‘What is the purpose of Hindu practices, and what view of the world do they reveal? Answer with regard
to several forms of Hindu religious practice.’ W.C: 1580
Hindu practices, which shall be defined as acts of worship or respect, often in a ritualised setting, have a
wide range of purposes, and reveal different views depending on the context of their enactment. As a
result, this essay shall establish that there is not one singular purpose to these practices, as acts of worship
are wholly influenced by the time period, devotee/s and place in which they are performed, thus making
each instance unique. This conclusion shall become clear through the exploration of the themes and
structures of purity, the caste system, traditional rituals, wider Hindu philosophy and the different forms of
worship, which demonstrate that Hindu practices cannot be attributed to a single label.
As will be made clear by the varying examples of Hindu practices that shall be discussed in this essay, Hindu
practices are a tricky category to label. This is as the term ‘practices’ is used to describe a wide range of acts
in relation to that which is considered ‘Hindu,’ another complexity in itself, which shall not be delved into in
this essay. ‘Practices’ can range from describing daily puja, an individual’s frequent worship which has many
elaborate yet necessary stages, to more socially central events, such as the upanayana ceremonies, which
mark a high-caste boy’s transition into manhood. Further still, the term is intertwined with marriage
conventions, which tend to mark the Hindu woman’s most important transition, and influence the choice of
her life-partner, date and place of marriage, and reception by the wider community (such as due to purity
and caste-system values). Therefore, it is clear that the term ‘Hindu practices’ is somewhat inefficient in
conveying the socio-political, historical and religious implications of the events and acts it attempts to
describe. This means that attempting to elucidate an overall purpose to these practices, which in of
themselves are ineffectively defined, will inevitably be fruitless. This is something that ought to be kept in
mind during the rest of this essay: there is certainly no single purpose to these practices, in the same way
that there is no one act of worship or initiation that is representative of Hindu practice as a whole.
With this in mind, one purpose of these practices is to promote purity and cleanliness, which further
reveals a greater socio-political implication. As exemplified in the preliminaries of the daily puja, purity,
both internally and externally, is a key part in Hindu practices. For example, the preparatory rites are
performed with the explicit aim of purification, of the devotee, place of puja, and the instruments which
will be used in the worship.1 These include the ‘acamana’ (sipping of water), which aims for internal
purification of the devotee,2 the sprinkling of water, which intends to rid both the devotee and instruments
of worship of evil and pollution,3 and the rite for taking the seat, which banishes dark spirits.4 Similarly,
worshippers will often be barred from temples whilst grieving, after giving birth, or during menstruation,
due to the belief that these events pollute the individual, and would thus disrupt the purity of the temple. 5
As such, it is clear that Hindu practices often involve purification rites, in an attempt to maintain internal
spiritual, and external physical cleanliness, demonstrating one of the many purposes of these actions.
1
Bühnemann, Gudrun. Pūjā: A Study in Smārta Ritual. Vienna: Institut für Indologie der Universität
Wien, Sammlung De Nobili, 1988. Pg65.
2
Ibid., pg65.
3
Ibid., pg85.
4
Ibid., pg75.
5
Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Pg219.
to several forms of Hindu religious practice.’ W.C: 1580
Hindu practices, which shall be defined as acts of worship or respect, often in a ritualised setting, have a
wide range of purposes, and reveal different views depending on the context of their enactment. As a
result, this essay shall establish that there is not one singular purpose to these practices, as acts of worship
are wholly influenced by the time period, devotee/s and place in which they are performed, thus making
each instance unique. This conclusion shall become clear through the exploration of the themes and
structures of purity, the caste system, traditional rituals, wider Hindu philosophy and the different forms of
worship, which demonstrate that Hindu practices cannot be attributed to a single label.
As will be made clear by the varying examples of Hindu practices that shall be discussed in this essay, Hindu
practices are a tricky category to label. This is as the term ‘practices’ is used to describe a wide range of acts
in relation to that which is considered ‘Hindu,’ another complexity in itself, which shall not be delved into in
this essay. ‘Practices’ can range from describing daily puja, an individual’s frequent worship which has many
elaborate yet necessary stages, to more socially central events, such as the upanayana ceremonies, which
mark a high-caste boy’s transition into manhood. Further still, the term is intertwined with marriage
conventions, which tend to mark the Hindu woman’s most important transition, and influence the choice of
her life-partner, date and place of marriage, and reception by the wider community (such as due to purity
and caste-system values). Therefore, it is clear that the term ‘Hindu practices’ is somewhat inefficient in
conveying the socio-political, historical and religious implications of the events and acts it attempts to
describe. This means that attempting to elucidate an overall purpose to these practices, which in of
themselves are ineffectively defined, will inevitably be fruitless. This is something that ought to be kept in
mind during the rest of this essay: there is certainly no single purpose to these practices, in the same way
that there is no one act of worship or initiation that is representative of Hindu practice as a whole.
With this in mind, one purpose of these practices is to promote purity and cleanliness, which further
reveals a greater socio-political implication. As exemplified in the preliminaries of the daily puja, purity,
both internally and externally, is a key part in Hindu practices. For example, the preparatory rites are
performed with the explicit aim of purification, of the devotee, place of puja, and the instruments which
will be used in the worship.1 These include the ‘acamana’ (sipping of water), which aims for internal
purification of the devotee,2 the sprinkling of water, which intends to rid both the devotee and instruments
of worship of evil and pollution,3 and the rite for taking the seat, which banishes dark spirits.4 Similarly,
worshippers will often be barred from temples whilst grieving, after giving birth, or during menstruation,
due to the belief that these events pollute the individual, and would thus disrupt the purity of the temple. 5
As such, it is clear that Hindu practices often involve purification rites, in an attempt to maintain internal
spiritual, and external physical cleanliness, demonstrating one of the many purposes of these actions.
1
Bühnemann, Gudrun. Pūjā: A Study in Smārta Ritual. Vienna: Institut für Indologie der Universität
Wien, Sammlung De Nobili, 1988. Pg65.
2
Ibid., pg65.
3
Ibid., pg85.
4
Ibid., pg75.
5
Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Pg219.
