No matter which part of the world you tour, you will find the natives nurturing certain beliefs and superstitions and India is no exception in this case. Though the Indian society is fast progressing, there are many people who are still superstitious and have a strong faith in the local beliefs. While some of them are quite hilarious, few others are really interesting, as many aspects of life are linked to them. Few beliefs even find their way into the Indian religious texts and scriptures. Superstitions are deemed as pertinent in India because these, generally, hint at future occurrences and can be either good or bad. There are endless beliefs and superstitions governing every aspect of life from birth to death. These are many and varied. A child should not be born at mid day or at mid night. A child should not be born with Chitrai as the birth star, because, Chitra guptan, the faithful servant of Yama was born in this star. Is there any logic in believing that India will beat arch rivals, Pakistan, in a game of cricket only if you stay put on one particular sofa? Will wearing the same dress for all exams give you a good grade? Superstitions have become deep-rooted in our society much to the agony of logical thinking rationalists.

Does it matter if the black cat goes from right to left or left to right?

Daily life is governed by do's and don'ts for each day of the week. Thus Monday is not an auspicious day for shaving or Tuesday for washing one's hair or Saturday for buying oil.

Many omens relate to animals, birds and reptiles. The most auspicious omen is to see an elephant when one is on a journey, for it represents Ganesha, the god of good luck and the remover of obstacles

Leaving on a journey is a very important occasion and precautions have to be taken depending on the importance of the journey. The astrologer is consulted to select an auspicious time to begin. There are several beliefs linked with starting on a journey.

There is also a strong belief in the power of dreams, as divine warnings. Dreaming of gods, demons, auspicious animals or any other auspicious thing is good. Whereas, dreaming of gold or iron, falling stars or earthquakes is bad. There are many people who claim to be able to decipher dreams and their talents are employed by believers.

The wall lizard boasts the most superstitions. Every movement of this reptile holds some significance, indeed, a science called the Gowli Shastra enumerates these. The colour, spots, stripes, chirping or twittering of the lizard and where it falls on a person's body are said to indicate future happenings.

There are also many superstitions related to a pregnant woman, which originated for her protection. Some of the most widespread are: A pregnant woman should not wander out alone at night or enter an empty house because evil spirits might infest her. The husband of a pregnant woman should not build a house as that might rouse the wrath of the earth spirit. He must not bathe in the sea for the seashore is thick with ghosts. All these rules were imposed on people, as ways to protect the prospective mother and father against any dangers.

etc etc etc... and goes on

 A black cat crossing your path brings bad luck; sighting a eunuch en route to an important assignment assures success; a sneeze just before starting something is inauspicious; dogs whining at night signal bad news coming in soon… The list of superstitious beliefs harbored by Indians is seemingly endless. These beliefs also vary across different regions and religions. For rationalists, such beliefs are an indication of a weak mind.

 There is a thin line between faith and obsession. We must draw that line as soon as our faith begins to bring negativity in our outlook. Can one really wear the same pinstriped shirt for every important presentation? Can important decisions be delayed and valuable contracts given away, just because ‘raahu-kaalam’ came in at that time? Could someone share here why a particular timing is denoted as raahu kaalam?

 Superstitions have become deep-rooted in our society much to the agony of logical thinking rationalists. Think before you act. If it is perfectly valuable and Logically acceptable, go with it. Fake believes demotivates people.

I have reseached a lot on these, yet I didnt get a concrete answer on most of our beliefs.

If anyone aware of those, please share with me.