Hello friends, I'm writing this blog as an assignment by the Department of English, MKBU. Here I'm trying to give my opinion about regressive rituals and progressive rational thoughts. I also try to connect Jonathan Swift's view about religion and try to connect shitla satam with Jonathan Swift's 'The tale of Tub'.
-> Regressive rituals and progressive rational thoughts.
There have been many changes in the world since the creation of the world till today. The history of the world is something different and the present time is also something different. The world is divided into different parts and the religions also divided into many parts means every corner of the world has its own rituals.
If we look into our history, we realize that our world was a world run by religious rituals and these rituals were followed by man at any cost, and even in that, our country India leaves the whole world behind in this matter. India is a multi-religious country, so there are many types of religious rituals and superstitions. From birth to death there are vulgar superstitions without any scientific evidence, yet people follow them madly.
In all such religious rituals mostly women have to suffer. Religious restrictions were placed on women in numerous ways and due to which women find it very difficult to live in the society.
Rituals related to women of that time in India:
સ્ત્રીભ્રૂણ હત્યા:
પડદા પ્રથા:
સતી પ્રથા:
દહેજ પ્રથા:
The country was surrounded by many types of superstitions and rituals like this. There are some rituals that cannot be understood as to why they are performed. Humans are identified by their caste and religion rather than their work. Castes like Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas or Shudras were created, many superstitions such as ritualism, Bhuva, Mataji, and black magic etc were encouraged, Apart from this many rituals of marriage time, menstruation rituals and death rituals. Many such religious rituals were performed in our country.
But today is the era of science and technology, that's why if there is scientific proof of anything, then the thing is considered true. And because of this, today in society, such superstitions and religious rituals are seen to be destroyed and rational ideas are being developed.
People do what they think is right, superstition does not become a part of their life. Caste discrimination is removed, women become independent. People understand each other's pain and suffering and because of this, following superstitions and rituals is considered inappropriate by people in today's world.
All these rituals are ignored nowadays. Religious neutrality has come to the country. A noble concept has developed that every person is an integral part of society. Today's humans are becoming global. They have come in contact with the world, thereby absorbing the good aspects of the world and eliminating the bad aspects. Old misconceptions are dispelled and new progressive ideas emerge. Science is preferred by hypocrites and due to this the country is progressing in every field.
-> Interpretation of such religious practices with Swift's work.
'The Tale of Tub' is about three brothers, each representing one of the main branches of western Christianity. Martin, Peter and Jack represent the Catholic church, Anglican Church and Dissenters. He is trying to demonstrate the practices of the Catholics and Dissenting sects were false interpretations of the true world.
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Peter, the brother who represents the Catholic tradition, initiates most of the changes the three brothers make to their coats. His main doctrinal error, as presented by Swift, is his insistence that he can exercise a teaching authority on par with the Biblenthat his pronouncements can rival, modify, or even displace what is plainly stated in Scripture. For Catholics, sacred tradition supports some practices and doctrines not explicitly given in the Bible, but it authorizes nothing that actually clashes with Scripture.
Swift writes more effectively about Martin, who represents Martin Luther and by extension the mainline Protestant tradition that Luther is credited with founding. The Bible is the only infallible authority by which Christian doctrines and practices can be justified. Tradition, in the Lutheran view, is strictly subordinate to the Bible, it is not a separate "pillar" of faith as it is in Catholic teaching. The Church retains a role as the interpreter of the Bible, but significant Catholic concepts such as purgatory are dismissed as having no basis in Scripture.
After Swift about the third brother Jack. His argues that there are limits to how much and how exclusively a Christian should rely on Scripture. He specifically mocks Jack for using his father's will not only as a guide to moral conduct and religious practices, but as a nightcap, an umbrella, a bandage, and even a kind of medicine. The point here seems to be that even the Bible has its limites. From the established Protestant point of view Swift writes from, the more aggressive reformers were taking sola scriptura too far, treating the Bible as a source of worldly advice like a cookbook or a medical treatise and cheapening God's word in the process.
Jonathan Swift, here satirizes the Bible and its changes over time. Similarly in India there are many customs which have different old concepts and today people have converted to those in superstitions.
Shitla satam is observed as a ritual today. A disease called shitla occurred on a large scale in which people died in large numbers and later people connected this with religion and established a Mataji called shitla.
Today people worship Mataji instead of taking the smallpox vaccine. According to people, smallpox is not caused by worshiping Shitla Mataji on the day of Shitla Satam, people's sufferings are removed. On this day, Mataji is worshiped in Kuler and Mataji's back is sprinkled with water i.e. water is poured behind the temple. People sprinkle salt on Mataji on this day, and are believed to walk or carry a fire-pit on their heads.
Not only this, there are many such religious customs in India which lead people to forget the real intention behind it and lead them down the path of degradation.
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