| Essence Of Hinduism |
 |
HINDU RITUALS AND MYTHS |
|
| Countless
generations of Hindus and Buddhists have undertaken this pilgrimage. And so we can imagine
what great historical associations are conjured up in the mind of a pilgrim when he visits
these famous places. Thus many an ancient rite becomes worth preserving if only for the
sake of its historical associations and for its being a reminder of the hoary past of our
race and religion. But the chief function of ritualism is determined by its symbolism. Most of the rites we perform are intended for visualizing belief. Our gratitude to God is visualized by our offerings of grain and fruit on the altar. Our humble service to Him is visualized in, the temple worships where God is treated as an earthly king and royal honors are paid to him. And what is our ritual acts of cleaning and washing, our purificatory baths and ceremonies and the elaborate rules regarding food laid down in ours sastras but only external marks suggesting purity of mind and spirit? Similarly, in Christianity baptism symbolizes conversion, and the Eucharist symbolizes union with Christ .
|
|
| About Hindu Rituals And Myths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
