In the world over, different religions have varied beliefs and rites of passages. Samskaras are Hindu rites of passage that revolve around culture and transition from the stage of life to the next. The Samskaras have moral, two-fold, and spiritual purposes that seek to incline the community in ways that are believed to be correct and morally justifiable. Besides, the Hindu culture varies intensely with other cultures like Christianity, especially the catholic culture.
One of the significant impacts of Samskaras is acceptance in the community. When one undergoes the rites of passage, they are believed to be spiritually sanctified and accepted by the community and the gods. For example, the initial Samskara that aims at the womb's purification happens before any conception (Harlan & Courtright, 2000). It is believed that bodies naturally have impurities, and therefore before conception, rituals are performed to help purify the parents and wash away the uterine impurities. In so doing, the children born are said to be 'twice-born,' and they have no impurities. The two-fold purpose explains the diverse impacts of the Samskaras on the Hindu people. The popularly known and superstitious rites are not questioned, and people have to follow them with unquestioned faith. The superstitious Samskaras are believed to make one acquire material gain in the community, such as cattle and wealth. The second fold is cultural Samskaras, which increase one's acceptance in the community as it encourages development of good morals and enhances personality.
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Hindus culture of funerals compares to that of Christianity (catholic) significantly. The two cultures are similar in that during funerals; the event is presided over by a senior member of the religious council. For Catholics, the bishop, priest, or deacon presides over the function while the Hindu priest presides over the event for Hindus. Besides, both cultures allow organ donation despite it has been a controversial issue among Catholics. Also, during the funerals, the bodies are treated with respect in Christianity and Hinduism as having been lives that have existed before. Differences also exist in the funeral cultures of Hindu and Christianity. For example, while Hindu funeral cultures focus on the burial of the body, Catholics believe in the body's physical burial because they think in the resurrection of the body (Meibohm, 2004). However, for the Hindus, the cremation majorly occurs for the community's older members while children are buried. After death, Christians believe in the afterlife, while Hindus believe that the soul is reincarnated. Also, in Hindu culture, the funeral arrangements are made in the shortest time and the body cremated in 24 hours, while the catholic culture involves the body being viewed by relatives and several days taken before burials are done. Also catholic ceremonies may include several masses before the body is buried, while for Hindus, there is only one service before the cremation.
In conclusion, the Hindu culture is diverse, comprising different rites of passage that sanctify individuals, identify them with the community, and even bring wealth. Besides, the culture holds similarities and differences with Christianity in the conductance of funeral rituals, with one significant difference being that Christianity believes in the afterlife. In contrast, Hinduism believes that the deceased soul will be reincarnated. Understanding of the rituals is meaningful in respecting the Hindus culture.
References
Meibohm, M. (2004). Cultural complexity in South India: Hindu and Catholic in Marian pilgrimage . https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3138054/.
Harlan, L., & Courtright, P. (2000). Effectiveness of Samskara . Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en.
