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[edit] Practices

Main articles: Puja, Yajna, Murti, Mandir, Hindu iconography, Japa, and Mantra
Swastika
Swastika

Hindu practices generally involve seeking awareness of God and sometimes also seeking blessings from Devas. Therefore, Hinduism has developed numerous practices meant to help one think of divinity in the midst of everyday life. According to Swami Vivekananda:

"The ideal of man is to see God in everything. But if you cannot see Him in everything, see Him in one thing, in that thing you like best, and then see Him in another. So on you go . . . Take your time and you will achieve your end."[1]

Hindus can engage in pūjā (worship or veneration),[2]) either at home or at a temple. At home, Hindus often create a shrine with icons dedicated to the individual's chosen form(s) of God. Temples are usually dedicated to a primary deity along with associated subordinate deities though some commemorate multiple deities. Visiting temples is not obligatory,[3] many Hindus visit temples only during religious festivals. Hindus perform their worship through icons (murti), such as statues or paintings symbolic of God's power and glory. The icon serves as a tangible link between the worshipper and God.[4] Another view is that the image is a manifestation of God, since God is immanent. The Padma Purana states that the mūrti is not to be thought of as mere stone or wood but as a manifest form of the Divinity.[5] A few Hindu sects, such as the Ārya Samāj, do not believe in worshiping God through icons. Hinduism has a developed system of symbolism and iconography to represent the sacred in art, architecture, literature and worship. These symbols gain their meaning from the scriptures, mythology, or cultural traditions. The symbols Om (which represents the Parabrahman), Swastika (which symbolizes auspiciousness) have grown to represent Hinduism itself, while other markings such as tilaka identify a follower of the faith. Hinduism associates many symbols with particular deities, which include the lotus, chakra and veena.

Mantras are prayers that through their meaning, sound, and chanting style help a devotee focus their mind on holy thoughts or to express devotion to God. Many devotees perform morning ablutions at the bank of a sacred river while chanting the Gayatri Mantra or Mahamrityunjaya mantras. The epic Mahabharata extolls Japa (ritualistic chanting) as the greatest duty in the Kali Yuga (what Hindus believe to be the current age). Many adopt Japa as their primary spiritual practice. The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is one such example.

[edit] Rituals and ceremonies

Icons of devas and devis are an integral part of most Hindu temples. Shown here are Ganesha and Lakshmi, heavily laden with garlands, taken during a Hindu prayer ceremony.
Icons of devas and devis are an integral part of most Hindu temples. Shown here are Ganesha and Lakshmi, heavily laden with garlands, taken during a Hindu prayer ceremony.

The vast majority of Hindus engage in religious rituals on a daily basis.[6] Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home.[7] However, observation of rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals. Devout Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping at the dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns in praise of gods, meditation, chanting mantras, reciting scriptures etc.[7] A notable feature in religious ritual is the division between purity and pollution. Religious acts presuppose some degree of impurity or defilement for the practitioner, which must be overcome or neutralised before or during ritual procedures. Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action.[7] Other characteristics include a belief in the efficacy of sacrifice and concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good works, that will accumulate over time and reduce sufferings in the next world.[7] Vedic rites of fire-oblation (yajna) are now only occasional practices although they are highly revered in theory. In a Hindu wedding ceremony however, the yajña and chanting of Vedic mantras is still the norm.[8][9]

Occasions like birth, marriage, and death involve what are often elaborate sets of religious customs. In Hinduism, life-cycle rituals include Annaprashan (a baby's first intake of solid food), Upanayanam ("sacred thread ceremony" undergone by upper-caste youths), Shraadh (ritual of treating people to feasts in the name of the deceased).[10][11] For most people in India, the betrothal of the young couple and the exact date and time of the wedding are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers.[10] On death, cremation is considered obligatory for all except sanyasis, hijra, and children under five. Cremation is typically performed by wrapping the corpse in cloth and burning it on a pyre.

[edit] Pilgrimage and festivals

Main article: Hindu festivals

Pilgrimage is not mandatory in Hinduism though many adherents undertake them. Hindus worldwide recognise several Indian holy cities, including Allahabad, Haridwar, Varanasi, and Vrindavan. Notable temple cities include Puri, which hosts a major Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; and Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple. The Himalayan towns of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri compose the Char Dham (four abodes) pilgrimage circuit. The Kumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every four years; the location is rotated among Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. Another important set of pilgrimages are the Shakti Peethas, where the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being Kalighat and Kamakhya.

Hinduism has many festivals throughout the year. The Hindu calendar usually prescribe their dates. The festivals typically celebrate events from Hindu mythology, often coinciding with seasonal changes. There are festivals which are primarily celebrated by specific sects or in certain regions of the Indian subcontinent. Some widely observed Hindu festivals are Dussera or Durga Puja, Diwali (the festival of lights), Ganesh Chaturthi, Maha Shivaratri, Ram Navami, Krishna Janmastami, Holi.

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ Vivekanda & Chetananda 1990
  2. ^ Monier-Williams 2001
  3. ^ Bhaskarananda 1994, p. 157
  4. ^ Bhaskarananda 1994, p. 137
  5. ^ arcye viṣṇau śīlā-dhīr. . . narakī saḥ.
  6. ^ Religious Life. Religions of India. Global Peace Works. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  7. ^ a b c d Domestic Worship. Country Studies. The Library of Congress (September 1995). Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  8. ^ Aryabhatt.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  9. ^ Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  10. ^ a b Life-Cycle Rituals. Country Studies: India. The Library of Congress (September 1995). Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  11. ^ Banerjee, Suresh Chandra. Shraddha. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.

[edit] References