their sacrifices undisturbed. Another
story names this as the place where
Rama does penance (prayashchitta) for
killing the demon-king Ravana. A third
story names Rishikesh as the site where
a sage named Raibhya receives a vision
of the god Vishnu. The most famous
temple in Rishikesh is named after
Rama’s brother Bharata.
Rishi Panchami
Festival falling on the fifth day
(panchami) of the light (waxing) half of
the lunar month of Bhadrapada
(August–September). This festival is
dedicated to the Seven Sages (rishi)
born of Brahma: Bhrgu, Pulastya,
Kratu, Pulaha, Marichi, Atri, and
Vasishtha. Worshiping these seven sages
on this day is said to bring prosperity
and happiness.
Rishyashringa
A sage in the Ramayana, the earlier
of the two great Indian epics. King
Dasharathacommissions Rishyashringa
to perform a great sacrifice, to enable
the king’s wives to conceive. At the con-
clusion of Rishyashringa’s sacrifice, a
shining figure emerges from the sacrifi-
cial fire, places a pot of milk-rice before
Dasharatha, and directs him to feed it to
his wives. Dasharatha divides the con-
tents among his wives Kausalya,
Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, and in due time
they all bear sons. Kausalya is the moth-
er of Rama, the Ramayana’s protagonist.
Kaikeyi is the mother of Bharata, and
Sumitra is the mother of Lakshmana
and Shatrughna.
Rites of Passage
General term for rites that recognize and
mark transitions in an individual life-
cycle, and that often signify a change of
state or status. Seesamskara.
Rites of Protection
For many Hindus, the world is a ritually
dangerous place. Certain hours, days,
and periods of the yearare considered
inauspicious. At these times the very
tone of the cosmos is disagreeable and
all sorts of bad fortune can befall the
ignorant or the unwary. Rites of protec-
tion are used to counter these dangers,
as well as the problems of one’s past
karma, which can be diagnosed through
an inauspicious conjunction in one’s
birth horoscope (natal horoscope).
Some inauspicious times are unlucky
only for certain types of activities.
Potential misfortune can be avoided
simply by refraining from these activi-
ties. However, certain events that cannot
be avoided, such as eclipses, are also
believed inauspicious. In such cases,
one can prevent the negative effects of
inauspiciousness by transferring it to
another person, usually through the
medium of gifts (dana); giving gifts is
also the preferred means for getting rid
of inauspiciousness stemming from a
bad conjunction in one’s birth horo-
scope. People also safeguard themselves
by performing prayer and worshipas
positive protective forces.
Inauspicious forces are also generat-
ed by human jealousy, greed, and
hatred, which can find their agency in
black magic, the evil eye (nazar), or
other sorts of witchcraft. Finally, some
Hindus believe there are a host of non-
human beings, such as spirits, ghosts,
and witches, who sometimes seek to
harm human beings through the exer-
cise of supernormal powers. Despite the
power and prevalence of all of these
malevolent forces, if one is aware and
careful of them there are ways to
counter them.
For problems stemming from human
malice, there are well-established solu-
tions. One is to avoid those people who
are considered inauspicious, such as
widows. Another strategy is to avoid
inciting people’s jealousy by never pro-
claiming one’s good fortune too openly,
praising a child too lavishly, or flaunting
one’s wealth too freely. In many cases,
people will counter potentially vulnera-
ble moments in the life cycle by various
protective rites. It is still common forRishi Panchami