How Rituals Permit the Practice of Worship in Hinduism Essay

Over time traditions came together to develop recognizable religious traditions which was eventually known as Hinduism. Hindu’s have many different practices such as Sanatana Dharma, Vedic worship, yoga and many other different rituals. Hindu’s also have many other beliefs and celebrations such as reincarnation, karma, prana, puja, samsara and many more. Hinduism is known for its beliefs, practices and gods and as the years pass by the religion still stands strong to what they believe.

Hinduism practiced by individuals, certain groups, mass festival, and at the temple. In the beginning of the film, the narrator’s guru confessed his devotion to Kali – meaning that individuals can choose certain god which fits his will. interesting thing is that people having primary god means Hindus categorized into different sections depending on their gods. Those categorized people could experience tension between one another in my opinion. However, the existence of millions of gods decrease the tension between the groups. The festival of Saraswati was the perfect example to practice the religion for certain groups. The students celebrate the festival to refresh their motivation and seeks higher will to learn. Yet, there was another form of practice – mass festival like other religions. The example was the Ganges River cleansing festival. The river was considered sacred, pure, and has a power of cleansing sins of whomever bath himself/herself. To me, the catering of thousands of people trying to cleanse their sins off shows the power of the religion and devotion of Hindus. Also, the most common form of practicing religion is temples. Hindu temples have its own architecture and art forms to amaze people.

Major festivals last for days, from two or three up to seven or more. A two-day service may involve fifteen different rites corresponding to distinct texts, each rite lasting from one to several hours. Typically each of these rites consists of these stages: purification, invocation of the deities, prayers, consecration and offerings, hymns, dances, and perambulations. There are two main types of ritual: Funeral rites or periodic rites on behalf of ancestors, which are performed only by some sects, sometimes in tandem with Buddhist priests; and rites on behalf of local communities. Both types include rites to install the ritual space, rites of fasting, rites of communion or offering, and rites to disperse the ritual space. Rituals on behalf of the community may involve tens or even hundreds of villages, and occur every three, five, or twelve years. They can be very expensive, and are paid for by household donations and community leaders. Aside from the rituals themselves, there will also be plays, processions, military parades, and communal meals.

Rituals are events that provide a sense of acceptance and that are done regularly and enjoyed by many. Rituals mainly refer to a family, religious or community ceremony, rituals also express emotions such as love and togetherness. The ritual of the Eucharist has changed dramatically over the past years from the last supper, where Jesus shared his body to his disciples.

Every Culture has a set of rituals that they partake in, that are often constructed over a long period of time. Simple Actions, and special moments contain so much meaning and make everlasting memories. All rituals despite the locations they originate from, or the location they are carried out in contain the same components, they are repetitive, symbolic, remind a certain group of people about their values and beliefs, and these rituals commemorate a significant moment. For example christians commemorate the birth of christ by attending mass, and many other cultures celebrate this moment in many different ways that have in depth symbolic meaning. In the book “Guests of the Sheik” by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea rituals play a major role. Fernea’s husband Bob is an anthropologist studying the occupants of a small village named El Nahra and their culture. Fernea has documented her experiences, and adventures, and her perspective of the many rituals that the townspeople participate in such as, Ramadan, Muharram, weddings, and pilgrimages. In Muslim culture pilgrimages are immensely important and can even lead to an elevated status. Such as the pilgrimage to Mecca. Fernea is able to participate in a pilgrimage to Karbala with a couple of the towns women she had befriended. The Pilgrimage to Karbala is a symbolic, and cultural ritual in the aspect that it is reenacted every year, and is full of symbolic meaning, commemorates an important occasion and reminds a culture about their

These rituals usually start as the sun rises. The tribe will start heading towards the shrine. When they reach it they will wait outside and start making food in honor off their god “Hawkeye”. They will also drink an elixir made out of barley, hops and yeast with water. The tribe believes this elixir brings the tribe closer together and allows the mind to talk their god more easily. They will continue to drink this elixir for hours until they have consumed enough to go to the shrine and start the religious ritual.

Since the beginning of civilization many religions and cultures have come and gone. One of the few that has stood the test of time is Hinduism. Hinduisms base flourishes from the practical view of human life, belief in eternal truth and it’s ability to make small adaptations to it without compromising its core values. Hinduism is the oldest known religion in the world and also the third largest in the world. Most of its one billion followers live in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Even with its immense amount of followers and lengthy existence, many non followers are unaware of its history, beliefs, and practices.

In fact, like many Hindu families, we have a small shrine in our house to perform important ceremonies. Also, I have been going to the temple every Sunday for as long as I can remember, and I have been attending the BalaVihar program, which teaches young Hindus all about our beloved culture.

Before I read Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One, I did not know much about Hinduism. For me, Hinduism conjured the images of bright colors, richly adorned statues, and jovial worship and dance. When we visited the Ganesh Temple in Flushing, that is exactly what I saw. Yet, now I know the reason for all these things. Although Hinduism is a largely varying tradition, it is namely about love and celebration. Given the evidence from Prothero’s book and my observations at the Ganesh Temple, Hinduism is a tradition that aims to gives purpose to human’s wandering souls through devote worship to deities and rituals.

After reading the article, I think rituals have some basic structures of meaning, and there are number of ways to show that rituals are meaningful. In the following thesis I choose Hinduism as an example to show how rituals are meaningful, how it relates to the living context of the Indian people, how the Indians enact the Hindu rituals, and so on.

The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God’s Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation is a strong theological resource revealing the significance of

First of all, you will get to witness and be a part of many Hindu rituals. Rituals and practices are an element of TCREB from Anita Houck’s “Three tools for Studying Religion.” The TCREB chart “is a distillation of many different scholarly approaches to religion” (Houck). The chart

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?

Puja is an act of worship. Puja can only be performed by Hindu people, because it is unique to their religion. It can be performed in many ways, like songs rituals, prayers, invocations, and more. Hindus often use a picture of an object in their puja. It is their way of showing reference to a god. Puja is found wherever Hindu people are. The most concentrated areas of Hinduism are in Nepal, followed by India. Although, the religion of Hinduism is found around the world. A time when puja is mentioned in Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan is on page 42, when it says, “They faced the morning sun and began their pujas, reciting their prayers and making their offerings of flowers or grain.”

Puja is a Hindu ceremony that centers on the offerings to a deity, this offering aims to earn the deity’s love and gather blessings. This ritual is symbolic, and an individual who performs Puja is offering the body, soul and all that there possess to the deity to receive what the goddess may have to offer.  During puja, an individual seeks a connection with the goddess through the experience of Darshan. In the context of darshan, a Murti is an absorption tool in which the deity is seen, and an individual sees god through that Murti. The ceremony is a personal devotion declaration of love and loyalty to a deity and establishes direct communication through mind and body.