Dogmatism!

In a village, there was a Brahmana making a living out of the profession of Purohita (Priesthood). Whenever there was a Sathyanarayana Vratam in any house, he used to go there one day in advance and make all necessary arrangements. He used to caution especially about cats, asking the concerned householders to restrain their pet cat under a basket, lest it should spoil things like milk and curds.

Suddenly, the Brahmana died. His son took over his profession. But he started following the methods mechanically, because he never had his heart in the profession. He thought the practice of keeping the cat under a basket as a necessary ritual associated with all Vrtams; and whenever he went he insisted that a cat must be brought and kept under a basket as an essential part of Vrata. Whenever a house holder said that he did not have cat in his house, this man used to bring his pet cat from his own house along with the basket. Gradually, this practice had become an inevitable part of all Vratams performed in the entire village.

People did not apply their reasoning towards this queer practice, and so it turned out to be a dogmatic custom. When people blindly or ignorantly follow such practices, without understanding what they mean, this is what leads to meaningless customs. These things cause our people to be ridiculed by the educated.