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Rituals play an important role
in the cultural
and religious lives of the people of India.
The rituals in Sanatan Dharma date back to
antiquity and they have been responsible for
the moulding, elevation and happiness of
its followers.
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Rituals form an integral part of many
life forms on earth, including man. They play important roles in the
cultural and religious lives of people worldwide. In Sanatan Dharma,
rites date back to antiquity. They are cited in the Vedas and in the
Agam shastras. The seers of these and later texts, such as, the Purans
and Dharma Shastras, ordained rituals to fulfil man’s mundane
desires to help him live in harmony with his physical environment, to
pay homage to his departed ancestors, to please the devas and finally,
to aid his spiritual ascent. These observances included daily rituals
of purity, offering three prayers (trikal sandhya), worship in the home
shrine, mantra japa, meditation, studying shastras, performing the five
daily yagnas, seva, donation, austerity, penance pilgrimage and so forth.
These maintained an equilibrium between his body, mind and atma, as
well as with his family and society.
In today’s increasingly urbanized, technological, intellectual
and materialistic world, there is a correspondingly increasing trend
to consider these rituals old-fashioned, unscientific and unnecessary.
In this first of two articles, we consider the sound mind of the rishis
who ordained the rites and rituals of Sanatan Dharma, by examining the
research findings of modern scientists and sociologists regarding rituals
in general and Hindu rituals in particular.
Purpose of Rituals
Man being a social animal, needs people to survive, to live a healthy
life. No man is an island. This was confirmed by the renowned French
sociologist, Emile Durkheim, who published his classic study of suicide
in 1897. He reported that whatever the reasons for committing suicide,
the suicide rates remained relatively constant over time within each
group he studied. This was true whether they were Christians of the
two main denominations or married or single individuals. Durkheim reported
that the critical factor in determining suicide was the degree of social
cohesion of the groups and the way the group affected the individual.
In their book The Healing Brain (1988), the authors, Drs. Ornstein and
Sobel, cite other studies which report that the greater the social disorganization
of a group, the higher the incidences of death from heart disease and
high blood pressure (1988:121).
Thus, correlating the above findings of Durkheim and the medical researchers,
one can at least affirm that for a person to live a long, healthy life,
he needs to have a strong bond with his social group. One of the key
factors that contributes towards strengthening social cohesion is rituals.
Rituals bring individuals together in one way or another for a mutually
beneficial purpose. To consider a simple example, having a meal together
in a group has several positive advantages compared to eating alone,
such as creating unity, discussing issues concerning the group, strengthening
personal friendships, etc. Other group rituals and their effects will
be discussed in detail later. The point to note here is that, living
a hermit’s life is not healthy for the majority of people. Ornstein
reveals that the brain needs an optimal flow of input to maintain its
health. He adds, “absence of change results in boredom, which
can be as stressful as information overload” (1988:207). The role
of the brain is critical in maintaining balance. It determines whether
an individual breaks down in the face of stressful demands while another
seems to thrive with similar challenges. This is where rituals attain
significance. Moreover, neuroscientists have been able to record and
‘see’ the interesting events that occur in the brain during
certain rituals.
In their book Why God Won’t Go Away, (2001), the neuroscientists
Dr Eugene and Andrew Newburg reveal results of their state-of-the-art
research conducted over many years. In an experiment on Robert, an expert
practitioner of Tibetan meditation, the researchers injected a radioactive
dye through a long tube into his vein at the precise moment that he
indicated having reached his “peak moment of meditation”.
After that, they took SPECT (Single Photo Emission Computed Tomography)
scans of his brain. The dye that flowed into his brain remained there
for hours. The SPECT scans freeze-framed the brain’s activity
before and during Robert’s peak moment. The results showed that
in the usually active area known as the orientation area (OA) there
was decreased neurological activity during Robert’s peak. This
was also the finding in seven other meditators. The researchers reasoned
that although the OA was as active as normal, the inflow of information
had been blocked. This explained the decreased activity in the area.
They further proposed that without information flowing in from the senses,
the brain would fail to find the boundary between the self and the external
world. As such, the brain would perceive the self as limitless and interwoven
with everyone and everything the mind sensed, and this experience would
feel undoubtedly real.
In reality, this is how Hindu mystics have described their peak meditative
or mystical moments.
According to Newberg, this “mystical experience is biologically,
observably and scientifically real” (2001:7). Other researchers
have studied the Hindu meditation known as Transcendental Meditation
(TM). One of them is Dr. Vernon Barnes, from the University of Georgia.
He reports of its benefits, that long term practitioners of TM have
significantly lower blood pressure than those who do not practice TM.
Chanting Mantras
Another ritual that scientists have investigated is mantra chanting.
A team of researchers in India, at the Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research
Foundation in Bangalore, reported in the Indian Journal of Physiology
and Pharmacology, that chanting the mantra ‘OM’ mentally,
achieved a significant reduction in heart rate, which led to a deep
form of relaxation, with increased alertness (Telles 1995:418-420).
In 1998, the same team also reported that chanting a meaningful syllable
such as ‘OM’, caused a decrease in heart and breath rate,
compared to a neutral syllable such as ‘ONE’, which did
not produce a similar effect (Telles 1998:57-63).
Such research clearly indicates that mantras are not just empty syllables
or meaningless phrases. They are latent with mystical power, which manifests
during chanting as stipulated by the rishis or the guru. This power
of a mantra creates some form of vibration in the body and brain, triggering
beneficial health effects in the body. More important is their effect
on the atma, which experiences peace.
Prayer
Prayer is another ritual investigated by many Western researchers. Dr.
Herbert Benson, Dr. Larry Dossey, Dr. Bernie Siegal and Dr. Randy Byrd
are just a few among the well-known, whose findings lend credence to
the practice of prayer being good for health, and that prayer has led
to ‘inexplicable’ healings. Not surprisingly, the rishis
of yore incorporated prayer in the trikal sandhya, a puja ritual to
be performed three times a day by an individual who invokes the Supreme
Reality.
Serving Others
The Hindu ritual of seva is selfless service to mankind and Bhagwan.
However the word seva can be loosely translated as altruism –
helping others. The effects of altruism have been studied and reported
widely. Besides praying for oneself, one can pray for others. This can
be called a form of mental seva. However seva more appropriately means
selfless service for mankind and Bhagwan. It is a bhakti ritual (padsevanam)
advocated in the Shrimad Bhagvat, and is one component of navdha bhakti
– the nine forms of devotion. However for our purposes here, we
consider seva for man, as altruism. This means to do good to others.
In his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good (1993), the author, Allan
Luks surveyed thousands of volunteers across the US, after which he
concluded, that people who help other people consistently report better
health than peers in their age group who don’t. After serving
people, these volunteers reported specific sensations such as a sudden
warmth, increased energy, a sense of euphoria, greater calm and relaxation.
Such health benefits returned when the volunteers later remembered the
acts of helping. The Hindu word for such ‘remembering’ is
smruti, which we shall discuss in the next article.
Sixteen Samskars
An important group of rites observed by Hindus is the 16 samskars (rites
of passage). Samskar means to refine, to elevate. From before birth
to death, the 16 samskars of Hindus are as scientific as they are socially
sound. For our purposes here, we consider only one; Simantonayan samskar.
This is a set of rituals performed by a woman during the 7th, 8th or
9th month of her first pregnancy. The rituals involve other married
women who have given birth normally. It involves Ganesh pujan, followed
by several other rites. Known as khodo bharvo (literally to fill the
lap of the woman with auspicious substances and dried foods), it imparts
immense samskaras to the foetus. This is evident from the well-known
stories of Prahlad, who, while in the womb, listened to Bhagwan Vishnu’s
glory as sage Narad recited the katha to Prahlad’s mother. Similarly,
Arjun’s son, Abhimanyu, while in the womb, learnt the secrets
of penetrating six of the seven battle formations, as Shri Krishna revealed
them to Arjun’s wife, Subhadra. In the Sushrut Samhita, Shushrut
rishi, the world’s first cosmetic surgeon, has given detailed
cautionary advice for a pregnant woman to ensure a child of good samskaras.
That such a phenomenon existed, may sound unbelievable today. However
in the early 1950s, a French researcher, Alfred Tomatis MD, declared
that the foetus was capable of hearing. Later researchers offered advice,
similar to Sushrut’s, for pregnant women to avoid smoking, drinking,
etc. In short, when the ancient law-givers ordained the 16 samskars,
they were fully aware of their importance in the total nurture of an
individual and his healthy, socially, and spiritually sound passage
through life, that would lead to fulfilling the four endeavours of life,
namely, dharma, arth, kam and moksha.
Group Worship
Finally, we consider rituals performed in a large group or congregation
compared to the meditative ritual which is performed individually. In
a religious context, the elements of repetition and rhythm play a crucial
role in group rituals. To make such a ritual more powerful the rishis
included factors such as drums and other musical instruments, singing
together (chorus) in a particular raag, incense, divas, clapping, various
mudras, conch blowing, bells, fasting, hyperventilation (increased breathing
rate), repetitive muscle tensing and relaxing, etc. All these affect
the brain to produce emotional responses, intensely pleasurable, ineffable
experiences and even momentary states of altered consciousness, which
researchers term ‘a mild degree of transcendence’ or in
Newberg’s words ‘religious awe’ (2001:89). A Hindu
ritual which amply incorporates many of the above factors is arti –
waving lighted divas (diyas) in front of deities several times a day.
Such an arti performed in a mandir in the presence of hundreds of participants,
who sing the appropriate lyrics, with the repetitive rhythm, with sentiments
of invocation and supplication, is the most striking example of a ritual
performed in a group. The most important of all the contributing factors
is the divinity and darshan of the deity, adorned with exquisite garments,
ornaments, flower garlands, etc. This multi-sensory ritual triggers
‘religious awe’ more effectively and faster for the layman
than the meditator. There is less effort in sadhana needed by the layman.
Despite this, Dr. Newberg offers a cautionary observation, “While
ritual can provide a taste of spiritual union, it is unlikely to carry
us to the ultimate unitary states.” He reasons, “The limitations
of the body stand in the way” (2001:97).
In the next article, Hindu Rituals and Bhagwan Swaminarayan, we correlate
Hindu rituals with those enjoined by him. We shall also discuss how
his philosophy can be applied easily by a layman to overcome “the
limitations of the body,” and so attain a permanent spiritual
union.
References
- Telles, S.R. Nagarathna & H.R.
Nagendra (1995). Autonomic changes during ‘OM’ meditation.
In Indian Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology, 39*4).
- – (1998). Autonomic changes while
mentally repeating two syllables – one meaningful and the other
neutral. In Indian Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology, 42(1):57-63.
- Eugene, d’Aquili & Andrew
Newberg (2001). Why God Won’t Go Away (Main Science and the
Biology of Belief). New York: Ballantine Books.
- Ornstein, Robert & David Sobel
(1988). The Healing Brain. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc.
- Luks, Allan (1993). The Healing Power
of Doing Good. New York: Ballantine Books.
- Dossey, Larrey (1993). Healing Words.
San Francisco: Harper.
Written
by: Sadhu Mukundcharandas |
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