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Seawolf,
Yes, to accept or practise any ritual or belief without logic or analysis will lead to rigid and blind practise. Without understanding the internal meaning and essence of any ritual, there is no point spending time for it.
For example:-
Blind Recitation of the Veda in Hinduism: In Hindu rituals, the Veda is blindly recited. Neither audience nor the priest reciting the Veda understands even a single alphabet of the Veda. The most unfortunate state is that the meaning of the word ‘Veda’ is knowledge or to know! Swami says that this blind recitation of the scripture in the rituals should be stopped and the priest can read by seeing the book also (as done in other religions) and should explain the knowledge of the scripture that benefits everybody. In every religion, the scripture is in the mother tongue so that even mere recitation gives at least some knowledge to everybody. In Hinduism, the scripture was written in the ancient times when Sanskrit was the mother tongue. Today, none understands Sanskrit and hence either the scripture should be translated in to mother tongue or every Hindu should learn Sanskrit or at least, the priest should explain the Sanskrit version in mother tongue. Due to lack of knowledge of scripture, several atrocities entered and a few
samples are:
a) Performing Homa or Yajna by Pouring Ghee into Fire: Agni or fire is mentioned as hungry person (his hunger fire is Vaishwaanara agni or God as per Gita) should be pacified by giving food with ghee (ghee means
food fried by ghee as per the concept of lakshana in the scripture). Unable to understand the meaning of the Veda, the middle aged blind reciters (who blindly recite the Veda) of the Veda started pouring down ghee in physical fire causing environmental pollution in addition to smokes leading to natural calamities. The Veda says that a scholar with spiritual knowledge is abode of all deities and when he is satisfied by the given food that reaches all the deities, deities will help in giving rains. Even a light lit for God is only a simile for destroying the darkness-ignorance by the knowledge-light. Once this point is realized, no need of lights for God.
b) Vedic Hymn called as Gayatri: There is a Vedic hymn in a meter called Gayatri and so Gayatri is not a deity. Gayatri literally means a special style of worship of God through sweet devotional songs. Hence, Gayatri is only the Universal best mode of worship of God and not a specific Vedic hymn prescribed to a specific caste and specific gender. Due to absence of the Vedic knowledge and Sanskrit grammar, Gayatri is misunderstood as a deity and as specific hymn prescribed to a caste and a gender.
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