The funeral rites brought me closer to nature than ever before. Most of the rites were performed in the open. We had to spend most of the time outdoors as we were to observe a sort of religious seclusion. We were not supposed to use any footwear and walked barefoot on sand and stone and had to dwell along the river bank like people in the early civilization.
The priests were quite environmentally conscious and were careful enough to separate the 'darbha' (Imperta cylindrica, a kind of grass with sharp leaf blades) and throw it on to the bank instead of allowing it to get into the river water, showing concern to aquatic life.
The priests were quite environmentally conscious and were careful enough to separate the 'darbha' (Imperta cylindrica, a kind of grass with sharp leaf blades) and throw it on to the bank instead of allowing it to get into the river water, showing concern to aquatic life.
During the shradhha karma three rice balls (pindas) are made to impersonate the three immediate ancestors.These pindas are either fed to a cow, offered to aquatic beings in rivers/lakes or burnt. Most often they are mixed in river/lake water. In Rajamundry it was not a problem, but Hyderabad, we decided to burn the pindas, as neither cows nor a good water source was available in the neighborhood. Our priest advised us to mix them in the nearby pond as he has done the same thing last year for someone in the neighborhood. But this year most of the pond is eutrophicated and the water got dirty. With this a discussion on the water bodies in Hyderabad upsurged.
Since decades the priests had been offering pindas to aquatic creatures in water bodies located in different parts of the city but now they find these water bodies missing one by one, year after year, in the much altered topography of Hyderabad. [no] Thanks to the real estate boom in the recent past. The pindas are basically made from cooked rice. But whatever is cooked in the house that day - the ceremonial 4 curries and 4 chutneys, dal, payasam etc. are also added to the cooked rice in small quantities. But one thing which is compulsorily cooked but not added to the pindas is `vada' (made of black gram dal and deep fried in oil). Vada is supposed to harm aquatic organisms. Likewise when the pindas are fed to a cow, vada is included but payasam is excluded. Any scientific explanation?
Since decades the priests had been offering pindas to aquatic creatures in water bodies located in different parts of the city but now they find these water bodies missing one by one, year after year, in the much altered topography of Hyderabad. [no] Thanks to the real estate boom in the recent past. The pindas are basically made from cooked rice. But whatever is cooked in the house that day - the ceremonial 4 curries and 4 chutneys, dal, payasam etc. are also added to the cooked rice in small quantities. But one thing which is compulsorily cooked but not added to the pindas is `vada' (made of black gram dal and deep fried in oil). Vada is supposed to harm aquatic organisms. Likewise when the pindas are fed to a cow, vada is included but payasam is excluded. Any scientific explanation?
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