Bhajan and Pooja are the two most visible aspects of the Hindu religion. People who have faith enjoy themselves and get a sense of fulfilment by either listening or participating. Those who do not share the faith either don’t show up or feel bored. This article is for those who do not have the benefit of faith.
The Hindu religion is a very practical application of Vedic philosophy. Like all practical applications, the reasoning behind it is often not clear to observers. However, people who practice the Hindu religion can understand the reasons through their own experiences.
The following is an explanation of this practical application of Vedic philosophy from a non-religious point of view:
1. You may have noticed that music can make you feel happy or sad. Music can also make you feel energetic or mellow. Studies have shown that sounds of a certain tempo, or pitch influence the chemical balance in the body. This affects the way you feel. The sounds of Sanskrit shloks also have an effect on people. People who indulge in Bhajan or Pooja report that they experience a wholesome effect on their body, mind and intellect.
Bhajans and Poojas have been used in India for thousands of years. Many people have spent their entire lifetime researching the subject. The Bhajans and shloks used in Pooja today are the result of extensive experimentation by enlightened writers. Time and again the experience of practitioners has proven that Bhajan and Pooja provide specific, tangible benefits for people who either speak or listen to them.
2. You may also have noticed that sometimes the music that would normally cheer you up doesn’t work. Or, you may have turned on your favourite rock’n’roll music to get your energy levels up but found that it didn’t work or took a long time to have its effect. Whether or not you notice the impact of a certain sound on yourself depends on your physical, mental or emotional state at the time. Sometimes, depending on your state, it may take along time for you to become conscious of the effect. Sound has an effect on your body, mind and intellect whether you realise it or not.
Sound vibrations created by Bhajan and Pooja culture the nervous system and make you stronger. If you speak or listen to them often, sooner or later the benefits will become obvious. You will get sick less often, your confidence will increase, emotional scars will be eliminated, memory will improve and you will increase your ability to sustain a happy disposition through the trials and tribulations of life. Isn’t all that worth a few minutes of your time everyday?
3. The Hindu religion has many different gods (over 80 million). Each god has different shloks that apply specifically to that god. Specific personality traits, characteristics and powers have been attributed to them. For example: Lord Shankar is the destroyer, Vishnu is the preserver and Brahma is the creator. You are supposed to worship Saraswati for wisdom, Laxshmi for wealth and Kali Ma to eliminate bad circumstances in life.
For the moment, if we accept these gods as mere energies, we know from modern science that energy exists in the form of waves. We also know, from our experience that when you tune a radio, signals that are already in the air are able to manifest themselves through the receiver.
Sound waves produced by the words and rhythms of specific Sanskrit shloks have the same wavelength as certain specific, powerful forces in nature. When a person speaks or listens to Pooja, the body, mind and intellect become tuned to that wavelength. Just as radio waves manifest through the receiver when tuned properly, these powerful forces (symbolised by the gods) manifest through the properly tuned individual.
The ability to use shloks to harmonise with specific gods who have a specific influence allows us to create the exact effect we want in our lives. By doing Bhajans or Poojas that is geared to a particular god whose power we need in our life, we have access to great powers which can be applied to fulfil our desires.
In order to achieve all of this, it is not necessary to understand the meaning of the Pooja. As an example: Valmiki, the person who wrote the original Ramayan in Sanskrit was a big time robber. He was uneducated and found pleasure in destroying things and people. When someone asked him to repeat Ram, Ram, Ram all the time, in order to improve his life, he misunderstood the words. By chanting mara, mara, mara he gained the blessings of Lord Vishnu and was inspired to write the Ramayana. The meaning of the words he chanted are die, die, die. Obviously, the only way these words could have a good influence would be because the sound is the same as Ram, Ram, Ram when spoken quickly.
4. This is not to say that the meaning of shlok’s are unimportant. Inspirational speeches spoken by people with rough voices and no sense of rhythm have changed lives throughout history. Clergymen, salespeople, parents all have their influence because what they say means something that a person can understand. A good understanding of the meaning adds to the total impact of Pooja on a person.
5. When people experience doubt, they are holding back their energies. If you try to do something which you doubt can be done, you find that you are not as efficient, even if you have all the skills necessary. Doubt sabotages your potential. On the contrary, faith in yourself or someone else can inspire you to accomplish things you previously would not have expected from yourself. Faith releases your potential and allows you to accomplish more. Similarly, if we have faith in the powers represented by a certain god, we get more results than we would otherwise. Lack of faith can sabotage the total impact of Bhajan or Pooja and weaken the net effect.
Ideally when participating in Bhajan or Pooja a person should be feeling fresh, relaxed and peaceful. The meaning of the words should be clear and faith should be based on solid experiences.
To expect this from non-believers is unrealistic. If you are a non-believer, please do the following experiment. Seeing is believing. Personal experience is the greatest teacher. Try this for a year or two – your life will improve immensely:
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