Topic started by G Arunai Vadivel Mudaliar (@ crc-cache1.jaring.my) on Wed Jan 22 03:12:35 .
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"The town which is without temple is inauspicious" - Saint Appar
"Do not reside in a village that has no temple" - Avvaiyar
The Tamil word for temple is Ko-il which literally means 'The King's Abode' or, 'The King's Palace'. Just as the king is the head of a certain region on earth, God is the head of the entire world, and his abode is appropriately termed the King's abode , or, Koil. The prefix Thiru which means 'auspicious' is then added to Koil Thiruko-il therefore stands for the Temple of God.
Has God an abode
God is everywhere. He is ever-present. How then can he be confined to a temple? The entire Universe should be deemed to be his home. This may arise in the minds of some people. On the other hand, though God is formless, there is nothing to prevent Him from assuming any particular form for any particular reason. He should be deemed to take different forms and to take His abode in various temples. It is not for his sake that he takes any form. Indeed, it is for the benefit of us and our souls that he does so.
Why God assumes forms
Human beings cannot have communion with God in His formless state. So, in His infinite mercy God takes on a form for the sake of human beings. Souls suffer because of their intimate bond with the world. If they should sever their bond with the world, and strengthen their connection with God, this suffering would stop. Souls are accus-tomed to sensory perception only. For God to communicate with souls, he neccessarily has to take a forum The bodies which encase mortal souls are of flesh and blood. They are made of the three impurities. But the form which God assumes for Himself is made of His own grace. This has been made clear in the 61st, 65th and 67th songs of Sivajnana Siddhiar. It is stated that He does appear before those who adore Him.
There are two states in which God is conceived: One is Swarupa Sivam in which He is formless. The other is Tadastha Sivam in which He has form , name and function.
Forms are of two kinds : "True forms" and "image forms". True forms are those God takes for Himself at a particular time and place for a particular purpose. Image forms are the forms carved in stone by people from either knowledge through books or insights of saints and sages. These forms are not the imagination of some people. They are believed to be the images of God as actually seen by the saints.
Spiritual men who conduct themselves in this world as God's representatives are also 'image forms' and they are called Sagami Thirumenigal.
Only those who are spiritually evolved are able to see God in his true form. For those who are fortunate to get a Jnana guru who can impart jnanam, or Supreme Knowledge, the guru's form is also considered to be that of God. Others would need to worship His other image forms either those in the temple or those considered Sangama Thirumenigal.
There are three ways in which we worship God. These are: Guru, Lingam, and Sangamam. We worship the Guru, our spiritual master, as God himself. We worship the Lingam in the temples.
All the images in the temples are called Lingam. The Lingam in the sanctum sanctorum is of the highest order. The other god-forms surround the central Lingam.
Need for temple worship
The question may be asked: If God is all pervasive and present everywhere, why should He be worshipped only in the temples? It is true that God is omnipresent. But how many of us get the religious feeling anywhere and everywhere? When we are in the house we are beset with worries, just as we are beset with them in the office environment.
For those of us who are unable to be fully aware of the presence of God everywhere, temple worship is the practical method of worshipping God.
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