Is marijuana a staple of Hinduism?

[mindtooloud]

i visited India and from what I understood marijuana is a part of the culture and religion but i didn't fully understand how it ties to it, does anyone have any insight on this topic they could share.

[Nungali]

Its part of most cultures .    Especially  those associated with I.E.s  and as they migrated into India it was one of the  things they found there as well .  But apparently India did not offer them ephedra  ( ingredient for Soma )  as they lamented its loss .

 

As a native herb it was used in medicine . 

 

Its no big mystery ... the Indians used it as most do, as a medicine  for various things and  for its property to counteract anxiety . 

 

It is associated with Shiva 

 

"  Unfortunately, some people mislead Lord Shiva by picturizing him as smoking pot and consuming a Bhang (cannabis). I entirely agree by people associating Shiva with a Bhang, but the question is why he is related to it? Cannabis is one of the most sacred plants, and it is written in the fourth Veda that it relieves anxiety. Thus, being a sacred plant, it is used as a spiritual and religious plant.

Moreover, during the ‘Samundra Manthan’, a lethal poison named ‘Halahal’ was released, which was so poisonous that it could end the entire creation. To avoid that to happen, Lord Shiva consumed whole poison on his own and later to cool him down, gods offered him Bhang (cannabis). So, if you are consuming it over his name then always remember he also exemplifies a trademark of qualities as well, be it giving utmost respect to his wife (Shakti/Parvati Maa), generosity, mellowed, wearing a tiger skin (not precious pieces of jewellery as other gods are depicted in mythological books) implies his simplicity, and whatnot. "  

 

Now, one might ask what is this 'poison'  that afflicts us , that it is a remedy for and for which we have specific receptors .   ( Note ' To cool him down '    - chill out man )  .  But that is another and longer topic . 

[BigSkyDiamond]

On 6/14/2025 at 5:22 AM, mindtooloud said:

i visited India and from what I understood marijuana is a part of the culture and religion but i didn't fully understand how it ties to it, does anyone have any insight on this topic they could share.

 

"Cannabis, heroin, and Indian-produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in India. Cannabis products, often called charas, bhang, or ganja, are abused throughout the country because it has attained some amount of religious sanctity because of its association with some Hindu deities.  The epidemic of substance abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions in India."

 

---from this article,   Substance Abuse in India

    Pravara Medical Review,  published by the Pravar Institute of Medical Sciences in India

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by BigSkyDiamond