Symbolism in Hinduism—1

When I was in my teens, everything concerning Hinduism seemed wrong: multiple Gods, illogical rituals, and mindless devotion to Gurus. During my teen years, I was fairly an atheist, and rejected Hinduism in all its forms. However, it took a trip to USA and Part 2 course with Art of Living Foundation that spurred my interest in Hinduism exactly four years back. I still don’t have as much knowledge about Hinduism as I would like to have; yet, whatever little knowledge I have puts me in awe about the insight and ingenuity of our Vedic rishis. They are rightly called “seers”, because they could “see” what is difficult for us ordinary mortals to see. And the rishis of yore encrypted their research results in our scriptures, particularly the Vedas, Puranas, and the Upanishads.

Of particular interest to me has been the hidden symbolism behind Hindu scriptures, Gods, and rituals. Each and every act of Hinduism (and probably other religions as well) is constructed such that it is beneficial to mind, body, and spirit. Idol-worshipping, pradakshina or circumambulation around temples, offering coconut during pujas, offering water to Sun; they all have a beautiful reason behind them. Performing them might look senseless, but never doubt their efficacy. For example, looking at sun (for 30 seconds or so) while offering water during sunrise is beneficial to the eyes because the harmful UV rays are completely blocked during the long travel of the sun-rays. My mother does this practice every single morning. Ofcourse now-a-days, some people do it at 8 am rather than at sunrise, thus damaging the eye-sight. Even the stories about Gods in Hinduism have deep spiritual underpinnings. In one of my later blogs, I will write on the spiritual significance of the story of beheading of Shri Ganesha (and subsequent replacement with elephant head by Shiva). Stay tuned…