Wednesday 25 November 2015

The Concept of Heaven and Hell in Hinduism

The Concept of Heaven ( swarga ) and Hell ( patal or netherworlds ) in Hinduism has two dimensions. One is physical and other is mental. In the physical dimension , Heaven is a place of blissfulness, which is full of enjoyment. A Person enjoy the benefits in Heaven; there is no disease, hunger or thirst in Heaven.

Steps involved in conducting Pujas/Prayers

There are 16 Basic steps in conducting a puja in Hinduism. This is known as shodashopachara, and is common to all pujas.

Avaahana & Dhyana : Installing the deity for the puja is akin to inviting an important person to our house, which we do with respect and humility (avaahana)

Asan : we offer a place of honour to our quest to seat himself and be comfortable. In the case of goddesses, we offer an asan or decorated platform

Paadya : In traditional (and rural) India, we have read that kings have washed the dusty feet of their kulgururs  or other rishis who have visited them – it is customary to wash the feet of a guest when he visits a family.

Arghya: This means offering water to wash the hands of our guest.

Aachamana: By this we mean taking three – and only three – Consecutive gulps of water.

Madhuparka : After offering water, the guest is offered a drink. If we add a few drops of honey to the drink, it s called madhuparka.

Snaan: once our guest has rested , we make all necessary arrangements for the guest’s snaan ( bath ) so that he can freshen up. The deity is bathed with water, milk, dahi ( yoghurt), ghee ( clarified butter) etc.

Vastra: Next, fresh clothes are offered to the guest

Gandh: sandal paste (gandh) is applied on the forehead

Pushpa: Pushpa means flower . In Pujas , it is customary to offer different flowers to the deity even as we chant 108 names of that particular deity.

Agarbatti: By lighting agarbattis or incense sticks , we add to the already-fregrant and holy surroundings.

Deepa: The word means light , and traditional lamps are lit to give due recognition to the Almighty as a form of light.

Naivedya: In no part of India will a guest not be offered some food, if not a full meal. Bhog is offered to the deity.

Tamboola: This word means betel  leaf, and it is populary belived  that chewing betel leaf rolled up with assorted herbs after a meal  helps in effective digestion.

Aarti: This is done when puja is coming to its closure. The aarti is offered to the devotees as a form of blessings from the Almighty.

Mantrapushpa, Pradakshina : To propitiate the deity, mantras or prayers that are paricularly dear to the deity are chanted during the puja. Pradkshina or circumambulation means that God is present all around us, and we recognize his omnipresence.

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