The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 19)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Nov_Dec/v1.ShikhaSutra_II)   

This is the age of intellect, scientific thinking.

We should learn to adopt religious teachings not just by convention, but by prudent thinking through an open mind.

Many a times it is seen that neither the elders in the family nor the priests are able to explain the meaning or purpose of the rituals during any religious ceremony.

Instead of satisfying the queries of the youngsters, they would often either scold them or simply declare that it was our tradition.

I remember one interesting incident.

The daughter of a rich advocate in Mathura was getting married to a foreign-returned, well-educated young man. The girl had also completed her M.A. The wedding ceremony was organized gorgeously.

In the lagna-mandap, the priest (Pandit) kept on asking the bride and the bridegroom to do several things, one after the other, as part of the ceremonial rituals. He was chanting some mantras in incomprehensive Sanskrit. He never bothered to see whether anybody was listening to him or not.

 All this had really bored the couple.

Unaware of this, the Pandit continued with - "Keep these many paise here with flowers, these many rupees there with rice grains", and what not!

Finally, the bridegroom interrupted him and humbly said that he was unable to understand what the Pandit was saying or doing and why?

The smart Pandit tried to pose as a guru and warned that interrupting him would be inauspicious, etc.

The young man then said - "Anyway, if you could pray to God on our behalf, why don't you also complete the rituals on our behalf. In the meantime we both will go out and take care of the guests who are waiting for us since long?"

Everybody around just laughed.

I had also gone to attend the wedding. This incident made me think seriously about the pitiable state of our rituals and customs.

What kind of social reformation and progress we would make if we can't even maintain the grace of important sacraments and convey the underlying teachings to our younger generation?

Why boast of our cultural heritage when we don't have the dignity to follow its values?

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 18)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Nov_Dec/v1.ShikhaSutra_II)  

What we now see everywhere and also follow in practice is mostly a mockery of our religion.

Look at the Kumbha Melas for instance!

Lots of crowds and commercial fan-fares! Hordes of people bathing in the rivers without even taking minimum care of hygiene; and instead, dirtying the holy rivers in an effort of purifying themselves!

Or the hordes of the so-called sadhus and sanyasis fighting with each other to have the honored privilege of taking the first dip into the sacred waters... and so on!

In their original form, the Kumbha Melas used to be the truly rare and auspicious occasions, of the majestic gatherings and conferences, of the great saints, sages and sincere devotees from all parts of India.

Disciples and other people used to reach there, despite all difficulties in traveling far distances, to be blessed by the nectar of knowledge, spiritual light and affectionate guidance, from the discourses and meetings of these noble masters, the saintly scholars and accomplished sadhaks.

Personal and social problems of the pilgrim-devotees used to be resolved by their eminent guidance; these altruist seers also used to focus on global problems and find amicable solutions for the welfare of the whole world, of all beings - men, women, birds, animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains, everything in the Nature.

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 17)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Nov_Dec/v1.ShikhaSutra_II) 

The japa of Gayatri Mantra with devotional meditation is carried out twice a day; preferably around the times of sunrise and sunset (this is also called sandhya vandan),

but the sutra (yagyopaveet, the symbol of Goddess Gayatri) is enshrined on the body all the twenty-four hours.

Doing japa or yagya, etc., has become a superficial ritual for most of us today, partly because we are not aware of their underlying philosophy and science, and partly because of our extrovert, selfish attitude, which always looks for materially gainful results.

We feel that doing this or that will bring worldly benefits, eliminate our sins, and what not!

Is this rational thinking?

Nothing will be bestowed upon you by doing all this.

Remember! Vedic scriptures do mention of miraculous effects and supernatural potentials associated with these sacraments, but these materialize only when we adopt the essential disciplines of sadhana connected with them.

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 16)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Nov_Dec/v1.ShikhaSutra_II)

The commencement of wearing of the sutra and tightening of the shikha at the time of initiation (diksha) into Gayatri sadhana is referred in the shastras as dwijatva - the second birth - and the one who wears the sacred thread (sutra) and keeps the shikha is called a dwija (born anew - as Brahmin).

That means: whatever family one may be born in, wearing the sutra is his second birth, which is that of a Brahmin.

What does that imply?

It conveys that the beginning of wearing the sutra symbolizes the initiation into the life of a true Brahmin.

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 15)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Nov_Dec/v1.ShikhaSutra_II)

Many people have great faith in doing havan (yajna or yagya).

This faith is inculcated in their minds since the childhood.

Havan is generally performed in every religious ceremony in the Hindu families.

But nobody knows about the intimate relation between yagya and yagyopaveet.

Yagya symbolizes noble deeds and yagyopaveet (sutra) indicates noble qualities that should be an integral part of a Brahmin's life.

Who is a Brahmin?

The one who strives for his inner enlightenment; who expects minimum from the society, and gives his best to the society. 

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 14)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Sept_Oct/ShikhaSutra/) 

The military officers wear different kinds of stars/stripes/badges as signs of their rank; the police uniform also has different kinds of badges stitched on it, which reflect the identity of the rank / post / state, etc. of the wearer.

If any police or army personnel is found guilty of deviating from his duties, the first punishment is that his medals and badges are taken away. This is like wiping out his identity. No penalty would be more painful to him than losing his uniform.

The Christians wear a cross; few people would know that even the custom of wearing necktie had begun as a mark of wearing the thread-symbol of the holy cross.

The Sikhs keep kirpan (tiny sword), comb, and maintain their hair uncut; they also wear a turban.

Then what do the Hindus have as a sign of their identity of being the followers of the Vedic religion?

If a Hindu has left shikha and sutra, should not he/she be regarded as someone who has disowned his religion?

Friends! I am not telling you to become fundamentalists.

But I am trying to make you aware of the importance of the symbols of our cultural dignity, which our forefathers, the great seers and sages, the scientists of yoga and spirituality, had invented.

These are not only the symbols of the eternal values and disciplines suitable for men and women of all ages, in all eras, but also have scientific and spiritual relevance.

I have mentioned about these in some of my articles.

I have also requested the parijans of the Gayatri Pariwar to propagate these teachings in scientific light, with logical justifications, during the yagyas and other religious ceremonies.

If we explain the meaning, purpose and importance of these sacred symbols of our faith, there is no reason why our children, our acquaintances, would not respect and adopt these basic symbols of the Vedic culture.

The Foundational Emblems of Indian Culture: Shikha and Sutra (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 13)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Sept_Oct/ShikhaSutra/)

If we go to some college and ask the students whether they wear the sutra, they would look at us blankly. They would not have even heard about it.

It is not their fault. We have never bothered to tell them about these things.

How will we explain the meaning and purpose behind these symbols when we ourselves don't know it?

We have just shunned such things as signs of superstitions, blind faith and backwardness.

The braided or tied hairs of women have at least preserved the custom of shikha.

But look at the boys; they may have long hair as per the fashion, but maintaining the shikha! Just don't talk about it!!

On one hand we are running blindly after modernity, and on the other, we have let ourselves entrapped in blind customs in the name of religion; for example, in many parts of the Indian society, girls / women are deprived of chanting or even knowing the Gayatri Mantra; they can't wear or even touch the yagyopaveet (sutra).