CUSTOMS OF INDIA:
As with any other ancient civilisation, India is a land of deep-rooted customs. Customs are nurtured and nourished to maintain deeply held values. Today, we often shy away from doing things which have no seemingly immediate gratification, thus loosing what our ancient civilisation had instilled upon our fore-fathers. India is a multi-cultural combination of a mix of a myriad of peoples, religions, ethnic backgrounds all resulting in a multitude of customs. (Keep thinking of India as Europe – Europe has customs, habits and cuisines made of up of Germans, French, Italians, Spanish, British (cuisine??!!) and many others). Thus you will find different customs being practiced in different parts of India.
The following is not an essay on the values of customs, but a short explanation of some of the more commonly found and universally practiced customs a foreign visitor will experience in visiting India.
Why do Indians do namasté?
Indians greet each other with namasté (na-mas-té). The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and the head bows whilst saying the word namasté. This greeting is for all people younger than us, of our own age, those older than us, friends and even strangers.
There are five forms of formal traditional greeting enjoined in the shaastras of which namaskaram is one. This is understood as prostration but it actually refers to paying homage as we do today when we greet each other with a namasté.
Namasté could be just a casual or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship. However there is much more to it than meets the eye. In Sanskrit namah + te = namasté. It means I bow to you my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. Namaha can also be literally interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one’s ego in the presence of another.
The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another, we do so with namasté, which means, "may our minds meet," indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest. The bowing down of the head is a gracious form of extending friendship in love and humility.
The spiritual meaning is even deeper. The life force, the divinity, the Self or the Lord in me is the same in all. Recognising this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we salute with head bowed the Divinity in the person we meet. That is why sometimes, we close our eyes as we do namasté to a revered person or the Lord as if to look within. The gesture is often accompanied by words like "Ram Ram", "Jai Shri Krishna", "Namo Narayana", "Jai Siya Ram", "Om Shanti" etc indicating the recognition of this divinity.
When we know this significance, our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture or word but paves the way for a deeper communion with another in an atmosphere of love and respect
Why do Indians have a prayer room?
Many Indian homes have a prayer room or altar. In Hindu households, a lamp is lit and the Lord worshipped each day. Other spiritual practices like japa (repetition of the Lord’s name), meditation, paaraayana (reading of the scriptures), prayers, devotional singing, etc., is also done here. Special worship is done on auspicious occasions such as birthdays of loved ones – both human and the Gods, anniversaries, festivals and the like, but each member of the family, young or old, communes with and worships the Divine here.
Since the Lord is considered the creator, He is therefore the true owner of the house we live in too. We are mere earthly occupants of His property, thus this notion rids us of false pride and possessiveness.
Since the Lord is all-pervading, and to remind us that He resides in our homes with us, we have prayer rooms.
Each room in a house is dedicated to a specific function like the bedroom for resting, the living room to receive guests, the kitchen for cooking etc. The furniture, decor and the atmosphere of each room are made conducive to the purpose it serves. So too a conducive atmosphere is required for the purpose of meditation, worship and prayer, thus the need for a prayer room.
Sacred thoughts and sound vibrations pervade the place and influence the minds of those who spend time there. Spiritual thoughts and vibrations accumulated through regular meditation, worship and chanting done there pervade the prayer room. Even when we are tired or agitated.
Extra Links
http://hinduonline.co/HinduCulture/IndianTraditionalCostume.html
http://www.quora.com/What-was-the-origin-of-dhoti-and-in-which-states-do-people-wear-dhotis-in-India
http://www.shalusharma.com/what-do-indians-wear/
http://www.livescience.com/28634-indian-culture.html
As with any other ancient civilisation, India is a land of deep-rooted customs. Customs are nurtured and nourished to maintain deeply held values. Today, we often shy away from doing things which have no seemingly immediate gratification, thus loosing what our ancient civilisation had instilled upon our fore-fathers. India is a multi-cultural combination of a mix of a myriad of peoples, religions, ethnic backgrounds all resulting in a multitude of customs. (Keep thinking of India as Europe – Europe has customs, habits and cuisines made of up of Germans, French, Italians, Spanish, British (cuisine??!!) and many others). Thus you will find different customs being practiced in different parts of India.
The following is not an essay on the values of customs, but a short explanation of some of the more commonly found and universally practiced customs a foreign visitor will experience in visiting India.
Why do Indians do namasté?
Indians greet each other with namasté (na-mas-té). The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and the head bows whilst saying the word namasté. This greeting is for all people younger than us, of our own age, those older than us, friends and even strangers.
There are five forms of formal traditional greeting enjoined in the shaastras of which namaskaram is one. This is understood as prostration but it actually refers to paying homage as we do today when we greet each other with a namasté.
Namasté could be just a casual or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship. However there is much more to it than meets the eye. In Sanskrit namah + te = namasté. It means I bow to you my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. Namaha can also be literally interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one’s ego in the presence of another.
The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another, we do so with namasté, which means, "may our minds meet," indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest. The bowing down of the head is a gracious form of extending friendship in love and humility.
The spiritual meaning is even deeper. The life force, the divinity, the Self or the Lord in me is the same in all. Recognising this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we salute with head bowed the Divinity in the person we meet. That is why sometimes, we close our eyes as we do namasté to a revered person or the Lord as if to look within. The gesture is often accompanied by words like "Ram Ram", "Jai Shri Krishna", "Namo Narayana", "Jai Siya Ram", "Om Shanti" etc indicating the recognition of this divinity.
When we know this significance, our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture or word but paves the way for a deeper communion with another in an atmosphere of love and respect
Why do Indians have a prayer room?
Many Indian homes have a prayer room or altar. In Hindu households, a lamp is lit and the Lord worshipped each day. Other spiritual practices like japa (repetition of the Lord’s name), meditation, paaraayana (reading of the scriptures), prayers, devotional singing, etc., is also done here. Special worship is done on auspicious occasions such as birthdays of loved ones – both human and the Gods, anniversaries, festivals and the like, but each member of the family, young or old, communes with and worships the Divine here.
Since the Lord is considered the creator, He is therefore the true owner of the house we live in too. We are mere earthly occupants of His property, thus this notion rids us of false pride and possessiveness.
Since the Lord is all-pervading, and to remind us that He resides in our homes with us, we have prayer rooms.
Each room in a house is dedicated to a specific function like the bedroom for resting, the living room to receive guests, the kitchen for cooking etc. The furniture, decor and the atmosphere of each room are made conducive to the purpose it serves. So too a conducive atmosphere is required for the purpose of meditation, worship and prayer, thus the need for a prayer room.
Sacred thoughts and sound vibrations pervade the place and influence the minds of those who spend time there. Spiritual thoughts and vibrations accumulated through regular meditation, worship and chanting done there pervade the prayer room. Even when we are tired or agitated.
Extra Links
http://hinduonline.co/HinduCulture/IndianTraditionalCostume.html
http://www.quora.com/What-was-the-origin-of-dhoti-and-in-which-states-do-people-wear-dhotis-in-India
http://www.shalusharma.com/what-do-indians-wear/
http://www.livescience.com/28634-indian-culture.html