Important Religious Aspects of the Upasana
Worship Service
Section 6 (Pages 34 to
41) of the Upasana Handbook discusses six very
important facets of the Upasana Service. These
six facets are emphasized in the Upasana
ceremony. A brief summary of these facets, described in the Upasana Handbook is provided below. The facets, in
order, are:
1.
Faith or “Shraddha”: The
Sanskrit word “Shraddha” is generally translated
as “faith” in the English language. Faith means “belief” but the word “Shraddha” means more. “Shraddha”
for God also includes the spirit of trust in the Supreme Being or the Lord Ishwara.
2.
Existence of God: Hindus believe that God or Brahman (the word
used in the Upanishads) can exist in both the unmanifested
and manifested form. The symbol “OM” is used
to describe the unmanifested form of God while
the Bhagwad Gita can be
considered to be the symbol of the manifested form of God. Many Hindus
believe that Bhagwan Krishna was the manifested
form of God and that the Bhagwad Gita is His spoken word.
3.
Divine Grace: The word “Grace” is defined as “free,
unmerited, favor of God”. Hindus believe that “Every onward step we take in
our spiritual development is made possible by some bestowing upon us of
Divine Grace.” For example, people “seek” God but the truth is that “He is
seeking us”. Hindus believe that God cannot be “discovered”, rather “He
discloses Himself”. The “discovery” of God can only be through the “Grace
of God”. Hindus believe that “Those whose single-hearted devotion to God
leaves no place for any doubt are, indeed, those to whom the reality of the
existence of God comes clearly through.” The fact that we have the Upasana Worship Service is also through God’s Grace.
4.
Why Young People
Should be Interested in Religion:
There are many reasons why young people should be interested in religion.
Here are just a few thoughts:
a)
The Bhagwad Gita devotes many
chapters to instruct men and women with regard to performance of their
duties and obligations during their lives that lie in front of them.
Obviously these teachings were not intended for older people whose duties
and obligations have been mostly completed.
b)
The Bhagwad Gita is a dialogue
between God – as represented by Lord Krishna – and a young man, Arjuna. It is not without significance that God choose
a young man to deliver His words of wisdom.
5.
Being Involved: Involvement or commitment can be of a low
level or high level. The decision to actively participate in the Upasana Worship Service is a “high” level of
involvement. This “high” level of involvement shows an allegiance to Lord Ishwara. The Upasana Handbook
tells us that the “high” level of involvement in the Upasana
Worship Service can benefit us in many ways:
a)
It can
keep us away from temptation. Teenagers, especially, have to face a
multitude of temptations and the “sanskars”
developed through the worship service will help them keep away from these
temptations.
b)
It
helps us form bonding with similar, like-minded people.
c)
It
helps us build discipline.
d)
It
helps us develop into better people.
6.
Moksha and Deliverance: The Bhagwad Gita
and other Hindu sacred books contain frequent references to the word “Moksha” which means “deliverance” or “being saved”. In
effect “Moksha” means to enter right relations
with God, with one’s fellow men, with the world of things and with oneself.
One of the most important paths leading to “moksha”
is the path of “Karma Yoga” which is described beautifully in the Bhagwad Gita.
It is hoped that the Upasana Worship Service will allow our children and us
to develop shraddha and a deep belief in the
existence of God and to put us on the path of moksha
through His Grace by learning the path of Karma Yoga. We also hope that
this Service will help our children in developing the spirit of “being
involved” and learn more about Hindu philosophy and religion.
