Shri tks sir and Shri Nara sir,
I am happy and surprised that one small remark of mine (viz., that Atheism is also a belief.) has brought out such learned and very weighty discussions. This may be useful for the youngsters of today who are generally very well-educated and have wide experience because they are able to travel across continents.
For an ordinary tamil brahmin with very limited means and education, like me, it is the faith, the beliefs, customs, rites and rituals which enable me to face the vicissitudes of life, calmly. Belief in god, in so many gods - to be correct, does not appear to my limited intelligence as something bad; it is like having so many people on whose shoulders I can rest and weep out my agonies. A few tidbits of sanskrit slokas, tamil/malayalam verses etc., complete my dialogue with the gods.
I believe most tamil brahmins will be like this only. Thus this is part of our culture, whether good or despicable. It has not stopped the progress of the world.
Sri Sarma - Thank for your comments. Keep making more provocative statements
In my understanding, going to temples, doing the rites and rituals with Shraddha (there is no equivalent translation for this word though they are incorrectly translated as faith & belief), daily prayers and daily meditation etc are some of the the best ways for one to have peace of mind. Having an idea of personal Iswara is great way to deal with life's day to day issues.
We worship the same Iswara in many forms depending on how we are able to relate to this Iswara.
Theologies underlying any rituals and forms of worship (or lack thereof) can either help or hinder. If the theology which is available for inspection for its applicability is flawed then there will be issues and contradictions in a person's life even if they do not know all the meanings.
Since vedas assert universal truths (and this cannot be understood without a lot of effort and most ignorant analysts will dismiss this as a faith based claim) any rituals and practices that are truly based on these truths are effective. If one is able to find time to study and understand we can find that it redefines our concept of Bhakti and provides a rich context when doing any rituals.
While reciting Purushasuktham or hearing learning about a major scientific breakthrough or a theory at whatever level of detail or even saying a simple sloka or a verse like
Om pUrNamadah pUrNamidaM pUrNAt pUrNamudacyate
PUrNasya pUrNamAdAya pUrNamEvAvashiSyate
one is able to better appreciate presence of Iswara when a study of underlying theology (Vedas) is undertaken, in my experience.
If someone translates the above as :
That is whole; this is whole;
From that whole this whole came;
From that whole, this whole removed,
What remains is whole.
There are people that undertake study and then upon reading a straightforward translation think that Upanishads in the words of a westerner "prattlings of an infantile mind."
Is this verse describes something profound and great or is it just "babbling of infantile and immature mind"?
Why is it recited in our rituals? If someone is curious then all these study is useful.
Advita study leads one to become a Bhakta with proper context (which may seem like contradiction for someone with an immature understanding).
My point in the end is that a simple prayer is phenomenally more effective than useless debates without right knowledge of any of these Vedanta topics.
I have respect for your simple approach in keeping up with the traditions.
Regards
PS: I enjoyed participating in the discussions / debates. Have to focus on other aspects of life so my postings may be infrequent
