印度奇趣錄 India's Odd Traditions
傳統文化是一個國家或民族賴以生存和發展的精神土壤。雖說印度文化中包含的種姓制度、狂熱的偶像崇拜和宗教迷信等，與現代文明存在巨大差異和衝突，但卻保留着人類最原始、最虔誠的生活態度。
India is a country rich in culture and tradition. And although India is changing, one thing remains the same: the cow is sacred. And believe it or not, the cow is so revered here that men and women actually coat their heads and faces…with cow urine.
印度是個文化傳統很豐富的國度。雖然印度的變化日新月異，但有一樣傳統是不變的——牛是神聖的。信不信由你，這裏的牛備受敬重，以致男男女女都往自己的頭和臉上塗——牛尿。For the Hindus of northern India, the cow is not a typical farm animal. These bovine represent motherhood, and their milk sustains and nourishes them. But in this case it's not the milk these men and women are waiting for: it's the urine. Known as a sacred gift from the cow, the urine is commonly sprinkled in the home to protect the surroundings.
對印度北部的印度教徒來說，牛不是典型的農耕動物。這些牛代表母親，牛奶能養活並滋養他們。但在這裏，這些男男女女等的不是牛奶，而是牛尿。牛尿被視爲牛的神聖禮物，常常被灑在家裏以祈求護佑。Woman: These sprinkles beautify our house and keep away evil.
女：灑牛尿爲的是淨化家居，並驅趕邪魔。
But this unusual practice doesn't stop there. These men actually rub cow urine into their hair. Some even splash it right on their face.
但這離奇的做法不僅限於此，這些男人還把牛尿擦到頭髮上，有些人更拍撒在臉上。Man: I begin my day with splashing some of it in my eye my head, and consuming a little. It i you know, one of the finest things one can have.
男：我每天早上都拍撒些牛尿到眼裏和頭上，並喝少許。你知道，那是你能享有的極品之一。And this extreme form of worshipping is not a passing fad: it's been around for centuries.
這種極端膜拜並不是一時的狂熱，而是有着幾百年歷史的。Man: I have been consuming the cow urine for many, many years today.
男：我喝牛尿許多年了。Surprisingly, cow urine is even used by residents as a form of medical treatment. Locals believe it cures anything from liver disease to obesity and cancer. Believe it.
令人感到驚奇的是，居民甚至用牛尿作醫藥用途。當地人相信它能治百病，肝病、肥胖症甚至癌症都不是問題。不可不信！Hindi believers demonstrate their humility and devotion by making an offering of hair.
印度教信徒以獻出頭髮來展示其謙恭和虔誠。Incredibly, 12,000 heads are shaved every day. That means the city is constantly full of hairless worshippers. One local man has even trained his elephant to bestow blessings on the freshly shaven. Often waiting for 10 hours or more, worshippers finally enter the shaving area. Using straight-edged razor the temple's 1,600 barbers are so efficient, they average over 15 heads an hour. The temple then sells the mounds of freshly-shorn hair to local wigmakers. The money is used to help the area's poor and ensure the amazing hair temple of India keeps going at a steady clip. Believe it.
難以置信，每天該廟剃頭數達一萬兩千個。那意味着該市滿是禿頭信衆。當地一名男子更訓練其大象給予剛剃頭的人施予祝福（用象鼻敲光頭）。信衆通常要輪候十小時或以上，才最終進入到剃頭的場地。利用直緣剃刀，廟內的一千六百個理髮師極具效率，平均每人每小時剃超過15個頭。寺廟把剛剃下的堆積如山的頭髮賣給當地假髮店，賣得的錢用來協助當地的窮人，並確保印度這座神奇的剃頭廟能正常運作。不可不信！
