Traditions in Hinduism were considered mainly as superstitions, but with the advent of science, it is becoming evident that these traditions are based on some scientific knowledge and moved from generations to generations as traditions. Though the common people did not know science in it, they were following it very faithfully over the years. This blog is an attempt to bring forward the science involved in these traditions and rituals…

Throwing Coins into a River:
The general reasoning given for this act is that it brings Good Luck. However, scientifically speaking, in the ancient times, most of the currency used was made of copper unlike the stainless steel coins of today. Copper is a vital metal very useful to the human body. Throwing coins in the river was one way our fore-fathers ensured we intake sufficient copper as part of the water as rivers were the only source of drinking water. Making it a custom ensured that all of us follow the practice.

Joining Both Palms together to Greet:

In Hindu culture, people greet each other by joining their palms – termed as “Namaskar.” The general reason behind this tradition is that greeting by joining both the palms means respect. However, scientifically speaking, joining both hands ensures joining the tips of all the fingers together; which are denoted to the pressure points of eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them together is said to activate the pressure points which helps us remember that person for a long time. And, no germs since we don’t make any physical contact!

Why do Indian Women wear Toe Ring:

Wearing toe rings is not just the significance of married women but there is science behind it. Normally toe rings are worn on the second toe. A particular nerve from the second toe connects the uterus and passes to heart. Wearing toe ring on this finger strengthens the uterus. It will keep it healthy by regulating the blood flow to it and menstrual cycle will be regularized. As Silver is a good conductor, it also absorbs polar energies from the earth and passes it to the body.

Why do Temples have Bells:

People who are visiting the temple should and will Ring the bell before entering the inner sanctum (Garbhagudi or Garbha Gruha or womb-chamber) where the main idol is placed. According to Agama Sastra, the bell is used to give sound for keeping evil forces away and the ring of the bell is pleasant to God. However, the scientific reason behind bells is that their ring clears our mind and helps us stay sharp and keep our full concentration on devotional purpose. These bells are made in such a way that when they produce a sound it creates a unity in the Left and Right parts of our brains. The moment we ring the bell, it produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for minimum of 7 seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our body. This results in emptying our brain from all negative thoughts.

Why do we have Navratras:

Our living style has drastically changed if we compare it to the society hundreds & thousands of years ago. The traditions which we follow in present are not establishments of today but of the past. Ever thought, why do we have Navratras twice a year unlike other festivals like Deepawali or Holi? Well, both these months are the months of changing seasons and the eating habits of both the seasons are quite different from each other. Navratras give enough time to the body to adjust and prepare itself for to the changing season. These nine days were marked as a period when people would clean their body system by keeping fasts by avoiding excessive salt and sugar, meditate, gain a lot of positive energy, gain a lot of self confidence & increase the self determination power (fasts are a medium to improve our will power and self determination) and finally get ready for the challenges of the changed season.

Why do we worship Tulsi Plant:

Hindu religion has bestowed ‘Tulsi’, with the status of mother. Also known as ‘Sacred or Holy Basil’, Tulsi, has been recognized as a religious and spiritual devout in many parts of the world. The vedic sages knew the benefits of Tulsi and that is why they personified it as a Goddess and gave a clear message to the entire community that it needs to be taken care of by the people, literate or illiterate. We try to protect it because it is like Sanjeevani for the mankind. Tulsi has great medicinal properties. It is a remarkable antibiotic. Taking Tulsi everyday in tea or otherwise increases immunity and help the drinker prevent diseases, stabilize his or her health condition, balance his or her body system and most important of all, prolong his or her life. Keeping Tulsi plant at home prevents insects and mosquitoes from entering the house. It is said that snakes do not dare to go near a Tulsi plant. Maybe that is why ancient people would grow lots of Tulsi near their houses.

Why do we worship Peepal Tree:

‘Peepal’ tree is almost useless for an ordinary person, except for its shadow. ‘Peepal’ does not a have a delicious fruit, its wood is not strong enough for any purpose then why should a common villager or person worship it or even care for it? Our ancestors knew that ‘Peepal’ is one of the very few trees (or probably the only tree) which produces oxygen even at night. So in order to save this tree because of its unique property they related it to God/religion.

Start with Spice & End with Sweet:
Our ancestors have stressed on the fact that our meals should be started off with something spicy and sweet dishes should be taken towards the end. The significance of this eating practice is that while spicy things activate the digestive juices and acids and ensure that the digestion process goes on smoothly and efficiently, sweets or carbohydrates pulls down the digestive process. Hence, sweets were always recommended to be taken as a last item.

Choti on the Male Head:

Sushrut rishi, the foremost surgeon of Ayurveda, describes the master sensitive spot on the head as Adhipati Marma, where there is a nexus of all nerves. The shikha protects this spot. Below, in the brain, occurs the Brahmarandhra, where the sushumnã (nerve) arrives from the lower part of the body. In Yog, Brahmarandhra is the highest, seventh chakra, with the thousand-petalled lotus. It is the centre of wisdom. The knotted shikhã helps boost this centre and conserve its subtle energy known as ojas.

Applying Mehendi/Henna on the Hand:

Besides lending color to the hands, mehndi is a very powerful medicinal herb. Weddings are stressful, and often, the stress causes headaches and fevers. As the wedding day approaches, the excitement mixed with nervous anticipation can take its toll on the bride and groom. Application of mehndi can prevent too much stress because it cools the body and keeps the nerves from becoming tense. This is the reason why mehndi is applied on the hands and feet, which house nerve endings in the body.

Celebration & Cleaning During Diwali:

Diwali usually falls in October or November which marks the start of winter season and end of rainy season. Rainy season wasn\’t a good time for everyone back then; many homes needed repair and renovation after a heavy fall. That is why time before diwali was considered the period during which everyone can indulge in cleaning and beautification of their home. And also take out their winter clothes and pack the summer ones.

Sitting on the Floor & Eating:

This tradition is not just about sitting on floor and eating, it is regarding sitting in the “Sukhasan” position and then eating. Sukhasan is the position we normally use for Yoga asanas. Sitting in this position while eating helps in improving digestion as the circulatory system can focus solely upon digestion and not on our legs dangling from a chair or supporting us while we are standing.

Why not to sleep with Your Head towards North:

Myth is that it invites ghost or death but science says that it is because human body has its own magnetic field (Also known as hearts magnetic field, because the flow of blood) and Earth is a giant magnet. When we sleep with head towards north, our body\’s magnetic field become completely asymmetrical to the Earth\’s Magnetic field. That cause problems related to blood pressure and our heart needs to work harder in order to overcome this

Why do we worship Sun God

In continuation of coming up with logical and scientific reasons behind our traditions, this time we will discuss why do we worship Sun God and especially offer water to it in the morning.

Most of us see our parents or grand parents and also even some of us offer water to Sun God in the morning. That is a different question if our ‘mornings’ for offering water to Sun god varies from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon J, but those who are regular don’t see the timing and do it whatever time it is possible. Ever wondered why do we offer water to Sun God? Is it because Sun has the status of a God in our Indian customs? Is it because our parents or grand parents do and they know better about traditions so we should also follow suit? Or is it because we want to follow it for the sake of following it? Well the reason why our brilliant ancestors followed it had none of these reasons but a very strong logical and scientific reason behind it.
We offer water to Sun God in the morning between 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon as per our convenience with a Lota. When we pour water by raising both our hands towards Sun God a very thin flow of water falls from the Lota and we do not even see towards the Sun because of the strong rays coming from it. While our ancestors would offer water to Sun God at the time of dawn, when the Sun rises, with a utensil which had a wide edge, something like the one in figure 1.1. When the water was offered by raising both the hands towards the Sun God a wide film of flowing water would be made in front of the eyes and our ancestors (sages, saints) would see the Sun God through that film of flowing water. The rays of the Sun coming (filtered from the flowing film of water) at the time of sun rise were not only excellent for their eyes but it would also energize their entire body and soul.
It is a proven scientific fact that the early morning sun rays are good for the human being, after all human body is also a bundle of energy. The human body is made up of five things, air (vayu), water (jal), earth (prithvi), fire (energy) and space (aakash) and the cure of all the ailments of the body is amongst these five things only and the rays of the rising sun are one of these things. Many diseases can be cured by the use of sun rays e.g. ailments of the heart, eyes, jaundice, leprosy and weak mind. Rigveda says, it is sun that wakes one up from sleep. It is due to thesun that all can work and are active. All living beings of the creation depend on the sun. The sun removes physical, mental and spiritual weaknesses and makes one healthy and long lived. The seven colours of the sun are very good and important for the health. If early morning one has a bath and after offering prayers to the Lord one has sun bath and allows the sun rays to fall on one\’s body then one could free the body of all ailments and increase one\’s intelligence.

What is the logic behind Indian traditional ‘shringar’ (makeup)
We all know, Indian women wear bangles, bindi, payal and earrings commonly and especially after marriage. These days, in the era of fashion and miniaturization everything has changed w.r.t. traditional makeup. The size of bangles, bindi, payal, mangalsootra andearrings have substantially reduced from what they were in the initial days of civilization. We can still see those sizes in some of our mythological TV serials and also some of the tribes and regions of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Women used to wear big, solid silver ‘kadaas’ in their leg and silver or gold ‘Kadaas’ in their hands. The size of bindis was also not this small, it was quite big so as to cover the entire ‘third eye’ area on the forehead, just above the mid point of the two eyebrows. You can still see Brinda Karat and Krishna Teerath wearing such big bindis. Similarly the earrings and themangalsootras were also big and heavy of solid gold not like the ones in practice these days.

The bangles or the ‘kadaas’ are worn in hands and it continuously applies pressure on the point as depicted in the figure below:

The payal or the ‘kadaas’ are worn in legs and it continuously applies pressure on the points as shown in the figure below:

The ‘mangalsootras’ are worn in neck and it continuously applies pressure on the points as shown in the figure below:

Similarly the ‘bindis’ apply pressure on the third eye area and earrings are worn by getting the ears pierced in the ear lobe area.

Now all these pressure points are the points which when pressed increases fertility both in men and women. These pressure points are used in Acupressure therapy these days to treat fertility related problems in the entire world.

Most of these ornaments are used by Indian women after marriage and the sole purpose of the establishment of marriage institution was child birth and survival of the human race. Probably this was the reason our rishis and thinkers again associated these ornaments with high dignity and made people feel it to be auspicious, pious and Godly. This tradition of ours is only symbolic mark of a rich tradition now and has lost its significance in today’s world of fashion and the mad race of looking beautiful by compromising on its health benefits.

Why did we get this punishment
Remember the ‘good’ old Indian school punishments? Holding the earlobes with arms crossed over your chests, bending the knees and then sit and then stand and so on till the time Masterji is saying? If you still cannot figure out the punishment just see this picture.

I hope now you remember. Well, this time the topic is the logic behind this punishment only.
Ever thought why the traditional Indian school teachers would give this particular punishment? I believe even majority of the teachers who grant this punishment to their students do not know the reason behind it. This form of punishment has been in practice in our country since the Gurukul time and was given to the students who were weak in studies. That is a different question if now a days teachers grant this punishment for any mistake and not only for studies but originally it was meant for weak students only.
Talking about the logic behind this punishment, it is very interesting to know that this particular posture increases the blood flow in the memory cells in brain and synchronizes the right and left side of the brain to improve function and promote calmness, stimulates neural pathways via acupressure points in the earlobe, sharpens intelligence and also helps those with autism, asperger’s syndrome, learning difficulties and behavioral problems. This has been proven scientifically and you can find scores of links on Google uncle in support,
So, see how helpful this posture is for everyone. Probably this was the reason why our ancestors developed this punishment for us. In the name of punishment they were actually helping out the weak students only.
Probably we have forgotten this ancient method of increasing memory power but the West is now using is very diligently and they are recommending this posture or exercise to treat many a diseases.
In race of reaching, I don’t know where, we are forgetting our own gifts to humanity. Let’s bring it back. The world is trying it so why Indians, the originators of this posture, should wait?