What we should not do in Temples

pattuppudavai

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Posted: 10 November 2011 at 10:37pm | IP Logged

What we should not do in Temples:

If we go to our favorite celebrity's house, we would probably have to wait a long time just to see them. When we finally get a chance, we'll keep our eyes wide open to admire their beauty / personality etc..

The same thing applies to God also. We go to temple to get some peace. When arati is shown, we must drink only His 'azhagu kOlam'. If we have to close our eyes, we can do that from home Smile

. When we sit there, we should bring His Divine Dharshan in our mind and enjoy ourself. We should spend time thinking about God and then, if we have any praarthanai (of course we have a lot Big smile

), we can tell at that time.

If we sit in the temple and there also, we talk to our friends our sondha kadhai sOga kadhai, then how will we get peace? Hehe.

Also, I wonder why some serials show devotees going around the Sannidhi in the wrong direction - appradhakshinam? God should be on our right side while we go around clockwise. (Men change their poonals only when doing 'apara kaaryam')

Maybe serials are showing it wrong coz it's easier for shooting? But kids these days learn so much from serials, it'll be good if they show it correctly!

Actually, there are so many things for "do/don't do" in temples which a lot of people are not aware of. I mentioned only the above points, because these repeatedly come in all serials.

Anyway, the post went much longer than I anticipated, but I wanted to share this with everyone. Thanks for reading.

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~*Thamizhan*~

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Posted: 11 November 2011 at 3:25am | IP Logged

Interesting thread.

When I was little I was told to go around the deities three times and I still do it to this day (without any proper explanations as to why we do it Confused

). Recently, I found someone going around the deities nine times ..

Most temples IN SRILANKA (all I went to) restrict men from wearing t / shirts inside (or they have to watch the prayers from the outside) .. I have no probs with doing it but that day I wasn't wearing my belt Ermm

.. SO ALWAYS WEAR A BELT people these days are sooo judgemental.

Edited by ~*Thamizhan*~ - 11 November 2011 at 3:25am

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hopper_ocean

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Posted: 11 November 2011 at 8:36am | IP Logged

Originally posted by pattuppudavai

Also, I wonder why some serials show devotees going around the Sannidhi in the wrong direction - appradhakshinam? God should be on our right side while we go around clockwise. (Men change their poonals only when doing 'apara kaaryam')

pattu .. i noticed this too after watching PS yesterday. I was saying the same to myself Confused

.. weird it really looked weird to me.. Ermm

thanks for the topic

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pattuppudavai

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Posted: 12 November 2011 at 8:46am | IP Logged

Thanks Thamizhan and hopper... and sneha and eclat for hitting like buttons...

Dress code:

Dharma / Sasthra differs from place to place, from Temple to Temple. In S. India, men do not wear upper clothes. (For ladies, saree and salwar with duppattaa are expected. No pants / jeans allowed). Some temples are very strict about this. We must wear only clean washed clothes. Pattu and wollen are exempted. (In N. India, you can find pandits doing puja fully covered. Their practices are according to their climate)

Pradhakshinam:

We need to do 3 pradhakshinam because we have 3 bodies - physical, mental and causal body. It's for the same reason we chant 'Shanti Mantra' 3 times. Some people do 9 valams to Navagraha sannidhi taking as 9 valam for 9 deities. However, this is not necessary.

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eljay

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Posted: 12 November 2011 at 8:45pm | IP Logged

Good topic, silksari! Nothing annoys me more than to see two people discussing their personal stuff while I am trying to pray to God and pour all my problems and troubles into His ears, shutting out the stuff about how someone's DIL came there and someone else's son is getting married to so-and-so's daughter, and so on! What is even more annoying is that this is always by older women and men, who should be setting an example for the younger generation. If they do this, how can we stop the younger generation from coming to the temple and answering their cell phone calls and talking to each other?
As for the dress code, it differs in South India and North India. Here in the US, they don't mind if we go in pants and jeans because sometimes, we are traveling from one place to another, stop in a city where there is a big temple, but there may not be time to change into a sari or salwar kameez, so we go in whatever outfit we are wearing. I used to try to find the time to change into a sari or kameez and salwar, but of late, I have also gone in pants and jeans. Personally, I feel that if we are covered from top to toe, with no parts of our body showing in an indecent manner, it is okay. It is the talking which annoys me.

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pattuppudavai

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Posted: 13 November 2011 at 12:34am | IP Logged

Thanks Eljay...

I have noticed few elders themselves are unaware of our customs and rituals and those elders who know also fail to pass them on to the next generation. Younger generation too don't take them seriously, saying all these are superstitions / or it's computer yugam!

Personally I feel, if ladies cover their back with their saree pallu, atleast when they are in temple / take part in religious events/activities, it would be better, not attracting others' attention (showing broad window type blouses back)...

And last but not the least, people should understand that temples are NOT a meeting place. We should think of God and God and God only...

We go to temple to lessen our paapams / add punniyams na? By doing these things, we are adding more paapams... hehe

I started this thread mainly after watching a serial where the hero, heroine went the wrong way around the temple... I have noticed a few mistakes in a few movies, serials also and I felt, if I opened this topic now, it would reach some people and am hoping it won't be repeated in future...

Edited by pattuppudavai - 21 November 2011 at 10:17pm

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rojapoooo

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Posted: 13 November 2011 at 11:05am | IP Logged

Yes pattu and Hopper - I saw Jothi and Karthik doing apradhakshinam and was thinking " paavathu kku mele paavam yethukku seyyaraanga??"
I never go to temples on special days - somehow I feel that there are too many people between me and God !! In fact prefer to go just before the temples close - there will be no one in the sannidhi and no vambu going on !!! We lived in a township before we moved abroad and the Ganesha temple there never locked the sannidhi - there used to be a collapsible gate through which you can see the deity. We always went there after 9 pm and had a tete et tete with Lord Ganesha !!!

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pattuppudavai

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Posted: 13 November 2011 at 11:56pm | IP Logged

Originally posted by rojapooo

I saw Jothi and Karthik doing apradhakshinam and was thinking " paavathu kku mele paavam yethukku seyyaraanga??"

She herself said to him when talking about the temple practice, 'haven't you seen in movies'...

It is the accepted universal Truth that common people learn many things from movies and serials...

When we see the rituals shot in the Church or in the Mosque, even we would take them as correct.

Now, I am doubtful whether to take them seriously... Big smile

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Posted: 10 November 2011 at 10:37pm | IP Logged

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Posted: 11 November 2011 at 8:36am | IP Logged

Posted: 12 November 2011 at 8:46am | IP Logged

Posted: 12 November 2011 at 8:45pm | IP Logged

Posted: 13 November 2011 at 12:34am | IP Logged

Posted: 13 November 2011 at 11:05am | IP Logged

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