Why do Indians still believe in superstitious beliefs and rituals?

[CHANDRU1849]

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Unless we know the exact meaning of superstition and rituals, it is difficult to answer.

 

[tbs]

hi

To avoid seeing anything unpleasant in the morning, many people look at the palms of their hands as soon as they awaken and recite this invocation: "In the tips of the fingers resides Goddess Lakshmi; in the middle, Goddess Saraswathi; in the palm of the hand resides Goddess Parvathi; looking at my hands, I begin my day."


karaagre vasathe lakshmi....karamadhye saraswati....karamoole stithaa gauri......prabhate kara darsanam....

 

[prasad1]

Unless we know the exact meaning of superstition and rituals, it is difficult to answer.

Please read my post#16 above.

 

[auh]

In case that being the truth, How could India became one of the handful of nations that reached Mars that too with a highly economic technology than the so called developed nations use?
How could India became the most sort after destination for satellite launch by most of the developed nations?
How could India stand tall with own missile and other defense development technologies?
How could it be possible for India to have access to nuclear technology?

In one of the websites, I read a user's comment that if India could send rocket to Mars, why cannot they manufacture a single indigenous rifle !!!

The following were Indian contributions to the world of Science at such a time when most of the present developed could even start thinking

It is like a pauper saying that "a thousand years ago my family was the royalty in the city of so-and-so, and hence I am rich now".

 

[Vaagmi]

In one of the websites, I read a user's comment that if India could send rocket to Mars, why cannot they manufacture a single indigenous rifle !!!

The user's silly comment has an answer if he had cared to find out. India is not making a new rifle right from nut, bolt, but and rifled bore and patent it because it is far more easier to move ahead with a wheel rather than inventing it all the way again. Stupid, it is economics simple and straight. LOL.

It is like a pauper saying that "a thousand years ago my family was the royalty in the city of so-and-so, and hence I am rich now".

If you search for the members of the Mughal dynasty alive today, you may find just a butcher slaughtering goats and bulls in the bylanes of Old Delhi. That does not take away the fact that his forefathers built the Taj Mahal. He has every right to claim that he comes in the family of such a dynasty.

 

[auh]

Cannot agree with the premise of the opening post.
Each country is unique with its own contributions to the world and its own set of issues.

There are obvious superstitions and there are more sophisticated superstitions. But they are all one and the same.

It is possible to make a detailed list of western superstitions which have had enormous negative effect on the whole world. What is the point in doing it. There is no need to do any comparisons.

Human beings have the capacity to imagine and superstitions reflect that capacity.

India's contributions to the world in the art of thinking objectively is tremendous. For many historical reasons there is poverty and the powerful are exploiting the poor like everywhere else except they use feudal means. All this will change in the next 50 years or so propelling India into a world power.

So superstition reflects an ability to imagine. Great.

Obvious superstitions and more sophisticated superstitions are all one and the same. Marvellous.

---------------

Sample some:

1) Sighting a lone brahmin is considered inauspicious while going out for work
2) Calling out "where are you going?" when preparing to leave on an errand will produce negative results
3) Sighting a dead body when going out on a project is considered good
4) Seeing a widow is inauspicious when going out
5) Sneezing when talking about a good thing is considered bad omen (IDK, if sneezing when talking about a bad thing is considered a good omen)
6) Scattering finger-nails on the floor is bad since anybody who steps on them would antagonize you
7) Taking or giving salt by hand is bad and it would lead to fights
8) Spilling milk is bad omen
9) Spilling kumkum is good sign

 

[auh]

The user's silly comment has an answer if he had cared to find out. India is not making a new rifle right from nut, bolt, but and rifled bore and patent it because it is far more easier to move ahead with a wheel rather than inventing it all the way again. Stupid, it is economics simple and straight. LOL.

You are missing the elephant for the stars.

Make in India is an enormous project. If economics were all that matters, we have competitive countries who could floor India for cost. The intent in the user's statement was that India is relying on borrowed technology rather than indigenous know-how.

If you search for the members of the Mughal dynasty alive today, you may find just a butcher slaughtering goats and bulls in the bylanes of Old Delhi. That does not take away the fact that his forefathers built the Taj Mahal. He has every right to claim that he comes in the family of such a dynasty.

Again, that is not the point is it. You are just rephrasing my sentence with a different example while conveniently missing the intent.

Speaking about lost glory does not place one on a pedestal.

 

[S.SIVARAMAN]

one of the South Indian Tamil scientists by name Meyya. Meyyappan might be from South Tamilnadu Nattukkottai Nagarathaar family as the name implicitly pronounced Meyyappan and more such name in that family.

 

[Vaagmi]

You are missing the elephant for the stars.

Make in India is an enormous project. If economics were all that matters, we have competitive countries who could floor India for cost. The intent in the user's statement was that India is relying on borrowed technology rather than indigenous know-how.

There is no elephant or star. Borrowed technology makes economic sense. That is the point I am driving at. There is no need to reinvent everything in India. We can make use of borrowed technology to produce in India and sell. Indigenous know how is not an exclusive privilege of a few countries. India too can and does invent. It is not such a bad situation as yet that Indian Engineers are all just mechanics and indian scientists are all just lab technicians. Borrowed technology does ,make excellant commercial sense many times. where is the elephant in all this and where are the stars?

The user may be ignorant of the fact that there is a rifle called Ishapore Automatic rifle which is in use with Indian Army. It is fully Indian--if I may call it that. So your user was parading his ignorance in his anxiety to perhaps score a point or two from an ignorant crowd.

Your user should know that a country which makes cryogenic Rocket engines can also make good rifles. Ask the User to go brush up his knowledge of India.

Again, that is not the point is it. You are just rephrasing my sentence with a different example while conveniently missing the intent. Speaking about lost glory does not place one on a pedestal.

I did not get the impression reading the post that any one was trying to claim a seat in any pedestal. He was only recalling his country's excellant credentials. And that is not a mistake.

 

[prasad1]

Indian are superstitious. Superstitions, is one of the cause, that they are not able to reach their potential in the physical and industrial world.
Srinvasa Ramanujam would have been comfortable and thriving in England if he did not have these superstitions.

In any case, foreign travel was impossible. Kumbakonam was a place where culture and religion were completely intertwined. Ramanujan was a Brahmin, the caste of priests and intellectuals; a Vaishnavite, who regarded Vishnu as god over all and who worshiped his local avatar, Narasimha; and an Iyengar who kept to a complex diet that prohibited all meat, but also cheese, onions, salt, rice on some days, food of any kind on others, and governed who was allowed to prepare his food, and in what state of ceremonial purity, and with whom he was allowed to eat. To live abroad would be to abandon this web of identity. It would be an act of self-destruction, a form of suicide, really.

I do know that people miss opportunities in this world, expecting greater results elsewhere. They may be right. But they are losers in this world. I feel that Indians would prosper economically if they overcome their superstitions.
Please do not point out that others too are superstitious.