E-Paper
?And nothing else matters
IT?S ALL a matter of faith that makes people believe in ?reaching? God by worshipping trees, animals, rivers etc. It is another matter that for many, faith is the route to fulfil wishes. Meet Sangeeta Gupta. She believes in the omnipresence of God and ascribes it to her faith in the Hindu mythology. ?It may be a tree or a river, if anyone gets some benefit faith for that is born,? Sangeeta says. She points out to the sacredness of the leaves of the mango and banana trees. ?Without these leaves no puja is complete,? she tells and talks about the medicinal value of the Tulsi.
IT’S ALL a matter of faith that makes people believe in ‘reaching’ God by worshipping trees, animals, rivers etc. It is another matter that for many, faith is the route to fulfil wishes.
Meet Sangeeta Gupta. She believes in the omnipresence of God and ascribes it to her faith in the Hindu mythology. “It may be a tree or a river, if anyone gets some benefit faith for that is born,” Sangeeta says. She points out to the sacredness of the leaves of the mango and banana trees. “Without these leaves no puja is complete,” she tells and talks about the medicinal value of the Tulsi.
Like Sangeeta, Rekha Gupta says that worship of the banana tree gives her immense pleasure. “I offer water to the banana tree every Thursday,” she says.
Rekha says it’s not only trees but rivers also play a crucial role in our lives.
She says that during ‘Chhath puja’ the Sun God is worshipped from the bank of the Ganga or other rivers. “The rivers become central to our homage to the Sun God,” she avers.
Asha Tripathi speaks about worshipping the banyan tree. “The puja of Vat Savitri is done to pray for the long life of the husband,” she says. “Similarly, without the Tulsi a house is incomplete,” she says. She adds that even for worshipping Lord Hanuman at the Panki temple a garland made of Tulsi is vital.
But, then why this faith in trees and rivers?
Asha says she saw her grandparents worshipping the tree, the cow and the Ganga. “My faith took birth at that time. Now, I have extreme faith in these things. It gives me peace and happiness,” she adds.
Neeta Awasthi says she got a cow with silver horns from her mother-in-law. She worships it to attain ‘moksha’.
“To escape the adverse effects of Saturn I offer water to the Peepal tree on Saturdays,” says Krishna.
Apart from faith, it is often the urge to keep a certain tradition alive that prompts people to worship certain things.
So, Madhuri in worshipping the Banyan tree keeps the tradition of her mother-in-law alive. But Madhuri says that when wishes are fulfilled faith takes a deeper root.
