One of the most common rituals in Hinduism is the breaking of a coconut before an activity of any magnitude is undertaken. Coconuts are broken when foundation stones of buildings are laid and are broken again when the building is being put to use. Coconuts are broken before using a new car and coconuts are broken at the muharats or the launches of new movies.
Description of the Coconut Breaking Ritual
The ritual of breaking the coconut hardly takes a few minutes. It is a standardized ritual and known to one and all. Children watch this ritual performed from very young ages and automatically pick it up.
The coconut that is used is the one that has the hardened shell and in which almost all the water inside has been converted to the kernel. The husk of the coconut is removed so that the impact is not shielded and the coconut breaks immediately. In order to break the coconut a slab of stone is kept ready hand if a hard surface is not available.
The person performing the ritual smashes the coconut on the stone and creates a crack running almost completely through the center. Before the water spills out of the crack it is sprinkled on the object of worship. This may the foundation stone of a project, a new vehicle or in some cases idols of deities being worshiped before the undertaking is commenced. The coconut is then split into two and the hardened kernel is peeled out and cut into small diced pieces. These are then distributed to the persons attending the ritual and eaten by them.
The Depiction of the Ritual in Movies
The coconut breaking ritual is so commonplace that it finds a place in practically every Hindi movie or even English movies set in India. Usually no one pays second attention to scenes depicting this ritual. However in two movies recently released the ritual of breaking the coconut was given greater emphasis and certain aspects of the ritual were explained.
One of these movies was the Hindi film Om Shanti Om starting Shahrukh Khan. The villain in the movie is given a fake coconut to break and when it does not break he is told that the sign is very inauspicious. The coconut is switched and the hero steps up and breaks it the first attempt.
The other movie was After the Rains. It is set in pre-independent India and the subject is an Englishman building a road in the mountainous regions of South India. Before the construction work is started the locals engage in the ritual of breaking coconuts. It is then the Indian assistant explains the significance of the ritual to the Englishman.
Significance of the Ritual
Smashing the coconut is symbolic of annihilating the ego and humbling oneself before God. When ever a work of magnitude is undertaken it is natural for the persons involved to feel a sense of pride at what they are setting out to achieve or what they have achieved. This ritual indicates that the actual “doer” is God and humans are merely instruments in his hands. Coconuts are also broken before the deities in temples during normal worship. Again, the philosophy is the same – complete submission to God.
Youngsters often see this ritual as an act of initiation, though that is not the purpose. A young boy or girl performing the ritual for the first time is bound to be afraid of failure. The relief is evident when he or she succeeds.
A Religious versus Secular Ritual
There is no doubt that the ritual of breaking the coconut has its origins in Hindu practice. There is no doubt that it is performed by people of all religions today in India. It is even performed in enterprises conducted by the state, which are supposed to be truly secular.
In a recent debate on television the religious versus the secular aspect of the ritual was discussed. The consensus was that though it originated in Hinduism, it applies to all humanity. All people feel pride in their achievements irrespective of individual religious achievements and all religions preach the virtue of humbling oneself before God. Therefore the ritual does not contradict the tenets of other religions and this accounts for its universal acceptance.
Sources:
- Vimalananda & Krishnakumar, In Indian Culture Why Do We, "Why Do We Offer A Coconut", p.67. Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Mumbai.
- Temples and Idols in Hinduism; Accessed from Go2SouthAsia.org
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