Indian
Culture and Traditions
The USD
20 Billion Indian Gym For The MIND
By Ram Lingam
By Ram Lingam
More than $20 billion worth of wealth in a temple! That’s
the account of hidden wealth in the 8th century Shree Ananta
Padmanābhaswāmy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. But this abundance
of wealth is not unusual in the history of some Indian temples. While
ancient Indian temples were built as spiritual gymnasiums for the mind,
they also had enormous wealth to consistently provide an opportunity for
spiritual development. But there are other types of wealth in the ancient
Indian temples that are much more valuable than its material wealth.
What’s that?
India has thousands of temples
that are thronged by millions of people. If there is anything great and
concrete that has survived the rigors and ravages of time in India, it is
its temples. Of the thousands, there are many ancient temples which have
a deep history and fascinating traditions. It is here that famous sages
got their Darshan (ultimate insight) of the ‘Absolute Truth’. The
word Mandir comes from Sanskrit root Mandaté, which means to be filled
with transcendent emotion, to delight, to shine.
India has many spectacular
temples that have found a place in the World Heritage list. These include the Sun Temple
at Konārk in Odisha (previously known as Orissa), Khajurāho
Temples in Madhya Pradesh, Ajantā Cave
temples & Kailāshnath temple in Ellora, Mahārāshtra, Brihadeswara Temple
in Tanjavuur and Sānchi Stupa in Bhopal.
Every ancient temple in India
gives a glimpse of the continuous Indian civilisation and speaks of a golden
era when India
was at the vanguard of civilization. They were such great storehouses of
wealth that barbarous invaders like Mahmud of Ghazni invaded the Somnath
temple in Gujarat 17 times only to loot the temple’s wealth every time. It
is said Mahmud’s loot was worth some 20-million Dinars (1200 years ago).
It is well known that the Portuguese traveler Vasco Da Gama also looted
from India’s
temples and sailed back with ships full of gold.
The Shree Ananta Padmanābhaswāmy temple caught our
attention not for of its heritage but due to the hidden wealth (more than
Rs.1,00,000 crores = over $20 billion) which incidentally is more than India's annual
education budget. Overnight this temple is touted as the richest temple
in India,
if not in the world. A newspaper report says that this wealth would
easily displace the Vatican,
which is estimated to own about $15 billion in wealth. Some say this
wealth could be over worth over $100 billion.
Anyway, it was this Shree Ananta Padmanābhaswāmy
temple that gave its name to Kerala’s state capital Thiruvananthapuram
(mispronounced as Trivandrum) which is made up of 3 words - ‘Thiru’ +
‘Anantha’ + ‘Puram’ meaning “Sacred Abode of Lord Anantha Padmanābha” who
is the main deity of the temple.
Three types of temple wealth…
It is generally observed that many ancient and big temples had three types of wealth – (1) the deity (2) the cultural assets like architecture, art, artifacts etc and (3) material wealth that belongs to the temple like land, gold, money that can be made liquid cash etc.
It is generally observed that many ancient and big temples had three types of wealth – (1) the deity (2) the cultural assets like architecture, art, artifacts etc and (3) material wealth that belongs to the temple like land, gold, money that can be made liquid cash etc.
The temple primarily exists because of the deity.
Normally the history of the temple (found in its sthala purāna) explains
why the temple exits in the first place. The ‘deity’ and the ‘cultural
assets’ pass from generation to generation and these two types of wealth
are considered much more valuable and mystical than the material
wealth ($20 billion+!!) belonging to the deity.
The first and the greatest wealth of any temple is
the “deity” who is invoked and worshipped by devotees as the manifestation
of the one Supreme God. In Vedic tradition, there is no greater wealth
than God. Hence God is addressed as ‘Bhagavān’ meaning one who has
infinite ‘bhaga’ i.e. ‘opulence’. Bhagavān is one who has all the 6 kinds
of opulences that of richness, fame, strength, influence, beauty and
wisdom. Pretty much all wealth is covered including material wealth.
The name of
the deity speaks volume of the eternal nature of Godhead. In the Shree
Padmanābhaswāmy temple, the deity is Lord Vishnu. ‘Vishnu’ is derived from
the root word ‘Viś’ meaning
"presence everywhere" (as God pervades everything i.e. vevesti, he
is called Vishnu). The root ‘Vis’ also
means to enter. Masters have explained that “That which pervades
everything is Vishnu” just like Gold pervades all gold ornaments. Lord
Vishnu is personified in a unique symbology called ‘Padmanabha’ meaning
‘Lotus-navelled’ which has deep and esoteric meaning.
The deity being central, the temple complex and
design, its art and Vedic architecture form the second type of wealth
i.e. the temple’s cultural assets. This also includes the esoteric
traditions, the mystical diagrams, installed yantras which function as
revelatory conduits of eternal truths, the secrets and life lessons hidden
in the sculptures, the legends, the miracles, the traditions, the
spiritual iconography, the gopuram with all the symbolic carvings etc.
These symbolic and metaphorical arts bring to light
the universal meanings of truth beneath the ancient exterior which is
extolled to be much more enduring that material wealth. These are the
real subtle wealth that temples provide free of charge to devotees.
Thus ancient Indian temples were not only places of
invocation and worship but also art which was considered as an expression
of the divine. The major temples in ancient India were more known for
their encouragement of arts and learning than just places of worship.
Hence, in old Indian temples, all the amenities were available like hall,
performance areas, pond within the complex, art work, dorms and the
architects & sculptors made sure the public ultimately noticed the
messages through art.
Thus the spectrum of wealth originates from the
sanctum sanctorum (Garba Graha) right to the exterior art on the outer
boundaries of the temple. From the temple’s peripheral wall to the
deity’s central sanctorum is the invitation for the mind to take flight
from the gross to the subtlest. Art is the methodology used in this
mandir for spiritual development.
The mystical knowledge that the temple deity and the
exterior art present is the real wealth that seems to miss our attention
in the glare of the material world. No government, trust board or King
can claim this. It is available ‘free’ for anybody who is interested in the
timeless essence. No lawsuit is necessary to claim this.
The
author is from Mumbai, India and has made New Zealand
his home for more than a decade. He is a keen Indology enthusiast and has
specific interest in the wisdom traditions and perennial philosophy of India
“ Temples are places where
you practice what you have studied in the scriptural textbooks. They are
gymnasiums for the mind. You have to go
there and apply your mind to the ideal; remember, it is a mental
gymnasium. Not a physical one. Surrender the mind in devotion unto the
Lord. He will purify it and return it
back to you in better shape.”
- H. H.
Sri Swami Chinmayananda
Significance Of
Religious Sysmbols
By Sanjeev Nayyar
On my way to Mount
Kailash, I saw every truck in Tibet had a
Swastika symbol. I had seen the same symbol in India too, shops, homes etc.
Surprisingly none of the group members could douse my curiosity. This prompted
me to read about the significance of symbols.
OM or Pranava is the universally accepted symbol of Hinduism. It is the
first word of chants in the form of Om Namah Shivay by Saivites, Om Namo
Arihantanam, Om Namo Sidhhayam etc by Jains, Om Buddham Sharnanam Gaccahami, Om
Mani Padme Hum, by Buddhists. Literally Pranava means “That by which God is
effectively praised." It also means “That which is ever new." A man
is supposed to conquer his beastly nature by reciting the word Om.
Lord Krishna says in the Geeta that He is Om among words
and that all religious words are started with the repetition of Om. Anyone who chants Om
at the time of his death, simultaneously thinking of God, will attain the
highest truth. The Yogasatras declare that Pranava is the symbol of God and one
can attain Samadhi by its repetition and meditation on Him.
Aum represents the very essence of the Vedas. According to
some that A represents the waking state, U the sleeping state and M the deep
sleep state and the combination represents total consciousness. Om represents that Power responsible for creation,
development and dissolution of the universe, namely God himself.
In the Bible Aum is mentioned as the Word. “In the
beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
The exact parallel line in the Rig Veda reads “In the beginning was Brahman,
with whom was the word (Aum), and the Word was truly the Supreme Brahman."
Sivalanga
Literally Siva means auspciousness and Linga means symbol. Therefore Sivalinga is a symbol of the great God of the universe. Siva also means One in whom the whole creation sleeps after dissolution. According to Hinduism it is the same God who creates, sustains and withdraws the Universe, Sivalanga represents God himself.
Literally Siva means auspciousness and Linga means symbol. Therefore Sivalinga is a symbol of the great God of the universe. Siva also means One in whom the whole creation sleeps after dissolution. According to Hinduism it is the same God who creates, sustains and withdraws the Universe, Sivalanga represents God himself.
The Lingas installed in temples are called Achala Lingas
and have three parts. The lowest part represents Brahma, the middle part
Vishnu. The Rudrabhaga which is cylinderical and projects outside is the one
that is worshipped.
Srichakra
The Srichakra is the most widely used symbol by followers of the Sakti Cult (followers of the Divine Mother). It is a geometrical diagram representing the form pattern of the Goddess.
The Srichakra is the most widely used symbol by followers of the Sakti Cult (followers of the Divine Mother). It is a geometrical diagram representing the form pattern of the Goddess.
Though the consorts of the Trinity ie Saraswati of Brahma,
Lakshmi of Vishnu, Parvati of Shiva are the main deities it is the various
aspects of Parvati that are most widely worshipped. Durga, Kali, Lalitha are
the three forms of Parvati.
The Lotus
The Lotus bud is born in water and unfolds itself into a beautiful flower. It is taken as a symbol of the Universe coming out of the sun. It rises from the navel of Vishnu and is the seat of Brahma the creator. Hence the sacredness associated with it.
The Lotus bud is born in water and unfolds itself into a beautiful flower. It is taken as a symbol of the Universe coming out of the sun. It rises from the navel of Vishnu and is the seat of Brahma the creator. Hence the sacredness associated with it.
The Sun
Being the giver of light, energy, life the Sun has become the symbol of the creator. The Gayatri Mantra has been addressed to God the creator in and through the orb of the sun. The sun also represents the cosmic sacrifice from which the whole creation has proceeded.
Being the giver of light, energy, life the Sun has become the symbol of the creator. The Gayatri Mantra has been addressed to God the creator in and through the orb of the sun. The sun also represents the cosmic sacrifice from which the whole creation has proceeded.
The Swastika
It is a symbol of auspiciousness. It has been used as a symbol of Sun or Vishnu. It also represents the world wheel, the eternally changing world round a fixed and unchanging centre.
It is a symbol of auspiciousness. It has been used as a symbol of Sun or Vishnu. It also represents the world wheel, the eternally changing world round a fixed and unchanging centre.
God Swastika
marks depicted on doors or walls of buildings are believed to protect them from
wrath of evil spirits or furies of nature.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to Sri Ramalingam ji, Sri Sanjeev Nayyar ji and hindu samskrit dot com for the collection)
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