(WITHREFERENCETOINDIA) AmbalikeHiriyanna
KuvempuInstituteofKannadaStudies,UniversityofMysore Manasagangotri,Mysore-570006,India
Abstract:Toestablishsomerelationbetweenfolkreligionandpolitics,onecouldseethatthe presentscenariointhetechnologicallydevelopedworldissomewhatdifferent.Thankstotheadvent ofknowledgeinallspheresofhumanlifeandscientificandtechnologicaldevelopmentthesocialas wellaspoliticalbearingthatreligioncouldexerciseonmodernfolklife,peoples’attitudesarebe- comingdifferent.Infact,manhasunravelledmanysecretsofnatureandhassuccessfullycombated ahostofimpedimentshewashithertofacing.Thishastoalargeextentinfluencedourfolks’ atti- tudetowardsreligion.Veryoftenreligionandcastesareconfusedwitheachotherandwefindthat thelatterisplayingamajorroleinourpresentdaypolitics.God,religionandsuchfaithsarevery muchessentialforourfolksfortheircommunitylivingandtheyhelppeopletoleadanactiveand dynamiclife.Politicsthesedaysismostoftenbankinguponthereligiousfaithofthepeoplewhich obviouslyemergesintheformofcastedifferentiationandtheytrytofindtheirwaythroughsuch faiths andconvictions. Politicsmanagestobeonewithourfolksexploitingtheirfaithforitsown successandsurvival.Thus,itpretendstorespectandsafeguardtheinterestsofreligions,ofcourse, eventuallytomeetitsownends.
Itwouldbeinterestingtostudythevariousreligiouscustoms,beliefsandconvictionsofour folklifeandcommunityobservationsoffairsandfestivalsandhowpoliticalinterference, thoughat times helps,but, mostoftenunwanted and unwarranted, causes undue anxietyand disturbs the peaceofthecommunitylife.Thepresentpaperintendstotakeupsomeaspectsofthisissuefora briefstudy.
Keywords:folkreligion,politics,interference,India
Folkreligiondependsonbeliefstoalargeextent.Forthatmatter,everyreligion has gotideals ofits own. Religioncan beverywellidentified in thevery totalityof lifestyleinourruralsetup.But theunfortunatethingthese daysisthatourpolitical systemhas reducedtheuniversalmeaning ofreligion toaconsiderable extent. Ow- ingtoconstrainedfeelings,themeaningofreligionhasbeendisfigured.Religionand caste arebeing confusedwith each other. As aresultofthis, people are lookingat religion suspiciously and sceptically. In folklore, people consider family and com- munityas compared to caste and sect.Theyare notverymuch bothered aboutthe intricaciesofcaste, sect,etc. asconceived orconstruedinurbancircles.Tofacilitate a smooth living, they conceive their own definitions ofsocial and political frame- work.The significantpointisthatalmostall-folkactivitiesrevolve around theirreli- giousframeworkasanaxis.Todaywehavetonoteonething. Peoplearedeveloping sometype ofoutward aversion towardsreligion. Abroad-mindedsecular feelingis undoubtedlygoodfor theultimatewelfareofthesociety,ifitistaken and initiated ingoodspirit.But,unfortunately,secularismisbeingprojectedasapoliticaltool.No
religion in people, no religion in politics, no religion in sportsand so on has been the talk of the day on our platforms. The protagonists of such feeling forget one thing.Thebare andbitterfactis that insteadofreligion, politics isinterveninginto all corners of life and spoiling the whole atmosphere. In fact, religion should be taken as a necessity, as acontrolling factorto safeguard the welfareofthesociety.
Because religion plays a dominantrole inourfolksociety,they live peacefully and contentedly. One has to note thatfolk religionis more humanin nature. How itis accepted andwhatistheultimatebearingofreligionon folksocietyissignificantto note.Becauseofitssimplicityandunstintednature,folkreligion,inreality, ishuman religion.
Beliefsand customsfunctionas thebackboneoffolkreligion.Itisnotnecessary that thereshould beanycause and effectrelationbetweenthesetwothings. Rarely attimes,suchbeliefsandcustomsmayhaveascientificbackgroundbehind them.Be there any cause and effect relation or not, itis a fact that religion is embedded in beliefs. Birth,marriage, fairsand festivalshappen to beoccasionstocelebrate hap- pinesswhereas occasions like diseases and death ceremoniesbringpeople to share theirgrief.Thusinonewayortheother,folkreligionhasprovedtobeawayoffolk life. It is an exposition ofthefolkmind. Herethought and action are not different from one another. The influence offolk religion can bevividly seen on our social andpoliticallifeofthepresentday.
Inawayreligion orDharmapertainsto ourwayoflife. Ifwe goonconsidering moreandmoreonthistopic,ittendstobecomeabstract.InbookloreDharmahas a specialmeaning.MostoftenallthesethingscomeunderHinduDharma.Infactone couldfeelthattocallthesethingsHinduDharmaitselfmightnotberight.Through- out theancient religionwedo notfindany subjectivityor anyextraordinary impor- tancegivento anyperson.Severalthinkershavegivenseriousthoughttothe funda- mental aspects of life and their experiences, assertions and outlook towards life, whichhavepavedthewaytotheirphilosophies.Whattheyallpreachedcomesunder Dharma. In case of religions like Christianity and Islampeople take the names of Jesus Christ or the Prophet Mohammad. But as far as Hinduism is concerned no such single name could be taken. There mightbesome exceptions in Jainism and Buddhism,butultimatelytheyalsohavemergedintothemainstream.
Ifwelook atIndian lifestyle and tradition,we find themainstream ofDharma hasinfluencedeverythingwithinitsambit.Inspiteofthistherearesomanydifferent subsidiarycurrentswhich maintain theirown individuality. Suchsubsidiarycurrents actuallycontrolthewholelifepatternofaspecificsocietythatfollows them. Infolk religion, thevillagedeityor the family deityis treatedwith utmostrespect. For al- mostallhappeningsinlife,thefamilydeityisworshippedandpropitiated.Almostall happeningsofliferightfrombirthtodeath areattributed to thefamilydeity orthe village goddess. Similarly each and everyritual in ourvillages goesin the name of somegod or goddess. Father and mother (maatrandpitr) are in the next place of importance.
Another important feature of all folk religion is that no disinterestedness is showntowardsworldlylifeandhappiness.Theconceptofrenunciationorsanyasais
unknown tothem. Forsakingworldlylife andgoingbehindsome abstracthappiness in the name ofrenunciation isunknown to them. In fact, the very essence offolk religionwouldbeseenintheobservancesandperformancesofourruralmilieu.The background ofperformances or rituals is nothing but faith or belief. In turn, the basis ofanyfaith could beobserved in keenness and interestshownby ourvillages towardsworldlylife.Intoto,folkreligionisconfined,toalargeextenttothisworld.
Thefaithexhibitedbyourruralmassestowardsrebirth isverymuchsignificant.
Theyfirmlybelievethatifone’slifewerepureinthisbirth,onewouldleadahappier life in the next birth. They always believe that some unknown hand controls their entire life as well as social happiness. They imagine the nature and being ofthat unknown hand or divinity to be as simple and as transparent as their simple life.
Theytrytohonestlycomprehendalltheyimagineaboutsuchadivinity. Unliketheir urbancounterparts,theydo nothaveloftyideasaboutreligion.Forthem,itisnot a separate entityfromtheirlife. Andhencewedonotfind ourfolksindulginginmis- deedslikerobberyandmurder.Evenatsuchexigencies,wefindourfolksfacingthe situationnoblyandcollectivelyraisingthemselveswelltothesituation.Wefindalot ofgenerosity amongourruralmasseseven attimesofdifficultiesanddistress. They want toseethat the Lord or thedeitywhomtheyworship getsmaximum attention andimportance.Evenwhenpeopleconsideringthemselvestobebelongingtoupper classes engagein disharmonyand quarrel,there areinstanceswhere ourfolks have exhibited their protest byway ofsome traditional folk dances, rituals, ballads and such other forms. The incident that tookplace in connection with Puri Jagannath Templemaybecitedasanexample.
Infolkreligion magicandwitchcraftplayanimportantrole.Theyconsultmagi- cians togetridofdifficultiesand diseases. Amagicianis oftenapproachedtoknow thecause of anydisease. Usingspelled ashes(bhasma),toget an amuletoratalis- man tied onthe hand orshoulder, wheneverevilspirits exhort any personthey are drivenawaybyobservingsomeritualsorchantingsomemantras.Suchthingsarestill activeinourfolksociety. Even todayourfolks areveryscared ofthe magicorsor- cerywhichonepersonmayusetospoilanotherperson.Evenitemspertainingtothe usage ofmagicare considered to beinauspicious.Themagicwandsofa wizard, an elbow, askull,alemon,aneedleetc., areconsideredtobemost inauspicious. Even tolookatsuchthings isconsidered tobebad.Bhanamati typeofincidentscouldbe quite oftenseenin ournorthernpartofKarnataka.People oftensharetheirexperi- enceswith all anxietiesand apprehensionsabout thedifficulties theyfacedbecause of the notorious magicians from places like Kerala and Kollegái. There are also peoplethinkingontherationalleveldiscardingsuchhappeningsandexperiences.In theirview,suchexperiencesarethe resultsofignoranceand illiteracy.Theyare not preparedto acceptthisblackmagicasascienceoraskill.Inspiteofallsuchrational claims, most ofour cities, towns and villages are being continuously flooded with astrologers, babas, divine worshippers claiming to be the descendants of several divinities. Modern science and technology alsohave their own contribution in this regard projecting computer astrologers using a few strokes on the keyboard and giving a printout ofwhat is in store for the gullible peoplewho approached them.
Becauseofthe involvementofasupermachinelike thecomputer,eventhelearned urban masses are fairlyinfluenced leastdoubting the authenticityor theprognosti- catingfacultiesofthemodernmagicmachine.
Therehasalwaysbeenastrugglebetweenscienceandreligion.Therearepeople sayingthat even agreatscientistlike Einstein believed insomesuperhuman power beforehecameoutwithhistheoryofrelativityorthewellknownequationE=me2.
Hisbeliefinreligionmusthavebeennoless thanhisfaithinscience.Manymodern thinkers might say that there isnothing surpassing human endeavour. They might advocatebeliefinone’s hardworkandintellect insteadofputting everythingin the name of God. Probably they forget that something cannotbe achieved to a great extentwithouthavinganinnatefaithin anentitythatonefirmlybelieves in.Infolk religion, theanimal andplantkingdomsaswellasseveralinanimate objectsplayan importantrole and suchfeatures arebeing lookedat from a modern point ofview thesedays. However,themodernviewismore andmorepracticalandbusiness like in nature, probably inevery field. Peopleconsideritemsofimmediateuse to be of relevance.Tomorrowsarenotimportantforthem.
Scientificthinking, revolutionaryadvancesintechnologicalfields aswellasvari- oustypesofdevelopmentsinmanyareashaveopened avenuesforworld levelcom- munication. In otherwords, thishaspavedthewayfor aculturalgiveand take.The impactofreligion,wars fought to occupyothers’ territoriesand thegreat lossesin- curred havemadepeopleoftheworld thinkinnew directions.All these aredevel- opments seen during the past one ortwo centuries. Onesignificant effect of these developments is that peopleunderstood the importanceofall things around them;
they found that no phenomenon is to be discarded totallywithout dueinquiry and examination. Besides modern inventions, ourworld literature and culture, customs and values have also to be taken into account. As results of such inquiries, many personsofhistoricalimportancetogetherwiththeirthoughtsandtheorieshavebeen subjected to alot ofdebates and discussions out ofwhich somehave survived and othershaveprovedscarcelyviable.Thosewhostandthetestoftime-whetherper- sonsortheircontributions-havereallytranscendedthebarriersofspaceandtime.
Traditions and customs arebeingseen bothscientificallyand otherwise. Some- thing considered scientific today might be turned down as unscientific tomorrow.
Justasnewthings are accepted continuously, old thingsarebeing discarded. Often the levelandway ofdiscarding thingsreachculminating heights. Thisis reallydan- gerous. Probablythepresentlifestyle andunattachedattitude ofpeoplemaybe the reasonbehind this. Inthe name ofrationalism,people are oftenbecomingsoindif- ferent about their culture, beliefs and customs. In the name of scientific outlook, God and beliefs are being considered as superstitious. Such things eventually are provingto beimpediments toviewing thingswith an overall outlook andtaking up anin-depthstudy.
To conclude, we always find some basic truth behind any belief or custom.
Similarly every custom or ritual comes as a part of performance or a celebration.
Broadlyspeaking, no ritual orfolkperformance iswithoutsense and use. Atleast, theperformingsocialgroupwouldgetsomeconsolation and peaceofmindbysuch
things.In thenameofculturalactivitieslikefairs andfestivals,itwillbeanicething towatch ourfolksexchanginggoodwill, greetingone another, sharingexperiences, mingling culturally and so on. After allwhat charm could there be in lifewithout suchthings? Ifour beliefs and ritualscould accomplish this, the purpose is served.
Ourfairs andfestivalsand melashave theirsocialand politicalpurposes also.They bring people together in all these areas. They find occasions and opportunities to have discussions and exchange views oncontemporaryworld and political matters.
Thuswefind alot ofinfluenceoffolkreligionon politics. Indiabeing a countryof villages, folkreligion opens anumber ofavenues for our people to apprise them- selvesofthe politicalundercurrents thatwillbecontinuouslyflowingwithin.When- ever one considers a study of such political undercurrents, one has to be careful enoughtoconsidertheaspectsoffolkreligionanditsbearingonpresentdaypolitics inanappropriateandsuitablemanner.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iwishto thanktheMysoreUniversityforhavinggivenmeapartialfinancialas- sistancetopresent thispaperinthe 3rdSIEFConferenceon FolkReligionheld in Hungary. I am especially indebted to Prof. Lakshminarayana Arora for a critical readingofthemanuscript.
LITERATURE
Bhat tach arya ,N.N.
1977: TheIndianMotherGoddess,Manoharlal,NewDelhi.
Bhan dark ar ,R.G.
1965: VaishnavismandShaivismandMinorReligiousSystems,Indological,Varanasi.
BlJALWAN
1977: HinduOmens,SafdarjangEnclave,NewDelhi.
CROOKE,William
1968: PopularReligionandFolkloreofNorthernIndia,IIEdition,Manoharalal,NewDelhi.
Duboi s,j.a.
1936: HinduManners,CustomsandCeremonies,Thirdedition,ClarendonPress,Oxford.
DÜRKHEIM
1965: TheElementaryFormoftheReligiousLife,NewYork.
EUADE,Mircea
1949: PatteminComparativeReligion,NewYork,SheedandWard.
FRAZER,J.G.
1959: TheGoldenBough,1to12volumes,Macmillan,London.
GHURYE,G.S.
1962: GodsandMen,Bombay,PopularBookDepot.
Harpe r,EdwardB.(ed.)
1965: ReligioninSouthAsia,Seattle,UniversityofWashingtonPress.
Hast ing s,James(ed.)
1967: EncyclopediaofReligion&Ethics,Volumes1to13,Edinburgh,T&TClark.
Leach ,Maria,(ed.)
1972: StandardDictionaryofFolklore,MythologyandLegend,London,FunkandWagnallsPublishing Co.,Inc.
Mario tt ,McKim(ed.)
1955: VillageIndia:StudiesintheLittleCommunity,Chicago,ChicagoUniversityPress.
Pillái Govinda Krishn a
1958: HinduGodsandHiddenMysteries,Allahabad.
Sripad Tham maia h Bhat
1996: ‘JanapadaDharma’inDhyeyanishtaPatrakarta,WeeklyMagazine,Sirsi,Karnataka.
Thomas ,P.
1960: HinduReligion,CustomsandManners,Bombay.
William s,Monier
1974: ReligiousThoughtandLifeinIndia,Delhi.
YINGER,J.Mihan(ed.)
1957: Religion,SocietyandIndividual,NewYork,Macmillan.
