A Hindu Religious Ritual - Essay Example

Understanding the mythology through participation of a Hindu religious ritual, The Saraswati Puja. I was recently invited by my next-door Hindu neighbor to be a part of one of their religious rituals, ‘The Saraswati Puja’. I had asked him often about the various gods and deities they worshipped and probably seeing my interest in mythology, he had asked to come and see how such rituals were performed. Excited with the prospect of being a part of one of the oldest religions in the world, I patiently waited out the days till the day of the Puja arrived. I reached his house and I was informed that the ritual they were celebrating was known as Saraswati Puja. I saw all house members dressed in their ethnic wear, either in white or in yellow. On asking, I was told that both were the colors associated with Goddess Saraswati who was worshipped as the goddess of wisdom. I saw voluptuous amounts of flowers and fruits being put up as offerings in front of a female stone idol that was depicted with four arms and a bird at its feet. People sat on the floor in a semi circular way in front of the idol with a priest sitting in front of it chanting rhymes or what is known as mantras. It seemed a bit difficult to understand in the beginning the significance of conducting such a ritual and seeing all members of the family sitting in front, hands folded and showering flowers on the idol at regular intervals. The celebration of the Saraswati Puja Nevertheless, I was asked by my friend to sit along with them and take part in the ritual. I had never really sat on the floor in the posture that they were sitting, which initially made it difficult for me to sit with folded legs. I was told by my friend that in Hinduism, one doesn’t sit in front of Gods with their legs aimed towards them, and that was why they had to fold their legs while offering praises. It was quite radical from what I had seen or heard about in other religions but I realized every religion had their own way of viewing and following things. I was quite impressed by the way I saw everyone being engrossed in the ritual and devoting all of their concentration, in spite of the physical difficulties of sitting cramped on the floor. My friend told me that Hindus believed that Gods would be impressed by the devotion with which followers worshipped them and would shower their blessings on them. I was highly moved with the amount of devotion that I was seeing from everyone in the family which made me realize how religious Hindus were. It was also fascinating to see the vast amount of fruits and sweets that were put up on plates but however no one was even touching it. I felt quite compelled to take a few pieces out of it, but was told that since those were put up as offerings, no one would touch it unless the rituals were over and they had been fed upon by the Gods. It sounded very mythological but I was amazed at the different ways in which people ensured of their devotion to Gods. It was also enlightening to know that the idea behind showering Gods and Goddesses with flowers came from the concept that the flowers represented purity, beauty and smell, all of which were considered to be pleasing to the Gods. Hence they always ensured that the freshest of flowers were brought for such rituals. I could also see a lot of incense sticks burning which were giving out a beautiful smell and I realized how much importance the Hindus gave towards creating a perfect environment for worshipping their Gods, believing that Gods would bless them in seeing their devotion and efforts. It also in way made me realize the spirituality that Hindus possess which was so famous and desired all over the world, and I was at that time involved in such a ritual which was a direct essence of the spirituality of the Hindus. I felt glad that I had been invited to be a part of such rituals and traditions and I could see and understand the culture and religion at such closeness. I felt more and more at ease as time passed through the rituals and I could sense calmness settling inside me. At the end of the puja, the priest showered the final flowers on the Goddess and bowed in front of her. We all then also bowed our heads in front of the Goddess and one by one we went and touched her feet seeking her divine blessings for knowledge. I realized that this was Hinduism’s acceptance of a Supreme Being who was above all mankind and it was their way of accepting and praising such power. As the ceremony came to a close, I took my friend aside and told him that I wanted to know more about Hindu mythology and he told me that he would tell all about it after we completed lunch. I was offered typical Indian food with rice, chapatti, vegetables and curry. I notice everything was vegetarian and when I asked, my friend said that on days of rituals, they always made vegetarian food. I enjoyed the food thoroughly but I was more engrossed with the ritual that I had just attended and I was eager to find out more details from my friend. About Hindu mythology & Goddess Saraswati The early Aryan settlers who were aware of the various natural influences of nature that affected their crops, herds and themselves, developed traditions of worshipping. Often they would personalize such with some form to relate to. They would address their praises to these imaginary things for blessings. They did not have any one particular god or deity but would offer their tribute to the deity whose bounties they enjoyed. (Dowson, 9-15) The Hindu scriptures called the Vedas, originally depicted Saraswati as a river goddess but the post Vedic age saw her increased association with arts, music and literature. She came to represent knowledge, wisdom, intelligence and enlightenment. Hence a puja, a Sanskrit word for the art of worship, of such a goddess is highly revered among Hindus. The goddess is depicted as a woman of high beauty who is dressed in white and sits atop a white lotus, symbolizing the existence of Truth. The white color is mostly associated with her but sometimes she is also portrayed in yellow and unlike other goddesses, she is dressed very moderately implying her preference of knowledge over other material things. Saraswati is shown with four arms, each representing the human personalities mind, intellect, alertness and ego. Her arms are also shown to be carrying the following items: a book, representing the Vedas, a mala representing spirituality and meditation, a pot of water representing the powers of purification and a veena, a musical instrument that represents her perfection of arts and sciences. A white swan, considered sacred, is shown to be sitting at the feet of goddess Saraswati. In Hindu mythology, the bird when offered a mixture of milk and water is known to be able to able to drink the milk alone, symbolizing the discrimination between good and evil. (Bansal, 69-71) Concluding remarks The Saraswati puja holds a high social and cultural significance amongst the Hindus. In India, it is celebrated as a holiday. Almost each and every household where there are boys and girls involved in academics, Saraswati puja is held with rigorous fervor. Worshipping the goddess is considered important to achieve knowledge over one’s studies. Her blessings would help worshippers to gain perfection in their work and studies and attain supreme knowledge. The ritual is celebrated across various regions across the Indian sub continent. The eastern states celebrate it during the month of February before the arrival of the spring season (Senkar, 10-12). The northern states celebrate the Saraswati puja as a part of the celebrations of Navratri, or the nine nights of rituals worshipping Gods. References Dowson, John. A classical dictioary of Hindu Myhology. London: Trubner & Co, 1879. Senkar, Cath. My Hindu Year. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2007. Wilkins, W J. Hindu Mythology:Vedic & Puranic. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Read More