Virtualizing The Veda: Disrupted Authority And Challenged Authenticity In Digital Hindu Rituals

Information from the abstract

Digital transformation has profoundly reshaped Hindu religious practices by virtualizing the Vedas, expanding access to sacred knowledge and ritual participation while simultaneously raising critical questions on religious authority and ritual authenticity. The particular study examined how the digitalization of the Vedas reconfigures religious authority and transforms the meaning of ritual authenticity in contemporary Hindu practice. Employing a qualitative interpretive-critical approach, the research adopted digital ethnography through systematic observation of online Hindu religious platforms and in-depth interviews with Hindu priests, scholars, digital religious content managers, and practitioners. Data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis. The findings found out that Vedic virtualization has generated a hybrid configuration of religious authority where legitimacy is derived not only from paramparā and śāstra but also from digital visibility, user engagement, and platform algorithms. Ritual authenticity has shifted from strict formal compliance toward an emphasis on religious intentionality and technologically mediated symbolism. Although digital rituals enhance accessibility and broaden religious participation, they also risk diminishing the spiritual depth and embodied dimensions that are fundamental to Hindu ritual practice. Moreover, the study advances a conceptual perspective by demonstrating that religious authority and ritual authenticity in the digital era should be understood as dynamic, relational, and platform-mediated constructs rather than fixed doctrinal categories. Furthermore, it proposed a framework for digital religious governance that integrates doctrinal legitimacy, digital competence, and community participation to preserve ritual integrity while enabling Hindu traditions to adapt constructively to ongoing digital transformation.

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Related topics: Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious Tourism and Spaces