7 Common Superstitions in India and their Possible Explanation
Hinduism is one of the oldest religion. Hinduism is followed by about 1.08 billion people Worldwide(15% of the world's population). 79.8% of Indians are Hindu. The Upnishads (Vedic Texts) are some of the proofs that Hinduism is the oldest religion. The Preachers of Hinduism were so intelligent that even today we have problem understanding in many of the rituals and rules made by them.
The rules and rituals set by our ancestors were so scientific that we had no idea about. Today even the scientists are proving that whatever the rituals that we follow are mostly right. Here are some superstition or rules made by the ancestors few of which were suitable for that period, few are natural things and few have even been proven by science.
Personal grooming is the best way to maintain hygiene. Nail cutting, hair cutting, and well dressing improve self-respect and you stay healthy. In India, there is a superstition that we should cut nails after sunset. It is still practiced due to lack of knowledge and illiteracy.
Our ancestors followed this practice because there was no light or very low light and the cutting tool was not safe. So, while cutting nails one can easily get hurt. Therefore, this practice was followed but now the world has developed so much. We have white and bright lights and nail cutters that are way safer than anything used in those times.
So, there is no logic that we should not cut nails after sunset in this modern world.
Keeping our surrounding clean is the next step in personal hygiene. Sweeping the floor is one way to clean our house. Sweeping after sunset is considered bad and the reason specified is that if we sweep after sunset Goddess Laxmi will get upset and one will have a financial loss.
As stated in the above explanation, there used to be very less light after sunset and everyone at that time used to wear gold jewelry. So, if some item of gold would be on the floor it would not be noticed while sweeping and it will be thrown away. Hence, resulting in financial loss.
So, this practice has also become obsolete due to the abundance of light and rarity of gold.
Glass has a very old history dated almost 7018 Years(5000 BC + 2018 AD) back. But it took 5000 years to create something from a glass. Around 1000AD glass become available for common people. But it was too costly to afford.
Therefore, when a glass item was broken it would take a fortune to buy a new one. So, our ancestors made a practice of keeping glassware safe by developing fear in them about 7 years of bad luck. Now, this is a mere superstition because now glasswares are not that costly.
In Hinduism, all the dead bodies are burnt on a river bank as a ritual. The ritual that was followed after burning the body was to shave heads and bathe in the river. Many of the people thought that shaving head was actually a way to show grievance and respect.
But our ancestors were too smart. The actual reason for shaving the head was that in earlier days bodies were burnt on woods and the ashes would go up and then fall on everyone. So, there are some germs that cannot be destroyed by heat. They reside on our body and whenever burn a body those germs stick to hairs and heads of the person standing there.
Now the world has changed. Woods have become costly due to deforestation and it takes a huge amount of time to complete the whole ritual. Now, the electric furnace has taken place. It's cheap and time-saving. One more benefit is that it is equipped with precipitators and the chimneys are very high. So all the germs theory do not apply in this case.
In India, snakes are considered the messenger of Lord Shiva. But when we see a snake in our living surrounding we kill it, irrespective of the fact that it is venomous or not.
There is a common practice to crush the head of the snake after killing it or to kill it by crushing its head. As we have seen some Bollywood movies and many have told that the snake that we kill takes a pic in his eyes. His partner comes in search of him and then sees the picture and starts to take revenge.
The real explanation is totally different. Even after the snake dies its fangs and venom are still dangerous and it can still cause damage to anyone. So, crushing its head crushes its fangs and the venom pouch thus neutralizing it.
Fasting in Hindu religion is held at a high standard. Whenever a festival comes people start preparing to do fasting. According to them if one does fast on a festival then the respective God will become happy and will grant any wish that he wishes for.
That is simply not the case. Fasting is done to remove all the harmful things that are stored in our body. Our ancestors knew the science behind fasting but were not able to get everyone to follow this practice. So, they came up with a plan of giving it a religious touch. Then everyone started to follow the Trend.
The cow is a very religious animal according to Hindus. We treat a cow as our mother. The rest of the world didn't know why? But now even science came up with some amazing fact that proved why we worship the cow.
According to a scientific research,
There are still some superstitions in India that have no such lead which is worth following. Many superstitions are now outdated but because of lack of proper knowledge, we are still following them like puppets.
We need to question why we are following them and what will happen if we do not follow them. I am sure many of us do not have any proper explanation. We have been following just because we are told and when we rebel we get a scolding or a few slaps.
It's our time challenge the world that used to revolve around old thoughts and tradition.
Comment below and let me know.
If I found something interesting I will make part 2.
Follow, Share, and Like.
The rules and rituals set by our ancestors were so scientific that we had no idea about. Today even the scientists are proving that whatever the rituals that we follow are mostly right. Here are some superstition or rules made by the ancestors few of which were suitable for that period, few are natural things and few have even been proven by science.
1. Cutting Nails after sunset is frowned upon.
 |
| Clara Campos Castelló via photopin (license) |
Personal grooming is the best way to maintain hygiene. Nail cutting, hair cutting, and well dressing improve self-respect and you stay healthy. In India, there is a superstition that we should cut nails after sunset. It is still practiced due to lack of knowledge and illiteracy.
Our ancestors followed this practice because there was no light or very low light and the cutting tool was not safe. So, while cutting nails one can easily get hurt. Therefore, this practice was followed but now the world has developed so much. We have white and bright lights and nail cutters that are way safer than anything used in those times.
So, there is no logic that we should not cut nails after sunset in this modern world.
2. Sweeping the floor after sunset is bad.
 |
| Photosightfaces Cleansing via photopin (license) |
Keeping our surrounding clean is the next step in personal hygiene. Sweeping the floor is one way to clean our house. Sweeping after sunset is considered bad and the reason specified is that if we sweep after sunset Goddess Laxmi will get upset and one will have a financial loss.
As stated in the above explanation, there used to be very less light after sunset and everyone at that time used to wear gold jewelry. So, if some item of gold would be on the floor it would not be noticed while sweeping and it will be thrown away. Hence, resulting in financial loss.
So, this practice has also become obsolete due to the abundance of light and rarity of gold.
3. The breaking of Glass brings Seven Years of Bad Luck.
 |
| Neil. Moralee A pane in the glass. via photopin (license) |
Glass has a very old history dated almost 7018 Years(5000 BC + 2018 AD) back. But it took 5000 years to create something from a glass. Around 1000AD glass become available for common people. But it was too costly to afford.
Therefore, when a glass item was broken it would take a fortune to buy a new one. So, our ancestors made a practice of keeping glassware safe by developing fear in them about 7 years of bad luck. Now, this is a mere superstition because now glasswares are not that costly.
4. Shaving Heads after burning a dead body.
 |
| SeeBeeW LR_-8674 via photopin (license) |
In Hinduism, all the dead bodies are burnt on a river bank as a ritual. The ritual that was followed after burning the body was to shave heads and bathe in the river. Many of the people thought that shaving head was actually a way to show grievance and respect.
But our ancestors were too smart. The actual reason for shaving the head was that in earlier days bodies were burnt on woods and the ashes would go up and then fall on everyone. So, there are some germs that cannot be destroyed by heat. They reside on our body and whenever burn a body those germs stick to hairs and heads of the person standing there.
Now the world has changed. Woods have become costly due to deforestation and it takes a huge amount of time to complete the whole ritual. Now, the electric furnace has taken place. It's cheap and time-saving. One more benefit is that it is equipped with precipitators and the chimneys are very high. So all the germs theory do not apply in this case.
5. Crushing Snake's Head after Killing it.
 |
| Rushen! Psammodynastes pulverulentus, Common mock viper - Nam Nao National Park via photopin (license) |
In India, snakes are considered the messenger of Lord Shiva. But when we see a snake in our living surrounding we kill it, irrespective of the fact that it is venomous or not.
There is a common practice to crush the head of the snake after killing it or to kill it by crushing its head. As we have seen some Bollywood movies and many have told that the snake that we kill takes a pic in his eyes. His partner comes in search of him and then sees the picture and starts to take revenge.
The real explanation is totally different. Even after the snake dies its fangs and venom are still dangerous and it can still cause damage to anyone. So, crushing its head crushes its fangs and the venom pouch thus neutralizing it.
6. Fasting is done for God.
 |
| Abee5 LordKrishnasMarvelousLeelas (28) via photopin (license) |
Fasting in Hindu religion is held at a high standard. Whenever a festival comes people start preparing to do fasting. According to them if one does fast on a festival then the respective God will become happy and will grant any wish that he wishes for.
That is simply not the case. Fasting is done to remove all the harmful things that are stored in our body. Our ancestors knew the science behind fasting but were not able to get everyone to follow this practice. So, they came up with a plan of giving it a religious touch. Then everyone started to follow the Trend.
7. The cow is held at a higher ground that all the other animals.
 |
| torstenbehrens 20180521-201021 - Cow Evening Bokeh via photopin (license) |
The cow is a very religious animal according to Hindus. We treat a cow as our mother. The rest of the world didn't know why? But now even science came up with some amazing fact that proved why we worship the cow.
According to a scientific research,
- The cow is the only animal whose urine has the capacity for healing cancer and leprosy.
- Cow's milk is easily available and in abundance. It also has good nutritional value.
Summing Up
There are still some superstitions in India that have no such lead which is worth following. Many superstitions are now outdated but because of lack of proper knowledge, we are still following them like puppets.
We need to question why we are following them and what will happen if we do not follow them. I am sure many of us do not have any proper explanation. We have been following just because we are told and when we rebel we get a scolding or a few slaps.
It's our time challenge the world that used to revolve around old thoughts and tradition.
If we do not Question we will never Know.What more superstitions you follow in your family?
Comment below and let me know.
If I found something interesting I will make part 2.
Follow, Share, and Like.
This is something like 'very much needed' information that every indian (atleast) should know. Contents that are enlightening are very hard to find, All Thanks to you for keeping it simple yet informative ☺️. You are doing amazing work. Keep writing ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank You very much. I will always keep it simple. Keep Smiling :)
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