Regardless of what the spiritual beliefs of a person are, one cannot deny the invigorating feeling one experiences that seems to permeate the entire being at a temple visit. The calmness one feels upon entering the temple premise is unexplainable. The fragrance of the incense sticks, the echoing temple bells, and the prayers (mantras) being chanted has a positive effect on the body. People tend to leave behind all their fears (even if it’s just momentarily) and go back with a high hope after a temple visit.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and all the cultures and traditions have been inherited from the ancestors for thousands of generations and people still follow them without questioning them. The positive vibes and energies in the temple help in calming the mind and body and we tend to enter a different zone when present in a temple.
There are so many scientifically proven health benefits. Humans are known to have five senses such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Each of these senses are activated in a temple with each ritual and the positive energies generated in the temples will be absorbed by the human body.
Entering the temple barefoot – all temples are built with elements that absorb the negative energies. The temple floors are good conductors which absorb energies generated from the vibrations of magnetic and the electric fields that further pass through the body while walking barefooted.
Ringing the temple bell – helps in calming the body. It activates the hearing sense and the sound soothes the hemispheres of the brain.
Offering flowers – regardless of what flowers you offer, the vibrant colours, fragrance, and softness of the flowers help a person overcome any unpleasantness. They also activate the sense of sight, touch, and smell.
Theertham – is basically a mix of water, tulsi, herbs, and flowers in a copper vessel. There are proven health benefits of consuming water from copper vessels. They regulate tridoshas such as Vatha, Pitha, and Kapha. The theertham or theerth activates the sense of taste.
Pradakshina – a custom of walking clockwise around the idol in a temple and offer prayers. In Sanskrit, the word pradakshina means to the right. The body is known to absorb the positive vibrations from the idol and temple.
All these rituals are thoughtfully curated with a strong reason behind them by our ancestors. They are not just traditions. They are backed with scientific objectives. Chanting mantras and performing Pujas have proven beneficial effects on the brain and give peace of mind. The vibrations generated from the chanting of the mantras reduce anxiety and depression.
Dr. Nirmal Bhattacharya is a well-known Bengali Purohit in Bangalore. He is a veteran of Jyotishacharya, Vedashastri, and Purohitya Shastri. He performs Pujas for various occasions in and across Bengaluru. Browse through Bengali Purohit Bangalore page to know about all the other services we provide.