thumb|A darshana literally means a 'sight' or 'view'. In a [[Hindu temple, the term refers to viewing the garbhagriha 'inner sanctum' of the temple, which hosts the murti 'image of a god'. Devotees taking darshana of the god Vishnu in the inner sanctum of the Chennakeshava Temple, Belur.]]
In Indian religions, a darshan (, ; 'showing, appearance,
Definition
Darshana is described as an "auspicious sight" of a holy person, which bestows merit on the viewer.
It is most commonly used for theophany, meaning a manifestation or vision of the divine.
In Hinduism
In Hindu worship, it refers to seeing a deity (especially in image form), or a very holy person or artifact. One can receive darshana or a glimpse of the deity in the temple, or from a great saintly person, such as a great guru.
In Hindu practice, adherents often refer to their temple visits as going for darshana rather than simply worship. Darshana, often translated as the "auspicious sight" of the divine, involves seeing the deity's image (murti). This visual experience is charged with religious significance, as the deity is believed to be present in the image, allowing worshippers to receive divine blessings through their gaze.
The term darshana also refers to the six systems of thought, called darshanam, that comprise classical Hindu philosophy. The term therein implies how each of these six systems distinctively look at things and the scriptures in Indian philosophies.
Other meanings
Darshana also sometimes has a more mundane meaning. For example, Sivananda Saraswati wrote in his book The Practice of Brahmacharya that one of the eight aspects of brahmacharya (celibacy) is not to look lustfully at women: "You should carefully avoid ... Darshana or looking at women with passionate resolve".
Scholar of religion Richard H. Davis has said that darshana (viewpoint, philosophical school) is one of three terms in classical Indian discourse that could be considered roughly analogous to what today's English-speakers understand as "religion." The other two terms are dharma (duty, morality, a code of proper conduct) and marga (route, spiritual path). According to Davis, "most Hindu texts accepted that religious paths (marga) are relative to the points of view (darśana) and moral responsibilities (dharma) of practitioners, whose individual circumstances may make one or another course of action more appropriate in their particular situations."
Poet Gary Snyder has given a naturalistic meaning to darshana:
Darshan is also a part of the name of India's public broadcaster Doordarshan; with the word दूर dūra "far", it makes the portmanteau दूरदर्शन dūrdarśan, a calque of "television".
See also
- Blessing
- Dharma transmission
- Guru–shishya tradition
- Jharokha Darshan
- Pranāma