Baseless Practices in Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. Before Hinduism, the practiced religion was called Sanatan Dharm. There are many practices prevalent in Hinduism. Below we will find out what common practices are followed in Hinduism and whether these practices have any basis, or are they completely arbitrary.

The religious practices of the sacred Hindu faith include:

1. Puja (Worship): Hindus perform worship rituals at home or in temples, offering prayers, flowers, incense, and food to deities.
2. Yajna (Fire Rituals): Fire ceremonies are conducted to make offerings to various deities, seeking their blessings and guidance.
3. Meditation (Dhyana): Hindus engage in meditation practices to attain spiritual insight, peace, and connection with the divine.
4. Pilgrimage (Tirtha Yatra): Visiting sacred sites, temples, and rivers considered holy, such as Varanasi, Rishikesh, and the Ganges, is an essential part of Hindu religious practice.
5. Fasting (Vrata): Fasting on specific days or during religious festivals is believed to purify the body and mind and demonstrate devotion to the gods.
6. Recitation of Scriptures (Japa): Chanting or repeating sacred texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and mantras is a common practice among Hindus.
7. Seva (Service): Serving others, especially those in need, is considered a form of worship and a way to express devotion to the divine.
8. Celebration of Festivals: Hindus celebrate numerous festivals throughout the year, such as Diwali, Holi, Navaratri, and Durga Puja, which involve prayers, rituals, and community gatherings.
9. Dharma (Righteous Living): Following the principles of dharma, which include duties, moral values, and ethical conduct, is central to Hindu religious life.
10. Satsang (Spiritual Discourses): Attending spiritual discourses, lectures, and gatherings where teachings from scriptures and saints are shared is a way to deepen one's understanding of Hindu philosophy and spirituality.

Why is it important to highlight arbitrary practices? It is so because Shrimad Bhagavad Gita chapter 16 verse 23 and 24 are very clear in saying that those who perform arbitrary practices do not attain any happiness, spirtual powers nor salvation. What is the purpose of doing any worship if one cannot achieve spiritual gains, happiness and salvation. It is therefore vital that one performs scripture based worship. The practices mentioned below are very prevalent in Hinduism and are completely arbitrary and therefore useless.

1. Pilgrimage | Tirth

It is a common practice in Hinduism to visit places of pilgrimage. The most common ones are like visiting Kedarnath, Vaishno Devi shrine, going to Haridwar for a holy dip in the ganges etc. In the puranas various type of pilgrimages have been mentioned but when one reads the intricacies of these texts, one realises that visiting pilgrimage places is utterly futile. The way these places of pilgrimage formed in the first place is sometimes very interesting but then it became a tradition to visit these places and later on various religious beliefs started attaching to these pilgrimages based on hear say information. The fact however remains, that doing such pilgrimages is totally useless.

Having a holy dip in the ganges is considered as one of the most favoured pilgrimages. Shrimad Devi Bhagwad Purana however, says that a Chitta Shuddhi Tirtha is far better than taking a holy dip in the ganges. Thus the Purana itself reduces the credibility of any other type of pilgrimage as well as ganga tirtha. In fact, Chitta Shuddhi Tirtha has been described as the best pilgrimage. Readers are advised to read up on the Chitta Shuddhi Tirtha by visiting the link given above.

2. Observing Fasts

Shunned by the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 16, the practice of observing fasts is completely useless. Keeping fasts however, is one of the most common practices followed in Hinduism. Majority of Hindus fast, some do it weekly while others do it on special festivals and occassions. Karwa Chauth is one such fast which wives observe for the long life of their husbands. They don't eat  from dawn to dusk until they can see the moon and then only they break their fast. Likewise, there are other fasts where people do not even consume water all day let alone eat anything. These practices are being followed by tradition. There is no scriptural basis for these fasts but people observe without questioning them.

Bhagavad Gita on the other hand clearly says that the worship of a person who does not eat, can never be successful. Likewise it says that those who eat a lot or sleep a lot or do not sleep at all, are also following a futile practice. One needs to question the customs they follow rather than observe them blindly.

3. Offering food to deceased ancestors | Shraadh

Another pointless and completely arbitrary practice prevalent amongst hindus is observing shraadhs. This too is denounced by Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 25. Doing Shraadhs is followed in Hinduism and is observed on a yearly basis after the soul of a person has left for the heavenly abode. Heavily promoted by temple priests, this is one practice no one misses as it is only performed once a year. The belief is that by doing a shraadha on earth, the soul will get food for the whole year in the heaven. It is a ritual whereby a priest is given food and money and then it is believed that the food will reach the deceased ancestors in the heaven. 

There is a story of Ruchi Rishi in Markandeya Purana. Ruchi Rishi was practicing worship as per the vedas. One day, his ancestors appeared before him and urged him to do Shraadha. On this Ruchi Rishi said that doing Shraadh is a useless practice as per the vedas. The ancestors also agreed to his statement but still beseeched him to perform shraadh as they were hungry in the pitra lok. The key point here is that even Ruchi Rishi knew that doing Shraadha was an arbitrary practice and therefore he was not doing them as he was following scripture based worship. You can read the Story of Ruchi Rishi.

4. Recitation of Arbitrary Mantras

Reciting the name of God is one of the most important spiritual practice. Reciting a mantra is paramount to a successful worship. It works like a key to the spiritual world. A devotee is supposed to recite or chant the mantra and collects its earnings. At the time of death, these earnings become a deciding factor as to where a soul goes and the next life it gets whether it is in heaven or another life form on earth.

The crucial thing in this worship is the mantra. One needs the correct mantra of the God so as to reap the benefits of the worship. What is that correct mantra? As Vedas and Shrimad Bhagavad Gita are the pre-eminent scriptures of Hinduism, one should only follow these when it comes to learning about the mantras of God. What do the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita say about the mantras of recitation of God's name?

In Vedas and Shrimad Bhagavad Gita there is one mantra "Om" which has been professed. It is imperative to say that there is no mention of mantras like Hare Ram, Hare Krishna, Radhey Radhey, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namoh Bhagvate Vasudevaya etc. either in the Vedas or the Gita. Even the Gayatri Mantra does not have the word Om in front of it. These are all useless mantras.

Apart from Om, and Om Tat Sat, there are no mantras which the scriptures of Hinduism describe. Read more to learn about Om Tat Sat.

5. Forced Meditation | Hathayoga

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 verse 5 and 6 clearly say that those who do forced meditation are of demoniac nature and torment the deities and the Supreme God dwelling in the human body.

Forced meditation or tapasya or as Bhagavad Gita describes it as ghor tap is also called Hatha yoga or doing yoga by forcibly aquiring a posture and causing oneself pain in order to reap higher spiritual gains. This is how Lord Shiva is portrayed as sitting in deep meditation. Likewise, Gorakhnath is also shown to be sitting in a similar demeanour while practising penance. This is exactly what has been shunned in Bhagavad Gita.

Bhagavad Gita does not endorse the practice of doing intense meditation (ghor tap), rather it calls this practice arbitrary which causes pain to the deities residing in various chakras in the human body.

Conclusion:

There are various practices prevalent in Hinduism which are just being followed due to tradition rather than any concrete scriptural basis. Most of these if not all, are downright useless and are a cause of misery. As per Bhagavad Gita, worship or practices that are not based on scriptures are a waste of effort and should not be followed. Only true worship should be done by acquiring a true mantra from a true saint, then only the worship is frutiful and grants supreme peace, happiness and salvation. 

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