10 Common Questions About Practices Followed in Hinduism

10 Common Questions about Practices Followed in Hinduism

Rajat Bijur B.S, MBA

Ananth Prabhu MTech, MBA

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Raama Hare Raama Raama Raama Hare Hare

1. WHY DO WE LIGHT A LAMP?

10 Common Questions About Practices in Hinduism

Why do we light a lamp?

Oil lamps were part of various traditions and cultures around the world, until electric lights became popular. The earliest known oil lamp can be dated back to the Chalcolithic Age, about 4500 to 3300 BC. Today, their use are limited to only a few homes, more often only for visual appeal.

But there is a lot more to the humble oil lamp, than its obvious use of providing light and aesthetics. Light is significant because of the way our instruments of vision are made. If our instruments of vision were made like, let’s say that of an owl, light wouldn’t be very valuable to us.


In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily during pooja and in the evenings. All auspicious functions commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion. Light symbolizes knowledge, and dispelling darkness , that is ignorance.

Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. We hear many people say, there was no electricity back then, therefore they used lamps! Others say, Light keeps away insects and microbes at night. Well, they are right.

But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego.


When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ideals. Lighting an oil lamp has certain implications. The use of certain vegetable oils, especially if you use sesame oil, castor oil or ghee (clarified butter) to light a lamp, it exudes positivity. It has its own field of energy.

It is a part of tradition that to create the right kind of atmosphere, the first thing that you do is light a lamp. Of course, because of all our problems today we use electric lights. But those of you who light a lamp, if you simply be there around it, you will notice it makes a difference.


It need not even be dark, the lamp need not be a visual aid, but do you notice it makes some kind of a difference? This is because the moment you light a lamp, not the flame itself but around the flame a certain etheric sphere will naturally happen.

Where there is an etheric sphere, communication will be better. Did you ever sit around a campfire in your life? If you did, you would have seen that stories told around the campfire always have the maximum impact on people. Have you noticed this? The storytellers of yore understood this – stories told around the campfire are always the most effective stories. Receptivity will be at its best.

2. WHY DO WE HAVE A PRAYER ROOM?


Why do we have a prayer room?

Most Hindu homes have a prayer room or a small area, shelf etc where images of deities are kept. A lamp is lit and God is worshipped each day. Other spiritual practices like japa or meditation, reading of the scriptures, prayers, and devotional singing are also done in the prayer room. Special worship is conducted on auspicious occasions like festivals, birthdays, and anniversaries. Each member of the family communes and worships the Divine here. We invoke His grace by communing with Him in the prayer room each day and on special occasions.

Sacred thoughts and sound vibrations pervade the place and influence the minds of those who spend time there.

Why do we have a prayer room?

Spiritual thoughts and vibrations accumulated through regular meditation, worship and chanting done there pervade the prayer room. Even when we are tired or agitated, by just sitting in the prayer room for a while, we feel calm, rejuvenated and spiritually uplifted. We burn incense in that room. Smelling incense while experiencing the calm silence of the puja room can be a powerful tool for the mind to experience peace of mind.

The prayer room is always kept clean and free from meat, alcohol and other tamasic substances. Negativity of any sort should be avoided in the prayer room.

3. WHY DO WE DO NAMASTE?


Why do we do Namaste?

Indians greet each other with namaste. The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and the head bows whilst saying the word namaste. This greeting is for all – people younger than us, of our own age, those older to us or even to strangers.

In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste which means “I bow to the divine in you” - my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of another.

The spiritual meaning of Namaste is very profound and in Yoga it is called as 'Anjali Mudra' or Pranamasana.

Why do we do Namaste?

It is recognising the Supreme Being which pervades all beings and the Namaste signifies bowing before the Divine presence in the other person. It is for this reason that when we sometimes pay our respects to an older person or to God himself, we close our eyes as if to look within.

4. WHY DO WE PROSTRATE BEFORE PARENTS AND ELDERS?


Why do we prostrate before parents and elders?

In the present day society of ours, we are slowly forgetting this time honoured tradition of greeting the elders and replacing them with the Western social custom of hugging and kissing.

Indians prostrate before their parents, elders, teachers and other noble souls by touching their feet. The elder in turn blesses us by placing his or her hand on our heads. Prostration is done daily when we meet elders and particularly on important occasions like the commencement of a new task, Festivals and birthdays. In certain traditional circles, prostration is accompanied by abhivaadana, which serves to introduce one-self, announce one’s family and social stature.


Touching the feet in prostration is a sign of respect for the age, wisdom and divinity that our elders personify. It symbolizes our recognition of their selfless love for us and the sacrifices they have done for our welfare. It is a way of humbly acknowledging the greatness of another. This tradition reflects the strong family ties, which has been one of India’s enduring strengths.

The good wishes (Sankalpa) and blessings (aashirvaada) of elders are highly valued in India. We prostrate to seek them these blessing. Good wishes springing from a heart full of love, divinity and nobility have a tremendous power. Good thoughts also create positive vibrations.


The different forms of showing respect are :

• Pratuthana: Rising to welcome a person.

• Namaskaara: Paying homage in the form of namaste

• Upasangrahan: Touching the feet of elders or teachers.

• Shaashtaanga: Prostrating fully with the feet, knees, stomach, chest, forehead and arms touching the ground in front of the elders.

• Pratyabivaadana: Returning a greeting.


Good thoughts create positive vibrations. Good wishes and blessings arising from a heart full of love, divinity and nobility have immense power through a transfer of energy. When we prostrate with humility and respect, we invoke the good wishes and blessings of elders which flow in the form of positive energy to envelop us. This is why the posture, whether it is in the standing or prone position, enables the entire body to receive the energy thus received.

5. WHY DO WE WEAR MARKS (TILAK, POTTU AND THE LIKE) ON THE FOREHEAD?


Why do we wear marks (tilak, pottu and the like) on the forehead?

Most religious Hindus especially married women wear a tilak or bindi on the forehead. It is applied daily after the bath and on special occasions, before or after ritualistic worship or visit to the temple

In earlier times, The brahmin applied a white chandan mark signifying purity. The kshatriya applied a red kumkum mark. The vaishya wore a yellow kesar or turmeric mark.The sudra applied a black bhasma, kasturi or charcoal mark.Vishnu worshippers apply a chandan tilak of the shape of "U," Shiva worshippers a tripundra of bhasma(bhasma is traditionally collected from cremation grounds in orthodox Shaivite orders or otherwise is collected from yagna or fire sacrifices offered to the Gods), Devi worshippers a red dot of kumkum.


The tilak is worn every day by sadhus and pious householders, and on special occasions like weddings and religious rituals. A tilak is also applied by a priest during a visit to the temple as a sign of the deity's blessing, for both men and women (and western tourists, too). Tilak marks are applied by hand or with a metal stamp. They might be made of ash from a sacrificial fire, sandalwood paste, turmeric, cow dung, clay, charcoal, or red lead. In addition to its religious symbolism, the tilak has a cooling effect on the forehead and this can assist in concentration and meditation.

In Tantrism, during meditation, energy flows from the base to the head and leave the body by this point; hence the idea of "plugging the hole" to retain the energy inside.


It is therefore to protect themselves and avoid energy losses that Hindus mark their forehead with a soothing and cooling powder paste.

The entire body emanates energy in the form of electromagnetic waves - the forehead and the subtle spot between the eyebrows especially so. That is why worry generates heat and causes a headache. The tilak and pottu cools the forehead, protects us and prevents energy loss. Sometimes the entire forehead is covered with chandan or bhasma. Using plastic reusable "stick bindis" is not very beneficial, even though it serves the purpose of decoration.

6. WHY DO WE NOT TOUCH PAPERS, BOOKS AND PEOPLE WITH THE FEET?


Why do we not touch papers, books and people with the feet?

In Indian homes, we are taught from a very young age; never to touch papers, books and people with our feet. If the feet accidentally touch papers, books, musical instruments or any other educational equipment, children are told reverentially touch what was stamped with their hands and then touch their eyes as a mark of apology.

Not just touching, we are not allowed to even point our feet towards any person and if by mistake, you point your feet towards God your Grandmother will beat you up.

Why do we not touch papers, books and people with the feet?

In the Hinduism, knowledge is divinity itself. The shanti mantras themselves proclaim in the Upanishads that knowledge leads the human soul from darkness to light where darkness is considered ignorance of the soul and light is considered knowledge of the divine form that sets one free from the world of bondage. And because books and paper are materials through which knowledge is transmitted and learned, they should be respected. For this reason, if we touch these objects with our feet, or kick them, it is a sign that we do not respect them or understand their importance.

7. WHY DO WE HAVE DIFFERENT CASTES?


Why do we have different Castes?

Indian culture is incredibly complex and resembles a chaos of mind-boggling proportions. But beneath this seeming chaos is a scientific foundation that is thousands of years old. Often, the practices that we label today as blind superstition have very logical explanations behind them.

The Indian caste system came when there were no formal training centers for any particular profession. When there were no training centers, the family was the only way to train. So it was very important to maintain a blacksmith culture, a goldsmith culture or a cobbler culture; otherwise there would be no skills.


Suppose your father was a blacksmith, at the age of 6, the moment you were ready, you started playing around with the hammer and anvil. By the time you were 8, your father saw that you anyway wanted to hit it, so it was better to hit it with some purpose. By the time you were 12, you were on the job. By the time you were 18 or 20, you had some craft and expertise on your hand to make your own living.

So if your father was a blacksmith, you became a blacksmith; if your father was a goldsmith, you became a goldsmith. Each profession developed its own training centers within the family structure because that was the only training center; all the craft, professionalism and skills in the society could only evolve like this.


If you are a blacksmith, you do not try to go and do a goldsmith’s job, you just do a blacksmith’s job because we need a blacksmith in the society. When people multiplied and became a thousand blacksmiths, naturally they had their own way of eating, their own way of marriage and their own way of doing things, so they formed a caste.

There is really nothing wrong with it if you look at it on one level. It was just a certain arrangement of convenience for the society. Between a blacksmith and a goldsmith, the kind of hammer they use, how they work, how they look, what and how they eat, everything was naturally distinctly different because the type of work was very different. It is over a period of time that it became a means for exploitation.


Changing mindsets in recent times have led our society to rethink the stance taken by the people before us. Education has further changed people's mindsets and it would be only a matter of time before an equalisation of society will occur.

8. WHY DO WE RING THE BELL IN A TEMPLE?


Why do we ring the bell in a temple?

Is it to wake up the Lord? But the Lord never sleeps. Is it to let the Lord know we have come? He does not need to be told, as He is all knowing. Is it a form of seeking permission to enter His precinct? It is a homecoming and therefore entry needs no permission. The Lord welcomes us at all times. Then why do we ring the bell?

Most of the old temples in India have a large bell at the entrance that one needs to ring before entering the temple. Making temple bells is a whole science. These bells are not made out of ordinary metal, but a whole variety of them, including cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and manganese.

Why do we ring the bell in a temple?

The proportion at which each one of them mixed is the real science behind making a bell. Each of these bells is made to produce such a distinct sound that it can create a harmony between your left and right brains. The moment you ring that bell, it produces sharp but lasting sound vibration which lasts for minimum of seven seconds in echo mode -- long enough to touch your seven healing centers (or chakras) in your body. The best bell is one which clearly reverbarates the sound of OM when rung in a temple for a period of at least 60 seconds or so.

9. WHY DO WE APPLY THE HOLY ASH?


Why do we apply the holy ash?

Bhasma (holy ash) is the ash from the sacrificial fire where special wood is burnt along with ghee and herbs as worship alongwith the appropriate mantras (grahya mantras or similar mantras from the Vedas such as the sooktas). At times the deity (only Lord Shiva) is worshipped by pouring ash and this ash is distributed as bhasma. Holy ash is generally applied on the forehead. It is also at times applied on the forearms, chest etc. Some ascetics smear it on their entire body. Unfortunately, in many places it has become a scandalous business where they are just giving a certain white rock powder as sacred ash. But if it is properly prepared and you know where and how to apply it, sacred ash makes you much more receptive; and the place where you apply it on your body becomes more sensitive and goes towards the higher nature.


Within your physical body, there are seven basic centers representing seven dimensions of experiencing life. These centers are known as chakras. A chakra is a certain meeting point within the energy system. These chakras are not physical, they are of a subtle nature. One can experientially know these chakras, but if you cut the body and see, you will not find any chakra. As you move into higher levels of intensity, naturally the energies will rise from one chakra to another. If you receive life from the higher chakras, the same situation will be different for you than if you receive life from the lower chakras. I will explain more about chakras in my next video. As mentioned above, bhasma applied on the body acts as sunscreen in a natural manner which is the possible scientific reason for applying it.


The scientific reason for applying bhasma all over the body in the older days was to prevent UV rays causing skin problems. This was also the reason why this was applied in the mornings usually after bath. Bhasma plays a role of sunscreen in a manner similar to the sunscreens available today.

10. WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF HINDUISM?


What is the essence of Hinduism?

• Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.

• Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.

• Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of

creation, preservation and dissolution. • Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each

individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.

What is the essence of Hinduism?

• Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.

• Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that

temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.

• Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or Satguru, is essential

to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.

[email protected] [email protected]

For any clarifications/questions, kindly send your E-mail to

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

10 Common Questions About Practices Followed in Hinduism

Documents

Transcript of 10 Common Questions About Practices Followed in Hinduism