What is Superstition?

When people criticize others’ beliefs and faith as ‘superstitious’ or ‘blind faith,’ I used to argue, saying, “What looks superstitious or blind to you may be their genuine expression of bhakti (devotion). For example, rituals like animal sacrifice, often performed in villages, may seem like ‘animistic’ beliefs or superstitions to us. Meanwhile, our sophisticated interpretations might appear as empty talk to them.”

However, despite this argument, I often struggled to understand certain expressions of faith. Though I didn’t want to label them as superstition, I sought a practical definition of the term. I found clarity while watching Sri Cho Ramaswami’s TV series Yenge Brahmnan (Tamil, Jaya TV). In one episode, he narrated the story of the Saiva saint Poosalar Nayanar, who lived in Tirunindravoor. Poosalar constructed a temple for Lord Shiva in his heart, visualizing each step mentally. His devotion was so pure that Lord Shiva requested Pallava King Rajasimman to change the date of his own temple’s dedication to honor Poosalar’s spiritual temple, as both had chosen the same date for the consecration of the lingam.

Later, a physical temple was built to commemorate Poosalar’s bhakti and named Hrudayeswarar Temple, meaning ‘The Lord of the Heart,’ after Poosalar’s temple constructed in his mind. Then, Sri Cho Ramaswami said something that gave me a practical understanding of superstition. He explained, “Today, people who have undergone bypass surgery or have heart problems visit this temple to worship Lord Hrudayeswarar, seeking a cure for their physical ailments.”1

Poosalar built a temple in his ‘heart,’ but in this context, the word ‘heart’ (in Tamil, hrudayam or idayam) refers to the spiritual heart, not the physical organ that pumps blood. What Poosalar did to express his devotion through his mind has now been transformed into a religious ritual to cure a physical body part. To me, this is the practical definition of superstition: when a deeply spiritual or symbolic act is misinterpreted or reduced to a literal, physical solution for problems beyond its original scope.

Gurukulam, May 10, 2009

Notes: 

1. For more details on Poosalar Nayanar, see A. Manikkanar, Periyapuranam (Tamil), Varthaman Press, Chennai, 2000, vol. vi, pp. 314-322.