As Publisher of our magazine Hinduism Today, I have the opportunity to become involved in many interesting articles about Hinduism drawn from various traditions and taking place in countries around the world. Two years ago we published an article on Hinduism in Thailand. To many people's surprise, Thailand has a number of Hindu temples, one of them being a large Ganesha Temple in the financial district of Bangkok. Our reporter interviewed many Thai people who are, of course, generally Buddhist. He asked them why so many Thais worship regularly at the Hindu temples. The answer was, "The worship of Buddha helps us in a purely spiritual way, whereas the worship of the Hindu Gods help us in our daily life."
My Guru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, stressed this same idea: "Among all the wonderful Hindu Deities, Lord Ganesha is the closest to the material plane of consciousness, most easily contacted and most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns. Worship of Lord Ganesha leads the devotee most naturally to the other great Gods."
Many of the great saints and sages of Hinduism have had visions of Lord Ganesha and shared them with their devotees, thus strengthening the devotees' faith and understanding of the Gods of Hinduism.
In ancient times Auvaiyar, a woman mystic, had visions of Ganesha and wrote of her experiences in her devotional poem, including "Vinayaga Ahaval" where she writes, "Desiring to make me yours this instant, you, like a mother, have appeared before me and cut the delusion of unending births."
In modern times Sivaya Subramuniyaswami shared some of his mystical perspectives and experiences of Ganesha in his book Loving Ganesha: "There are a great many liberal Hindus and/or Western-influenced Hindus who don't think of Ganesha as a real being. To them He is a symbol, a superstition, a way of explaining philosophy to children and the uneducated. But this has not been my experience of our loving Lord. I have seen Him with my own eye. He has come to me in visions several times and convinced my lower mind of His reality."
We have arranged group pilgrimages to India since 1969, and some pilgrims on various programs had life-changing visions of Lord Ganesha, as well as other Deities. Such visions, born of the intensity of pilgrimage and inner striving, would often come in the form of the stone or bronze murti moving and smiling at them, or turning into an animated, human-like figure. Some devotees, with their eyes closed, inwardly saw the Deity's face, as real as any living being.
Though few have had such a powerful vision, in the year 1995 hundreds of thousands of Hindus experienced first hand the widely publicized milk miracle in temples around the world, watching as devotees offered milk to murtis of Lord Ganesha, who actually drank the milk as world media and cameras recorded the remarkable happening. This surely increased many people's faith in the reality of Lord Ganesha.
Knowing that the Gods are real beings and that the purpose of going to the temple is to experience their blessings is what transforms the temple from a cultural hall to a truly sacred place. In speaking in temples, Gurudeva would often explain that the stone or metal Deity images are not mere symbols of the Gods; they are the form through which their love, power and blessings flood forth into this world.
Though a few devotees may be blessed with a rare vision, the more common way we experience the Gods and devas is as an uplifting, peaceful, divine energy, or shakti, that radiates out from the image. It is easiest to feel their blessings at the high point of the puja, when the flame is held high, or after the puja in a quiet moment of reflection. The blessings or shakti of Lord Ganesha is a gentle, soothing force. Such a subtle encounter with the Lord of Obstacles has the power to bring us into the secure consciousness of the muladhara chakra, the force center of memory where Lord Ganesha resides, and thus rise above the lower emotions of fear and anger.
There is a Tamil saying, "Ganesha is my support," "Ganapati tunai," which conveys the idea that Lord Ganesha influences everything in our life for the better. You can develop a close relationship with Lord Ganesha, in which He feels like a good friend, if you take the time to get to know Him through bhakti yoga, the practice of devotional disciplines, worship, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening yourself to the Deity's grace.
Sometimes I am asked by devotees, "What should I do to obtain the maximum blessings from my visits to the temple?" Here are some practical suggestions.
1: Attend a puja at the temple at least once a week. This allows us to experience the blessings of God and the Gods on a regular basis and helps keep us pure, as well as strong, in our religious commitments.
2: Have special traditional Hindu clothing that you only wear to the temple. Simply wearing this elegant attire helps put you in a religious mood. Of course, the children should also have their own traditional outfits for the temple.
3: Make your travel to the temple a religious time. Don't allow yourself to focus on problems at home, work or school. Don't think or talk about politics or business. Instead, play religious music, bhajans or Sanskrit chanting on the car's audio system. Tell the children uplifting stories. This centers the family and helps them arrive at the temple in a religious frame of mind, making everyone more attentive to the sacred ceremonies.
4: Bring an offering. Ideally, bring a garland or even a single flower or fresh fruit for each shrine at which you are going to worship. Each act of giving opens you to the blessings of the Deity. When we give first, we increase our receptivity. Therefore, never visit the temple empty-handed.
5: Put as much time and prana into the offering as possible. Prana is the energy that exudes from your hands. Buying a garland at the store is good, but making it with your own hands is even better. When the garland, charged with your prana, is placed on the Deity, it is as if you had touched the Deity. This creates a closeness. It is as if you had walked into the sanctum and given the Deity a hug, which, of course, no one is allowed to do!
6: During the puja, keep focused on the murti and the priest's chanting. Pay attention; don't let the mind wander. When singing bhajans keep focused on the meaning of the words. Even if you don't know the meaning of every word, it is good to have a general idea of what the priest is chanting and what the bhajan means.
7: After the puja, don't rush away. Rather, stay, sit. Meditate awhile and bask in the shakti, the blessings radiating out through the murti to the devotees. If one of your spiritual disciplines is to perform japa, this is also an ideal time for your mantra chanting.
8: You can bring some of the religious atmosphere of the temple home with you by simply lighting an oil lamp in your shrine room when you return from the temple. This sacred act brings devas who were at the temple right into the home shrine room, where, from the inner world, they can bless all family members and strengthen the religious force field of the home. This is one of my guru's special insights into the mysticism of temple worship.
9: The shakti of the Deity is stronger on some days than others. Attending the temple on the strong days is helpful in attuning oneself to the shakti. For example, there is a stronger shakti on yearly festival days such as Ganesha Chaturthi. These days are determined by the ancient science of astrology.
10: Taking a vrata, vow, for a festival is helpful in intensifying your worship. A typical vrata is to fast during the day, attend the temple festival ceremonies in the evening and only afterwards have a meal.
Having a shrine in the home is quite important. In fact, there is no more dynamic way to strengthen Hinduism in the lives of our children and family than by establishing a shrine in the home. The home shrine works best when it is an entire room. That way it can be strictly reserved for worship and meditation, unsullied by worldly talk or nonspiritual activities. This is the ideal, which builds a spiritual vibration over the years. When that is not possible, it should at least be a quiet corner of a room, and more than a simple shelf or closet.
Worshiping in the shrine daily is just as important as having one. In the shrine room offer fruit, flowers or food. Keep the shrine spotlessly clean, and decorate it for festivals and special holy days. Visit your shrine before you leave the home, seeking blessings and protection as you leave its shelter, and go there again for purification upon returning. Worship in heartfelt devotion, so the Gods' grace flows freely toward you and loved ones. Make the shrine a refuge for all family members, a haven where they can find peace and solace, where they can connect with the Gods, offer their praise and pray for practical needs. Train your children to worship in the shrine before each important event in life, such as a major exam at school or when faced with a personal challenge or problem.
A popular saying in English is "The family that prays together stays together." In Hinduism, this refers, most importantly, to all members of the family participating in the morning worship in the home shrine before breakfast. The children can be trained to always bring an offering of a flower or at least a leaf. Typical practices include a basic arati or a longer puja, singing devotional songs, repeating a mantra, reading scripture and then meditating or performing simple sadhanas and yogas. As the children mature, it is good to let them take on greater responsibilities during the morning worship. A number of Hindus have told us that what kept them a staunch, practicing Hindu, despite exposure in their youth to other religious traditions at school and elsewhere, was the fact that the entire family practiced Hinduism together in the home.
In conclusion, we have explored together ten ways in which we can deepen our devotion for Lord Ganesha. Follow them, and your family will find new spiritual purpose, children will become friends with Lord Ganesha, and the Lord of Obstacles will become a living presence in your home and hearts.
