Why do we?

Why do we Light a Lamp?

In almost every Indian Home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some twice a day - at dawn and dusk and in few it is maintained continuously (akhanda deepa). All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion.

• Why do we light a lamp?

     Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness ignorance. The lord is the "Knowledge Principle" (Chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the Lord Himself.

    Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lmp to bow down to knowledge as greatest of all forms of wealth. Knowledge backs all our actions whether good or bad. We therefore keep a lamp lit during all auspicious occasions as a witness to our thoughts and actions.

   Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of lamp always burns upwards. similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ideals.

   A single lamp can light hundreds more just as a man of knowledge can give it to many more. The brilliance of the light does not diminish despite its repeated use to light many more lamps. So too knowledge does not lessen when shared with or imparted to others. On the contrary it increases in clarity and conviction on giving. it benefits the receiver and the giver.

• While lighting the lamp we pray:

Deepam jyothi parabramham

deepam sarva tamopahaha

Deepena saadhyate sarvam 

Sandhyaa deepo namostute.

I prostrate to the dawn/dusk lamp, whose light is the knowledge principle (The supreme Lord), which removes the darkness of ignorance and by which all can be achieved in life. 

Thus this custom contains a wealth of intellectual and spiritual meaning.

This is by Swamini Vimalananda and Radhika Krishnakumar from the book "Why do we...?"

How do you guys look at it...? Do you know any other significance  of why we light a lamp..? Do you accept with this concept...?

I feel it is some how related too much to philosophical means. and lacks scientific reasoning. But again as there is a saying "Where the reason ends, there the faith begins". Just like how I feel that there is no significant reason behind it. but then the day the lamps are not lit at my home, it feels some what dull and there is no energy and elegance at my house.

"Which else shall beautify a home, but the flame of a lovely lamp?

Which else shall adorn the mind, But the light of wisdom deep?"

~Swami Chinmayananda

INDIA= "COLLECTIVE MINDS"?

 HI
Check this link
 http://prezi.com/3z8ascrjnzzm/india-collective-minds/

After reading few articles and books, have to come to conclusion that labeling is the Indian minds in different terms is leading to misconception, causing to miss out the whole picture of india
The question here I am addressing is can we call it as Collective Indian minds?
In search of our identity, I have thought of beginning with name..

New Journey of Chinthana- rethinking

Chinthana- rediscovering indian psych will have its new journey, new view... thoughts on india minds through the loop of folk and rural world it would provide new ways of analysis on indian thoughts, emotions, minds, communities, and culture.New
In this new journey of chinthana which is a restart of this blog, there will be thought provoking ideas and thoughts which will be shared. 

Dear friends I might be alone in current situation, hoping as you realize that you need to share you are all always welcome

The Omkar-AUM culture and mind

Aum - Its Aesthetics, Mysticism, and Philosophy,
Nitin Kumar

The open mouth of A moves toward the closure of M.
Between is U, formed of the openness of A but shaped
by the closing lips. Here it must be recalled that as
interpreted in relation to the three curves, the three
syllables making up AUM are susceptible to the same
metaphorical decipherment. The dream state
(symbolized by U), lies between the waking state (A)
and the state of deep sleep (M). Indeed a dream is but
the compound of the consciousness of waking life
shaped by the unconsciousness of sleep.
AUM thus also encompasses within itself the complete
alphabet, since its utterance proceeds from the back
the lips; both embraced in the simple act of uttering of
AUM.
The last part of the sound AUM (the M) known as ma or
makar, when pronounced makes the lips close. This is
like locking the door to the outside world and instead
reaching deep inside our own selves, in search for the
Ultimate truth.
But over and above the threefold nature of OM as a
sacred sound is the invisible fourth dimension which
cannot be distinguished by our sense organs restricted
as they are to material observations. This fourth state is
the unutterable, soundless silence that follows the
uttering of OM. A quieting down of all the differentiated
manifestations, i.e. a peaceful-blissful and non-dual
state. Indeed this is the state symbolized by the dot in
the traditional iconography of AUM.
The threefold symbolism of OM is comprehensible to the
most 'ordinary' of us humans, realizable both on the
intuitive and objective level. This is responsible for its
widespread popularity and acceptance. That this symbolism
extends over the entire spectrum of the manifested
universe makes it a veritable fount of spirituality. Some of
these symbolic equivalents are:
Colors: Red, White, and Black.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, and Winter.
Periods: Morning, Midday, and Evening.
States: Waking-consciousness (jagriti), Dream
(svapna), and deep-sleep (sushupti).
Spheres: Earthly, Heavenly, and Intermediary.
Poetic Meters: Gayatri (24 syllables), Trishtubh
(44 syllables), and Jagati (48 syllables).
Veda: Rigveda (knowledge of the meters),
Yajurveda (knowledge of contents), Samaveda
(knowledge of extension).
Elemental Deity: Fire (Agni), Sun (Aditya), Wind
(Vayu).
Manifestation of Speech: Voice (vak), Mind
(manas), Breath (prana).
Priestly Function: Making offering, Performing
ritual, and Singing.
Tendencies: Revolving, Cohesive, and
Disintegrating.
Quality: Energy (rajas), Purity (sattva), and
Ignorance (tamas).
Ritual fire: Of the home, of the Ancestors, and of
Invocation.
Goddess: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika.
Gods: Of the elements (Vasus), of the sky
(Adityas), of the sphere-of-space (Rudras).
Deity: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
Action: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.
Power: of Action (kriya), of Knowledge (jnana),
and of Will (iccha).
Man: Body, Soul, and Spirit.
Time: Past, Present, and Future.
Stages of Existence: Birth, Life, and Death.
Phases of the Moon: Waxing, Full, and Waning.
Godhead: Father, Mother, and Son.
Alchemy: Sulphur, Quicksilver, and Salt.
Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
(three jewels of Buddhism).
Qabalism: Male, Female, and the Uniting
intelligence.
Japanese Thought: Mirror, Sword, and Jewel.
Divine Attributes: Truth, Courage, and
Compassion.
According to Indian spiritual sciences, God first created
sound, and from these sound frequencies came the
phenomenal world. Our total existence is constituted of
these primal sounds, which give rise to mantras when
Nitin Kumar
of the mouth (A), travelling
in between (U), and finally
reaching the lips (M). Now
all alphabets can be
classified under various
heads depending upon the
area of the mouth from
which they are uttered. The
two ends between which the
complete alphabet oscillates
are the back of the mouth to
Ybrant Prana Page 5 “Practice Diligently, Purify Yourself, Spread the Teachings”
Volume 4 Issue 06
Editors and Contributors:
Manu Tayal
Ramakrishnan Nagasamy
Sreenivas Murthy
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organized by a desire to communicate, manifest, invoke
or materialize. Matter itself is said to have proceeded
from sound and OM is said to be the most sacred of all
sounds. It is the syllable which preceded the universe
and from which the gods were created. It is the "root"
syllable (mula mantra), the cosmic vibration that holds
together the atoms of the world and heavens. Indeed
the Upanishads say that AUM is god in the form of
sound. Thus OM is the first part of the most important
mantras in both Buddhism and Hinduism, e.g. Om
Namoh Shivai and Om Mani Padme Hum.
In a further development of the mystic conception of
AUM, the Mandukya Upanishad states:
AUM is a bow,
The arrow is the self,
And Brahman (Absolute reality) is said to be the Mark.
Another ancient text equates AUM with an arrow, laid
upon the bow of the human body (the breath), which
after penetrating the darkness of ignorance finds its
mark, namely the lighted domain of True Knowledge.
Just as a spider climbs up its thread and gains freedom,
so the yogis climb towards liberation by the syllable OM.
The omnific and omniparous quality of OM makes it
omnipresential, and in-omissible from any spiritual
practice. As an omnipotent symbol, the yogi who
penetrates its mystery is indeed truly omnicompetent
and omnipercipient, and as an omniscient source, it is a
virtual omnibus of sacred and mystical inspirations.

Page 4 1.2 Million Arhatic Yogis in India Here and Now! So be it! So be it! So it is!
Ybrant Prana
Volume 4 Issue 06 (reference)

Kiran Kumar C T L

Request to stayin touch through this blog

Sir/Madam
its been very very long we come on blogs, i think its time now for us to open ourselve and learn from sharing,i want you all to be in touch atleast through this blog, plz keep updating watever you want, this is my humble request not to giveup your interest towards understanding indian minds and our objective we framed intially, so i request everyone to be stay in touch through this blog,
i will give you the username-mpcl0911 and password is 1MPCL20092011,
hoping for best
regards
Kiran Kumar c T L
Laugh well eat wel and sleep well

Description:
ceremony or ritual conducted in remembers of the people who have dead.
in pic, there is one idol of Bootha, sticks symbolizing gods mahadeshwara and siddapaji (regional gods), each symbol of gods are brought by four different people, called as Dasaya, Jogayya, Madappa and siddapaji. this four people are worshipers of those regional gods mentioned above. The ritual is also done in other forms given different names, in the same regional area. different caste people call it in different names.

The belief is that if present generation serves or worship or respects through conducting poojas, there generation would be safe from practices of black magics n problem from there ancestors.
there is lots of symbolic representation of gods, four people identified as regioanl gods, there visit would be blessings to the family