Why rituals?

April 18, 2009

Namaste,

Some intelligent and rational people wonder why we need to do rituals. Rituals understandably seem silly to them. I want to explain this basic point with an analogy.

We teach some phrases and manners to small children. For example, we tell small children to say "thank you" when someone helps or say "I am sorry" when they do something wrong. A really small child does not even understand what those words mean, but repeats them out of habit. As the child grows up, one starts to understand the true meaning of what one has been saying. In fact, an understanding of what they truly mean comes to one slowly as one grows. Many words are actually understood from experience. If a child has never seen a mango or the picture of a mango, you cannot explain what a mango is by using hundred words. As a child accumulates more and more experiences (stored perceptions of the external world through senses), the child's thinking expands and one gets more clarity on the words and concepts one has been exposed to. When one says sorry, one then clearly knows what exactly that means and may even feel a certain emotion (sadness and compassion).

Similarly, one may be doing rituals like homam, pooja, meditation etc with various mantras, without fully understanding or appreciating what one does. One doing a ritual for many years without fully understanding its real meaning may slowly start to understand and even experience some things that the rituals symbolize. Many mantras and spiritual truths are actually understood from experience alone. One can never fully understand what one has never experienced. As we accumulate more experiences (stored perceptions of the external and internal world through external senses and the inward directed mind), one's thinking expands and one gets more clarity on the concepts and spiritual truths one has been exposed to.

Rituals in various religions are designed to symblize some truths that gives bliss when experienced by one. A mere explanation of the symbolism is often useless to give one that state of bliss. Even if you explain to a one year old child what the word "sorry" means in detail, the child will not understand. The best thing to do is to just get the child into the habit of saying "I am sorry" in approapriate situations. Slowly, the meaning will become clearer and clearer with experience and the correct emotions will come automatically. Similarly, one chanting a mantra everyday - possibly with mistakes and without the correct meaning and visualization in the mind - will slowly understand it and experience it.

Some religions have done the mistake of de-emphasizing rituals and emphasizing philosophy and the final truths. While the latter is undeniably the end goal, the former helps one in getting to the latter. Just as one needs to set foot at the base of hill before reaching its top, one often needs to engage in some external practices in order to realize internal truths. Of course, it is good to remind one that reaching the top is the goal, lest one should get stuck at the base or in the middle. But, one cannot completely eliminate the first steps. Just saying "you are That. Just realize that you are That" is not an action plan. It does not work for most. One has to take some baby steps.

If we don't teach a toddler to say various words because the toddler does not anyway understand them, one will never learn anything. Correct knowledge evolves from half knowledge and habits that may be devoid of knowledge, as one experiments and experiences more. Similarly, correct spiritual knowledge evolves from half knowledge and ritualalistic practices that may be devoid of knowledge, as one experiments and experiences more. Most of us, when it comes to spiritual progress, are like toddlers. So it is useful to get into the habit of doing things. Do the rituals sincerely.

Best regards,NarasimhaDo a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homamDo Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpanaSpirituality: Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.netFree Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.orgSri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

April 18, 2009

Sri Narasimha Garu,

Thanks for your words of wisdom as always. I totally agree with your examples

and explanations.

Generally speaking, whatever you said is very right in case of the children that

when we teach them they do not understand it ans will only understand them as

they grow, here, the teacher knows it very well what he is teaching to the kid.

Unfortunately in case of rituals, not everyone is fortunate to find such a guru

who can teach those rituals to us (with the techer being fully aware of what is

being taught). Most often we just tend to observe what others or doing and just

fo things blindly not knowing weather we are doing it properly or not (in the

process there could be some mistakes that must have got creeped up in our

process).Since there is not guru available for us to correct these, we continue

to do the wrong process and eventually wonder if thesse rituals are any

beneficial (since the desired results are obtained).

Hence i believe is the confusion why prople wonder about the rituals.

SO to me, key is to find such a guru whom you can rely/trust on and follow

his/her words blindly.

Thanks

KK

, " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr wrote:

>

> Namaste,

>

> Some intelligent and rational people wonder why we need to do rituals. Rituals

understandably seem silly to them. I want to explain this basic point with an

analogy.

>

> We teach some phrases and manners to small children. For example, we tell

small children to say " thank you " when someone helps or say " I am sorry " when

they do something wrong. A really small child does not even understand what

those words mean, but repeats them out of habit. As the child grows up, one

starts to understand the true meaning of what one has been saying. In fact, an

understanding of what they truly mean comes to one slowly as one grows. Many

words are actually understood from experience. If a child has never seen a mango

or the picture of a mango, you cannot explain what a mango is by using hundred

words. As a child accumulates more and more experiences (stored perceptions of

the external world through senses), the child's thinking expands and one gets

more clarity on the words and concepts one has been exposed to. When one says

sorry, one then clearly knows what exactly that means and may even feel a

certain emotion (sadness and compassion).

>

> Similarly, one may be doing rituals like homam, pooja, meditation etc with

various mantras, without fully understanding or appreciating what one does. One

doing a ritual for many years without fully understanding its real meaning may

slowly start to understand and even experience some things that the rituals

symbolize. Many mantras and spiritual truths are actually understood from

experience alone. One can never fully understand what one has never experienced.

As we accumulate more experiences (stored perceptions of the external and

internal world through external senses and the inward directed mind), one's

thinking expands and one gets more clarity on the concepts and spiritual truths

one has been exposed to.

>

> Rituals in various religions are designed to symblize some truths that gives

bliss when experienced by one. A mere explanation of the symbolism is often

useless to give one that state of bliss. Even if you explain to a one year old

child what the word " sorry " means in detail, the child will not understand. The

best thing to do is to just get the child into the habit of saying " I am sorry "

in approapriate situations. Slowly, the meaning will become clearer and clearer

with experience and the correct emotions will come automatically. Similarly, one

chanting a mantra everyday - possibly with mistakes and without the correct

meaning and visualization in the mind - will slowly understand it and experience

it.

>

> Some religions have done the mistake of de-emphasizing rituals and emphasizing

philosophy and the final truths. While the latter is undeniably the end goal,

the former helps one in getting to the latter. Just as one needs to set foot at

the base of hill before reaching its top, one often needs to engage in some

external practices in order to realize internal truths. Of course, it is good to

remind one that reaching the top is the goal, lest one should get stuck at the

base or in the middle. But, one cannot completely eliminate the first steps.

Just saying " you are That. Just realize that you are That " is not an action

plan. It does not work for most. One has to take some baby steps.

>

> If we don't teach a toddler to say various words because the toddler does not

anyway understand them, one will never learn anything. Correct knowledge evolves

from half knowledge and habits that may be devoid of knowledge, as one

experiments and experiences more. Similarly, correct spiritual knowledge evolves

from half knowledge and ritualalistic practices that may be devoid of knowledge,

as one experiments and experiences more. Most of us, when it comes to spiritual

progress, are like toddlers. So it is useful to get into the habit of doing

things. Do the rituals sincerely.

>

> Best regards,

> Narasimha

>

> Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homam

> Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpana

> Spirituality:

> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

>

April 19, 2009

once again, thankyou, narasimhaji.

yes, we are all realising the value of thankyou.

frankly, there was something within that often " revolted " against rituals.

this sometimes comes from too much of " thinking/doubting " . as i took/am taking

the first baby steps i realise how important it is to suspend " thinking " or

rather all the nonsense that goes on in the mind and just follow.

the rituals prescribed by you did appear onerous to me...specially since my

knowledge of sanskrit is very limited. probably if one is to recite mantras one

should know the correct meaning, the correct intonation, the correct chandas,

etc. etc....i thought.

i am now attracted to the idea, thanks to this forum, that there are dimensions

within dimensions...for instance, when yagna is performed at the physical level

there is also some thing going on at a more subtle level....that agni is one of

the purest elements...that offerings/sacrifice is so essential to us....as is

burning of the prarabhda.

maybe for the realised like adi shankracharya... " na mantro, na yagna " is

required to experience chidananda swaroopa, shivoham, shivoham...but for most of

us sadhana, sadhana and more sadhana is required.

your much abbreviated vidhi for performing yagna left an impression (almost as

if the message had been written for me ) and i am now looking for a place

where i can buy a havana kundam.

your directions that one should think of a deity and recite a mantra as one of

the final steps in the yagna put me in bit of a quandary, though.

then on this very forum there was a post on mritunjaya mantra....so i went

looking for a recitation of the same. have been listening to an mp3 version of

this again and again and like it very much.

see how everything connects so beautifully!!!!!!!!

so i want to say thankyou again and again and again....

p.s.

i would like to know more about the fire in/near chennai...is it in any way

connected with arunachala?