Hinduism: Details about 'Darshan'

Index / Hinduism / Darshan /

Navigation

Home
One level up
Back
Index of contents
Links
Hinduism-Shop

Useful Links


Hinduism Portal
History Hindu deities Denominations Mythology Reincarnation Karma
Nirvana Dharma Ayurveda Scriptures Festivals By country
  1. Darshan is a Sanskrit and Hindu (also used to some extent in Urdu) term meaning sight (in the sense of an instance of seeing something or somebody), vision, apparition, or a glimpse. It is most commonly used for visions of the divine; that is, of a god or a very holy person or artifact. We could have a "darshan" of the deity in the temple (at the gross level) or have a "darshan" in that inward eye of a light or awareness (at a subtle plane). Sudarshan means a glimpse of the "self".
  2. In India people will travel hundreds of kilometres for the darshan, the look,



    of a holy man or woman because this look is believed to confer blessings. Conversely, looks of anger or envy are widely feared.
  3. "Darshan" means Seeing, derived from the root drsh= "to see" (compare Greek derkomai). To see with reverence and devotion. The term is used specifically for beholding highly revered people with the intention of inwardly contacting and receiving their grace and blessings. "By doing darshan properly a devotee develops affection for God, and God develops affection for that devotee."
  4. In Indian culture, the touching of the feet (pranām or charaņasparsh) is a show of respect and it is often an integral part of darshan. Children do touch the feet of their family elders while people of all ages will bend to touch the feet of a great guru or the icon of a Hindu demigod (angel)



    or a form of God (such as Ram or Krishna).
  5. Vedanta darshan is also the philosophy of life as revealed in the Upanishads

Reference

  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola
Topics in Hinduism
Shruti (that which is heard):Vedas | Upanishads
Smriti (that which is remembered):Itihasa (Ramayana and Mahabharata including Bhagavad Gita) | Puranas | Sutras | Agama (Tantra & Yantra) | Vedanta
Concepts:Avatar | Brahman | Kosas | Dharma | Karma | Moksha | Maya | Ishta-deva | Murti | Reincarnation | Samsara | Trimurti | Turiya | Guru-shishya tradition
Schools & systems:Schools of Hinduism | Early Hinduism | Hindu philosophy | Samkhya | Nyaya | Vaisheshika | Yoga | Mimamsa | Vedanta | Tantra | Bhakti | Carvakas
Traditional practices:Jyotish | Ayurveda
Rituals:Aarti | Bhajans | Darshan | Diksha | Mantras | Puja | Satsang | Stotras | Wedding | Yajna
Gurus and saints:Shankara | Ramanuja | Madhvacharya | Madhavacharya | Ramakrishna | Vivekananda | Sree Narayana Guru | Aurobindo | Ramana Maharshi | Sivananda | Chinmayananda | Sivaya Subramuniyaswami | Swaminarayan | A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada | Lokenath
Denominations:Vaishnavism | Shaivism | Shaktism | Smartism | Agama Hindu Dharma | Contemporary Hindu movements | Survey of Hindu organisations
Hindu deities:List of Hindu deities | Hindu mythology
Yugas:Satya Yuga | Treta Yuga | Dvapara Yuga | Kali Yuga
Castes:Brahmin | Kshatriya | Vaishya | Shudra
Darshan

Darshan Darshan


Visitors who viewed this also viewed:

Hinduism: Devanagari Script
Hinduism: Marga
Hinduism: Raja Yoga
New Age: Acupuncture And Chinese Medicine
Buddhism: Naropa
Christianity: Creationism


 


Click here for our Hinduism-Shop





This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Darshan". A list of the wikipedia authors can be found here.