Stay at home and pray with increased devotion says pundit

OWING to the stay-at-home measures in the fight against the spread of the covid19 pandemic, a Hindu leader is encouraging people to intensify their devotion and abide by the imposed restrictions.

Paramacharya pundit Hardeo Persad, the head of SWAHA Inc, said: “Although mass congregation cannot and should not happen now, we can and should continue to worship in the safety of our homes.”

Queen Mother Hilary Nedd, of the Baptist faith, made a similar call on Sunday when she urged people to adhere to the measures imposed by officials and to use the time to grow spiritually.

In a media release, Persad said that many citizens are celebrating or are preparing to celebrate some religious occasion including Easter and Ramadan. For Hindus, he said, Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are two upcoming religious celebrations. He said it was ominous that “such a flourish of religious occasions coincides with the current pandemic that plagues.”

“Let us prepare our minds and bodies to fulfil our spiritual obligations while maintaining the laws of the land. God is omnipresent and can, therefore, be worshipped anywhere.”

He urged Hindus to celebrate these occasions in their homes, using any of the methods prescribed in Hinduism. One is Vaachik, the chanting of mantras, kirtan, bhajans, stotras and chaalisas and another is Maansik which is the mental worship through meditation. He identified the third as Upaansu, a “simple five-step puja” where physical offerings are made, inclusive of vaachik and maansik methods.

There is much benefit to be gained in maximising this solitude, the pundit said. It is an opportunity for people to reflect on their spiritual growth and for ways in which they can advance mentally and spiritually.

Persad said, “There is much benefit to be gained in maximising this solitude. It is an opportunity to reflect on your spiritual growth and how you can advance mentally and spiritually.”

He said Dharma or duty is a quintessential principle of Hinduism and one that ought always to steer people forward. It is in this light that civic duty/responsibility is of utmost importance in current circumstances. Stay at home and pray with increased reverence, devotion and sanctity, he suggested.

“Let’s not waste this peculiar opportunity that we have been given. Remember that to every beginning there is an end. Every cloud has a silver lining and the darkness that hovers over our land will eventually pass,” Persad said.