HINDU CONCEPTS, BELIEFS AND RITUALS

ASHRAMS

Meaning stages of life, is significant concept in Hinduism. According to this concept, a man undergoes four stages in life, namely:

. Brahmcharya (bachelorhood)

. Grahst (as a married householder)

. Vanprasth (leading semi retired life, studying religious scriptures) and finally.

. sanyas (a life of total renunciation)

AYURVED

a study of human body to remove imbalances between body’s three basic forces know as Vat (which controls body’s physical and psychological rhythms), Pitt (which controls heat and metabolism) and Kapth (which controls overall structure and stability of the body). Ayurved is based on vedic scriptures & Upvedas (read under chapter on religious literature). According to this science of medicine, optimization of these three forces namely Vat, Pitt & Kaph, thourgh intake of herbs, controlled diet and exercise can lead to good health. Ayurved is the only medical science, which emphasises not only on keeping healthy but also on enhancing life as well. This science was originated by Dhanvantri, the physician god.

BRAHM MAHURT

A point of time just before dawn, considered as best time to wake up. Logically, it is a form of daylight time saving mechanism, facilitating a person to complete his/her ablution and self cleaning activities, to be ready for worldly activities at dawn when light breaks, ensuring maximum utilization of daytime sunlight.

DHOTI

White long cloth, usually worn by a person over the body, as a single piece of clothing at the time of performing rituals. It is perhaps to ensure hygiene, as one single piece of cloth, properly washed, can achieve this more easily, than several pieces of attire, where one or the other piece may not be clean.

CHOTI

Small tail of hair at the crown of the head of a person and maintained by devout Hindu males. It provides a cushion to the delicate part of the head, protecting it from any accidental blow.

COW

Is accorded a very high status by Hindus. Its milk is highly nutritious and helps to dispel many diseases. Its dung is used for scrubbing floors in households for hygiene and its urine for cure against diseases associated with lever, spleen etc. as it contains mercury and sulphur. It is also believed that all the 330 million gods & goddesses in Hindu mythology, reside in cow. Cow slaughter is therefore against Hindu belief. Cow is a highly protected animal, always addressed by Hindus, as Gau Mata, the mother cow.

DANCES (HINDU)

Are a creation attributed to Shiv Ji’s Tandav & Lasya dances. This art was later codified in Natya Shastra, by sages. It is all about expression of emotions by way of body movements, usually accompanied by music. It may be interesting to mention here that dances were initially performed by Dev Dasies (bonded prostitutes in temples). Some of the prominent classical Hindu dance styles are:

. Manipuri (Assam)

. Bharat Natyam (Tamil Nadu)

. Kathakali & Mohiniattam (Kerala)

. Kathak (Uttar Pradesh) &

. Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)

FASTING

called Vrat or Upvaas, is a matter of imposing certain discipline on eating pattern. It is observed on a number of festivals as also a matter of routine like on certain weekdays. This practice was incorporated alongwith rituals, with the basic idea of keeping one’s physical system healthy. It is interesting to note how selectively some fasts are observed with prohibition on eating rice (to reduce sugar loading in the body) while in some fasts, increased intake of fruits is emphasised (to enhance intake of minerals & vitamins).

GAYATRI MANTRA

the sacred Vedic hymn in praise of Lord Surya as the supreme force, and is known as the mother of all the Vedas. The Gayatri Mantra is :

(Om Bhoor bhuvah swah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodyat)

meaning “We meditate on the excellent light of the divine sun. may he enlighten our minds”. Later, Gayatri got personified as wife of Brahma Ji.

HAVAN

is a ritual performed by offering some sacred items like ghee (clarified butter), grains etc. to fire, as a matter of propitiating gods for achievement of certain good in the larger interest of family or community.

HOROSCOPE

is a guiding document about the influence of planets and stars on a person and his activities. Most Hindus have faith in this science of astrology and give great importance to horoscopes, which are invariably prepared at the time of birth and consulted by priests for deciding on marriage partners, dates/timing (mahurt auspicious time) for performing acts like start of a journey, building a house etc.

JANEU

is a sacred thread worn by Hindu males on their body, from the time they reach adolescence. Related ritual is part of the Upnayan Sanskar. This thread is put on the body of the wearer, by the teacher who makes him take certain vows, directed towards concentrating on education & keeping sexual desires suppressed. The sacred thread on the person’s body serves as a reminder of those vows. From medical point of view, it also helps in bowel movements, when as per practice, the janeu is put on the right ear so as to facilitate easy release of wastes from the body through pressure on a particular nerve near the ear.

KUMBH

is about large congregation (in millions) of Hindu priests and others taking ritual both together at a predetermined time of planetary alignment. It is a celebration made four times every twelve years once, every three years, at each of the following locations.

. Prayag in Uttar Pradesh (Allahabad) at the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna & the mythical Saraswati

. Haridwar in Uttaranchal where river Ganga enters plain

. Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on the banks of river Shipra and

. Nasik in Maharashtra, on the banks of river Godavari.

The one at Prayag, once every twelve years is called Maha Kumbh. When Samudra Manthan was over and the Kumbh containing amrit (nectar) appeared, demons took it away, with the gods chasing them. For twelve divine days, there was a chase and fighting between demons and gods. During this process, drops of amrit fell at four places mentioned above and hence these places and waters therein achieved sanctity.

MALA

is a set of beads made of wood, cotton, pearls or rudraksh, adequately bound with thread and used as necklace, band on wrist or ankles and more often for facilitating worship or meditation. Rudraksh beads touching the body are claimed to impart physical, intellectual and emotional advantages. Number of beads in a rosary is typically 108, considered an auspicious number by Hindus as it relates to 27 constellations in the entire Zodiac, each constellation being made up of 4 phases. This number i.e. 27 * 4   108 thus signifies coverage of the entire space, meaning greatness.

MARRIAGE CEREMONY & RELATED RITUALS OF SEVEN PHERE & SAPTAPDI

have two very interesting and significant elements in the entire marriage ceremony, one of the sixteen Hindu Sanskars.

a)      Seven Phere (perambulations round sacred fire) at the time of marriage done by the bride & the groom while taking seven vows (like being honest to each other, not hiding anything from each other etc.), one vow for each day, covering seven days of the week and, by extrapolation, covering the entire life. Seven is a sacred number not only for Hindus but in many other religions also. For Christians, the world was created in seven days. For Muslims, they must take seven rounds of Meccas’s holy stone.

b)      Saptpadi or seven steps ceremony to seek blessings for a prosperous life. Here, the groom makes the bride take seven steps in the north direction, one step each being with a promise from the groom about providing her with wealth, comforts etc.

MEDITATION

is an art of imparting composure and stability to mind leading to a subdued state of the mind. There are several methods of doing meditation, such as rhythmic breathing etc.

MOKSH

salvation or liberation for the ultimate union with the Supreme, thereby terminating the cycle of birth death rebirth, which is the goal of every Hindu. The belief is about rebirth into lower or higher echelons of the living world, depending upon the quality of karm ( deeds) during his/her lifetime. The concept of moksh appeared prominently on the horizon of Hindu philosophy through the influence of Upnishads. According to Hindu scriptures, in this living world, life manifests itself in 8.4 million species in the following classification, in order of increasing levels of consciousness:

. Udbhij (plants growing from soil)

. Swede Ja (micro organisms like bacteria, fungus etc)

. Anda Ja (coming to life through egg)

. Jarayu Ja (coming to life from womb, such as in case of humans)

MUSIC (HINDU)

employed in bhajans (devotional songs) and other religious activities, it is divided into two categories, namely Hindustani music and Carnatic music. While Hindustani music has its origins in the north and influence of persain music, Carnatic music has its orgins in the south and having its roots in the Vedas (Gandharv Ved & Upved) and originally composed by the Gandharvas (celestial musicians). They were influenced by the rhythmic sounds emanating from Shiv Ji’s damru (small drum) and Saraswati Ji’s lute.

PRALAY

the great deluge and annihilation of the universe occurs at the end of each cosmic cycle. It is heralded by the tandav dance of Shiv Ji. Different types of parlay are there according to Hindu mythology. These can be described briefly as: Pralay comes at the end Brahma Ji’s each day (about 4300 million man years) when heaven, earth and the nether world are destroyed. Brahma Ji consumes these worlds into himself, rests during the intervening night and then works again on recreation of the universe next morning (his next morning). This cycle goes on for Brahma Ji’s 100 years. Maha parlay comes once every 100 years of Brahma Ji. This time, Brahma Ji, alongwith the three worlds, gets absorbed into Vishnu Ji. Now what remains is only the supreme energy, Vishnu Ji himself.

RUDRAKSH

is a powerful and sacred bead from tree of a certain species, which grow in Asia. It is claimed to help one achieve physical, intellectual and emotional advantages as well as prosperity. These beads are plucked from the tree, sanctified and energized through certain rituals. Potency of a bead is maintained through regular prayers/rituals. Rudraksh literally means Shiv Ji’s tears. According to Hindu mythology, when Shiv Ji was to kill a powerful demon Triparasur, on the request of gods, he knew he will have to use his most powerful weapon Aghor. The very thought of the deavastating after effects of this weapon brought tears in his eyes. Wherever his tears fell on earth, rudraksh trees grew up at those spots, signifying his eyes.

SANATAN DHARM

is the real term for Hindu faith. It literally means an ever lasting faith. It is said so because ingrained in this belief are those guidelines, which provide life, conditions of maximum possible existence. This is the Dharm not only for the believers but valid for all human beings, hence its fundamental belief Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is a family). Basic features of this faith are:

A.      Concept of Karm: As you sow, so shall you reap (which incidentally, also gives rise to the belief in the cycle of rebirth by which way, one is accountable to one’s acts in previous birth and is rewarded or punished in the next birth)

B.      Joint family system: Seniority (by age/relationship) is given more importance and respect and

C.      Caste System: Where Brahamans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras are expected to be engaged in specific areas of religion, protecting society, financial and services, respectively.

SELF CLEANING

an important early morning ablution quite ritually observed by Hindus. This is logically important because of the tropical conditions where lots of sweat and dust can cause diseases. This frequent cleaning of self also includes, washing of hands and feet, with water. Feet of guests are often ceremonially washed when they arrive after traveling distances. Religious bathing ceremonies like Ganga Snan, Kumbh etc. have specifically been positioned in the winter months when natives may otherwise skip baths and deprive themselves of the much needed hygiene.

SHANKH (CONCH SHELL)

is blown by Hindus at prayer and other auspicious times. It has several advantages including good exercise for lings and the germicidal effect of its sound waves, resulting in repelling of mosquitoes etc.

SHRAADH

a ritual observed by relatives after death of a person, is a show of gratitude towards the dead by offering special food preparations to priests, assuming it will satisfy the dead. Such activities bring to focus the basics of Hindu philosophy where emphasis is more on doing things without hope of a reward nishkam bhav. For this reason, a Hindu would observe shraadh of the departed one, more seriously, from whom nothing can be expected now, in return, than celebrating the birthday of a young one, from whom material gains are possible in the future. Shraadh is therefore a matter of showing gratitude to the departed, a term derived from the word shraddha, meaning expression of gratitude.

SINDOOR

is a red coloured powder, applied at the hair parting on the head by hindu women, as a symbol of fertility. Its red colour is derived from the colour of blood which is an important element of procreation.

SOOTAK

is a time period of a sort of untouchability, akin to quarantine, observed seriously among Hindus at times of birth and death in the family. It is at both such times that emotional disturbances take place and family members must be given time to readjust themselves.

SWASTIK

called Satiya in Hindi, it is an auspicious sign signifying well being and harbinger of luck because it is understood to be a graphic symbolization of Ganesh Ji. It is drawn on occasions/places to ensure auspicious beginnings and particularly for ritual ceremonies.

TEERTH YATRA (PILGRIMAGE)

is a journey to places of worship, religious centres and sacred river baths etc, periodically undertaken by Hindus. The basic idea behind this is to traverse the country, know it and ensure solidarity among people of different regions. Teerth literally means a place at the riverside, where most of the pilgrimage centres are located. Kumbh Mela, described in the earlier pages, is one such pilgrimage, which is very popular, attracting millions of Hindus.

TILAK

a mark on the forehead, applied as an auspicious mark which consists of applying roli (red powder) on the forehead and putting some rice grains on it. It is symbolic of regeneration, where  roli represents blood and rice grains represent sperms. Regeneration process was treated with great honour in the olden times when infant mortality rate used to be very high.

TULSI

also called Vrinda or Brinda. Legend has it that Tulsi, a woman, prayed intensely for marrying Vishnu Ji, but Lakshmi Ji, fearing rivalry, turned her into a plant. Vishnu Ji, who was deeply impressed with Tulsi’s devotion, manifested himself as Shaligram in the form of ammonite (an extinct cuttle fish like creature having hard shell characterised by a head with arms), now symbolized simply by a black stone. This manifestation of Vishnu Ji as Shaligram was with the idea of remaining close to Tulsi for all times to come.

Another legend has it that Tulsi plant, symbolizes Radha Ji who was married to Krishn Ji. Since the marriage was not legitimate (krishn Ji being already married to Rukmini Ji) symbolically, Tulsi plant can not enter any home and is kept outside the threshold. Personifying devotion, Tulsi leaf is an integral part of offerings to gods.

Tulsi (basil) also has several medicinal qualities as established scientifically. It is interesting to note that chewing Tulsi is prohibited, in Hindu scriptures. Logic is that it contains mercury which can cause damage to teeth but when swallowed, the same mercury imparts benefits to the body.

VAASTU SHASTR

is about optimization and balance between the five elements air, water, fire, earth and space which determine bio electric magnetism and help ensure wealth, peace and prosperity in a household and other places.

Scientific importance of the balance between the five elements, was realized by sages in the vedic era itself. Based on this understanding, Vaastu Shastr was developed which provided a guide to designing buildings and positioning of its different components such as windows, doors etc. which directly influence cross ventilation, incidence of sin rays ets.

VARN SYSTEM (CASTE)

is a classification among Hindus by caste and significant feature in Hindu philosophy as Mentioned Under Sanatan Dharm. Although a sociological phenomenon which did not exist in pre vedic times, it has roots in later Hindu scriptures.

Varun system was primarily to differentiate between purity levels of breeds/races as well as to provide an indication to the functions/services to be rendered by people, to the society at large. In Hindu scriptures, including Dharm Shastr by Manu, following castes were named/described, in order of their so called superiority.

. Brahmans produced from God’s mouth, to get into scholarly and religious activities

. Kshatriyas, produced from God’s arms, to perform as warriors.

. Vaishas, produced from God’s thighs, to get into trading activities and

. Shudras, produced from God’s feet, to get into service oriented activities.

Untouchables was anbother caste which was later developed within the society, for carrying night soil, skinning of carcasses etc. this categorization has become meaningless to most unorthodox and educated people and has since been outlawed and its upliftment is being given priority by the Government. According to one school of thought, origin of this caste is based on the system of outcasting people from their caste whenever anyone violated (bhang) set norms of social behavior and calling them bhangi.

Sub castes (Gotra) also developed later, depending upon the gurukul a certain group belonged to (and their descendants), such as Kshayap, Bharadwaj etc. Marriages within one such sub caste are even now prohibited. There are several theories to this prohibition, as initiated in those older times, one being that group heads wanted to eliminate competitions within their community, against themselves for women.

It may be noted that inspite of best efforts of some new age reformers, Hindu society continues to remain in the shakles of the caste system.

VEGETARIANISM

is an important element of Hinduism. To impart purity of mind and body, three rules were pronounced as a guide on food, by philosophers in the vedic era. These are:

. Hit bhuk   (eating only what is in one’s hit, meaning benefit, i.e. conducive to good health).

. Mit bhuk   (eating quantities which are just sufficient to mit mitigate hunger i.e moderation) and

. Rit bhuk   (acquiring food with reet, meaning propriety i.e. observing certain rules, primary being about not hurting anyone in the process of acquiring food and through honest means)

Based on these guidelines, vegetables/fruits/grains in moderate quantities were best justified. It may be interesting to note here that although vegetables also belong to the living world (read under Moksh in proceding pages), life in vegetables exists at the lowest level of consciousness and therefore, taking life away from it would cause injury of least intensity.

Apart from this, there is another relevant aspects of food. As per Hindu scriptures, food (like thoughts) can be categorized as:

. Satvik   (noble foods like vegetables, fruits, flour of water nuts etc. which help in suppression of animal instinct in humans).

. Rajasik   (spicy food preparations with lots of clarified butter & condiments which enchance relishing of feelings of sensual enjoyment) and

. Tamasik   (stale vegetarian foods and all non vegetarian food preparations having pungent odours which aruse wild feelings & emotions).

As can been seen from the foregoing, vegetarian foods, taken in moderation, best satisfy all the pre conditions for food that is best for humans.

YOG

is literally a matter of synchronization of two entities. It is usually associated with mind & body to achieve perfect concentration for successful performance in most human endeavours. It is popularly pronounced and spelled as yoga.