Do you know why we chant Shanti three times whether we are doing Puja or Aarti? Or how Gayatri Mantra effective in our life? Do you know how much Tulsi Plant is important in every household? Why are pregnant women not allowed to touch knives or any metallic object during the eclipse? Or what's the science behind Shiv Ratri? Why do many people offer water to Sun early in the morning?
With many such questions and the science behind them, this book is for all those who feel Hindu rites and rituals are sheer superstitions. Also for people like me who blindly follow few religious practices because our parents have followed them not even asking the logic or science behind it.
This book is divided into sections like
God, Goddess, and Nature
Important Hindu Dates
Rituals: Puja and Yagnas
Temple Rituals
Tradition
And Miscellaneous.
Though written in easy language and contents full of tempting questions, this book still didn't live up to my expectation as I wanted more scientific reasoning or logic behind the rituals and rites we observe. The reasoning provided was quite vague. Also, there is no mention of the sources used for such an explanation.
For example, there is a part where the author talks about Makar Sankranti a change in the position of the Sun. I agree there are planetary changes that take place in that period, but mentioning about human souls who die after this day can soar higher up into the upper region of the cosmos because air becomes lighter due to heat did not satisfy my scientific curiosity behind it.
With that, I must also honestly conclude that I did enjoy the book, as many questions cleared my curious soul. For further in-depth reasoning, I looked for the answer on Google/ Quora when needed. But one thing which struck me reading this book is that every single ritual and rites followed in Hinduism, whether you are doing Shivratri or using paan supari during puja e has a huge scientific reason behind it and it does give a result when followed properly.
