Page 31 - Bhakthinivedana 2012 January English Magazine.pmd
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hermitage of the great sage Agasthya and obtained purified or sanctified.
his blessings. Guided by his command, Sri:Ra:ma
The stone in the Sanctum Sanctorum is shaped by
proceeded to spend the remaining time of his exile
a sculptor. He stripped the rock of the unwanted
at Pamchavati. Before he reached the location of portion which concealed the beauty and did not
Pamchavati, he got introduced for the first time to add anything to heighten the beauty. This shaped
the great bird Jata:yu. stone is brought into the temple area where it
has to be purified with some manthras and then
Normally, we look for omens when we leave for a sanctified with some more manthras.
place. Our elders say,
Manthrapu:tham is the term used in Sanskrit to
mean sanctify. All of you may be knowing that
“ra:sabhsya ravaha sre:shtthaha a type of stone has to be melted to a very high
sruga:lasyathu darsanam, temperature to become transparent glass. Then
grudhasya cha ubhayam thya:jyam....” this transparent glass has to be coated with
mercury to become a mirror.
When we leave to accomplish a purpose, it is Pu:tham means sanctifying or coating. Glass to
become a mirror and to reflect our face needs a
good if we hear the braying of a donkey, the sight
coating. The stone to become a deity (Aprakruta
of a fox is good. The screaming of an eagle is Divya Mangala Vigraham) has to be coated
considered a bad omen. So is its sight. with manthra.
While going to Pamchavati, Sri:Ra:ma had the This deity after sanctifying reflects like mirror.
sight of an eagle. It is a bad omen. They saw it. Mirror reflects what is on our face or body
The form and its nature made them err that it was depending on physical appearance - good, bad
or indifferent. The deity also reflects what is on
a demon in the form of an eagle. However after
our mind, depending on one’s own thinking. If
they got introduced to it, they learnt that it was a we visualize it with unswerving and uninterrupted
very close friend of their father. To acquire their love, manifold love is returned, if we have faith,
confidence, thus did the great bird Jata:yu revealed then faith is multiplied. Unlike the regular mirror
which reflects as it is, this deity or vigraham has
its lineage.... multiplying effect prior to its capacity to reflect. T
his reflection is not objective as our mind can
not be seen outside. This reflection is subjectively
One of my friends says to visualized inside us. Deity does not talk to us in
me that Lord or deity in the the literal sense but talks to us in the figurative
temple is only a stone. sense. This deity makes our minds move in the
right direction and makes our thoughts flow in the
I would like to know from correct way.
you, Swamiji, how does a
stone or metal become a When we go to temple we have to realize that
deity? Srimannarayana who is far from being finite
has chosen to confine Himself in a finite object
Yes- we step on one stone and worship another and thus idol has become an embodiment of
stone: Odd indeed!! Narayana in the Sanctum Sanctorum.
The stone we step on has not been modified,
Jan 2012• Bhakthinivedana 31
