Blog
Superstition
Well, I don’t have a dozen rings on my fingers. I don’t plan my day according to the horoscope. I don’t fast on Sundays or any other day of the week for that matter. And yet I agree with my friends when they call me superstitious.
It is amazing how the jyotishis can read your past, present and future based on just your date of birth. I am not the kind to be fooled easily but the proximity with which they point to the incidents in our lives leaves me dumbstruck each time. I remain doubtful still it is really hard not to believe them.
I’ve seen some so called jyotishis (astrologers) around Ratnapark and whenever I see them going through a by passers hand I pity these gullible folks. But again when I visit some really renowned jyotishis of the town I completely surrender to their knowledge. They aren’t like the ones in Ratnapark I tell myself. “They know more. They are not the same”. Yet, who am I to know the difference?
But going to these pundits, gives me a sense of calm. I feel I will be alerted if I have any danger looming and will get the good news if there is any, beforehand. This much is all that tempts me to go to the jyotishis. I feel certain comfort and consolation in knowing the future.
People who don’t know me well enough will never guess this about me. At first glance I look pretty smart and my looks can deceive anyone into thinking I’m the modern girl who believes more in science . I don’t fit into the stereotypical definition of what a superstitious might be. I believe in science but I also believe in the things that science cannot comprehend.
These jyotishis keep bringing up what happened in your past and what is happening in your present. they then relate it with things that might happen in your future. It is really fun actually. It is like solving a jigsaw puzzle. Well, all I can say is these people are good. They are really good at what they do.
The jyotishi that I go to tends to blabber random incidents of your past and present. So, each time I visit him with my parents around, I fear that he will spill the beans on some really naughty things that I’ve been up to. I’m scared he’ll point to the mistakes that I’ve made. So I keep hoping and praying that he doesn’t spell it out when someone else is around.
A jyotishi advised me to wear light colored clothes. Light colors look good on me so I thought, why not? So these days you’ll hardly see me wearing black. I feel more confident in clothes of light shades. My friends think I am insane for doing this but I can’t help it. At least I am not running around wearing gems of all kinds on my fingers and neck.
I am just trying to make my life simple and trying to avoid misfortune. But I am worried that I have complicated my life instead.
Elipha Pradhananga
Elipha Pradhananga is a reporter for V.E.N.T! Magazine. She likes reading books but watching TV is her favorite pasttime. She has worked for various newsletters such as Sportsweek 2008 and 2009, South Asian Universities Festival (SAUFEST) 2008, Breaking the Silence and so on. Not so sure about the future, she is trying out all kinds of new things. She is currently studying media studies and finding out that she is interested in public relations.
( Jun 25th 2009, 12:54 PM ) says:
Hi Elipha...even i am not the 'superstitious' types, but i cant stop myself believing in few things. I have been said that red is lucky for me...so, i try to have something red when i am on important assignments or work....nice article! Enjoyed it!
( Jun 25th 2009, 11:10 PM ) says:
enjoyed reading the blog. i complicate my life like this all the time. great read!
( Jun 25th 2009, 11:24 PM ) says:
Most of these jyotishis and astrologers predict things based on vast generalisations. Mostly they're clever people who learn to read the signs in others and make predictions accordingly. Astrology is not a science, just mere guesswork. If they could see into future and into other people's lives so easily, wouldn't they be using that to their own purposes and be living rich fulfilling lives? Of course, if you argue that they're religious and don't care about money then why do they charge people so much? I've never believed such things and I never will. But, just my two cents. It's an interesting subject to tackle though. Good job.
( Jun 27th 2009, 08:03 AM ) says:
well I am not much of a believer in jyotish and astrology but those jyotish must be real clever folks who can even fool smart educated people...
( Jul 1st 2009, 01:10 PM ) says:
Hmmmm....Elipha, your writing made me ponder, think on what can be labeled as being superstitious and what cannot be labeled so. If you don't budge because a frightened cat just crossed your path and you're waiting for someone else to go first, that's superstitious. If you don't walk under the ladder, harmlessly resting on the wall, that's being superstitious.
However, if a person becomes 'lord of the rings' and quite literally so, you just can't stomp up to him/her and say, 'You, Superstitious punk!' that's just another way of decreasing your social circle. It just might be there fashion sense. But, yes, if the person in question is wearing all those paraphernalia such as bright colored stones washed-on-a-funny-Sunday-by-the-hands-of-the-maiden-in-the-exact-hour-when-the-star-crossed-lover-yells-for-his-beloved then it's being superstitious.
And, even if your argument is interesting you fail to mention a lovely bit about human psychology: their gullibility. You hinted at it, yes. How about going back and seeing things that way? It's illuminating.
( Jul 29th 2009, 11:22 PM ) says:
dear elipha, just know this that your destiny is already written. follow your heart and spread the love.
( Jul 30th 2009, 11:47 AM ) says:
Oh, now even GOD is commenting on VENT's site! Cheers, guys, you ARE getting popular :D
( Jun 1st 2010, 10:30 PM ) says:
i have never visited jyotishis cuz i dont like to know what happens next, make life more complicated like you said.
i really enjoyed reading your blog. keep writing
Elipha, reading your blog made me smile.....I way you have presented it is so simple and nice. Good job!! Hope to read more of your blogs in future. Keep writing and exploring yourself. have fun dear...