Jaya nama Samvatsare
Mrigasira Mase
Krishna Pakshe
Chaturthi Tithau
Budha Vasare
Pushya Nakshatre
Namaste everyone!
If you haven't seen my previous blog posts, here they are!
Namaste! - December 2, 2014
What is Puja? - December 9, 2014
Lord Ganesha - December 10, 2014
After Lord Ganesha, the next Deity (this word will be used to refer to archetypes of Parabrahman from now on) is Lord Vishnu - the Preserver expansion of God.
Vishnu is a popular Deity, and one of the Deities worshiped in Smartha vidhi (Shankaracharya sampradāya). His devotees are known as Vaishnavas, and they fall into one of 4 categories (sampradāya). These 4 main traditions are:
Sri
Rudra (AKA Pushtimarga)
Brahma (AKA Madhva - includes Gaudiya sampradāya /ISKCON)
Nimbarka
Devotees can be initiated or not. Vaishnava initiation involves an acharya or guru bestowing the holy mantra of Vishnu on a devotee. The devotee also is given a new name, usually affixed with dāsa (servant), indicating that the devotee is now the servant of both the guru and the Lord.
Even non-Vaishnavas honor Vishnu in their puja, by chanting the Lord's mantra ॐ नमो नारायणाय (oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya) or ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya). The Gaudiya Vaishnavas use the famous Hare Krishna Maha-mantra हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे (hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare). The Sri Vaishnavas use the Narayana mantra (the first mantra I described), while the Pushtimarga Vaishnavas use the mantra श्री कृष्ण शरणं मम (śrī kṛṣṇa śaranaṃ mama). There are other mantras given at the time of initiation but these are kept secret and should not be shared. Such "hidden" mantras include the two-line Dvayamantra of the Sri Vaishnavas, the 84-letter Brahmasambandha mantra of the Pushtimargis, and the Gopala Mantra).
All Vaishnavas believe strongly in The Lord's Promise - given in the Bhagavad Gita.
सर्वधर्मान् परित्यज्य ।
मामेकं शरणं व्रज ॥
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो ।
मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥
sarvadharmān parityajya
māmekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja
ahaṃ tvā sarvapāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
"Abandon all dharmas and take shelter of Me alone. I will cleanse you of all sins and grant you liberation (from the cycle of reincarnation). Do not fret."
- Bhagavad Gita 18:66
Vaishnavas thus make much effort to increase their devotion (bhakti) to the Lord.
In all pujas, Vishnu is venerated similarly as Ganesha, using one of the two basic mantras (Narayana or Vasudeva) and offering the 5 upacharas (offerings). However, if the puja is being done for Vishnu, then 16 upacharas are offered (this is also the case if Ganesha is the Deity being worshiped in the main puja). The 16 upacharas are:
1. Dhyanam (meditation)
2. Avahanam (calling the Lord)
3. Asanam (offering the Lord a seat)
4. Padyam (washing his feet)
5. Arghyam (washing his hands)
6. Achamaniyam (offering the Lord a cup of drinking water)
7. Snanam or Abhishekam (offering water to bathe)
8. Yajnopavitam (offering the sacred thread)
9. Vastram (dressing the Lord in new silks and jewels)
10. Gandham (sandalwood paste)
11. Pushpam (flowers and/or garlands)
12. Dhoopam (incense)
13. Deepam (showing the oil lamp/diya)
14. Naivedyam (offering the Lord something to eat, along with water and betel leaf)
15. Aarti or Mangala Neerajanam (showing the camphor flame to the Lord)
16. Mantrapushpanjali (final offering of flowers - offered with prayers)
Lord Vishnu is worshipped in various forms and iconographies throughout India, including some of his 10 incarnations. His 10 incarnations are:
1. Matsya - the fish
2. Kurma - the turtle
3. Varaha - the boar
4. Narasimha - half-man/half-lion
5. Vamana - the dwarf Brahmin
6. Parasurama - the warrior sage
7. Rama - the ideal king
8. Krishna - the guru of the universe
9. Buddha
Mrigasira Mase
Krishna Pakshe
Chaturthi Tithau
Budha Vasare
Pushya Nakshatre
Namaste everyone!
If you haven't seen my previous blog posts, here they are!
Namaste! - December 2, 2014
What is Puja? - December 9, 2014
Lord Ganesha - December 10, 2014
After Lord Ganesha, the next Deity (this word will be used to refer to archetypes of Parabrahman from now on) is Lord Vishnu - the Preserver expansion of God.
Vishnu is a popular Deity, and one of the Deities worshiped in Smartha vidhi (Shankaracharya sampradāya). His devotees are known as Vaishnavas, and they fall into one of 4 categories (sampradāya). These 4 main traditions are:
Sri
Rudra (AKA Pushtimarga)
Brahma (AKA Madhva - includes Gaudiya sampradāya /ISKCON)
Nimbarka
Devotees can be initiated or not. Vaishnava initiation involves an acharya or guru bestowing the holy mantra of Vishnu on a devotee. The devotee also is given a new name, usually affixed with dāsa (servant), indicating that the devotee is now the servant of both the guru and the Lord.
Even non-Vaishnavas honor Vishnu in their puja, by chanting the Lord's mantra ॐ नमो नारायणाय (oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya) or ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya). The Gaudiya Vaishnavas use the famous Hare Krishna Maha-mantra हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे (hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare). The Sri Vaishnavas use the Narayana mantra (the first mantra I described), while the Pushtimarga Vaishnavas use the mantra श्री कृष्ण शरणं मम (śrī kṛṣṇa śaranaṃ mama). There are other mantras given at the time of initiation but these are kept secret and should not be shared. Such "hidden" mantras include the two-line Dvayamantra of the Sri Vaishnavas, the 84-letter Brahmasambandha mantra of the Pushtimargis, and the Gopala Mantra).
All Vaishnavas believe strongly in The Lord's Promise - given in the Bhagavad Gita.
मामेकं शरणं व्रज ॥
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो ।
मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥
sarvadharmān parityajya
māmekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja
ahaṃ tvā sarvapāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
"Abandon all dharmas and take shelter of Me alone. I will cleanse you of all sins and grant you liberation (from the cycle of reincarnation). Do not fret."
- Bhagavad Gita 18:66
Vaishnavas thus make much effort to increase their devotion (bhakti) to the Lord.
In all pujas, Vishnu is venerated similarly as Ganesha, using one of the two basic mantras (Narayana or Vasudeva) and offering the 5 upacharas (offerings). However, if the puja is being done for Vishnu, then 16 upacharas are offered (this is also the case if Ganesha is the Deity being worshiped in the main puja). The 16 upacharas are:
1. Dhyanam (meditation)
2. Avahanam (calling the Lord)
3. Asanam (offering the Lord a seat)
4. Padyam (washing his feet)
5. Arghyam (washing his hands)
6. Achamaniyam (offering the Lord a cup of drinking water)
7. Snanam or Abhishekam (offering water to bathe)
8. Yajnopavitam (offering the sacred thread)
9. Vastram (dressing the Lord in new silks and jewels)
10. Gandham (sandalwood paste)
11. Pushpam (flowers and/or garlands)
12. Dhoopam (incense)
13. Deepam (showing the oil lamp/diya)
14. Naivedyam (offering the Lord something to eat, along with water and betel leaf)
15. Aarti or Mangala Neerajanam (showing the camphor flame to the Lord)
16. Mantrapushpanjali (final offering of flowers - offered with prayers)
Lord Vishnu is worshipped in various forms and iconographies throughout India, including some of his 10 incarnations. His 10 incarnations are:
1. Matsya - the fish
2. Kurma - the turtle
3. Varaha - the boar
4. Narasimha - half-man/half-lion
5. Vamana - the dwarf Brahmin
6. Parasurama - the warrior sage
7. Rama - the ideal king
8. Krishna - the guru of the universe
9. Buddha
10. Kalki - the liberator
The innumerable temples of Vishnu show different iconographies of the Lord as well.
Venkateswara, Tirupati
Guruvayurappan, Guruvayur
Radharamana, Vrindavan
Shrinathji, Nathadwara
Dwarkadhish, Dwarka
Jagannatha (with Balarama and Subhadra), Srikshetra Puri
Anantha Padmanabha Swamy, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
There is a prayer that is chanted in all pujas as obeisance to Vishnu, especially in the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), and Srimandir (Jagannatha Temple, Srikshetra Puri).
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं
विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभांगम ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिहृद्धयानागम्यम्
वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥
śāntākāraṃ bhujaga-śayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ sureśaṃ
viśvādhāraṃ gagana-sadṛśaṃ meghavarnaṃ śubhāngaṃ
laksmi-kāntam kamalanayanam yogi-hrd-dhyāna gamyam
vande visnum bhava-bhaya-haram sarva-lokaika-nātham
If you're wondering why Parabrahman's archetypes/expansions look the way they do, I'll be talking about the iconography and symbolism in a future blog post (the next blog post is about Lord Siva).
Peace and blessings to all!!
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment