The Encyclopedia of World Religions

404 S salat

Further reading: Wendell Charles Beane, Myth, Cult, and Symbols in Sa¯kta Hinduism: A Study of the Indian Mother Goddess (Leiden: Brill, 1977); Agehananda Bharati, The Tantric Tradition (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1977); Georg Feuerstein, Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy (Boston: Shambhala, 1998); Sir John Woodroffe, Sakti and Sa¯kta: Essays and Addresses, 8th ed. (Madras: Ganesh, l975). salat The Arabic word for formal PRAYER ; the sec ond pillar of I SLAM . Salat is not informal petition of G OD , which Muslims may do at any time as need arises. It is formal, prescribed prayer. For devout Muslims salat defines the rhythms of daily life. It brackets and interrupts one’s daily activities. It therefore helps to consecrate one’s whole life to the service of God. Adult Muslims follow the example of the prophet M UHAMMAD and pray five times a day: in the early morning, at noon, in mid-afternoon, in the evening, and at night. In cases of special need, the noon and midafternoon prayers may be com bined. So may the evening and night prayers. In Muslim countries businesses routinely make allow ances for salat during the workday. Employers in non-Muslim countries may make allowances, too. Afternoon prayers do not take any longer than a coffee break. In any case, Muslims are not to pray at the precise moment of sunrise or sunset or when the sun reaches the zenith. That might give the impression that they are worshipping the sun. All the prayers may be done in any place that is quiet and clean. One may not wear shoes. It is best to pray with at least one fellow Muslim, if possible, but if necessary individuals may pray alone. The only exception to these rules is the Fri day noon prayer. Men are to perform that prayer with a congregation in a MOSQUE . Women may join them there, but they may also perform the Friday noon prayer at home instead. At the Friday prayer service, the prayer leader, known as an IMAM , gives a sermon. Before salat, Muslims must clean themselves. One should not present oneself before one’s creator

and the village goddesses. Saktas also sometimes engage in practices that show special devotion or the possession of special powers, such as walking on fire or entering into trances. Saktism is closely associated not only with devotional worship but also with tantric YOGA ( see T ANTRISM ). Through this yoga Saktas seek ulti mate realization and release. Tantric yoga aims to awaken the internal life force. This force is a form of sakti, and it is often envisioned as KUNDALINI , that is, a coiled serpent sleeping at the base of the spinal column. When awakened, the kundalini is visualized as moving upward through the sush umna. In this school of thought, people possess not only a body made up of coarse matter but also a subtle body made up of fine matter or energy. The sushumna is a part of the subtle body. It is situated along the spinal column and serves as a channel for energy. The kundalini moves through seven centers of the subtle body known as CAKRAS , “circles.” The uppermost cakra is located at the top of the skull. When the kundalini reaches it, the practitioner experiences ultimate realization and release. Saktas use many techniques to achieve these results. Their techniques tend to emphasize the use of feminine and material elements. Some practitioners belong to groups that are called “left-handed.” Their activities violate normal social conventions. These activities include the use of intoxicants, the eating of meat, and the ritual practice of sexuality—all in search of ulti mate realization. The worship of goddesses is very old on the Indian subcontinent. It appears to have been prevalent in the Harappan or Indus Valley period, almost 5,000 years ago. From these roots Saktism came into being by about the year 500 C . E . Today, right-handed Saktas, those who observe normal conventions, are prevalent in southern India. Left-handed Saktas are prevalent in northern and especially eastern India. Perhaps the most famous Sakta was R AMAKRISHNA Paramahamsa, a priest of the goddess Kali in Kolkata (Calcutta). An ecstatic, he had visions not only of Mother Kali but also of J ESUS and M UHAMMAD .