'Food Rituals in Hinduism\r'

'Hindu Traditions: forage and purification Ashley LeBlanc Introduction to Eastern Religions Dr. Patricia Campbell November 16, 2010 LeBlanc 2 Hinduism is a faith that waxd in India and is still pr stand foriced by close of the Natives as well as the people who prolong migrated from India to former(a) parts of the world. Statistically in that respect atomic number 18 over s veritable(a) hundred million Hindus, generally in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Approximately eighty percent of the macrocosm in India is Hindu (Encyclopaedia Britannica n. d. ).The word Hindu comes from an superannuated Sanskrit term meaning â€Å"dwellers by the Indus River,” referring to the location of Indias earliest know civilization, the Pakistan. The religion suggests commitment to or appreciate for an ideal way of life known as Dharma. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefs making it have a full variety of beliefs and formulas. This has given it a character of well-disposed and do ctrinal system that extends to every(prenominal) side of life. wiz of the most(prenominal) important aspects of the Hindu tradition is the provender and purification process.Not only is the concept of purity and victuals seen in sacred texts, but besides is a daily design within Hindu practitioners. check to the Bhagavad Gita, â€Å"All beings come into existence from pabulum. Food comes from rains. Rains originate from the performance of sacrifices. And sacrifice is born out of doing prescribe duties” (3:13). Therefore, regimen is verily an aspect of Brahman, which according to Jeffery Brodd is â€Å"the eternal, unchanging, infinite, immanent, and intuitive reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, zero, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe” (Brodd 2003, 17).Since the aliment is a introduce from the gods, it should be treated with respect. Also in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna states that there ar three types of sacrifice s, along with austerity and charity. Sattvic (cold) nutrition is one that increases longevity, purity, strength, happiness, and taste; these provenders ar usually dingy or oily. These types of solid foods ar allowed, and mostly recommended as offerings to the gods. Rajasic (or hot) includes foods that are bitter, sour, hot, spicy, and salty which is believed to lead to disease, unhappiness, and sorrow.When a LeBlanc soul ingest these foods without sacrifice, it is believed that they will develop the qualities they convey and act upon them (Michaels 2004, 183-184). When it comes to preparing food, the soul preparing it is closely speculated. Purity is the goal during preparation. Chants and purification rituals with scent and offerings are done before, and sometimes after every meal. In the Hindu tradition, purification is non only an expression of external status, but also devote one sharp internally and morally.For example, a butcher or a farmer’s products would be considered impure for the fact that they are harming innocent vivacious creatures for sustenance, whereas bakers and milkmen are reaping products without harm (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery 1996). The age, status, and sex of the person cooking and serving the food are also taken into account. Hindus also believe food that has been purified nates be re-polluted by touching or even looking at it. Because of this, women who are menstruating raisenot prepare or help food for the fear of pollution.At the comparable time, legion(predicate) sacrifices and offerings are performed based on reciprocity. Another regularity in Hindu tradition to keep food pure during consumption is to eat with the right hand, as the left hand is seen to be impure since it is utilise for cleaning after defecation. 3 Another aspect that is closely looked at is who may get into cooked food from whom. The usual custom goes that the young can accept food from the elder, the inferior rank from the superior, the wife from the husband, and so on. The only exception in Hindu tradition is in weddings.In this circumstance, the bride’s family cooks for the usually higher(prenominal)-ranking take aim and his family. Another example noted in Michael’s book is when â€Å"Brahman cooks, when hired by higher ranking Brahmans; or temple feedings, when the food is seen as leftovers of the gods and thus all believers stand at the same level and eat next to one other” (2004, 183). Also in terms of leftovers, it is seen as an act of respect if the wife consumes the leftovers of her LeBlanc 4 husband, or take in after him from his plate.This is deliberate pollution as the pure food has already been consumed and any leftovers have been stirred by human hands, and thus impure. Food to Hindus is a lifelong religious and social concern; it stands at the core of religion and society. Some even narrate that â€Å"[food] shapes family life, caste-and-marriage rules, and religious an d spiritual values” (Khare 2004, 415). There are many taboos, ritual exclusions, preferences and prescriptions concerning the conception of ‘vegetarianism’ and ‘nonvegetariansim’.This taboo creates quad separate areas of India that practice either vegetarianism or nonvegeratianism differently; The north constitutes Kashmir and Punjab to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh; the ‘western’ includes Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, the ‘eastern’ region Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Orissa, and other northeastern states, and the ‘southern’ includes Kannada, Talminadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh (Khare 2004, 415). Customary ways in these areas are passed on from generation to generation, and are just religiously. Food taboos are a historically modify subject for Hindus.For example, the beef taboo creates ecological and governmental conflicts. According to Khare, â€Å"Brahmanical deification of cow played a cruc ial role long-term vis-a-vis Buddhism, producing a prologned religious, historical, and regional tussel, yielding, in the process, changing definitons of both nonviolence and vegetariansim” (2004, 416). Today, followers of Vishnu are most often vegetarians and practice right-handed rituals, whereas worshippers of the goddess justify meat eating, drinking, and left-handed rituals. Therefore, more than modern interpretations of Hinduism in relation to dietary practices can still differ.In terms of prasada , or ‘blessed food’, are primarily vegetarian when being offered to gods such as Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, and Ganesh. One must also remember that not all goddess worshipers are meat-eaters, some still practice vegetarianism. (Khare 2004, 417). LeBlanc In terms of the actual ritual of purification, it differs from individually practicioner. Hindus constantly practice the methods of obtaining manoeuver and exercising control methods of purification and of cultivati on of positive moral qualities. Food in Hinduism, as previously mentioned, is one of the most celebrated rituals.For example, a child’s prototypalborn feeding is celebrated as a samskara ( solemnization at a stage of life). The ritual first begins with a clean 5 surrounding. When food is served, water supply is sprinkled around it. This is meant to purify the foods and make it worthy for sacrifice. Then, food is offered to five pranas (breath- one of the five organs of get-up-and-go or sensation) (Widgery 1930, 235); The five pranas, along with their explanation are as follows: Prana is responsible for the beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the personify by the breath and is sent to every booth through the circulatory system.Apana is responsible for the elimination of dissipation products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems. Udana produces sounds through the vocal music apparatus, as in speaking, singing, laughing, and crying. Also it represents the conscious energy required to produce the vocal sounds corresponding to the excogitation of the being. Hence Samyama on udana gives the higher centers total control over the body. Samana controls the digestion of food and cell metabolism (i. e. the correct and manufacture of new cells and growth). Samana also includes the heat set processes of the body. Auras are projections of this current.By meditational practices one can see auras of shadowy around every being. Yogis who do special commit on samana can produce a glaring aura at will. Vyana is responsible for the expansion and condensing processes of the body, e. g. the voluntary muscular system (Prana 2010). LeBlanc 6 In conclusion, we can see through Hindu rituals and practices that food and purity plays an important role in casual life. The importance of purity when consuming sacrificed foods or foods offered to a chosen deity is great. Hinduism thrives despite numerous reforms and shortcuts through gradua l modernization and urbanization of Indian life.Thus, Hinduism, which continue India through centuries of foreign occupation and internal disruption, continues to serve a vital function by great(p) passionate meaning and supportive form to the lives of Hindus today.\r\n'