Havan Online: The Posthuman Hindu

A Constructive Debate on How We May Be Forced to Perform Rituals in the Future

Pt. Varistha Persad, Director, SWAHA International

An experience, in which I was asked by some relatives abroad to perform a havan on the then popular video-calling application, Skype, around seven years ago, forced me to re-think the way rituals are performed in Hinduism. It should also encourage you, the reader, to become open-minded to the way traditions are going to be adjusted in the future. In this discussion, I will use examples from the different scriptures in which communication and connections between the Divine and the devotee changed based on varying circumstances from physical and direct platforms to virtual and wireless ones. In so doing, one should gain a greater appreciation of meta-physics, the nature of the universe and our existence, in the context of a religion and way of life, which prepares mankind best for the changing conditions of the future world.

Researchers in the field of the Humanities, the Sciences and Philosophy, have now all begun pooling their research to interrogate theoretical concepts in which to read and analyse the narrative constructions of the ‘posthuman,’ or the ‘human’ of the future. As such, it is safe to say that the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the various stories written on the incarnations of the Divine, possess great potential for assimilating the tremendous possibilities ‘man’ can assimilate for creating a better future world-a world in which, ‘human,’ ‘inhuman’ and ‘non-human’ co-exist. In the Ramayana, a rich narrative centred on ‘man’ living in peaceful co-existence with bears, monkeys, birds and other animal species, speaks directly to the tenets of research and progressive models in Animal Studies, the recent field of research which emerged from concerns in Posthumanism.

Additionally, the use of technology in the Mahabharata, only recently emerging from Archeological Studies, reveals that weapons were designed and used in tandem with nature, and when necessary, in opposition to it, in which some weapons rivalled the modern-day nuclear bomb. In the field of Eco-criticism, the way these weapons were used, when they were used, by whom and the ethical arguments presented in the pages of these scriptures allow researchers to conclude that our ancestors of the past, possessed great respect for natural law and the need for maintaining a balance in the eco-system, in which a symbiotic relationship should exist between man and nature.

The beliefs and practices of Hinduism are heavily grounded in narrative form for the sole reason that interpretation is necessary for healthy and progressive survival of its philosophical and ritualistic traditions over generations of changes to the conditions of the human being, the world and its constituent parts. This is why the role of the Pundit and the Guru is absolutely crucial. Unique only to Hinduism, it is evident in other world religions in which supportive literatures are not easily deconstructed or open to interpretation because of semantic and syntactic limitations. This leads to religious and philosophical extremism, and segregation, in which sects are opposed to each other rather than understood as parts of the same – in which only Hinduism and its various philosophical avenues can boast such a constructive and progressive model for understanding and worshipping the Divine.

The online havan, in which the mantras and instructions were communicated on such a platform is and can be accepted as an acceptable way to perform this ritual because of the tremendous limitations the people faced given their circumstances. Even if it does not become the norm, many Hindus will oppose this method because elevating a bedi to accommodate an older or disabled person; using oil or wax instead of ghee in deyas; lighting a small wick instead of layers of wood for havan; conducting Kaartik Nahaan or Ganga Dhaara celebrations on a beach instead of a river or vice versa, and the list goes on, are some changes Hindus at present are unable to accept or assimilate. As the late Shankaracharya, Pundit Hari Prasad noted, a religious leader in the future will face greater challenges than those of the past. It is time to become more open-minded and find within the belly of our scriptures, the necessary support and guidance.

The devotees performing the havan proceeded to perform artee for the laptop where on the screen, their mother from Trinidad looked on as the havan was being conducted. Some passive onlooker may pass this off as nonsense, but only a spiritually evolved person will understand and appreciate that the same way we worship the ‘ideal in the idol’, the children were worshipping their mother, and not the laptop. In the Ramayana, Hanuman Baba found himself in many situations in which he had to seek the guidance of Shree Ram, and not being able to physically be with him, he was able to communicate telepathically and receive his instructions. In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna was able to communicate with his brother and the Gopis in a similar fashion.

The point here is that fundamental changes to our existence allow us to be many places at once. Our image and presence can be broadcast and downloaded by anyone and on numerous platforms. This change in how we communicate and interact with the world is no different to what Shree Ram was able to do when he made himself visible to each and every devotee in Ayodha, eager to glimpse the Lord after his 14 years of exile. They would have revered and worshipped him in that duplicated form the same way a copy of the devotees’ mother was displayed and worshipped.

The discourses of SWAHA pundits are now being streamed live or uploaded onto Youtube, Facebook, Vimeo and other sites in which greater accessibility can be achieved and followers who cannot physically be present can access them. In this changing world where economic decline, the rise in crime and other obstacles affect the modern Hindu, all attempts are being made to facilitate such changes not out of convenience or for popularity, but because it has become in recent times, an absolute necessity. Traditions and rituals will not be changed in a haphazard manner and as such, allowing open-mindedness and resulting clarity to take precedence in one’s life will be beneficial. The true strength of Hinduism for ages has been misunderstood and only through careful religious and scriptural support can Hindus navigate the changing dynamics of their posthuman lives.