Religion - - Posted on March, 23 at 2:26 pm
The concept of Shuchi goes far beyond the normal ideas of cleanliness and purity. People believe in a list of dos and don’ts related to everyday tasks as well as special occasions like pujas and ceremonies. The person not fit the bill in the in the list of rules is not supposed to touch the shrine in the house, should avoid going to temples and should not touch people around him.
A person is considered unclean because of various reasons. A woman is unclean during the three days of her menstrual cycle and after ten days of giving birth to a child. The close relatives of a deceased person are believed to be unclean for a few days after his/her death. The time interval varies from one day to ten days according to the nature of relation with the deceased.
During festivals and poojas, the person, generally the head of the family, takes a bath and wares clean garments, often a silk dhoti. He is believed to be clean and ready for the ritual. Other members of the family do not touch him till the completion of the ritual.
There are various ways to cleanse and purify the house and the members of the family after an occasion like death. The mud floors are made up again with cow dung. In cities Gomutra is sprinkled all over the place and consumed by the family members. The Panchagavya or five elements obtained from a cow, are believed to be purifiers. Cow dung and Gomutra (urine) are two of them. Others are milk, curd and clarified butter (ghee) which are used for Poojas.
During rituals other than death, the worshipper is purified by sprinkling water of the sacred river Ganga. In absence of the Ganga Jala, the holy water obtained after bathing the gods is used. The water sprinkled with a Tulsi leaf has the same effect.
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