Balmiki

Balmiki (Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, "vālmīki" Panjabi: ਬਾਲਮੀਕਿ ) is a Hindu denomination whose members revere Valmiki as the avatar of God. It is practiced by some Dalit or Harijan communities of the state of Punjab in India and Pakistan.

Background

Valmiki

Valmiki was a Kirata Bhil Adivasi. Balmikis believe that Valmiki was the avatar of God, and they consider his works, the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha, as their holy scripture.

The poet-philosopher Appayya Dikshita also believed Valmiki was the incarnation of Lord Brahma. [ Kulkarni P. 79 "The Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata" ] A few scholars in the modern age believe that the text of the Ramayana may propose that Valmiki is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. [Majumdar, Ramachandran and Gupta, "India and South East Asia"]

Ramayana

The Rāmāyaṇa consists of 24,001 verses in seven cantos (kāṇḍas) and tells the story of a prince, Lord Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon Rākshasa, king of Lanka, Rāvana. The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, or about the same time as early versions of the Mahabhārata. As with most traditional epics, since it has gone through a long process of interpolations and redactions, it is impossible to date it accurately.

Balmiki beliefs

* There is only one God, who incarnated on Earth as "Maharishi Valmiki".
* Rejection of the caste system.
* All human beings are equal, regardless of creed, colour or religion.
* The centrality of the Ramayana, which is not just a story but illustrates several ideals of human behaviour.
* The Ramayana is a scripture in its own right.
* Rama was the ideal King putting his duty to the people of his kingdom before his responsibility to his family.
* Sita was the ideal wife, remaining faithful to her husband.
* Lakshmana was the ideal brother, supporting his brother without question, even at great loss to himself.
* Hanuman was the ideal devotee.
* Evil, as illustrated in the form of Ravana, can have no power over those who are dutiful, faithful and obedient.
* Dharma - the path of duty or right action and is the fulfillment of one’s domestic responsibilities attached to one’s role in life; only if this is carried out mindfully and with dedication can it be effective.
* Karma - the theory that there are equal and opposite reactions for every action or that as you sow, so shall you reap.
*Respect for the animal kingdom is as important as respect for one’s fellow human-being. The Ramayana taught the importance of man’s kinship with the animal Kingdom as characterized by Hanuman a warrior from the monkey tribe.

Festivals

* Divali is celebrated in November. The word Divali means group of lights. It signifies the return of King Rama to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his banishment. Divali is celebrated by displaying lights in and around the house and fireworks are let off. Celebrations may also be dramatized by enacting the Ramayana.
* Raksha Bandhan or Sister's Day is celebrated in August. Sisters tie a thread around their brothers' wrists and wish them a long and successful life, in return the brothers give their sisters presents and promise to protect them. The thread is meant to represent the special bond between brothers and sisters.
* The Flag Ceremony takes place once a year. During this ceremony devotees take down the old flag and replace it with a new one, while other devotees sing hymns and chant prayers. Basically this ceremony denotes the renewal of one’s faith in Valmiki.
* Pargat Diwas. Perhaps the most important event of the year for Balmikis is the birthday celebrations of Valmiki. This tends to take place during October, the actual date of the birthday celebration varies from year to year and is determined by astrological configurations.

The Ashram

A Balmiki temple is called an "ashram". The ashram serves as a center for building up the commitment of devotees and for transmitting the Ramayana's message, and the focal point for the whole community to preserve their culture and traditions. The ashram is open to all who wish to enter, anyone who goes to the Ashram is welcome to stay as long as they wish and are welcome regardless of race, gender, caste or creed.

In Britain, ashrams come in various sizes. Some tend to be specially constructed, while others tend to be renovated buildings designed to enable the purpose of worship.

All Balmiki ashrams have a special flag outside to show that it is a place of worship. The bow and arrow represents Valmiki's disciples Lav and Kush.

For Balmikis communal prayer is not restricted to the confines of the ashram, but can in fact take place anywhere as long as the Ramayana is present. When an ashram is not within traveling distance, many Balmiki families will have a copy of the Ramayana in a special room at their house to use for worship.

When an ashram is not available Balmikis will hire a public building or use an individual’s house as an ashram.

All Balmiki ashrams have common features. For instance, the place of worship is always in a special room and there are a number of other rooms set-aside for special purposes. There is a "langar" hall where all the devotees congregate for a meal, the community kitchen where devotees help to prepare food for the "langer". A classroom and library where the Ramayana is stocked for study and is used for teaching young children. A music room where musical instruments such as the Tabla are taught and hymns are practiced for worship. Finally, there is a special area for shoes and washing.

Balmikis follow certain rules of conduct and before entering the worship room. Everyone is expected to remove their shoes as a sign of respect but also for general cleanliness. Devotees may not enter the ashram if they are carrying alcohol, drugs, or meat. As devotees enter the worship room they approach the Ramayana, which is covered with an embroidered cloth and is kept on a platform covered with a special canopy. Each devotee kneels before the Ramayana and makes their offering of prayer and money. It is not essential that devotees offer money and some may wish to donate food towards the "langar". The devotees then retreat to find a place to sit down. Usually a picture of Valmiki is placed in front of the Ramayana to help focus concentration and incense sticks are lit to purify the air.

Everyone sits on the floor to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, regardless of whether they come from a rich or poor background, but men and women usually sit separately. The women tend to sit on the left side of the room while the men sit on the right. There is no Balmiki religious significance for this except for Sikh traditional influence on the community.

There is no special day for worship during the week, but since work restricts one’s availability for worship, most Balmikis attend the ashram on Sundays. Devotees are at liberty to come and go at any time during the Puja service, which usually lasts about three hours.

The Puja begins by everyone standing up to say a prayer which is called the "Ardas", then the Priest ("Pujari") begins to read sections of the Ramayana. At short intervals reading from the Ramayana will stop and devotees will be called to the platform to preach and sing hymns. At the end of the "puja" the whole congregation will stand and say a prayer called the "Arthi". The Arthi is followed by the distribution of "Karah Prashad", which is made from flour, sugar, butter and water. Karah Parshad is given to each devotee who has come to hear the Ramayana. The food is taken from one bowl only and is a symbol of unity.

Eventually, all the devotees will congregate in the "langar" hall, for a meal, for which no one has to pay. All are welcome to share the "langar", which is always vegetarian. Sharing of food together is designed to unite people from all sections of the society and to promote equality between all human beings.

In some ashrams, a Guru Granth Sahib is kept alongside the Ramayana and Mazhabi Sikhs worship together with Balmikis.Fact|date=September 2008

Ardas

The Balmiki "Ardas" is read standing facing the Ramayana. Translation as follows:

Oh Lord we stand before you and pray, we beg for your protection.

Bless us to call upon you with every breath we take and beg you to protect us from all sins, guide us so that we always prey to you.

Bless us so that we always do good deeds Oh Lord and Creator of all things.

Bless us with peace of mind and infinite wisdom, show us the way of righteousness so our soul be cleansed.

Bless us so that we never forget you teaching Oh Lord and that we shall sing you praises, light candles and incense, Oh Lord those who prey to you with all their heart shall go and meet you in heaven.

Oh Lord those who read and listen to your holy scriptures, you are so merciful upon them.Oh Lord we beg you to show us the way so that we can be spared from evil.

Arthi

The Balmiki arthi is read at the end of the reading of the Ramayana. Translation as follows:Fact|date=October 2007

Praise Valmiki, praise Lord Valmiki, praise Valmiki Lord of truth, Creator and Provider of the universe
(Chorus)

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Lord of infinite wisdom, Creator of all worlds, architect of all things.

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Lord Valmiki, you are the beginning, you are eternity, Oh Lord my provider you are perfection.

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Oh merciful Lord, you are the healer of all ills. Rama prays to you always.

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Oh Lord you wrote yoga Vasistha and the Ram Charitar (Ramayana) by your holy hands for the world to listen and rid of all its troubles.

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Lord those who sings your praise and hymns daily, you will give them all their hearts desire.

Praise Valmiki
(Chorus)

Marriage

Marriage is regarded as being very important for Balmikis, as the essence of the Ramayana revolves around Rama and Sita and their trials and tribulations before and after wedlock. Balmiki marriages are a mixture of culture, tradition, and religion and are known as Vedic marriages (fire in the center of 4 pots). They are traditionally arranged but there is no religious significances for this.

The wedding ceremony usually takes place in the ashram under a special canopy. The marriage vows are performed by a "pujari" who reads the four special verses from the Ramayana and at the end of each verse the bride and the groom are expected to take steps around a sacred fire or Agni Havan to bless their marriage. It is important to realize that Balmiki weddings need not take place in the ashram, but can take place wherever the Ramayana is present.

There is often an engagement ceremony prior to the wedding ceremony, during which both families gather and exchange gifts. However, just before friends and relatives visit the bride and groom and often they will bring presents which usually take the form of cloths, gold, jewelry, money, coconuts, or sugar.

For both the bride and groom often the events before the wedding day are very similar, for instance three days before the wedding day the mum will draw a circle on the ground. This circle usually consists of flour, water and a piece of wood is then placed in the middle of the circle. It is believed that by doing this it will enable the couple to have the children they desire.

Now the bride will sit on the wood while friends and relatives hold a red headscarf over her head. This is then followed by the chanting of traditional marriage songs and in turn friends and relatives will brush some oil and turmeric on to her hair.

At the end of this ceremony the mother will make five hand prints on the wall, in the belief that this will bring good luck to the marriage. Traditionally the bride to be decorated with patterns drawn in Henna on her hands and feet. There is no religious significance for this and it is merely part of the pomp and pageantry of wedding.

The bride wears red, which can take one of two forms, a red "sari" or a "shalwar kameez" (trousers and tunic) and a red headscarf as well as gold jewellery. There are no such dress restrictions on the groom, who has the option of western or traditional Indian dress.

On the morning of the marriage day the bride and groom will take a bath to wash out the oil and herbs which were brushed into their hair. Eventually the families of the bride and groom will meet at the ashram, where the Pujari will say a prayer to bless both families. This will then lead to the introduction of the family members, beginning with the introduction of the fathers and the exchange of garland. The wedding ceremony finally draws to a conclusion when the couple visit bride’s home before they leave for the groom’s family.

ee also

* List of Hindu sants

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3260637.stm The Balmiki of Pakistan]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3260637.stm Pakistani Hindu temple faces demolition]
* [http://www.valmikiramayan.net/ Valmiki Ramayana]