Download Veda - Troop 534 Atlanta Area Council

Welcome to the
Hindu Temple of Atlanta
Riverdale, GA
Hinduism: In a Nutshell
Hindu Temple of Atlanta
Riverdale, GA
Hinduism – Quick Facts
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Third largest religion in the world
No single founder
Hinduism invites everyone, irrespective of the
cultural background, to validate the truth of the
spiritual concepts for themselves.
The earliest records of the religion are in the Rig
Veda, the oldest known human literature. Some
portions of the Rig Veda have been dated to
before 6000 BC.
Withheld the ravages of invasion, plunder, and
domination by foreign invaders for more than
1,000 years.
A Way of Life
Who is a Hindu?
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Anyone who believes in the basic
principles of Hinduism and applies
them to everyday life.
There is one God, who has become
everything in this Universe.
The aim of life is to realize God.
Every path to God is true. Everyone
has to choose a path to God
according to one's own temperament.
Hinduism – Concepts
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Monotheistic Polymorphic  One God, Many
Forms
Brahman – Ultimate – The Supreme
Aim: Become One with Brahman – Many
Paths
Making it Easy for Us
• To remove hurdles - "Ganesha"
• To bless with good understanding – Knowledge "Saraswathi”
• To worship as mother - "Kali“, “Devi”
• To worship God as a child - "Krishna“
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All Forms/Names to Suit the Devotees
The Ultimate  One God [Brahman]
Hinduism – The Basic Tenets
• Dharma  Path of Righteousness
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An individual’s ethics, duties and obligations 
Foundation of Life
• Samsara  Worldly Life - Reincarnation/rebirth
• Karma  Actions – Law of Cause and Effect –
Selfless Action is Ideal
• Moksha  Salvation from the Cycle of Samsara
(Rebirth) attained through a variety of paths)
• Bhakti  Devotion to God
• Jnana  Enlightenment, knowledge
The Caste System
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Originally the caste system had a
qualitative basis and all castes were
treated equally and considered essential for
a society.
Brahmin – Priests, Teachers
Kshatriya – Kings, Warriors, Administrators
Vaishya – Merchants, Farmers, Cattlemen
Shudra – Artisans, Laborers, and others
Caste System became degraded when
made hereditary.
Hindu Sacred Texts
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Vedas – Knowledge / Wisdom – Spoken
“Sruthi”
 Dating Back to 1500-500BCE
 Collection of Hymns, Prayers
 Spoken Word – Passed on through Generations
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Ancient, sacred texts were written in Sanskrit,
the language of ancient India.
Upanishads are stories and parables told by
gurus (teachers) to their students
The Mahabharata is a story of a war between
two royal families. The Bhagavad Gita is a very
popular part of this text.
The Ramayana is a story of the God Rama and
the rescue of his wife Sita from Ravana, the evil
demon king
The Vedas
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Hymns, Rites, Interpretation, and
Philosophical Instruction
Rig – ~10,552 verses
Yajur – ~2,000 verses – Cadenced
intonation
Sama - ~2,000 verses – melodious
chanting
Atharvana - ~6,000 verses
Hinduism: The Nine Beliefs
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Divinity of the Vedas
One, all-pervasive Supreme Being – Brahman -who is both Omnipresent and Transcendent.
Universe undergoes endless cycles of creation,
preservation, and dissolution.
Karma, the law of cause and effect by which
each individual creates his own destiny by his
thoughts, words, and deeds.
Soul incarnation, evolving through many births
until all karmas resolved, and moksha, spiritual
knowledge and liberation from cycle of rebirth
is attained.
Hinduism: The Nine Beliefs (Cont’d)
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Divine beings exist in unseen worlds and
temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as
personal devotionals create a communication
with Gods.
Guru – Spiritually awakened master, to know
the Transcendent Absolute.
All life is sacred, to be loved and revered,
practice ahimsa, “non-injury”.
No one single way to salvation, all religious
paths are facets of God’s Pure Love and Light,
deserving tolerance and understanding.
Ganesha: Remover of Obstacles
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'Ga' symbolizes Buddhi
(intellect) and 'Na'
symbolizes Vijnana
(wisdom).
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Considered the master
of intellect and wisdom.
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Provides prosperity and
fortune.
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His grace is invoked
before the undertaking
of any task
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
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Trimurthi are three
aspects of God, as
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
Brahma - the
Source/Creator/Generator
Vishnu - the
Preserver/IndwellingLife/Operator
Shiva - the
Transformer/DestroyerCreator
Similar to interpretations
of the Trinity in
Christianity
Krishna
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Eighth avatar
(incarnation) of Vishnu
Known for His pastoral
childhood as well as His
youth and life as a
heroic warrior and
teacher
Non-Hindu religions that
originated in India have
their own versions of
Him.
Lakshmi: Goddess of Wealth
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Goddess of wealth,
light, wisdom and
fortune, as well as
luck, beauty, and
fertility.
Representations are
also found in Jain and
Buddhist monuments.
Also considered the
Mother of the
Universe and Vishnu's
Shakti (strength)
Saraswati: Goddess of Knowledge
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First goddess
worshipped in the
Hindu religion.
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Goddess of Knowledge
and music, arts, and
speech.
Also Goddess of
thoughts of truth and
forgiveness.
Originated as a river
goddess. Her name is
Sanskrit for "she who
has lakes or pools."
A Few Questions Answered
Why Do Hindus worship the cow?
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Hindus don’t worship cows. We
respect, honor and adore the cow. By
honoring this gentle animal, who
gives more than she takes, we honor
all creatures.
A Few Questions Answered
Are Hindus idol worshippers?
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Hindus do not worship a stone or
metal “idol” as God. We worship God
through the image. We invoke the
presence of God from the higher,
unseen worlds, into the image so
that we can commune with Him and
receive His blessings.
A Few Questions Answered
Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat?
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Hindus teach / practice vegetarianism
as a way to live with a minimum of
hurt to other beings. But in today’s
world not all Hindus are vegetarians.
A Few Questions Answered
Do Hindus have a Bible?
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Our “Bible” is called the Veda. The
Veda, which means “wisdom,” is
comprised of four ancient and holy
scriptures which all Hindus revere as
the revealed word of God.
A Few Questions Answered
Why do many Hindus wear a dot
near the middle of their forehead?
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The dot worn on the forehead is a
religious symbol. It represents divine
sight and shows that one is a Hindu.
For women, it is also a beauty mark.
The Chinmaya Mission
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Established in India in 1953 by devotees of His
Holiness Swami Chinmayananda.
Under his guidance, these devotees formed the
nucleus of a spiritual renaissance movement
The Current Head: Holiness Swami Tejomayananda.
Goal: Make available the ageless wisdom of Vedanta,
the knowledge of the one Reality, and provide the
tools to realize that wisdom in one’s life.
“To give maximum happiness to the maximum
number for the maximum time”
Each person’s gain is manifold: personal growth,
heightened efficiency, contentment, and the ability to
live with others in peace and harmony.
Swami Chinmayananda
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Born in 1916, he is known as a notable
spiritual leader
Especially known for knowledge of
Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads
Opened a number of ashrams, schools,
hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics
around the world
Selected as President of Hindu Religion in
1993
Passed away in August 1993 in San Diego
What is BalaVihar?
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Chinmaya Mission has developed a program
for children and youth called Chinmaya
BalaVihar
Children learn religious practices, prayers,
poojas, bhajans, meditation, the significance
of holy days, and spiritual values.
Read/Learn about religious scriptures (e.g.,
Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita)
The teachers are dedicated volunteers who
have been trained to impart religious values
to children.
HTA Balavihar
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Founded in 1991 in a small corner of the
auditorium
As enrollment grew, classes moved to
priests’ apartments and trailer
Education building constructed because
enormous growth of BalaVihar and also
other classes such as music, dance, and
language classes
2008-2009- 250 students in 17
classrooms
400 students in Alpharetta
50 students in newly founded Gwinnett
BalaVihar
HTA Balavihar
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Youngest- Alphabets
2nd- Ramayana
3rd- Mahabharatha
4th- Symbolism
Oldest- World Religions/Bhagavad Gita
Slokams are learned and compiled
throughout the whole program, and the
senior class winds up knowing every
slokam in all three books
Visiting our Hindu Temple
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The Hindu temple is a sacred space
where man and God commune.
Home of Gods and Goddesses
Priests conduct poojas-presenting
flowers, water, incense, lights, food
and other choice offerings
Honoring Gods and the Goddesses
and invoking their presence and
blessings.
In the Temple: One Can Be
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Immersed in the joys of devotion
In prayerful communion
Seeking solace for a loss
Singing hymns, chanting mantras
Celebrating a rite of passage.
Meditation is appropriate, especially after
the pooja, and emotion is not out of place.
God will receive your devotion, however
you offer it.
A Bustling Place
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A unique aspect of Hindu temples is
the variety of functions going on
simultaneously ...
Archana in one place, a woman
crying for a recent misfortune in
another, and a joyous baby blessing
happening in another.
What You Will See …
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There are two temples at the Hindu
Temple of Atlanta, which is rare for Hindu
temples.
The Balaji Temple (Vishnu) was the first
built of the two and has the deities of
Ganesha, Durga, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Andal,
Navagrahas, and Hanuman
The Siva Temple was recently constructed
and is being embellished by Indian
sculptors. It has Ganesha, Shiva, Muruga,
Parvathi, and Kanyaka Parameshwari
Visiting our Hindu Temple
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Please remove your shoes
Obey all signs regarding how close to go
If sitting, please sit cross-legged (Indianstyle) and do not sit with your feet
pointing towards the deities.
Refrain from gossip and unnecessary
talking and treat the priests with respect
Visiting our Hindu Temple
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Hands pressed together in
namaskara, greet the Deities at their
shrines, starting with Ganesha, and
present your offerings.
Prostrating is a traditional expression
of worshipful surrender and
adoration. Men prostate fully, while
women do so in a kneeling pose
What is a Pooja?
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A Hindu worship service is known as a
pooja, similar to a grand reception for a
king.
There are four parts to the small pooja
(archana) performed at various times
during the day in the temple:
1. The sacred flame
2. The sacred water
3. (Vishnu only) The crown of the Deity
4. Prasadam (nuts, fruits)
What goes on your forehead?
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Three different types of powder /
paste are given to devotees in the
temple
Vibhuthi (sacred ash) is given in the
Siva Temple
Chandhanam (sandlewood paste)
and kumkumam (red powder) are
give in both the temples.
Hindu Prayer before Eating
Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havihi
Brahmaagnau Brahmanaa Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
Brahma Karma Samaadhinaam
Hindu Prayer before Eating
-Prayer Meaning:
“Any means of offering is God, the oblation is
God. The fire in which the offering is made
is God. The one who offers is also God.
Indeed, God is gained by such a person who
abides in God.”
-In other words, God is the cause of
everything’s creation and the cause of
everything. Therefore, every created effect
has the cause, God, within it.
Questions
Enjoy the Rest of Your Visit
Thanks!