Sunday, December 22, 2024
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Traditional concept of the after-life

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By HH Mohrmen

The general Hynniewtrep belief about the after-life is that when one dies the person will go  to eat betel nut in the corridors of the house of God(‘bam kwai ha duar U Blei’). The commonly accepted concept is that the corridors of the house of God is the ultimate dwelling place of the soul after it is separated from the body. The idea of eating betel nut perhaps has some connection with it being the most popular food item in the culture which also has some connection with what people consider to be their definitive leisure.

Perhaps it also has to do with the saying in Pnar ‘sadu u chong tae riñ khri-pathi hi eh’, which literally means one has all the time of her/his life to just sit in leisure and do nothing but pull and push the areca nut basket or the ‘shang kwai’. The saying is often referred to families who are well-off and do not have to go to work or do anything at all in their entire life. Hence the concept of a happy and peaceful life is when one has to do nothing at all but spend the rest of one’s life eating betel-nut.

The idea is that the afterlife is a place of eternal rest that man’s spirit proceeds to after spending his earthly life by respecting family on both sides (mother and father’s clan side), earning righteousness, respecting fellow humans and living life in reverence towards God and the deities. The other question of whether the Hynñiew Trep believes in universal salvation or that a benevolent God saves all the souls. This is a subject that needs more study. It is also not clear if they even have a concept of a judgemental God who adjudicates on how humans live their lives. Considering the fact that ours is a tribal community, the world view of the people will be within the community only and hence there does not seem to be a concept of the saved and the damned amongst the people.

The religion of the Khasi Pnar is not a religion of the scriptures like the Abrahamic religion or some eastern or oriental religions which rely on their sacred books. On the other hand traditional religion is rather a practicing religion that one can understand only when one studies the traditions that are being practiced by the people. The traditions and stories are not only their covenant with the creator or the divine, but they are also believed to be God’s revelations to creation. The tradition of ‘choh syiar’ which is part of the cremation ceremonies for the deceased person in some area, gives us the idea that the rooster plays the role of a mediator between the living and the creator. The rooster takes the role of a mediator between humans and the creator.

Obviously there is a great difference between the concept of paradise in the Abrahamic religion and the concept of afterlife in Khasi Pnar context, but one distinct feature between the two is in the idea of hell. In fact it is not clear if there is even a concept of hell in the traditional beliefs system.

Although there is a saying like ‘ka Nurok ka ksew’ or ‘ki khyndai pateng ñiamra’ which perhaps is the influence of other cultures, but these sayings are not found among the other sub-tribes of the Hynñiew Trep. The reason is because there is no corresponding idea of these concepts amongst the War and the Pnar of Jaiñtia hills. In fact there is no War or Pnar translation of these two ideas which is only available in Khasi. Because hell is also connected with sin, it is perhaps only right to try and look at how the two communities understand sin. To begin with even the word ‘pap or pop’ is perhaps the influence from the outside culture but in the War and the Pnar context if a person commits a ‘pap’ or sin, retribution will be on the perpetrator, but misfortune can also befall on one’s relatives or even one’s descendants. It largely depends on the nature of the sin committed. There are certain sins which one can be forgiven for simply by offering sacrifices to appease the offended deities.

Amongst the Pnar there is also the concept of ‘ki Sangia ki Saret’ or the spirit of the dead ancestors who visit the family every now and then. The tradition of ‘ka Siang ka Pha/ka phor’ or the offering of food which is part of the last rites of the deceased person is connected with the spirit of the dead. Ka siang ka pha is also being offered during Behdieñkhlam festival and cremation by both the War and Pnar. This also explains why the Khasi, the Pnar and the War have the tradition of not washing their cooking pots in the evening. After every dinner or evening meal people always keep some portion of food in the utensils. The reason is to leave some food for the spirits to partake from if they come to visit the family during the night.

People also believe that when they their deceased relatives in their dreams it is because the spirits of the dead relatives came to visit them (‘wan li jngieh’). There are many stories of the spirits of deceased persons visiting the family and it is believed that the family members see their dead relatives in person (‘hei Sarup’) albeit not in a living form. If ‘sarup’ is another influence from the plains which is connected to the Sanskrit word ‘swaroop’ is also another question. In Sanskrit ‘Swaroop’ is a combination of two words ‘swa’ meaning self or own and ‘rupa’ which means form or nature and ‘swarup’ is one’s own form or nature; hence the word ‘sarup’.

And there is also a saying ‘ksan nia ksan chang’ wherein relatives pray to the gods or God for the welfare and the well-being of the family and relatives. In fact this and ‘lai  suk cha duar U Blai’ is how people bid goodbye to the departed members of the family.

Among the War and Pnar the concept of afterlife is that when a person dies, the spirit lives on. In fact the hills are not only the earthly dwelling place of the living, but it is also a place where the spirit lingers after it has left the body. There is also the tradition that if a person dies in a far off place or ‘ cha ki ryngkaw para/ nongwei’ or the domain of the other regional deities, at least the charred bones have to be taken back to one’s place of birth where the bones are interred in the ‘Mootylleiñ Mootymmoh’ or the clan’s ossuary. The point is the person will find eternal solace only when the ceremony is complete and at least the charred bones are kept in the clan’s ossuary. A similar ceremony is called ‘lum shyiang’ among the War Jaiñtia. If a person disappears for a long period of time and is presumed dead, or if a person dies without his/her last rites being completed, the tradition of ‘kaweh sniñ’ is performed by the relatives. ‘Kaweh sniñ’ is a ceremony performed in place of the last rites of the person so that not only the body is presumed to have been disposed but more importantly it is a tradition by which the spirit is set free.

According to D. Lamar (An insight to Behdieñkhlam 2015) in the Pnar context the Universe is made up of three layers. The invisible realm (‘Ki soo rkep,)’ the abode of the Almighty/heaven (‘i bneiñ’) and the physical world where creation lives (‘i pyrthai’) Therefore the idea of hell where the sinners will be punished is a foreign idea as it does not find mention in the tradition.

(Email: [email protected])

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