EZEKIEL’S VISION OF A TEMPLE

(According to South Indian Temple Architecture)

Part –3

Temple

T.L.Subash Chandira Bose, Sthapathi V.Raman and Jack Andrews.

Oh, God you have instructed your chief architect to show the temple and measure the dimensions in the presence of Ezekiel to tell the people of holy land and also to write the” Book of Ezekiel”.

He has done his part. But what about us? All we are trying to imagine or assume the secrets of temple architecture. Oh, God please bless us.

We submit this study to all the brothers and sisters as an out come of twelve long years of study. We tried our level best to refer as many as ancient manuscripts, which are known to us. However there must be more references related to this study and we request the readers to advise us accordingly.

There was 32 ancient manuscripts related to temple architecture but only four are available for reference, which are Mana Saram, Mayamatam, Kasiapam and Manu Saram.

In ancient Agahma sastra, the Sariya patham describe about the temple. The Supreme God remains in all the forms i.e. from atom and to the entire cosmos. The first creation of The Supreme God was the Purusa (Adam Kadmon) in the form of a human being. The Purusa body compared to a temple.

The temple elevation and plan was compared with the Purusa’s posture of standing and lying on the ground respectively. In standing posture from his head to foot and in laying position the seven vital centers are compared with the temple.

The body of a human being is the combination of five basic elements such as water, fire, air, sky and earth, which is the physical body.

Five Sensing organs, Ear, Skin, Eye, Tongue and Nose. Five organs of action, the vocal organ, Hand, Feet, The organ of elimination and reproductive organ. Including the mind it is six teen elements. It is further indicated up to sixty elements.

Sensing organs and organs of action are functioning through the nine holes in our body. The tenth hole is at the top most part of the head, which can be easily identified on the top most portion of the head of a new born baby, later it becomes thicker and thicker and blocked the hole completely.

The human body as whole covered with five sheaths, Food sheath, Breath sheath, Mind sheath, Intelligence sheath and Bliss sheath. During meditation the saints or spiritual peoples awake the spiritual energy from the root of spinal card and pass though Seven vital points and keep meditation in the respective vital point.

The blessed soul shall “kick the hood” or “break the vessel” through the tenth hole.

Living in this physical earth is a surprise and dieing in this earth is certain.

One has to complete the karma (duty), to complete the karma the physical body must be protected.

And ultimately the human soul also remains protected to complete our karma duty.

We protecting our body with warm cloths in winter season, with an umbrella or raincoat during rainy season. We look for a shadow of a tree during hot summer similarly the body with its soul need a shadow. The shadow called spiritual shadow. The temple is the spiritual shadow, which purifies our body. One cannot attain immortal with physical body. Our soul alone can attain the immortal stage.

In front of God all are same, no male –female, no rich-poor, no this color that color, no this religion that religion. We all his children, the soul (Jeevatma) in our body are a tiny part of the Supreme soul (Pramatma).

We are from the One and shall return to the One.

“ The One without a second”

Which is in Sanskrit

“Ekam eva advitiyam”.

The Holy Temple Revisited
by Rabbi Leibel Reznick,
Jason Aronson, Inc. Publisher, 1993
INTRODUCTION
p. xiv - xvi
³The Temple was the national, judicial, social and religious symbol of the Jews; it also represented a philosophical concept. It had great kabbalistic meaning. The Temple was the personification of the Perfect Man. The main sanctuary had two rooms ... the Holy of Holies (from which) emanated Divine Wisdom, which corresponds to the human mind. The outer room represented the face of man (and in it) ... was the menorah and the golden table with the showbread, which corresponded to the two eyes of man.
³In the center of the room was the golden alter (where) the perfumed incense was offered. This corresponds to the nose in the center of the face.
The opening of the sanctuary was located at the bottom of the outer room. It represents the mouth. Here the priests stood when they when they uttered the priestly benediction every morning.
³Outside the Sanctuary, in the courtyard, was the altar upon which sacrifices were offered ... This represents the stomach and internal organs of man.
³Man by his very nature yearns to be better ... One who strives for all these ideals strive to be the Ideal Man, the Temple Man. As long as the Temple stood, man¹s ideals and goals were obtainable. When the Temple was destroyed, the Temple Man was destroyed. For two thousand years the Jewish people have prayed the return of the Temple-Man so that mankind¹s hope and ambitions can be realized and fulfilled.²

There should not a city or town or village with out a temple. Hence temple must be constructed in all the dwelling places of all human beings. The most holy of holy temple must be constructed in the holy land, and it will be constructed. We begin our detailed study with our prayer to God”

We find in A Jesus prayer by Pseudo- Chrysostom.

From morning to night repeat.........(the Jesus Prayer)
While eating, drinking and so forth
Until it penetrates the heart,
Descends to the depths of the heart...
The heart to absorb the Lord,
The Lord to absorb the heart
Until they become one.
You yourself are the temple and the place
In which to practise the prayer.

(Tanks to “Mantra” Sacred words of Power-John Blofeld)

Let us discuss briefly the temple and its annexure with human body.

Ten Openings: There are 10 openings (gates or doors) in the temple of Ezekiel. Three are in outer court, three are in middle court, and three are in inner court and the one at the Holy of Holy

(Grbhagraham) womb chamber.

The nine doors denote the nine holes (Navathuvara) in the physical human body that is visible.

The 10 ^th. Opening is on the top most portions of the head (a hole covered with a skin of a new born baby), hence it is invisible and only through which the saints shall “kick the hood” or “ the breaking the vessels – Kabala ”and attain heaven and the feet of The Supreme God.

Based on the above sacred principle the devotees are viewing through nine holes and praying the Holy of Holy in a temple (ShreeJamukesvaurar) at Thriuannaika, Trichirapalli, Tamil Nadu, and India.

The Entry Gate and Tower (Kopuram): The entry and gate is the symbolic representation to realize that we are not the body, and the truth is our soul.

The six rooms in the gate refer six stages of soul (Atma), Boothanma, Antharabma, Tattvanma, Jeevanma, Mantriranma and Paranma.

There are 36 room in all the six gates denotes 36 tattvas (Elements or Faculty).

The doors are the symbol is to open our mind to realize the sacred truth.

The gate is an altar with full of fire once we pass through the gate our sins are burnt away. It is the burnt offering to purify our body and soul.

The first step of the doorpost at the entry first stage the realization of our soul. In general the Scared symbols can be found on the doorsteps the entry gate.

The Courts: The human body covers with five sheaths (Kosha) such as Food sheath, Breath Sheath, Mind Sheath, Intelligence Sheath and Bliss Sheath.

The other two Consciousness and being, are added and indicated as five or seven courts in temple construction.

In most cases these five sheaths are reduced to three in temple architecture with the sacred meaning to reflect a different cosmic order. There are few temples with seven courts.

The center point at the center is the circle as dot called the most Holy of Holy (The Supreme soul. In the temple of Ezekiel temple there are three courts: create a hierarchy; “the inner most is assigned to the universal being, the middle square is the sphere of Gods. The outer square the terrestrial region, beyond the outer square is the creatures of the nether world.

The Main Altar (Maha Palibeedam): All the sin of the human being with physical body get purified the ego get vanished soon after it got burned.

The beginning of the staircase is the first vital point. The Kanda between the root of reproductory organ and anus, which is root of the spinal column. The divine spiritual energy (Kundalani), which is, remains stored in the vital point. The staircase of the Fire Altar represents the awakening of the spiritual energy of the worshiper.

The Main altar will be located in front of the most holy of holy chamber. In Ezekiel’s temple the main altar located in front of the holy of holy in eastern direction and also middle court.

Flag Post: According to temple architecture there will be flag post between the space Holy of Holy and the main altar (Palibeedam) and it will towards eastern direction.

The flag post shall be made of special type of wood covered with brass with thirty-three (knots) rings and shall have a flag with three rows at the top. The flag post shall be mounted on a raised base.

The thirty-three knots represents the thirty-three bones of the spinal cord of Purusa. The three rows in the flag represents three stages of soul in the physical body such as Boothanma, Anthranma and Tattanma.

In Ezekiel’s temple there three floors with 33 rooms all around the inner court and had a raised base. The flag post is located at the naval (Nabhi) of the Purusa. The flag post will be located in the middle court.

The Vestibule, The vestibule is located at the heart center of Purusa. Which will be located in front of holy of holy facing eastern direction and as an entry of inner court.

Something like altar: The ward something like altar not clarified in book of Ezekiel, which is to be in between the Holy of Holy and flag post. It faces towards the holy of holy.

It is located at the throat center of Purusa. In South Indian temple architecture this particular location identify for a seat of vehicle of a particular God and also facing towards Womb Chamber.

Chamber of Holy of Holy: The temple layout or diagram the center most four squares will be allotted for the Holy of Holy of Chamber. The chamber is called the womb chamber (Hiranyaghrbam or Gharba-graham).

The most sacred place, the womb chamber (Gharba-graham) no human being allowed to enter with physical body because human being cannot not attain immortal with the physical body.

Hence only the priest is allowed in side the womb chamber. We find our Ezekiel was also not allowed while measuring the womb chamber.

All the two centers such as the center of the eyebrows and top most portions of head of Purusa located in the Womb chamber.

Dear sisters and brothers; the authors of this article are not priests. All we tried to explain the temple and its annexure with body of Purusa or Adam Kadmon. There may hundred of mistakes, we request the readers kindly bless us to continue further.

Due to the availability of space in this web site, we are forced to avoid the presentation of number of photographs, pictures and diagrams. The remaining parts of this article complete with pictorial evidences and diagrams etc., etc.

Dear sisters and brothers it is not end but it is just beginning of the Article of,

EZEKIEL’S VISION OF A TEMPLE

(According to South Indian Temple Architecture)

The detailed study and our research work and lot of pictorial evidences,

Diagrams will be made available in CD.

“Suggestions and comments are Most welcome”

T.L. Subash Chandira Bose: lscbose@eth.net