A TIME FOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN OUR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES? - PART 1

A TIME FOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN OUR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES? PART-1

Thakur Ranjit Singh

Corona Virus and this lock down in our homes have taught us humans one great lesson about religion.

And that is that, as our forebears discovered and created our religion many centuries ago, the current crisis, Covid 19, has now forced us to REDISCOVER, RECREATE and RE-CALIBRATE that religion.

As an alien in Aamir Khans “PK” movie said, one God created us, and we created so many. 

I feel sorry for others whose religions are cast in stone and cannot be criticized, discussed or modified to be relevant with the changing times.

Thank God, I am a Hindu, and hence I do not even belong to a religion, AS HINDUISM IS A WAY OF LIFE. And that life lesson is relevant now and embraced by the world: NAMASTE, VEGETARIANISM and CREMATION.

But the most important aspect of Hinduism is our belief that CHANGE IS THE NATURE AND IS INEVITABLE. Hence it has evolved in Hinduism over centuries, and survived even in most difficult times.

When Moghuls invaded and ruled over India for some 700 years and British ruled over us for 300 years, it only made a small dent in our religion. 

On a smaller scale, my forebear Indians were shipped to Fiji as Indentured labourers 140 years ago. Despite Fiji being under Christian British rulers, our religion remained intact even after great efforts at conversion in very difficult times. This is because Hinduism is an evolving and adaptive way of life that holds on to its core values even in trying times. 

The greatest satisfaction FIJI PUNDIT has is that unlike dissenters and critics of other religions, my ass will not be blown to bits. Aamir Khan did not have a fatwa (ruling of death) against him for “insulting” Hinduism in his Bollywood blockbuster “PK”. He also steered clear of being critical of his own religion when he produced TV serial - Satyamev Jayate (truth shall prevail), critical of Hindus and our practices. But that is another story for another day.

Now, to Hinduism and need for a change. Unfortunately, we Fiji Hindus have been so immersed in Tulsidas’s interpreted version of Ramayan (in Hindi) that we missed many good episodes and lessons from the original Valmiki one.

Story of Ramayan in Tele-serial SIYA KE RAM is based on Valmiki Ramayan and reveals some episodes untold in Tulsidas's translated version. Some new things revealed are about Ashvamedh Yagn in Ram's childhood where he becomes a medium of change, Ram's sister Shanta, Ahilya uddhar where Ram touched Ahilya's feet with his fingers, and not using his foot, and story of Surpnakha, among others. This article and thoughts to challenge a system have been inspired by Ram's challenge of his Guru and father on outmoded ritual of Raghu Kul in sacrificing the horse of Ashvamedh Yagn.

Valmiki Ramayan reveal Lord Ram as a medium of change, not like many Hindus, who shield behind the mantra of “parampara” or tradition. Valmiki Ramayan speaks of Ashvamedh Yagn, a horse-sacrifice ritual in Ayodhya when Ram was still young and unmarried. (The only one we know about is in the Lav Kush episode).

When Ram returns from his Guru Kul (school), he (and an unmarried Sita) see this sacrifice as a cruel practice and puts a stop to it. Ram became a medium of change, challenging a cruel and outmoded Raghu Kul Reet - tradition. He was the medium of change that many of his devotees and other Hindus fail to muster courage to follow now. 

We Fiji-Waale Hindus may hardly have heard of this medium of change in character of Ram in the Tulsidas Ramayan. Hence, this Thakur, a devotee of Ram, is calling for change that Ram, oopar wala Thakur (God above) has courage to initiate and implement.

In olden days, over half a century ago in rural rustic and dusty Rarawai, Golflinks, Ba Fiji, we lived in extended families, and had our annual pooja.(Prayers). We had our local priests do the pooja and poor farmers gave whatever meagre savings they could muster, and gave small quantity of food items, dished out, often on a  brass plate. Pundits carried their own bags (jhori) and transferred rice, dhal, potatoes and sugar etc into their bags and returned the plate. They were never given pre-packed size in 500 grams or 1 kilogram packs.

This offering would be for livelihood of the Pundit who survived on this food. (Karamkandi, not dependent on a paid second job). It was NOT a ritual but a necessity for livelihood of Pundits. He would perform such pooja maybe three or four times in a week, and received enough supplies for his livelihood, and Dakchina (money) for other needs.

Fast forward this to modern New Zealand, Australia, Canada and USA where Fiji Hindus have migrated in large numbers. So have these pundits, but the culture of giving, in larger plastic basins, or larger pre-packed items, evolved. And these huge basins, which the Pundits take away, are many times the size of those small brass plates, and usually loaded with a lot more than what the priest and his family need to survive on. This is because he may do some 6-10 such Poojas in a day, or some 25 -30 in a week, on a rough conservative estimate. That over a year amounts to about a ton of flour, sharps and rice and truckloads of other things that are offered. These offerings are based on a tradition that started over a century ago in rural Fiji based on necessity of the LIVELIHOOD of the priest, and now seems to have developed in an outdated ritual.

Pooja and prayers at normal times required a Mandir and Pundits between you and your Gods. However, during Covid 19 lock down, our home was our Mandir and there was no middleman between you and your Gods. Should it remain so after the lock down? Is there a need for a middleman between you and your Gods? Do you need a Mandir to pray? You be the judge to answer these questions.

Indeed, it is a ritual, parampara that commenced as a necessity. Now many of such offerings are beyond the need-and hence generally goes to waste. Pundits have to buy bigger and bigger vehicles as they get “loaded’ with what we give in name of culture and parampara. (Someday else I will speak about 17th sanskaar during death-with mattresses and other worldly items given in name of out-dated tradition). I am NOT talking about money here - just FOOD ITEMS and clothes we give.

What do they do with it? How much can they eat and use? What happens to dhoti, towels etc? And do their modern children eat what we give in “seedha? (Offerings)

Do they all have big store-rooms to store tonnes of items they receive on a daily and weekly basis? Do they sell them? Do they distribute to other Mandirs who use them to feed its devotees? Do they distribute them to the needy? Are they doing so now when their “jajmaan” (‘clients’) may be out of jobs and need assistance? Are they eaten by insects, go to waste or get expired and thrown out? Should we continue with such offerings when they may be subjected to such shame and blatant disrespect? What do the scripture of these pundits say about such treatment of our offerings?

If my Lord Ram could challenge his Guru and father King Dashrath about Raghu Kul's outdated rituals and parampara, then why cannot I do the same.

There remain many unanswered questions and concerns.

You may say, what and why FIJI PUNDIT is talking about other Pundits?  

WAIT, WAIT -FIJI PUNDIT WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THIS IN PART 2 OF THIS ARTICLE - COMING SOON.........................


[About the Author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is a media commentator, a journalist, a community worker and a practicing Hindu who believes that change is inevitable. He subscribe to the principle that it is height of absurdity and gullibility to be shackled by outmoded and obsolete practices under the guise of parampara and tradition]