Transcript Moksha - RevisionWorld

Rites of Passage
•
•
•
•
•
•
Samskaras
Birth & Naming
Sacred Thread
Marriage
Death
Summary
Samskaras
• There are 16 samskaras or rites of
passage in a Hindu’s life.
• Nine of these samskaras take place during
the early years of a Hindu’s life.
Birth & Naming
•
•
•
•
9 of the samskaras take place during early
years.
Some of the most significant ones include.
The child’s head is shaved. This symbolises
the removal of bad karma from previous lives.
Aum is written on the baby’s tongue in honey –
this means that the child will associate the
sound with sweetness.
Sacred Thread / Upanayana
• Upanayana is the 10th samskara and
marks beginning of the student ashrama.
• Traditionally Upanayana was for brahmin,
kshatriya and vaishya boys though now
girls and some shudra and harijan boys
also receive it.
• Boys (and girls) take the thread aged 8-16
Sacred Thread / the ceremony
•
•
•
•
The head is shaved leaving a tuft on the crown.
The boy washes & puts on a special dhoti.
The boy shares a special meal with his mother.
The priest conducts a homa (special ritual with
sacred fire.)
• The boy is given new clothes and the sacred
thread is placed over his left shoulder so that it
hangs diagonally across his chest to his right
side.
• The thread is worn for the rest of his life but will
be replaced annually on Ganesha’s birthday.
Sacred Thread / the meaning
• The 3 threads are said to signify the Tri-murti of
Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva.& the 3 obligations 1.
The obligation to promote knowledge. 2. The
obligation to respect & care for parents and
elders. 3. The obligation towards society.
• The ceremony represents the boy moving from
his mother’s care to the influence of his male
relatives.
• The thread is a physical reminder that God is all
around you and remind you to control your body,
mind and speech.
The marriage ceremony
• As with all aspects of Hinduism, marriages can be
diverse.
• All Hindu weddings are carried out by a priest.
• The couple take seven steps around the Havan or
sacred fire as laid down in the Law of Manu. The first
step is for food, the second for strength, the third for
wealth, the fourth for happiness, the fifth for children,
the sixth for sustenance and the seventh for unity.
• In addition to this they will often throw rice into the
Havan to encourage the couple’s fertility, stand on a
rock to represent the stability which marriage will bring
to their lives, make offerings to deities and have
prayers and hymns.
The purpose of marriage
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Marriage is viewed as a Gift from God
which serves the following purposes.
To allow the couple to have sex.
To join two families together.
To allow the couple to share love & each
other’s company.
To produce children.
To enable fulfillment of the householder
stage of life.
A Hindu funeral
The funeral pyre
The funeral ghats are on
the banks of a river
The body is taken down
to the river
Death
• Cremation is the 16th & final samskara.
• Dead bodies are washed, clothed in a new shroud and
taken to a funeral pyre for cremation.
• The eldest son walks around the pyre with a lighted
torch to prevent the soul returning to Earth as a ghost.
• He pours ghee on the pyre as an offering to Agni the
fire god.
• The heat of the fire makes the skull crack and it is
believed that at this point the Atman escapes.
Shraddha
• Shraddha is the practice of widows
throwing themselves onto their husband’s
funeral pyres.
• This practice has now been outlawed in
India and is incredibly rare.
Death in UK
• In the UK outdoor cremations are illegal so
British Hindus would place the body into a
coffin and have it cremated at the local
crematorium.
• Ashes are usually scattered into one of
India’s holy rivers and many British Hindus
arrange to have ashes sent to India for
scattering.
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
Samskaras are the 16 rites of passage in a
Hindu’s life
9 of the samskaras are connected with birth
and childhood.
Sacred thread or Upanayana takes place
between 8-16 and marks the start of the
student ashrama.
The seven steps around the Havan represent
all the things hoped for in a marriage.
Nearly all Hindus are cremated at death.