Driving to the temple, I felt anxious and very aware of my surroundings, keeping a sharp lookout for the sign that said Hindu Temple of San Antonio. From a distance, my room mate, Chanel, and I were able to see the white temple through all of the green trees up on the hill. Once we arrived, approaching the white carvings on the outside, I became more excited. The devotees were on the outside of the temple, following the line of ceremony to the inside where the rest of the service would take place. I felt somewhat awkward approaching this procession, yet ready to learn and participate in a culture in which I only had textual knowledge. Nothing inside of the temple felt familiar to me, and I felt lost among all of the Hindus that were proceeding with their ceremony. Not wanting to interrupt, we stood in the front of the hall by the entrance trying to figure out what to do or who to talk to. Once we were approached by a kind man, he soothed my nervousness with his welcoming tone. I felt ready to participate fully in their service in order to gain a full understanding of their culture through the beliefs. All of the colors and statues representing the deity were surprising. They were decorated and the room where the service took place was empty except for the carpet to sit on and an area at the front for the gods to take their place. At the beginning of the service, I felt anxious and ready to witness and participate in a service that many outsiders don’t get to see. This service was a special one in honor of the anniversary of the temple. I learned of how they bathed the deity in milk, buttermilk, yogurt, and water multiple times in a cycle in order to cleanse it while praying to it. The chants were in Sanskrit and some of the words I was familiar with from my class on Hinduism. In order to cleanse the worshippers, a priest went around and threw water over the heads of everyone in the service to cleanse them in welcoming the gods. The images were dressed and decorated with garlands and ornaments. The priests vigorously cleansed them while the rest of the congregation prayed. At one point they even used a filter while pouring water over the top of the deity’s head in order to make sure it was pure. They proceeded to put flowers on its head after finishing with the cleansing, tied cloths around it, and put clay and powder on its body. Visitors were then given a book of the prayers, including Purusha Suktam, The Sacrifice of the Lord, Ganesha Ashtottara, and many others that were chanted and read aloud throughout the ceremony. Many of the chants were directed to Shiva while the priests closed the curtains and finished decorating it. After they presented the devotees with the finished decorated deities, they sang and chanted to them until the priest began his sermon for the day which focused on the eternal day and guidance. He spoke of the importance of the role of guides and students, and how Gita guides entire humanity. During the ceremony, I felt multiple emotions, from anxiety and nervousness, to loss and confusion, to awareness and awe at the information I was obtaining. Afterwards, driving out of the temple, I felt accomplished and at peace, yet that there was a mission for me in life. I felt that if everyone in the world was open to learning about other cultures and accepting them through understanding the core of their lives, the world could be a better place.
I spoke with three main devotees at the temple. When I spoke to a woman who was selling snacks at the entrance of the temple, she was very open and willing to attempt at answering any questions I had to help me gain insight and understanding of her culture and people. Ambika Natniajan helped me gain insight through the questions I raised. I asked her about the temple and how its architecture related to the history of Hinduism. She answered that the temple was built in1988 but in March of 1989 it was inaugurated. The Hindu Temple of San Antonio is different from any other temple in that it is not built like a traditional temple would normally be, including the inner sanctum, traditional arch, and hallways. She also informed us that in Hindu temples there is no set time and no usual congregation or group services. Most devotees have their own shrine in their home and don’t usually come to a temple for worship since ultimately everything is under dharma. The devotees can come whenever and worship in their own ways to their own personal choice of deity. She explained the choosing of the main deity and how a lot of it deals with traditions of the family. Ambika described how her family’s main deity is Shiva, and how most families worship one of three deities.
We then went on to the food ceremony afterwards, where we met up with Mr. Kasinath. He was great and very informative, introducing us to many people whom he felt could more thoroughly answer our questions. I asked Mr. Kasinath what the status of women under Hinduism was, in which he answered that in practice and ideally it was equal. He was very honest in is answer in say in reality women are treated “despicably” but that the situation is getting better. He even noted that the current President and Prime Minister are women, and that this is great progress for the movement for equality for women; still noting that male domination of the world needs to change. He explained to us the significance of the anniversary ceremony and the sermon that the priest gave. We discussed the significance of the flame burning of camphor, in how it burns away the camphor without residue symbolizing how we must let the ego burn away and become one with God. Mr. Kasinath talked to us about the significance of the broken coconuts (symbolizing the broken ego) opening up the inner being to God, and how the goal of Hinduism is to get past your own individualism to become one with God. I asked him what the proper procedure was in making an offer to one of the gods, to which he answered “nothing.” He told us how you “just do it” whether it is a flower or even a prayer, you subdue the ego to God. That is the purpose of kneeling before the deity at the beginning of the ceremony, because every knee must bend to God to give him rule over you. When I asked him what was the proper way to salute the deity he said “anything” as long as the person is “sincere and it is internally guided.” During the session in which we were discussing our questions, he introduced us to the man that drew the cover image for Dr. Mackenzie Brown’s book on Hinduism. We then had a discussion of the four stages of life and the importance of seeking moksha. They seemed very impressed with my knowledge of the terms they used and due to that knowledge we were able to discuss things deeper without having to pause to explain the meanings. We spoke of how we enjoyed our experience and asked more specific questions concerning the ceremony we had just witnessed. In the end, we came to the conclusion that if everyone in the world could be as open and willing to learn about other cultures in order to gain an understanding through the core of their beliefs, how we could final attain peace and surpass the suffering in the world.
Upon exiting the temple, I went and sat on a bench outside of a shrine overlooking the town and nature below. It was so beautiful and breathtaking that I felt at one with nature and the world itself. At the same time I felt overwhelmed by all the knowledge I had gained and how I felt I needed to pass on that information in order to help make a difference in the world. Overall, the temple visit was liberating and successful. I learned new things and experienced something new, gaining insight to a culture which is greatly misunderstood throughout the world.
I spoke with three main devotees at the temple. When I spoke to a woman who was selling snacks at the entrance of the temple, she was very open and willing to attempt at answering any questions I had to help me gain insight and understanding of her culture and people. Ambika Natniajan helped me gain insight through the questions I raised. I asked her about the temple and how its architecture related to the history of Hinduism. She answered that the temple was built in1988 but in March of 1989 it was inaugurated. The Hindu Temple of San Antonio is different from any other temple in that it is not built like a traditional temple would normally be, including the inner sanctum, traditional arch, and hallways. She also informed us that in Hindu temples there is no set time and no usual congregation or group services. Most devotees have their own shrine in their home and don’t usually come to a temple for worship since ultimately everything is under dharma. The devotees can come whenever and worship in their own ways to their own personal choice of deity. She explained the choosing of the main deity and how a lot of it deals with traditions of the family. Ambika described how her family’s main deity is Shiva, and how most families worship one of three deities.
We then went on to the food ceremony afterwards, where we met up with Mr. Kasinath. He was great and very informative, introducing us to many people whom he felt could more thoroughly answer our questions. I asked Mr. Kasinath what the status of women under Hinduism was, in which he answered that in practice and ideally it was equal. He was very honest in is answer in say in reality women are treated “despicably” but that the situation is getting better. He even noted that the current President and Prime Minister are women, and that this is great progress for the movement for equality for women; still noting that male domination of the world needs to change. He explained to us the significance of the anniversary ceremony and the sermon that the priest gave. We discussed the significance of the flame burning of camphor, in how it burns away the camphor without residue symbolizing how we must let the ego burn away and become one with God. Mr. Kasinath talked to us about the significance of the broken coconuts (symbolizing the broken ego) opening up the inner being to God, and how the goal of Hinduism is to get past your own individualism to become one with God. I asked him what the proper procedure was in making an offer to one of the gods, to which he answered “nothing.” He told us how you “just do it” whether it is a flower or even a prayer, you subdue the ego to God. That is the purpose of kneeling before the deity at the beginning of the ceremony, because every knee must bend to God to give him rule over you. When I asked him what was the proper way to salute the deity he said “anything” as long as the person is “sincere and it is internally guided.” During the session in which we were discussing our questions, he introduced us to the man that drew the cover image for Dr. Mackenzie Brown’s book on Hinduism. We then had a discussion of the four stages of life and the importance of seeking moksha. They seemed very impressed with my knowledge of the terms they used and due to that knowledge we were able to discuss things deeper without having to pause to explain the meanings. We spoke of how we enjoyed our experience and asked more specific questions concerning the ceremony we had just witnessed. In the end, we came to the conclusion that if everyone in the world could be as open and willing to learn about other cultures in order to gain an understanding through the core of their beliefs, how we could final attain peace and surpass the suffering in the world.
Upon exiting the temple, I went and sat on a bench outside of a shrine overlooking the town and nature below. It was so beautiful and breathtaking that I felt at one with nature and the world itself. At the same time I felt overwhelmed by all the knowledge I had gained and how I felt I needed to pass on that information in order to help make a difference in the world. Overall, the temple visit was liberating and successful. I learned new things and experienced something new, gaining insight to a culture which is greatly misunderstood throughout the world.
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