THE CULTURAL HISTORY of India is truly not recorded in drab books or static
images. It is created every day in the vibrant life of its people. To achieve this
confluence of life and culture, to give form and shape to living in the present and into
the future, visionaries have designed sacraments to punctuate the life of an individual.
These sacraments remind people of their roots and energies them to keep the stream of
culture flowing vibrantly through the centuries. They are symbolic of affection and
cheerfulness and help to achieve the emotional and intellectual stability of a person.
They generate independence within a larger framework of dependence and encourage an
individual to develop a complete personality. They identify an individual's personal as
well as social responsibilities and define his duties and relationships.
Hindu sacraments orsamskaras symbolize a person's-passage from birth to
adolescence, from marriage to parenthood and from life to death. Each sacrament is
conducted, within a family or before a large number of invitees. The Hindu divides the
stages of life into four stages: Brahmacharyashram, Grihasthashram, Vanaprasthashram
and Sanyasashram. Ideally, one progresses from one to the next and eventually achieves
that elusive goal, moksha or release from the cycle of life and death.
 |
