Why should I perform rituals?
Often I hear questions like "What is the purpose of performing _____?", "What do I gain by performing ___________", mostly from TamBrahms. Fill up the blanks with any ritual - from Sandhyavandanam, Sarasvathi Pooja or Amvasya Tharpanam. The usual answers can be broadly grouped as: a. It is good Karma. If you perform it, the Gods or the ancestors would be pleased and would make sure your life is smooth. I haven't met a person who is clear about what or who this God is. There are readymade answers like omnipotent, omnipresent, etc etc. And talking of ancestors, I haven't met a person who knows beyond the name of his grandfather's grandfather. It doesn't convince me for I know Karma is too complex a phenomenon that I don't bother to understand. b. There is (pseudo) science behind it. If you perform Sandhyavandam, it is a good exercise, works on your neurons to make you do your Math better. Why do you think the ear...