PDA

View Full Version : a few questions. =)



Kodi
25 November 2007, 06:36 PM
i've always been drawn to the hindu gods and have recently set up a shrine, bought some books and things. i've prayed to shiva for about two years now, but i have a few questions.

1) when is it okay to where the three ash lines across your forehead?
can anyone where them or do you have to do something special?
2) how do you perform your puja's?
3) which god/goddess is your patron?

i'm just wondering.
thanks for any help.
=]

c.smith
18 December 2007, 10:14 PM
i've always been drawn to the hindu gods and have recently set up a shrine, bought some books and things. i've prayed to shiva for about two years now, but i have a few questions.

1) when is it okay to where the three ash lines across your forehead?
can anyone where them or do you have to do something special? .
2) how do you perform your puja's?
3) which god/goddess is your patron?
i'm just wondering.
thanks for any help.
=]

From my limited experience:

Tilak can be worn at any time and is often applied after puja. I haven't seen many Saivites wear it however. The pujari in my mandir wears the footprint of Krishna for example.

IMHO, the only requirement is to bring an offering from the heart.

Siva is the Lord of all, though some on the forum would beg to differ.

Hope this helps.

Om Namah Sivaya

saidevo
18 December 2007, 11:54 PM
Namaste Kodi.


i've always been drawn to the hindu gods and have recently set up a shrine, bought some books and things. i've prayed to shiva for about two years now, but i have a few questions.

1) when is it okay to where the three ash lines across your forehead?
can anyone where them or do you have to do something special?
2) how do you perform your puja's?
3) which god/goddess is your patron?

i'm just wondering.
thanks for any help.
=]

Here is how I and my family do these things here in South India:

1. I wear the 'vibhUti' (holy ash) in three lines, dry as soon as I brush my teeth in the morning and after every time I wash my face, and usually wet (making it a paste, it dries up and shines better) after I take bath. 'vibhUti' can be worn at any time/all times.

In South India, orthodox brahmins wear the wet 'vibhUti' in three lines across their forehead, on their chests and at three places on each hand: arm, foream, wrist. Elders of other castes usually wear it on forehead, dry or wet. Religion-conscious youth wear it as a short smear, either between the brows or in the middle of the forehead. Women wear it over their 'tilak' in a short smear. Most people also take a small pinch of the 'vibhUti' when they wear it.

2. Most Hindus here perform their home pujas with the help of a guidebook. In our case it is my 'sahadharmin' (wife as partner in dharma) who does all the daily and festival pujas and I usually participate and witness it.

3. Our patron Gods are: Shiva, Ganesha, Sathya Sai Baba. Goddesses: Sarasvati, Durga, Lakshmi. We generally worship ALL Hindu Gods, depending on the time of festivity.

sarabhanga
19 December 2007, 04:03 AM
Namaste,

The tripuNDra is traditionally worn by orthodox brAhmaNAs and saMnyAsinAs, but it may be worn by anyone with the appropriate mantra dIkshA.

Eastern Mind
19 December 2007, 04:27 PM
i've always been drawn to the hindu gods and have recently set up a shrine, bought some books and things. i've prayed to shiva for about two years now, but i have a few questions.

1) when is it okay to where the three ash lines across your forehead?
can anyone where them or do you have to do something special?
2) how do you perform your puja's?
3) which god/goddess is your patron?

i'm just wondering.
thanks for any help.
=]

Your answers from the people here will be many and varied. Your intuition and prayers should be your guide as to whom you should heed advice from the most. Within the soul's mind will be the directives. My personal answers would be: 1) anytime at all 2) in the shrine room from a guidebook at first, later from memory 3) I am a Saivite so Siva is my patron. Having said all this, these are just my personal answers, from my particular sect's POV. (I am an adoptive to Hinduism... Canadian white Anglo-Saxon.. not that that should matter, but this does give you background as to where my subconscious mind set used to be.) Hinduism is extremely vast. If you have the opportunity to visit Hindu temples in your area, go for it. Your soul's mind should let you decide in which one you feel most at home. Keep asking the questions.

sarabhanga
19 December 2007, 05:35 PM
Namaste,

There may be various opinions, but there is only one correct answer:

The application of tripuNDra requires mantra, and mantra requires dIkshA, and dIkshA requires guru.

ScottMalaysia
22 December 2007, 04:16 AM
Here is a guide to performing Puja to Lord Ganesha.

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2006/4-6/37-52_puja.shtml

There is a PDF file at the bottom with instructions, mantras in Devanagari, transliteration and English translation, and photos. For Puja to other Gods, you should get a book or ask a guru or priest to help you.

sarabhanga
25 December 2007, 09:34 PM
There may be various opinions, but there is only one orthodox answer:

The application of tripuNDra requires mantra, and mantra requires dIkshA, and dIkshA requires guru, and guru requires only brahma.

The traditional understanding is that anyone (or anything) can wear the tripuNDra, but only a brAhmaNa should actually apply the tripuNDra, and only the dvija varNa should ever wear it on their limbs.

In other words, anyone can wear a tripuNDra on their forehead (and it is indeed a great blessing), but it should only be applied by a brAhmaNa.

sm78
27 December 2007, 07:15 AM
Is there a special name or occasion to the tilak in which one smears one's forehead with "sandlewood paste + turmeric"?

I see this mostly among the lingayat community in south india, but is also seen among others.

Of courseSandlewood and turmeric are auspicious items for both shiva and devi and sandlewood for all deities. But seems like this is more of a saiva tilak, yet not tripundra.

Eastern Mind
27 December 2007, 06:16 PM
There may be various opinions, but there is only one orthodox answer:

The application of tripuNDra requires mantra, and mantra requires dIkshA, and dIkshA requires guru, and guru requires only brahma.

The traditional understanding is that anyone (or anything) can wear the tripuNDra, but only a brAhmaNa should actually apply the tripuNDra, and only the dvija varNa should ever wear it on their limbs.

In other words, anyone can wear a tripuNDra on their forehead (and it is indeed a great blessing), but it should only be applied by a brAhmaNa.

Namaste Sarabhanga: Thank you for all the clarification. I didn't know all this. Seems at one time I was acting out of ignorance. Oh well, what's gone is gone, and I was ignorant at the time. (Being a temporary pandaram, I wore tripundra on arms etc., as some devotees thought I should at least look like a priest, I guess.) And yes I considered it a blessing. It was part of my mental preparation to be sure, purification before ritual. That was before mantra diksha by a qualified Guru. Now I suppose according to tradition I could wear it. Could you explain what 'dvija varNa' means? Also, what do you know of the process of creating vibhuthi? I've noticed it comes in different packaging by different companies, is available in the puja items sections of some stores, yet some is different in scent and texture. Is there a better or preferred producer, and worse yet are there 'fake' vibhuthis on the market? (I actually don't buy it, but the archana packets from a couple of temples I get archanas done at seems to keep me supplied.) Thanks for any help. Aum Namasivaya

sarabhanga
27 December 2007, 09:37 PM
Namaste EM,

dvija is “twice-born”, generally indicating any Arya (brAhmaNa, kshatriya, or vaishya), but especially a brAhmaNa, who is reborn through upanayanam. And this brings us to the crux of this matter:

It is the upanayana saMskAra that confers eligibility to be a tripuNDrin.

I suspect that “fake” vibhUti is sometimes produced for selfish profit, and it would always be best to make your own, but (once again) this requires dIkshA, and the exact method has always been held as a closely guarded secret. From the various brands available for sale, however, my own choice would be the “kAshI vibhUti bhasma” made by Bhavani Shankar & Sons. :)

sarabhanga
28 December 2007, 10:01 PM
Is there a special name or occasion to the tilak in which one smears one's forehead with "sandlewood paste"?

Namaste Singhi,

The cAndanatripuNDra is especially applied at dawn, and the bhAsmanatripuNDra is especially applied at dusk. And each one is applied as a reflection of the other ~ i.e. the lines of bhasma are marked directly onto the skin, while the cAndana tripuNDra is erased from a background of applied candana.

Kodi
01 January 2008, 01:09 PM
thank you all so much.
i have just recently bought the bhagavad gita and the ramayana
and it has taught me a lot.
i have always be strongly drawn to lord shiva.

i have another question.
is there puja that is only for lord ganesh or does it have
to involve another god?

thank you so much.
:o

Eastern Mind
01 January 2008, 04:47 PM
The intent of any puja, whether to one God, or to many, would still be to focus on one God at a time. If you go to a temple, (South Indian style) there is only one enshrined in each shrine. The entire rounds of pujas may very well be to more than one God, but at each one the priest calls upon the presence of the particular God he is at. So sure you can do a puja to just Ganesha. My advice would be to try to get to a temple, if there is one nearby you. Aum Namasivaya

Znanna
01 January 2008, 06:44 PM
Namaste,

I'm of no orthodoxy, just FYI ...

But, IMO, the bottom line is respecting Godz - me, I prefer the nice way :)

If one would invite the attention and beneficience of Godz, humility is always an appropriate sacrifice, to my ways of doing.

When in doubt, "Master" or "Mistress" works in lieu of an alternative form of address!



ZN