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.