Wishesh magazine february 2018 Wishesh magazine february 2018 | Page 164

INDIAN SPIRITUAL
life.
A number of rituals for the
infant include the first visit
outside to a temple, the
first feeding with solid food
(usually cooked rice), an ear-
piercing ceremony, and the
first haircut (shaving the head)
that often occurs at a temple
or during a festival when the
hair is offered to a deity.
invocation of the god, followed
by offerings of flowers, food, or
other objects such as clothing,
accompanied by fervent
prayers.
Some dedicated worshipers
perform these ceremonies daily
at their home shrines; others
travel to one or more temples
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to perform puja, alone or with
the aid of temple priests who
receive offerings and present
these offerings to the gods.
The gifts given to the gods
become sacred through contact
with their images or with their
shrines and may be received
and used by worshipers as the
grace (prasada) of the divine.
The hymns of these saints
and their successors, mostly
in vernacular forms, are
memorized and performed
at all levels of society. Every
state in India has its own
bhakti tradition and poets
who are studied and revered.
Pregnancy, Birth, Infancy
Gurus & Saints Ceremonies may be
performed during pregnancy
to ensure the health of the
mother and growing child.
The father may part the hair
of the mother three times
upward from the front to the
back, to assure the ripening
of the embryo. Charms may
serve to ward off the evil eye
and witches or demons.
Since at least the seventh
century A.D., the devotional
path has spread from the south
throughout India through the
literary and musical activities
of saints who have been
some of the most important
representatives of regional
languages and traditions. At birth, before the umbilical
cord is severed, the father
may touch the baby’s lips
with a gold spoon or ring
dipped in honey, curds, and
ghee. The word vak (speech)
is whispered three times into
the right ear, and mantras
are chanted to ensure a long
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Upanayana: The
Thread Ceremony
A crucial event in the life of
the orthodox, upper-caste
Hindu male is an initiation
(upanayana) ceremony, which
takes place for some young
males between the ages of
six and twelve to mark the
transition to awareness and
adult religious responsibilities.
At the ceremony itself, the
family priest invests the boy
with a sacred thread to be
worn always over the left
shoulder, and the parents
instruct him in pronouncing
the Gayatri Mantra. The
initiation ceremony is seen
as a new birth; those groups
entitled to wear the sacred
thread are called the twice-
born.
Weddings:
The next important transition
in life is marriage. For most
people in India, the betrothal
of the young couple and the
exact date and time of the