RITUALS
A ritual is defined as a religious ceremony
consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order
It is also defined as the
performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by tradition or by sacerdotal decree.
It is further described as a
specific, observable mode of behaviour exhibited by all known societies.
Some modern saints and sages having a rational, evidence-based mindset don’t believe in old rituals. They regard
them as superstitious based on blind faith.
In a song contained in his book of songs
titled Gitanjali, the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) says to a
temple priest: “Leave this chanting and telling of beads! Whom dost thou
worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine
eyes and see thy God is not before thee! He is there where the tiller is
tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking stones. He is with
them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust. Put off thy
holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil !
The Indian saint, mystic and
devotional poet Kabir (1398-1518) was a devotee
of Lord Rama but did not see him in any personal form or attributes.
Here are some of his devotional
lines:
“The harp gives forth murmurous
music,
And the dance goes on without hands
and feet.
It is played without fingers, it is
heard without ears;
For He is the ear, and He is the
listener.
The gate is locked but within there
is fragrance;
And there the meeting is seen of none.
The wise shall understand it.”
Finally,
his affidavit-like words:
I do all works, yet I am apart from
all works.
Few comprehend my meaning:
He who can comprehend it, he sits
unmoved
Kabir seeks neither to establish nor
to destroy.”
******
G.R.Kanwal
1st December 2025
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