The essence of worship

       
                             The essence of worship

      In the external worship, five main things are used which ate symbolic of five elements of which our body and the entire cosmos is made

The sandal used in the worship represents Prithvi ( the earth ),flowers stand for Akasha ( the sky ), incense for Vayu ( air ), lamp for Tejas ( fire ), and offering ( Naivedya ) for nectar like water.
These outward symbols have profound philosophical and spiritual significance also.

Aromatherapists value sandle because of its ability to soothe the mind and boost the immune system, as well as relieve stress and ease depression. Used in sacred ceremonies in the temples for thousands of years . sandalwood is grown in India and Asia. The best grades are tapped from matured, forty to sixty year old trees.

Fresh flowers bring lightness and freshness to the surroudings. The beauty of flowers can still the mind . In Asian society, it is believed that flowers are a tangible link to the forces of the spiritual world .

Burning incense - Through its pungent aroma, burning in ense helps to create a peaceful mood and promotes a vibrational clearing in any space or environment. The smoke from the burning incense spreads all over the room. It acts as a disinfectant. It  also denotes that the Lord is all-pervading and fills the whole universe by His loving presence. The stick is completely burnt. Like that the vasanas ( desires) and samskaras ( impressions ) dormant in man vanish like the smoke of the stick and become ashes. Thus the mind also becomes stainless.

Light denotes that the Lord is all-light. It is He who lights the entire universe by removing the darkness. It is symbolic of the devotee's prayer that darkness ( ignorance ) of the mind be removed and intellect be illuminated with knowledge of the Supreme.

Water and Prasad ( offering given to Lord and partaken by the devotee after that ) is a life-giving force. In the Upanishads, anna ( food ) is called Brahman. It is the pure and healthy food and water that sustain life. Similarly the Lord is the life-giver of all.