Salam (Namaste!) - Question on Hinduism

[Guest guest]

Namaste Zulfiqar:

 

Welcome to the list and your question is a loaded one and I what I

provide here is a brief outline. I have also provided additional

references for you to further explore. I also recommend you to visit

the list archive advaitin/messages and

explore many postings on this subject matter.

 

My posting is the information that I complied from various sources

(references are provided) to educate the youth group (16 an 17 years of

age) in chinmaya mission. Consequently, what is provided here are basic

materials to help the students to know about Hinduism. If you need any

additional materials, please send me an email and I can send you some

power point presentations on the same subject matter.

 

Once again thank you for your enquiry,

 

With my warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

====================================

 

Traditionally, Hindus Invocate the Lord with a prayer before starting

any learning venture and this is one of the most popular prayer in

Sanskrit.

 

Sarve Bhavantu Sukinah, Sarve Santu Niraamayaah

Sarve Bhadraani Pasyanthu, Maa Kashchid Duhkha Bhak Bhave

Asatoma sadgamaya Tamasoma jyotirgamaya

Mrityorma amrutamgamaya OM Shanti Shanti Shantihi

 

Oh Lord! In Thee May all be Happy, May All be Free From Misery

May All Realize Goodness, May None Suffer Pain

Oh Lord! Lead Us From Untruth to Truth, Lead Us From Darkness to Light

Lead Us From Death to Immortality,

OM PEACE! PEACE!! PEACE!!!

 

 

For almost five thousand years, Hindus from all over India have uttered

this prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Hindus have not become

tired in their relentless quest for reality, light and freedom. For

Hindus, Hinduism (more correctly Sanatana Dharma) is not a religion but

a way of life. It has often been said that the West studies religions,

while the East practices them. In western universities religion is

usually relegated to a department of religion, while in Hinduism,

learning is an integral activity of life. All thoughts in India could

be in some sense a religious thought focusing on the ultimate reality.

The separation of religion and culture, as has occurred in the West is

unthinkable in the Hindu way of life. Religion, philosophy and culture

are unified within a diversity of beliefs and understandings. Thus a

reason for a person enrolling in a philosophy course in the West would

be different from a Hindu studying philosophy. For the Westerner

studying Plato or Kant the goal would be to know what they taught while

for the Indian the learning for purification of the mind and liberation

of the spirit. These distinctions should be kept in mind because the

West focuses mainly on belief systems. In the phenomena of religions,

westerners therefore tend to view other religions, including Hinduism,

as mere belief-systems.

 

Hindu Religion is like a Banyan tree with many branches and roots. The

branch of a banyan tree

develops its own roots when it is fully grown. The branches of Hinduism

such as Vaishnavam,

Shivam, Sakthism, Jainism, Buddhism, etc. have developed their own deep

roots. Though there are

many branches, roots, leaves and flowers, the banyan tree is only one!

Hinduism, like the banyan

tree is a single unified entity with diversified beliefs and customs.

Hinduism strongly emphasizes

swadharma (Values based on individual beliefs). Hindu faith is often

known as " Sanaatana

Dharma " (that which is ancient and eternal). Hindu Dharma requires

Hindus to respect and sustain

their environment! Dharma is a pledge to lead a harmonious life without

disturbance to peace in

the nature. The Hindu way of learning the religion is through stories,

poems, parables and metaphors. Hindu's ultimate goal of life is to

union with the Brahman: " The secret of immortality is to be found in

the realization of the identity of the Self (the Brahman) (Katha

Uphanishads). In Hinduism the basic enquiry starts with the question –

" What does a human being want? " and continues with more questions such

as " What is Liberation? "

 

The Hindu religion is conceptualized by focusing on four basic things

that everyone desires:

Kama (pleasure);

Artha (wealth, fame and power);

Dharma (duty, righteousness); and

Moksha (liberation, release, deliverance and Liberation).

The first two constitute the path of desire and the last two, the path

of renunciation. Everyone has to cross through the above four segments

of life.

 

Kama (Pleasure)

Everyone desires pleasure and it is one of the legitimate goals in

life. But pleasure is too narrow to make it the main focus of one's

life and the person who pursues pleasure as one's own primary

motivation will soon realize that it is transitory. Very soon, he or

she will discover that transitory pleasure is not what one really

wants. Pleasure seeking has no satiating point. Hinduism puts it

characteristically in the parable of a donkey driver who keeps the

animal moving forward by dangling before the beast a carrot attached to

a stick that was fixed to its own yoke.

 

Artha (Wealth, Fame and Power)

The second major goal of life, says Hinduism, is worldly success. This

maybe better than mere pleasure (Kama), because this is a social

achievement. However, this too has no satiating point. As a Hindu

proverb puts it, " To try to extinguish the drive for riches is like

trying to quench fire by pouring oil over it. "

 

Dharma (Duty, Righteousness)

This is the first phase of the Path of Renunciation. Here the emphasis

is not on oneself but on one's duty to the family, community, and,

society. While this is a legitimate goal and it yields rewards, in the

end it too, leaves the human spirit unfulfilled.

 

Moksha (Liberation, Release, Deliverance, Liberation)

According to Hinduism, Kama, artha and dharma are legitimate though

limited goals. Hinduism therefore asks, " What do people really want? "

Well, what people really want, says Hinduism, is sat (ultimate truth),

chit (consciousness), and anandam (bliss). People want to be rather

than not to be; they also have the desire to know the ultimate reality;

and they are constantly in search of bliss and happiness. Attainment of

Sat, Chit and Anandam would be moksha (liberation). However, in order

to understand moksha (liberation), we need to know the importance of

Samsara, Karma and Dharma in Hinduism.

 

Samsara

A distinctive feature of Hinduism (it is also true in Buddhism) is the

belief in the birth, reincarnation and the transmigration of souls.

Samsara is the cycle of birth and rebirth in which humanity is trapped.

Liberation (moksha or mukti) by merging with the Absolute is the only

means to escape from the cycle of samsara. According to Hinduism, the

corrupted mind becomes the barrier for liberation and mind fails to

connect with the Atman (the soul of a human being). Consequently the

human mind entertains desire, anger, covetousness, delusion, fear,

depression and jealousy and suffers from, hunger, thirst, sorrow,

disease, old age, and death. This keeps a human being in bondage to

samsara.

 

This desperate human condition of samsara is narrated in the following

Hindu parable: Samsara is a terrible jungle full of wild beasts and

venomous serpents which seek to devour you. In terror of these, hapless

man vainly seeks a way of escape, but he loses his way and falls into a

pit, the mouth of which is covered over with creepers. These fasten

themselves round his limbs and he is left suspended head downward in

the pit. But this is only the beginning of his troubles, for when his

gaze is turned to the bottom of the pit, he sees a gigantic serpent

patiently waiting for his fall, while at the mouth of the pit stands a

huge elephant ready to trample him to death should he rise to the top

again. But by good chance there grew on the edge of the pit a tree on

which there was a honeycomb; and this honeycomb, though it too

attracted stinging insects, dripped sweet honey which, if he were

lucky, he could catch as it fell. This afforded him much comfort and

diverted him from the terrors of the pit; but his comfort was short-

lived, for he saw that the roots of the tree were being nibbled away by

mice, white and black, the days and nights of all-consuming Time. And

he saw that the tree must inevitably come crashing down and carry him

off with it into the bottom of the pit where the mighty serpent lay

eager to devour him (Mahabharata 11:5).

 

Karma

The law that governs samsara is karma. It is the inexorable law of

cause and effect. Every act bears fruit. This has led Hinduism into a

fatalistic, pessimistic, and even, often into a non-compassionate

stance toward others. However, Hindus themselves would say this should

not be the case. There is a place for human freedom. As Radhakrisnan,

the Indian philosopher, said, " The cards in the game of life are given

to us. We do not select them. They are traced to our past Karma, but we

can call as we please, lead what suit we will and as we play, we gain

or lose. And there is freedom. " Likewise, they would also say that

since one's next life is determined by the good deeds of the present

life, compassion to others would give them a better lot in their next

life.

 

Mahabharata is one of the two major epics in Hindu literature, the

other being the Ramayana, and is the longest epic in the world

consisting of 100,000 slokas (verses and couplets). The epics along

with the puranas (mythical stories about gods and goddesses) are more

popular than the Vedas, the primary scriptures.

 

Dharma

Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma, meaning, " eternal religion. " Dharma comes

from the root word dhr which means " to hold " and is, therefore, as the

Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore says, " The principle of relationship

that holds us firm and keeps us virtuous. " Dharma also means law, duty

and righteousness; and we must allow dharma to manifest itself in and

through us. Tagore quotes a Hindu scripture, which says, " Through

adharma (the negation of dharma), man prospers, gains what appears

desirable, conquers enemies, but he perishes at the root. "

 

Three Paths to Liberation

We have seen that in asking the anthropological question, " What do

people really want?, " Hinduism answers that there are four goals

(pleasure, success, duty, liberation) that people really desire, but

what they really want or need is the fourth goal, moksha (liberation).

We have also seen that samsara (the cycle of birth and rebirth), karma

(the law of cause and effect) and dharma (duty, law, righteousness)

provide the framework for the theology of liberation. Now we can

tackle the Hindu view of the way of liberation.

 

According to Hinduism, many paths lead to moksha (Liberation). Hinduism

says that each of those paths has only a limited vision of the

Absolute. Every Hindu child is taught this through the parable of

the " Blind Priests and the Elephant. " Three blind priests were touching

a large elephant and describing it to each other. The first priest who

was touching the huge side of the elephant shouted, " This is like a

cement wall. " The second priest on touching the tail, said, " This is

like a rope, " and the third priest who was holding the leg, cried

out, " This is like the trunk of a tree. " All three descriptions of the

elephant are, according to Hinduism, correct as far as they go, but are

partial and limited. All descriptions of the Boundless, Life-giver are

limited. But there is another reason why there are many paths to

Liberation. Hinduism says that the human beings are different and so

are the paths that they choose for their liberation. In general human

beings can be classified by three categories: the thinkers, the doers

and the lovers. Correspondingly, the thinkers choose jnana yoga (the

path of knowledge), the doers choose karma yoga (the path of action)

and the lovers choose the bhakti yoga (the path of devotion.

 

The Path of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga)

The word yoga is derived from the same root word as the English

word " yoke. " It has two meanings, viz., " to unite " or " yoke together, "

and " to place under disciplined training " or " to bring under the yoke. "

Thus yoga is a means, by which, through disciplined training, we can be

in union with God. This path is for those who are intellectually

inclined—for the contemplatives. This knowledge is not attained through

discursive logic or the process of inference but through intuition,

which does not lead to factual information but to purification of one's

mind for liberation of our spirits. This liberation happens when we

realize that the Great Spirit, the Brahman (God) and the human spirit

(atman) are one. " All rivers flow to the ocean and we are at best drops

which rightfully emerge with the ocean of being. " (Message of the

Upanishad)

 

The Path of Action (Karma Yoga)

The Bhagavad Gita especially emphasizes this path to God through the

faithful doing of one's duty. The word karma is derived from the

Sanskrit root kri which is related to the word meaning, " to create. "

Through our righteous deeds, God's divine creative power is manifested.

Our work, says Hinduism, is worship and must be performed without

concern for rewards and results. It is then sacramental action

performed in eternity and not in time. As the Gita says, " You have the

right to work, but for the work's sake only. You have no right to the

fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive

in working. Perform every action with your heart fixed on the Supreme

Lord. Renounce attachment to the fruits. " Work done with anxiety about

results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety in the calm

of self-surrender. Those who work selfishly for results are miserable.

Devote yourself, therefore, to reaching union with the Brahman. To

unite the heart with Brahman and then to act; that is the secret of non-

attached work. In the calm of self-surrender, the seers renounce the

fruit of their actions, and so reach enlightenment. The world is

imprisoned in its own activity, except when actions are performed as

worship of God. Therefore you must perform every action spontaneously,

and free from all attachments to results.

 

The above quotation from the Bhagavad Gita makes clear that the Hindu

view of the path to union with God is through actions spontaneously

performed yet detached from the desire for rewards for one's work. This

is seen in the story of the Hindu saint, meditating while sitting on

the bank of the river. A scorpion was falling off the bank of the

river. The Hindu saint picked up the insect in order to save it, but it

stung him and he could not hold on to it, so it fell into the river

again. He again picked up the scorpion and again it stung him and fell

into the river. Again, the saint tried to save the scorpion. A man who

was passing by looked at the sage and asked why he was trying to save

the scorpion. The sage replied, " It is the nature of scorpions to sting

and hurt, while it is the nature of saints to save. "

 

The Path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga)

This is the path to Liberation through loving devotion and self

surrender to God. Here God is seen in personal terms and there is even

an element of grace. The Gita says, " If your soul finds rest in me, you

shall overcome all dangers by my grace; but if your thoughts and deeds

are selfish, you will perish. " (Bhagavad Gita 18:58).

 

Here we see the surrender and loving devotion to God as the path to

Liberation. The bhakti movement was originated in south India. It seems

to view that Liberation can only be achievable through God's grace.

Bhakti can be classified into monkey school and the cat school. The

monkey school version of the surrender to the God is like the baby

monkey clings to the mother, whereas the cat school version of

surrender to the God is like the kitten carried by the mouth of its

mother.

 

Concept of Sin in Hinduism:

Hinduism does not have a defined doctrine of sin like Christianity or

Islam. As Radhakrisnan puts it, " Sin is not so much a defiance of God

as a denial of soul, not so much a violation of law as a betrayal of

self. " It is precisely for this reason that much of Hinduism is human

attempt to attain Liberation through one's own efforts.

 

Avatar (Incarnation)

Hinduism's concept of Avatar means a manifestation of God to the Hindu.

It is not a once-for-all event, an unrepeatable event, but is rather a

constantly recurring event as the ten incarnations of Vishnu testify.

In addition, the incarnations in Hinduism are not, strictly speaking,

historical happenings. The incarnations are conveyed through stories in

the Puranas and Epics using imaginative dramatically portrayed

characters.

 

Conclusion:

We have seen the four goals of the humanity spelled out in Hinduism

consisting of Kama, artha, dharma and moksha. Three of these goals

namely Kama (pleasure), artha (wealth, fame, and power) and dharma

(duty, righteousness), though legitimate, are transitory and the only

thing for which a human being really yearns is moksha (liberation,

release, and freedom). As a snake is " released " (vimukta) from its old

skin so is the Atman released. (Chandogya Upanishad). There are three

paths to moksha (karma, bhakti and jnana) and individuals' personality

determines their choice. Hinduism preaches that we all have direct

access to God without any mediator!

 

References:

1 K. M. Sen, Hinduism (Middlesex: Penguin, 1961), p. 115.

2. Huston Smith, The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions

(San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1955), p. 14.

3. Huston Smith, The Religions of Man (New York: Harper & Bros., 1958).

4. R. C. Zaehner, Hinduism (London: Oxford University Press, 1966)

5. Radhakrisnan, The Hindu View of Life (London: Unwin, 1974)

6. Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of Man (London: Unwin Hyman, 1931)

7. Mahabharat, Ramayana and the Upanishads

 

 

advaitin , " Zulfiqar Ahmed Shaikh "

<zulfiqarshaikh1973 wrote:

>

> Salam,

>

> Want to know basic fundametals/ pillars of Hinduism.

>