Hinduism - Ritual, Culture, and Practice - Essay Example

Hinduism Hinduism is believed to have begun as a result of vibrant encounter of the darker skinned Indians and the lighter skinned Aryans. The Hindus sang hymns and performed many rituals until the rites ingrained in them. The inspired individuals came up with a guide for Hindu rituals through the development of Vedas. Vedas are meant to guide all the Hindus. The religion has really expanded its wings worldwide since its initiation. It is believed that consecration to the religion even interfered with the British stranglehold. This essay explains some of the facts and issues concerning Hinduism ritual. Hinduism is believed to have started in the Indus valley and a larger percentage of followers are found in India. Most of the facts and important issues about Hinduism are preserved in the Vedas. The Aryans took with them the Persian and the Western concepts to the Hindu culture. Hindu’s divinity were said to be normal supremacies of heaven and earth and they revered their gods via conducting animal sacrifices (Matthews 72-74). The Aryans’ gods were shining objects which portrayed nice things for human beings. Hindus believe that Asuras are evil powers that signify hurtful things to humans. Intermingling of Aryans and the natives (Dravidians) led to sharing of rites and customs with the natives. However, most of the Hindus rituals are majorly formed by the Aryans’ culture and practices. The Aryan practices dominated the Davidians for reasons not known. Some scholars blame the Aryans dominant culture on stratification while others think that the Aryans were just superior to the natives (Rinehart 123-127). There are four collections of the Vedas and the popular Veda is known as the Ring Veda. Other Vedas include the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Artharva Veda. These Vedas have many different roles in the religion. For instance, some Vedas contain prayers and other information regarding devotion while others have people’s daily worries such as lust (Matthews 75-80). The Vedas are regarded as the basis and the roots for Hinduism since they contain variety of clarifications concerning the religion. The Hindus’ leaders are called Brahmins who execute rites under their powers. Brahmins have the responsibility of inspiring devotees and influence other people worldwide to favor their religion (Rinehart 123-127). Hindus have several gods that include the Agni that ascend from Purusha and the Indra deity, the Soma which is regarded as very important god and finally the Varina who is considered as the preserver of truth. There are some groups that branched from the original Hinduism such as Upanishads. Contemporarily, Hinduism has established four main goals which they regard as important in pursuing the peak of release in their lifespan. Hindus regard Dharma as the right way of living and studying to achieve lasting happiness while Karma is considered as the law of cause and effect (Matthews 75-80). Bhagavad Gita came up with distinct tracks for Hindu devotees to walk through. Bhagavad Gita was followed by the Puranas and the Tantaras which have engrained detailed information regarding the divinities and service to the deities. Hinduism is a very unique religion which greatly honors the Vedas as well as traditional customs and practices unlike the Western religions that believe in the progress of events since their initiation. Hinduis believe that there are cycles of events that take place in their religion and that whatever is exact for the universe also applies to mankind (Fuller 62-65). The most interesting things about Hinduism are their rituals and symbols. Just like any other religion from across the world, rites and rituals are very important aspects of the religion. These rites and rituals play vital role in identification of the religion in question. To Hindus, most of these customs are compulsory but very flexible since devotees in different regions follow different customs. These rituals further ensure that the devotees do not go off the spiritual life because of materialistic detractors. The Samskaras are some of the vital rituals that assimilate the devotees into the community such as the birth of a child and child’s naming ceremony (Matthews 100-108). The other ritual is the Upanayana that recruits a boy as a person who has obligation for his religious acts. Upanayana transforms a boy into a sacred and respectful individual. The other ritual is the Vivaha that signifies admission into the next level of marriage. Vivaha ceremony is normally climaxed by substantial meal. Initially, marriage was very vital to the Hindus because out of it, a boy would be raised to continue with sacrifice to the deity (Fuller 62-65). Hindus strongly believe in their rites as a way of avoiding antagonistic influences and enticing spiritual and general life benefits for life success. There are numerous benefits associated with the Hindus rituals such as life longevity, prosperity, power and intelligence. The customs and rites of Hindus are said to be increasing the status of devotees due to their connections with spirituality and social wellbeing. A fully devoted Hindu is believed to have grown to a full man if he obeys and practices all the Hindu rituals. The conducts of devotees are dependent on the way they obey rules and regulations of the rituals (Fuller 62-65). One of the most interesting rituals is the Puja which is regarded by Hindus as a way of honoring deities through various ways. Some of the ways of displaying devotion to gods are via prayers and hymns. Puja is considered worldwide by Hindus as a means of making spiritual connection with gods where some images and symbols are used as a connection between the devotee and the gods (Dasa n.p.). The images, objects and the symbols used in Hinduism for puja’s purposes are believed to contain some divinity powers which are essential in worshipping. Although the symbols are very significant for the Hindu devotee, they are not as crucial as the spiritual content. The objects just relay important information to the Hindu thus making the worshipper to feel that he is directly communicating with god (Fuller 62-65). It is really thought-provoking to observe a Hindu performing puja in a way that satisfies the deity. Initially, an individual showers and switches to clothes which are only meant for worshipping and goes to a specific room or place set. The devotee then meditates upon the god to be revered as the body is further consecrated by a substance called acamana. There are some essential ingredients required before performing puja such as a cup of water and a spoon, a jug of fresh water, a bell, and mixture of milk, yoghurt, ghee, honey, sugar, flowers, and sandalwood pulp. Some other ingredients are a cotton swab, cloth folded into a triangle, fragrance incense and a cup for throwing discarded water. However, there are other substitutes that may be used in case all these ingredients are unavailable especially while performing shorter pujas. All the articles are supposed to be as tidy as possible due to their association with spirituality. The prepared items must be sanctified with the divine water before devotee salutes the reverence teacher then removes the cloth from the shrine. The god to be worshipped must be initially greeted with hands folded while uttering some words of commitment and consecration. The items offered should not be re-offered to the deity and therefore the offered items are put on the right hand side of the shrine to avoid the confusion. At the beginning of puja, a devotee directs the god or goddess with the use of hand gestures to the seat where it is required to seat. After the use of hand gestures in giving directions, a Hindu welcomes the deity with folded hands and then sacred water for washing the deity’s feet is offered. After the feet washing, the devotee sprinkles water upon him and further sips before offering the cup with mixture of milk and honey. Other events that follow include giving more sipping water and ringing the bell while bathing the divinity (Dasa n.p.). The deity is dried, clothed and decorated with numerous beautiful ornaments. The devotee later offers dots of fragrant sandalwood pulp to the divinity’s forehead. Flowers and beautiful leaves are then put to the god’s feet as well as waving incense around the divinity and repeating the action with the lamp. Foodstuffs are normally offered to the deity while chanting offering mantra as the god eats. While waiting for the deity to eat, a devotee may sing and recite some hymns then later water is offered for washing the divinity’s mouth. Finally after all the offerings and events, the devotee offers suitable prayers while bowing down as a show of respect (Raatan 297-300). Hindu temples and shrines have many images and objects such as carved stones and casts which represent divinity in human form. These images and objects serve very crucial part during puja. These anthropomorphic symbols such as a pot or cone are strongly associated with strengths and powers of the deity spirit. Puja is conducted in various places and environments such as inside temples and homes since the deities can be usually revered everyplace (Dasa n.p.). The symbols are so crucial that the devotees believe that if they are not properly taken care of then the deity may leave the temples. This prompts the religious leaders to take good care of the temple and all its contents. Although the religious leaders carry out their pujas in the temple at different times of the day such as at sunrise and noon, the other devotees do not need to visit temple frequently. Laypersons may decide to carry out their pujas at home on regular basis since the most important thing is a person’s offering to the god (Raatan 297-300). According to the Hindus, temple is very important thing in the religion because the divinity is believed to be waiting to serve his faithful and partaking of their offerings inside the temples. The gods are considered special and are compared to kings thus justifying the palace-like nature of the temples. Each temple is devoted to a particular god and this is shown by outside decoration of the divinity being revered. It is worth noting that the sacred symbols remind the devotees about the divine stories they learnt. Before entering a temple, individuals are required to take off their shoes as a way of showing respect to the gods. In every Hindu’s home, there is a shrine which is regarded as a holy place for reverencing and praising the deities. Some of the Hindu devotees do not need to go to temples except during very special festivals or perhaps tries to ask for a very special favor from the gods. Hindus believe that the pujas taking place at home are important in determining the family’s choice and acts. It is regarded that worshiping in the temples may need a priest as an intervener but the home pujas is said to be offering direct contact between god and the worshipper. Interestingly, the size of the home shrine is not regarded as a big issue provided the family understands that the shrine is in a particular place (Raatan 297-300). The decorations of the home shrine are not given much attention compared to the shrines inside temples. However, the home shrines must have the images of god or gods pertaining to the family’s belief. It is also very usual to find a number of shrines in a particular home. Hindu children are given opportunity to choose from the many gods or goddesses. Pujas at home are considered significant in protecting the family from bad fortunes and granting the family members several benefits. Pujas at home can be carried out by a single individual member of the family and the deity’s existence is pleased by cleaning the images and giving it flower and fruit offerings. Works Cited Dasa, Shukavak. Devasthanam: Ways Of Worship: Puja And Archana. Sanskrit Religions Institute. 2007. Web. 15 Jul. 2013. Fuller, C J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2004. Print. Matthews, Alfred W. World Religions. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/ Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Raatan, T. History, Religion and Culture of North East India. Delhi: Isha Books, 2006. Print. Rinehart, Robin. Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture, and Practice. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print.   Read More