DEITIES

RITUALS
MUHURTA
AND

PILGRIMAGE
DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
The ideas and forms; especially those of deities appear to
be created by individuals; but if we go deeper, then
realize that right from the conception, gestation, birth
and growth and development are nothing is a function of
that individual as such. In fact, even the genetic
constitution and the heredity of that individual is NOT
determined, decided and developed by that individual.

The case in point is that of ideas such as three hundred

and thirty million deities in Hindu Dharma!

Such ideas and their forms; is not a matter of ridicule

and laugh.

The emergence of three hundred and thirty million

deities; is through the recognition; by the seers of the
past; of the interrelationship between the time, space,
cosmos, solar system, peculiarities of different celestial
phenomena, their effects on life, circadian rhythms,
consciousness; and the ultimate culmination of life into
superliving i.e. self realization. This insight of the seers;
also forms the basis of auspicious times, days
(MUHURTA), horoscopes, different rituals, different
rituals involved in acculturation (SANSKARA), and
different ways of worshipping different deities for their
characteristic blessing (e.g. enlightenment and wisdom
from Ganapati and Saraswati ) for blossoming into
superliving.

As per the perception of the seers; the individual human

existence is but a miniscule of the universe or cosmos
(including the cosmic consciousness, time space etc), the
deities are cosmic entities with specific predilection or
correspondence and/or subtle relationship with specific
loci in human existence. The human beings are near
perfect replication and representation of the cosmic
being; the PURUSHA with all His attributes manifested
as PRAKRUTI. Hence worshipping deities is actually
rectifying, healing and empowering the corresponding
loci in an individual human existence through the
blessings of these deities; for superliving or self
realization in globally benevolent manner.

Strangely though; several Hindu scholars; by virtue of

their superficial study; (or because of being in an
enlightened state where nothing can influence them) have
criticized the some aspects of Hindu way of life and the
rituals as such.
It has to be noted that Hindu way of life; is logical and
step by step process of evolution towards superliving
(individual and global blossoming). Hence even though a
self realized soul may not need and/or appreciate the
importance these rituals and traditions and may
therefore criticize them; the vital role of Hindu rituals in
human civilization can not be denied.

This is why; even as Hindu philosophy talks about the

immortality of soul; still it prescribes the SANSKARA,
rituals, traditions, customs, conventions, different
worships, different auspicious days, times and so on; so
that a child grows, develops and evolves to the state of
self realization, which is being one with the immortal
cosmic soul; i.e. superliving; benevolent to universe.

Hence irrespective of the names and titles; the practice of

worshipping the deities; and following the rituals
conducive to superliving; would soon be globalized,
popular, sought after and practiced in every nook and
corner of the world; for holistic welfare of the world!

It is true that the legacy of the ancient seers has been

destroyed, distorted, adulterated and vitiated in many
ways due to several reasons; including brutal bloody
invasions, carnages and genocides by the barbaric
fanatics. Hence study and scrutiny of the legacy is
certainly required; but by honest and enlightened souls.
Because, if we are trained in mere rote, mechanistic,
reductionist and lopsided logical thinking and learning;
without evolving internally; (whether it is westernized
mainstream education or a traditional education as e.g. is
imparted in gurukul); then we fail to appreciate the
interrelationship between the time, space, cosmos, solar
system, peculiarities of different celestial phenomena,
their effects on life, circadian rhythms, and the ultimate
culmination of life into superliving i.e. self realization
and the importance of the phenomena such as; nyasa,
vyahruti, achaman, pranayama, deities and pilgrimage.

Due to our crudeness; we hate, ridicule, humiliate or at

best tolerate or consider the existence of these
phenomena; sympathetically. Sometimes by virtue of our
reading of literature with egalitarian socio-economic
materialistic perspective; we offer shallow explanations
for the existence and growth of these phenomena. In both
cases we knowingly or unknowingly ignore, neglect and
trivialize and/or vulgarize them and/or undermine their
sublime and pivotal role in the holistic blossoming of
individuals and human civilization.
Our seers in the past after having gone to the core of the
interrelationship between the time, space, cosmos, solar
system, peculiarities of different celestial phenomena,
their effects on life, circadian rhythms, and the ultimate
culmination of life into superliving i.e. self realization
evolved concepts such as nyasa, vyahruti, achaman,
pranayama, deities and pilgrimage. They probably
clearly recognized that the places of pilgrimage are the
conduits to self realization, wherefrom we collect the
vitality and vigor to ascend to our true SELF.

Hence pilgrimage has been considered a lofty and

meritorious activity and has been given tremendous
importance in terms of making them easily accessible,
improving the transport facilities, making their historical
and spiritual importance known to the visitors, and
maintaining and promoting their cleanliness, habitability
and sanctity. They established in the minds of the masses
that the pilgrimages are centers of civilization and must
be treated as such. They knew that the places of
pilgrimages are pivotal to our holistic health, total stress
management, simultaneous blossoming of one and all!
NAMASMARAN evolves, enlightens and enables us to
see, appreciate, scrutinize, verify and modify if
necessary; the wisdom of the seers of the past, who have
left behind the invaluable treasure of the legacy of
Ayurveda, Jyotish, Yoga, Smrutis and so on; and
participate in true individual and global welfare!