Tuesday, December 25, 2012

What is the meaning of word 'Darshan'?


When we say (in Hindi):

'मुझे ईश्वर के दर्शन करने है '

Common meaning and Translation is:

'I want to have vision of God.',

Now, let's analyze a common statement:

'I am going to the temple to have vision of God'

Here, Darshan generally means 'To see'

Now the question is, when: why after going to temple we join hands and then close eyes???

... and if at all we want to see, where to see and where to go?

Closing eyes, to me means that the same God is within us whom we re worshiping outside as an image or idol and go go deep inside us.

Darshan means 'to know' and not 'to see'

Another question is:

What will you call Darshan shastras? 'To see' shastras or 'to know' shastras. The knower of darshan shastras is called as darshan shastri.

I recall a discourse where a Swamiji says, Darshan means to know. If you think it is 'to see' then what does Darshan shastra mean? Do you go to a place with lots of mirrors, some concave, some convex, reflecting funny fat or slim or stretched, etc images??

In Gita Sri Krishna says, My Birth and Karma are divine and those who know me and my karma are not different from me.

The correct meaning of Darshan is 'to know' and not 'to see'.  

Aum
Indiaspirituality

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