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Bhakti Yoga
The path of devotion
Bhakti: emotional
and loving devotion to a god or gods. A loving relationship between the
worshiper and that which is worshipped.
(cf: Western worship of
praise, thanksgiving, and supplication to God is Bhakti)
Introducing puja: [view
this brief, online video clip]
Any one of the gods,
goddesses or their various aspects or associated deities might be worshipped by
a Hindu as their favored deity and/or at any particular time for a given
purpose. When one is in need of good fortune one might make an offering to
Lakshmi. When one is beginning a new endeavor one might make an offering to
Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Many of the gods are geographically favored,
they have a history associated with a particular region of India.
Sects:
Typically, Brahma is not a primary focus of devotion. Rather,
Vishnu, Shiva or
the feminine Shakti are the three main devotional sects of Hinduism.
focus their devotions on Shiva and/or those deities related to Shiva
Vaishnavites
focus their devotions on Vishnu and/or those deities and incarnations
associated with Vishnu. The Hare Krishnas (ISKCON) who view Krishna as
the supreme godhead are Vaishnavites.
Shaktas
focus their devotions on the feminine divine (Shakti) - the goddess Kali
is a favorite in either her motherly or ferocious form.
A fourth sect - Smartas
- tends more toward a philosophical rather than devotional approach
The
four sects in contrast (chart)
Temples and Shrines:
Shrines containing images of the gods appear all over India: not only in Temples
but also in homes and even on the streets. Take a pilgrimage of Hindu temples on-line
(temples devoted to Devi, the Divine Mother)
-
Typically, a temple
compound will have any number of shrines dedicated to various deities.
Generally, there is the main shrine and a number of secondary shrines.
-
Attendance at
Temple worship is not a requirement or even a regular event for most Hindus.
The Temples are more like our city halls - they are there for when the Hindu
feels the desire to attend, most often for major festivals. There is no
regular "Sabbath" - the Temples are open every day and worshippers
come and go as they please.
-
Much of Hindu worship
takes place in home shrines presided over by the head of the
household as well as by more private, individual worship. Often this takes
place as part of the daily or weekly routine of the household.
View
a brief, online video clip showing puja being done at a household shrine
Images & Darsan ("to
see"): seeing concrete images of the deity is the central aspect of
Bhakti. The images are "visual theologies" (not unlike the stained
glass windows found in Christian churches).
Visit
the on-line gallery of images of Hindu deities
To go to a shrine and lay one’s eyes upon the image is to focus oneself on
the god or goddess - to encounter deity. In turn, through the eyes of the
image the deity encounters the worshipper. The eyes are thus the most
important aspect of the image. The artisans who create the images perform
holy work. Painting the eyes on the stone is the final act of consecrating
the stone.
[Learn
more about how the images are made]
[View
a brief, online video clip on Darsan]
The Activity of Worship:
Bhakti yoga is sensual - making full use of the senses. One sees the gods
in the images, one hears the sounds of bells and chanting, one smells
the incense, physical activity of making offerings, touching the image,
and even taste is involved.
The images are cared for lovingly by the Bhakta as if it were a child or a
doll. It is a playacting - an active, participatory devotion. The god/image
is awakened in the morning, bathed, fed, dressed and decorated, given gifts
of flowers and incense and, in the evening it is "put to bed" and
closed off behind a curtain. The images in one’s home shrine are treated
as a guest and the sixteen steps of worship include inviting the god to
visit, giving it food, shelter, gifts, an honored place to sit. In essence,
the entire activity of worship focused upon the image is symbolic of
inviting the god into the home of one’s own heart and soul.
How to do your own puja at home:
-
Priests:
In the temples priests officiate over the puja, presenting the various
offerings on behalf of the worshipper and performing the literal
"service" to the gods whether or not there are people there to
participate through observation. Various substances are poured over the image
(libations) including milk, honey, sandalwood paste and other colorful and
scented liquids or semi-liquids. Passages from the Vedas are recited or
chanted while the various activities are going on. Observers may participate
in this recitation or may simply revel in the sights, sounds and smells of
serving the needs of the deity.
brief
video clip of a priest making offerings to the deities
-
Prasad:
As part of the Puja, food stuffs are offered to the gods and are thus
sanctified (blessed, made holy - from the Latin Sanctus meaning sacred,
the same root from which we get "sacrament" and "saint").
The food is thus imbued with the essence of the deity. At the end of the Puja
this sanctified food is distributed to and ingested by the observing
worshippers. In this way the worshipper ingests the essence of the god into
his or her own being.
What act of worship in
Western religion is similar to Prasad?*
In all these ways, the
worshipper involves him or herself in the act of worship. It is an outer,
physical activity with an inner spiritual effect.
Above noted video clips are Excerpted
from Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion,
© 1995, Smithsonian Institution. You
can learn
more about puja at the Smithsonian Website.
The entire 12 minute video is available for viewing at the Woodbridge campus
library (on reserve) and can be purchased from the Sackler Gallery gift shop.
However, worship is not the
only spiritual activity the Hindu will pursue. There are other kinds of Yoga -
other ways to seek union with the divine through various spiritual
disciplines...
*Christian
communion meal
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