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by Jayaram V
Hinduism prescribes both ritual and spiritual practices for the final liberation
of men. The ritual aspect is meant to make man more spiritual in the end, not vice versa. Each and every important event in the life a Hindu, who has chosen to lead a normal householder's life calls for the performance of certain rites. These rites are intended mainly to invoke the blessings of various gods and ensure success in the performance of his ordained duties. They are performed during various stages in his life for different ends. Some of the important rites of Hinduism are described here.
1. Rites performed before the birth of an individual, invoking gods to make a woman of the household conceive.
2. Rites performed during the third month of pregnancy invoking gods for the birth of a male child. (Hindu women please take note. The Aryans were chauvinistic and wanted more male children!)
3. Rites performed at the time of the birth of a child.
4. Rites performed at the time of name giving ceremony.
5. Rites performed six months after the birth of the child.
6. The hair cutting ceremony.
7. Rites performed at the time of "upanayana" to make the individual a "dvija" or twice born".
8. Rites associated with marriage ceremony, starting from the time the marriage is fixed till the ceremony is concluded.
9. Rites associated with marriage life involving both the couples.
10. Rites associated with entry into a new house or construction of a new house.
11. Rites associated with the death and funeral of an individual.
It must be noted that in the modern day world the texture of Hinduism is changing gradually. Ritualism is giving way spiritualism. It is the desire of many to look modern and spiritual, rather than conventional and ritualistic. Besides in ritualism casteism still plays its cruel role and ruptures the hurt sentiments of many, while in spiritualism doors are open for all Hindus.
So today many Hindus either do not perform these rites or perform them very selectively. Some ceremonies, such as the upanayana ceremony which are confined to the upper castes, are looked at with disdain by the remaining castes as they continue to remain excluded from such privileges by the prejudices of the past.
The ceremonies associated with marriage, birth of a child, the naming ceremony and the death of an individual, are still practiced by many Hindus. But a lot of regional variations have come into them and each region and linguistic community follows them according to their respective local customs. It is very true that today most of the Hindus perform these rites more as a social obligation rather than a religious duty.
A special note on sraaddha ceremony:
According to Hindu scriptures, when a person dies, he either travels to heavenly worlds or to the ancestral worlds depending upon his previous deeds. We are told that the departed souls can be elevated to higher planes of existence and pushed further on the scale of evolution if their direct descendents on earth, especially the male progeny perform some annual rites and make sacrificial offerings to them. With such rites, not just one but the entire family of ancestors would be benefited and spiritually uplifted.
So when a Hindu departs from this world, his descendents make ritualistic offerings as prescribed in the sacred texts so that the departed one makes further spiritual progress in those worlds also.
The obligation towards the departed souls is thus a part of ones ordained duties, or obligatory karma, the performance of which brings happiness not only to the departed soul, but also to the ones who performed it.
Sraaddha ceremony is way of repaying ones debt towards ones parents and ancestors. A person is indebted to his parents and ancestors because they were responsible for his birth on earth. Without even one of them in the ancestral line, he would never have been. He is thus greatly indebted to them for his corporeal existence. He can repay this debt only by performing annual rites for the departed ancestors. He is therefore expected to perform these ceremonies without fail and save himself and every one before him from misery.
Suggested Further Reading
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