Gold and precious things are put on the statue or idol including flowers. This is done to captivate all your senses

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        🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺

    

                🌿Chapter - 15🌿

           ~ Dissolving The Doer ~

                   🌱 Day - 80 🌱

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In ancient days and even today in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, they decorate the deities with gems and stones. Gold and precious things are put on the statue or idol including flowers. This is done to captivate all your senses. Go to a temple and look at the deity; each one is very beautifully done. So many arms are give to it. It takes you some time to look at all the arms. You can't take for granted that it is just another statue. Someone with keenness and interest will look and see that there are so many jewels and ornaments. Womenfolk go to see the decorations and the precious stones, and not to pray! They see how the precious gems and stones are kept. It is like window shopping! People like going window shopping to see all the different type of costumes and dresses on display.

The wise people had the idea to do something, to decorate the deity with all this, so that when people come to the temples, their eyes were captivated there, captured. They could not possess the deity because it was everybody's property (if it was in a shop, the thought would come in the mind to possess it).

There was a rule in ancient time if anybody found a very precious, unique or amazing thing, it should be offered to the temple. If they found a very big piece of coral or a very big diamond, it could not be sold in a shop. It either had to be offered to the king or to the deity in the temple. So it would be kept in the temple and a big diamond crown would be made from it. Then everyone could go and see its beauty. So eyes are captivated by that.

They also use different types of incense sticks, and the smell captures you. Different kinds of flowers are put around as decoration. The fragrance and freshness of the flowers have some influence on the mind, drawing your mind's attention in that direction. Different kinds of food are given as prasad. They make fifty six kinds of sweets and savories in the temple - a big, elaborate meal and offer it. Many times in the months of November and December, children only go to temple to get some. They go because they know they'll be given something in the morning. First they have to sing bhajan for about half an hour or forty-five minutes and then they'll all get something nice!

Every day there is something different. So they are woken up early in the morning and the parents tell them to go to the temple where they sing bhajan. Some children are sleepy and are hesitant and it is cold in those days; the mornings are colder. However, the children go and prasad is given.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

ASHTAVAKRA GITA

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