No traditional Hindu Indian pooja ritual is complete without the use of Durva (Doob) and Kush grasses.
Durva grass is used for Ganesh pooja and signifies the removal of obstacles from life. The peculiarity of Durva grass is that if you plant it in one area it will proliferate by itself and spread out in a wide area. This implies that a human family should be like the Durva grass, having spontaneous, effortless and obstacle-less growth.
The second herb, which is used in pooja, is the kush grass which is known for its purity. In Ramayana, Valmiki named Sita’s two sons Luv andKush. At the time of birth, Valmiki took a blade of kush grass and broke it into two and he named Sita’s first sonKush and other Luv.Kush is a benevolent grass, a symbol of progress and alertness. It is a satvik plant and that stands for intelligence. The term ‘kushal buddhi’ originates from the word kush meaning alert, pure and bright mind.
In Bhagwad Gita (shloka 6.10), Lord Krishna says that for meditation one should sit on his or her own firm seat that is neither too high nor too low; covered with sacred Kush grass; deer skin and a cloth, one over the other, in a clean area.Kushgrass is used to make asanas (a mat for sitting) for worshipping and during yagnas. It is also used in the making of vedi during marriages.
The Garuda Purana has described rituals for a Panchak death. It says when the death of a close relative takes place during the period of Panchak, within one year, five family members may die if proper post-death rituals are not observed. These involve the placement of four small ‘dolls’ made ofKush grass (described as the hair of Lord Vishnu) on shoulders and knees of the dead body before cremation. This is accompanied by the chanting of mantras.
Garuda Purana also talks about the cremation of a person whose body has not been found as in natural calamities, bomb blasts, drowning, etc. It prescribes that under such circumstances, an effigy of Kush grass should be made to represent the physical body of the deceased and the usual rituals of cremation should be followed. Medically too, this representative cremation is therapeutic as it helps to alleviate sorrow and reduce post traumatic stress disorders in the concerned family members.
Sankalp, a firm intent to do something, is a routine ritual in one’s life. When one takes a sankalp to do something, it becomes obligatory for him or her to do it. It is like taking a vow.Kushgrass is often held in the hands before taking a sankalp.
In Ayurveda, theKushgrass is called desmostactya bipinnata. It is a clean, pure and brittle grass that grows in abundance in the plains and hills ofIndia. It is acrid, cooling, oleaginous, aphrodisiac, and diuretic and has been known for its use in the treatment of blood disorders, asthma, thirst, jaundice, stone in the urinary bladder, disease of skin, uterus, etc.