Re: online Hinduism
namaste hindustudent.
My opinion about Hindu online worship and learning:
• As some members have indicated in this thread, there is nothing to match the personal experience by our physical presence in a temple.
• However, since physical presence on certain pujas of worship in temples is not necessary, one can 'purchase' a puja online or by other means and have it conducted on the specific date and also arrange for the vibhUti-kunkuma or some other prasAdam to be mailed to the devotee.
• But then, IMO, doing personal puja online with a Flash application with electronic flowers and bells etc. is not as effective as a puja done in our home shrine in the presence of our family members.
• As for learning from the Net, online books could be useful but online forums invariably teem with opionated expressions and digressions, so can't be a source of disciplined learning.
• Participation in online forums, however, can be good to assist our learning, provided one is wary of wasting time on defending his opinion and on digressions.
• As most Hindus these days are laukika--worldly, and as public schools in India don't teach the Hindu Dharma, the parents are in the position of a guru for the child. Beyond the basics, however, one is forced to rely on svAdhyAya and satsangha for one's growth in knowledge, for which the books that intrepret our traditional Hindu texts are the main source.
We have a collection of links for a personal Hindu library at HDF:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...7&postcount=55
रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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