temple worship

[Maya3]

What do you do when you are at temple?
Do you follow the ritual or do you sit and meditate when the puja is going on?
Do you understand enough Sanskrit to understand the prayers?
Do you wish they were in English so they would be easier to understand?

Personally, I like to sit with my eyes closed and listen to the prayers as more of a flow without trying to understand it (not that I know a lot of Sanskrit)
I really like to just sit quietly and let the sound of the Sanskrit prayers kind of flow over me. But I have to be somewhat aware so that I don´t miss the Arathi etc.

Just curious what everyone else does?`

Maya

 

[Vinayaka]

Answers will vary based on the different natures of various temples. Basically, I do two things at mine, each with separate purpose: 1) Go on an off time and sit to do japa in front of a particular shrine, and 2) Go when there's a crowd and follow what everyone else does for the main puja which is following the priest around in a particular order for various shrines. I rarely join in bhajan or watch abhishekhams but sometimes I do. Of course there is all the regular stuff that happens each time, like 3 pradakshinas, stopping to rap knuckes on side of head, pulling ears in front of Ganesha, and full out prostrations at each shrine. I enjoy homas when they happen too. They bring out a stronger vibration. Then at festival times a lot more is going on, so I help.

 

[Viraja]

I go around the various sanctum sanctorums praying to gods. Eventhough visiting temple fills the mind with a certain peacefulness, the temple near my home is totally packed on festival days. Due to this, though I would love to enjoy singing bhajans, or simply watching the punditjis offer abhishekam, etc to the deities, it becomes quite a challenge to be able to get a proper view of the deity itself and thus mostly never sit around on these days. I do not know Sanskrit and thus all I can get out of watching the rituals is an admiration of gods who are given a bath with curd, sandal paste and so forth. Secondly, since I do daily sadhana at home, it becomes quite a formality to me (instead of necessity) for regular temple worship and this is one of the reasons why I do not frequent temples. But there is one temple I just adore - it is the Medha Dakshinamoorthy temple in PA, USA. They have a big prayer hall filled with comfy seats and have a very structured prayer routine with handouts filled with Sanskrit, Tamil and English translations - pundits from the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam offer spiritual discourses - this is what I would love about a temple visit - to be able to listen peacefully to profound spiritual discourses and this temple offers this.

 

[Jainarayan]

I haven't been to temple since September, but this is what I did.

What do you do when you are at temple?
Do you follow the ritual or do you sit and meditate when the puja is going on?

I followed the ritual. Meditation is almost impossible because of all the activity and hub-bub. To have any degree of meditative quality, one has to find a secluded corner and basically be anti-social.

Do you understand enough Sanskrit to understand the prayers?

:no:

Do you wish they were in English so they would be easier to understand?

Not really. Sanskrit is the liturgical language. I for one think it should be used, especially because so many of the pujas use mantras. During abhishekams the priests recite the Pushpam mantra from the Yajur Veda.

As Viraja does, I visit the sanctums and shrines to pay obeisance to the the deities upon entering the temple and when leaving. As a side note, there are three huge sanctums to Sri Vishnu, as Sri Guruvayurappan the presiding deity, Sri Balaji and Satyanarayana; there are multiple shrines to Devi, as Kannika Parameshwari, Ambika, Sri Andal (Lakshmi as Bhumidevi, Mother Earth), The Tridevi (Saraswati, Lakshmi, Durga). On the one hand I feel creepy not visiting each shrine, yet on the other hand I think it's redundant to visit three or four sanctums in a row to the same deity, but in a different form because of geography. But it's something for everyone. Sensibly, there is only one huge sanctum to Sri Shiva; a single shrine to Mahaganapati, Sri Rama Parivar, Sri Radha-Krishna, Sri Hanuman, Sri Ayappa, Sri Subrahmanya and Garuda.

 

[Vinayaka]

I go around the various sanctum sanctorums praying to gods. Eventhough visiting temple fills the mind with a certain peacefulness, the temple near my home is totally packed on festival days. Due to this, though I would love to enjoy singing bhajans, or simply watching the punditjis offer abhishekam, etc to the deities, it becomes quite a challenge to be able to get a proper view of the deity itself and thus mostly never sit around on these days. I do not know Sanskrit and thus all I can get out of watching the rituals is an admiration of gods who are given a bath with curd, sandal paste and so forth. Secondly, since I do daily sadhana at home, it becomes quite a formality to me (instead of necessity) for regular temple worship and this is one of the reasons why I do not frequent temples. But there is one temple I just adore - it is the Medha Dakshinamoorthy temple in PA, USA. They have a big prayer hall filled with comfy seats and have a very structured prayer routine with handouts filled with Sanskrit, Tamil and English translations - pundits from the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam offer spiritual discourses - this is what I would love about a temple visit - to be able to listen peacefully to profound spiritual discourses and this temple offers this.

We stopped at that little temple once, I think. Was it the one on the grounds of Arsha Vidya Gurukula? I liked it.

 

[Maya3]

Thank you all for your comments!
It´s nice to hear what you like to do.

My temple is very small, so unless it´s a holiday it´s not packed at all.
Holidays though it is impossible to meditate there.

Maya

 

[Vinayaka]

Holidays though it is impossible to meditate there.

Maya

Odd as it may sound, I actually like 'meditating' (japa rounds actually) amidst noise. There is another level of concentration needed and it seems to help. Not as easy as ocean waves, but still nice. Much more difficult if its just two people having a conversation in the background.

 

[Viraja]

We stopped at that little temple once, I think. Was it the one on the grounds of Arsha Vidya Gurukula? I liked it.

Yes, that is correct - the same Dakshinamoorthy temple in Arsha Vidhya Gurukulam - though small the deity is very powerful, one should visit there during adverse Guru transits as a must! Numerous people (including myself) do prarthana for getting good jobs even during difficult times (like the 2000-2003 period) and have been successful!

 

[Gaura Priya]

What do you do when you are at temple?
Do you follow the ritual or do you sit and meditate when the puja is going on?
Do you understand enough Sanskrit to understand the prayers?
Do you wish they were in English so they would be easier to understand?

On a Sunday, the temple that I attend has a very regular schedule. I generally begin at Gaura Arati (Arti to Sri Chaitanya), then listen to the lecture on the Gita (since it is generally in English!), sing and dance during Hare Krishna kirtana, and then help out for prasadam.

Most of the kirtanas in Gaudiya Vaishnavism are in Sanskrit or Bengali and are generally accompanied by romanisation, so they are generally not too hard to follow!

I generally only attend temple once in a while and holy days. Gaura Purnima (Sri Chaitanya's birthday) is coming soon for me!

I will come out for random darshana though... which is always amazing!

 

[Maija]

I generally only attend temple once in a while and holy days. Gaura Purnima (Sri Chaitanya's birthday) is coming soon for me!

I'll have to look up the date, how do you usually celebrate this day

On a Sunday, the temple that I attend has a very regular schedule. I generally begin at Gaura Arati (Arti to Sri Chaitanya), then listen to the lecture on the Gita (since it is generally in English!), sing and dance during Hare Krishna kirtana, and then help out for prasadam.

Sounds like my kind of party ! I wish I lived near such a place, God willing if I move to Berkeley !
Which is of course the plan .

:tigger:

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Do you understand enough Sanskrit to understand the prayers?

I can follow a little. Many of the prayers I am also familiar with. Those particular words of many of the passages that are commonly repeated In my temple. So I get most of those prayers.

Do you wish they were in English so they would be easier to understand?

No! You don't get the same feeling from English. Sanskrit has a spirituality to it when chanted.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I'll have to look up the date, how do you usually celebrate this day


Sounds like my kind of party ! I wish I lived near such a place, God willing if I move to Berkeley !
Which is of course the plan .

:tigger:

Well, to celebrate Sri Gaura-Purnima, we fast until moonrise (I generally to Ekadashi fast until that day, but many only take water), and then serve a big feast. Generally there is lots of kirtan, and it should always be celebrated with the retelling of Sri Chaitanya's Pastimes (Gaura-lila) when He was on Earth!

We also do abhishekha of the Gaura-Nitai Deities, or any Deity forms of Sri Chaitanya and His Associates!

Going to temple should always be a joyful affair, that is for sure. We are there not to see God, but that God can see us!

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

What do you do when you are at temple?

Usually participate in puja, do pradakshina, respect to Durga Mata, GaneshJi, Sri Murugan, Sri Hanuman, and japa to ShivLing

Do you follow the ritual or do you sit and meditate when the puja is going on?

Last time I tried to follow the rituals I was refused to have blessings....

Do you understand enough Sanskrit to understand the prayers?

What the priest say yes, a little. But bhajans and devotionnal hymns are in Tamil, and I don't understand Tamil

Do you wish they were in English so they would be easier to understand?

No. prayers and words are more powerful in sanskrit, the power is in their sound. If not understanding sanskrit bother me, then I guess I'll have to learn some basic words.
However just a translation to know what the words mean exactly is cool for me.


I don't really go to temple often...I go rarely. For many reasons I can't worship at temple...The only temple here is far away from where I live, and the last time I got there wasn't a good experience, nor a good welcoming.

However I do love Tamil temple. It's completely different from here ! I can feel the energy and God inside. Every inch is covered in God. You can feel it. And priest and devotees are very welcoming and helpful...
...Yes, I definitely love Tamil temples


Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[Vinayaka]

Temples really do vary a ton. Just as Hinduism, philosophically, is so vast, so are the customs at temples. But its also true that the chord of resonance with a particular deity/temple varies from person to person, day to day, etc. Normally I prefer a certain kind of temple, but sometimes I'll go into a different one, not my sect, and just get overwhelmed by the presence. One never knows what feelings you can get, and where - especially when you enter with an open mind/open heart.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

This is an older thread but my question is related so I thought I"d post it here rather then open a new thread.

At the temple I currently go to, I am a little unsure of how to go about taking prasad. After the puja I'm used to fruit or nuts being given by the priest to all in attendance. But here it has never been offered to me after the puja. Twice, another devotee who was sponsoring the puja passed out fruit, but that was it. There is a bowl of fruit, one for nuts and one for rock candy near the shrine but I have never taken anything even when I bring fruit to offer because I don't know if I should. I see no one else take anything so I figure the safest thing is "monkey see, monkey do."

Am I missing some kind of cue? Or am I supposed to ask for prasad? I feel like I shouldn't take anything that isn't offered to me.

:camp:

 

[Vinayaka]

This is an older thread but my question is related so I thought I"d post it here rather then open a new thread.

At the temple I currently go to, I am a little unsure of how to go about taking prasad. After the puja I'm used to fruit or nuts being given by the priest to all in attendance. But here it has never been offered to me after the puja. Twice, another devotee who was sponsoring the puja passed out fruit, but that was it. There is a bowl of fruit, one for nuts and one for rock candy near the shrine but I have never taken anything even when I bring fruit to offer because I don't know if I should. I see no one else take anything so I figure the safest thing is "monkey see, monkey do."

Am I missing some kind of cue? Or am I supposed to ask for prasad? I feel like I shouldn't take anything that isn't offered to me.

:camp:

Not sure about there, but my temple never offers prasad in the temple itself, but the prasad offered to the Gods is taken downstairs to the cultural hall, where devotees help themselves.

Monkey see, monkey do is a good idea I think. You could also ask the priest or a regular there.

 

[Sb1995]

Not sure about there, but my temple never offers prasad in the temple itself, but the prasad offered to the Gods is taken downstairs to the cultural hall, where devotees help themselves.

Monkey see, monkey do is a good idea I think. You could also ask the priest or a regular there.

What about in south Indian temples ( the ones I've been to ) before you leave the pundit puts a gold like crown thing on your head and gives you blessed/holy water.

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

What about in south Indian temples ( the ones I've been to ) before you leave the pundit puts a gold like crown thing on your head and gives you blessed/holy water.

That's a shrIvaiShNava thing, the shaThAri (crown) represents rAma's pAdukA-s which were given to one of his younger brothers, bharata:

 

[Vinayaka]

What about in south Indian temples ( the ones I've been to ) before you leave the pundit puts a gold like crown thing on your head and gives you blessed/holy water.

That's purely a Vaishnava tradition, and you'll find it in the 'mixed' temples here in the west. I don't know the significance for sure, but I presume it's something to do with Vishnu blessing you. And, yes, you do get theertham,which was water used in abhishekham.

 

[Sb1995]

That's purely a Vaishnava tradition, and you'll find it in the 'mixed' temples here in the west. I don't know the significance for sure, but I presume it's something to do with Vishnu blessing you. And, yes, you do get theertham,which was water used in abhishekham.

It happened to me at this temple .Welcome to Sri Siva Satyanarayana Swami Temple, Mississauga, Canada