It is very difficult to worship God without form. Though God is declared to have no form, a beginning or end, when he incarnates, He has to take human form in order to establish Dharma or righteousness and destroy evil. It is thus we come across different avatars of Lord Vishnu and other Gods and Goddesses! God does not confine himself to the human form alone. He has incarnated in forms of different creatures also. The great Fish or the Matsya Avatar, the Turtle or the Kurma Avatar and the Man-Lion or the Narasimha Avatar are the other incarnations of the Lord. In order to offer gratitude to God for all the gifts He had bestowed on humanity, Man wants to worship him as much as possible and seek his Grace for peace, plenty and prosperity! So the forms of Rama, Krishna, Siva, Devi and various others are worshipped with devotion and religious fervor. Sastras and scriptures have laid down different methods of worship and these are being followed in various temples all over our country! Though the idol of the God or Goddess is sculpted out of stone or other material, it is consecrated, life breathed into it through Vedic rituals and installed in the sanctum of the temple. Later daily worship is performed according to Agama Sastras. The deity has to be worshipped in sixteen ways as per Sastras which is called as “Shodasa Upachara puja.”
First and foremost the deity has to be requested to arrive or invited with utmost devotion and humility. After a few more rituals the deity shall be given a bath which is called “Abhishekam” and later dressed up with suitable robes and decked with ornaments and beautiful fragrant garlands of flowers. Later ‘archana’ or worship with flowers is conducted. Later various types of fruits and food are offered to the God or Goddess which is called “ Naivedya.” Man has to offer to God whatever is possible in profound gratitude for all the gifts He has bestowed on humanity! Any fruit or food offered to God is called “Prasadam” and is considered very sacred! Sweet edibles, even a lump of jaggery or sugar candy or plantains and a coconut are offered as “Naivedyam.” The inner significance of these offerings to God is “ the recognition that God is full of sweetness. Hence, devotion should be filled with sweetness.” The coconut offered to the deity is broken into two pieces and offered to the deity. Many wonder why a coconut should be offered to God when so many items of tasty and delicate dishes are offered.
What is the significance of breaking the coconut? Is it an empty ritual for the sake of some novelty or to attract the attention of others? No! It has a very deep inner philosophical importance that one has to understand! The three costituents of the coconut are its outermost hard fibrous cover, the inner hard shell and the pure copra inside the shell. It is very difficult to remove the fibre without a sharp knife! Similarly the shell cannot be broken without a stone or some other hard instrument! The pure white kernel inside cannot be taken out easily without a knife or breaking the shell! What is the symbolism behind this? “ Our body is itself like a coconut. The outer body made up of three Gunas is comparable to the fibrous covering of the coconut. It is the gross body” says Bhagawan Sri Sri Satya Sai Baba. This gross body full of ignorance or 'Avidya' is compared to the hard shell of the coconut. How to remove the hard fibre of the physical body? This can be done with the help of detachment or Vairagya. The gross body is made up of food and is called “ Annamaya kosa.” Our subtle body consists of five sheaths or layers namely those of life breath, mental and the sheath of intelligence. The fifth sheath is the layer of total bliss or Ananda. This is otherwise called the Causal body and represents Atma that is pure and eternal. The outer casings of gross and subtle bodies are absolutely essential for the Atma that is embedded in them.
What then is the significance of breaking of coconut as an offering to God? It is that Man should avoid attachment to the physical body and keep the mind purified to realize the bliss represented by the spirit within. But how to do that? To realize the Divine bliss he has to give up the shell of sensory desires. The shell can be broken only through detachment from the body symbolized by the removal of the fibrous cover of the coconut. Detachment doesn’t mean renunciation but it is experiencing the Divine in your every act and refraining from all evil tendencies.
People have been performing worship for many ages mechanically without understanding the real significance of breaking the coconut! Religion and worship must bring about a perceptible transformation in the individual and an elevation in his spiritual outlook. But there appears to be no change in the nature of devotees who throng temples in large numbers! It will be very useful and ennobling if the significance of offering coconut is properly understood by every devotee. Worship should not become casual and just a visit to the temple!
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First and foremost the deity has to be requested to arrive or invited with utmost devotion and humility. After a few more rituals the deity shall be given a bath which is called “Abhishekam” and later dressed up with suitable robes and decked with ornaments and beautiful fragrant garlands of flowers. Later ‘archana’ or worship with flowers is conducted. Later various types of fruits and food are offered to the God or Goddess which is called “ Naivedya.” Man has to offer to God whatever is possible in profound gratitude for all the gifts He has bestowed on humanity! Any fruit or food offered to God is called “Prasadam” and is considered very sacred! Sweet edibles, even a lump of jaggery or sugar candy or plantains and a coconut are offered as “Naivedyam.” The inner significance of these offerings to God is “ the recognition that God is full of sweetness. Hence, devotion should be filled with sweetness.” The coconut offered to the deity is broken into two pieces and offered to the deity. Many wonder why a coconut should be offered to God when so many items of tasty and delicate dishes are offered.
What is the significance of breaking the coconut? Is it an empty ritual for the sake of some novelty or to attract the attention of others? No! It has a very deep inner philosophical importance that one has to understand! The three costituents of the coconut are its outermost hard fibrous cover, the inner hard shell and the pure copra inside the shell. It is very difficult to remove the fibre without a sharp knife! Similarly the shell cannot be broken without a stone or some other hard instrument! The pure white kernel inside cannot be taken out easily without a knife or breaking the shell! What is the symbolism behind this? “ Our body is itself like a coconut. The outer body made up of three Gunas is comparable to the fibrous covering of the coconut. It is the gross body” says Bhagawan Sri Sri Satya Sai Baba. This gross body full of ignorance or 'Avidya' is compared to the hard shell of the coconut. How to remove the hard fibre of the physical body? This can be done with the help of detachment or Vairagya. The gross body is made up of food and is called “ Annamaya kosa.” Our subtle body consists of five sheaths or layers namely those of life breath, mental and the sheath of intelligence. The fifth sheath is the layer of total bliss or Ananda. This is otherwise called the Causal body and represents Atma that is pure and eternal. The outer casings of gross and subtle bodies are absolutely essential for the Atma that is embedded in them.
What then is the significance of breaking of coconut as an offering to God? It is that Man should avoid attachment to the physical body and keep the mind purified to realize the bliss represented by the spirit within. But how to do that? To realize the Divine bliss he has to give up the shell of sensory desires. The shell can be broken only through detachment from the body symbolized by the removal of the fibrous cover of the coconut. Detachment doesn’t mean renunciation but it is experiencing the Divine in your every act and refraining from all evil tendencies.
People have been performing worship for many ages mechanically without understanding the real significance of breaking the coconut! Religion and worship must bring about a perceptible transformation in the individual and an elevation in his spiritual outlook. But there appears to be no change in the nature of devotees who throng temples in large numbers! It will be very useful and ennobling if the significance of offering coconut is properly understood by every devotee. Worship should not become casual and just a visit to the temple!
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