Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

As a summation of Hindu culture, to build concrete knowledge for understanding rituals of Hinduism is very limited comparing to other religions. One of the reasons is that Hinduism is an Indian religion based on Vedic and Indian mythology, and at the same time it is an ethnic religion. For this reason, Hinduism is not a religion that can be chosen by individual will, but is a religion that begins with social obligations at birth. The second reason is that as a characteristic of Indian hierarchical society, the class, sect, and region of India are mutually exclusive with each other and worshiping at home is often considered a general ritual even in the same Hindu community. And for the third reason is that Hindu temples all over India are also not places for Sunday worship, where doctrine is preached around the denomination like temples, cathedrals, and churches, but pilgrimages or the places where individuals frequently come to visit the sanctuary for a simple worship ceremony. Therefore, in this paper, it is not a worship ceremony held in Hindu temples and homes, but collectively referred to Satsang as the daily worship ritual of Sivananda Yoga Ashram, founded by Vishunudevananda who inherited his spirit based on the belief of spreading the idea of yoga of Swami Sivananda, based on the concepts of Meditation, Kirtan, and Arathi are as follows. Firstly, Meditation is the first ritual of worship practiced in daily life in Ashram. Meditation is a ritual of worship that provides us with intuitive insights and leads us to a world of reality and peace that transcends the limitations of language and thought. Secondly, Kirtan is the typical instance of Bhakti Yoga, and it is for the Hindu gods, but the Hindu gods are only symbolized as a sublime spiritual archetype in all of our subconscious, and calling and praising the names of the gods is a ritual of worship that connects us with true divinity. Lastly, Arati is a ritual that celebrates the various figures and names of the gods by rotating the flame of the Arati lamp in a clockwise, as well as the wisdom and light of spiritual teachers, saints, and various religious prophets. Arati is a ritual of worship symbolizing that immersing oneself in the divine images of gods to the center of spiritual life with an attitude of humility and gratitude and internalizing divinity, changing from one's ignorance to wisdom and freeing oneself from material greed. The purpose of Sivananda Ashram's daily worship rituals discussed above is can be said to be one way of spontaneous practices with starting meditation is awakening the divinity which stays deep inside us through the image and name of the gods, and internalizing the divinity of the gods and the teachings of their spiritual teachers. Furthermore, Satsang, in my opinion, is a ritual of worship and plays a role that one would feel belonging that is connected with each other as a member of the community and a subjective agent who practices spiritual realization regardless of nationality and religion.