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Parihara Rituals In Hinduism


Parihara rituals is to eliminate wrong acts is an important concept in Hinduism. According to the ancient Vedic texts, the four stages of life in Hindu religion (brahmacharya, grihasta, vanaprastha and sannyasa) are duty bound. All this duties are mandatory and are expected to be performed in the form of rituals. If any of the rituals is neglected, he is considered a sinner, which has to be cleansed by the remedial measures known as parihara.

Parihara is a necessary tool for Hindus whereby, through performing various rituals, evil forces are destroyed. Hindu knowledge texts elucidate a number of pariharas, which may help the wrong doer to eliminate the sins he had committed.

For example, Veda mantras uttered with the knowledge of their meaning will lead to expiation of wrong act, i.e., papa parihara.

To absolve himself of the heinous crimes he had committed or as the repentance of previous sins, he is obliged to gift some long to the needy as papa pariharam.

Shanti Pariharam is the remedial measure taken for eradicating papas committed in the previous birth.

The pita pariharam is performed for the relief from all kinds of pain and suffering.

The period during which the parihara rituals are performed is known as parihara kala.

During the parihara kala, the sinner is expected to follow a specific diet, clothing and behavior.

Parihara kriyas (rituals) vary in nature but may include distribution of alms, combined with other rituals.

Parihara also involves self-mortification, where the sinner abstains himself from taking meals, or goes to pilgrimage to have a dip in the sacred river to wash off his sins.
Besides being a religious conception, parihara can be comprehended as a psychological device, which helps one to attain mental satisfaction as his sins are washed off by performing certain rituals.