1) Namaste:
It is a common spoken greeting or salutation, though becoming considered old-fashioned by some. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than Namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India the hands folded gesture is made usually wordlessly upon departure. Taken literally, it means “I bow to you”. The word is derived from Sanskrit in literal terms Namaste refers to ‘Godliness in me bows to Godliness in you’ or ‘Divinity in me, salutes divinity in you’. In most Indian families, younger men and women are taught to seek the blessing of their elders by reverentially bowing to their elders. This custom is known as Pranāma.
2) Why “TILGUL” is consumed during the Indian festival of Makar Sankranti?
Til means sesame seeds whereas gul means jaggery in Marathi/ Hindi. Sesame Seed. Tilgul is an important dish which is being prepared during the Sankranti Hindu festival celebrated on the 14th January and also popularly known as the Kite festival.
Scientific Reason: Sesame (Til) is not just an eatable item, in Ayurveda it is considered to be an extremely beneficial and strong medicine. The most important specialty of sesame is that is contains four rasas (flavors), hot, bitter, sweet and pungent. Sesame is hot in nature and is therefore used for preparing sweets in winter season. Different types of sweets like gajak, laddu, revadi, etc. are made of sesame during the winter and protect us from cold. The chances of catching cold reduce if we eat these sweets.
On the eve of this festival, every Maharashtrian family serves their guests with Tilgul and says “Tilgul ghiya, goad goad bola” which literally means “Eat Tilgul and talk all sweet”. Tilgul is a very simple sweet and easy to prepares is made during this festival.
3) Scientific reason behind fasting on “EKADASHI”
Fasting on Ekadashi is a very old and common tradition which is followed in mostly all Hindu families. We all have seen our Mother, Father, Dadima ,Dadaji , Nani and other elders observing Ekadashi fasts, and we usually think they are doing because they are just religious. In fact it is backed up by solid science.
Ekadasi is a Sanskrit word, which means ‘the eleventh’. It refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month. There are two fortnights in a lunar month—the poornima and amavasya. So, Ekadasi occurs twice in a month. The special feature of Ekadasi, as most people know it, is a fast, abstinence from diet. According to scientific research, it is known that the air pressure on the earth varies to extreme limits on both the new moon (Amavasya) and the full moon (Purnima) day. This is because of the orbital path combination of the sun, moon and earth. This can be observed by the change in the nature of the tidal waves on the new moon and full moon days. The waves are very high and rough, but from the next day onwards, the waves become calm, an indication that the pressure has also receded..
4) Why Silk Clothes are preferred for doing Pooja ??
Silk clothes have the capacity to attract and store electromagnetic energy. With the friction between the body and the silk clothes, electric energy is produced, which gives rise to electro static attraction.
This energy, according to shastras, would act on the mind of the devotee. It is also said that the vibrations, which are generated while worshipping, are also stored by wearing the silk clothes. The external clothing, which prevents the loss of these vibrations, would work on the mind to sustain the much needed concentration. It is also said that any worship, without concentration is useless.
Hence All over India, silk clothes are preferred during Poojas, be it a Maharashtrian lady in Ganesh Puja, or a Bengali lady in Durga Pooja or a Gujarati lady in Laxmi Pooja during Diwali and so on!!!
5) Why should we visit temples?
There are thousands of temples all over India in different size, shape and locations but not all of them are considered to be built the Vedic way. Generally, a temple should be located at a place where earth’s magnetic wave path passes through densely. It can be in the outskirts of a town/village or city, or in middle of the dwelling place, or on a hilltop.
The essence of visiting a temple is discussed here.
Now, these temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as Garbhagriha In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This Moolasthanam is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the shlokas. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the
Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.
6) Wedding ceremony
Indian weddings not only unite Bride and Groom but also their families. Family plays a key role in making life decisions. India is a collectivist culture to the core. The ceremony begins with arrival of Groom Accompanied by his family and friends in a festive procession known as the baraat, the groom arrives at the entrance of the wedding venue on a horse. The procession consists of his family and friends singing and dancing around him. The baraat is met by the bride’s family at the entrance to the wedding venue. It symbolizes the pleasure and happiness of the Groom’s family in accepting the bride as a part of their family; as their very own.
BY AMEY KHEDEKAR
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