Page 14 - The Indian EYE 111023

SPECIAL FEATURE NOVEMBER 10, 2023 | The Indian Eye 14

TOWARDS BETTER LIVING

The Art of Worship:

Uncovering the Beauty of Implicit Devotion

and bhakti meaning worship. It de-
uite often, when we describe scribes nine ways that one can offer
worship, we picture various
Qhand gestures- either praying devotion to God, which includes
activities such as listening, singing,
for something or offering gratitude. remembering, serving, offering, and
It is a religious or spiritual practice respecting God and his devotees. It
in which an individual expresses their is not about what mode one choos-
reverence, devotion, or adoration to es, rather it’s about the emotion they
a deity, higher power, or spiritual en- draw inspiration from and express.
tity. Worship may involve performing The devotees in the mandir used dif-
rituals, prayers, or other sacred acts ferent modes such as cooking, serv-
that demonstrate a person’s practice ing, singing etc.; however, all of them
and dedication to their chosen faith had one pure emotion to express,
or belief system.
which was their love, attachment,
In Hinduism, there are many and servitude for God.
forms of worship: Mandir — The Platform for our
Devotion
Puja (Prayer), Aarti (Ceremony of
A physical place of worship,
Light), Dhyan (Meditation), Kir- such as a mandir, church, temple,
or mosque, may not be necessary
tan (Singing Hymns), and many
for worshiping or practicing a par-
other such practices. ticular religion. However, for many
people, having a designated space
I spend most of my evenings and elderly women, all grandmothers, God. The words, the melody, and the
weekends at the mandir. People of walk in with their grandchildren. feeling in their voices were so pure for worship can provide several ben-
efits that can enhance their spiritual
all ages gather here and are actively They sit them down in front of the and heartfelt. practice. According to Hindu beliefs,
engaged in various activities. I’m al- shrine and begin narrating to them “Weren’t these all forms of the mandir is a physical home of the
ways struck by their vibrant faces and stories from the scriptures. It’s beau- worship as well?” I thought. Each divine. By entering the mandir and
the intense love, focus, and humility tiful to see this gathering and listen to unique, in their own way. engaging in rituals and prayers, dev-
that they bring within the activities their innocent conversation. Was mandir not simply a place otees can feel a sense of closeness
they’re engaged in. But suddenly melodious sounds for standing in front of the murtis, to the divine and experience a more
Overhearing a conversation be- capture my attention. Another group folding our hands, and performing a
tween the pujaris (mandir priests) of devotees sat on stage had begun prayer? profound spiritual connection.
All Hindus, offer devotion to a
discussing how they should adorn singing bhajans, or devotional songs, BHAKTI — LOVE FOR GOD form of God and express their love.
the murtis made me realize how while playing traditional musical in- Bhagwan Swaminarayan, in the Shik- It is not the stone craving or the ar-
much care, attention to detail, and struments. Seated facing the murtis, shapatri, describes “bhakti” (worship) as: chitecture that generates the feel-
servitude they had for the murtis. It they were singing with the conviction “Mahatmay gyan e yukta, ing of devotion, instead, it is the sa-
was truly remarkable- their acts of that they were truly present before Bhagwan ke saath adhik ka adhik cred images of God present inside
worship were a testament to their prem.” the structure, that helps one attach
belief that God wholly manifested in Meaning, an immense love for God to- their minds and soul in the beauty
the murtis. gether with the knowledge of his glory. of God. Mandirs are not just monu-
I walked into the mandir kitchen
Every individual has a different
to find devotees, with folded hands way of expressing themselves. Some ments, but rather are places Hindus
believe that God fully resides.
and eyes closed, sincerely reciting a might choose to describe it with People of all ages engage them-
prayer prior to commencing the vol- words, while some might use physi- selves in various activities that seem
unteering service of prasad prepa- cal elements or gestures. However, like just activities on the surface but
ration. My eyes water up witness- individually, everyone has emotions are really expressions of their love-
ing their pure intent of feeding all to express. Bhakti is also an emo- transformative acts of worship. My
the mandir visitors. They lovingly tion. A pure feeling of gratitude, joy, mandir is not only the home for God,
prepare different menus as a form attachment, and fulfillment. It is a but also a platform for individuals to
of their loving devotion and com- feeling that one experiences towards explore themselves, express them-
mitment to serve the mandir and its God and his divinity after gaining the selves, and elevate themselves. This
visitors. knowledge of his glory. is how I realized that my mandir ig-
When I re-entered the main
The Shrimad Bhagvat Maha-
hall, I witnessed young children per- puran describes the practice of Na- nites implicit forms of worship.
forming prostrations and respectfully vdha Bhakti. Navdha, meaning nine, Kritika Parmar,
bowing to the murtis. Just then, the Saskatoon, Canada Civil Engineer

www.TheIndianEYE.com