| Symbols We Live With | |
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Vedic rituals, like the 'Yagna' and 'Puja', as said Rishi Aurobindo, are "attempts to fulfill the purpose of creation and elevate the status of man to that of a godhead or a cosmic man". Puja is essentially a ritual suggestive of symbolic offering of our lives and activities to God.
Symbolic
Significance of Puja Items
Every object associated with the ritual of Puja or worship is symbolically significant.
The statue or image of the deity, which is called 'Vigraha' (Sanskrit: 'vi'+
'graha') means something that is devoid of the ill effects of the planets or
'grahas'. The flower that we offer to the deity stands for the good that has
blossomed in us. The fruits offered symbolize our detachment, self-sacrifice
and surrender, and the incense we burn collectively stands for the desires we
have for various things in life. The lamp we light represents the light in us,
that is the soul, which we offer to the Absolute. The vermilion or red powder
stands for our emotions.
The
Lotus
The
holiest of flowers for Hindus, the beautiful lotus is symbolic of the true soul
of an individual. It represents the being, which lives in turbid waters yet
rises up and blossoms to the point of enlightenment. Mythologically speaking,
lotus is also a symbol of creation, since Brahma, the creator came forth from
the lotus that blooms from the navel of Vishnu. It is also famous as the symbol
of BJP - the Hindu Right-wing political party of India, the familiar lotus position
in meditation and yoga, and as the
national India and Bangladesh.
The
Purnakumbha
An
earthen pot or pitcher - called 'Purnakumbha' - full of water, and with fresh
mango leaves and a coconut atop it, is generally placed as the chief deity or
by the side of the deity before starting a Puja. Purnakumbha literally means
a 'full pitcher' (Sanskrit: 'purna' = full, 'kumbha' = pot). The pot symbolizes
mother earth, the water life-giver, the leaves life and the coconut divine consciousness.
Commonly used during almost all religious rites, the pitcher also stands for
goddess Lakshmi.
Fruits
& Leaves
The
water in the Purnakumbha and the coconut have been objects of worship since
the Vedic age. The coconut (Sanskrit: Sriphala = God's fruit) alone is also
used to symbolize 'God'. While worshipping any deity, a coconut is almost always
offered along with flowers and incense sticks. Other natural objects that symbolize
divinity are the betel leaf, the areca-nut or betel-nut, banyan leaf and the
leaf of 'bel' or vilva tree.
Naivedya
or Prasad
It is our ignorance ('avidya') which we offer to the deity in a Puja. The food
symbolically stands for our ignorant consciousness, which we place before god
for spiritual enlightenment. After he suffuses it with knowledge and light and
breathes a new life into our bodies, it makes us divine. When we share the prasad
with others, we share the knowledge we thus gained with fellowbeings.
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