IS IT A MUST TO APPEASE GOD WITH OFFERINGS?

IS IT A MUST TO APPEASE GOD WITH OFFERINGS?


Prof Dr Colonel (Retired) K Prabhakar Rao


In all societies across the world and in various religions offerings are made to the God. Is it for appeasing him or as a sense of gratitude? Some do it as ritual while do it expecting some benefit. Does the God accept these offerings? Can he be influenced by such offerings? Will he make judgment by taking these into account or remains inert? Such questions need answering.

In Hinduism, rituals are highly elaborated and prolonged. It is a common practice in all-human societies to thank the almighty on various occasions. There are various occasions such as birth of a child, marriage, success at examination, returning from the war front, success in procuring a job, overcoming ill health, success in business, obtaining an American Visa particularly in India, Getting an award from government or some prestigious agency etc. winning elections particularly in India, Foundation stone laying ceremony for a house in India etc. All these are occasions for celebrations and rejoicing with family and friends. In all such occasions, offerings are made to the God as a token of thanks. Does God expect such actions? Or he is least worried and remains inert?

The point to note is that Hinduism dwells on law of Karma (Action) (1). One must perform action without getting attached to it and without craving for the fruit there of. When some one expects favorable result and if he does not get it, causes pain and suffering. When he is detached, there is no pain or pleasure. But in practice, it is very difficult to achieve this state. When a person has to perform the action detached from it, where is the requirement of any offering to any one? Where is rejoicing in such state? Offering means some sort of thanksgiving. You thank some one when his help or blessing has done your job; or you hold him responsible for helping you in getting the job completed and results achieved. So you thank him. There is an element of selfishness in all such actions and it is a human trait. Lord Krishna said: -


“Karmanye vadhi karasthe maa phale shu kadachana
Maa karma phala heturbhoorma te sangostva karmani” (Bhagavad-Gita 2:47 PP 173, 211-269)


One must do the act as a duty in this world
Devoid of attachment the acts must be doe
For the fruits there of one should not crave
This does not mean that they be away from action (Translation)(2)


Although Lord Krishna in his Gita has taught the law of Karma to Arjuna on the battlefield, Hinduism has been engulfed in various rituals in which offerings take a prime place and have great importance. This is the tragedy in all world religions. Whatever correctly has been preached in scriptures or prophet is not followed in toto. Every function starts with offerings to the Lord. Vedic scriptures are full of writings praising the Gods and appeasing them. In Hindu rituals, coconut is offered to the God for appeasement. In bye gone times, animal sacrifice was predominant in Hindu rituals. This was in practice as offering of human animal instincts to the God. Over a period this practice diminished (Not completely given up). The government also banished animal sacrifice at the temples. The practice of giving offerings to the God in terms of money, gold, silver, diamonds and valuable ornaments is most widely practiced at Balaji (Incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Kali yuga) temple in Tirupati that is only to Vatican. The annual income runs into several crores. The practice goes unabated at other lesser-known temples throughout India. Some offer hair to the God for appeasement. It is considered as giving up one’s ego. Every one likes hair on his head whatever is left, may be few strands and takes great care in preserving it. It is believed that men who get bald particularly at younger age develop inferiority complex and results in reduction of self-esteem and loss of confidence. Millions of dollars are spent in research every year to find a solution to baldness. But it is eluding. Thus shaving off ones head at the temple as an offering is shedding ones ego in front of God and it is believed that god would be pleased. It is a Hindu belief and widely practiced. God is omnipotent and enlightened.

The inner soul of Human being represents a tiny fraction of this Brahman. Every action done by the man is the result ability given to him by the God. Whatever we derive out of our actions, infact belongs to the God. Therefore, we offer food to God as offering in gratitude before we consume (3). It is believed that by doing this, God is pleased. This therefore has found universal acceptance except in some quarters. How much one gives, what is the quantum are of no consequence. It has to be voluntarily given with devotion. Any thing offered with selfish motive has no acceptance of God. In this context it is essential to remember a story from the puranas. A hunter (Boya) was once was stuck in a forest in night hours and he had no way to go home and spent his time on top of a tree. He was shivering in cold and utter darkness. He spent the night plucking the (Bilwa) leaves and dropping them on ground to kill time. He was remembering God while doing this in his heart. Under the tree there was a stone image of Shiva in the form of a Lingam and all these leaves were falling on the image. The God was finally pleased with the devotion of the hunter and accepted the leaves as offering and gave him the liberation that was difficult to get even for the great saints. Bilwa leaves are much cherished by Shiva. Thus God is not bothered about what you give and how much you offer. It is the purity of soul and selfless devotion that attracts God.

In this context, it is essential to draw to attention the life and teachings of Swami Dayanand Saraswathi (1824-1883) who found Arya Samaj in India on 13 April 1875. He was great scholar of Hindu scriptures and made great mark on Hindu faith and the lives of people in India. He was the son of a Brahmin and was called Moola Shankar. It was an orthodox family of those times and rituals were most common. When he was young, once on a festival day, he saw offerings being made to Lord Shiva at his home. In the night, he saw a rat arriving at the idol, which took away some offering. Moola Shankar saw this and questioned his father, “ How an idol that is worshipped as the God and can not protect and take care of offerings given to him can take care of people on the earth?” Death of his younger sister and uncle made impact on him. He ran away from the house when parents tried to get him married when he was still young and subsequently developed into a great Vedic scholar and found Arya Samaj. He condemned idol worship, priest hood, animal sacrifice, pilgrimage, and ancestor worship, offerings made in temples, untouchables, caste system, child marriages and discrimination against women. These were no doubt revolutionary in those years and drew great criticism. Soon he found great following (4). He was against offerings to the deities at temples, which is a question of discussion at present.


Christianity and Judaism are completely engulfed in the matter of offerings. Bible is clear on the aspect of offerings, In Judaism sacrifice is known as a Korban, from the Hebrew root karov, meaning "to [come] close [to God]".
The centrality of sacrifices in Judaism is clear, with much of the Bible, particularly the opening chapters of the book Leviticus detailing the exact method of bringing sacrifices. Sacrifices were either bloody (animals) or unbloody (grain and wine). Bloody sacrifices were divided into holocausts (burnt offerings, in which the whole animal was burnt), guilt offerings (in which part was burnt and part left for the priest) and peace offerings (in which similarly only part of the animal was burnt). Yet the prophets point out that sacrifices are only a part of serving God and need to be accompanied by inner morality and goodness.


Following are relevant from Bible under Christian belief (5):-


"Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. ( 2 Corinthians 9:7 CEV )


Bible teaches that one should plan his offering, purpose in the heart what one will give to God and has to be generous. He does not take leftovers. In Hindu rituals too any food cooked is first offered to God and then only consumed after it receives his blessings. Generous giving pleases God. Generous giving helps to further God’s work speedily. Generous giving honors God. One should remember that not giving generously is the first step to falling away from God. Not giving generously turns you off of the narrow path and on the path to destruction. The offerings we give Him are an expression of our love for His saving grace. For that reason, our offerings must be perfect. We must give them with pure motives. Giving generously shows complete surrender to God. Giving generously shows thanksgiving to God. “God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, since He himself give life and breath and all things, Not because God needs it (Acts 17:25). "God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other." "God planned the system of beneficence [tithes and offerings, in order that man might become like his Creator, benevolent and unselfish. Thanks giving is a prescribed practice in Christianity and is practiced. Every time we bring an offering to God, his heart catches fire because our hearts are aligning with his. God sent Jesus to us to bear his heart and teach us how to align our hearts with his. God sent Jesus to bear his soul so that his heart and our hearts can come together - so that we can have an intimate relationship and connection with him. That is why it is so important for us to bring our tithes and offerings to God. We are demonstrating where our hearts and priorities lie. God isn’t looking for our money, he is looking at our hearts. We have to shift our thinking about giving and make sure that we approach our finances from a kingdom mindset (6)


In Islam sacrifice is practiced. The most important ritual of Id-Ul-Zuha or Bakrid is the sacrifice of an animal in celebration of the festival. The festival is of enormous significance for Muslims as it commemorates the sacrifices made by Prophet Ibrahim. There is a lot of symbolism behind the sacrifice of an animal. The sacrifice symbolizes the devotee's utter devotion to Allah or the supreme. It shows that the worshiper is willing to lay down his life and all material wants and possessions in the altar of the almighty. It also means he should be wiling to do all and “sacrifice� all for the right cause or the cause of truth. There is also a fascinating legend behind the celebration of this festival. It is said that the Prophet Ibrahim was put through a tough test to prove his love and fealty to the almighty. He was asked to sacrifice his son Ismail to prove his love. The Prophet made an offering on the Mount Mina near Mecca. Prophet Ibrahim, torn between his devotion to Allah and love for his son blindfolded himself before he sacrificed his son. After the sacrifice, when he opened his blindfold he found that a goat laid on the altar and his son was alive and smiling. And ever since, the story of Ibrahim's sacrifice has been remembered and Muslims offer sacrifices allover the world on this day (7).


Most of the world religions practiced animal sacrifice as offering to appease the Gods. Animal sacrifice has turned up in almost all cultures, from the Hebrews to the Greeks and Romans (particularly the purifying ceremony Lustratio) and from the Azrecs to the Yoruba and Indians . However, the practice was a taboo among the Ancient, and they tended to look down on cultures that practiced this custom. . Some villages in Greece also sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints in a practise known as kourbània. The practise, while publicly condemned, is often tolerated for the benefits it provides to the church and the sense of community it engenders. In India, animal scarifice has been banned. But it goes on in some fashion or other. It is a very common sight in Asam and remote aeas and in Asrumachal pRadesh to find a balck chicken speared and is the spear is dug in ground in a field. It is a scarifice to appease Gods and drive away evil spirits. In India., the usual practice at present is to take the garlanded animal to be sacrificed to the deity and some worship is performed. The priest recites some hymns. The animal is then led away from the temple to a near by place where a butcher awaits the animal. The animal is then pinned down by one or two men while the butcher slices the throat with a sharp knife or sickle. The life disappears in a second while the lifeless animal lies stiff. The practice of sacrificing a buffallo among Gurkhas still is practiced during festival in north India. Human sacrifice was practiced in some societies in past to appease Gods.

Human sacrifice was practiced by many ancient cultures to appease Gods. People would be ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease a God or spirit. While not widely known, human sacrifices for religious reasons still exist today in a number of nations.Some occasions for human sacrifice found in multiple cultures on multiple continents include (8):


a.Human sacrifice to accompany the dedication of a new temple or bridge.

b.Sacrifice of people upon the death of a king, high priest or great leader; the sacrificed were supposed to serve or accompany the deceased leader in the next life. Such ancient graves were found in the past where king was buried with many of his horses and servents and queens.

c. Human sacrifice in times of natural disaster. Droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. These were seen as a sign of anger or displeasure by deities, and sacrifices were supposed to lessen the divine ire and displeasure.

d. Human sacrifice offered while digging for hidden treasures. In India there have been many instances. Indian folklore is full of such stories.

e. Human sacrifice offered to deity to obtain some extraordinary powers

f. Human sacrifice offered during practice of witchcraft

Some of the best known ancient human sacrifices were those practiced by various Pre Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica the Aztec were particularly noted for practicing this on an unusually large scale; a human sacrifice would be made every day to aid the Sun in rising, the dedication of the great temple at Tenochtilan was reportedly marked with the sacrificing of thousands, and there are multiple accounts of captured Conquistadors being sacrificed during the wars of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. In Scandinavia, the old Scandinavian religion contained human sacrifice, and both the Norse sagas and German historians relate of this, see e.g. Temple at Uppsala and Blot. There is evidence to suggest Pre-Hellenic Minoan cultures practised human sacrifice. Sacrificed corpses were found at a number of sites in the citadel of Knossos in Crete. The north house at Knossos contained the bones of children who appeared to have been butchered. It is possible they may have been for human consumption as was the tradition with sacrificial offerings made in Pre-Hellenic Civilization (9).
The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur (set in the labyrinth at Knossos) provides evidence that human sacrifice was commonplace. In the myth, we are told that Athens sent seven young men and seven young women to Crete as human sacrifices to the Minotaur. This ties up well with the archaeological evidence that most sacrifices were of young adults or children. Scythinans were known to be very cruel and practiced human sacrifice. They made skull cups and drank in them. Human sacrifice still happens today as an underground practice in some traditional religions, for example in muti killings. In remote areas of Nagaland in India and the adjoining belt, head hunting was practiced by the primitive tribes some time ago. Even cannibalism was known to exist. However no such activities are reported now. Human sacrifice is no longer officially condoned in any country, and these cases are regarded as murder. In Hindu narratives, practicing human sacrifice and eating human meat was a work of the demons (see Demon). In the Aeneid by Virgil, the character Sinon claims that he was going to be a human sacrifice to Poseidon to calm the seas (of course Sinon was lying). Human sacrifice is a common theme in the religions and mythology of many cultures. Appeasing Gods was the motive behind all these gruesome activities.

Self sacrifice is another way of offering ones own life to the God to appease him. This was very much practiced in ancient India in some areas. Here the individual torments self and performs some acts as jumping into fire or climbing on to a vertical lance and gives up himself by lying flat on the tip of the javelin or lance or spear. The lance penetrates the stomach and sacrifice is performed to appease God. Some people do walking on fire and burning embers that is done even today. The Japanese practice of Hara-kiri and Bushido, and seppuku are the examples of self sacrifice that is ritually done. In the Japanese practice, at some instances, the person who has been sentenced to death sacrifices himself in front of the God ( Buddha) by stabbing himself in stomach and twisting the knife or dirk( Wakizashi) and drawing across there by disembowelling himself and bowing down after a ritual and stretches his neck. The executioner ( Kaishaku) with a perfect helpless target in front of him then smartly stands up and beheads him with a strong falling heavy knife and crimson blood gushes out like fountain from the severed head (10). In all these activities, one thing is very common. That is to offer himself to the God (unknown power) willingly and it is expected that he would be appeased. Even Jihad practiced by some misguided youth from Islam has the element of self-sacrifice. Suicide squads composing of Islamic youth are indulging in Self-sacrifice and also killing innocent victims. WTC 9/11 was part of this madness. There is a strong belief among Muslims that those who sacrifice themselves in Jihad fighting for the cause of Islam would straight way go to heavens to enjoy all pleasures.

From the above discussions, it is confirmed that all sects and civilizations of past and present and various religions in general conform to the practice of offerings to the lord in various forms. It may be simple thanks giving at Church or at a gathering. Singing hymns from scriptures, offering food at homes and temples, animal sacrifices at temples and houses ( May be concealed and hidden and in disguise), Even human sacrifices done to appease gods by the ignorant in the past and even in present occasionally ( Hidden ). One point is clear. Religions sanctify appeasement of Gods and one has to be thankful to God for his various achievements. This has been sanctified. There may be an odd preacher such as Dayanad Saraswathi such as from Arya Samaj and Buddha in India who condemned all types of offerings. Buddha never tried to answer the term God. Although religions at many places in scriptures do not recommend human sacrifice, most of the religions do approve animal sacrifice to a greater extent. Does it mean that life of animal is inferior to human being? Lord Buddha never thought so. Even Jains do not believe so. But fact is that animal life is considered inferior to human life. That is why eating of animals and birds and reptiles persist in the world. Cannibalims was probably never accepted by any civilized society. Judaism and Islam is clear on this aspect of animal sacrifice. Hinduism is equally clear on this aspect. In many Hindu sculptures at various places human sacrifices are depicted. Animal sacrifices are described fully to a great extent in Hindu scriptures revealing that it was practiced in all glory in the past. Animal sacrifice is banned now in India but still practiced in some form or other or in hush hush. However human sacrifice is considered as murder in all world countries and none approves it. In other religions the practice goes on unabated. In general, it is accepted that God needs appeasing as per the current practice although in real sense no appeasement is required and truthful living and truthful conduct is necessary to earn Gods appeasement. No rituals and sacrifices are probably required to appease God and these are mostly outwardly show of faith.


Bibliography

1.Swami Chisbhavananda, Commentary on Bhagavad-Gita, Tapovan publications house, Tirupparaiturai, Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu, India, 1965, PP


2.Prof Dr Colonel (Retired) K Prabhakar Rao, Critical studies into philosophies of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism with respect to human values, self realization, welfare of human beings and global peace, Ph D Thesis, Alameda University, USA, 2006,


3.Swamini Vimalananda and Radhika Krishna Kumar, Enduku cheyyali manamu? (Why we should do it?) Translated into Telugu by Swamini Srutananda, Chinmayaranyam publications trust, Main road, Bheemavaram, Andhra Pradesh, 2007, PP 31-36, 73


4. Swami Dayanand Saraswathi, Wikipedia.


5. New Testament, Contemporary English version, American Bible Society, New York.

6. The importance of briging offerings to God, http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:KKiFfED_zuwJ:deanandjill.com/category/offerings-to-god/+Offerings+to+God+and+Christianity&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=in

7. Bakrid, (Id ul Zuha) Festival Hyderabad, http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:eUJMdNmVJL4J:www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/india/hyderabad/festivals-and-events-in-hyderabad/bakrid-(id-ul-zuha)-festival-hyderabad.html+Why+Bakrid+festival+is+celebrated+by+Muslims&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=in


8.Sacrifice. Wikipedia. http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:o85VS4pPqBkJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice+Sacrifice&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=in

9. Ibid

10.Inazo Nitobe, Bushido, With introduction by William Elliot Griffs, GP Putnams Sons, New York and London, The knickerbockers press, 1905, PP 117-119

Dr K Prabhakar Rao