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| Culture |
| Panchamrut |
Panchamrut is a religious symbol
of the Hindus. Milk (curd), dahi (yogurt),
ghee, honey and sugar candy - a mixture of
these five (panch) things are necessarily
present in our religious pujas. There is one
conception, or faith behind all this. It is
only our own development, which takes place
at the conclusion of puja. The five symbols
of Panchamrut become the guide or beacons
of the evolution of our soul.
Milk in the panchamrut is the symbol of purity.
Our lives, characters and actions should be
pure.
Dahi is the symbol of love. It is Dahi's quality
that it makes others like itself. The intention
behind giving Dahi to one's loved one who
is travelling overseas is the same, i.e.,
do not forget your family's love for you;
make others like yourself in foreign lands;
let others take a leaf from your life which
should be an example of Indian culture, so
that the whole world can be blessed. One but
cannot help admiring the foresight which our
rishis and munis had in all this long, long
ago.
Ghee is prepared from milk, our bodies are
nourished from ghee in our food. Its greasiness
cannot be easily cleansed. The meaning of
this is that your life should be such that
it should (give nourishment) develop the community
so that it prospers and it should not be diseased
or defeated by any outside attacks. The deep
meaning of being your culture's protector
or defender is also evident in this symbol.
Now comes the honey. Of course, we know that
it is sweet. But at the same time we know
that many honeybees have collected this honey
from many flowers and so from a medical point
of view it is one which gives strength. So
this symbol tells us to adopt these qualities
in our lives. We can only face the evil forces
of this Kaliyug if our society is strong.
In the end we come to sugar-candy. This sugar-candy
which is prepared from sugar cane is no doubt
sweet. It is the symbol of sweetness or love.
One may have everything in life but if love
or sweetness is lacking then there is no pleasure
in life. Man is a social animal and he should
not forget that if he wants to live with others
in the society then he should be kind in speech
and only then the sweetness of life permeates
in him. There is a deep meaning hidden in
this symbol. Our ego should evaporate as we
perform prayers to God - Prabhubhakti God's
blessings are poured in our lives as a result.
This is to say that we become just like sugar
candy which merges with milk and makes its
sweet.
We do not reap any benefits simply by performing
pujas with panchamrut but we have to understand
the deep meanings behind all these symbols
and practice them in our lives for the welfare
of an individual, community, country and the
whole world. We bow forever to these rishis
and munis for such lofty ideas. |
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