Hindu Spiritual Experiences

A description of the way Hindus communicate with God.  This article comes from HinduNet.org.

"The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods live. It is the home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God's divine presence. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at his Holy Feet. It is important that we approach the Deity in this way - conscious and confident that our needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.
...You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as shakti.
... Perhaps not immediately, but the message that the shakti carries from the Mahadeva manifests in your life.  This is the way the Gods converse. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that you experience each day."

-from "Communicating with God and the Gods" on HinduNet.org

Another spiritual experience:

"But, somewhere in the midst of all this, I started feeling there must be more to life than what I was experiencing...
I learned to meditate as soon as possible, and this initiation opened my doorway to spirituality. Subsequently, I devoted most of my adult life to the pursuit of spiritual growth and ultimate awakening.
Some months later, I met Maharishi at a retreat in northern California. As he entered the meeting hall, I gave him a flower, as was the custom in that gathering. He looked into my eyes deeply for a moment, and I experienced a feeling of peace and love unlike anything I had ever experienced before."

-from Bob Bishop on AllAwaken.net

These two blog entries by Susan Ferguson discuss spiritual experiences she had while reading the Bhagavad Gita and other Hindu texts.

"My relationship with the Bhagavad Gita goes back to the 1960s and throughout my life I read the Bhagavad Gita and attempted to grasp its subtle meaning. Each reading of these powerful words always left me feeling somehow lifted, my consciousness purified. However, I did not truly understand. Still I knew an invaluable treasure lay within this book and I was not to be discouraged. I would stubbornly say, 'Someday, I will understand this.' I am now 60.
...I remember so well those hot summer days in 2004 reading on the screen-porch in the dappled shade of cedars, maples, and pine trees. Day after day I would listen with my heart to Krishna’s words of wisdom to his friend Arjuna, and I would cry and cry and cry the sweetest tears. Tears come easily when you feel the presence of God. I felt as if I were being given the eyes-to-see and the ears-to-hear. Even now when I think of that time, tears can pool in my eyes and my heart is filled with joy and gratitude. Krishna is my guru!
It is in the spirit of a deeply sincere humility and out of a love that can never be described or expressed that I set out here to share with you my understanding of this remarkable and magnificent text.
...We all have God dwelling within our Heart. We can realize that God not only dwells within us, but within everything. God is ALL!"

-from "My reverence & deep respect for the Bhagavad Gita", by Susan Ferguson

"Of all the books I have read, none changed my consciousness as powerfully as the Bhagavad Gita. I was reading J.A.B van Buitenen’s translation when my heart and mind first truly opened to this timeless book of verse, for the Bhagavad Gita is a Sanskrit poem. That fine warm summer’s day when at last Krishna’s words began to have real meaning for me, I cried and cried and cried. Even now sometimes when I read a verse, the sweetest tears pool up in my eyes and I am overwhelmed with awe, love, and gratitude."

-from "My Personal Journey", by Susan Ferguson

Spiritual-experiences.com user Saravananp shares a life changing vision:

"I am a hindu. Living in india.
...But after a loss of my pet, it was shocking and I was mentally affected. 2 weeks later another 2 kittens died. I can't explain how terrible it was.
I was helpless and I can't do anything to stop its death. I searched internet to know what death is all about. Then I stumbled upon on near death experience.
...I started reading those NDE experiences, suddenly a world in front of me disappeared. There was no body around me at all. All I see is a vision, at first there is only void empty blackness around me. Here I don't feel any fear. I was totally in other dimension. I still have the awareness of me without my body at all. Suddenly I started moving (not moving but void emptiness vanishing slowly) towards a beautiful light. The light is so beautiful you can't see those light on this earth. Light I saw was changing very slowly from golden brownish, then orange to greenish blue yellow hues so on. Mixture of all colours and hues I see. Nearest possible explanation about light I saw is this. Real beauty can only be experienced when you feel it. It was so beautiful to look at. And I also heard a beautiful sound which is more like angels howling in chorus or may be it is sound of 'OM'. It was so pleasant to hear it.
Suddenly I could feel presence of others around me. There were other like me in this beautiful dimension. It was like heavenly. I could feel other being like me in this dimension surrounded by beautiful light and sound. I feel some being next to me. Suddenly a wave of intense happiness or may be bliss or extreme happiness covered my being. I never felt those happiness ever before in my life here on earth. Remember there was no body of mine but only the feeling of "I" and vision. I could see without my eyes and I could hear without ears. There were no thoughts in me but only this vision. No thoughts, no earth but only heavenly light and sounds and heaven beings like me. I really don't know why those happiness surrounded me. Whether it came from other beings around me in this beautiful dimension or it came from god itself.
Then suddenly this beautiful vision vanished. Then world in front of me reappeared again. I mean I regained this world. Tears came down my cheeks. I felt very emotional. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME PASSED. Maby few seconds or maby be few minutes. Actually, I felt no time at all in this heavenly beautiful dimension. The dimension I saw in my vision may be belong to some eternity and infinity. Time simply stopped. The heavenly vision I saw was like a flash. I can explain lot, better way to understand my experience is by experiencing yourself.
Now I feel that those 3 kittens which came to me were god himself to awake me from ignorance.
...This incidence totally changed me. A life changing experience. Where ever I see a animals, like cat, dog, squirrels, birds etc I wish them to live longer and attain salvation, mukthi as soon as possible. I summon god, I request god with love to give them salvation as soon as possible. I believe only unconditional love can bring me towards god.
After the that heavenly vision I feel everything is ok. Just fine. One day I will go to the same place I saw in vision. I will meet those my lovable kittens and we will be in bliss eternally with love and love alone. We loved ones will be absorbed in this heavenly dimension and remain in eternal bliss. Now I believe there is no death at all. Only our body dies not our awareness (self or being).
...God is not limited to particular religion he is for all. God is something more than what our church or hindu religion thought us."

-from "A Beautiful Heavenly Light And Life Changing Experience", by spiritual-experiences.com user saravananp