Swami Agnivesh

Hindu Worship and Prayer in the Context of Interfaith Worship
Ranchor Prime (Edited from All in Good Faith)

Session Co-ordinators: Swamis Agnivesh & Asaktananda

To understand Hindu worship it is important to be familiar with the underlying principle of Hindu prayer which can be summed up in the sequence sravanam kirtanam vishnu smaranam.

'Sravanam' means Hearing. Prayer begins with hearing of the sacred. When I hear a sacred sound, such as a name of God or a description of the activities of God, or of holy persons devoted to God, my attention is drawn towards God and my soul is inspired. 'Kirtanam' means Chanting. Speaking or singing about the divine is the essence of prayer. By using my tongue to sing hymns or mantras glorifying God, or to describe the path to God, my heart is focused on the divine. After hearing and chanting comes 'Smaranam', Remembering. Hearing and chanting about Vishnu leads to remembrance of Vishnu. To remember God at all times is the essence of all spiritual instructions. This principle is not just reserved for the temple or place of worship, it is for anywhere and anytime. Constant spiritual remembrance leads to a life of service to God, where action is sanctified by the thought of the divine and the worshipper carries God in his or her heart. As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita: 'Those who remember me without deviation obtain me easily because of their constant engagement in devotional service.' (8.14)

The hearing-chanting-remembering principle is reinforced by the addition of 'satsang, the company of holy persons. Hearing is especially effective if it is from a holy person who has love for God. Furthermore, hearing and chanting are both enhanced if they are shared in the company of other worshippers. All worshippers can be considered as lovers of God. Such group sharing or 'satsang' is the basic activity of worship in any Hindu temple.

Considering this stress on the act of hearing and chanting, most Hindus would feel a natural sense of community with all who gather to worship God, regardless of their particular faith. They would have an empathy and sensitivity to hearing the words of another's faith in God, or even, as in the case of Buddhism, another's words of insight or instruction on the spiritual path, because so much Hindu worship is composed of just this - hearing inspirational words or sacred hymns from spiritual teachers or just from other worshippers. Hinduism has a long tradition of giving honour and hospitality to any person of faith and such honour brings grace to the one who offers it to sincere person of the spirit.

Another feature of Hindu worship is its multiplicity. In many ways, Hinduism has always been its own multi-faith society. The Hindu tradition recognises that God appears in many forms at many different times and teaches many paths. Even the Bhagavad Gita, the central scripture for the majority of Hindu tradition, teaches at least three paths. Variety has always been a necessary part of Hindu tradition, which recognises that each of us is an individual with particular spiritual needs. Perhaps this is in part due to the belief in re-incarnation, because it assumes that the journey to God is longer and more demanding than can be encompassed by most of us in a single lifetime.