The
central act of Hindu worship, from the point of view of the lay person,
is to stand in the presence of
the deity and to behold the image with one's own eyes, to see and to be
seen by the deity. (3)
Seeing,
according to Indian notions, is a going forth of the sight towards the
object. Sight touches it and
aquires its form. Touch is the ultimate connection by which the visible
yields to being grasped. While
the eye touches the object, the vitality that pulsates in it is communicated...
(9)
Not
only is seeing a form of "touching," it is a form of knowing. According
the Brahmanas, "The eye is
the truth (satyam)." (9)
Many
Westerners...upon seeing Hindu ritual observances for the first time, are
impressed with how
sensuous Hindu worship is. It is sensuous in that it makes full use
of the senses--seeing, touching,
smelling, tasting, hearing. One "sees" the image of the diety (darsan).
One "touches" it with one's
hands (sparsa), and one also "touches" the limbs of one's own body
to establish the presence of various
deities (nyasa). One "hears" the sacred sound of the mantras
(sravana). The ringing of bells, the
offering of oil lamps, the presentation of flowers, the pouring of water
and milk, the sipping of sanctified
liquid offerings, the eating of consecrated food--these are the basic constituents
of Hindu worship, puja.
For all of its famous otherworldliness, India is a culture that has also
celebrated the life of this world and
the realms of the senses. (11-12)