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Thread: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

  1. #1
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    Smile Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    It was a spur of the moment decision this afternoon. I was dressed a little better than usual so I thought well why not? Of course taking a Valium beforehand helped take the edge off my anxiety. I needn't have worried about my clothes because there was a young man (30s maybe) wearing jeans.

    I pulled into the parking lot and saw the new temple construction. This new temple is huge! (construction photo album): http://www.guruvayurappantemple.org/...HOTOS2011.html I saw there were only one or two cars in the parking lot and I was relieved. I didn't want to go when there was a crowd.

    I took my shoes off and left them in the shoe rack; I later realized people took their socks off too, so I did it on the sly and put them in my pocket. I stopped by the office to pay my respects. I was welcomed nicely. They said to go in, take darshan and be comfortable, and if I had any questions, just ask. I went in, made namaskar and sat down. It so happens it was just before 6 pm when the priests do Vishnu Sahasranama. I didn't know that, so when I left I asked the people in the office what it was the priests were chanting. They said "it's the thousand names of Vishnu". I said "oh, the Vishnu Sahasranama!" They said "yes, yes!" I was happy that I got a chance to be there for that.

    When the priests were finished with the chanting, they offered the light to the deities, then to us. They passed water around. Apparently I held my hand incorrectly, so the priest whispered "no, no, the other way" with a smile. I said "oops, sorry", and he smiled again. Then they passed prasad of nuts and fruit. I did the circumambulation as a few other people did, stayed a bit to listen to the recording of the Hanuman Chalisa, then left. I spoke with the people in the office again and thanked them for being so helpful.

    They said they were happy to help, and hoped to see me again. They told me about the Mahakumbhabishekam in July. I told them I follow the website but have been shy about coming. They said I need not be, that everyone is welcome. As we were talking I told the lady from the office that "from the time I was a teen, even being raised Roman Catholic... ", and she cut me off smiling, nodding and said "you were always Hindu".

    The most striking thing is that both priests, even while chanting, looked over in my direction and gave a slight smile. I expected, as I've heard before, that they wouldn't even notice me, much less acknowledge me. I think they could tell I was afraid of committing a faux pas. After the service, as a few people were coming and going, one of the priests again gave me a slight smile. The looks I got from others there were more like "hmm... a new person", and there were slight smiles.

    So it turned out differently than I expected. I expected that at the time I went, there would be no service, but as it turned out (and as I say, there are no accidents), I got swept up in the aarti and prasad. I may be able to work in a stop-by a night or two each week on my way home from work, or even make a special weekend visit (it's 20 miles from home).

    When I get a little bolder, I'll go to a puja: Satyanarayana and/or Purnima Pujas; or even an abishekam. The temple is Sri Guruvāyūrappan Sri Krishnaji Mandir, but there are shrines and services to Lord Shiva, Maa, and Lord Ganesha.

    Well, sorry for the travelogue.
    Last edited by Jainarayan; 23 May 2012 at 09:28 PM.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

  2. #2

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    Namaste! So glad you had such a great experience. It's just the first of many.

  3. #3
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    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    Namaste.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaikuntha Bound. View Post
    Namaste! So glad you had such a great experience. It's just the first of many.
    Thanks. It really was a nice experience. On the one hand I was nervous and shy, but on the other hand I felt like "well hey, I'm in God's house, so He'll look after me".

    Every day there is Vishnu Sahasranamam Parayanam @ 6 pm and Mangala Aarati @ 7 pm. Tonight, being Wednesday, if I had stayed there would be Sri Sathyanarayana Archana @ 6:30 pm. I didn't know the schedule until I got home and checked it on the website. Maybe next time I will stay for those. I can always hang at the back of the temple and watch what others do. Where there's a will, there's a way.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

  4. #4

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    You also mentioned being interested in attending the Satyanarayana puja. If you'd like a good (and inexpensive) introduction to the story behind the puja, as well as the ritual itself, you might want to find "The Way to True Worship" by Prof. Anoop Chandola. While he writes as both a born hindu and an academic, I found that the book gave me the footing to attend and draw meaning from my participation.



    Take care,

    VB

  5. #5

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    Namaste TBTL,

    Thanks for sharing about your visit. I'm glad things went so well. See, it wasn't so bad, right? Best wishes on your continued journey into Sanatana Dharma.

    Jai Sri Ram
    Sanatana Dharma ki Jai!
    Jai Hanuman

  6. #6

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    हरिः ओम्


    Namaste TBTL,


    Hey good for you TBTL; I am happy to hear of your progress!


    pranāma

    mana


    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Aum Namaḥ Śivāya
    8i8

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    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    Vannakkam TBTL: It gets easier each time. Eventually you'll be in a 'home away from home' environment, as comfortable there as you are on your couch relaxing. (You won't need the valium.) Eventually you'll go just to see God, and not be conscious at all of the embodied jivas around you. I'm truly happy for you.

    Aum Namasivaya

  8. #8

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    That's so great! I wish there was a temple near me. There is an ISKCON temple in my state, but it's so far away. But I loved hearing your story!

  9. #9
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    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    Namaste all.

    Thanks for the info about the Satyanarayana Puja, Vaikuntha Bound. I will look into it. And thanks to everyone for your responses and support. It was a big step for me, having the social anxiety I do. But now I've broken through that wall, and I'm actually looking forward to going again, even if it's just for the Vishnu Sahasranama after work.

    Granted there were no more than 5 or 6 people there, but at least now there are 5 or 6 people that have seen me, not to mention 2 of the priests and the people at the office.

    I noticed it's true that people come in and do their own thing. One woman came in after the chanting started, sat down and seemed to either be meditating, praying or listening to the chanting. I noticed that later on she went to the shrine of Maa Saraswati and did a prostration from her knees. The husband and wife couple came at the end of the service and received prasad. Perhaps they were early for the next service. The lady didone circumambulation, the young fellow went around at least 3 times. I did 3.

    From what I saw, the most interaction one has with other people is taking prasad, and even then it's only the priests. It's true you're there to be with God, for the most part.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

  10. #10

    Re: Well, I did it; I made it to temple (kind of long).

    YAY!
    So glad you went and had a good experience.

    I was shy the first time too.

    Maya

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