Rituals for Rain

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Namaskaar(please circulate to all friends for comments/critique) Recently there was a discussion on Radio Shakti 97.5 FM which I participated in. This discussion focused on a ritual that was performed in parts of Trinidad up to 30 years ago but has subsequently vanished. Very little is known/remembered about the origin or conduct of this ritual. Similar rituals appear to be performed in the world, reference - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_danceTHE RITUAL ( as performed in Trinidad )A group of Ladies would go to a field in the dead of night, strip themselves naked and tie a frog to their waist, they would then join hands and engage in song and prayer while one woman would beat a drum called a Kanjhari or Dholak to maintain rhythm. Upon finishing they would return to their homes and it was said that several days after( 1-3 days) rain would then fall in

the field !. The ritual was usually done during times of drought.QUESTIONSDuring the discussion many questions were raised which include :-Can there be any truth or validity to this practice ? Is there any scriptural sanction/references for this ? How does the ritual work to produce rain ? Does this have a scientific basis to it ? Why has the practice died ?HISTORYFirstly many of the people that came to Trinidad were from diverse parts of India notably Afghanistan, Rajashtan, Madras, Bihar and Punjab. The religions of Shaivism and Shaktism of a tantrik flavor were definitely a part of the plethora of other traditions that were brought here.ASSUMPTIONSUpon examination, this rite on the surface appears to have a Tantrik flavor to it, Due to the fact that only

women are allowed to perform this ritual, it would appear to be a tribal practice emanating from the Shakta religion as there are no direct scriptural injunctions for its performance.(that I can find amongst my books ).however this can be loosely classified a fertility rite connected to nature and the Shakta religion has such rites. ANALYSISAs incredulous as this sounds, can there be any truth or validity to this practice ?For a practice to survive in whatever the culture, there must be some belief (amongst the host culture) that it produces the desired result else it would die. We will appreciate however that due to the age of these practices it is quite difficult to ascertain the exact source of the practice. Bearing in mind that Hinduism as practiced in the West Indies is a complex conjunct of several systems of religious thought. Even in India, its

birthplace, there is scripture (philosophical theory), oral tradition (based on transmission of a guru) and social cultural practice as the three modes of transmission.Is there any scriptural sanction/references for this ?None that directly address this practice that can be found at present (may exist in obscure texts however ). However there exists a number of points and practices in the various religious systems that would give support to the performance of this rite.1) In Shakta religion, women are venerated and held as superior to men as the women are thought to be a direct manifestation of Shatki (in human form)2) The use of animals as part of a ritual is in both Vaidik and well as Tantrik systems of worship e.g. Ashwamedha Yagna ( Horse Sacrifice) and the various animal sacrifices of Buffalo, Sheep, Pigs, etc.. in Kali/Devi Puja.3)

Nudity as part of spiritual ritual can be found in Tantrik fertility rites and was considered as acceptable for that purpose. e.g Nagas, Kaulas etc... FYI for those of you who are appalled by this, you were born naked, it is how God created you. Nudity enables you to connect to nature unrestrictedly by energy, this makes performance of rituals more powerful. Clothes are only required for socially acceptability.4) In Mantra Sadhana there is a class of Japa referred to as Akhanda Japa This is Japa performed by a group of people with a particular purpose in mind Usually this would be for healing of a sick person or protection of same. Can also be applied for community welfare.5) In olden times (30+ years ago ) the whole society engaged in social worship where a

group of women/men would do various Pujas for the benefit of the community. The women would beg for alms from all Hindu households and a Puja would be done with the collected alms. Many would remember the term "Bheek Mange" The types of Pujas commonly done were Full Moon Katha and Devi/kumari Puja . ________* In Trinidad there were practitioners from the Natha Panth, Aughars and Aghoris* The Practice of Svara Yoga is remembered by many, where their fore-parents would get up in the morning and kiss the left or right palm before stepping out of bed. This form of Yoga(in its fullness) is originally classified as Shaiva and is meant to get a practitioner to elevate his/her consciousness be aware of and be in tune with the elements of nature/universe. The ultimate goal of which is to attain union of

opposites (male and female energy) to achieve a state of "oneness" or completeness.- God consciousness. The name of the text that it can be found is the "Shiva Svarodaya". What is interesting here is that the deity Ardhanarisvara ( ref.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardhanarishvara (Note: on this page - Section ICONOGRAPHY please read that there is also a Shakta version of this where this order is reversed ) is venerated in this Yoga. Further what is significant in this system is that the right side of a human body is considered as male and dominantly electrical in nature while the left side is considered as female and dominantly magnetic in nature.How does the ritual work to produce rain ? During the show ,all callers who confirmed the practice of the ritual

stated emphatically that this was ALWAYS performed in an open field. This gives rise to yet another question " Why was the ritual performed in an open field, why not in a temple or house ? "It is surmised using the knowledge from the Shiva Svarodaya that what was originally done is as followsHYPOTHESISThe women who gathered for the rite joined hands to form a human chain,(left hand to right hand) by doing so they formed a circuit of energy (like chaining of batteries) and by maintaining a focus on rain, they created a group thoughtform. This in turn energized their prayer and it caused/attracted rain.By performing the ritual in the field where the rain was desired, this group thought form served to act as a marker (point of focus) or to generate/attract energy which caused the rainfall in the field. Does this ritual have scientific basis ?While it is tempting to exclude contemporary science from a spiritual analysis of this ritual, it must be borne in mind that in order for God to materialize a prayer there must be some mechanism for allowing scientific principles to operate/interact with the process. Exactly how this operates is not fully understood.Why has the practice vanished ? There can be many reasons for this practice to have died. Briefly some are1) Incorrect understanding of the theory and practice of the ritual by practitioners, consequently they attained little or no success, which in turn created disbelief or lack of interest in its performance.2) Technology - with the increase of pipe borne water supplies, the need to perform rituals such as these would decrease. Consequently over generations, women would lose the

knowledge they once possessed due to infrequency of practice.3) Security - with increases in violent crime/rapes/robberies women would not be willing to place themselves at risk to perform this.SUGGESTED MODE OF PERFORMANCEBased on my knowledge of Puja and Rituals I have attempted to reconstruct how the ritual could have been originally and would like to suggest the following for its successful performanceIdeally this rite should be performed in the waxing periods of the moon1-3 days after new moon or 1-3 days prior to full moonPrior to performance of the ritual for 3 daysWomen Should Not - Be in menstruation - Being naked in a field can attract nature spirits that

will feed on this blood/ attach themselves to the aura of the woman (to her detriment)- Eat meat - Meat brings down the bodily vibration and inhibits the ability of the practitioner to meditate properly.- Consume alcohol - Taken in large quantities, this also interferes with

the ability of the practitioner to maintain a focused controlled state of mind. If it. If necessary (for meat eaters) a small shot of red wine can be taken after offering it to Devi.- Engage in sex - After engaging in sex, the energy fields of the

practitioner become dis-balanced also the Vayu Udana (vital air responsible for ejaculation/excretion) becomes activated. This inhibits the kundalini energy from rising which interferes with the ability of the practitioner to meditate

and remain in a state of higher consciousness. Women Should- Eat Fruits - Nourishes and enhances the bodily functions and vibration- Drink water - Drink 4 glasses of boiled and filtered water first thing in the morning, this reduces impurities in the body by flushing

the system- Abstain from Salt - Salt causes water retention in cells, by abstaining it assists in flushing the cells of impurities. This assists in raising the vibration of the energy fields.* Select from the group of women, one woman to lead the ritual, this person should be intelligent and well controlled mentally. Ideally this woman should also have a guru and be practicing a guru mantra. Prayers to Ganga Devi, Varuna and Indra should

be learned.* The woman responsible for the drum should practice a beat that is a rhythm similar to the heart beat. This can be learned at the Kali temples.* Arrange for security - A group of men should be selected who will guard the women.On the day of performanceThe women after completing duties, should rest for a short periodAfter cleaning themselves should proceed to the field at the appointed time.Upon arriving at the field the person who is selected to lead should ask the women to undress and place clothing in a clean place. All should be asked to rest for a few minutes (15 minutes) quietly without talking.The circle should be formed in a clean spot and all should then join hands and

begin to breathe rhythmically. The women should all focus on the center of the head and try to bring all of their awareness to this point.The appointed leader should ask that on a count of three all women begin to breathe on their left nostril. This is to enhance the magnetic energy (for attraction) available for performance of the ritual.This should continue while reciting "Aum or Hrim" which should be recited rhythmically in a loud resonant voice. This should continue until an energy connection is felt by the group. Then the women should begin to visualize(in the minds eye) rain falling in the field. If a woman cannot visualize then let her imagine as clearly as she can the rain is falling.Prayers to Dharti Ma, Ganga Devi, Varuna and Indra should then be recited.Appropriate songs of praise of God (bhajans/stotras) can then be sung.Concluding prayers and VisarjanCONCLUSION It

is unclear as to why the practice of this rite has ceased as it maybe for any number of the reasons outlined above. What is of concern though is that scientists are now predicting Global shortages of fresh water supplies, this rite may be required in the future to assist future generations which is why time was invested to revise the existing knowledge, so that if we can revive the correct knowledge and practice, it will be of use for us and future generations. NOTE : If anyone can add information, points that were missed/not considered this would be greatly appreciated. So that this paper can be revised for everyone's use.Namah SivayaBest RegardsPandit Devindra Maharaj.

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