STRESS

AND

KULADEVATA
(THE FAMILY DEITY)

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
One of the varieties of stress is; one that results from
severance from the habitat or childhood atmosphere. In
our life this stress results because of being away from our
native place, family members, and childhood friends and
often neglected or ignored but important entity called
KULADEVATA i.e. family deity.

Most of us belonging to the Hindu way of life; have their

family deity and the temples of family deity in their
respective native places. The customs and traditions of
worshipping family deities differ some what, but in
essence; they involve; regular visit to the temples of the
family deities; especially on the occasion of yearly festivals
of celebration called jatra.

Many of us instinctively know; the kind of stress resulting

from the deprivation of habitat; and hence make a yearly
religious visit without fail; to the temple of
KULADEVATA, on the occasion of jatra.

In our early childhood we used to go to Walaval, where

there is a temple of our family deity Laxmi Narayan. We
traveled in our neighbor; Mr. Chintamni (fondly called
Chintu) Patankar’s hired; van like private vehicle.
The narrow brick red roads to Walaval; flanked by the
greenery, the water streams, the rivulets, the typical shacks
selling hot tea and bhaji (the smell of which percolated in
the atmosphere and titillated the olfactory sense and taste
buds), the houses with tiled roofs and lastly the temple of
Laxmi-Narayan (also called Dev Narayan) are still very
fresh in the memory.

The Laxmi Narayan temple is several centuries old and

there is a lake by its side. In those days; the lake appeared
fearsome as we did not know swimming and there was the
belief that at least one or two persons died in the lake! The
pujaris (the people appointed for worship of the deity); had
maintained the sanctity of the temple, which created a
sense of reverence and awe! These feelings and even the
taste of the simple; but fresh and hot food; served by our
distant relatives, linger in our minds even today.

But today we are under the stress of being away from our
habitat. Let us understand that being educated in alien
atmosphere, alien curriculum and alien ideology; boosts
and bloats our ego and disgruntlement. We then keep
grumbling about our literature, our deities, our history,
our capabilities and our future. We turn against our own
ancestors and culture as if they were villains and we are
heroes! Such self destructiveness; turns us away from the
loving ambience of our families and family deities. We
egoistically think that the family deity provided no
solutions (as if he/she was supposed to provide ones); and
hence is redundant and restricted to the temple. This
arrogance and disgruntlement itself is the hallmark of
stress resulting from the deprivation of habitat.

How can going back to this habitat physically and

intellectually be extremely pleasant and beneficial in Total
Stress Management?

Return to our families and family deities; is reunification of

ourselves with our emotional roots. We are introduced to
the family deity right from our birth. When no amount of
philosophy can work; or in fact can convert our young
minds into fanatic fascist robs; the introduction, familiarity
and actual participation in the rituals of KULADEVATA
enrich our habitat and ensure; individual and global
blossoming. This is how going back (if we are broken away)
to our family deity and physically and intellectually would
ensure Total Stress Management.

However the humility and openness; required for the

physical and intellectual return to KULADEVATA i.e.
family deity (and Total Stress Management); and
subsequent orientation to the cosmic consciousness;
becomes possible through the practice of NAMASMARAN.