A ritual is an extension of our habit. Often we follow rituals without understanding the real meaning behind them. But we believe in them. We know that some value is embedded within each ritual that our sensible ancestors created for us.  We also know, from our own experiences in life, how powerful such simple practices can prove to be.

Humility is one such value that can be nurtured by practicing these Indian rituals that were created centuries ago by our wise and far-sighted ancestors. 

Greeting people with Namaste, Jai Siya Ram or Jai Shri Krishna!

The word ‘Namaste’ has a lovely meaning: I worship the God residing within you.

Jai Siya Ram, Jai Shree Krishna, and other such greetings address a specific form of a God residing in others. It probably means we relate to the same concept of God.

A Mohiniattam dancer making a Namaste gesture

It does not matter whether we greet one another with a Namaste or Jai Shree Krishna as long as we acknowledge the divinity residing within the other person. Even for that one fleeting second that it takes to utter these words or phrases, we reinforce a belief within ourselves that God is universal – he is high up there in the vast expanse of the sky, but he is also there in the person we hate with all our heart this very moment!

My father believes that when we greet one another this way, half our communication and ego related problems are resolved. We are able to build bridges instead of egoistic walls around us. 

Sacrificing our hair at the Balaji temple of Tirumala Tirupati!

A new hair style can infuse confidence within us. People go bald to create a new fashion trend. When we look at our reflections in the mirror, we subconsciously check whether our hair is in order. 

Yet, we all know that all these superficial physical aspects can never hide or camouflage the mental and emotional turmoil that often plagues us. We struggle to cope with our relationships, our expectations of others and our own character traits. We know that we need to overcome the anger that arises out of our arrogance, ignorance, pride and/or our ego. But we do not know how to do so.

Tonsure or offering our hair at this world famous Balaji temple in Tirumala Tirupati is one way of overcoming our ego. Children, men, and women of all ages simply give up their hair, have their bath and enter the temple premises to worship this deity. There are many tales of this hair sacrifice and they are interesting to read too.

When we look at the people who come out of the temple with their clean shaven head, we can feel the difference in their personality.  They invariably emerge with renewed faith, more humility and are more at peace with their inner selves because they know that a higher guiding force is taking good care of them at all times. It takes a long while for the hair to re-grow to its original length. Good for us – because the impact of this simple ritual lasts for a long time and makes us reflect on our lives with humility.

The Sashtang Namaskar, Saranagati and falling at the feet of our elders!

No Hi or Hey or Hello or a raised hand or a slight 45-degree bow to greet our elders. No simply joining our hands in prayer and kneeling down in front of a higher force.

A ‘sashtang namaskar’ means we lie down flat on our bellies, face, nose, torso, and feet touching and facing the ground and pay our respects to God or to the seniors in our house. This simple gesture is also known as the ‘Saranagati’. In some temples, we will find people rolling around on their bodies hands held high up above their heads in prayer mode facing the deity and circumambulating the temple.

This, believe us when we say so, is a form of total surrender. The graver the personal crisis, the deeper the faith, the more total the form of surrender……..a ‘saranagati’ or a ‘sashtang namaskar’ will fill us up with humility and we muster the courage to let go of things that were not in our control anyway.

Such simple yet such intensely powerful rituals can infuse us with humility. Our ego can become the biggest hurdle in our life. Our ancestors knew the folly of succumbing to the whims and fancies of our ego – and in their eternal wisdom created such rituals to overcome our ego with humility.

And when we practice such rituals on a daily basis, we unconsciously keep our ego in check……. therein lies the beauty of these simple rituals.