Why do people circumambulate temples and deities? Read significance of 'Pradakshina'
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Dec 6, 2023, 5:34 PM ISTCircumambulation is often seen as a form of physical worship, expressing reverence and devotion to the deity or sacred object housed within the temple. Walking around the temple is believed to purify the mind and body. It symbolizes a journey of self-purification and spiritual cleansing.
We all go to the temple and have circled the deity and temple. Circumambulation or Pradakshina is the act of moving around the temple's innermost chamber shrine. The circumambulation is a way for devotees to establish a spiritual connection with the divine presence within the temple. It is seen as a means of seeking blessings and divine intervention. Circumambulation takes place not only around the temple or the deity, but also around plants, trees, and fire. But are you aware of the purpose behind circumambulation?
Significance:
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The centre, origin, and substance of our existence is the Supreme Lord. We acknowledge this by recognising him as the centre of our lives through the performance of Pradakshina, and then we go with our everyday tasks. This is Pradakshina's significance. A circle's circumference has points that are all equally spaced from its centre. This implies that we are all equally near to the Lord, no matter where we are or who we are. He extends his grace to us without hesitation.
Adi Shankaracharya states that the true meaning of pradakshina is the meditation on the fact that 10008 universes are circling the great Lord, the immovable centre of all forms. Skanda Purana chapter 9 Verse 68 – In the word Pra-da-ksi-na, the syllable Pra dispels sin, the syllable Da bestows what is desired, the syllable Ksi cuauses the destructions of Karma and the syllable Na is the bestower of salvation.
Why does one perform Pradakshina in a clockwise manner?
We always think that God is the centre of the universe. Additionally, as God is everywhere, we acknowledge that God is the centre of our thoughts and activities when we perform Pradakshina, or circumambulation. Pradakshinam's basic tenet is that the centre point stays constant and unchanging no matter how far we perform the pradakshina. This serves as a constant reminder of the eternal reality that God is the centre of gravity and the primary focus of our existence.
The earth rotates constantly both around the sun and around its axis. Additionally, each planet revolves around its axis. God should be in the heart of our Pradakshinam, just as the sun is at the centre of the solar system, around which the planets revolve. It is important to do the Pradakshinam slowly and never in a rush. God must be the centre of our actions and thoughts.
What does Skanda Purana say?
The sins committed by the mind are destroyed by the 1st step (of Pradakshina), The sins committed by the speech by the 2nd step and the sins perpetrated by the body by the 3rd step.
As such, there are one Pradakshinam for Ganapathy, two for Soorya (Sun), three for Shiva, four for Devi and Vishnu, and seven for the peepal tree (holy tree). Most often, Kerala temples perform this Pradakshina. As a result, the first Pradakshina eradicates all sins, even the sin of killing Brahmans, known as Brahmahathya paap. The adherent becomes an Adhikari (a person qualified for both material and spiritual pursuits) through the second. and the third facilitates the attainment of Naindra-Sampaada, or the pleasure of existence that leads to ultimate liberation.
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