There is no religion in this world without rituals. Though many modern societies claim to be secular, religion and rituals are still found everywhere; it persists in individual beliefs, in communities, and in countries. Religion or faith in the unknown remains a fundamental aspect of human experience. Even in the most secular societies like the United States, faith in the Almighty still plays a profound role. The U.S. dollar note publicly proclaims in bold letters “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

The word ‘Religion’ itself is most likely derived from the Latin root religare, a verb meaning “to fasten or bind.” When people gather together to attend any ritual, be it a mass at a church or a congregation in a temple, they are often energized and motivated by the feeling of togetherness which they then carry beyond the ritual and into their daily lives. Their shared feeling of community fuels their actions in the world at large.

Technological advancements and the growing hunger for material comforts, cultivated and perpetuated by advertising and effective marketing, have considerably influenced our perspectives on religious rituals.Many people simply do not believe in our rituals and often dismiss rituals as primitive and unnecessary for modern living. Understandably, many people are dissatisfied with this religion which has to be purely a matter of belief; they need proof for what we believe in. We also find a section of people indifferent to any spiritual, religious or ritualistic activity.

Many of the rituals are not written down. They have been handed down as practices by ancient sages. One has to trust them. The great Sage of Kanchi offers the following explanation and advice:

“How can anyone claim, as a matter of right, that all subjects ought to be brought within the ken of human reasoning? Man is but one among countless creatures.

Take for instance the experiments conducted by a physicist in his laboratory. Does a cow understand them? If the scientist formulates certain laws on the basis on his experiments, does the cow say that “These laws of physics do not exist”? But how do humans ignorant of physics get to know about such laws? They trust the statements made by people proficient in the subject. To illustrate, take the example of any common appliance. Let us assume that you are told that it works on the basis of certain principles of science. Don’t you accept these principles by observing how the appliance works? In the same way we must have faith in what great men say about the Vedas, great men who live strictly adhering to the Sastras. We must also place our faith on our scriptures on the basis of the fruits or benefits yielded by them, the benefits we directly perceive. One such “fruit” is still there for all of us to see. It is Hinduism itself, the religion that has withstood the challenges of all these millennia. Hinduism, being most ancient, has probably produced more great men than any other faith.

People have been rewarded with the highest inner well-being [the highest bliss] as a result of their faith in the Vedic tradition. Rituals (called samskAras) are aimed at developing the eight inner values (Atma guNa’s), which are: Compassion (dayA), patience (kshamA), free from jealousy (anasooyA), purity (soucham), keeping cool (anAyAsam), not being miserly (akArpaNyam), absence of attachment (aspruhA), and peace (mangaLam). All these are positive qualities to be developed in a human being not only for an individual’s well-being but also for the welfare of the community. Aren’t these highly relevant today?

Think it over!