Temples- The Source of Spiritual Energy

Intoduction

About ten days back while visiting the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati on the day of Guru Parab, I was stunned to see the religious feverish and spirit with which the people visit the temples. I started questioning the importance and the role of these institutions in our lives. I wonder why  we really do need these places. Why have so much investment in terms of money time and faith been put in these places from the time immemorial. Are really these places so relevant in our lives today as they might have been earlier. These and barrage of other questions constantly keep coming to my mind and soul day in and out.

However in spite of all the above questions I know that these have very important place in my life and life of all others who keep on visiting these places because of the unlimited attraction and energy they rejuvenate in us every time we even think of it. The unknown attraction or close call from the divine makes me eager to visit such places time and again.

From time immemorial, not only in our Hindu culture, but in all the cultures and civilizations, temples or the place of worship have been assigned a very revered position. All the religions and civilization have recognized the importance of these institutions and have developed around these structures only.

In our country specifically temples had important role to play in the evolution of social and moral values over the centuries. The fervour with which the temple have been built across the country can be judged from the fact that big or small temple are found across the length and breadth of the country. Even in villages we will find the temples that have been built would be much better than the ordinary place of living of the people. These temples are built of costly material and are often much more expensive than the cost of all houses in these villages put together. All the above facts point to the importance of these institutions in our lives.

Science Behind Building of the Temples

Visiting temple or the place of worship infuses not only feeling of bhakti/ faith  in the life of a person. Atleast for myself I can definitely say visit to temple is not only for fulfilment of the instinctive bhakti, but has lot more to with rejuvenating myself with spiritual energy from time to time. Really every visit to temple is like having a dip in unlimited ocean of spiritual energy which keeps one moving through the up and downs in the normal life. Secondly the feeling of association not with a particular cult or religion but with the divine/ Supreme God creates feeling of belongingness to such places and most of the time you find it more pleasurable here than in your own home. So what is exactly the secret behind all such feeling and thoughts. Can there be any scientific explanation to all this.

I have read that even westerners who had visited India found it quite amazing that how the people in these temples in India appeared to be so satisfied and more contended without any materialistic pleasures around. These questions and many other issues have forced me to dwell on the subject matter in this article.

As per Isa Upanishad “isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam jagat” meaning "Everything, all things, all living beings, even that which you consider as dead, has an incipient presence of consciousness sleeping there." or “ The complete manifest universe is enveloped by the divine”. The said sutra clearly depicts the universal character of the Supreme God, and when the said consciousness is treated in the form of energy then the same sutra can be said to imply “whole universe is nothing but divine consciousness or energy” Even after detailed research and deliberations scientists and physicists around the world have agreed that world is nothing but energy and that is the basic concept propounded by the Einstein while stating the mass energy relationship.

With  the concept of the energy, we would like to build up the philosophy of the serene and energy charged environment of within the temple. The temples are nothing but are outcome of sadhana of the great rishi’s (seer’s) who have through their sadhana contemplated each and every aspect with regards to energising the place. These sadhaks knew every thing starting from the moorty (idol) to the outer architecture needs to be energised.

The moorty (idol) is installed in the temple with the process known as “pran pratistha” which is nothing but energising the idol so that it vibrates in a lively manner and radiates out the divine energy all along. Then they energize the adjoining water source such as tank or river. Thereafter by the process of deepak (lamp), havan, dhoop (incense stick) fire or agni is installed. The vibrant mantras, puja and aarti’s fill the air or the vacant space in the temple and it vibrates with the energy of these mantras. Thereafter it is established in the space and architectural supra-structure built. The architecture is so as created in the dome shape over the garbh grih (sanctum sanctorum) so that it acts as store house of divine energy. The chosen architecture allow the temple to hold enormous amount of energy so that when these sadhaks and enlightened masters perform their sadhana in and around the temple, enlightened universal divine energy gets installed throughout every structure in the temple. It is just because of the presence of the universal divine energy, in the temple created by these sadhaks and maintained by the regular pujas and chants that lesser mortal like me too can feel the presence of divine while in the temple.

Idol or Moorty:

            In most of the temples it is seen that large moorties (idols) of the diety are installed also a number of such moorties are installed. These moorties can be of the deities or others. But in the temple it will be seen that normally it will be too difficult to see through the entire moorty in one go. There is very spiritual reason behind having such large moorties. As have been stated earlier all these moorties are established by a process called ‘pran pratishta’ and are vibrating with the divine energy. Every part, every inch of the idol vibrates with the divine energy. So when one sees the moorty as he concentrates from the part to part of it on his agya chakra ‘middle of the two eye brows’ he is able to establish the connect between flow of the divine energy from the parts of idols with his own energy chakras, and experience the presence of divine.

Conclusion: