Dear Agathiyarians,

This is a question asked last night in the FaceBook Inbox.
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" Ayya.... I want to ask you something, many of relatives believe that an ailment or a misfortune can be rectified by seeing a samiyar who sprinkles some sort of holy water.
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I would not say that this is plain superstition or muuda nambikkai.
This is an age-old practice. May be started when Mankind was still in Stone Age. It could have been practiced by Shamans just as it is still being practiced to this day.
If you happen to see old Tamil movies - may be taken before 1950, you will find that quite a number of them were themes from Puranas or Fantasies.
A Rishi is a superhuman person who by means of his austerities called Tapas, would have developed super human powers. A Rishi could curse, or bless a person. Or he can change a person into a lowly animal or stone or make the
person suffer in other ways.
When the Rishi is going to curse, he would pour some water from his pot called Kamandalam into his palm and utter the curse and sprinkle or throw the water at the victim.
A freedom from a curse was also effected in the same way.
Many holy places have ponds containing holy water. Water from certain rivers, well, ponds, lakes, sea are considered to be holy.
This water is used for sprinkling to cleanse a place, to sanctify a place or objects, or to drive away evil unwanted spirits.
There are many ways how water becomes holy.
Filling a pot with water and covering its mouth and chanting Manthras or doing certain pujais would make it holy.
A swamiji or prohithar usually does these rituals.
Some babies would be crying and the cause would be unknown. The mother would take the child to a Shaman- Saamaaiyaadi or any other person who knowns ManthraVaadham. The Shaman would brush the baby with Neem leaves after which he will slap a handful of water which has been chanted over with Manthras. The baby would stop crying.
In certain Dhoshams and Pariharams, a homam would be performed with a pot of water which is placed in front of the Homa Kundam. After the Homam, the subject person is made to sit down and the water is poured on the personage of the person. This is supposed to disple the negative aspects, dhoshams, fear, possessions, depression, bad dreams, etc. It is also done for purification.
Among the Malays there is a similar ritual which is known as Mandi Bunga.
Summing up.....
These things do work if done by an authentice person.
Faith plays a great part.
And there is also a certain percentage of placebo effect.

Regards

JayBee