What is special about being a Hindu?

Hinduism is like an ocean. It is too wide and deep. It has a large range of expressions and includes an extraordinarily diverse range of beliefs, rituals and practices, The Hindu faith has numerous schools of thought, has no founder, no organisational hierarchy or structure and no central administration. The central theme is the concept of duty or dharma. It offers followers an enormous flexibility. Many scholars have written about. The one that is very brief and impressive is written by Francois Gautier. I am happy to share it with viewers.

1) Believe in God ! – Aastik – Accepted
2) Don’t believe in God ! – You’re accepted as Nastik
3) You want to worship idols – please go ahead. You are a murti pujak.
4) You dont want to worship idols – no problem. You can focus on Nirguna Brahman.
5) You want to criticise something in our religion. Come forward. We are logical. Nyaya, Tarka etc. are core Hindu schools.
6) You want to accept beliefs as it is. Most welcome. Please go ahead with it.
7) You want to start your journey by reading Bhagvad Gita – Sure !
😎 You want to start your journey by reading Upanishads – Go ahead
9) You want to start your journey by reading Purana – Be my guest.
10) You just don’t like reading Puranas or other books. No problem my dear. Go by Bhakti tradition . ( bhakti- devotion)
11) You don’t like idea of Bhakti ! No problem. Do your Karma. Be a karmayogi.
12) You want to enjoy life. Very good. No problem at all. This is Charvaka Philosophy.
13) You want to abstain from all the enjoyment of life & find God – jai ho ! Be a Sadhu, an ascetic !
14) You don’t like the concept of God. You believe in Nature only – Welcome. (Trees are our friends and Prakriti or nature is worthy of worship).
15) You believe in one God or Supreme Energy. Superb! Follow Advaita philosophy
16) You want a Guru. Go ahead. Receive gyaan.
17) You don’t want a Guru.. Help yourself ! Meditate, Study !
18) You believe in Female energy ! Shakti is worshipped.
19) You believe that every human being is equal. Yeah! You’re awesome, come on let’s celebrate Hinduism! “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” (the world is a family)
20) You don’t have time to celebrate the festival. Don’t worry. One more festival is coming! There are multiple festivals every single day of the year.
21) You are a working person. Don’t have time for religion. Its okay. You will still be a Hindu.
22) You like to go to temples. Devotion is loved.
23) You don’t like to go to temples – no problem. You are still a Hindu!
24) You know that Hinduism is a way of life, with considerable freedom.
25) You believe that everything has God in it. So you worship your mother, father, guru, tree, River, Prani-matra, Earth, Universe!
26) And If you don’t believe that everything has GOD in it – No problems. Respect your viewpoint.
27) “Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu ” (May you all live happily). You represent this! You’re free to choose, my dear Hindu!
This is exactly the essence of Hinduism, all inclusive .. That is why it has withstood the test of time inspite of repeated onslaught both from within and outside, and assimilated every good aspects from everything . That is why it is eternal !!!
There is a saying in Rigveda , the first book ever known to mankind which depicts the Hinduism philosophy in a Nutshell -” Ano bhadrah Krathavo Yanthu Vishwathah”- Let the knowledge come to us from every direction.”

Happy Navaratri to All!

What is Unique about Hinduism? – Part 4

As I write this, it happens to be the auspicious day of JanmAshtami-the birthday of Lord Krishna. It is well-known that Bhagavad Gita taught by Lord Krishna to Arjuna is an important book of authority in Hinduism. Krishna grew up in Gokulam in a community of cowherds. Krishna is also known as Gopala meaning Cow-protector.

Why protect cows? Go- meaning Cow in Sanskrit – is held in greatest reverence in Hinduism. A cow is such a generous creature that it gives a lot more to human beings than she takes from them. The cow produces milk-a product that is converted to various other forms like curd,butter, ghee and cheese – all of them used as food for humans. Even the cow’s dung is used as fuel not to speak of it’s skin converted into leather products. The fact that the cow is held in an exalted position is unique in Hinduism.

In Hinduism, alongwith cows, learned brahmins were also considered important as they perform the sacrificial rites with mantras from the Vedas. The ancient Hindu society placed these two at the top of the animal world and human world respectively for their purity and holiness. What the ancient Hindus really meant is that starting from the cows and Brahmins every creature and every human must be happy and prosperous. So, there is a nice verse in Sanskrit that prays for the rulers and the people with a special reference to cows and brahmins.T

ॐ स्वस्ति प्रजाभ्यः परिपालयन्ताम्
न्यायेन मार्गेण महीं महीशाः ।
गोब्राह्मणेभ्यश्शुभमस्तु नित्यम्
लोकास्समस्तास्सुखिनो भवन्तु ।।

Om svasti prajābhyaḥ paripālayantām ।
nyāyena mārgeṇa mahīṃ mahīśāḥ ।
go-brāhmaṇebhyaś śubham astu nityam ।
lokās samastā sukhino bhavantu ।।

Meaning:
May the rulers of the earth protect the well-being of the people,
With justice, by means of the right path.
May there always be good fortune for cows, Brahmins and all living beings,
May the inhabitants of all the worlds be full of happiness.

There is another eloquent four-line Sanskrit verse that too prays for the welfare of all.

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु
मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om, Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ
Sarve santu nirāmayāḥ ।
Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu
Mā kashchit duḥkha bhāgbhavet ।
Oṁ Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ ॥

Meaning:
1: Om, May All be Happy,
2: May All be Free from Illness.
3: May All See what is Auspicious,
4: May no one Suffer.
5: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

Please note that both these verses pray for the welfare of the entire world – not just Hindus alone but for people of all religions from all walks of life! Seeking the welfare of all without prejudice is unique in Hinduism.

What’s Unique about Hinduism? – Part 3

Hindu Sastras prescribe four main requirements for living – Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha. What do these four mean?

Dharma, the first and foremost, refers to the performance of good and righteous activities; Artha refers to material pursuits; Kaama refers to sensual and mental pleasures; and Moksha means spiritual salvation. Many people perceive that Hinduism consists of only rituals and high philosophy disregarding the mental and materialistic desires of ordinary mortals. It is not really so because Artha and Kaama are included in the four requirements along with Dharma.

Let me cite another unique aspect of Hinduism. While other religions see Moksha or spiritual salvation as something that can be attained only after death, Hinduism pronounces that salvation could be realized within one’s life itself. The well-known Purusha Suktham declares,”तमेवं विद्वान अमृत इह भवति (tam evam vidvAn amRta iha bhavati)” meaning “Anyone who knows Him thus, will become immortal even in this life.”

How does one follow Dharma? The methods for practising Dharma, called as Dharmapramanas, are primarily contained in fourteen ancient scriptures. These are:

1. The four Vedas
2. The six Vedangas or the organs of the Vedas
3. Meemamsa
4. Nyaaya
5. The Puranas
6. The Dharma Sastras

Apart from knowledge and enlightenment, these fourteen scriptures provide the paths to the attainment of Moksha or spiritual salvation. No doubt, Vedas are the most important among these fourteen scriptures.

What’s Unique about Hinduism? -Part 2

The Nameless Religion

If Hinduism is really the name of our religion, it should have been known so during the period of our ancestors or mentioned in our ancient holy scriptures. But it would appear that to our ancestors the name Hinduism was somewhat strange. It is so because Hinduism is really a religion without a name.

Although the religion has no name, it has a common basis – the faith in the authority of the Vedas. The term ‘Veda’ arises from the root ‘Vid’ meaning to know. So, Veda means knowledge. Learning the Vedas is to acquire knowledge. Surprisingly, the author of the Vedas is nameless too!

Dharma- Righteousness

The word Dharma is synonymous with Hinduism. Sanatana Dharma is a way of life. The ancient scriptures (Sastras) prescribe many rigorous duties for a Hindu. For example, the Manu Dharma Sastra describes many duties, the following five being most important:

अहिंसासत्यास्तेय ब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहाः

ahiṁsā-satya-asteya brahmacarya-aparigrahāḥ

These five essential dharmas (duties) are:

1.Ahimsa (non-harming or non-violence in thought, word and deed)
2.Satya (truthfulness)
3.Asteya (non-stealing)
4.Brahmacharya (celibacy or ‘right use of energy’)
5.Aparigraha (non-greed or non-hoarding)

In present times, don’t we see or hear about many important personalities getting into problems by not abiding one or more of these valuable lessons? Some of them suffer great mental stress leading to even suicides.

The Vedas lay great stress on the devotion to: parents, the Guru or preceptor, and the guest. The following are verses from the “Taittiriya Upanishad” that are the essence of all life lessons.

सत्यं वद धर्मं चर , मातृ देवो भव , पितृ देवो भव ,आचार्य देवो भव

satyam vada; dharmam chara; mAtRu dEvO bhava; pitRu dEvO bhava; AcArya dEvO bhava.

Speak the Truth. Abide by your Dharma, Know your mother to be like a Goddess, know your father to be like a God, know your teacher to be like a God, know a guest to be like a God.

The respect shown by the Vedas to different individuals is simply amazing and has no match!

Among the four main pursuits for mankind, Dharma is the first and foremost!

What’s Unique about Hinduism? -Part 1

Amongst all religions in the world, Hinduism is probably the least understood. Many people get a confused picture of it. Some even conclude that it is neither easy nor a practical religion in today’s fast-changing world. The purpose of this article is to take a closer look at it and make it easier to understand the basics of Hinduism and why it is considered unique.

There are so many religions in this world, each having a name of its own derived from the founders of the faith – like Buddha, Jesus Christ, Zoroaster, Mohammed and so on. Who founded Hinduism? The most outstanding feature of Hinduism is that it is founded upon the vision of no single individual and its truth does not stand upon the testimony of one person or of any particular sect. It was a nameless religion. The term Hinduism is really a name somebody has presented us with to distinguish it from other religions.

The very soul of Hinduism is its universality; Hinduism believes in that the Infinite or the Supreme being permeates the whole world – Sarvam Brahmamayam Jagat! It considers all activities of life as offerings to the Supreme. Hinduism has a strong conviction on this principle.

The Sanatana Dharma, or Hinduism, is rooted in the most ancient wisdom of Vedas as heard and revealed by great saints.Through a set of rigorous practices and a disciplined way of life, it offers an opportunity to realize the highest truth by self enlightenment. The prescribed Samskaras (rituals) serve as means to the purification of the mind and the body.

One of the most important Samskaras is the marriage that embodies a great ideal far above the aspect of physical enjoyment. The wife is called ‘Sahadharmini’ – a follower of the Dharma (the righteous way) along with her husband.

Hinduism has the unique ‘Varnashrama’ – a gradation of human beings each according to the ability, skills and aptitude. In the natural order of things, all human beings are not endowed with all types of skills. The Varnashrama system enabled society to be organized and each community was given the opportunity to contribute to its growth and prosperity in an allotted sphere of work.

Arise, Awake…

Today is American Independence Day. July 4 also happens to be the day when the great Indian monk Swami Vivekananda attained Mahasamadhi at Belur Mutt in the year 1902 at the young age of 39.

Swami Vivekananda propagated the essence of Hinduism to the world. He spoke brilliantly at the Parliament of the World’s Religions that opened in Chicago during September 1893. Inspired by the words ‘उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत (Uttisthata Jagrata Prapya Varannibodhata)’ from Kathopanishad, Swami Vivekananda conveyed the famous message “Arise, Awake, and Stop not till the goal is reached” at a speech in Kumbakonam in 1897 during his journey from Colombo to Madras. Swami strongly believed that each soul is potentially divine and the goal is to manifest this Divinity within by awakening the self by one’s own efforts. On this day, I am happy to reproduce a relevant article titled ‘Grow from the inside out’ from the blog ‘Guru Wonder’of my good friend Gurvinder Singh.

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“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”
~ Swami Vivekananda

We run here and there, flit about everywhere, seeking spirituality. Called by many names on many paths spirituality is often confused with religion.

Religion has come to be known as the belief in, a human like male supreme being who pre-plans, monitors, protects, and rewards individuals and groups who please Him and denies and punishes those who displease Him.

How do we know this? Its drilled into us right from birth and reinforced by parents, schooling, priests, rulers and even politicians. God according to these folks works through an elaborate powerful organised structure, generally called ‘organised religion’.

In seeking spiritual growth, by turning to religion, we humans are very similar to the Musk Deer. The deer restlessly runs through the forest and the valleys, seeking the origin of the fragrance of the musk, not realising that its within the deer itself.

Yes many of us believe we need Guides, Masters and Gurus to help us in our seeking. Seek by all means but we have to remember not to become so desperate that the choice is unwise and our trust betrayed.

One thing is for sure anyone who makes a living, takes a salary or demands money for their spiritual guidance can never truly help us evolve spiritually.

Each one of us is Divine and an integral part of all other things and beings in Creation and that answer is within us. All journey outside of ourselves will come to a naught. Spiritual journey is an individual journey and its direction is towards the within.

4th July, is the death anniversary of a great spiritual master Swami Vivekananda . He facilitated and brought spiritual experiences collated over thousands of years by countless masters into the present day. His efforts made great spiritual wisdom easy to understand, learn from and awaken to achieve the peak of our spiritual potential.

He always insisted that, There is no light outside. Our spiritual light is within us.

The Greatness of Hinduism

There is an excellent preface by Sri Pavan K. Varma in his recent book on
“ADI SANKARACHARYA – HINDUISM’S GREATEST THINKER.” I am reproducing the first two paragraphs that reflects the greatness of hinduism in an exquisite manner.

“Hinduism, for most within its fold, is a way of life. It has no one Pope, no one text, no inflexibly prescriptive ritual, no mandatory congregation, and no one presiding temple. It is precisely for this reason that it has continued to flourish from time immemorial, sanatan and anant, because what is ubiquitous but not constrained by the brittleness of form, is by definition, imperishable.

“But it is precisely for this reason too, that most Hindus, while practising their faith in their own way, are often largely uninformed about the remarkable philosophical foundations of their religion. Hinduism, as a religion, is inseparable from Hinduism, as a philosophy. If Hindus are adrift from the deep philosophical moorings of the religion they practise, they are deliberately choosing the shell for the great treasure that lies within. When religions are largely reduced to rituals, there is always the danger that the form will become more important than the substance. That I believe, will be a great disservice to Hinduism itself, and to the great seers and sages and thinkers who gave to this sanatan dharma some of the most profound philosophical insights the world has seen.”