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Ritual: Ritual:

Ritual: - PowerPoint Presentation

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Ritual: - PPT Presentation

Birth A detailed series of lifecycle rituals samskara or refinements mark major transitions in the life of the individual Especially orthodox Hindu families may invite Brahman priests to their homes to officiate at these rituals complete with sacred fire and recitations of mantras ID: 465807

ceremony life hindu ritual life ceremony ritual hindu sacred rites samskaras bride fire passage thread groom physical couple marriage individual upanayana god

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Slide1

Ritual:

BirthA detailed series of life-cycle rituals (samskara, or refinements) mark major transitions in the life of the individual. Especially orthodox Hindu families may invite Brahman priests to their homes to officiate at these rituals, complete with sacred fire and recitations of mantras.Most of these rituals, however, do not occur in the presence of such priests, and among many groups who do not revere the Vedas or respect Brahmans, there may be other officiants or variations in the rites.Pregnancy, Birth, InfancyCeremonies 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.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 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.Slide2

Ritual:

Upanayana: The Thread CeremonyA 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.Many individuals and groups who are only hazily associated with the old "twice-born" elites perform the upanayana ceremony and claim the higher status it bestows. For young Hindu women in South India, a different ritual and celebration occurs at the first menses.Slide3

Ritual:

MarriageThe 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 wedding are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers.At Hindu weddings, the bride and bridegroom represent the god and the goddess, although there is a parallel tradition that sees the groom as a prince coming to wed his princess. The groom, decked in all his finery, often travels to the wedding site on a caparisoned white horse or in an open limousine, accompanied by a procession of relatives, musicians, and bearers of ornate electrified lamps.The actual ceremonies in many cases become extremely

elaborate.

In

a crucial rite, the new couple takes seven steps northward from a sacred household fire, turn, and make offerings into the flames.

Independent

traditions in regional languages and among different caste groups support wide variations in ritual.Slide4

Ritual:

MarriageWhile various regional steps are followed by different sects of Hindus across India, the following 12 steps form the core of a Vedic wedding ceremony:Vara Satkaarah - Reception of the bridegroom and his kinsmen at the entrance gate of the wedding hall where the officiating priest chants a few mantras and the bride's mother blesses the groom with rice and trefoil and applies tilak of vermilion and turmeric powder. Madhuparka

Ceremony

- Reception of the bridegroom at the altar and bestowing of presents by the bride's father.

Kanya

Dan

- The bride's father gives away his daughter to the groom amidst the chanting of sacred mantras.

Vivah-Homa

- The sacred fire ceremony ascertaining that all auspicious undertakings are begun in an atmosphere of purity and spirituality.

Pani-Grahan

- The groom takes the right hand of the bride in his left hand and accepts her as his lawfully wedded wife.Pratigna-Karan - The couple walk round the fire, the bride leading, and take solemn vows of loyalty, steadfast love and life-long fidelity to each other.Shila Arohan - The mother of the bride assists her to step onto a stone slab and counsels her to prepare herself for a new life.Laja-Homah - Puffed rice offered as oblations into the sacred fire by the bride while keeping the palms of her hands over those of the groom.Parikrama or Pradakshina or Mangal Fera - The couple circles the sacred fire seven times. This aspect of the ceremony legalizes the marriage according to the Hindu Marriage Act as well custom.Saptapadi - Marriage knot symbolized by tying one end of the groom's scarf with the bride's dress. Then they take seven steps representing nourishment, strength, prosperity, happiness, progeny, long life and harmony and understanding, respectively.Abhishek - Sprinkling of water, meditating on the sun and the pole star.Anna Praashan - The couple make food offerings into the fire then feed a morsel of food to each other expressing mutual love and affection.Slide5

Ritual Rites of Passage

Hindu rites of passage, according to the ancient sage Panini, are the ornaments that decorate one's personality. They mark the important stages of one's life and enable one to live a fulfilling life complete with happiness and contentment. They pave the way for one's physical and spiritual journey through this life. It is believed that the various Hindu samskaras meticulously leads to a purification of one's sins, vices, faults, and even correction of physical deformities.The Upanishads mention samskaras as a means to grow and prosper in all four aspects of human pursuit - Dharma (righteousness),

Artha

(wealth), Karma and Kama (work and pleasure), and Moksha (salvation

).

Samskaras

bind an individual to the community that nurture the feeling of brotherhood.

Lack

of

samskaras

give rise to indulging in individual physical pleasures and fanning one's animal instincts.

The

inner demon is aroused that leads to the degeneration of oneself and the society as a whole.

When a person is not aware of his moorings in society he runs his own selfish race against the world and the greed to pitch himself over others leads to destruction of not only his self but the entire human community. The samskaras act as a moral code of conduct for the society.Slide6

Ritual Rites of Passage

Hindu rites of passage, according to the ancient sage Panini, are the ornaments that decorate one's personality. They mark the important stages of one's life and enable one to live a fulfilling life complete with happiness and contentment. It is believed that the various Hindu samskaras meticulously leads to a purification of one's sins, vices, faults, and even correction of physical deformities.The Upanishads mention

samskaras

as a means to grow and prosper in all four aspects of human pursuit - Dharma (righteousness),

Artha

(wealth), Karma and Kama (work and pleasure), and Moksha (salvation

).

Samskaras

bind an individual to the community that nurture the feeling of brotherhood. Slide7

Ritual Rites of Passage

10 Benefits of Hindu SamskarasSamskaras provide sound mental and physical health and the confidence to face life's challengesThey are believed to purify blood and increase blood circulation, sending more oxygen to every organSamskaras can energizes the body and revitalizes itThey can increase physical strength and stamina to work for longer period of time

They

rejuvenate the mind and enhance concentration and intellectual capacity

Samskaras

give a sense of belonging, culture, and refined sensibilities

They

direct energy to humanitarian causes thereby building a strong character

Samskaras

kill vices, such as pride, ego, selfishness, wrath, envy, covetousness, gluttony, sloth, lechery, greed and fear

They

bestow moral and physical balance throughout lifeSamskaras give the confidence to face death bravely owing to a contented and righteous lifeSlide8

Ritual:

Garbhadhana is the conception ritual for having healthy children. Lord Brahma or Prajapati is appeased by this ritual.Punswana is the fertilization ritual performed on the third month of pregnancy asking for life and safety of the fetus. Once again Lord Brahma is prayed to in this ceremony.Seemantonnayana ritual is observed in the penultimate month of pregnancy for safe and assured delivery of the baby. This is a prayer to the Hindu God Dhata.

Jatkarma

is birth ceremony of the new-born baby. On this occasion, a prayer is observed for goddess Savita.

Namkarana

is the naming ceremony of the baby, which is observed 11 days after its birth. This gives the new-born an identity with which he or she will be associated all his life.

Niskramana

is the act of taking the four-month-old child out for the first time into the open to sunbathe. The Sun God Surya is worshiped.

Annaprashana

is the elaborate ceremony conducted when the child is fed cereal for the first time at the age of six months.Chudakarma or Keshanta karma is the ceremonious tonsuring of the head and Lord Brahma or Prajapati is prayed and offerings made to him. The baby's head is shaved off and the hair is ceremonially immersed in the river. Karnavedha is the ritual of having the ear pierced. These days it is mostly girls who have their ears pierced.Upanayana aka thread ceremony is the investiture ceremony of the sacred thread where Brahmin boys are adorned with a sacred thread hung from one shoulder and passed around their front and back. This day, Lord Indra is invoked and offerings are made to him.Vedarambha or Vidyarambha is observed when the child is initiated into study. In ancient times, boys were sent to live with their gurus in a 'gurugriha' or hermitage to study. Devotees pray to the Hindu God Apawaka on this occasion.

Samavartana

is the convocation or the commencement to the study of the Vedas.

Vivaha

is the lavish nuptial ceremony. After marriage, the individual enters the life of a '

grihastha

' or conjugal life - the life of a householder. Lord Brahma is the deity of the day in the wedding ceremony.

Awasthyadhana

or

Vivahagni

Parigraha

is a ceremony where the marrying couple encircles the sacred fire seven times. It is also known as 'Saptapadi.'Tretagnisangraha is the auspicious ritual that starts the couple on their domestic life.Antyeshti is the final rite of passage or Hindu funeral rites that is performed after death.

16

samskaras

that Rishi Veda Vyas propounded are considered the most important rites of passage in a Hindu's life

.Slide9

Ritual:

The 8 Rites of Passage or Ashtasamskara Essential RitesThese are known as 'Ashtasamskaras', and they are as follows: Namakarana - Naming ceremony Anna Prasana

- Beginning of solid food

Karnavedha

- Ear piercing

Chudakarma

or

Chudakarana

- Head Shaving

Vidyarambha

- Beginning of Education Upanayana - Sacred Thread Ceremony Vivaha - Marriage Antyeshti - Funeral or Last RitesSlide10

Ritual

Death:After the death of a family member, the relatives become involved in ceremonies for preparation of the body and a procession to the burning or burial ground.For most Hindus, cremation is the ideal method for dealing with the dead, although many groups practice burial instead; infants are buried rather than cremated. At the funeral site, in the presence of the male mourners, the closest relative of the deceased (usually the eldest son) takes charge of the final rite and, if it is cremation, lights the funeral pyre.

After

a cremation, ashes and fragments of bone are collected and eventually immersed in a holy river. After a funeral, everyone undergoes a purifying bath. The immediate family remains in a state of intense pollution for a set number of days (sometimes ten, eleven, or thirteen).

At the end of that period, close family members meet for a ceremonial meal and often give gifts to the poor or to charities.

A particular feature of the Hindu ritual is the preparation of rice balls (

pinda

) offered to the spirit of the dead person during memorial services.

In

part these ceremonies are seen as contributing to the merit of the deceased, but they also pacify the soul so that it will not linger in this world as a ghost but will pass through the realm of Yama, the god of death

.