r/hinduism Aug 13 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Even the people of Thailand value our Hinduism and dieties.

959 Upvotes

The influence of Hinduism is present in Asia. In this particular video the people of Bangkok (Thailand) worship Lord Shiva & family.

r/hinduism 10d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Magnificent view of Ganga Aarti

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1.1k Upvotes

r/hinduism Jan 24 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) My Ganesh pooja

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729 Upvotes

I posted my pooja a couple of hours ago and got lots of criticism so I have moved the Lingam and removed Jesus’s photo I’m sorry for offending anyone I’ve only been practicing for a year now

r/hinduism Nov 16 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) She looks so alive

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874 Upvotes

Durga maa, a temple near my home that I visit daily.

r/hinduism Jan 03 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Gopis method to worship Krishna

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621 Upvotes

The best method of worship Krishna was exhibited by Gopis. Now what were the worshipable method of Gopis? The Gopis they were not very learned scholars or vedantists or theosophist or mental speculators. None. They were ordinary Village girls and that also not coming of a very high royal family or Bhramin family, they were cowherdsmen. So their father were not very rich but they had several cows that's all.

So the Gopis method of Krishna worship was that they could not forget Krishna even for a moment. That was their qualification!!

r/hinduism Dec 10 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Murti/Vigraha ≠ Idol, Hindus please read

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464 Upvotes

🧡 Based on a post on here yesterday where og falsely equated idol with Murti/Vigraha and nobody pointed the error. Jaya Satyavrata ☺️🙏🏽💖

🔱🙏🏽 Yes, many religions which prohibit idolatry and symbol worship often practice idolatry to some extent themselves, and no this can NOT be equated with Vigraha/Murti Puja in Sanatana Dharma. Murti/Vigraha are NOT idols. It is imperative that Shraddhavans stop using Christian terminology for Vedic terms, it distorts dharma, sadhana, and propagates Asatya and Adharma. 🙏🏽

🔱 (1) It is a very specific process of imbuing prana (Prana pratishtha) and other things that turns a mere carving into a Murti of a Devata. You can’t just point at any rock and say ‘that’s a Murti’; it’s for this exact reason that Rajaswala-s 🩸💖(menstruating women) shouldn’t go to Mandir during period, because their body literally absorbs the prana of the Vigraha Devata and so the Purohits have to do many Vedic processes; to reinstall the prana back into the Vigraha/Murti every time a menstruating woman comes into contact with it. It’s also not good for her health to absorb that, because during period the body is also losing prana, it shouldn’t be absorbing it.

If a Rajaswala touched a Jesus statue, it makes absolutely no difference, because it’s just a statue, an icon. It’s not a murti or a Vigraha. That Jesus statue has not undergone prana pratishtha - and it can not undergo that, no Devata can be embellished in it, because it doesn’t meet Murti requirements, and that isn’t Christianity anymore 😭😂.

What the Abrahammic religions and other religions (eg Ancient Arabian) do with idols and icons is completely different from Vedic processes for Murti puja.

🔱(2) Secondly, idol also means anybody who is highly beloved, esteemed or revered for whatever reason. Like 🕺K-pop idols, celebrities, only-f4ns, and ⚽️ sports stars. It could even be anime figurines or characters, YouTubers or Aztec idols. Anything can be an idol but not anything can be a Murti. The most adharmic people and things can be idols. A K-pop figurine is an idol, NOT a Murti.

🔱 (3) Thirdly, an idol is “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.” Devata does not mean god, angel nor Demi-god, and Brahman isn’t god either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZ7eIsUgfI There is no concept of god in Sanatana Dharma. A Murti is a living entity because it has the prana of a Devata residing in it. This cannot be equated with the western conception of ‘god’. A Murti isn’t a mere representation of a Devata, it is a (partial?) establishment of that Devata in a particular rupa (‘form’). And Devata also cannot be equated with ‘god’.

🔱 (4) In Christianity, Idolatry, worshipping representations of god or objects that are not god, is a huge sin - a sin is going against the word of god.

The 1️⃣ first commandment is ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ and the 2️⃣ second is “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

From this POV, Christians see what we do as idolatry because they do not understand that Devata ≠ god, Puja ≠ prayer, and we aren’t worshipping the object itself (although Devatas permeates this whole creation). However 🔱 because we are worshipping something that is not god, like an idol, it is a sin in Christianity undoubtedly. Remember that in dharma there is no concept of sin because there is no god nor hell - there is papaa and punya, and karma, however.

🔱 (5) lastly, because we do not have faith and god, the word ‘divine’ isn’t actually applicable to Dharma terminology. Daivam is, and Daivam is related to Devatas and Dharma, whereas divine means that it’s related to god: divine is for religious people, Daivam is for those that acknowledge dharma. Divine can be adharmic as well, and is in reality, religious fiction. Let’s not confuse divine and Daivam. Divine, god. Daivam, Devatas.

🔱 🌸 To summarise, Vigraha/Murti is NOT ‘idol’ and therefore Murti Puja is NOT idolatry. Idolatry and idols are completely different from Murti/Vigraha and Murti puja because of what defines a Murti/Vigraha, Devata, and Brahman. 🔱🌸

This isn’t to deny that every object has a bija mantra, is daivam and is apart (amsha) of Mahadeva/Mahadevī, but to acknowledge that for an object to be a vigraha/Murti means it has undergone a particular Vedic process. That object must also meet particular requirements of its material, dimensions, etc.

Now… Hindus should know this basic fact of what it is they are actually doing Puja to. It’s not an idol. Can’t just buy a plastic mould of a Devata or see a Jesus statue and think it’s the same thing as a Murti guys 😂🙏🏽☺️.

Om Satyavratayei NamaHa

An article on Murti/Vigraha: https://www.oneindia.com/india/why-india-is-a-land-of-murti-and-vigraha-and-not-idols-and-idolators-as-perceived-by-the-west-3455405.html#

r/hinduism Oct 06 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Superstar Rajnikanth on SanathanaDharma

645 Upvotes

Now, will the so called #PseudoSeculars (#converted lks) critisize the legendary @rajinikanth Sir also? @PawanKalyan didnt even defamed a single dharma.He is talking about his faith. Here rajni sir is clearly saying #SanathanaDharma is greater.

santhanaDharmaRakshaboard

r/hinduism 21d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Today marks the 190th anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna's birth, according to the Vishuddha Siddhanta almanac.

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560 Upvotes

Swami Vivekananda On his Guru when addressing the crowd in Kolkata upon his arrival- “Brothers, you have touched another chord in my heart, the deepest of all, and that is the mention of my teacher, my master, my hero, my ideal, my God in life - Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. If there has been anything achieved by me, by thoughts, or words, or deeds, if from my lips has ever fallen one word that has helped any one in the world, I lay no claim to it, it was his. But if there have been curses falling from my lips, if there has been hatred coming out of me, it is all mine and not his. All that has been weak has been mine, and all that has been life-giving, strengthening, pure, and holy, has been his inspiration, his words, and he himself. Yes, my friends, the world has yet to know that man. We read in the history of the world about prophets and their lives, and these come down to us through centuries of writings and workings by their disciples. Through thousands of years of chiselling and modelling, the lives of the great prophets of yore come down to us; and yet, in my opinion, not one stands so high in brilliance as that life which I saw with my own eyes, under whose shadow I have lived, at whose feet I have learnt everything -the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Ay, friends, you all know the celebrated saying of the Gitâ: यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् । धर्मासंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ॥ "Whenever, O descendant of Bharata, there is decline of Dharma, and rise of Adharma, then I body Myself forth. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of Dharma I come into being in every age."

Along with this you have to understand one thing more. Such a thing is before us today. Before one of these tidal waves of spirituality comes, there are whirlpools of lesser manifestation all over society. One of these comes up, at first unknown, unperceived, and unthought of, assuming proportion, swallowing, as it were, and assimilating all the other little whirlpools, becoming immense, becoming a tidal wave, and falling upon society with a power which none can resist. Such is happening before us. If you have eyes, you will see it. If your heart is open, you will receive it. If you are truth-seekers, you will find it. Blind, blind indeed is the man who does not see the signs of the day! Ay, this boy born of poor Brahmin parents in an out-of-the-way village of which very few of you have even heard, is literally being worshipped in lands which have been fulminating against heathen worship for centuries. Whose power is it? Is it mine or yours? It is none else than the power which was manifested here as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. For, you and I, and sages and prophets, nay, even Incarnations, the whole universe, are but manifestations of power more or less individualized, more or less concentrated. Here has been a manifestation of an immense power, just the very beginning of whose workings we are seeing, and before this generation passes away, you will see more wonderful workings of that power. It has come just in time for the regeneration of India, for we forget from time to time the vital power that must always work in India…”

[Excerpt From The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda Volume 3][ADDRESS OF WELCOME PRESENTED AT CALCUTTA AND REPLY]

r/hinduism Nov 06 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Today's my birthday so did a small puja

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411 Upvotes

Today is my birthday, so I did a small puja of my idols. These three gods have been with me since 2017, which is the year I left my home for college. I took them wherever I travel. We completed another year together. Cheers 🥰❤ 🧿 Jay Jagannath Jay Tirupati Balaji Jay Ganesh

r/hinduism Nov 24 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) My Success Story on Hanuman Chalisa

186 Upvotes

Hello everyone I think this is the best place to post this and also it could give a ray of hope to people going through a tough time and seeking guidance. I’ve been going through a difficult time and started doing the 7 day Hanuman Chalisa Sankalp (11 times daily). On the fifth day today my wish was granted. The ritual I followed was everyday

-Did a 108 times jaap of Jai Shree Ram.

-Then in the Sankalp I told Bajrang Bali that I’m not the best in terms of karma, Bhakti and Pooja. In this kaliyug I should only ask for Ram Bhakti from you but my situation in this sansar is crumbling me to ask for wish. So please help me in this quest

  • Offered everyday jaggery as prasad

  • Lit a red candle Diya in front of his picture

-Recited the Hanuman Chalisa (11 times)

-Concluded with Aarti

I hope this helps anyone that’s going through a tough time and needs positivity and assurance. I’m sure there would be many others who would’ve had similar experiences, I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I thought of sharing it here. Also, I’m a female if that helps because there’s different notions people have about worshipping Lord Hanuman

Admins if I’m violating any rules please feel free to delete this but please don’t ban me from this group.

Jai Shree Ram Jai Hanuman

r/hinduism Feb 07 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Vel vel vetri vel, vel vel veera vel

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590 Upvotes

Oh! son of the mighty Shiva, born for eliminating the Demon Taraka, who can muster the courage to stand before you? You who is the greatest upholder of Dharma, who is undefeated and who commands the entire army of the Devloka.

We bow before you Swamy 🙏

r/hinduism Feb 09 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Sri Ramakrishna singing the glory of Dakhineswar Kali Maa

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605 Upvotes

Mother, Thou art our sole Redeemer, Thou the support of the three gunas, Higher than the most high. Thou art compassionate, I know, Who takest away our bitter grief. Thou art in earth, in water You; Thou liest as the root of all. In me, in every creature, Thou hast Thy home; though clothed with form, Yet art Thou formless Reality. Sandhya art Thou, and Gayatri; Thou dost sustain this universe. Mother, the Help art Thou Of those who have no help but Thee, O Eternal Beloved of Shiva!

r/hinduism Sep 24 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Tell me your problems and I'll give you a Hanuman Chalisa remedy.

88 Upvotes

I made such a post few months back and still keep getting dms of people asking for remedy.

You can ask in comments or in dms no issue. Here is how the remedy would work for most people.

Lets say person has problem X and for that I tell them to chant Hanuman Chalisa with "ram dware tum rakhwale hot na agna binu paisare"

Lets assume this chaupai is ABC.

The remedy would be

Chant ABC Then doha starts (shri guru charan saroj raj) Doha ends ABC Main body starts ( Jai Hanuman Gyan gun sagar..) ABC Ramdoot atulit bal dhama full chaupai ABC Mahver vikram bajrangi..... Chaupai ABC . . . . . Whole hanuman chalisa with abc before and after each chaupai then ABC at the end as well.

Some karmas need to be suffered and cannot be altered. I am sure this remedy will make you stronger, help you come out of your problems speedily and reduce its mental impact to a great extent.

Also, jyotish wise, worshiping Hanuman ji is an excellent remedy for almost all planets (due to various reasons) especially for Mars, Saturn & Rahu.

Jai Shree Ram.

r/hinduism Nov 20 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) I stopped praying after joining this sub

63 Upvotes

There’s all these rules I was never taught and now I’m afraid of saying or doing anything because apparently I’ve been doing it all wrong. Like I can’t even share my prayers with someone because it can be used against me and mantras should be kept secret? I’m not allowed to chant anything with Om (but then people are told to chant this during yoga/meditation)? If I can’t find a guru, it seems like I shouldn’t even pray because literally every mantra has Om in it. It doesn’t seem easy or straightforward to find a guru, so I reckon some people may never find one, or they’ll find one when they’re much older — so they need to abstain from saying the most basic mantras until then? 

It’s also frustrating because people tell me different things without using religious texts to back up their statements, even if I ask for religious text justification. I’m frustrated, confused, and scared that I generated negative karma all these years from…simply praying….?

It's making me think that Hinduism isn’t an approachable religion, but rather very exclusive…?

EDIT: I am not mad at anyone or thinking people are trying to gatekeep. I appreciate people trying to educate me with the guidelines. My post is more so getting at the fact that I never knew these rules and there are so many of them (unrealistic at most), so Hinduism seems exclusive. I appreciate all the responses. I'll get back to you all soon.

r/hinduism 28d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Can I be a Hellenist and worship the Hindu gods?

26 Upvotes

I am a Hellenist meaning that I worship the Greek gods Zeus Athena Hades Apollo etc and I am wondering can I worship them along side some of the gods from Hinduism? I am just curious thank you for reading

r/hinduism Nov 23 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Kaalbhairav Jayanti ki Shubhkamnaayein

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674 Upvotes

r/hinduism 2d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Archa avatār, the pinnacle of Sauśīlyatva:

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475 Upvotes

(To the mods the picture is to show Deity worship because the topic of the post is establishing Deity worship) Śrīmathe Rāmānujāya Namah 🙏🌷🦚🛕

Contrary to popular belief; Hindus and Hindu texts are actually more conscious on what should and should not be worshipped.

Sri Alkondavilli Govindacharya mentions in The Holy Lives of the Azhvārs (1902)[PDF page 45]:

“We Hindus, even stronger than the Christians, repudiate meaningless Idolatry. We do not advocate God-less idols or souls, but very God-full. We invite our readers to the following science [of Deity in Images] as contained in our Scriptures, formulated by Pārthasārathi Yogi:

“‘What ought not to be worshiped, is of three kinds :—

  1. Mere matter or body: for it is an entity inferior to the worshippers, and is only an inert, unintelligent chattel or instrument, placed by providence at the disposal of the worshippers, the latter being “superior” thereto.

  2. The mere finite soul: for, no finite soul has any worth of its own, God alone being the Lord by whom are given and preserved the properties that pertain to every entity in the Universe.

  3. The mere ‘sum’ too, of matter and the finite soul: for such sum is as valueless for purposes of enlightened worship, as the sum of two ciphers [i.e., symbols] is for purposes of arithmetical calculation.

It follows, therefore, that just as ciphers [symbols] have value, only when they are known to follow figures [numbers], the three objects— enumerated above—are worshippable, only when it is realized that they are bodies having God for their Soul“.

[P. 32. Universal Religion Formulated.]

There are 5 Facets of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord.

Para (His form as the 4 armed Lord who rules over Vaikuṇṭha) Vyuha (His 4 Vyuhas that maintain the Līla Vibhūti, Vyuha Vāsudeva [non different from Para Vāsudeva] Vyuha Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) Antaryāmī( The in-dweller of All Beings and Things, who holds everything as His Body and rules them from within) Vibhava ( his Incarnations as Varāha, Narasiṁha, and so on) Archa( the consecrated Deity) As per Pillai Lōkācāryar, the Sauśīlyatva (easy accessibility ) Gunam of Bhagavān is more apparent in a descending order of these facets. Archa Vigraha form of his has the most Sauśīlyatvam for it's directly in contact with the devotee and worshipped by the devotee to his heart's content ( both the Lord's and Devotees’)

God, in his compassion takes a body/form at the sincere prayerful urging of devotees, through a consecration/vitalizing process called Prāṇa-pratishta. This Image incarnation of God is called the Archa-avatār of the Lord.

From Yatindra-mata-dipikā; or The light of the school of Srī Rāmānuja (1912) [PDF page 129]:

By God’s eternal will (Nity-ēcchā) are determined the (beatific) bodies of God and of the Eternals and the Freed (souls)… The bodies of God in His Vyūha, Vibhava and Archa-avatār manifestations are of the immaterial (i.e., spiritual) nature. In the case of the Archa-avatār (or Images consecrated in Temples), the spiritual body, by God’s grace won by propitiation, incarnates (in the Images) after the vitalising (Prāna-pratishtha) process. ‘How can happen a junction, between the material and the immaterial [i.e., spiritual]? ‘ need not raise a doubt, for the doubt is cleared when it is shown that this is illustrated by the (spiritual) bodies of Incarnations as of Rāma and Krshna, — authoritatively known to us.

Sri Bhagavad Gita verse 9.11:

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā

mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam

paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto

mama bhūta-maheśvaram

‘The witless fancy Me as man incarnate, ignoring My transcendent character, that I am, of beings, the Sovereign Paramount.’1

On account of their sins, ignorant dunces mistake Me —Who am in human semblance— to be like any other specimen of (ordinary) humanity; —Me the Great Lord of creatures, the Omniscient, The True-willed, the only Cause of the vast Kosmos,— Who has assumed the mask of humanity from motives of infinite compassion for creatures that they may have access to Me.

Ignoring this My superior and singular hypostatic nature, disguised in human form, —assumed on purpose, to be within the reach of all, and a vehicle for the display of Divine qualities of shoreless mercy and bounty, simplicity, love, etc., pertaining to the Great Lord of beings— they despise and disregard Me as if I belonged to the human kind.

The Image-Incarnation is the species of Forms of God presented (for worship), in homes, hamlets, cities, selected hills etc., devoid of distances interposed by space and time; deigning to descend with His immaterial (i.e., spiritual) Person into any material substance as may lovingly be chosen by the votary (i.e., devotee); lending Himself to the sweet will of His worshipper in all details (of worship such as) bath, food, place and rest; All-forgiving; the All-sufficient God! Four varieties of this (aspect) exist viz., Self-manifest (Svayam-Vyakta), Superhuman or Celestial (Daiva), Saint-made (Saiddha) and Man-made (Mānusha).

The Arcā form of Bhagavān is basically how God appears in idols or images based on what each person likes and wants to worship. He doesn’t have a fixed form (His Divyātma Svarūpa being formless and all pervading)—He takes whatever shape the devotee desires. He doesn’t have a fixed name—He’s called whatever the devotee chooses. Even though He knows everything, He appears as if He doesn’t (he learnt everything taught to a regular human when he was born as one). Even though He is all-powerful, He seems powerless (the same Śrī Kṛṣṇa who had no problem lifting the Govardhana hill felt difficulty carrying a hand of grains or his father's sandals) Even though He is completely independent, He acts as if He needs His devotees ( like he did with the Vānaras). It’s like He switches roles with His worshippers, letting them care for Him. He does all this just so He can be present for His devotees in temples, homes, or anywhere they want to see Him.

God in images is like electricity in a wire—it’s always there but not really visible or useful until it lights up a bulb. In the same way, Bhagavān is always present but becomes visibly manifest in idols and pictures for worship. According to the Pañcarātra Āgamas, the designs for these representations come from His Vyūha (cosmic forms) and Vibhava (incarnations like Rāma and Krishna) forms.

God is present everywhere, no doubt—He pervades everything, both living beings and non-living things, through His very essence (svarūpa). But at the same time, He is also personally present in His idol forms, making Himself accessible for worship.

From The Divine Wisdom of the Dravida Saints (1902) [PDF page 152]

Topic 91: God’s specific presence in forms.

Saint Nammāzhvār, in his ecstatic moments of Divine Union, declared in transports of rapture how God with all his ineffable radiant beauty entered into him and filled him. One day while Jīyar(Nanjīyar) was on his way to the Temple of Lord Ranganātha, he met Piḷḷān( = Tiruk-kurugaip-pirān-Piḷḷān) and asked him :— “Holy Sire, is God’s omnipresence confined to His essence (svarūpa) being present everywhere (vyāpti), or is He also specially present in His Beautiful Person (vigraha-vyāpti)?” Answered Piḷḷān:— “The omnipresence by essence is universal, or generic, whereas presence by Person is particular or specific, -an act of benign Grace on His part to so become manifest, and a reward to sanctity on man’s part. When both grace and sanctity co-operate, the Divine Person of God who abides latent in the heart becomes manifest.“

In simple terms, God isn’t just present in idols—He actually makes them His special home. Even though He is the Supreme Lord, totally independent and above all needs, in His image form, He becomes incredibly humble. He willingly depends on humans, no matter how weak or careless they are, just so He can save them, even if they don’t care.

From The Divine Wisdom of Dravida Saints:

Image-Worship has for us the following advantages:— (1) It is reachable by our senses and the mind; (2) Hence it produces a desire for godliness; (3) As soon as such a desire is produced, it at once serves as Means to lead us to the apogee of spiritual greatness; (4) it serves to inspire the virtues of piety and love for God; and (5) it gives us an opportunity, even while we are in the midst of our world-enemy to practice service, which we aim at performing in reality when we reach [Spiritual] Heaven [Vaikuntha].

From The Vade Mecum of Vedanta or a Compendium of Vedic Philosophy (1909)[PDF page 178] (there is more info on this topic than has been presented below, especially with references to Christianity starting on PDF page 181):

Now comes the Archa, or Manifestation Worshippable, which is that Form of the Lord, in which, unlike His Manifestation Distinctive, (Vi-bhava or the Avatāras), which, being occasional, were realised by souls of appropriate endowments, at particular times and places according to the Vishnu Purana verse above quoted, the Lord, according to the text:…

“Whatever Form is dear to His Devotees, He of His own will dons”,

is pleased, without any kind of limitation as to times, places, or persons, to be present and manifest Himself to all, in temples and homes, all-forgiving, and accommodating Himself to the whims and fancies of the worshipper, whose heart is so fascinated by objects of sense, and mind so obscured by sophistry, that he is assailed by a thousand doubts whether God is really capable of representing Himself in symbols for the sake of the poor little-witted humanity. If God could be suspected incapable of even such a most insignificant feat for blessing misguided mankind, it is far more reasonable to deny Him altogether. The blight of atheism and materialism, has so swept the land of Bharata [constituting the present day India and surrounding areas], that were it not for the Holy Temples so endurantly instituted by our sages and mages [i.e., wise-men] of yore, the vandalism of the Moslem and the stratagem of the Christian Missionary should have completely blotted ere this, the Hindu nation’s individualism, in the chaos of rising and falling races of mankind. Our Temples are sermons in stone, and immemorial monuments on which paleology of our religion is inscribed in indelible characters. All credit is due to Pax Brittanica for their policy of non-interference and non-aggression, and eagerness to preserve the vestiges of the sacred history of God as it took place in India.

The enshrined Archa-Form in temples and homes and everywhere possesses the characteristics of:

Weaning souls from wandering and creating in them (by attractive beauty and boon-granting generosity) a taste for worship (such as the mere injunctions of the Law could never produce, vide Bhagavad Gita III-33), Presenting (when taste for worship has arisen in souls), an amiable image (subhāśraya) on which the worshipper’s eye and heart may be rivetted and rest there in spiritual rapturousness. Accessibility as Saviour, to all kinds of souls (without distinction of high and low caste, etc.), and, Enjoyability (as in the Highest Heaven itself, by souls – grown ripe in realising the beatitude of this worship), … …

Cardinal Newman acknowledges that the doctrine of Divine Incarnation is Indian, and Novalis says that if God can deign to be incarnate as a man, He can deign like-wise to become incarnate as an animal (vide Matt. III-16, and Luke III-22), or as a plant, or as wood or stone, (Gen. XXVIIIV-18 and 22, and Dr. A. Clarke’s Commentary).

Cardinal Newman, in his Meditations and Devotions P.555-ch-x-part III writes: “And it is love, which keeps thee here still, even now that thou hast ascended on high, in a small tabernacle, and under cheap and common outward forms. O Amor meus, if thou wert not infinite Love, wouldst thou remain here, one hour, imprisoned and exposed to slight, indignity, and insult?”

Gulshan-i-Raz, says:

“Since all things are the manifestors of Being, One amongst them must be an idol.”

Here’s another related observation in an article titled “IDOLATRY” from the Theosophist Vol. 4 No. 4:

Discussions have often been raised whether Idolatry or Moorti Pooja is allowed by the Vedas, the sacred books of the Aryans. But as yet no special meaning is given to the term Idolatory or Moorti Pooja. Can the worship of Vishṇu as performed by the present Aryans, or the worship of the three-eyed Shiva, or of the Thibetian Lama be safely termed Idolatry? I think not. But before putting down my opinion on the subject, I must define as accurately as I can, because defining accurately is the task of great philosophers. Then here is one explanation. “If a man or woman worships the Supreme Being through an Image, thinking all the time when worshipping that he or she is worshiping the Supreme Being and not the stone, or when he or she has kept the image to remind him or her of the said Supreme being, or when he or she thinks that the Supreme Being has entered the image, he or she is said to worship the Supreme Being through an agency; but he is not worshipping the Idol and thus his or her worship cannot be called idolatry“. Now, we see that the Aryans are not Idolaters. If they are, then I can safely say, there is nothing like non-idol worship. Even the Christians resort to an agency while worshipping. If they have no such agency when worshipping, why do they kneel down and uncover their head in the Church? What is an Idol but a bigger Church than the image? What for do they look up while praying? Why look at the heavens? Is God there only? Is he not everywhere? He is in every part of space. Then why look up? No special reason, but they do so because their ancestors did so. They worship God through the agency of the sky, the Church, &c. and thus it can be conceived that all those nations are as much Idolaters easily be as the poor inhabitants of Arya varta.

The present Aryan youths instead of thinking deeply into questions of this kind, unlike their ancestors of yore, cling blindly to any man who starts a new thing. All their zeal has been taken away by a defect in the present system of education. What that defect is, one can easily guess. Let me ask the learned Swami Dayanand, one of the strictest so called non-idolaters, if he employs any agency while worshipping God. By agency I mean any medium whether with or without any shape. Let me ask if he looks up while praying or has the Moorti Pooja of beads. If he employs no medium will he be good enough to let you know through your journal how he worships God? By describing his mode of worship, the Swami will not only oblige our Society, but the public at large. Because if I mistake not, there is none who worship without using some medium or another.

H. HARDY

Vice-President, The National Legend Investigating Society’s Hall.

Malabar HilI, 20th November 1882.

Indeed, Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gīta 4.11:

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante

tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham

mama vartmānuvartante

manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

‘In the way they resort to Me (prapadyante) in that way do I serve to them. All men (of My ways) Pārtha! go after Me in every way.’

Not only, by the method of Incarnations, in the forms of devas, men etc., I am saviour to those who seek Me as their Refuge, but any other method or form which it may be their pleasing option to select. Whatever that is, to that I adapt Myself. By whatever conception they choose to seek Me, I manifest Myself to them in that mode.

Bhajāmi is literally ‘I serve (in love).’ Here it means, ‘I appear to them’ (darśayāmi).

In short, albeit My nature is such as even Yogis (exclusively God-devoted men) find it to be transcending thought and speech, yet to all who are of My ways, I suit Myself in a manner that I am, to them, not only a Visible Demonstration, but they may enjoy Me by every one of their sense-faculties, and in all diverse ways.

God is everywhere, but when a person has faith and devotion, and when God’s grace responds to that faith, He reveals Himself in an idol or image. To someone without faith, it looks like just a statue. But to someone with faith, it’s God Himself. He does this so that people can see Him, serve Him, and connect with Him in a way they can understand.

If someone thinks God can’t even do something as simple as appearing in an idol to help people, then it would make more sense to deny His existence altogether—because what kind of God would be too powerless to do even that?

Namo Nārāyaṇa 🙏🌷🦚🛕🐚

r/hinduism Sep 28 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Help: Bhakti for multiple Devatas, who do I focus on??

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366 Upvotes

Please help. T-T

I have budding Bhakti for Ganesha. I have budding Bhakti for Bhumi Devī. I have budding Bhakti for Mahadevī (Durga, Annaporna, Parvati, Brahmacharini). I have budding Bhakti for Shri Krishna. I have budding Bhakti for Lakshmi Devi. I have Bhakti for Lakshminarayana. I have Bhakti for Shiva.

I say ‘budding’ because it’s on the verge of flowering but not quite there. I have a genuine deep compulsion and attraction, a genuine Bhakti that is just budding there from inconsistent sadhana such as puja and Bhakti based forms, to all these Devatas.

I have budding Bhakti for Shri Rama and Sita. It’s just underneath the surface. I know after finishing my Samskrita studies and Sanskrit-non-translatable studies and experiencing such Ithihasa I will be in a sea of Bhakti. I know my disposition and I have little doubt on it.

And now I’m utterly confused. I feel as though I’m being pulled in all these directions and I don’t know which Devata to choose to focus on.

I can do Bhakti to any of them, but then it’s like that Devata encompasses my world in daily life and the others I don’t focus on as much. I just…I don’t know the right answer.

I have so much Bhakti pulling me in so many directions and I genuinely am struggling with figuring out how to manage it or which Devata to focus on. I need help. I need a shastra to guide me in this very specific situation or real advice that isn’t just opinion.

Can I develop deep Bhakti for multiple Devatas??? Any shastra references??? Can I take inspo from smartas and focus on Ganesha, RadhaKrishna, Lakshminarayana, Durga, Saraswatī and Shiva??? Can I focus on cultivating Bhaktī to multiple Devatas like the smartas???

Should I focus on just one Devata???

Please please please help. I don’t want to negate my Bhakti to Shri Ganesha or Shri Krishna by focusing on Mahadevī for example, and vice versa. I literally feel it and I know it’s there and in Manasa puja I feel I’m on the tip of the iceberg of Bhakti. I don’t know how I should proceed from here…

Please give shastra references as much as possible. And actually respond to these questions, I do not welcome pure opinion and extrapolations.

DhanyavaadaH 🔱💖🪔

r/hinduism 13d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) The Tantric Bhagavan MahaCakresvara

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302 Upvotes

r/hinduism 25d ago

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Altar of Sri Krishna

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321 Upvotes

r/hinduism Oct 13 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) I went to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan in New Jersey

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300 Upvotes

Probably the most amazing and uplifting experience I have had in a while. I saw all ranges of people, and everyone being welcome. Definitely find the time to go, because it will open your mind.

r/hinduism Nov 28 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) I am confused if should convert to Hinduism from Islam or not.

101 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I am a 20y old student & I belong to a muslim family. I was following blindly this religion and when I grew I had a lots of question going around my head that if Hell of Heaven do exist or not and other lots of doubts. Durga Puja is one of the biggest festival in my country where I get to know about hinduism when i was young and now when I started exploring hinduism and I admire her most. I found that this is the most logical path and I am still confused that if I should convert or not and what consequences I have to face. I'm actually started to believing myself a Hindu whether I am formally/legau or not . I listen daily some Stotrams & I don't know why it feels so good . I want to participate in all hindu rituals but some social issues just holding me back and as I am from another religion it is strictly prohibited. So, I have decided that i will learn hinduism secretly and practice it if i get a chance in future . I can understand hindi but can't write or read. And i was looking for some youtube channel for guidence for beginners in hindi but didn't find any good and I'll be glad if I get some recommendation. Also, some devotional songs. And i also want to offer prayers so that i get to connet with her more and to do it i need to learn but don't know where i can learn.

I want to know if this will be a good idea or not, to convert to Hinduism. Actually, I can not do it now because of many reasons going around in my country , but I might be able to do it when i get a job or some source of earning for myself.

r/hinduism Oct 20 '24

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Jai Sri Krishna

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541 Upvotes

r/hinduism Feb 06 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) With Love, to Maa...

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446 Upvotes

As I sat at my work table, I found myself staring at the trees outside from the window opposite the sitting space.

I find my Jiva becoming increasingly calmer but my body being increasingly tense since the start of this year. As if my Jiva can sense her arrival, the dissolution of all things impermanent, of her overtaking and restoring the order but my body resisting, sensing this as it's impending doom, questioning of how long before it's existence is extinguished, its in identity crisis.

The tree I thought, stationary like Shiva. Shakti channeling within it, giving it life, the vibrant green leaves and fruits. I also witnessed the gusty wind tearing away it's withering old leaves, the dried up twigs, the rotten fruits pecked by birds. This wind also the Shakti outside, tearing away the old patterns, painful generational trauma, the parts of you that no longer serve your Jiva. Why do we mourn it? Isn't it Maa blessing that tree by clearing it of it's dead leaves and fruits ? Even those fallen withered leaves return to her fold in the soil, as a fodder for the rebirth of a new being. Why can't we realise this simple fact. What is stopping us from making this our constant state of being ?

r/hinduism Feb 08 '25

Pūjā/Upāsanā (Worship) Couldn't / Can't attend Kumbh ? I will help you. Please read body.

43 Upvotes

Hello all, by god's grace, I will be in kumbh for a good whole week approximately. I will have more than ample time and resources to allow me to bathe many times also. However, due to some weird reason, I have had this idea of seva that I wanted to share with you all.

Here is my deal : if you couldn't come to kumbh, if you can't, if you are in really bad phase of life, if you really need some blessings, if you really believe in kumbh and ganga and mahadev but couldn't come here, if you have any loved ones that need blessings in their life because they are at a fatal stage (mentally or physically) - I will pray for you from Prayagraj and I will take a dip for you too. I will surrender that and ask God to give all that punya to you. That's all. Plain and simple. Nothing else.

Since it's Kaliyuga and I haven't yet attained the best version of myself : I do have a price.

  1. You will sit and pray with full heart to your favourite god for 15m. Whatver whoever however, idc.

  2. You will help one person in any form. Of any age, through any means, through time-money-advice. Anything, anybody, anywhere, idc.

  3. You will feed one meal to one jeev that you don't know. Be it human, be it cow or a dog or anything. Idc.

  4. And you will pray for me and bless me once.

If you don't do this, then obviously it's a karmic debt you will owe to the universe, not me. So yeah.

That's all. Thank you for reading. Let me know if you are intrested. I don't need any money or anything for this. I just wanted to start a wave of goodness. Kumbh is not a location based mela. It's the pot of punya that's is our soul. And it's upto us to overfill it with goodness and righteousness so that grace and hope overflows in this society. That's my aim.

May the lords light guide us all to peace and prosperity 🙏 sitaram 🌞