Three Most Common Indian Rituals and their Meaning

One thing India is most known for is its rituals. You will find as many sets of traditions and rituals as their are cultures and religion in India. Although most of us follow these rituals, the are more often than not, done blindly. So why we do it and what is the significance of these rituals.

Let us look at three of the most widely practiced rituals in India.

1. Namaste
This is what has become the symbol of India to the outside world. The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and head is bowed along with saying Namaste. Namaste in Sanskrit is a conjugation of two words Namah + Te = Namaste. It means I bow to you. It has a spiritual significance of reducing the ego of a person. The Joining of palms has different meaning to it. It recognizes that the life force, the divinity, self and the lord are all one and the same. The bowing of head is saluting the divine being that is present in the person we are meeting.

2. Why Do We Ring Bells In a Temple
Too many versions of why we ring the bell in Temple are prevalent today. Some say it is to let the God know that we are here. Some are of the belief that it is done to ask permission to enter the pious premises of his abode. People also go to the extent of saying that it is wake up the god. If we consider what we believe god to be, all the above reasons seem absolutely absurd. God doesn't needs to woken up or informed, neither do we need permission to enter abode of God as he is present everywhere. So why do we ring the bell. It has to do more with the atmosphere than God. Ringing the bell creates the sound of Om, the universal name of the Lord. Listening to this sound purifies our within and outside. It also removes any disturbances and creates inner peace.

3. Why do we say Shaanti thrice
Shaanti literally means peace. We often misinterpret that to attain peace we have to do many strenuous things. In fact it is just the opposite way. To attain peace, we have to actually do nothing. Just sit in silence with closed eyes and thinking nothing; and instantly we are capsuled by an atmosphere of peace. But the problem is that in today's world, there are too many elements both inside and outside to shake that peaceful atmosphere away. To combat these elements, we make use of the physical form of peace, that is the word Shaanti. We speak Shaanti thrice to emphasize our deep desires for peace. The loudness comes down with every chant of the word. The first time is chanted out aloud, addressing the unseen forces. It is softer the second time, targeted to the immediate surroundings, and the last one is the softest, intended for oneself.