The Origin and Significance of Temples

S. Satyamurti Ayyangar

God is everywhere but He is very much here wrote a friend to me, years ago, from holy Badrinath. For a moment, it left me guessing whether it was at all a scholarly pronouncement from a truely knowledgeable person or a mere flourish of the pen for which my friend had a flair. But soon, I realised that what was alluded to was the special impact of the Deity, over there, on the worshippers. Well, how does God, known in common parlance, to be all pervading, permeating all things and being all over, remain stationary at a particular spot and make Himself visible to all and sundry, assuming a distinct form, in which He could be worshipped by the yearning devotee, casting His spell on the latter? How does one correlate the two widely divergent aspects of Godhead, namely the 'akhandaakaara' or 'vishvaroopa' aspect of the all prevading one, invisible to the naked (physical) eye of even the most exalted devas in the higher echelons, and the personal God of finite form? An authoritative examination of these issues brings one right into the thick of the subject on hand.

Reference to Brahman, the Supreme Lord, in the scriptures, as Nirguna, has given rise to a school of thought, which holds that He is no more than a cold, icy, abstract entity, devoid of attributes. This does not, however, seem to be valid, seeing that every reality must have attributes and Brahman is a reality indeed. What is really meant is that Brahman is totally devoid of the qualities of Prakriti (nature or un-modified cause, which produces several changes of state), which affiict all clse, the heya-gunas or base qualities, the material limitations and imperfections generated by the triple gunas. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. What then are the gunas possessed by God (the Saguna aspect)? The scriptures specify the six main attributes of God. namely, i) Jnaana that is. that He is the centre of all knowledges ii) Shakti, the power of achieving everything including what might be deemed unattainable by others; (iii) Bala. strength, the power of containing everything within Himself, includes the so-called incompatibles; iv) Aisvarya, the power of containing all the treasures of the entire universe and keeping them in order; (V) Virya, the power of being immutable, with no vikaaras or changes, unaffected by the created world of differences and modifications evolved by Him; and (vi) Tejas, brilliance that is the power by which He holds Himself superior to all else. Saint Nammaazhvaar, (looked upon as the monarch of all the Aazhvaars, the peerless devotees sunk deep in the oceanic depths of divine consciousness) has right in the opening line of his scintillating hymnal of unparalleled excellence, Tiruvaaymozhi, thrown open the flood -gate of his mystic vision of the Lord. The saint has described God as a fountain of inexhaustible bliss that cuts out all fatigue, as full of compassion and a host of other auspicious traits, the repository of all conceivable excellence of unlimited dimensions, the very antithesis of the icy-cold abstract God, formless and colourless, conceived by others. No doubt, God is shapeless, formless aud colourless, in his universal aspect. as the Omnipresent, the a1l-pervading and the infinite, the entire universe constituting as it were, His body. He can, however. take upon Himself or body, at His volition. The Sruti says, "Jaayamaano bahudhaa vijaayate." (The unborn gets born, in many ways.) He is signified by all names, some directly and and others indirectly. 'Naaraayana', 'Vishnu', 'Vaasudeva', 'Raama' and 'Krishna' signify Him directly. In fact, the two aspects of Nirguna, the akhhandaakaara or vishvaroopa and the Saguna, the personal God are complementary to each other and not mutually exclusive.

The five-fold form or manifestation of God, which helps Him to govern His very vast kingdom is sure to make interesting reading, in this context. Sri Pancharaatra, which is a valid scriptural basic of Taantric religious experience and practice, describes the five-fold hypostatic manifestaion of God. They are: para, vyooha, vibhava, antaryaamin and archaavataara. Paravigraha is the transcendental form in which God manifests Himself in the Vaikunthaloka (Heaven); 'Vyooha" denotes His self- assumed operative forms as Vaasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, the seat of activity shifting from High Heaven to the Milk-ocean. Vibhava - is incarnate forms, such as Rama and Krishna, the Lord assuming a form of His choice, eminently suited for the purpose of the particular avataara (incarnation), when he freely mingles with one and al1, high and low, and exhibits many a rare qua1ity in superb abundance. Antaryaamivigraha is the pervasive form of the Lord, pervading all things and beings everywhere and at all times, dwelling in the heart region of every being, as the Internal Controller; Archa-vigraha is the image form in temples and houses of worshippers, in which the Lord is consecrated and which is thus the visible, worshippable form He assumes, in accordance with the wishes of His devotees. The image which a devotee makes, consecrates and worships, is as much an avataara or manifestation of the Lord as Raama, Krishna, etc. and not a mere child-play or beginner's tool, a mere aid to concentration in the earlier stages as the sceptical and half-hearted believers among us would want us to think. They are perhaps inclined to think that an image, made by man according to his own whim, that is, unilaterally, without prior consultation with God, can hardly depict the living presence of God, the very basis for worship. These persons will do well to turn their attention to Sri Krishna's own declaration in Bhagavad Gita "Ye yatha maam prapadhyanteaan tathaiva bhajaamyaham' (iv-ii). That is, He would deign to present Himself before his devotees in whatever form the latter desire to see and commune with Him. The general featuring of the Divine person naturally follows from the most desirable formation of the human form, and it should not be lightly brushed aside as idolatrous, fetish, loyalty, or something anthropomorphic.

It is only on the strength of Pancharaatra, extolling the archaa aspect of God, that the several holy shrines, extant throughout this sprawling subcontinent and elsewhere too, have been instituted and God is made visible therein to our fleshy eyes. There are, of course, numerous other aagamas; the Vaikhaanasa, the Saivaagama, propounded by Lord Siva, and regarding Him as the supreme deity, and the 'Tantrik' form of worship obtaining in Kerala, etc. Each of these acts out its own stipulations for the location and structure of the sanctum sanctorum and its appurtenances, specific featuring of the icons etc, and formulating its own disciplines for the conduct of worship.

The Pancharaatra is also known as the Bhagavat Saastra for the reason that Narayana, the Supreme Brahman, as revealed by Vedanta, is Himself its promulgator. This sets forth His proper form and the means of worshipping Him. Being Bhagavat Saastra, it has always been deemed to be canonical. This does not mean that there were no detractors who challenged the authority of the said Saastra. The main adversaries were the Meemaamsakas of the Bhatta and Prabhakara schools, the Advaitins and the Naiyaayikas. In his Aagama Praamaanya, Yaamnaacharya has firmly established the authenticity of Pancharaatra, with exceptional dialectical skill and a wealth of incontrovertible evidence, covering a wide range of problems. The Pancharaatra texts abundantly reveal that they had grown out of temple service and recorded practices, such as the Panchakaala rituals which have been in vogue, since long.

Our concern can and shall be only with a God, who is nearest, dearest and most patent to our heart and understanding, whose greatness lies not in his might and majesty, as the Lord of Heaven, in a transcendental setting, but who has in His grace loving condescension and easy accessibility. It will therefore, be readily appreciated that, situated as we are, all the four anterior hypostatic manifestations of God are of no avail and we have to draw spiritual nourishment and sustenance only from the last mentioned archaa manifestation. Put briefly, the Para or the transcendental form of the Lord is like the waters, surging, on the outer periphery of the vast universe; the Vyooha is centred in the remote milk-ocean, not easy of access; the Vibhava or the incarnate forms of the Lord, like Rama and Krishna are like the swollen floods in rivers whose waters have long ago rolled down to the ocean. The fourth, namely the Antaryaamin aspect of God, no doubt, puts Him on very intimate terms with us, as He resides in the heart-region of everyone, as the Internal Controller. And yet, it is just like underground-water, deep inside the earth, which can be got at only by the Yogins, devoutly absorbed in single-minded devotion. On the other hand, the Archaavaatara (iconic manifestation) alone can be invoked by all, at all times, like unto the deep pockets of water, cool and refreshing, in the river beds, the aftermath or legacy of the flood. It was only in this aspect of God, the archaavatara, the great Aazhvaar saints, known for their profound Divine wisdom imparted to them by God Himself, shorn of doubts, discrepancies, and distortions, did prapatti, that is, took refuge, the Archaa, the duly consecrated idol, being a veritable store-house of innumerable excellences, the final essence of all essences.

Temples derive their significance, rather acquire a meaning only in terms of the deity they enshrine, even as houses have a meaning only when they house people and not when there are rows and rows of vacant buildings. We are discussing here the live temples, full of dynamism, the effective centres of spiritual attraction, conducive to calm contemplation and deep meditation, as distinguished from the temples in ruins, denuded of idols, and having mere archeological interest. Nobody builds temples with their elaborate lay out, tall-towers, majestic mantapas and all that, unless there are specific idols on hand, needing to be enshrined. Actually, the temples derive their names from the deities, enshrined within, such as Sriranganaathaswaamy temple, Sri Parthasaarathyswaamy temple, Sri Kapaaleeswarar temple, Sri Meenaakshi temple, and so on. And so, when we deal with the origin of temples and their significance, the best part of our attention naturally goes to the significance and efficacy of idol worship, as such.

This, therefore, emphasises the relevance of all that has been said, so far, which could still admit a little more elaboration. It is in His iconic manifestation that the Lord achieves what the vociferous saastras have failed to secure. At a time when rank materialism running rampant, and the people, caught up in the vortex of earthly pursuits, have scant regard for the saastraic decrees and injunctions, reducing to naught the chances of their pursuing the paths of discipline prescribed for their spiritual uplift, the Lord in His iconic form casts an irresistible spell on the hitherto ungodly subjects, determined to run away from Him. Even those, who seldom go to the temples, lacking the inclination therefor, are sought out by the Deity, during the ceremonial processions, outside the temple precincts and are enticed by His exquisite charm. Having enticed them and engendered in them the requisite taste for God-head, He is right there to redeem them, who, with their new-found avidity, cling to Him and seek refuge in his image-form. In fact, the very purpose of His manifestation in archa is only to get hold of His errant subjects, straying away from Him. And when He gets His catch all right, His gratification knows no bounds. The Lord's stay in the temple is not an end in itself, but only the means for the reclamation of His subects, His ultimate destination being the heart-centre, of the spiritually rejuvenated subjects. The temple, that is the pilgrim centre, as we can call it now, is just the spring-board where God could reach the heart-centre of His devotees.

There is a vast volume of literature on temples and iconology - the layout of the temples, their location, structure of gopuras, vimaanas, dhajasthambas, mantapas, the garbha-griha, the special featuring of the icons of the different deities in the Hindu pantheon, the deification of the idols of gods and goddesses, the stationary Moola Vigrahas, the mobile Utsava Murtis taken out in ceremonial procession, conduct of the diurnal worship during stated periods, the periodic and annual festivals etc.

The Aagamas governing these are broadly classified as Vaishnava and Saiva Aagamas. Saakta theology is closely allied to the Saiva. There are two Vaishnava Aagamas, namely, Pancharaatra and Vaikhaanasa. Likewise the Saivaagama comprises the Kaaranaagama and Kaamikaagama. The temples themselves fall under different categories, depending upon the agency building them and installing the Deity. These are : Svayam Vyakta (the self-originated); Divyam (those installed by the gods); Saiddha (those set up by siddha purushas) and Maanusha (those built by humans). The areas around the temples, up to specified limits, the extent whereof varies in relation to the particular category, are also held sacred and their sanctity should not be violated.

The temples constitute our rich heritage. It will be no exaggeration to state that the tenacity of our Hindu culture rests upon the stable base of our temples, which have been the traditional centres fostering the growth of civilisation, in all its ramifications in art, literature, painting, sculpture, dance, drama, etc. Formal schooling has not been an integral part of the upbringing of a majority of a Hindu population. I know of a Sthapathi (icon-maker) who had never entered a school and yet, could recite, in clear accents, the relevant Sanskrit slokas from the samhitaas pertaining to the special feature of the icons. The periodic festivals in temples particularly the Car festival, demonstrate the solid achievement of unity in diversity. The successful return of the car to the stand is indeed a grand annual declaration of our solidarity.

VENKATESWARA