Welcome to the

1. Welcome to the Hindu Temple of Atlanta Riverdale, GA

2. Hinduism: In a Nutshell Hindu Temple of Atlanta Riverdale, GA

3. Hinduism – Quick Facts • Third largest religion in the world • No single founder • Hinduism invites everyone, irrespective of the cultural background, to validate the truth of the spiritual concepts for themselves. • The earliest records of the religion are in the Rig Veda, the oldest known human literature. Some portions of the Rig Veda have been dated to before 6000 BC. • Withheld the ravages of invasion, plunder, and domination by foreign invaders for more than 1,000 years. • A Way of Life

4. Who is a Hindu? • Anyone who believes in the basic principles of Hinduism and applies them to everyday life. • There is one God, who has become everything in this Universe. • The aim of life is to realize God. • Every path to God is true. Everyone has to choose a path to God according to one's own temperament.

5. Hinduism – Concepts • Monotheistic Polymorphic  One God, Many Forms • Brahman – Ultimate – The Supreme • Aim: Become One with Brahman – Many Paths • Making it Easy for Us • To remove hurdles - "Ganesha" • To bless with good understanding – Knowledge - "Saraswathi” • To worship as mother - "Kali“, “Devi” • To worship God as a child - "Krishna“ • All Forms/Names to Suit the Devotees • The Ultimate  One God [Brahman]

6. Hinduism – The Basic Tenets • Dharma  Path of Righteousness • An individual’s ethics, duties and obligations  Foundation of Life • Samsara  Worldly Life - Reincarnation/rebirth • Karma  Actions – Law of Cause and Effect – Selfless Action is Ideal • Moksha  Salvation from the Cycle of Samsara (Rebirth) attained through a variety of paths) • Bhakti  Devotion to God • Jnana  Enlightenment, knowledge

7. The Caste System • Originally the caste system had a qualitative basis and all castes were treated equally and considered essential for a society. • Brahmin – Priests, Teachers • Kshatriya – Kings, Warriors, Administrators • Vaishya – Merchants, Farmers, Cattlemen • Shudra – Artisans, Laborers, and others • Caste System became degraded when made hereditary.

8. Hindu Sacred Texts • Vedas – Knowledge / Wisdom – Spoken “Sruthi” • Dating Back to 1500-500BCE • Collection of Hymns, Prayers • Spoken Word – Passed on through Generations • Ancient, sacred texts were written in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India. • Upanishads are stories and parables told by gurus (teachers) to their students • The Mahabharata is a story of a war between two royal families. The Bhagavad Gita is a very popular part of this text. • The Ramayana is a story of the God Rama and the rescue of his wife Sita from Ravana, the evil demon king

9. The Vedas • Hymns, Rites, Interpretation, and Philosophical Instruction • Rig – ~10,552 verses • Yajur – ~2,000 verses – Cadenced intonation • Sama - ~2,000 verses – melodious chanting • Atharvana - ~6,000 verses

10. Hinduism: The Nine Beliefs • Divinity of the Vedas • One, all-pervasive Supreme Being – Brahman -- who is both Omnipresent and Transcendent. • Universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution. • Karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds. • Soul incarnation, evolving through many births until all karmas resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from cycle of rebirth is attained.

11. Hinduism: The Nine Beliefs (Cont’d) • Divine beings exist in unseen worlds and temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communication with Gods. • Guru – Spiritually awakened master, to know the Transcendent Absolute. • All life is sacred, to be loved and revered, practice ahimsa, “non-injury”. • No one single way to salvation, all religious paths are facets of God’s Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

12. Ganesha: Remover of Obstacles • 'Ga' symbolizes Buddhi (intellect) and 'Na' symbolizes Vijnana (wisdom). • Considered the master of intellect and wisdom. • Provides prosperity and fortune. • His grace is invoked before the undertaking of any task

13. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva • Trimurthi are three aspects of God, as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva • Brahma - the Source/Creator/Generator • Vishnu - the Preserver/Indwelling-Life/Operator • Shiva - the Transformer/Destroyer-Creator • Similar to interpretations of the Trinity in Christianity

14. Krishna • Eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu • Known for His pastoral childhood as well as His youth and life as a heroic warrior and teacher • Non-Hindu religions that originated in India have their own versions of Him.

15. Lakshmi: Goddess of Wealth • Goddess of wealth, light, wisdom and fortune, as well as luck, beauty, and fertility. • Representations are also found in Jain and Buddhist monuments. • Also considered the Mother of the Universe and Vishnu's Shakti (strength)

16. Saraswati: Goddess of Knowledge • First goddess worshipped in the Hindu religion. • Goddess of Knowledge and music, arts, and speech. • Also Goddess of thoughts of truth and forgiveness. • Originated as a river goddess. Her name is Sanskrit for "she who has lakes or pools."

17. A Few Questions Answered Why Do Hindus worship the cow? • Hindus don’t worship cows. We respect, honor and adore the cow. By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more than she takes, we honor all creatures.

18. A Few Questions Answered Are Hindus idol worshippers? • Hindus do not worship a stone or metal “idol” as God. We worship God through the image. We invoke the presence of God from the higher, unseen worlds, into the image so that we can commune with Him and receive His blessings.

19. A Few Questions Answered Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat? • Hindus teach / practice vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in today’s world not all Hindus are vegetarians.

20. A Few Questions Answered Do Hindus have a Bible? • Our “Bible” is called the Veda. The Veda, which means “wisdom,” is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God.

21. A Few Questions Answered Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of their forehead? • The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark.

22. The Chinmaya Mission • Established in India in 1953 by devotees of His Holiness Swami Chinmayananda. • Under his guidance, these devotees formed the nucleus of a spiritual renaissance movement • The Current Head: Holiness Swami Tejomayananda. • Goal: Make available the ageless wisdom of Vedanta, the knowledge of the one Reality, and provide the tools to realize that wisdom in one’s life. • “To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time” • Each person’s gain is manifold: personal growth, heightened efficiency, contentment, and the ability to live with others in peace and harmony.

23. Swami Chinmayananda • Born in 1916, he is known as a notable spiritual leader • Especially known for knowledge of Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads • Opened a number of ashrams, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics around the world • Selected as President of Hindu Religion in 1993 • Passed away in August 1993 in San Diego

25. What is BalaVihar? • Chinmaya Mission has developed a program for children and youth called Chinmaya BalaVihar • Children learn religious practices, prayers, poojas, bhajans, meditation, the significance of holy days, and spiritual values. • Read/Learn about religious scriptures (e.g., Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita) • The teachers are dedicated volunteers who have been trained to impart religious values to children.

26. HTA Balavihar • Founded in 1991 in a small corner of the auditorium • As enrollment grew, classes moved to priests’ apartments and trailer • Education building constructed because enormous growth of BalaVihar and also other classes such as music, dance, and language classes • 2008-2009- 250 students in 17 classrooms • 400 students in Alpharetta • 50 students in newly founded Gwinnett BalaVihar

27. HTA Balavihar • Youngest- Alphabets • 2nd- Ramayana • 3rd- Mahabharatha • 4th- Symbolism • Oldest- World Religions/Bhagavad Gita • Slokams are learned and compiled throughout the whole program, and the senior class winds up knowing every slokam in all three books

28. Visiting our Hindu Temple • The Hindu temple is a sacred space where man and God commune. • Home of Gods and Goddesses • Priests conduct poojas-presenting flowers, water, incense, lights, food and other choice offerings • Honoring Gods and the Goddesses and invoking their presence and blessings.

29. In the Temple: One Can Be • Immersed in the joys of devotion • In prayerful communion • Seeking solace for a loss • Singing hymns, chanting mantras • Celebrating a rite of passage. • Meditation is appropriate, especially after the pooja, and emotion is not out of place. • God will receive your devotion, however you offer it.

30. A Bustling Place • A unique aspect of Hindu temples is the variety of functions going on simultaneously ... • Archana in one place, a woman crying for a recent misfortune in another, and a joyous baby blessing happening in another.

31. What You Will See … • There are two temples at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, which is rare for Hindu temples. • The Balaji Temple (Vishnu) was the first built of the two and has the deities of Ganesha, Durga, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Andal, Navagrahas, and Hanuman • The Siva Temple was recently constructed and is being embellished by Indian sculptors. It has Ganesha, Shiva, Muruga, Parvathi, and Kanyaka Parameshwari

32. Visiting our Hindu Temple • Please remove your shoes • Obey all signs regarding how close to go • If sitting, please sit cross-legged (Indian-style) and do not sit with your feet pointing towards the deities. • Refrain from gossip and unnecessary talking and treat the priests with respect

33. Visiting our Hindu Temple • Hands pressed together in namaskara, greet the Deities at their shrines, starting with Ganesha, and present your offerings. • Prostrating is a traditional expression of worshipful surrender and adoration. Men prostate fully, while women do so in a kneeling pose

34. What is a Pooja? • A Hindu worship service is known as a pooja, similar to a grand reception for a king. • There are four parts to the small pooja (archana) performed at various times during the day in the temple: 1. The sacred flame 2. The sacred water 3. (Vishnu only) The crown of the Deity 4. Prasadam (nuts, fruits)

35. What goes on your forehead? • Three different types of powder / paste are given to devotees in the temple • Vibhuthi (sacred ash) is given in the Siva Temple • Chandhanam (sandlewood paste) and kumkumam (red powder) are give in both the temples.

36. Hindu Prayer before Eating Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havihi Brahmaagnau Brahmanaa Hutam Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam Brahma Karma Samaadhinaam

37. Hindu Prayer before Eating -Prayer Meaning: “Any means of offering is God, the oblation is God. The fire in which the offering is made is God. The one who offers is also God. Indeed, God is gained by such a person who abides in God.” -In other words, God is the cause of everything’s creation and the cause of everything. Therefore, every created effect has the cause, God, within it.

38. Questions

39. Enjoy the Rest of Your Visit Thanks!