India, being the abode of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, enriches the generations with numerous cultures and these cultures give birth to some extraordinary traditions and rituals. Hindu rituals are amongst the most prominent customs in India. The famous Yajurveda out of the four Vedas of the Sanatana Dharma contains the prose mantras for worship rituals. Other than these worship rituals; there have been enormous traditions that are absorbed by Hindus in their day to day lives. Hindus have been practicing these traditions since the time immemorial. However, the exact utility and relevance of them has started to decline. The impact of modernization is apparent as the fervor to follow these rituals had faded and the myths around them had led the actual science behind them to be misunderstood. The novelty in the lifestyles leaves people to ignore the precious methods that our ancestors had gifted us. Let’s dive in more to examine the reasonability of some of the quintessential Hindu rituals so that we can conserve our heritage while benefiting ourselves through its gifts.
- Science Behind “Namaste”:
A famous Hindu way of greeting by joining hands which is called “Namaste or Namaskar” has a science behind it. The pressure points are activated as the fingers of both hands get pressed. The pressure points are connected to our memory and help us to remember the person for a long time. Namaste has become more popular even outside India during the Covid-19 pandemic as the prominent figures Like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump etc. have been seen greeting with Namaste instead of shaking hands; keeping in mind the precautionary measures to be followed against the spread of Coronavirus.
- Science behind Kumkum/Bindi/Tilak:
Hindu women apply Bindi or Kumkum and on the other hand, Hindu men apply tilak at the center of the forehead. This practice is linked with the science that controls our concentration. The middle of the forehead is called Ajna Chakra or the Third Eye Chakra. When pressure is applied on it with the finger, it vitalizes the facial blood supply.
- Sitting on the floor while eating
Sitting down on the floor and eating is a common practice in India. There is a Sukhasan position in Yoga where the legs are crossed while sitting and the back is kept comfortably straight. This position sends signals to the brain to calm down the body in order to ease the digestion process.
- Science behind worshipping Peepal Tree:
You will be surprised to know that how advanced our ancestors were in terms of science by discovering the reason behind worshipping Peepal tree. This is such a tree that produces oxygen during night and day as well due to special photosynthesis called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). Hence, it becomes a reason to revere the special tree.
- Science behind wearing bangles:
Indian women wear bangles and the scientific reason behind that is related to the flow of energy to improve blood circulation. When the bangles clink, the vibration creates energy which helps in the blood circulation in the body by passing through the wrists. The bangle rings have no ends so the energy cannot pass away and gets redirected to the body.
- Science behind fire ritual:
We all are aware of fire rituals practiced by Hindus where they offer things in fire which is called “Havan”. The havan samagri contains the mixture of dried herbal roots. When these herbs are burned, the produced smoke purifies the environment.
- Science behind applying Haldi/ Turmeric:
Turmeric is a medicinal plant and a great natural anti-septic. Turmeric is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Turmeric is considered holy and applied on the groom and bride-groom in a wedding ritual. It helps to prevent acnes and gives a radiant glow to the face. Earlier when use of cosmetics wasn’t prevalent, Hindus were made habitual of Haldi ritual as a wedding routine in order to make people aware of its perks.
- Science behind Idol worship:
In the Vedic literature, the Parabrahma (the absolute soul) which is formless, is regarded as the divine god. Such a spirit wasn’t imagined in any shape in the Early Vedic period. But in the later Vedic age, the idol worship became quite prevalent throughout India. The reason for such practice was related to making spiritual practices easier for common men. Giving a form to the divine energy became useful to increase concentration on it while meditating or worshipping.