Hinduism - How Is Hindu Worship Practiced Or Expressed?

 

Hindu devotion may be described using two different terms, each with two different sets of assumptions.

Darshan ("seeing") is the original and most prevalent form of devotion, in which devotees (bhakta) stare at the god's image and think that the deity is also gazing at them.

Darshan is therefore an exchange of looks between the god and the devotee that conveys comprehension.

Puja ("homage") is the term used to describe worship with offerings and artifacts.

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Hinduism - Who Is A Svarup?

 

 

(“own-form”) Svarup is the term for the child performers (often brahmin boys) who portray the gods and goddesses in famous religious dramas like the Ram Lila, which is based on the narrative of the Ramayana.

Seeing these plays is not just a sort of entertainment, but also a type of religious devotion, since such dramas are seen to be methods for the gods to show themselves to their believers (bhakta).

When the performers are dressed in costume and wearing crowns, like in the Krishna lilas at Brindavan, they are regarded to be manifestations of the god, revealed within the setting of the lila.

Time set aside for darshan, in which the performers sit absolutely still for the spectators to watch them as an act of devotion, in the same manner that people would connect with an image in a temple, is a typical part of such performances as an indication of this status.

~Kiran Atma

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Hinduism - What Is A Darshan?

 

Darshan (2) (“perspective”) - This is the term most often used to identify a philosophical "school" in Indian philosophy. 

The term "perspective" is derived from the verb "to see," and may therefore be roughly translated as "point of view," "perspective," or "[method of] seeing." 

This is a neutral way to define a philosophical perspective in a varied and competitive philosophical culture, whether or not one agrees with it. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Ritual Act Of Darshan?

 ("seeing") is a Hindi word that means "to see." 

Darshan signifies direct eye contact between the devotee (bhakta) and the image of a god, which is regarded to be a conscious, perceiving entity, and is by far the most prevalent religious act in popular contemporary Hinduism. 

Such close contact with the deity is a method to communicate with the god on a personal level, akin to the emphasis on the individual seen in bhakti (devotional) religion. 

Diana Eck, Darsan, 1985, is a good source of knowledge. 

 

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