NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/alt/culture/kerala/1127

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Topics:
    Request for Vedic marriage rituals (2 messages)
    Hinduism A to Z : A primer on Hindu thought and ideals
    reco's on good books requested
    The Roots of the Recent Violence in India
    Bhakti- The Easy Way Out (2 messages)

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Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 09:24:14 PST
From: tekbspa![e-mail] (Suneeta Aggarwal [phone])
Subject: Request for Vedic marriage rituals


Here's something I saved quite some time ago:

+++++++++++++++++++++++


Reply-To: [e-mail]


In partial response to many of the questions raised about the
traditional marriage customs in different parts of India,
I post below the core Vedic rites as translated in the
book 'The Vedic Experience: Mantramanjari' by
R. Panikkar et. al. [U. of Calif. Press, 1977].

Ofcourse, there are many regional, linguistic etc.
additional variations/traditions.

===================
1. Pani-Grahana  [The Grasping of the Hand]

  Himself facing the East while she faces the West,
  the bridegroom takes the bride's hand...

      "O Sarasvati, gracious one, rich in offspring,
       you whom we hymm first of all the Gods,
       may you prosper this marriage."
      "I seize your hand."

2. Asmarohana [The Treading on the Stone]

  The bridegroom says the words while she stands up:
     "Come, beautiful one."
  And lets her put the tip of the right foot on the stone, saying:
     "Come, step on the stone; be strong like a stone.
      Resist the enemies; overcome those who attack you."


3. Lajahoma [The Oblation of Parched Grain]
 The bridegroom pours some parched grain into the bride's joined palms:

       "This grain I spill.
        May it bring to me well-being
        and unite you to me.
        May Agni hear us."

  He then causes the bride to spill the grain into the fire, saying:

      "This woman scattering grain into the fire, prays:
       Blessings on my husband.
       May my relatives be prosperous. 'Svaha!' "

4. Agnipradakshina [The Circumambulation of the Fire]

 Then they walk around the fire, the bridegroom repeating:
     "First now they bring to you in bridal procession
      this Surya, guiding her steps in circular motion.
      Return her now, O Agni, to her husband
      as rightful wife, with hope of children to come."

 Then the entire rite is repeated twice more, beginning with the rite
 of the fried grain.

 At the fourth round she pours into the fire all the fried grain from
 the mouth of the winnowing basket saying:
     "To Bhaga svaha!"


5. Saptapadi [The Seven Steps]

 While the bride takes the seven steps to the Northeast,
 the bridegroom sings the following verses:

    "One step for Vigour,
     Two steps for Vitality,
     Three steps for Prosperity,
     Four steps for Happiness,
     Five steps for Cattle,
     Six steps for Seasons,
     Seven steps for Friendship.
     To me be devoted."

  After the seventh step he makes her remain where she is and says:

   "With seven steps we become friends.
    Let me reach your friendship.
    Let me not be severed from your friendship.
    Let your friendship not be severed from me."


6. Hrdayasparsa  [Touching the Heart]

 He then over her right shoulder touches her heart saying:

   "I hold your heart in serving fellowship,
    your mind follows my mind.
    In my word you rejoice with all your heart.
    You are joined to me by the Lord of all creatures."


7. Grahapravesa??? [The Departure]

                                                                                  She then abandons her father's house; they let her depart.

  They carry behind the couple the sacred fire in a vessel.
  They should keep the fire constantly alight.

  When they reach his house, he says:

    "Enter with your right foot.
     Do not remain outside."

  They sit in silence until the stars are visible.


8. Dhruvadarsana [Looking at the Polestar]

  After sunset he shows her the polar star, saying:

       "You are firm and I see you.
     Be firm with me, O flourishing one!
     Brhaspati has given you to me,
     so live with me a hundred years
     bearing children by me, your husband."

=====================
--
===============================================================
Suneeta Aggarwal

email:  [e-mail]
        uunet!tekbspa!suneeta

Teknekron Software Systems
Palo Alto, CA
415-617-2428

===============================================================

--------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Shriram Revankar)
Subject: Re: Request for Vedic marriage rituals
Date: Tue Dec 15 12:20:29 1992


        I have attended several HINDU marriages that spanned from 1 to 3 days.
It would be of great help to me, and many other fellow netters if some one
posts the symbolic significance of the rituals.

        Thank you

Shriram
---------------------------

---------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Affable)
Subject: Hinduism A to Z : A primer on Hindu thought and ideals.
Date: 17 Dec 1992 23:22:44 GMT


Swiped from the SOUVENIR 1992 by Hindu Temple of San Antonio, Texas.

A is for Aum, the three-syllabled mantra that represents the sacred
  Mystery in sound and vibration. Aum is the Alpha and Omega of Existence,
  containing all other possible sounds - even Soundlessness.
B is for bhakti, deep devotion and love for the Divine which softens even
  hearts of stone.
C is for chakras, seven centers of consciousness awakened through
  meditation.
D is for dharma, which is righteousness, cosmic order and duty leading
  us on the right path.
E is for esthetics, the beauty of Hindu drama, literature, dance, music,
  architecture and fine arts.
F is for family, the precious cornerstone of Hindu life, culture, service
  and tradition.
G is for guru, our enlightened master who, knowing truth himself, can guide
  us there.
H is for hatha yoga, healthful physical science for vitality, energy
  balancing and meditation.
I is for India, world's largest democracy, motherland and holy land of
  millions.
J is for japa, repetitive prayers and mantras which quiet emotion and empower
  mind.
K is for karma, law of cause and effect by which we determine our experience
  and destiny.
L is for lotus, the heart's inner shrine where God dwell, ever serene, ever
  perfect.
M is for mounam, the inner silence known when word, thought  and action are
  stilled.
N is for non-attachment, the art of living simply, without undue needs or
  desires.
O is for open mindedness, the Hindu's non-dogmatic freedom of inquiry and
  belief.
P is for puja, mystic worship of the Divine in our home shrine and holy
  temples.
Q is for quest, seeking to know "who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I
  going?"
R is for reincarnation, our immortal soul's journey from birth to birth,
  quelling all fears of death.
S is for sadhana, strict disciplines and austerities which harness instinct
  and intellect.
T is for tilak, forehead marks worn in honor of our unique and varied
  lineages.
U is for Upanishad, sacred scriptures, the philosophical portion of our
  revealed Vedas.
V is for vivaha, wedding rites, one of many sacraments which sanctify
  life's crucial passages.
W ia for wealth (artha), one of life's four goals, along with love, dharma
  and enlightenment.
X is for xenophilous, the ability of certain plants and animals to thrive in
  India's hot, arid plains.
Y is for yoga, union of the soul with God which brings release from worldly
  bondage.
Z is for Zen, a system of mental stillness leading to intuitive enlightenment.
  Like other faiths, Buddhism arose from Hindu Dharma. Mindful and unworldly
  Zen, developed in India, is now widespread in Japan.

Cheers,
Venkat
--
[e-mail]                | If you love something,set it free.
[e-mail]                | If it comes back, it is yours.
[e-mail]               | If it does not, it never was.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------


From: [e-mail] (Jitendra Kavathekar)
Subject: reco's on good books requested
Date: Mon Dec 14 22:10:09 1992

Hello All,

I would like input from people on the net regarding pointers to "good"
books on Hinduism and Jainism (*particularly* Jainism).  I live far away
from a temple and there is not a big Indian community around here (the
Org. line in the header is mis-leading), so it is hard to do this on my own.
Surely I will get flamed for being vague but none the less, I'll leave
the definition of "good" open to your interpretation.  The only
thing I specifically want is that the book be written in English.
Please give me a *very* brief synopsis of why you think the book(s) that
you recommend to be of merit, along with whatever information I need to
track it down (title, author, ISBN #, etc..).

  I want to add some good books on the topic to my library.  I grew up
on family discussions, teachings, and stories being told on Jainism and
Hinduism along with my favorite Amer Chitra (?sp) comic books :-).  The
recent events of India have gotten me thinking in this direction once again.
(even though I know the issue *may* be more political than anything
else).


  Respond either on the net or via email.  I'll post a summary if
requested to do so.


Thank you for your time.

Jitendra ([e-mail])
--------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dr. S. Kak)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 09:21:33 CST
Subject: The Roots of the Recent Violence in India


=========================================
The Roots of the Recent Violence in India

 by  Subhash Kak

Religious and caste discord in India, if allowed to fester, has
the potential of turning into a bloodbath in comparison with which
the continuing horrors of Yugoslavia may look like a garden party.
In the event of such a catastrophe the Western world would be
saddled with millions of refugees.

It is my contention that the dispute over the mosque/temple at
Ayodhya is just a symptom of a much deeper problem.  What the
resolution to the Ayodhya problem might be is not immediately clear.
But it appears that certain initiatives from the Indian government
will calm the waters a great deal and create conditions where the
more emotional issues can be resolved.

There are two primary reasons for the increased Hindu militancy of
the past decade.  These reasons are related to the breakdown of
the Indian political system and the cynical use of vote-banks by
the major parties.

Politics of Historical Wrongs

The Indian Constitution which came into force in 1950 provided
quotas for certain historically disadvantaged castes and tribes in
the legislatures in proportion to their populations.  These quotas
ran to about 14 percent of the total.  In addition there were job
quotas of about 22 percent.  The quotas were to have been in force
for a period of 10 years only but the Constitution has been amended
for these to remain a part of the law.

Electoral considerations soon led to an enlargement of the quotas
to cover increasing groups of people.  Lacking a larger moral and
political vision, the politicians have used the quotas to divide
the population.  In certain states the quotas are as large as 70
percent of all the jobs.

More recently the leftist Janata party, has developed its entire
political agenda on quotas based on caste divisions.  V.P. Singh,
who was prime minister during 1989-90 used the recommendations of
a certain Mandal Commission to announce reservations for more than
70 percent of all jobs.  This triggered a wave of suicides by the
youth that finally brought down his government.  Nevertheless in
the campaign that followed leading politicians like Rajiv Gandhi
and V.P. Singh spoke of their support for further quotas, some even
based on religion.

Most recently the P.V. Narasimha Rao Government has passed a bill
that would reserve close to 60 percent of all jobs based on different
criteria related to circumstances of birth rather than fitness to
perform the job.  In other words the Mandal Commission recommendations,
although with some modifications, have become law.  The law with
certain modifications has recently been upheld by India's Supreme
Court for its constitutionality although it ruled that the reserved
positions could not exceed 50 percent of the total jobs and economicconsiderations could not be used for determining eligibility.  A
new wave of demonstrations and suicides have followed.

The logic of the quotas is to right a historical wrong.  The leftist
parties in India have exploited the rhetoric of these wrongs and
of caste bashing to hold on to their electoral support.

The leftist parties take it as axiomatic that India's backwardness
is due to the Hindu religion.  The Hindu right feels that the caste
politics of the leftist parties is to weaken the hold of the Hindu
religion.  It has countered by seizing on the emotive issue of the
historical wrongs by the Muslims who ruled India for about 500
years to divert the attention from the caste politics of the left.

Observing the events of the past three years one sees that the
Ayodhya temple issue has often heated up following the moves of
the left on the caste quotas.

There is a feeling that the Congress party will not maintain power
too long because of the international collapse of the socialist
model of economy, which was at the heart of the party's policies.
What we witness then is a bitter fight between the left and the
right for the heart of India.

An asymmetric law

Now imagine the U.S. with a law that allows only the religious
minorities to run their tax-exempt parochial schools.  In such a
situation it will be natural for the Christian majority to consider
this law discriminatory and have it expunged.  Such an asymmetry
is the other main reason behind religious discord in India today.

An obscure Article in the Indian Constitution was used in the 70's
by the Communist provincial government of West Bengal to challenge
the right of the Hindus to run their schools and colleges.  According
to this Article members of the majority religion do not have the
right to establish their own religious schools whereas the minority
religions do.  When the Supreme Court of India upheld the interpretation
of the Communists, several Hindu sects that ran schools filed for
or received status as
 minority religions  to prevent the government takeover of their
schools.

The government of India did not respond to this ruling of the court
to try to change the law so that all religions would be treated
equally.  This has led to a great resentment amongst the Hindus.

It is absolutely essential that the government of India undertake
the following initiatives:

*Enactment of uniform laws for all citizens.

*Drop the  cheap  remedy of righting historical wrongs through the
 system of caste quotas that the Narasimha Rao government has
 embraced.

*Repeal the law that bars the Hindus from running their schools and
 colleges.

*Strengthen the judiciary which currently has a very low credibility.

In addition the press in India should be encouraged to develop an
editorial convention to stop the incessant airing of historical
injustices.  Bashing of any community and class should be made into
a statutory offence.

There is another important reason for the rise of the recent Hindu
militancy.  This is the general belief in India that Pakistan is
behind the sectarian killings that have racked the provinces of
Punjab and Kashmir for the past decade.  International pressure on
Pakistan to dissociate itself from such sectarian violence would
reduce tensions.

Another sore point are the victims of the sectarian violence in
Kashmir.  The government of India has, for strange electoral reasons,
decided to ignore them.  The Indian government should be asked to
provide a humane settlement for these Hindu refugees who have been
languishing in camps in Jammu and Delhi for the past three years.

---------------------------
From: GSR Gopal <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Bhakti- The Easy Way Out
Date: Mon Dec 14 18:44:47 1992



>  To which Krishna says :
>    Those who fix their minds on Me and always worship Me
>
what krishna taught arjuna is said to be philosophy, not bhakti
Those fix their minds on ME... is being interpreted in an altogether
different and new way than what we learnt in india. one should
act according to one's positional coordinates dictate.. but without
being result conscious.  ME above only means the brahman (no brahmin, the cast,pl)
and it is what is already contained in all upanishads too.(see for instance,
maandyookopanishad or isavaso.
----------------------------


From: [e-mail] (Eric Forbis )
Subject: Re: Bhakti- The Easy Way Out
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 06:32:20 GMT



>Subject: Bhakti- The Easy Way Out
[material deleted]
>
> Later Krishna says:
>   Great hardships must be endured by those who are intent
>   on worshipping the Unmanifest by means of meditation,
>   severe penance, etc. For the embodied (humans) it is
>   indeed hard to achieve knowledge of the Unmanifest.
>   Gita 12.5

The phrase taking "the easy way out" has very negative connotations in
English, and is usually associated with the avoidance of responsibility.
Doesn't seem to be what you're refering to, though perhaps I should wait for
part 2 of your post.

Regards,


---------

Eric Forbis      [e-mail]
----------------------