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A ring of small lit clay lamps around a larger one, set in a white rangoli pattern

Hinduism in everyday life

Namaste, the lamp at dusk, fasting days, the family shrine. The family's way is the right way for that home.

Photo: siddarth varanasiCC BY 2.0CC BY 2.0

Namaste, palms together and a small bow, means "I bow to you". It greets, thanks, and says goodbye. Touching an elder's feet (pranam) asks for their blessing. A tilak or bindi on the forehead marks the point between the eyebrows that yogic texts treat as the seat of attention; it is worn after puja, at festivals, or every day.

Food carries meaning. Many Hindus are vegetarian and many are not; most avoid beef because the cow is honoured as a giver. Food offered to the deity becomes prasad. Fasting on chosen days is common: Mondays for Shiva, Tuesdays for Hanuman, Ekadashi for Vishnu. It is always kept within one's health.

Homes usually keep a small shrine and light a lamp at dawn and dusk. A new house, a long trip, a wedding, an exam: each may get a muhurat, an auspicious time from the panchang, and a short puja.

All of this varies by region, community, and family, and the family's way is the right way for that home. If you are joining a household, ask. People are glad to explain, and asking is itself a form of respect.

In the tradition's words

सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ॥

Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ, sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkha-bhāg bhavet

May all be happy, may all be free of illness, may all see what is good, may no one suffer.

Traditional maṅgala verse; often printed with the Upaniṣadic śānti-pāṭhas, but it is not found in any UpaniṣadRead the whole verse →

Where this comes from

Living custom across regions. The ajna point is described in the Hatha Yoga and Tantric literature; the vaar–deity pairings are the common North Indian ones and vary elsewhere.

On Dharamkira