Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

HINDU CEREMONIES AND RITUALS

Appropriate rites have been prescribed for every stage in the life of a Hindu, covering the pre-natal state, birth, growth, adoles- cence, marriage, renunciation and death. The ritual practices at all levels are holistic and reflect the Indian conception of the cosmos as a continuum and the individuals as a universe in miniature. The chief goal of ritual worship is to merge the self with the whole, to feel the interrelation of all phe- nomena, to make the transition from an egocentric to a cosmocentric outlook. The individual comes into being, develops, dies and is reborn. The funeral ceremony is a rite of passage. The course of the next life is determined by the Karma in the present one, until liberation is achieved from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Indian ritual art is an experience which, through repetition, leads towards integra- tion and to an expansion of consciousness which gives rise to a perception of the whole. The history of Indian ritual begins with the Vedic period (1500 B.C.). The building of the fire altar of bricks, the timing of the rites, the ceremonies of the kindling of the sacred fire and the pouring of libations, the mythology that gives the ritual its numerous dimen- sions of meaning — all. came into being at the time of the Rig Veda. Ritual and mythology were amplified in the period of the Brahmanas (900-700 B.C.) There are texts in which various groups of sages supply commentaries on the Vedic hymns, describing and schema- tising the sacrificial ceremonies and recording the histories and meanings of the observances. The Grihya-Sutras and the Samhitas (ritual handbooks) are the earliest texts concerned with domestic ritual observance. The texts give rules for the religious conduct of the household, specifying rites marking the different stages of life. The number of Samskaras in the Grihya sutras fluctuate be- tween 12 and 18. In course of time 16 became the classical number comprising the following: 1 . Garbhadhaana (conception) 2. Punsaavana (engendering a male issue), 3. Simantonnayana (parting the hair) 4. Jaatakarman (natal rites) 5. Naamakarana (naming) 6. Nishkramana (first outing) 7. Annaprashana (first eating with boiled rice) 8. Chudakarma (tonsure) 9. Kama-veda (piercing the earlobes) 10 Aksharaambha (learning the alphabet) 11 Upanayana (holy thread ceremony) 12 Vedaarambha (first study of the Vedas) • 13 Keshaanta (shaving the beard) 14 Samavartana (graduation) 15 Vivaaha (marriage) 16 . Antyeshti Garbhadhaana literally (funeral rites), means placing the child in the womb. Fulfilment of the sacred duty of procreation entailed physical fit- ness and psychological willingness of the couple and selection of a proper time. After conception is ascertained the child in the womb is con- secrated by the second samskaara called punsaavana performed in the

third or fourth month when the moon is in a male constellation which is symbolic of a male child. The third rite is called simmantonnayana in which the hair of a pregnant woman is ceremoniously parted. Under this samsara, generally performed in the fifth month when the mental formation of the child starts, detailed rules of eugenics and hygiene are prescribed for the pregnant woman and her husband. One of these rules relates to dohada which means fulfilling the wishes of the pregnant wife. The jaatakarman ceremony is performed before the severing of the umbilical cord. It is made up of the uttering of several formulas to bless the child with longevity, intelligence and strength. The name-giving ceremony naamakarana comes next, ordinar- ily performed on the 10th or 12th day after the birth of the child. Nishkramana is taking the child for the first time out of the house. A square area in the courtyard and from where the sun can be seen is plastered with cowdung and clay, the sign of the swas- tika is marked on it and over it grains of rice are scattered by the mother. The child is brought out and the father makes the child look at the sun to the accompaniment of the chanting of Vedic hymns and the blowing of conch shells. Annapraashana is the first feeding of the child with solid food. It marks the weaning of the child from the mother at the proper time. A pellet of honey and ghee is introduced in the child’s mouth. This is intended to produce mental and bodily strength. Chudakarana (tonsure) is the eighth samskaara, the purpose of which is the achievement of long life and beauty for the recipient. According to the Grihya sutras, this ceremony should take place at the end of the first year or before the end of the third. The most distinguish- ing feature of this rite is the arrangement of the hair tuft ( cuda or shikha). The vital connection between shikha and life is explained by Sushruta : “Inside the head near the top is the joint of shiva (artery) and a Sandhi (critical juncture). There in the eddy of hairs is the vital spot called adhipati (overlord). Any injury to this spot causes sudden death." In course of time shikha. became a universal symbol of Hindu- ism. Karnavedha is the ceremony connected with the boring of the ear between the first and fourth year of the child. This was done for the wearing of ornaments but Sushruta prescribes the boring of the ears for preventing hydrocele and hernia. Vidyaarambha also known as akshararambha marks the begin- ning of study or the learning of the alphabet. It is performed, on an auspicious day, when the Sun is in the northern hemisphere. It is prohibited during the rainy season when the Sun who gives light is supposed to be asleep. Vidyaramba marks the beginning of primary education. Upanayana is the beginning of secondary education. A Brahmana is to be initiated at the age of eight since he has to spend the longest period in studentship as he was to master the Vedic lore which the other vamas are not expected to do. A Kshatriya is initiated at eleven and Vaishya at twelve. The Upanayana is to be performed in a specified season. A Brahmana is initiated in the spring, a Kshatriya in summer, a vaishya in autumn and a shudra in the rainy season. The choice of a season is related to the tempera- ment of the three vamas respectively — calm, hot and pliable. Vedaarambha (beginning of Vedic study) forms the 12th samskara. Though the Upanayana marked the beginning of secon- dary education it did not synchronise with Vedic study because of