Of the innumerable customs prevalent among the Hindus, this one that anyone can notice is perhaps the most common. The eye is the most important of the centres in the human system where the soul-force is concentrated and is radiated from on all sides. In fact the eye is said to be a magnet of intense potency to direct the invisible currents in nature. The eye is the store-house generator of all such forces and it also directs the electrical and magnetic radiation from the sun. The sun is the light-giver and the eye is generally the light-receiver. If this fact is fully grasped the rationale of the custom will become intelligible.

In this connection it is interesting to notice that children are supposed to be highly susceptible to the influence of the evil-eye and the reason for this is not far to seek. The childhood is the most attractive period of human life. There is also a proverb to illustrate this statement that `Even a donkey is attractive during its sucking period.`

No one can help admiring a beautiful kitten at play and the sportive pups of a home pet-dog. Even the young buffalo is beautiful to look at. Such being the case, it is no wonder that children draw the attention of a number of people, which directs various invisible currents towards them. And they eventually carrying in their wake undesirable creatures in the invisible worlds and liberating injurious influences. The counteracting force generated by the children is reduced to a minimum by their undeveloped stage of growth. They are liable to suffer if developed grown-up people do not come to their rescue. The concourse of attention of a number of people towards a particular object may be said to surround that object with invisible matter akin to poisonous matter. A counter-current would carry away all undesirable accumulations clearing the locality as it were. This is effected by various ceremonies and mantrams i.e. incantations casting off the evil effects of the evil-eye. Further, certain substances serve as traps to catch undesirable pests, for example, a fly-paper to catch flies, a piece of paper coated over with sugar to attract the ants, and so forth.

It will be a common sight everywhere in India that fields having fertile crops and trees and plants in gardens laden with luxurious fruits, are decorated with fantastic and ugly looking scare-crows and figures made of straw and clay. Even houses that are being newly built have such figures or a melon going by the name ushanikoy i.e. pumpkin suspended in front. On marriage occasions balls of food mixed with lime and turmeric is mainly used in place of blood of slaughtered animals perhaps. These are waved round the bridal pair and cast on all directions east, south, north and west. A ring pass-not is formed by pouring round them water or waving or carrying round them lighted camphor or a burning light. All these serve the purpose of gathering the pests at particular objects such as the scare-crow or the melon, to free from their troubles the crops, and men engaged in building operation, to grow or perform their work unhindered. These pests, when once gathered at particular places, would remain there if a safe resting place is afforded them. Physical objects serving as clogs hindering the play of forces cause more or less lasting and permanent eddies, on which these pests are left assembled.

In the absence of physical objects, eddies are formed by natural invisible forces playing from pole to pole. On which these find temporary resting places to be thrown out and reinstated time and again by the appearing and disappearing eddies.

So every custom of the Hindu has a rational basis behind which lapse of time and gross materialism of this material age has thrown into the background to be brought to the forefront once again when the materialistic crust is removed and washed away.