  The famous naga sanyasis belong to these akharas.  The head of the akharas is known as the maha mandaleshwar.

ADVAITA GURU PARAMPARA

ADVAITA GURU PARAMPARA

Parampara means the unbroken lineage.  Guru parampara means the unbroken lineage of gurus.  Advaita guru parampara means the unbroken lineage of gurus who practice the advaita philosophy.  Any art or philosophy will have a guru parampara and it is the same with the advaita philosophy.

In advaita philosophy there are two types of guru parampara.

  1. Sanyasa guru parampara
  2. Grahasta guru parampara

Sanyasa guru parampara started with Baghavan Shiv in the form of Lord Dakshinamoorthy.  He taught the Brahma vidya to Sanakati Brahma Rishis as his students (sishyas).  The Sanakati Brahma Rishis are four brothers; they are Sanaka (ancient), Sanatana (eternal), Sanandana (ever joyful) and Sanat kumar (ever youthful).  They are the mind born sons of Lord Brahma.  They are always very young in the form of children and when they were born they were at the verge of enlightenment.  Lord Dakshinamoorthy did not teach them orally, instead he showed the chinmudra and the Sanakati Rishis were so intelligent to understand the entire philosophy from that single mudra.

Sanakati Brahma Rishis taught this knowledge to Sage Narada.  Sage Narada taught this knowledge to Suka Brahmarishi.  Suka Brahmarishi is the son of Ved Vyasa.  This is the sanyasa guru parampara.  In the sanyasa guru parampara the knowledge was taught to the sishyas (students).  The sishyas are not the children of the guru.

The second type of guru paramapara is the grahasta guru parampara.  In this guru parampara Brahma vidya was taught to the children of the gurus along with the other students; and the children played a very important role in taking the knowledge to the next generation.  Grahasta guru parampara started with Lord Brahma.  He taught Brahma vidya to his son Sage Vasishta.  Sage Vasishta taught this knowledge to his son Sage Shakti.  Sage Shakti taught this knowledge to this son Sage Parasara Maharshi.  Sage Parasara Maharshi taught this knowledge to Sage Ved Vyasa.  Sage Ved Vyasa taught this knowledge to his son Suka Brahmarishi.  Thus, Suka Brahmarishi received this knowledge from the sanyasa guru parampara as well as the grahasta guru parampara.

Suka Brahmarishi went into meditation for a long time and then he taught this knowledge to Sri guru Gaudapada.  Guru Gaudapada taught Brahma vidya to Sri guru Govind Baghavad pada and Sri guru Govind Baghavad pada taught this knowledge to Sri Adi Sankaracharya.  Sri Adi Sankaracharya revived the Brahma vidya or it is famously know as Advaita philosophy, especially in the period when Advaita philosophy was going through a very low phase.  About the mutts established by Adi Sankaracharya and the Desanama sampradaya (titles) started by the acharya we will see in the next article.