Hindu Rituals and Routines (Part 02)

[Pradeep Nair]

Part - 2

Three questions out of 22 listed in the 1st blog (Part 1) are answered in this chapter.

3. Why do we do Namaste?

Indians greet each other with namaste. The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and the head bows whilst saying the word namaste. This greeting is for all -people younger than us, of our own age, those older than friends, even strangers and us. There are five forms of formal traditional greeting of which namaskaram is one. This is understood as prostration but it actually refers to paying homage as we do today when we greet each other with a namaste. Namaste could be just a casual or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship. However there is much more to it than meets the eye. In Sanskrit namah + te = namaste . It means - I bow to you - my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. Namaha can also be literally interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of another. The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another, we do so with namaste, which means, "may our minds meet," indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest. The bowing down of the head is a gracious form of extending friendship in love and humility. The spiritual meaning is even deeper. The life force, the divinity, the Self or the Lord in me is the same in all. Recognizing this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we salute with head bowed the Divinity in the person we meet. That is why sometimes, we close our eyes as we do namaste to a revered person or the Lord – as if to look within. The gesture is often accompanied by words like "Ram Ram", "Jai Shri Krishna", "Namo Narayana", "Jai Siya Ram", "Om Shanti" etc - indicating the recognition of this divinity. When we know this significance, our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture or word but paves the way for a deeper communion with another in an atmosphere of love and respect.

4. Why do we prostrate before parents and elders?

Indians prostrate before their parents, elders, teachers and noble souls by touching their feet. The elder in turn blesses us by placing his or her hand on or over our heads. Prostration is done daily, when we meet elders and particularly on important occasions like the beginning of a new task, birthdays, festivals etc. In certain traditional circles, prostration is accompanied by abhivaadana, which serves to introduce one-self, announce one's family and social stature. Man stands on his feet. Touching the feet in prostration is a sign of respect for the age, maturity, nobility and divinity that our elders personify. It symbolizes our recognition of their selfless love for us and the sacrifices they have done for our welfare. It is a way of humbly acknowledging the greatness of another. This tradition reflects the strong family ties, which has been one of India's enduring strengths. The good wishes and blessings (aashirvaada) of elders are highly valued in India. We prostrate to seek them. Good thoughts create positive vibrations. Good wishes springing from a heart full of love, divinity and nobility have a tremendous strength. When we prostrate with humility and respect, we invoke the good wishes and blessings of elders, which flow in the form of positive energy to envelop us. This is why the posture assumed whether it is in the standing or prone position, enables the entire body to receive the energy thus received.

The different forms of showing respect are :

Pratuthana - rising to welcome a person.

Namaskaara - paying homage in the form of namaste

Upasangrahan - touching the feet of elders or teachers.

Shaashtaanga - prostrating fully with the feet, knees, stomach, chest, forehead and arms touching the ground in front of the elder.

Pratyabivaadana - returning a greeting.

Rules are prescribed in our scriptures as to who should prostrate to whom. Wealth, family name, age, moral strength and spiritual knowledge in ascending order of importance qualified men to receive respect. This is why a king though the ruler of the land, would prostrate before a spiritual master. Epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata have many stories highlighting this aspect.

5. Why do we wear marks on the forehead?

The dots on forehead (tilak) invokes a feeling of sanctity in the wearer and others. It is recognized as a religious mark. In earlier times its form and colour vary according to one's caste, religious sect or the form of the Lord worshipped., the four castes (based on varna or colour) - Brahmana, Kshatriya,Vaishya and Sudra - applied marks differently. The Brahmin (Priest community) applied a white sandal mark signifying purity, as his profession was of a priestly or academic nature. The Kshatriya (Warrior community) applied a red kumkum mark signifying valour as he belonged to warrior races. The Vaishya (Business community) wore a yellow kesar or turmeric mark signifying prosperity as he was a businessman or trader devoted to creation of wealth. The Sudra (Service community or the working class) applied holy ash (bhasma) or kasturi signifying service as he supported the work of the other three divisions. The tilak cover the spot between the eyebrows, which is the seat of memory and thinking. It is known as the Aajna Chakra in the language of Yoga. The tilak is applied with the prayer - "May I remember the Lord. May this pious feeling pervade all my activities. May I be righteous in my deeds." Even when we temporarily forget this prayerful attitude the mark on another reminds us of our resolve. The tilak is thus a blessing of the Lord and a protection against wrong tendencies and forces. The entire body emanates energy in the form of electromagnetic waves - the forehead and the subtle spot between the eyebrows especially so. That is why worry generates heat and causes a headache. The tilak cools the forehead and prevents energy loss. Sometimes the entire forehead is covered with sandal or holy ash. Using plastic reusable "stick bindis" is not beneficial, even though it serves the purpose of decoration.

[Pradeep Nair]

Namaste I am happy to know that I made a spark within you, I am quite not sure that I can reply you well since it needs some quality writing however I shall try to reply you, in the meantime see the self explanatory image of Sri. Vikhneswara. As you know that all the deities we worship are different representations of aspects of Brahman (NOT brahmin do not confuse). The "human" or physical representation of Brahman's aspects in the form of deities is a vehicle for the devotee to focus his/her devotion or meditation in a form more easily visualized and held in the mind. As you said each arms and each items deities are displayed with are symbolizing various aspects of our believes (Hinduism), as an example Durga is displayed with eight hands representing knowledge, health, wealth, courage truth, organization (organising capability), unity and fame.
The light emitting brightened circle you mentioned is shown to exhibit the sacredness or the divine power of the deities.
I shall try and guide you to a website on which you can listen to knowledgeable person who lectures about images of Hindu concept of God please bear with me as I forget the name of the web page. I shall also try to add further details and notify you I will also persuade some of my friends to log in and add further.

[Jahnavi.Ramamurthy]

namaste sir, iam happy to read ur article on why we say namaste. i would also like to one thing. in our temples we see gods having 4 hands or head(bramha). for example,godess has 4 hands, in 1 she holds a trishool, another she has a book...etc. wat actually these symbolise. aslo if we closley observe any gods idol or photo at the back of their head there is a brightened circular area. why is it so.
your article have created a lot of curiosity in me to know more about our culture and tradition.
thank you