Hor Dhorom : How religion to Santal is different
RELIGION (DHOROM)
The name of the religion of santals
is SARNA. No Binty or folk lore says about the founder of the religion or the
actual time periods of its origin. But the rites, rituals, formalities handed
down from ancestor to ancestors over the ages in the name of religion which give
some clear indication that the Sarnaism is very old religion of the world and older than the
other religions of India.
CONCEPTION OF RELIGION
When did the conception of religion
came to mankind is very difficult to say but some idea about its etiology, we
may have, if we analyze the meaning of Dhorom which is Santali term of
religion. The word Dhorom originates from the words DOHA and URUM. Doha
means”Duh daha reyah har” i.e. the path of self protection and urum means to
recognize or understand. So the religion as per the santal is well recognized
experimented path through which one can achieve self protection or self
purification. If this be the meaning of dharma. One can say that the conception
of dharma i.e. religion to mankind is as old as man himself. It is revealed
from Darwin theory of evolution of human being either the fact that every
creature on this earth has to struggle hard with the other for its existence
and so the human.
History says “when man took his
origin in this earth there was thick forest around him and in the forest there
were different kinds of animals,nmany of whom were far more superior to man in
shape, size and strength. But man was able to subdue them all and befitted the
condition of his survival. This was possible only when man came to know how to
protect himself. In order to do so, man chose the cave, a confined place (now
home) as his shelter and se fire in front of the cave by which he was able to
save himself from the attack of other animals and then he attacked them
according to his convenience. He used the different weapons in different time
as the attacking device. First, he used the weapon made of stone, then the
weapon made of wood (bow and arrow) and
then weapon made of metal (axe, showed). With these weapon the man was
able to attack the animals safely and successfully. Thus the man was able to
establish his existence the means of self protection was the first and foremost
device.
So, as per the santals Dhorom
(religion) is first and foremost essential part of life. So to say it is a part
and parcel of life without which no existence of life can be dreamt of. So
Sarnaism is no doubt as old as man himself. This is as per the analysis of the word Dhorom. If we analyse the meaning
of Sarna itself, we may also come to the same conclusion. The word Sarna means
forest. So the association of man with the forest is as old as man himself.
Comments