There is affection in old wives tales, which is why the children believe them with closed eyes. But blind beliefs are dangerous. Blind beliefs, science, logic, old wives tales were added on later.
Hello Readers my new 10 Chapters book, Logic & Reasons Behind Indian Beliefs?
It is amazing that there is belief, blind belief, science, logic and old wives tales in our religious rituals, customs and traditions. But the problem is the thin line between beliefs and blind beliefs. Thus what is belief for some becomes blind belief to some others. If a religious person says that worshipping God is his belief, a progressive person might argue that it is a blind belief.
Wise people retain the beliefs and try to obliterate the blind beliefs. This is why a religious person shows tolerance when somebody scolds him; but he gets into a rage when somebody talks ill of his God or makes fun of his beliefs.
Science or logic? Science proves any subject with evidence to back it, but logic gives proof for the subject based on our own experience. It is not just the Hindu religion; all the religions of the world are based on beliefs. But, the same children question the elders and look for logic when they grow up. Religion is based on beliefs. No religion was created with the help of Science. Some people view it in one way while others see it differently. There is no harm in having beliefs. Religions were created because of the necessity to face the realities of life. More than anything else, these customs deeply influence our lives.
Even if they do not cause damage to anybody., Occasionally, between beliefs and blind beliefs, our traditions and customs become the sacrificial goat. Even if they are good.
It is said that there should be a tulasi plant in front of every house. Why do the priests say that the main door of a house should face north or east?When you go to a temple, you ring the bell. Why do you ring the bell? If you do namaskar to elders, why do they touch your head and bless you? If you sweep the house in the evening, your grandmother will scold you. What is the background for this? You do pradakshina around the garbha gudi. Why do you do it? What is the reason?
Do you think that all these are blind beliefs? Definitely they are not. There are scientific and logical reasons for all these beliefs. There is logic behind every tradition and belief. Some of them evoke surprise, some others are mysterious. The intention of this book is to bring out the logic behind the religious beliefs.
Consider for example, orthodox Hindus do not dine at a table. They sit on a mat spread on the floor or on a wooden plank to eat.
Anna (food) is Brahma. Religion tells us that we should eat in this manner to show our respect to food. Is this all there is to it? No. There is a scientific reason for this. When we sit on the floor to eat, we have to bend to take the food from the plate and also to put it in our mouths. When we bend, the upper part of the waist and the lower part of the stomach fold. This prevents us from eating till the stomach is completely full. When the stomach is near full, we feel full and stop eating. This prevents the accumulation of fat in our body. It also helps in the proper digestion of food. Our overall health becomes good. This is the thought behind this religious belief.
Let us consider another example. Orthodox villagers snap their fingers in front of their mouths whenever they yawn. If you ask why they do so, they say that the evil forces will be destroyed when we snap our fingers in front of the mouth when we yawn. There is a Curious reason for this practice. What is that?
When the body is very tired or the mind is very depressed, our activity is slightly affected. Then we don't breathe deeply. Therefore the body does not get enough oxygen. The process of throwing carbon dioxide out of the system and absorbing Oxygen into the blood does not take place properly.
The air that we take in through our nostrils becomes insufficient. We open the mouth widely so that more oxygen is taken into the body. Snapping our fingers helps us to overcome these deficiencies to some extent. Because when we snap our fingers we use our thumb and middle finger. More energy is produced and the body becomes energetic.
When children yawn, sometimes the jaws get displaced; snapping fingers helps in preventing this.
There are many scientific and logical reasons for all our religious beliefs. Why did our elders not give us these reasons? Why did they allude to religion as the reason for everything? Why did they say that God will bless us or make us suffer for the things we do? They said so because we all have the fear of God. The ancient people feared God more than we do. They believed in God.
They would do anything mentioned in the name of God. If God forbid something, they would not do it at all. Therefore they brought in God's name to every custom. There is also another reason. How many people will listen if you tell them that, scientifically, you should not eat too much meat, which will lead to accumulation of fat and ill health?
Instead they spread the belief that it would be a sacrilege if we ate meat on Mondays, Thursdays and during the Hindu month of Shravana. This is followed by many non-vegetarians! The gist of it all is that most people will not listen if you tell them anything scientific, logical or good in a straightforward manner. If you say that God will be pleased or that God will be angry, most people will pay attention to what you say!
Your logic may be opposite to or different from what has been discussed in this book. You may also have a difference of opinion about the scientific reasons given here. The intention here is to look for the positive aspects in tradition. It is important that we understand the overall results of traditional practices. It is enough if we become aware that our beliefs and traditions are not mere customs; their intention is our well-being.
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः
गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुःसाक्षात् परब्रह्म
तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नम: ॥
If you want a new shlok in every chapter tell me in comments
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