Forwarded Message from Sri Vijay Shankar

[Guest guest]

Vijay <vijayyshanker (AT) vsnl (DOT) net> wrote:

"Vijay" <vijayyshanker (AT) vsnl (DOT) net>

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 08:17:56 -0000

SANATAN DHARMA - AN OUTLINE

 

I see a lot of confusions and conflicts in our society with the

term "Hinduism" or Santan Dharam. This has encouraged me to go into

the deep to study what our learned experts have written in this

regard. I have tried to compile all their views in a manner to make

common man, like me, understand the basics of Hinduism (Sanatan

Dharam). I find this plateform most suitable to bring forward these

views AND would like to invite all the learned members of this group

to make their valuable contribution, if any.

Hinduism is also known as Sanatan Dharma (a religion which like a

perennial river keeps ever flowing) is a way of life, which our great

Rishis or sages of yore say, if followed faithfully with conviction

would lead to a true follower to the highest worldly as well as

spiritual attainments. When we say worldly attainments, we do not

mean having a control over the vast material wealth, powers and

positions etc., but control over the ever refreshing, fulfilling joy

which can be derived from the worldly objects, without jeopardizing

the worldly and spiritual interests of other fellow beings. Highest

spiritual attainment is identified as merging completely in thoughts

and actions with the supreme power known as infinite spirit, also

called as Brahman, God, Allah, Jehovah, Tao or eternal truth.

Hinduism believes that this physical universe is nothing but only a

material representation of a fraction of The invisible Supreme Spirit

in the same way as the invisible gas can, in certain environmental

conditions, turn into visible water and ice bergs. One appears as

many. However, at the operational level, our Rishis believed that as

human beings at any time, have enormous variations from the point of

views of spiritual development, no useful purpose can be served by

putting all the aspirants into one mould or one type of spiritual or

behavioral practices. Depending on their inner traits and the level

of developments, they are allowed to choose their own methods, modes

and practices appearing to be the most natural to them without, of-

course, compromising with certain universally accepted moral and

spiritual ideals which are recognized by the realised souls as the

most conducive to the attainment of the Supreme goal. Hindus believe

that the flow of life of an individual person does not stop at his

death. It keeps flowing life after life till it has merged itself

with the Supreme. Death is designed by the supreme power to open a

new door for a person for a new life exactly in the same way as a

student is made to enter into the higher class after he has

successfully completed his education in the previous class. Children

born in the same family, having the same family and social

environment, turnout to be of different moulds of character and

thinking. Each one has his own destiny at his birth itself depending

upon his or her performances in the earlier lives. However, a new

life provides ample opportunities for spiritual modifications and

improvements in the destiny with which one is born, but at the

physical and worldly levels, normally one has to follow the path

carved out for him as his destiny.

 

With this broad understanding let us see how do we look at God, the

supreme power pervading the entire universe in order to pray and seek

His grace guidance and strength, to make our daily performances meet

with success, and to see that we are on the right track. We believe

that the subtle Supreme power keeps ever performing three main

functions, namely Creation, Preservation and Dissolution. Creation

means nothing but conversion of invisible universal energy into

visible tangible animate and inanimate forms, which make this

tangible universe. Preservation means maintaining them and allowing

them to grow in the same tangible forms, of course, with necessary

changes in them overtime. Dissolution means death or destruction of

those forms in order to provide the departing spirits new visible

forms more suited to their spiritual development in their latter

lives. Thus, birth, growth and death or destruction is the common lot

of all worldly animate and inanimate objects visible in this

universe. It is an universal ever-lasting phenomenon. Here our Rishis

keep us reminding that do not forget that you are an everlasting

spirit (a fraction of the Supreme soul or power) which never gets

lost, which never sees extinction: it keeps changing forms with the

sole purpose of growth and getting more and more purified. When the

purification is perfect, it merges with the Universal spirit, the

Lord. The individual spirit is like a drop of water which got soiled

due to its association with the physical world, but when it gets

purified, when it has no attraction for the physical world, it has

severed all its relationship with the worldly things because they

could not provide everlasting joy, it aspires to be one with the

Supreme spirit – Sachidanand (Ocean of supreme everlasting joy).

Finally, it drops the human body and merges with the Supreme.

Sanatan Dharma thus looks at the Supreme spirit as creator, preserver

and destroyer called as Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva). These

three names are indicative of his three functions and not three

separate entities. Our Rishis have given each one of them a separate

form knowing fully well that different forms tend to inspire the

worshipers differently. Each form has its own special beneficial

impact on the minds of the person who invokes the divine spirit. The

forms are supposed to have been revealed to the great seers by the

divine forces themselves, and are universally recognised as very

auspicious. These and other forms represent divine forces of nature.

As symbols, each one of them provides special meaning, knowledge and

understanding. And a form is chosen for prayers, meditation or

worship depending on our attitude and needs. Thus Brahma, Vishnu,

Mahesh are also worshiped in their peculiar special forms. Our seers

went further in depth and realised that a Divine form by itself is

not enough to explain the function it performs. The functions no

doubt appear to be performed by the visible forms of gods and

goddesses. But the real performer is the force, the power or the

strength, the form contains. Without power, force or strength, the

performer is helpless. He or she can do nothing. He would be like a

dead body. It is applicable to each individual being also. When the

power in person lies dormant, he is totally inactive, sleeping or is

in the rest, in the state of perfect peace. This power is called

Shakti or active energy. As heat, the power of fire, cannot be

separated from fire, gods and their powers cannot be separated. They

are one and the same. The great seers came to a conclusion that it is

not enough to invoke Divinity in its inactive forms as Creator

(Brahma), Preserver (Vishnu) and Destroyer (Shiva) but we must also

invoke the powers lying dormant in them in order to activate them for

our good. They gave different names to each of these three powers.

Power of Brahma was called as Saraswati. Power of Vishnu as Lakshmi

and the power of Shiv as Parvati. Powers or Shakti were given

feminine forms. Thus the supreme began to be worshipped in male as

well as female forms.

 

In other words, when we are faced with the problem of fighting an

enemy, we tend to invoke goddess Parwati. Goddess Parwati was given

different names and forms as Durga, Kali, Chandi, etc. depending upon

the kind of enemies people were likely to face. Because these names

and forms are indicative of the degree of ferocity of the Goddess

Parwati when causing the destruction of the enemies the devotee is

confronted with. But the same is not true for Lakshmi and Saraswati.

These two goddesses are invoked for boons and blessings. Lakshmi for

wealth, health, name, fame, power to do good to others etc. and

Saraswati for secular and spiritual knowledge etc. So their forms are

always very charming and pleasing. Great Hindu Rishis and Seers have

given each important universal divine force a name and a form. This

is because for a human being who exists in a physical form, it is

easier to concentrate on forms. Only a rarely gifted man can

concentrate on invisible forces to invoke them for his assistance.

Such a practice is beyond the reach of common persons.

 

Let us not forget that the gods and goddesses present different

aspects of the one Supreme power. These are like different waves on

the currents of the same ocean. And again our enemies we have to

fight with constantly are our own bad tendencies like passion, lust,

anger, greed, covetousness, jealously etc. which tend to destroy our

lives. They keep ruining us. The battle between good tendencies and

bad tendencies are always going on inside us and we are often

overtaken by bad tendencies and thus get destroyed. Hindu festivals

are not merely for merry making. Their main purpose is to make the

people worship and invoke the divine spirits so that the battle of

life is fought successfully and we emerge purer and more powerful

after each battle