Message for today

Pitra Paksha and Shraadh

What good are mythical rituals where few are benefitted, and which are done so mechanically, without any feel or bhav?

Every ritual has a meaning. It is meant to help us simplify our life so that we can use our energy for a better cause.

Shraadh -- a ritual to seek blessing from your ancestors and pray for their salvation, conducted during Pitra Paksha, fortnight of ancestors, actually has a scientific significance. It is a psychological treatment that you can administer to yourself. This is a time to remember your elders, ancestors, the follies you may have committed against them, and release yourself from fear or guilt of not having done enough for them perhaps. It also helps to release any preconceived notions you might have of all the ancestors you have not seen, notions that are hindrance to your growth. It should not be conducted just as a custom, but seen as a way of coming out of guilt, fear, burden of the deaths of the past. In Jainism too, we have Kshamavani, a day of forgiveness. That too is a way to coming out grief and guilt.

Earlier we did not have doctors or psychologists to help people get rid of their subconscious collection and pre-conceived notions. This was one way of doing it. Such customs help you come out of the past by reminding yourself of your duty to the present. When you are relieved of your guilt and fear, your life becomes smoother.

There is a broader perspective to shraadh and pitra paksha. You can use this time to help the elderly people in agony, who are alive in front of you, treat them the way you might have treated your pitras.

So instead of getting caught in puja rituals concocted by pundits, you can use this time better by creating a peaceful unification of the elderly and the young. People who are alive will bless you. It is better than getting caught in rituals to seek blessings from your ancestors who are no more, and whose whereabouts you are clueless about. Rest is just a mythical astrological game. The more the pundits terrify you, the more they can steal from you.

If you feel you have not done enough for elders, do much better for those who are alive. You should pray for your elders who are no more, but know that it is more of a psychological treatment.

This time is also a beautiful way to connect the past with the present.

Religious rituals are psychological treatment for humans. They add colour to your life. Take Diwali for instance. Every ritual has a meaning. As time is progressing, we must simplify life. This is what the rituals should help us do. Simplify life. During the period of shraadh and pitra paksha, visit old age homes. Help people there.

Meena Om

September 14, 2010

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