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| IT IS ALL TRANSITORY |
We
all have grown up with a lot of beliefs ingrained in us. Most of us
blindly follow what our parents tell us. There are a lot of good
teachings but there are also a lot of teachings which make us follow
certain rituals without understanding how that ritual can help us. We
nevertheless follow them.
In
India we are taught to be obedient and not to question parents, as
parents know best. What the parents know is also what they have
simply been told to obey without question. This indoctrination of
thought and belief keeps getting propagated from one generation to
the next without thought and reasoning.
One
such ritual is connected with the ceremonies that are performed after
the death of a person. It is believed that this world is a mithya. It
is illusionary. We therefore live a life devoted to have a better
life in the next birth. We do not live this life, but only plan for
the next life. In this process we are neither here nor there.
Life
and time passes us by and in the illusionary hope of a life which we
do not know anything about we perform rituals, prayers and sacrifices
for the future which will be ours after death.
No
wonder death itself is considered a passing away. Passing away to
where?
Isn't
death a finale? Don't we finish our journey on this planet earth and
die just like every other living being?
We
have intelligence, we can think, question, understand and evolve into
better human beings. Do we? No, we blindly believe in theories given
to us by our fore fathers. Were they really so wise? Even if they
were, can there be no further improvement on a thought? Can we not
try to refine our thinking?
It
is believed that a son is required to take forward the name of the
family. To propagate the name of the dynasty.
Accordingly,
when a man dies his son performs the cremation tasks. He also
performs tasks connected with Shradh. The son donates a cow, he
donates clothes, feeds Brahmins, and performs a lot of Puja at the
ghats of the river. The food and clothes given as dakshina or
donation to the Brahmin is supposed to go straight to heaven to
help the departed father. The cow that is donated helps the father
cross the river Vaitarni. The father catches the tail of the cow and
crosses the river.
During
his lifetime also the father would have performed enough Pujas and
rituals to ensure a good life after death. Is it necessary to perform
so many rituals after his death once again to ensure this?
Why
can we not question these rituals? Is it because they are connected
with death? When a family member dies people are at their worst time
emotionally. They are upset, sad and distressed. This is the easiest
time to exploit their emotions. In the name of ensuring the happiness
of the dear departed, some unscrupulous class of people make easy
money. The gullible, distraught family members simply follow ritual
after ritual, never once stopping to question the need for those
rituals.
It
is believed that every person has a rebirth. People even try to find
out where his father has been reborn and in which form. Now if the
person has already been reborn then who are we donating the
clothes,and food for?
If
he is not reborn and is finally dead then who is going to eat and
clothe himself, because his body has been consigned to the flames?
Every
year again an annual Shradh is performed, where donations are given,
Brahmins are fed, clothes are donated. Why? For whom?
At
least for once please think and question these rituals.
Who
is exploiting and hitting gullible sad people when they are
distraught with sorrow?
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| FALGU RIVER AT GAYA-SHRADH PERFORMERS |
Man Singh Madam, you have noticed hollowness and weaknesses of ritualism.Gautam Buddha and Mahavir also raised their voice against Karmkand(ritualism) and brought sea change in religious thoughts.After independence, lot of people converted to Buddhism and initially resolved to do away with ritualism.But slowly majority of them emulated the rituals.Lot of Indian Saints -both from north and south India made sincere efforts against ritualism but after some change the situation again became the same.Even Socialogists accepted the situation and termed the Vedic ritualism as Great Tradition and others as lesser Tradition.With Modernisation process in society, some rituals are automatically losing their influence.
ReplyDeleteKohli Amarjit All SOCIAL REFORMERS have done it from time to time ..... and will keep on doing just that ... !!!
ReplyDeleteMan Singh ji, just want a person to question the rituals that we blindly follow. I am hopeful that some thinking people will refuse to follow hollow rituals, and a silent social revolution will come about.
ReplyDeleteWith the changing social scenario and the thinking youth of today I am sure we don't need one social reformer, I am hopeful that each person will be able to make a difference in his/her own home.
ReplyDeleteSonali Roy Bhattacharya this is very true... varsha di....we r still ignorant... sometimes out of fear we believe such things ...or for the fear of society..... but it is time to change...
ReplyDeleteVarsha, when a person comes to that state of awareness of the reality of his final end, he realises the futility of rituals, superstitions and reincarnation etc. The questions you have raised in this post are very relevant but like it is stated in one of the comments 'All social reformers have done it from time to time' and will continue doing so. This is because the old rituals will give place to new ones and so reformation is a continuous process. Thank you for the motivation, for I intend to post my perspective in this regard in my blog.
ReplyDelete