Darsan : Seeing the Divine Image in India

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Darsan is translated to 'auspicious sight', The Hindu ritual traditions refers to religious seeing or visual perception. Diane Eck's novel "Seeing the Divine Image in India" is mainly focused on this aspect of Darsan. This reading was interesting because it showed how people who worship Hindu stand in the presence of the statue of a deity and behold the image with their eyes which in turn makes the statue of the deity give a see be seen presence. In understanding Darsan I really relate this spiritual feeling with my own religion Judaism. When I wear my Star of David or ever look at the torah I feel as though I am looking at G-d and G-d is looking at me. Another aspect that I throughly enjoyed and related to my own religious experience, with Darsan it is popular to take pilgrimage to Banaras, I relate this to birthright for Jewish people. Though I do not trek through dangerous areas like those who embrace the pilgrimage of Darsan, I still feel the energy around me in Israel. Eck explains that throughout the entire pilgrimage there is a spiritual energy that those partaking in Darsan experience. In my travels to Israel and trekking throughout the nation I am always invigorated by the powerful energy that Israel gives off. Overall I was able to relate to much of Eck's explaining Darsan to my own religion which was very interesting because it shows that you can learn from a multitude of religions.

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