Vaccines & Mantras

People ask why do we need mantras at various events of our life, for e.g. when a child is born, at his/her naming ceremony, during his thread ceremony, when she gets married, at the time of performing shraadha, etc..

Usually it is the priest who says the mantras - we are just listening to the mantras - we don't know the meaning nor do we understand the details. It is our belief that the mantras are good for us and they will only enhance our well-being.

Some people ask what is the use of the mantras when we do not say it, really do not know the meaning, nor do we understand it. Hence they assume that it is just a superficial activity or "superstition" or a routine activity that is done just because our blind belief / age-old practices.

When a child is born, there are a lot of mantras - we may argue that does the child know what is said? Does it understand them? Then why waste time, effort and money and do this when the person has no understanding of it. Neither do the parents know the meaning of the mantras.

At the same time during the 1st year and the subsequent years, the parents of the child take the child to the doctor/hospital for administering the many vaccines which save the child's life from many known & unknown ailments. Does the child know what is the vaccine being given to him? Does it understand what is being done? Do the parents know in detail about the vaccine? Or does the Doctor administering the vaccine know all the details about it - he just knows that it is best if the vaccine is given at a appropriate time and how it is to be given.

Similarly mantras play a crucial role in our lives - we may not know what it is, nor understand it in detail. But like a vaccine, mantras are administered to a child (who doesn't know what it is), by the parents (who don't really know the meaning, but the faith that it is good for the child's well-being) through a priest (who knows when and how to deliver it, just like a doctor who gives the vaccine)

Vaccines and medicines are build based on lot of past experience, trust and knowledge. The same with Mantras & the Vedas.