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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00074 Jan 2005

 
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Representationally Hinduism is polytheistic; with this state of 
affairs it is hard to see that Hinduism is monotheistic. Also the 
modern Hindu communities developing the in the alien land cannot 
afford to have a specific deity in every street corner. Thus we have 
all different facets of the One God concentrated in one Super temple 
in each major city these days.  If only we could teach people that 
there is only One God living as the antharyAmi despite all the 
outward differences, we would have successfully portrayed the true 
aspects of the upanishadic truths.  But the practical situation is 
quite different! The wishes of the people as well as the Agamas have 
complicated the matter way too much.  Probably we can choose to a 
different sannidhi each time we visit the temple, and experience the 
anubavam of the Lord in the specific at the specific visit. When the 
gyana matures, we can all the One God through the Vishnu tatvam.

dAsan
Rajan 

--- In SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Sudarshan K Madabushi" 
<mksudarshan2002@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> --- In SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "rvv21" <ranjanvv@xxxx> wrote:
> >>      I think it's unlikely you'll find a "Vishnu-only" temple 
in 
> the > UK (apart from ISKCON temples) - but I could be wrong.  
> However, the > sizeable Sri Lankan Tamil community in many parts 
of 
> London have > retained their Shaiva temple culture to a relatively 
> high degree and > have constructed many 'south-indian' style 
temples, 
> if you were > interested in seeing them for interest. Many have a 
> sannidhi for > Lakshmi/Naaraayana as well.
> 
>                        ****************
> Dear members,
> 
> This is a very interesting thread of discussion and I like your 
> exchanges.
> 
> One of the odd things I have noticed about Hindu temples abroad is 
> this: they are designed to accommodate and built to serve the 
> sentiments of all denominations of Hindu religous society. Such 
> design and architecture is no doubt well-intentioned but the 
results 
> are sometimes a mixed bag.
> 
> I toured parts of USA East Coast last year. My host was kind 
enough 
> to take me to a very beautiful temple in Maryland. It was called 
> Shiva-Vishnu temple but inside I was surprised to see many more 
> special "sannidhi-s" (shrines or sanctums) for a number of other 
> deities in the Hindu pantheon -- Ganesha, Murugua, AmbAL, AyyappA, 
> Venkateshwara, Krishna... I saw devotees come in throngs and each 
> proceeded straight to that shrine he or she wanted to particularly 
> worship. Thereafter he or she spent a few moments at other shrines 
> before exiting. I couldn't help thinking it all vaguely resembled 
the 
> modern and convenient "multi-cuisine cafeteria" concept applied to 
> temple architecture i.e. you come shuffling in a long queue with a 
> plate in hand, go slowly around the table and help yourself 
> generously to the dish you particularly like, and just a little 
bit 
> of everthing else in the spread.
> 
> Don't get me wrong. It's not that I want to be critical of "Shiva-
> Vishnu" temples, I hasten to add. Who knows, perhaps the "Agama 
> sAstras" themselves do, in fact, permit such "cafeteria" design of 
> temples. But I must say this: I cannot help sometimes wondering if 
> the presence of more than one Deity within a temple-precinct does 
not 
> go against the essentially monotheistic grain of Hindu religious 
> thought and practice. My own personal experience is that when I am 
in 
> the presence of the main Deity inside a temple I'd rather fully 
> concentrate on worshipping that one Divine Entity alone. But 
instead, 
> I often find that, at the back of my mind somewhere, I'm being 
> distracted by the anxious thought of having to rush for "darshan" 
to 
> the "next crowded counter" -- viz. other satellite shrines 
> or "sannidhi-s". The result is that a temple visit, far from 
> affording one an opportunity for experiencing a certain sense of 
> abiding One-ness with God, leaves the devotee with a strange 
feeling, 
> instead, he's just concluded a long and hectic series of business 
> appointments.      
> 
> Let me confess to one more thing. I always come away from a temple 
> feeling a little guilty and disappointed if, after I've 
had "darshan" 
> of the main Deity first, for some reason or other, I've been 
unable 
> to offer worship at subsidiary "sannidhi-s". I've never relished 
such 
> a feeling. It has always robbed the first experience a little of 
its 
> joy.   
> 
> An exclusively Vishnu temple (with His other divine forms serving 
> perhaps as smaller satellite "sannidhi-s") seems to me OK. An 
> exclusive Shiva temple too seems OK. An exclusive Devi or AmbAl 
> temple is OK too. But a "Shiva-Vishnu temple", and many of 
similarly 
> newly-built, multi-themed, composite "designer temples" (in India 
and 
> abroad we come across these days) -- they all seem to me to be 
> somehow straying far from the central monotheism of that very 
Faith 
> they are actually meant to reflect and enshrine.
> 
> What do members think? I'd like to hear your learned comments.
> 
> respectfully,
> dAsan,
> Sudarshan








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