Know your Dharma
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Why do women wear bangles
#Know your dharmaWhy do Indian women wear bangles?Women love jewellery. Eastern civilizations have a variety of colourful jewellery made out of beads, glass, ivory and semi-precious gems in addition to precious metals. One of the quintessential ornaments that most women possess are the bangles.Bangles are a everyday jewellery items that Indian women possess. They are either loose around their wrists or made like bracelets or cuffs depending on the trends and fashions. Bangles assume particular significance during wedding and auspicious occasions and are symbolic too. So, what are the cultural reasons behind Indian women wearing bangles?The tradition of wearing of bangles in India is very ancient. The jewellery worn by Sita during her marriage includes bangles and wrist ornaments. We cannot imagine our Devis and Devathas without ornaments especially wrist ornaments or bangles. A sculpture excavated in MohenjaDaro shows a nude woman with her hand on her hip. The sculpture is dated 2200 years ago. It is perhaps indicative of the pervalence of jewellery in society as early as that. Bangles are considered auspicious in most parts of India. Depending on the region and the culture, the type of bangle may vary. It is believed that married women should wear glass bangles along with gold bangles to ward off evil spirits and also as a blessing for the household. Bangles are used in many parts of the country for a baby shower. The tinkling of the bangles made of glass, gold, silver and conch in the hands of the mother is believed to ward of evil eye and spirits and protect the mother and the child.Married women in Northern and Eastern India wear specific types of bangles. Some of them wear it for 21 days or longer depending upon family customs. The women in Bengal wear the red and white bangles after marriage. Women in Rajasthan wear bangles, usually made of ivory, upto their upper arm. Certain tribes in the Andhra / Telengana region also have the tradition of wearing bangles upto their upper arm. Glass bangles are considered auspicious and hence breakage of glass bangles has certain negative sentiments associated with it.There are beliefs associated with the colour of the bangles. Here are some:• RED………………Energy• Blue………………Tranquility/Wisdom• Purple……………Independence• Green…………….Luck/Married• Yellow……………Happiness• Orange…………..Success• White…………….New Beginnings• Black……………..Power• Silver…………….Strength• GOLD…………….FortuneThe modern-day Indian women wear bangles as a beautiful addition to both traditional and modern outfits. Whatever be the reason, bangles are beautiful and bring a joy to the wearer and are aesthetically pleasing to the beholder.
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Why do we do Arathi?
Towards the end of every ritualistic worship (pooja or bhajan) of the Lord or to welcome an honored guest or saint, we perform the aarati. This is always accompanied by the ringing of the bell and sometimes by singing, playing of musical instruments and clapping.It is one of the sixteen steps (shodasha upachaara) of the pooja ritual. We circle a lit diya in front of the puja or the God. As the light is circled we either do mental or loud chanting of prayers or simply behold the beautiful form of the Lord, illumined by the lamp. Let us find out why we do the aarati?Having worshipped the Lord with love - performing abhisheka, decorating the image and offering fruits and delicacies, we see the beauty of the Lord in all His glory. Our minds are focused on each limb of the Lord as the lamp lights it up. It is akin to silent open-eyed meditation on His beauty. The singing, clapping, ringing of the bell etc. denote the joy and auspiciousness, which accompanies the vision of the Lord.Aarati is often performed with camphor. Camphor when lit, burns itself out completely without leaving a trace of it. It represents our inherent tendencies (vaasanas). When lit by the fire of knowledge which illumines the Lord (Truth), our vaasanas thereafter burn themselves out completely removing ego.While camphor burns to reveal the glory of Lord, it emits a pleasant perfume. We often wait a long while to see the illumined Lord but when the aarati is actually performed, our eyes close automatically as if to look within. This is to signify that each of us is a temple of the Lord.Just as the priest reveals the form of the Lord clearly with the aarati flame. A guru reveals to us the divinity within each of us with the help of the "flame" of knowledge (or the light of spiritual knowledge). At the end of the aarati, we place our hands over the flame and then touch our eyes and the top of the head. It means - may the light that illuminated the Lord light up my vision; may my vision be divine and my thoughts noble and beautiful.The philosophical meaning of aarati extends further. The sun, moon, stars, lightning and fire are the natural sources of light. As we light up the Lord with the flame of the aarati, we turn our attention to the very source of all light, which symbolizes knowledge and life.The sun is the presiding deity of the intellect, the moon, that of the mind, and fire, that of speech. The Lord is the supreme consciousness that illuminates all of them. Without Him, the intellect cannot think, nor can the mind feel nor the tongue speaks. The Lord is beyond the mind, intellect and speech. How can this finite equipment illuminate the Lord? Therefore, as we perform the aarati we chant;Na tatra suryo bhaati na chandra taarakamNemaa vidyuto bhaanti kutoyamagnibTameva bhaantam anubhaati sarvamTasya bhasa sarvam idam vibhaatiHe is there where the sun does not shine, Nor the moon, stars and lightning. then what to talk of this small flame (in my hand), Everything (in the universe) shines only after the Lord, And by His light alone are we all illumined.
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Why do we chant Om?
Om is one of the most chanted sound symbols in India. It has a profound effect on the body and mind of the one who chants and also on the surroundings. Most mantras and vedic prayers start with Om. All auspicious actions begin with Om. It is even used as a greeting - Om, Hari Om etc. It is repeated as a mantra or meditated upon. Its form is worshipped, contemplated upon or used as an auspicious sign.Om is the universal name of the Lord. It is made up of the letters A (phonetically as in "around"), U (phonetically as in "put") and M (phonetically as in "mum"). The sound emerging from the vocal chord starts from the base of the throat as "A". With the coming together of the lips, "U" is formed and when the lips are closed, all sounds end in "M".The three letters symbolize the three states (waking, dream and deep sleep), the three deities (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), the three Vedas (Rig, Yajur and Sama) the three worlds (Bhuh, Bhuvah, Suvah) etc. The Lord is all these and beyond.The formless, attribute less Lord (Brahman) is represented by the silence between two Om Chants. Om is also called pranava that means, "that (symbol or sound) by which the Lord is praised". The entire essence of the Vedas is enshrined in the word Om. It is said that the Lord started creating the world after chanting Om. Hence its sound is considered to create an auspicious beginning for any task that we undertake. The Om chant should have the resounding sound of a bell (aaooommm). Om is written in different ways in different places. The most common form symbolizes Lord Ganesha’s. The upper curve is the head; the lower large one, the stomach; the side one, the trunk; and the semi-circular mark with the dot, the sweetmeat ball (modaka) in Lord Ganesha`s hand.
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Greatness of Vibhuthi
When you see your God pictures especially Shiva, Ganesha or Muruga have you seen them sporting three white lines on their forehead. Every wondered why? Let us understand.“Lalaata Shoonyam Smashaana Tulyam”, says our scriptures. It means that “an empty forehead is comparable to a cemetery”. So, Hindus pay take care that their forehead is smeared with Vibhuti and it remains all the time over their body throughout the day.Lord Shiva, the Almighty himself sports the Vibhuti all the time and stands as an example to His followers that however great one be considered in this mortal world; one needs to smear his forehead and the body with holy ash prepared from a special kind of wood as He does (Lord Shiva) in the Immortal abode of Kailasa.According to Vedic scholars even great saints, seers, yogis and their likes should sport the Vibhuti all the time on ones’ forehead and other parts of the body. Vibhuti smeared horizontally to make three parallel lines with forefinger, middle finger and ring finger across the forehead & other parts of the body like chest, stomach, arms, elbows, wrists etc is called as Tripundra. It is mandatory for the devotees of Lord Shiva to have Tripundra over their body at all times.A person who smears Vibhuti purifies himself from sins and also removes the sins of person/s who look at him besmeared with Vibhutior theeruneru.The great saint Thiru Jnana Sambandar did many wonders with Vibhuti and he expounds the greatness of Vibhuti in one of his Pathigams called “Thiruneetru Pathigam” as follows, (This padigam was believed to have been recited when Jnana Sambandar debated with the Jain monks and won them over and reconverted the King to Shaivism from Jainism).Mandhira maavadhu neeru| Vaanavar meeladhu neeru ||Sundhara maavadhu neeru |Thudhikkap paduvadhu neeru ||Thandhira maavadhu neeru| Chamayaththil ullaadhu neeru ||Senthuvar vaayumai pangan|Thiruaalavaayaan Thiruneerae ||Meaning: Mantra is the ash; Higher than heavenly people is the ash; Beauty is the ash; Praised is the ash; Technique is the ash; In the religion is the ash; The Lord of Thiruaalavaay (Lord Sundareshwarar,Madurai) who share the body with the red lipped Parvathi – His Holy Ash. Vibhuti is made from a special type of wood. The Bhasma of every wood cannot be regarded as sacred. The word Bhasma (Bha – to destroy; Sma – To remember). Vibhuti signifies the remembrance of the divine and destruction of evil. It also indicates that we remember the transient nature of the physical body and remove the ego associated with the self. It is not a morose reminder of death but just a simple message that time moves on and waits for none.Uses and mention - Vibhuti has many medicinal usages and is used in making a few ayurvedic medicines too. It absorbs excess moisture and is used often in treating infants for common cold. Some allergies that people develop after applying Vibhuti could be because of adulteration.Adi Shankara extols Vibhuti from the puja of Lord Muruga in Subramanya Bhujangam.ApasmAra kushta kshayArsha prameha|JvaronmAdha gulmAdhi rogA mahAntha||PishAchAshcha sarve bhavatpatra bhoothim|Vilokya kshanAth tArakAre dravanthe|| (Shloka no.25)Meaning: Oh Conqueror of Taraka! Severe epilepsy, leprosy, consumption, lung diseases, venereal diseases, fevers, mental diseases of all types, they run away the moment they see Thy Vibhuti contained in a leaf.A substance that is so precious and is blessed should not be treated with disrespect and thrown on the floor or in unclean places. Also storing the Vibhuti from sacred temples is considered auspicious for the family.