My first public publication of the year is about Hindu Traditional Knowledge. It is published at HinduPost on 9th May 2020. My writing activities have been very minimal recently. Hope, to write more in future.
BY: Amit Srivastava
May 9, 2020
We are
currently at a health crossroads triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sadly, the country of origin of the virus and international
institutions have failed to help the global community in stemming the
COVID-19 pandemic. The silver lining, however, is that practices and traditions in Hindu Dharma, that date back to several millennia, offer valuable guidelines
in dealing with this highly contagious virus. Since time immemorial,
Hindu dharmic society has survived several natural and human
disasters. Hence this makes it the only ancient civilization that is
not only thriving but also teaching life lessons and ways of living to
the rest of the world.
The unmatched community resilience of the Hindu community is deeply rooted in its ethos of nature worship.
Natural forces are not only revered as gods, but endemic flora and
fauna are also respected and worshiped. Over generations, through
careful observation of natural phenomena, Hindu scholars and community
elders have incorporated vital principles and practices which are
imperative to ensure protection and safety of people, stem the
community spread and distress caused by diseases. It is important to
note that such practices are found across the Hindu community
irrespective of their geographical location.
Namaste diplomacy
At the
time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global community has adopted several
Hindu practices in order to deal with viral infections and to maintain
social distancing norms. The very first Hindu adaptation was Namaste or
the traditional Bharatiya way of greeting a person with folded hands.
Since the Chinese government was unwilling to provide adequate and
accurate information about COVID-19, the rest of the world had little
reliable information about it. Initially, outside China, people only
knew that this virus spread from human to human by touch.
At this stage, world leaders began to avoid the handshake as a from of greeting and adapted the Hindu greeting, Namaste. Popularly termed as ‘Namaste diplomacy’ by the national and international media, videos of US President Donald Trump and Prince Charles of England using the Namaste instead of the handshake went viral on the Internet. Since Namaste doesn’t involve physical touch unlike the handshake, it was preferred during the pre-lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, US President Donald Trump asserted,
“We didn’t shake hands today, and we looked at each other and said what
we are going to do? It was sort of a weird feeling. We did this (joined hands). I just got back from India and I didn’t shake any hands there. It was easy.”.
The French president Emmanuel Macron has also adopted the Namaste. On March 11, 2020, the official Twitter handle of the French president announced,
“President Macron has decided to greet all his counterparts with a
namaste, a graceful gesture that he has retained from his India visit in
2018.’
While Namaste
diplomacy suddenly seemed politically correct, some leaders like the
British PM Boris Johnson did not practice this and instead shook
hands with COVID-19 patients as he visited them. Later, not
surprisingly, he too tested positive for COVID-19. It seems apparent
that Namaste is now the new hello and is slated to become a universally acceptable from of greeting.
Bharatiya knowledge systems and traditions: Embedded wisdom
Like other viral pandemics, the occurrence of COVID-19 happened when it was spring in Bharat. Since millennia, the vibrant Bharatiya knowledge systems and traditions
embedded in Hindu Dharma have been saving lives from zoonotic (a
disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals) and viral
diseases. Observing Navratri
during the transition of summer and winter, is a strategy to avoid
transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans by prohibiting consumption
of meat.
During Navratri,
Hindus observe fasting and are careful about the kind of food they
consume. This is believed to boost immunity and promote digestion.
Linking these traditional practices with religion not only widened their
acceptability but also made them important rituals to perform. Both Navratris
also overlap with the viral season, a time when viral flues occur.
Dietary restrictions and cleanliness are part of the celebrations which
are also meant to address emotional well-being of the individuals and
community.
Quarantine: A millennia-old Hindu tradition and practice
Quarantine
may be new for rest of the world, but for Hindus, especially those of
us from rural areas, it is woven into the fabric of our lives. In
fact, it is a traditional practice that dates back to 5000 years. Anyone born in a Hindu family in rural Bharat, is aware of the Hindu version of quarantine.
My chicken pox quarantine experience
My own experience is testimony to how intimately this practice is a part of our lives. I was born in a village in eastern Uttar Pradesh and spent the first few years of my life in a village in
western Bihar. I vividly remember my first quarantine experience when I
had chicken pox. After confirming the viral disease, my grandmother
took charge of arrangements, and ordered for desi quarantine methods.
Despite not having a separate room, I had to live in isolation. My bed was filled with fresh neem leaves and flowers.
Complete cleanliness and isolation was observed. All family members
had to abide by the dietary restrictions imposed. The use of masala
(spices) and frying were prohibited in cooking as the fumes might
irritate the nose and throat. However, the use of modern medicine
for the patient’s fever was permitted.
Unlike the widespread stigma and discrimination against people with infections today, I, the infected person wasn’t treated, discriminated against or hated, but rather, I was considered divine. Besides, no one was permitted to speak negatively about me. As soon as I recovered, there was Shitala Devi (an aspect of the Divine Mother who cures diseases, especially small pox and chicken pox) pooja (worship) and the family would then relish puri-gur (deep-fried bread made from wheat flour and jaggery) and channa (lentils) as prasad or sacred offering.
My Hindu
friends from different parts of Bharat confirmed the practice of the
same rituals in their households when children get infected with chicken
pox. In North Bharat, Goddess Kali or Shitala Devi Mata is worshiped as the Goddess who cures viral diseases. In South Bharat, the name is Maari Amman (Devi Parashakti).
Every village in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has a Maari Amman
temple. She is the guardian deity against plague and other pandemic
diseases. It is interesting to observe how perhaps the first ever
quarantine practice has endured for several millennia and saved the
Hindu population from countless pandemics.
Later,
the Romans and Christians too practiced quarantine for people with
leprosy by isolating them outside the town/city limits. Currently, quarantine is a short term public health measure to flatten the curve of contagious diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Availability of food during a pandemic
Availability
of food is another challenge to the national and local governments
while dealing with COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, no country has
reported any food shortage during this global biological disaster.
However, families in Europe, North and South America, and many Asian
countries rely heavily on local retail stores, as not all households in
these countries cook meals at home and store raw material for future
needs. Unlike other countries, almost all Bharatiya households cook
their meals in their home kitchen and store staple food grains for
future needs. Thus, Bharatiya households are self-reliant in
food in desperate situations. This tendency has also played a
significant role in the availability of food in Bharat during the
lockdown.
Besides
households, villages in Bharat were also independent units for
millennia. In addition to food, daily needs and services were also
available in each village. However, our modern life style and
consumption patterns have caused many changes in villages. Despite such
developments, Hindu households and villages are still self-sufficient
to a larger extent. This self-sufficiency could also be instrumental
in containing the spread of pandemic.
Cremation or the final samskara in Hindu Dharma is another ritual which is being practiced all over the world during the COVID-19 crisis.
This eliminates the virus and prevents its spread. However, there is
communal resistance from Muslim and Jewish communities around the world
who have resisted the practice. They have forced state and national
governments to permit them to bury the dead. However, this practice
poses the risk of infection for people living near burial grounds.
Along with these common household practices, Hindu priests and vaidyas (physicians) also practiced
inoculation or variolation – a method to treat small pox by using virus
from the pus of infected people. Later, vaccination was discovered
using that basic principle.
Lost traditions and wisdom
However, even within Bharat, there is a sharp decline in such invaluable Hindu practices. Urbanization has had a negative impact on Bharatiya knowledge systems and traditions.
Sadly, much of these practices have been forgotten in urban Bharat.
Rapid urbanization and senseless emulation of Western life style and
belief systems threatens to eclipse and erase what little remains.
Modern education, largely Eurocentric and Americentric, has inoculated young minds to reject everything that is Hindu. In
higher education, there is a targeted campaign by left-leaning
educationists against Hindu traditions in the name of a ‘rational &
liberal’ education approach. However, other faiths are not viewed
through a left-liberal lens. Religious conversions too have played an important role in elimination of such millennia-old life saving practices.
Despite
these serious dangers to our traditional knowledge systems, Hindu
traditions are proving their relevance during the pandemic crisis. Most
of us are aware about the appropriate code of conduct: social
distancing, quarantining and cremating the dead. Every such practice
is aimed to contain the spread of the disease. Perhaps that’s why our collective resilience is significantly higher in Bharat compared to other countries.
For
increasing immunity, Ayurveda and Yoga are also very important
practices. Basic principles of Ayurveda and Yoga are meant to be
followed as lifestyle of a Hindu individual.
The
rationale of Hindu traditional knowledge system is not only limited to
human beings but also covers the rest of the natural world. Sustainable
development might be a new concept for the rest of the world, but Hindu
society has always practiced it through conservation and controlled use
of natural resources. In the post COVID-19 scenario, consumerism and
rampant exploitation of natural resources will no longer work. A
holistic approach based on Bharatiya knowledge systems and traditions
for personal and collective well-being is the way forward.
Source:
https://www.hindupost.in/society-culture/pandemic-pause-lessons-from-hindu-traditions-and-practices/
