With the hearing of the
review petitions on Sabarimala case about to commence, the restriction on women
of menstruating age is once again going to come under scanner. Also in focus
will be the ‘right to pray’, gender equality and non-discrimination owing to
biological characteristics. No sensible person would deny all these, but in the
context of temples of Hindu Gods, there is something that people do not seem to
know.
Temples are houses of
Gods established with certain rules and regulations aimed at giving certain
benefits to not just the devotee but to everyone in the vicinity. The extensive
Vaastu rules on the construction of temples and different worship methods for
different temples are the foremost indicators that there is something more than
what is seen outwardly. The tragedy of current times is that even Hindus
themselves are not aware that temples are meant for reverberating certain
benefits for the community at large while prayer is a mental exercise by a
person on the deity of his / her choice. One can pray even without an idol or a
temple to go. But violation of the temple rules causes the humanity to suffer.
In the light modern research on what happens in a temple and on issues
surrounding menstruation, we will be discussing here why the age old temple
traditions should not be violated. Let us begin with understanding what for the
temples were established.
Temple as a house.
Temples were there even
in Vedic times. The rules of building temples given by Varahamihira are
attributed to Vedic sages Manu and Garga. Temples are mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana
also. Rama too worshiped in a temple.
The temple was referred to as ‘Aayatana’ (आयतन) in his times. Valmiki says that
Rama and Sita slept in the house of Vishnu (श्रीमत्यायतने विष्णोः) on a bed of Kusa grass, on the
night before the proposed coronation. This might be intended to make them have
peaceful sleep, perhaps with pleasant dreams, as there is an injunction in the
texts on Svapna-phala (effects of dreams) that those who had a bad dream should
sleep in a temple. This shows that the temple environment can calm down a
person and give him peaceful sleep or a mind without disturbances.
A temple which calms
down the mind and helps in contemplation can also cause unwanted effects to a
person. Or why else are there injunctions in Vaastu texts that no residential
house should be built behind or in front of Shiva or Vishnu temple? Families
living in those places are supposed to get dissipated. It is for this reason
roads are found in the four cardinal directions around the temples. Similarly
residences within a radius of 200 yards of a temple of Shiva or Vishnu or
Shakti of Ganesa are supposed to suffer in specific ways. This kind of
injunctions could not have come into place without some rationale.
However this stricture
does not apply to the community at large living beyond the stipulated distances
and directions. This is ascertained from an adage in Tamil that says, “Never
live in place where there is no temple” (Koil illaa ooril kudi irukka
vendaam), implying that people would lose protection if they live in
a place where there is no temple! This conveys that temples are basically
for the welfare of the community. Perhaps keeping this in mind the olden kings
of South India established numerous temples but within the stipulated rules for
the benefit of the people.
Forms of the Supreme
Being.
Worship in a temple is
not the same as a mental worship of God which can happen at any place. Worship
of a deity housed in a temple is the last and the 5th form of the
Supreme Being among Its five forms available in cosmos. According to Hindu
Thought there is one God - the all pervading, the all knowing and the Infinite
entity. It is known as Brahman owing to the fact it
is ‘Brh’ which means huge and that which keeps growing. This
all-pervading Entity is manifest in 5 forms.
(1) Para –
the Omni present state
(2) Vyuha –
in the state of created Universe
(3) Vibhava –
as Avataras in this world.
(4) Antaryami –
the In-Dweller in every being as "one who controls from inside".
(5) Archa
murthy – as manifestation in Vigrahas, in temples and in Nature.
Depending on the mental
evolution, a person can make a connect with any one of these forms or move from
one form to another – in a single birth or in a series of births. The ultimate
realisation is the form known as Para – the omni present one in which
everything abides (Vasudeva sarvam iti– Gita 7-19). This includes one's own
Self (Tat tvam asi) too. Whether this Self becomes one with Brahman or
identical to Brahman is a matter of interpretation by different schools of
thought, but what cannot be denied is that this Self is in the nature of
Brahman and when it Realises this, it gets Liberated from the cycle of rebirth.
These five forms can be
understood by a comparison with water. Water is the basic necessity of life.
Even if there is no food, a person can survive on water. Similarly a person
survives solely on God who is manifest in 5 forms like how water is manifest in
5 forms.
Water is available in
Nature – first as clouds, in oceans, in rivers, in wells and in taps in one’s
house.
(1) Water of
the clouds cannot be consumed directly to quench the thirst. This is comparable
to Para manifestation. You realise that Para exists. You realise that Para
contains all seeds of water, but it's beyond your reach!
(2) Water
of the ocean cannot be drunk directly but without oceans water cycle
cannot be sustained. The Vyuha manifestation is similar to this. Without Vyuha
manifestation, worlds cannot come into existence and life cannot thrive. It is
difficult to use this level of manifestation, but a realisation of this
manifestation occurs once a person starts thinking about the way Brahman is
manifest.
(3) Rivers go
everywhere so that people at different places draw water from them. This is
comparable to Avataras of God which continue to exist for all times so that
people of different generations draw the essence from them and enrich
themselves. The knowledge of avataras and their purpose helps in improving the
awareness level of a person on the existence of God on how one has to fashion
one’s life to improve oneself.
(4) Water
in a well is used by the owner of the well. This is comparable to
Antaryami manifestation which is about a close or intimate and one- to
-one relationship with God. The all pervading God becomes a personal God in
this level who is recognised as one who resides within oneself. The water
analogy also would show how easy it is to draw water from a well which is one's
own. The personal God concept is the easiest way to drink 'water' of the Grace
of God and mature further towards Realisation of God.
(5) Tap
water. The water that descends from the cloud and goes into ground is drawn by
someone else and directed to reach us through the pipe lines in such a way that
all that we have to do is to just open the tap and drink water. This is
comparable to the Vigrahas or idol worship. Idol worship is the easiest way to
connect with God and draw His blessings. This is not the lowest form as it is
mentioned last, but it is the easiest form in which one can form a connect with
God and draw the energy. The water that initially originated in the clouds
finally reaches every home and every place in a single home, wherever you want,
through the taps. That is the benefit of idol worship.
Depending upon the
preferences of the house owner, the taps are fixed in his house from which he
draws the water whenever he wishes. The same rationale is applied to the
manifestation of numerous Gods in temples throughout our country.
Suppose you have to
cross a forest, don't worry, God is manifest there as Vana Kali to
give you protection.
Suppose you have to
cross a mountain, God is manifest as Muruga to guide you
safely.
Suppose you have to
cross a tough terrain full of dangers, Shiva's deputies Veera Bhadra or Bhairava would
be there to offer you safety.
In this way, many Gods
became manifest, each of them identified with a specific benefit for a
community or population in a location. In this way Muttharamman was
manifest in coastal regions from whom the pearl divers drew their strength
for pearl diving.
Maariyamman was
manifest wherever a threat of small pox was felt.
Sitalamma was
manifest when a threat of an epidemic was seen.
Village
deities were manifest to protect the villagers and boundary deities (Yellai
amman) were manifest to protect the boundary from enemies. The basic nature
in all these Gods and Goddesses is that they are easy-to-reach forms of Para –
like the availability of water from clouds to taps in your house.
The list of these
deities goes endless – in having sprung up in different time periods for
different reasons and they include human beings too who died under duress while
protecting someone or an entire community. In all these cases the deity is
given a form called ‘Vigraha’ and housed in a temple.
Vigraha means a special
embodiment. The root word is ‘graha’ which means ‘to bind’.
The physical form of Vigraha binds some special features – those of God Himself
so that it gives many benefits to the people who come to worship it. Rules and
regulations do exist on the choice of the place for the temple, the type of
building, the material used for making the Vigraha, the concept of the deity
and the form of the deity, whether It is single, married or a celibate. This is
how a temple with a deity has come into existence.
The one commonality in
all the temples – whether they are tribal or belonging to particular
communities or established through Vedic yajnas – is that the worship methods
and materials are the same. Water, flowers, fruits, incense and offerings are
part of worship in all the temples. Even during Ramayana times, the same had
existed as we read of Vasishtha calling ‘eligible’ persons (yogya) to gather at
temples and road junctions with rice, eatables, presents and garlands. (VR:
2-3-18).
The purpose being the
same – that of offering certain benefits to the community – it would be
interesting to know what exact benefits are drawn from the temples. There
exists just one experiment done on ‘temple science’ till date, though
many smaller experiments have been done but not publicised. A reading of it
along with certain other research findings solve the twin puzzle of why women
during menstruation stay away from temples and why women of menstruating age
stay away from Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.
What happens inside a
temple – a scientific revelation.
The following report
from ‘Indian Express’ published on 31st December, 1980 is
about a research that was conducted in a model garbha graha (sanctum
sanctorum) by a team of teachers and students from Parasakthi College of
Courtallam, Tamilnadu. The findings were displayed in HR and CE stall at the Tourist
Trade Fair held at Chennai then.
“Teachers and
students of Parasakthi College, Courtallam, through a set of
experiments using laboratory gadgets, make a scientific interpretation of the
chanting of slokas, abhisheka of the idol and offering of fruits and leaves.
"Temple worship has a definite scientific reasoning behind it",
the assistant professor in charge said.
First it is explained how there is a proportionate configuration to
the sanctum sanctorum and the idol it houses – the sanctorum is structured
in such a way that the idol in it reflects any sound wave to the
maximum effect.
A tuning fork is vibrated in the hall with little sound
reproduction, but when it is struck and placed before the entrance of a small
model sanctorum, a loud hum is heard. The forks invariably produce a sound
resembling the chant "OM".
The lecturer explained that among the various chants, "OM" had the
largest resonant effect and displaced a sizeable amount of atmosphere inside
the sanctum. This is possible only when the sanctum and the idol are made of
granite.
Next it is explained how the presence of negative
ions increases in moist condition rather in dry condition using a
condenser to infer why the sanctum sanctorum is always kept moist by pouring
water over the idol and washing it with water continuously.
Similarly the conduction of the stone idol also increases when it is
moist – this is demonstrated by comparing the conductivity of dry granite and
that of a wet idol.
The materials
used for the abhisheka of the idol increases the conductivity of the
stone through their own pH values. pH value of a substance is the negative
concentration of the ion it possesses. Most of the materials used
for abhisheka – milk, curd, sandal paste, turmeric powder, vermilion powder,
vibuthi have high pH values, a simple chemical experiment shows. And when they
are poured over the idol they increase the conductivity of the idol, also
ionizing it.
A resistance reading on the ohmmeter of the idol after these elements have been
poured shows the increased conductivity of the idol. The chanting of the
mantras and the more frequent "OM" sets the air column inside
vibrating and the highly sensitized idol conducts the ions of the abhisheka
substance to the moist atmosphere.
The lighting of camphor during the deeparadhna displaces the air, which
is partially charged with ions, and the devotees inside the sanctum inhale
these ions. These negative ions have the physiological function of fixing
oxygen with hemoglobin in the blood, the lecturer explained. They are
concentrated on beach shores and mountaintops in the early morning, which
explains doctor’s advice to heart patients for early morning beach walks.
In the final inference,
it is explained, a devotee’s presence in the sanctum during abhisheka
helps his system induct more negative ions than he usually inhales. A visit to
the temple is a good substitute for morning walk, the lecturer explained, and a
tonic for good health.
But with temples becoming overcrowded, it would not be a wonder if these
negative ions are submerged by the excessive carbon dioxide exhaled
in the packed sanctum which is meant to house only ten people at a time.
Similarly the chanting of "OM" has also been reduced to a mere
inaudible mumble, affecting its highly resonant quality."”
The final inference of
this experiment boils down to just one factor – the generation of negative ions
(anions). This has a direct correlation with higher pH value of the substances
used in abhisheka and puja inside the temple. The pH value refers
to two extremities with higher pH value
referring to more alkalinity and lower pH value referring to more acidity. This
experiment shows that temple worship conducted every day with six-time puja in
bigger temples and one to three time puja in all temples is continuously
churning out negative ions much like the air purifiers in pollution bound
areas. With rise in pollution levels, people are nowadays buying and installing
air purifiers in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, but Hindus from an undated past
had been purifying the air with negative ions in every region with the active
participation of everyone in the community.
(To be continued...)
