Welcome to the

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Welcome to the

• Hindu Temple of Atlanta
• Riverdale, GA

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Hinduism In a Nutshell

• Hindu Temple of Atlanta
• Riverdale, GA

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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

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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.
  

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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

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Hinduism The Basic Tenets

• Dharma ? Path of Righteousness
• An individuals 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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Hinduism The Nine Beliefs (Contd)

1. Divine beings exist in unseen worlds and temple
   worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal
   devotionals create a communication with Gods.
2. Guru Spiritually awakened master, to know the
   Transcendent Absolute.
3. All life is sacred, to be loved and revered,
   practice ahimsa, non-injury.
4. No one single way to salvation, all religious
   paths are facets of Gods Pure Love and Light,
   deserving tolerance and understanding.

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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

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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

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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.

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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)

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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."

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A Few Questions Answered

• Why Do Hindus worship the cow?
• Hindus dont worship cows. We respect, honor and
  adore the cow. By honoring this gentle animal,
  who gives more than she takes, we honor all
  creatures.

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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.

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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 todays world not all Hindus are vegetarians.

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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.

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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.

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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 ones
  life.
• To give maximum happiness to the maximum number
  for the maximum time
• Each persons gain is manifold personal growth,
  heightened efficiency, contentment, and the
  ability to live with others in peace and harmony.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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.

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Hindu Prayer before Eating

• Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havihi
• Brahmaagnau Brahmanaa Hutam
• Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
• Brahma Karma Samaadhinaam

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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 everythings
  creation and the cause of everything. Therefore,
  every created effect has the cause, God, within
  it.

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Questions
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Enjoy the Rest of Your Visit

• Thanks!