Theism is the Basis of High-end Hinduism - Sri Jayendra Saraswathi

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Theism is the Basis of High-end Hinduism

Sri Jayendra Saraswathi

 

Since we believe in the Paramatma or Supreme energy that is

beginningless and endless, it is clear that Hinduism in its purest

form is theistic. Theism is its basic premise.

 

Some people ask: " What came before the Paramatma? Who created the

Supreme energy? " The answer is that it is something that is ever-

present and everlasting; it has neither beginning nor end; it is

infinite. When something is born, it has to die. This applies to

planets, stars, humans, animals and all other things which have a

beginning. But the Supreme energy is all-pervasive.

 

How does one access or experience this divine energy? The Vedas show

the way. The Vedas are like spiritual primers — they introduce

you to the wonderful world of spirituality. Like all primers, the

Vedas, too, only help you infer the divinity aspect, for the

experience itself can only be yours.

 

So the verses, the rituals are all designed to help you understand

their import and then move on to a higher plane of consciousness.

Here, you draw from the wisdom of Vedanta. Literally, the

term `Vedanta' means " ved ka anth " or " end of the

vedas " . You can call Vedas the Part One of the

" Do-it-yourself " spirituality and Vedanta, the Part Two.

 

Every religion has three components: rituals, cultural and

spiritual. There is scope for differences only in the first two. But

the third, the spiritual element, helps us overcome conflicts

arising from differences in the first two.

 

Rituals including ceremonies relating to birth, marriage and death

are an important constituent of all faiths. Culture springs from the

way of life, and its nature hinges a great deal on heritage and

environment. The spiritual aspect is free of all differences and so

is able to help us direct our mind towards the Paramatma.

 

Dharma, artha, kama refer to good deeds, material well-being and

desire respectively. But the fourth, moksha, cannot be accurately

described because it is an atma-anubhav — an intensely personal

experience. So only the one who experiences moksha will know what it

is like. Adi Sankara said that one should rise above the first three

and get liberated from them via moksha.

 

The moksha experience cannot be described. Try describing the sweet

taste of misri (sugar crystals) to someone who has never tasted it

— and you'll find that the best way to make him understand its

taste is to let him eat it. Moksha can be understood only with

direct experience. An enlightened person who has experienced moksha

can try and guide a seeker to the path that leads to moksha.

 

Can one transcend even the desire for moksha? Once moksha has been

achieved, can we seek " moksha from moksha " ? No, because that

would be a contradiction. For it signals not merely the end of

suffering. In Hinduism moksha refers to the simultaneous end of

suffering and the experience of anand or bliss — what we call sat-

chit-anand. It is the experience of the eternal and unchanging

truth, revealing the universal limitlessness and our nature as the

source of infinite peace and joy.

 

So there is nothing beyond this state. This is the ultimate, when

the atma unites with the Paramatma, when the individual energy

merges with the Supreme energy. Why should one seek release from

such a state? Moksha is not something to be attained but that it is

a state to be experienced, a natural state. Moksha is not a ritual

like bathing or offering flowers. That is why the Bhaja Govindam

says don't look for moksha outside but search within.

 

Theism is the Basis of High-end Hinduism

Sri Jayendra Saraswathi