Mine and Mind

Hindu Weddings in India are known for its great pomp and show. The wedding ceremonies extend over a period of four to five days. These ceremonies are based on great Indian traditions and customs. In addition to this, the Indian weddings are considered as an important sacrament of the Hindu religion. Hindu weddings are one among sixteen cultural practices a devout Hindu has to go through. Hindu marriages are not only a union of two hearts but two families as well. For this holy union a large number of customs have to be followed. These customs are divided into three parts, pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding ritual.

The Pre Wedding Rituals are beginning of wedding ceremony. The pre wedding rituals consists of engagement, tilak, sagai, sangeet and mehandi. The Engagement ceremony is marked by the exchange of rings by prospective brides and grooms. The next ceremony is Tilak ceremony, wherein the girl’s brother applies tilak (red mark) on the groom’s forehead and offers him gifts. Next is the Sagai ceremony wherein bride and groom sides exchange gifts. The next part of pre wedding rituals is Sangeet ceremony, in which women and girls of both the families sing and dance to enjoy these moments. The next and last part of the wedding rituals is Mehandi ceremony in which mehndi or henna is applied on bride’s hands, palms and feet in an artistic way. It is one of the important aspects of Hindu weddings in India.

On the main day of Wedding the wedding ceremony begin with Jaimala, the ceremony in which the bride and the groom exchange flower garlands in the presence of their friends and relatives. This ceremony is followed by Kanyadaan for which the bride and groom arrive to the mandap to perform this custom. This ritual is considered very significant because it is the ritual in which the bride’s father gives his daughter’s hand to the groom. This moment is sanctified with mantras chanted by priests. The next thing is Mangalpheras which is performed around the holy fire. The couple also take the seven vows called Saptapadi, and make promise to stand by each other through all thick and thins. This ceremony is followed by the groom putting sindoor or vermillion in the bride’s hair parting. Then the groom ties mangalsutra around the bride’s neck.

After completion of wedding ceremony the Post-Wedding Rituals starts. The post wedding rituals consist of vidaai and reception. The Vidaai ceremony is the event in which bride leaves her ancestral home to join grooms family. When the couple arrives at the groom’s house, the proud groom’s mother welcomes them with aarti. After completion of some other rituals a grand reception party is organised to introduce bride to the grooms family and society.

Karkkitaka( A HINDU ERA OR CALENDAR ) is supposed to be the darkest month and the Karutha Vaavu day ( new  moon day )  the darkest day of the year and incidentally that day falls today.The day is unique for the fact that all the Hindoos of Kerala offer “bali” to the dead on this day.Here “bali” does not signify saccrifice as such. It is muchmore than that.The Hindu religion is rooted in the belief of the cycle of births and rebirths.Liberation signifies liberation from the entanglement of the cycle of births and rebirths. According to ancient Indian thoughts and knowledge every phenomenon in the universe is cyclic.So is the phenomenon of birth and rebirth after death. The great English Romantic poet Wordsworth deals with this in his poem “The Immortality Ode” or “Child is the Father of Man”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The faith in the occurrence of rebirth is consolidated by the theoty of Karma and Karma Bhala. Only through selfless and noble Karma one can rid off the imprisonment of the cyclic births and rebirths.The word karma literally means action and has reference to a person’s actions and the consequences thereof. In Hinduism, one’s present state of existence is determined by his performance in previous lifetimes. The law of karma is the law of moral consequence or the effect of any action upon the performer in a past, a present or even a future existence. As one performs righteous acts, he moves towards liberation from the cycle of successive births and deaths. The term poetic justice need not be a substitute for Karma bhala.Contrariwise, if one’s deeds are evil, he will move further from liberation. The determining factor is one’s karma. The cycle of births, deaths and rebirths could be endless. The goal of the Hindu is to achieve enough good karma to remove him from the cycle of rebirths and achieve eternal bliss.
Once the atman is relieved and released from this cycle it is a liberated Soul. This is called Self-realisation. For achieving this end humans thrive throughout their life..

Moksha, also known as mukti, is the Hindu term used for the liberation of the soul from the wheel of karma. For the Hindu, the chief aim of his existence is to be freed from sarnsara (the binding life cycle) and the wheel of karma with its endless cycle of births, deaths and rebirths. When one achieves this liberation, he enters into a state of fullness or completion. This state can be attained through death or preferably while one is still living.
Moksha can be achieved through three paths: (1) knowledge, or inana; (2) devotion, or bhakti, or (3) ritual works, or karma. One who achieves moksha before death is known as jivanmukta. The greatest champion  of this Hindu faith in the modern age is the Father of The nation MAHATMA GANDHI himself.The great Hindu Text of Bhagavat Gita is but the expression of this faith and it is the quintissence of all that is said in all the Upanishads, the Srutis and Smritis.

In the inception I alluded to the Vaavu Bali ( on newmoon day ) in the month of Karkitakom ceremoniously observed by the eldest son for the release or liberation of the atman of the dead from the cycle of births and rebirths leading to the realisation of the Self. To speak the truth I cannot affiliate myself to the faith in a life after death. No one can expound the enigma as it seems that no one returns after death to this world to extricate the knot of birth, death and rebirth…The argument will go on and on …….

Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world offers a large number of scriptures and Hindu religious books. The following are the most important Hindu religious books-

The Vedas- The Vedas are the ancient religious books of Hinduism. Among the four Vedas- Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda, the Rig Veda is the oldest of all. All the Vedas have immense spiritual value and include incantations, hymns, metaphysical contents and the rituals that were practiced in ancient India.

The Vedic philosophy has been continued in the Upanishads and they explain how the atman (soul) can merge with Brahman (the ultimate truth) through spiritual ways like meditation and thoughtful observation. The Upanishads also elucidate the doctrine of Karma (the collective effects of one’s actions).

The Puranas, another type of Hindu religious books narrate the entire history of the cosmos, from creation to devastation, the successive generations of the kings, demigods and valiant heroes and so on. There are about seventeen to eighteen canonic Puranas that are classified into three divisions- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva( all named after Hindu deities).

The Bhagavad Gita or the Gita is considered the Holiest Book of the Hindus and consists of philosophical exchanges between the Lord Krishna and the warrior prince – Arjuna. In fact it an excerpt of the great Epic- Mahabharata and elaborates on devotion, duty, meditation, selflessness and other subjects of Hindu philosophy. Ramayana is another famous Epic in Hindu religion.

The ‘Code of Manu’ or the ‘Manusmriti’ also forms a part of the Hindu religious books and typifies the social codes of the caste system pertaining to the Brahmins.

Vedanta, or the philosophy of the Upanishads, is lofty, sublime and unique. The Western philosophers have paid their tribute to the ancient seers of the Upanishads. They have been amazed at the lofty heights scaled by them. Schopenhauer studied the Upanishads and meditated on the thoughts of the Upanishads just before going to bed. He said: – The Upanishads are the solace of my life and they will be solace to me after my death also. -

The Raja-Yoga system of Hinduism is also splendid and unique. The lessons are immensely practical and highly instructive. No system of physical exercise on the surface of the earth can compete with Hatha-Yoga. Kundalini-Yoga is wonderful. Hence the Americans and Europeans are in search of Hindu Sannyasins and Yogins. They visit the Himalayas frequently in quest of Yoga teachers. Some are living under Hindu Yogins as disciples and are practising Yoga. Many Europeans and Americans are even now Hindus by faith and practice, though they are born Christians. They practise Raja-Yoga and Vedanta.

vedas have four parts – samhita, brAhmaNa, Aranyaka & upanishat. The samhitas are the core part of vedas. They are full of mantras. brAhmaNas help in the application /interpretation of the vedic samhitas. Aranyakas and upanishats are the philosophical part. upanishats cover a spectrum of analysis of the God and relation to It for the soul. They are the benchmarks (prasthAna) in Hindu philosophy. So the philosophers when establishing their concepts proclaim that their theory stands good with the benchmark upanishats. The essence of the Upanishads is brought out in brahmasUtra composed by vedavyAsa, the one who organized the Vedas. The four categories of vedas are Rig, yajus, sAma, atharva. Vedas are the voice of the Divine preserved as it was heard by the sages and hence they are called shRuti. There is another set of scripture are the things remembered from the voice of God. They are called smRuti. The Bhagavad- Gita is considered by eastern and western scholars alike to be among the greatest spiritual books the world has ever known. In a very clear and wonderful way the Supreme Lord Krishna describes the science of self-realization and the exact process by which a human being can establish their eternal relationship with God. In terms of pure, spiritual knowledge the Bhagavad- Gita is incomparable. Its intrinsic beauty is that its knowledge applies to all human beings and does not postulate any sectarian idealogy or secular view. It is appproachable from the sanctified realms of all religions and is glorified as the epitome of all spiritual teachings. This is because proficiency in the Bhagavad- Gita reveals the eternal principles which are fundamental and essential for spiritual life from all perspectives and allows one to perfectly understand the esoteric truths hidden within all religious scriptures. Many great thinkers from our times such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweizer as well as Madhvacarya, Sankara and Ramanuja from bygone ages have all contemplated and deliberarted upon its timeless message. The primary purpose of the Bhagavad- Gita is to illuminate for all of humanity the realization of the true nature of divinity; for the highest spiritual conception and the greatest material perfection is to attain love of God!

World Top 10 – Largest Hindu Populations

Country Hindu Population India 755,135,000 Nepal 18,354,000 Bangladesh 15,995,000 Indonesia 7,259,000 Sri Lanka 2,124,000 Pakistan 1,868,000 Malaysia 1,630,000 USA 1,032,000 South Africa 959,000 Myanmar 893,000

Hindu religion is the richest religion with respect to values, customs & traditions. Customs and rituals are transferred from one generation to another which enhances the integrity of Hindu religion. Hindu religion is well known all over the world for its mysterious methodology and colorful festival celebration.

In Hindu families, parents inculcate “Sanskars” in their children since birth. Hindu religion have rich & royal heritage, tinted with vivid colors of cultures, values,customs, traditions, believe etc.

In Hindu religion, parents start searching for life partner for their wards when they are of marriageable age. They shortlist some prospects, then cross check the family background of groom, education qualification, earning, own/rented house etc or verify the family background of bride, educational qualification, beauty etc of bride. Hindu religion followers believe in horoscope match and kundli milan. After verification, families, bride & groom meet to know more about each other. If every thing suits then bride & groom are engaged and marriage is fixed and date of wedding is taken after consulting the priest/ pandit.

Hindu Marriage depicts chanting of “Mantras”, crowd of relatives & friends, decorated madap, loud music, beautiful bride with heavy “Lehnga” and “Jewellery”, Groom with “Sehra” and “Sherwani”. In Hindu Marriage various rituals are performed like Roka, Sagai, Tilak, Haldi, Mehandi Ceremony, Ladies Sangeet, Barat, Jai Mala, Phere, Kanyadaan, Vidai etc.

Hindu religion has wide branches in form of different castes, sub-caste so the rituals followed at marriages, but in every castes or sub-caste one thing is common that is joyful spirit of Hindu marriages.