Dhanada K Mishra, Hong Kong, 8 August 2024
In this day and age ancient traditions rightly face scrutiny. The recent thread ceremony of my 11-year-old nephew in Bhubaneswar served as a poignant example of how timeless rituals can be reinterpreted and celebrated in a meaningful, inclusive way.
Like any 11-year-old my nephew was happily oblivious to the ceremony and the rituals surrounding it taken in by the occasion as would be the case for any boy of his age. Coming from England it must have felt like an interesting occasion for him surrounded by family, relatives, and friends, and he being the centre of attention. He couldn’t have guessed that a ceremony taken as routine and granted would be stirring deep and sometimes heated discussions among the adults present!
We come from a traditional Brahmin family and my father was a great believer and practitioner of the Brahminical tradition, which prioritised seeking and imparting knowledge. Earlier it used to be the traditional knowledge system related to religion, but our current generation has adapted well to modern education and knowledge systems. Naturally, we question the obscurantist and outdated ritual-oriented practices of the past. Being aware of the atrocities committed by the unscrupulous in the highly dominant caste system over the centuries, we are also very much conscious of our duty to undo the harm to the extent possible and reform ourselves. Thus, every traditional custom and ritual comes up against a healthy dose of debates and discussion – increasingly so from the next generation.
In this context, the thread ceremony, conducted by an Arya Samaj priest, stood in contrast to the views expressed by my son. My son had a similar ceremony in his youth but now, as a PhD scholar in philosophy, grapples with the perceived casteist undertones and other negative connotations of the ritual. However, the priest’s approach shed new light on the deeper significance of this age-old practice. It gave us new food for thought and an opportunity to re-examine this important subject.
The sannyasi (ascetic), Dayanand Saraswati, founded the Arya Samaj in the 1870s. It is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas to the exclusion of later-day literature, which introduced a lot of lot of rituals. I had not been too familiar with Arya Samaj and its work, but this occasion provided me with an opportunity to familiarise myself with its progressive ideas that bring a whiff of freshness into traditional practices of Hinduism.
Rather than adhering to outdated exclusionary norms, the priest emphasized the essential principles underlying the ceremony. A lady assistant was present to help the priest. He eloquently explained the symbolic meaning of all the steps that focused mainly on the essential spirit of the ceremony. He also explained the meaning of the three-stranded sacred thread, representing the threefold obligations or debt that individuals owe towards society, elders, and the divine. The first being towards society, which called for giving without expecting anything in return. The second is towards parents or elders, which requires giving them service (especially in their old age) to repay their debt, and finally to the divine or the guru, which requires sharing the knowledge and wisdom that you receive free of cost to all. The sacred thread is a constant reminder of these duties. This interpretation resonated with the gathered community, offering a fresh perspective on a ritual that has long been associated with rigid social hierarchies.
Crucially, the priest also underscored that these ceremonies are not the sole domain of Brahmins or men, but should be open to all. This inclusive stance challenges the notion that such traditions are inherently casteist or oppressive and instead presents them as opportunities for personal growth, community bonding, and the transmission of timeless values.
In a society where rapid modernisation often leads to the outright dismissal of long-held customs, my nephew’s thread ceremony serves as a poignant reminder that even the most seemingly archaic practices can be reinterpreted and revitalised to align with contemporary values of inclusivity and social progress.
The Arya Samaj priest’s nuanced approach, which emphasized the universal principles at the heart of the ritual, offers a valuable lesson. By embracing the positive aspects of tradition while adapting them to the needs of the present, we can ensure that age-old customs continue to hold relevance and meaning for generations to come.
The other aspect that one needs to remember is that religious customs are deeply personal and can do immense good if taken and practised in the right spirit. However, when religion becomes an organised mass ritual driven by blind faith and beliefs, it causes immeasurable damage as recorded by history.
My son kept asking my nephew whether he understood the meaning of ‘bratopanayan’ and why he was undergoing this ceremony. He was trying to prove the point that it is not useful for someone as young to be subjected to such rituals when he has not fully understood their meaning. Interestingly, when everyone was asking the young boy to observe several rules as a new brahmachari including ‘to always speak the truth’, he retorted by saying – “but you don’t observe these rules yourself”! It was a timely reminder to all of us elders that it is one thing to carry the sacred thread but quite another to discharge the sacred duties that come with it.
As my son’s philosophical contemplation on the ceremony’s implications suggests, there is undoubtedly room for critical examination and reform of certain practices. However, the experience of my nephew’s thread ceremony demonstrates that with empathy, open-mindedness, and a commitment to the greater good, even the most entrenched traditions can be reinterpreted and celebrated in a manner that uplifts and unites, rather than divides.
