| RITUALS AND MANTRAS Rituals :
A person lives and dies and in-between what he lives is life.
Rishi Kindam describes 3 types of debts in Mahabharat :
Life according to Rishi Kindam is like a river which flows between 2 banks right and wrong. This river known as life includes both right and wrong a good person is a person who takes right and does not let a drop of wrong fall on his clothes just like a swan who separates milk from water.
When right comes in hands a person realizes that he has some debts and before leaving this world he has to clear three debts.
These three debts are Dev Rin, Rishi Rin and Pitru Rin.
Without clearing this 3 Rins (debts) a person should not leave this world and of a person does so then his life get's insulted and wasted.
A person not clearing these debts is considered to by running away from Lord Vishnu, Shiv and Brahma. Lord Vishnu, Shiv and Brahma are supreme truth and where would a person run from them and go as the end of his journey is supreme truth (god).
Pind Daad and Shraddh is carried out as per the procedures laid down in the books and shastras written by Maha Rishis. It gives satisfaction to the Pitrus. Performance of Pind Daan, Shraddh and Tarpan (libations of water) relieves the hunger and thirst of the departed soul during its journey to the Pitru Lok. By the offering of the Shraddh, the son helps his father to dwell in joy with the Pitris.
Our ancestors are not only our family members or relatives, but also our teachers, mentors, role models, friends, and guardians, who have contributed to our welfare and growth in this or previous life. This creates an implied obligation on us to respect them and their parental desires and calls for following good deeds. If by any chance this is not followed by anyone, it may embarrass the souls of the ancestors, which, in turn, becomes Pitru Dosh.
How Pitru Dosh occurs :
There are many ways by which Pitru Dosh can occur. According to general information from various Puran, Pitru Dosh occurs when the soul of our ancestors and departed forefathers does not get peace (shanti) due to any of the following main reason, and there may be others.
It is stated in the ancient text that Pitru Dosh occurs if any ancestors up to the 7th generation on the father side and up to the 4th generation on the mother side have expired at an early age or have had an unnatural death.
The effect of Pitru Dosh can also be found using the Vedic Astrology.
It is believed that satisfying our ancestors and forefathers, we can have their blessings for peaceful and happy life. For the peace of the souls of our ancestors it is advices to perform shraddh. Shraddh is the ritual and ceremony performed for the departed souls of our ancestors.
The most widely accepted special ritual or puja for Pitru Dosh is NARAYAN BALI PUJA. This puja is performed only at few prescribed places such as :
It is very important to note that the puja have to be performed at the mentioned places.
Pind Daan is just one concept of various hindu rituals but it is covered here as it is the most important concept.
Rituals and Mantras :
This profound statement explains the motive behind the Indian rituals and mantras. If there is a strong evidences in the Veds that there is only one God, the supreme force why are there so many gods and goddesses? The answer lies in the functional character of Hinduism to be symbolical to help an ordinary man understand the scheme of the cosmos in human terms. Just as different men have different roles to perform God too has been fragmented into different entities that perform different roles. It is through these strong symbols that Hinduism teaches us to learn to respect nature and its values.
One may worship and believe god in any form or shape but he is one and resides in a concept called faith. It may sound abstract but the truth is that the supreme force which is the source of all life exists if you believe that it exists. That is why it is said that faith can move mountains.
One reason why Hindu principles are often misunderstood is that some Sanskrit words do not have a perfect English translation. For example the word 'religion' is different from the word 'Dharm' or 'Dharma'. Dharm means 'righteous path 'the true path. Dharma is the act of following Dharm.
The veds tell us time and again that all that is there to be known is the human mind. One has to just tap this mind that is an ocean of information. But most of us search outside ourselves for information and pleasure. Everything that Hinduism has prescribed has a direct relation to the human body. The rituals, the hymns chanted in a particular way, everything has an effect on the body and mind.
Rituals and mantras create good vibrations and purify the air. The words with their vowels and consonants pronounced in the right manner produce a series of sound waves that have a positive effect on mind and body. Hindu rituals have always used the body as a physical medium to reach the intangible mind. This in essence is not very different from the new age approach to general well being.
Fundamentally we are spirit or soul contained in a physical body. The body is mere vehicle on terra formal. It is the mind that is crucial. You are what you are because of your mind. The body fools us into believing that it is the defining element. The duty of the mind is to realize the link with the rest of the universe. It is this state of resonance between the entity called "you" and the universe, that the sages called supreme state of being.
Hymns and mantras and yagnas involve creating fire or filling the air with pleasant smell. All along one have good reasons to believe that sages were creating pretences for the common man to clean the air and the area around him. This in turn helps his composure greatly.
Just like how rituals help simple people practice, if not comprehend, spiritualism, puranic stories and myths do a similar deed. Rituals and myths teach people to be good human beings. A good thought, a good story, a good imagination, a good illusion, a good company, always cause good vibrations, which enhance a good thought or even create a good thought. The importance of good vibration is underscored by the fact that we are a magnetic field and everything around us, positive or negative has a bearing on our cells.
A good vibration or a good thought activates our cells and creates harmony in the body. Vibrations caused by chanting of mantras or hymns, function as a tonic that the body, mind, soul is in much need of.
Since the physical body is merely a container and the soul is the spirit, what influences us in reality are not physical reactants but spiritual and intangible.
The manifestations of all the gods found in Hinduism, are found in Man. Man himself is the embodiment of all Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv. It's Man who is the centre of spirituality, not God. The images of Gods and heaven create an energy level inside us which take us closer to greater understanding of the universe.
The paths to higher levels of mental growth are often hinted at in many ways in Hindu mythology. For example Lord Shiva's dance or thandav, is a form of meditation, which takes the mind to unbelievable corridors of power.
All thoughts, words, consonants, remain in the ether. The aftermath of a conversation is the lingering sound waves. A good pleasing wave or a loud jarring one has its own impact. This is not a tall spiritual theory. In every day life, one can feel the impact of music or sound.
Inexplicably, some music, to some people, is serene, some are like lullabies, and some makes us dance aggressively. Even pleasant words and compliments condition our moods. A reprimand, an abuse almost ruins our spirit. Why do we react this way? It's all because of the vibrations in the air that hit us and pass through the body, connecting briefly with the mind within. To understand the mysteries of human life, one has to observe the obvious first. Strange things happen right in front of our eyes.
It's just that our eyes have to be open.
Man is a victim of his own thoughts and actions. He feels the pangs of desire, what is desired is seldom achieved, what is not desired comes to the door steps, and we do not know whether what we desire is what is good for us. It is in the middle of all this that we try to understand a supreme force in human terms.
Yantras
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Shri
Yantra
Yantra are 'instruments', or more simply 'symbols', usually used to focus the mind. Traditionally they are used in Eastern mysticism to balance the mind or focus it on a spiritual concept. The act of wearing, drawing, or concentrating on a yantra is said to have spiritual or astrological or magical benefits.
A mystic diagram composed of geometric and alphabetic figures - usually etched on small plates of gold, silver or copper, Sometimes rendered in three dimensions in stone or metal.
The purpose of a yantra is to focus spiritual and mental energies according to computer-like yantric pattern, be it for health, wealth, childbearing or the invoking of one God or another. It is usually installed near or under the temple Deity. Psychically seen, the temple yantra is a magnificent three-dimensional edifice of light and sound in which the devas work.
Why 108 beads :
On a mala, or set of mantra counting beads, there are generally 108 beads, or some fraction of that number. The question often arises: Why are there 108 beads on a mala?
Below are some of the many reasons that have been given for having 108 beads on a mala, as well as a few other points of interest. None of these reasons are being promoted here as more or less true than the others. However, you may notice that 108 appears to be somewhat like a road map of reality in general, and the human in particular.
Regardless of the meaning of 108, it is important that if a mala is used to count mantras, the mantra be remembered with sincerity, devotion, feeling, and full attention.
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