Rites of Passage And Initiations
1. The power of Hindu philosophy and cultural tradition helped Hinduism survive centuries of foreign rule.
2. Samskaras are rites of passage marking important changes in one’s life.
3. Diksha or initiation brings a person into a deeper level of religious study and practice.
Key Terms
HINDUISM TODAY’S Teaching Standards
8. Describe the important rites of passage for Hindus, including the samskaras of childhood, (especially for education) puberty and marriage and death.
9. Explain the importance of initiation for the religious practices of mantra recitation (japa) and monasticism.
If YOU lived then...
You are a Hindu American woman who just graduated from the university. Your parents’ marriage was arranged, but you swore you would find your own husband. Despite your objections, your parents have secretly found you the “perfect husband.” You meet him, and, surprise, he does seem ideal—except that your parents found him instead of you!
What do you tell your parents?
BUILDING BACKGROUND: In precolonial India, a bride brought wealth to her marriage, called stree dhana or “woman’s wealth.” Usually jewelry, this remained her personal property, to be passed on to her daughters. Dowry is a different custom in which the bride’s family gives money to the groom. Demand for dowry became common among the upper castes in British times because of changes in land and inheritance laws.
The Sustaining Power of Hindu Tradition
Hinduism survived the centuries of Muslim and British rule on the strength of its philosophy and traditions. We have examined a number of these already, including scriptures, festivals, pilgrimages, temples, puja worship, art, music and dance. Festivals, in particular, are central to the religious, social and cultural life of a Hindu.
In this section, we study two more traditions important to Hindu life: rites of passage and initiation. Rites of passage are the social and religious ceremonies marking important stages in a person’s life. These include naming a child, the attainment of puberty, marriage and funeral rites. In Hinduism, these rites are called samskaras, which means “to make perfect.” Initiations, or dikshas, are given by a priest, teacher or guru to bring a person into a new level of education, religious practice and spiritual awareness.
The Rites of Childhood
The samskaras of childhood begin before birth with home rituals to ensure the well-being of the mother and her unborn child. The name-giving ceremony is usually held at home on the eleventh day after birth. A pleasant sounding name with a religious or moral meaning is chosen and the father whispers it in the baby’s right ear.
Solid food is given to the baby by its father six months after birth in the first-feeding ritual. Head-shaving, symbolizing purity, is performed for both boys and girls at a temple, usually at the end of the first year. At age four, a ceremony marking the beginning of education is done in which children write their first letter in a tray of rice. Ear-piercing, for health and wealth, is performed for girls and boys between the first and eighth year. Girls are adorned with gold earrings, bangles and anklets; boys receive earrings and a gold chain.
The upanayana, or sacred thread ceremony, is the final ceremony of childhood. It marks the formal beginning of student life. Students begin religious instruction and secular education appropriate to their intended occupation. In artisan communities, a similar ceremony is held for boys to formally accept them into their family craft tradition.
The Coming of Age Ceremony
The community celebrates a girl’s entrance into puberty with the ritu kala samskara, a home ceremony conducted by the family and close relatives. In the Tamil tradition of South India, for example, the girl bathes and then dresses in her first sari. The family invokes Goddess Lakshmi to bless the young woman with happiness and wealth. She is given many gifts, the first of which is always made of gold. Even today, this samskara is a major event for Hindu girls. It is a joyous time of gift-giving, yet serious as well. A vow of chastity until marriage may be taken at the same time.
The Rites of Marriage
Hindu weddings are conducted before a sacred fire. This practice dates back thousands of years to Vedic times. Agni, the God of Fire, is called to serve as divine witness to the marriage vows. Weddings are held in special halls. A Hindu wedding can be an elaborate affair spread out over several days attended by many hundreds of guests.
The wedding ceremony is performed by a priest, who invokes Agni by building a small fire in an open brick altar on the ground.
The elaborate rituals normally take hours. Close relatives are brought forward to participate and bless the couple. The groom puts sindur, red coloring, on the part in his bride’s hair, indicating her new status as a married woman.
The final moment comes when the bride and groom take seven steps together around the fire to symbolize the journey of life they will take together. The first step is for strength, the second for health, the third for wealth, the fourth for happiness, the fifth for children, the sixth for a long marriage and the seventh for loyalty and everlasting friendship. The bride and groom usually go to a temple for blessings after the wedding.
Death and Cremation
When a person is close to death, relatives gather around. They sit for hours with him or her, singing religious songs, reading scripture and chant prayers to create a spiritual environment and ease the loved-one’s departure.
After death, the body is bathed and wrapped in white cloth, then taken to the cremation grounds and placed on a wood pyre which is lit by the eldest son. The funeral ceremony also requires Agni, God of Fire. He is called upon to consume the body. Cremation swiftly releases the soul from this incarnation and frees it for the next. The following day, the family collects the ashes, to be scattered later in a sacred river or other chosen place.
Home rituals honor the departed soul on the 10th and 13th days after death and yearly thereafter during the two-week period dedicated to honoring one’s ancestors each fall. These rites help console loved ones and invite the soul to reincarnate back into the family in the future.
Religious Initiations
A mantra is a sacred word or phrase, usually in Sanskrit. Mantra diksha is the most common Hindu initiation. It authorizes the repetition of a mantra as a daily spiritual practice. “Aum Namo Narayanaya” is a mantra chanted in the Vaishnavite tradition. It means “Homage to Lord Vishnu.” “Aum Namah Sivaya” is of the Saivite tradition. At the high point of the sacred thread ceremony, students are initiated in a mantra prayer to the Sun God requesting Him to guide their thinking.
Japa is a form of meditation in which God is visualized while chanting a mantra, silently or aloud, 108 times. The repetitions are counted on a strand of sacred beads called a mala. Mantra initiation gives power to japa. One teacher explained, “Chanting a mantra without initiation is like writing a check without money in the bank.”
Mantra diksha may be given as early as age six or later in life when a guru is chosen. After initiation, the devotee is obligated to perform japa each day as an important part of spiritual practice, called sadhana.
Vishesha diksha is initiation into personal daily worship called puja. It requires learning the rites, including chanting the prayers in Sanskrit, knowing the meaning of each part of the ritual and vowing to perform it each day in one’s home shrine. This is a private worship, different from the public puja performed by priests in temples.
Sannyas diksha is the initiation that makes one a swami or sannyasin. A female swami is called a swamini. These monastics are spiritual leaders and examples for Hindus. This initiation is conducted by a guru after years of training and qualification.
Typically the rites include the shaving of the head, discarding all possessions and thereafter dressing in simple orange robes. In order to be closer to God, the initiate lets go of all worldly things: family life, career, worldly desires and personal ambition. The monastic takes lifetime vows proclaiming his spiritual goal of God Realization. Now born anew, he receives a new name. In some traditions, the initiate symbolically conducts his own funeral ceremony before the sacred fire. This symbolizes the death of his past and personal ego.
Many Hindu monks live in spiritual communities called ashrams. Others wander alone throughout India, begging for their food and spending no more than three days in one place. There are dozens of monastic orders in India, some with hundreds of thousands of monks.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The uprising of 1857 brought India under formal British imperial rule. Exploitation of the country continued. Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts, the threat of revolt and changes in world affairs forced the British to free India in 1947. Before leaving, the British divided Pakistan from India along religious lines. The nation was left impoverished, through a new middle class had come into existence. Traditional religious beliefs and social practices were little changed by colonial rule.
REVIEWING IDEAS, TERMS AND PEOPLE
1. Define: What is a rite of passage?
2. Analyze: Why do Hindus cremate their dead?
3. Explain: Why does an initiate to a monastic order perform his or her own funeral ceremony?
4. Identify: What Hindu ceremony must be performed before one can effectively practice japa?
5. Apply: How do you think these ceremonies helped Hinduism survive centuries of foreign rule?
In recent times demands for a costly dowry have led to violence and even murder of women in India
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
adorn
to add beauty; decorate
chastity
sexual abstinence
pyre
a pile of wood for burning a dead body
monastic
a monk or nun under religious vows