Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

The brahmachari goes through the ceremony called the upanay- ana which means introduction to knowledge, for, by it a Brahmin acquires the right to study. The parents of the boy conduct this ceremony in their home. The hair on the boy's head is shaven off leaving a small tuft at the back. The sacred thread, consisting of three white cotton strands, each strand formed by nine threads, is put around his neck (left shoulder) and waist (right hip) like a cross belt. The three strands stand for the body, speech and mind. It symbolises the control of each and means that the person who wears the thread has gained control overbody, speech and mind. The Kshatriyas, those belonging to the ruling class and Vaisyas (those belonging to the mercantile class) also observe the upanayana ceremony and wear the triple thread. The verse from a hymn of the Rig Veda called Gayatri Mantra is whispered in the boy's ear. The upanayana literally means bringing near (upa = near; nayanam = bringing). The ceremony is meant to bring the disciple near the master both physically and spiritually. The shaving of the head indicates the removal of material and sensual desires, the tuft left behind indicating spiritual desires. The second stage of life is that of the grahastahrama when the grahasti (householder) lives with his wife and children performing his obligatory duties. In the third stage, called vanaprasthashrama, the married man continues his companionship with his family members but develops mental detachment. The vanaprasthi (recluse) practises the art of living in a spirit of dispossession amidst his possessions. With the coming of age of his sons he even renounces worldy possessions and family life and seeks solitude for contemplation and meditation. The last stage of life is the sanyasashrama. The sanyasi (mendi- cant) has renounced the world. He wears an ochre-coloured robe. Ochre is the colour of fire. His ochre robes are meant to indicate that his body is burnt away and that he wants nothing from the world. All those who are bom Brahmins, Kshatriyas or Vaisyas go through the first stage, Brahmacharya and the upanayana ceremony. But everybody need not go through the other three stages. Some who have no marital tendencies may skip the second stage and only a minuscule percentage of Hindus become sanyasis. Most Hindu marriages are arranged marriages, that is the parents meet and arrange the marriage of their children. But before this is finalised the horoscopes of the two children are studied by astrologers to find out whether they match. If they do not the marriage may not be arranged. If the horoscopes match a suitably auspicious date is fixed. The marriage ceremony is performed by the purohit or priest. The birdegroom fastens the tali round the neck of the bride. The tali, a little gold ornament which all married women wear round their necks, is strung on a cord which is dyed yellow with saffron water. The bridal couple walk round the sacred fire seven times. The ceremony concludes with the throwing of coloured rice over the couple by way of blessing them. Hindu worship ( puja ) is an act of homage and entertainment of the God that is being worshipped. The God is worshipped in the form of an icon which has been sanctified by special rites after which it is believed that the divinity has in some sense taken up his abode in it. Congregational worship of the Christian or Islamic type is not known in Hinduism. The worshipper goes to the temple either alone or in a family group, makes his offerings and departs.

the growth of non-Vedic studies. The Vedaarambha samskaara thus came into existence. The Keshaanta is connected with the first shaving of the student’s beard when he is about 16 years of age. Keshaanta was also called godana (gift of a cow) because at the end of the ceremony the student offered cow to the teacher. Samavartana is the ceremony performed when the student returns from the house of the preceptor after completing the stud- ies. The period of brahmacharya being regarded as a great sacrifice a ritual bath is taken as is customary on the completion of all sacrifices. This is a momentous occasion in the student’s life because he is either prepared to marry and become a householder or dedicate himself to lifelong studentship and continue as a brachma- charin. In the later case he remains in the preceptor’s house. Of all the Hindu ceremonies vivaaha (marriage) is the most central because classical Hinduism does not encourage retirement or ascetism. It emphasises the life of a householder. A marriage sacrament consists of items pertaining to the pre- marital stage, marital and post-marital stages. The most important of these are: 1. Vagdhana (betrothal) 2. Vara- Varana (formal acceptance of the bridegroom) 3. Kanya-dana (gift of bride to the bridegroom by the legitimate guardian) 4. Vivaha-homa (marriage offerings) 5. Panigrahana (clasping of the hand) 6. Hridaya-sparsha (touching the heart) 7. Saptapadi (seven steps symbolic of prosperity and happiness) 8. Ahmarohana (mounting the stone, symbol of stability) 9. Suryavalokana (looking at the Sun, as a witness to the Sacrament) 10. Dhruva-darshana (looking at the pole star, a symbol of constancy) 11. Triratra-vrata (three nights continence) 12. Caturthi-Karma (fourth day ceremony or the formal unification of the couple.) The last ceremony in the life of a Hindu is the antyeshti. A special oblong frame is prepared to remove the body the place of evemation. The body is carried by the nearest relatives and friends of the deceased. The funeral pyre is lit by the eldest son. Then all the mourners return home where they take a purificatory bath. On the third day after the cremation the charred bones of the dead are gathered and thrown into a river. For ten days after the cremation libations of water are poured for the dead and offerings of rice balls (pinda) and vessels of milk are made for him. At the end of the period of mourning on the 13th day, when the shraddha ceremony is performed there is a' round of prayers, offerings to the soul of the deceased and food to the relatives and friends who have come to attend the ceremony. There are four distinct stages in a man's life according to Indian tradition. They are the four ashramas : Brahmacharya (celibacy), Grahasta (household), Vanaprastha (recluse) and Sanyasa (mendicancy). Bramacharyashrama is the early period of life when the young Brahmin boy is initiated into the study of the scriptures. The religious teacher {guru) takes him as a full-time disciple and personally imparts the sacred knowledge in the Vedas to him. The brahniachari (celibate) observes the vow of celibacy. The initiation is usually done between the age of five and eight years.