The Writings of GC Sarma

Upanishads - 3

2007-12-19T11:03:00.000+05:30

RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA

- Like the Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are two very popular and useful Shastras of the Hindus. These are two epics (Mahakavya) produced by the sages Valmiki and Vyasa respectively. They are classed as Itihasas (histories) and they give us interesting stories through which all the essential teachings of Hinduism are stamped on one's mind. These have been translated in many Indian vernaculars. It is through these translations that the bulk of the Hindus get acquainted with their religion.

BHAGAVADGITA

- A portion of the Mahabharata is known as "Gita". The Mahabharata describes the battle of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas and their cousins, the Pandavas, were the contending parties. Of the five Pandava princes, Arjuna was the third and the greatest hero. Bhagavan Sri Krishna chose to be his charioteer. Just on the eve of the great battle Bhagavan Sri Krishna explained the essentials of the Hindu religion to Arjuna. This section of the Mahabharata containing the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is known as Shrimad-Bhagavad-Gita. Just as the Upanishads contain the cream of the Vedas, so does the Gita contains the cream of the Upanishads. Of all the Hindu Shastras, the Gita has come to be by far the most popular one.

PRASTHANATRAYA

- The Upanishads, the Vedanta Darshana and the Gita are grouped together and called the "Prasthanatraya". These are looked upon as the basic scriptures of the Hindu religion. They are highly authoritative. The founders of the important sects of Hinduism had to base their teachings on the Prasthanatraya. Only they interpreted it in different ways and came to different conclusions, such as Advaita-Vada (Monism), Vishishtadvaita-Vada (Qualified Monism) and Dvaita-Vada (Dualism).

TANTRAS

- There is yet another group of Shastras known as Tantras. These dwell on Shakti (Energy) aspect of God and prescribe numerous courses of ritualistic worship of the Divine Mother in various forms. The texts are usually in the form of dialogues between Shiva and Parvati. In some of these, Shiva, as the teacher answers the questions put by Parvati; in others the Goddess is the teacher answering Shiva's questions. The former texts are known as Agama and the latter as Nigama. Allied to the Tantras are the Pancharatna Samhitas of the Vaishnavas and the Shaiva Agamas. Like the Tantras, these also claim to present easier cults and doctrines more suited to the age (Kali-Yuga) than the Vedas. Unlike the other Shastras, these do not derive their authority from the Vedas, to which, however, they are not openly hostile. Another feature of this group of sacred texts is that they are open to all castes and both the sexes after they are initiated (Dikshita).

Upanishads - 2

2007-11-19T08:13:00.000+05:30

DARSHANAS:

- The knowledge of God found in the vedas gave rise to six different schools of thought. The sages Jaimini, Vyasa, Kapila, Patanjali, Goutama and Kanada introduced these different schools. Each of them wrote what is known as a "Darshana"; and the six together are known as Shad-Darshana. Purva Mimansa, Uttara Mimansa (Vedanta), Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya and Vaisheshika are the six Darshanas named in order of their authors mentioned above. Each of these is written in a particular style, namely in "SUTRAS". The Sutras of sanskrit grammar remind one of the style of the Darshanas. These terse Sutras of the Darshanas require explanation and these naturally gave rise, in course of time, to a vast number of notes and commentaries on each of the Darshanas.

- Of these Darshanas, the Purva-Mimansa deals with the Karma-Kanda of the Vedas and the Uttara-Mimansa with the Jnana-Kanda. The latter is derived directly from the Upanishads. This Darshana composed by the great sage Vyasa is also known as "Vedanta Darshana" or "Brahma Sutras". This may be said to be one of the corner-stones of the Hindu religion. Great saints like Sri Shankaracharya and Sri Ramanujacharya in later days wrote brilliant commentaries on this "Vedanta Darshana".

PURANAS:

- The Darshanas are no doubt very stiff. They are meant only for the learned few. For the common folk another class of Shastras was brought out by the Hindu sages. These Shastras are called the "Puranas". Through these, religion is taught in a very easy and interesting way. The teachings are driven home through inspiring stories and parables. Moreover, glimpses of the ancient history of Hindusthan may be had through the Puranas. We have eighteen Puranas in all. Of these, the names of the following may be remembered:

Vishnu Purana
Padma Purana
Vayu Purana
Skanda Purana
Agni Purana
Markandeya Purana
Bhagavata

A portion of the Markandeya Purana is well known to all Hindus as Chandi. Worship of God as the "Divine Mother" is its theme. Chandi is read widely by the Hindus on sacred days.

Upanishads - 1

2007-11-12T10:59:00.000+05:30

SHASTRAS:

- Certain portions of the Vedas are known as the "Upanishads". They are also called "Vedanta" either because they occur towards the end of the Vedas or because they contain the cream or essence of the Vedas.

- The bulk of the Vedas deal with details related to Yajnas. The Yajnas, that is, the ancient modes of worship, are nothing but ceremonials to be performed for purifying one's mind so that it may become fit for receiving the knowledge of God. Hence, this portion of the Vedas concerned mainly with ceremonials (Karma) is known as "Karma-Kanda". On the other hand, the portion of the Vedas known as Upanishads dwell primarily on the knowledge of God. This is why they constitute what is known as the "Jnana-Kanda" of the Vedas.

- Where and how does God exist? How are man and universe related to Him? How and why should one try to realise God? What does exactly happen when one realises Him? All these may be learnt from the Upanishads (or Vedanta).

- The Upanishads are many in number. Each of the four Vedas contain several Upanishads. Of these, following may be remembered: Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Chhandogya, Brihadaranyaka and Shwetashwatara.

SMRITIS:

- Some sages like Manu and Yagnavalkya compiled codes and manuals of Hindu life. These are known particularly as "Smritis", though the term "Smriti" in a broader sense covers all Hindu shastras except the vedas. From these Smritis by Manu, Yagnavalkya and other sages, a Hindu learns how he has to spend his entire life. They instruct him as to how he should behave at different periods of his life (ashrama) and also what special duties are enjoined on him due to his birth in a particular social group (Varna). These also describe all ceremonies connected with the domestic life of a Hindu. Moreover, these lay down domestic and social laws for the Hindus, and some of these were operative even under the British rule.

- These Smritis, in short, prescribe certain acts and prohibit some others for a Hindu according to his birth and stage of life. Their sole object is to purify the mind gradually so that one may advance step by step towards perfection. They are no doubt based on the teachings of the Vedas. Yet it is to be noted that their injunctions (Vidhis) and prohibitions (Nishedha) are related to the particular social surroundings. As these surroundings of the Hindu society changed from time to time, new Smritis had to be compiled by the sages of different ages and different parts of Hindusthan.

- Thus Raghunandana's Smriti is of a much later age than Manu's and it is applicable particularly to the Hindu society of Bengal. As our present day society has changed considerably since the days of the last Smriti-maker, time is perhaps ripe for a fresh Smriti for the Hindus of our days.

Rebith and Karmavada - 2

2007-11-09T08:46:00.000+05:30

- But why has one to born again and again? The Hindu Shastras are very clear on this point. The divinity in man reveals itself only when the mind becomes spotlessly clean. But this takes a long, long time. One gross body cannot last long. Our lifetime is too short for this task. That's why we have to go through innumerable births before this task is done.

- There are so many things in this world that please our senses and so many that repel them. (The sense organs are ten: Five Jnanendriyas - organs of perception: Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Five Karmendriyas - organs of action: Hands, feet, tongue, organ of elimination and organ of reproduction). Hence, we desire to have certain things and to avoid certain others.

- Our minds are always full of such desires. To fulfil these desires, we exert ourselves. Our life consists of such exertions. Yet we can never exhaust our desires. They go on multiplying. When we fulfil one desire, the hunger of our senses for enjoyment becomes keener; and this gives rise to a crop of fresh desires. Thus we go on doing things for fulfilling our never-ending desires.

- Now, whatever we do in this way is sure to bring pleasure or pain as its effect. Each deed (Karma) is destined to bear a fruit (Karmaphala), sooner or later. A good or meritorious deed (Shubha Karma) brings pleasure as its effect and an evil deed (Ashubha Karma) brings pain. Men usually have both good and bad desires. These lead them to perform both meritorious and evil deeds and thus to pile up both pleasure and pain as their consequence (Karmaphala).

- During each lifetime, we exhaust only a portion of our past Karmaphala. This portion is called "PRARABDHA". The remainder that has to be tasted in future lives is called "SAMCHITA". The fruits of our present deeds will lie stored up as "KRIYAMANA". Hence for reaping the fruits of our own actions, we have to go from birth to birth.

- A child is born blind. His blindness is surely due to some physical cause. But his mental agony owing to his blindness, according to the Hindu Shastras, must be ascribed to some particular misdeed in any of his previous lives. When, inspite of our best efforts, we fail in any of our endeavors, we usually curse the fate (adrishta). Or, when without any effort we meet any unexpected success, we hail our luck (adrishta) with delight. This adrishta (unseen), is however nothing but the fruit of our own past actions, our own karmaphala. We need neither curse it or hail it. This comes as a matter of course, as a sure result of our past deeds. We cannot avoid the pleasure or pain caused by our own acts (karma) during the past lives. We have produced them. We have made the bed and we must lie on it. We have no right to curse anything or anybody for our griefs and ailments.

- But we can do one thing. We can make our future lives happy. That depends on our present efforts. We are the builders of our own future. If we avoid the evil deeds prohibited by the Shastras and go on performing good ones enjoined by them, then we shall surely have a happy future.

- This, in short, is what Hinduism teaches us about Karma (Karmavada). Our desires produce Karma, Karma produces its fruits as pain or pleasure, and to reap the fruits of our Karma we have to go from birth to birth. In this way our desires whirl us through the almost interminable round of births and deaths that we call "SAMSARA".

Rebirth and Karmavada - 1

2007-11-05T07:11:00.000+05:30

- The word Samsara in the Hindu lexicon is very significant. We are all familiar with this word, yet we hardly know what it exactly means. We use the word loosely to mean either the world or wordly life. It is derived from the sanskrit root "Sri" which means passing and its prefix "Sam" means intensely. Now, our shastras teach us that we have to pass repeatedly through this world and other finer and higher worlds. This repeated passing of souls (Samsriti) is what is really meant by the word "Samsara".

- The whole of Hinduism takes its stand on this idea of Samsara. And it gives a clue to the entire Hindu view of life. Why do we offer oblations to our departed relatives? Because, we believe that they are still living either in any of the finer worlds or on this earth in some other bodies. Why does a Hindu woman take a vow of widowhood after the demise of her husband? Because, she hopes to meet her husband after her death, only if she can remain faithful to him. The Hindus perform meritorious deeds (Punya), for these, they believe, will bring them intense enjoyment after death. They try to shun heinous deeds (Papa) lest they should have intense sufferings after death. These and many other beliefs and rites are derived from the Hindu idea of rebirth. And this idea is no fiction. It rests on facts realised by the Hindu seers.

- So, this idea of rebirth is a very important thing in the Hindu view of life. We should therefore try to have a very clear grasp of this, before we proceed any further in our study of Hinduism.

- We shall not cease to exist after death. Before this birth all of us have passed through innumerable lives. In the Gita, Bhagavan Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, " Arjuna, both you and I have had many births before this, (only) I know them all, while you do not". He again says, "Birth is inevitably followed by death and death by rebirth". Indeed, one is born in this world again and again till the divinity within us is completely manifested. Each time one is born with a new body, which lasts for a while and then wears off and drops dead. But that which resides within the body remains as fresh as ever. It simply moves out of the decayed and useless body and remains for a time in the finer worlds. After that it comes to this world and gets a fresh body. The finer worlds are meant for intense enjoyment or suffering. That's why they are called "Bhogabhoomi" (Land of experience). It is this world where everyone has to come to work out his perfection. This world, therefore called "Karmabhoomi" (Land of action). So long as one does not attain perfection, one is bound to go through repeated births. Till then, one is in a state of bondage (Baddha). The necessity of passing over and over through the worlds (Samsara) is itself the bondage.

- At each birth, we get a fresh body. This body is made of matter and is called "Sthula Sareera" (Gross Body). It is built out of materials taken as food and is therefore also called "Annamaya Kosha" (Covering made of food). This gross body is our outermost cover. One lives in this body just as one lives in a house. When the house collapses, one gets out of it and builds another house to live in. So also when this gross body becomes useless, one leaves it and builds a fresh body. In Gita, this body has been compared to a piece of cloth. When the cloth wears out, one rejects it and gets a fresh one for use, so also when the body becomes useless, one passes out of it and reappears in a fresh body. This giving up of a decayed and useless body is what we call death, and reappearance in a fresh body is called rebirth. Thus, by death and rebirth, we simply change worn out bodies for fresh ones. Everyone of us has done this times without number. Those who know this truth have nothing to fear or grieve for.

- Inside this gross body, we have yet another finer and stronger body in which we live. This is called "Sukshma Sareera"(the fine body). Neither disease, nor old age nor death can touch this fine body. Nothing in nature can destroy it. Through our countless births in the past our fine bodies have been our constant companions.

- The fine body consists of seventeen parts, namely Buddhi (intellect), Manas (mind), five pranas (vital energy) and the finer counterparts of ten sense organs. It is this fine body that builds up the gross one and keeps it going. Through it, we feel, think and desire. Indeed, this fine body is the active part of our being.

- Yet the fine body is not active by itself. It is as inert as the gross body, though the later is animated and made to work by it. It (fine body) is itself animated and made to work by something else. This something is the true SELF of man. This is his Atman (Soul).

- This Atman is the source of all life, activity and consciousness (Chaitanya). Warmed up into life by its touch, the fine body animates the gross one, just as the moon illumined by the sun, lights up the earth.

- Thus, animated by the Atman, the fine body works the grosser one as long as it can and then leaves it and builds up a fresh body. In this way we proceed from birth to birth.

Story of Vysya - Helping Others

2007-11-02T10:15:00.000+05:30

- We should drown our selfishness in love, but in helping the poor and doing such things we should never fall into the danger of priding ourselves on that account. We are simply instruments, not free agents.

- In a certain village there was once an old woman, who lived by preparing and selling cakes. She would set about her business punctually at 4AM every day. She had a hen which announced to her the break of the day as punctually, so much so that in course of time she gradually got into the belief that day would not break unless her hen raised its trumpet voice. One day, it so happened that the village boys offended her. She vowed vengeance and said, "Very well, these little fellows do not know who am I. I shall move with my hen to the next village and see how the day would break here; let the fellows suffer an eternal night. These little fellows offend me!"

- She did as she vowed that very night, and the next day, when someone came to the second village from the first, she said to them "You see, if you had appeased me, all this would have been avoided; poor men, I pity you; You have to suffer eternal night." They asked what the matter was and she replied, "Why, I have brought my hen here and so the day would not have broken in your place." It is needless to add that the men had a hearty laugh at the idiotic woman's self importance.

- A similar mistake all of us are committing; we think that, but for us, such and such a thing would never happen; we die but the world goes on all the same. We should warn ourselves against such mistakes.

What is Duty?

2007-10-16T08:25:00.001+05:30

- A certain young sanyasi went to a forest and there he meditated and worshipped and practised yoga for a long time. After twelve years of hard work and practice, he was sitting one day under a tree, when some dry leaves fell upon his head. He looked up and saw a crow and a crane fighting on the top of the tree and they made him very angry. He said, "What! You dare throw those dry leaves upon my head!" and as he looked upon them with anger, a flash of fire burst from his head - the yogi's power - and burnt the birds to ashes. He was very glad; He was almost over-joyed at this development of power; He could burn at a glance, the crow and the crane.

- After a time he had go into the town to beg for his bread. He came and stood at the door and said: "Mother, give me food." A voice came from inside the house: "Wait a little, my son." The young man thought: "You wretched woman, dare you make me wait! You do not know my power yet." While he was thinking thus, the voice came again: "Boy, dont be thinking too much of yourself. Here is neither crow nor crane." He was astonished; still he had to wait. At last a woman came and he fell at her feet and said: "Mother, how did you know that?". She said: "My boy, I do not know your yoga or your practices. I am a common, everyday woman, but i made you wait because my husband is ill and I am nursing him and that was my duty. As a daughter when I was unmarried, I did my duty; and now when I am married, I still do my duty, that is all the yoga i practise, and by doing my duty I have become illumined; Thus, i could read your thoughts, and what you had done in the forest. But if want to know something higher than this, go to such and such a town and to the market, and there you will find a butcher and he will tell you something that you will be very glad to learn." The Sanyasi thought: "Why go to that town and to a butcher." (Butchers are the lowest class in that society; they are chandalas; they are not touched because they are butchers; they do also the duty of scavengers and so forth).

- But after what he had seen, his mind was opened a little. So he went, and when he came near the city he found the market and there saw, at a distance a big, fat butcher slashing away at animals, with big knives, fighting and bargaining with different people. The young man said, "Lord, help me. Is this the man from whom I am going to learn? He is the incarnation of a demon, if he is anything." In the meantime, this man looked up and said, "Swami, did that lady send you here? Take a seat until I have done my business." The sanyasi thought, "What comes to me here?" But he took a seat and the man went on, and after he had finished all his selling and buying, took his money and said to the sanyasi "Come here, sir; come to my home."

- So they went there and the butcher gave him a seat and said "Wait there." Then he went into the house and there were his father and mother. He washed them and fed them and did all he could to please them, and then came and took a seat before the sanyasi and said: "Now, sir, you have come here to see me; what can i do for you?" Then this great sanyasi asked him a few questions about soul and god; and this butcher gave him a lecture which is a celebrated book in India, the "Vyadha-Gita." It is one of the highest flights in Vedanta, the highest flight of metaphysics. You have heard about the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna's sermon. When you have finished that, you should read the Vyadha-Gita. It is the extreme of Vedanta philosophy. When the butcher has finished, the sanyasi was astonished. He said, "Why are you in that body, with such knowledge of yours? Why are you in a butcher's body and doing such filthy, ugly work?" "My son;" replied the Chandala, "No duty is ugly, and duty is impure. My birth, circumstances and environments were there. In my boyhood, I learned the trade; I am unattached, and I try to do my duty well. I try to do my duty as a house-holder, and I try to do all I can to make my father and mother happy. I neither know your yoga, nor have I become a sanyasi; never went out of the world, nor into a forest, but all this has come to me through doing my duty in my position."

- Let us do that duty which is ours by birth, and when we have done that, do the duty which is ours by position. Each man is placed in some position in life, and must do the duties of that position first. There is one great danger in human nature, that man never looks at himself. he thinks he is quite as fit to be on the throne as a king. Even if he is, he must first show that he has done the duty of his own position, and when he has done that, higher duty will come to him.

Dharma

2007-10-11T20:26:00.000+05:30

- The word 'religion' means a system of faith and worship. Belief in the tenets of a church, performance of certain rituals prescribed by it is all that is required of a devout man by what is commonly known as religion in the West.

- The Hindu word 'Dharma' appears to have a much deeper and wider meaning than the word 'religion'. Derived from the sanskrit root "dhri" (to hold), Dharma stands for that which holds up the existence of a thing. Everything in the universe has its dharma, because it must rely on something for its existence. And what is it on which the existence of a thing mainly depends? Well, it is the essential nature of a thing without which it can never exist. The essential nature of a thing, therefore, is called its Dharma. Thus, the power of burning is the Dharma of fire; inertness is the Dharma of all inanimate objects. Man also has an essential nature that upholds his existence as something distinct from the rest of the creation. And this must be the Dharma of man, that is, Manava Dharma.

- Now, what is the essential nature of man? The hindus uphold that it is the power of becoming divine that marks out man from all other beings. This power, therefore, is Manava Dharma. But, how is it possible for man to become divine? Because divinity is already within him. "Hinduism teaches that God is present everywhere". He is also in our hearts. We are divine by nature. But divinity lies deep in our being. We do not perceive it so long as our unclean mind is in the way. Just as light cannot be seen through a smoky chimney, so God cannot be seen through an unclean mind, though all the while He is in us and everywhere about us. If we want light, we have to cleanse the chimney; so if we want to bring out the Divinity in us we have to cleanse our mind.

- Lust, greed, anger, hatred, envy, pride, selfishness are so many impurities that obscure the Divinity within us. So long as these sway our mind, we make mistakes almost at every step of our life and very often behave exactly like brutes; our imperfection fills the cup of our misery and brings untold sufferings upon others.

- Yes, it is due to these impurities that, at the start, we seem to stand on a level with the brutes. Yet we are not brutes. Why? Simply because we can work our way up to Divinity, which the brutes cannot. As men we are born with the power of removing all the impurities of our mind and becoming divine in all our bearings. This is precisely our Manava Dharma. Those who revel in these impurities have not yet emerged as men; they are only beasts in human form. While those who succeed in cleansing their minds thoroughly and bringing out the Divinity within them are real men, perfect men.

- Of course, the path is long and the goal is far ahead. To bring out the Divinity in us completely is no easy job. The whole advance cannot be made by a single step. Yet it is a fact that a little progress on the path of Dharma has its own reward. As our minds become purer, we grow wiser and get more strength and more joy. This inspires us to move forward and gradually increase our wisdom, strength and joy. This process goes on from birth to birth till the mind becomes absolutely pure. It is then that man can see God, talk with God and can even become one with God. Then really man becomes perfect. For it is then that Divinity which has all along been within him does manifest itself completely.

- Indeed, the seer of God becomes truly divine, full of love, joy, wisdom and strength. He rises above nature and becomes absolutely free. Nothing can bind him or shake him. Nothing can disturb his peace of mind. He has no want, no misery, no fear and no cause for strife or grief. His face always beams with divine joy and his conduct marks him out as a man of God. His selfless love flows alike to all. His contact brings strength, purity and solace to all who come near him. Verily such a man has reached the goal of human life and he may be said to be a truly religious man or a perfect man.

- The world has seen many such blessed seers of God in different lands and different ages. They are truly the salt of the human race. Out of the fullness of their hearts, they preached what they saw and felt. They taught all, who floaked to them, the steps that led them to realise God. These teachings form the bulk of the religions of the world.

- The different seers however discovered different methods of cleansing their minds. their teachings are essentially alike. These vary only in minor details. All true religions of the world lead us alike to the same goal, namely to perfection, if, of course, they are followed faithfully. Each of them is a correct path to Divinity. The Hindus have been taught to regard religion in this light. According to the Hindu view, there is nothing wrong with the religions as they have been preached by the prophets and seers of God. The original teachings are priceless. They can give us a sure and correct lead. These are the true religions of the world.

- But, unfortunately, what passes as religion in the world often appears to contain more of husk than of kernel. The spirit of the original teachings is buried under a heap of senseless dogmas. It came to such a pass because very often religion is taken charge of by people who are not at all qualified for the task. Frequently people with impure minds pose as priests and preachers. They themselves cannot have any insight into spiritual things. They fail to grasp the importance of the original teachings. And this is why when they start explaining religion to others, they make a mess of the whole thing. In their hands, religion degenerates into a mere creed, a bundle of crude dogmas and meaningless rituals. Their followers become wild and fanatic, and religion becomes a cause for communal fight. Instead of taking to religion for self-purification, the followers of different religions often engage themselves in breaking one another's heads. Such crude stuff naturally shocks the more sensible ones, who unfortunately rush to give up religion altogether. But there are always some wise people in the world who cannot be duped by the unillumined priests. They see through the game; they find that the crudities of religion imported by ignorant priests and preachers lie just on the surface, beneath which there is priceless treasure.

- Hinduism teaches us to distinguish this crude stuff from real religion. It warns us of the danger of being led by imposters and asks us to get religion from the source, from the original teachings of the seers and the prophets. If these teachings require explanation, that has to come from some other seer of God. Not only this, Hinduism advices everyone to find a seer to be his spiritual guide (GURU).

- We should not forget that religion is something immensely practical. No amount of tall talk will do. If we want to be real men, we have to cleanse our mind. This is precisely the task before us. Simply to count oneself as a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian is nothing. Merely to subscribe to the views of a church is not enough. Nor is it enough to be only versed in one's religious literature. One has to put into practice the great teachings of the seers and prophets of one's own religion and regulate one's own life accordingly. This alone can lead us towards the goal. We have to bring out the Divinity within us and become real men, and for this, we have to strive our best. Really, we attain Dharma, that is, our essential nature, only when God in us becomes fully manifest. And for achieving this aim we should spare no pains.

- Now, let us sum up what we have discussed so far. Everything in creation is essentially Divine. It is given to man only to fully manifest Divinity within him and become Divine in all his bearings. Then alone he attains perfection and becomes a real man distinct from all other beings. He enjoys unbounded freedom, bliss, power and wisdom. He can then speak like one in authority and inspire others to go ahead. Religion teaches man how he can reach this blessed goal. Every religion, as it has been taught by its prophets, shows a correct path towards this goal. This is why religion is something immensely practical. We have to strive hard to carry out all that religion wants us to do. We have to form our attitude towards life and shape our conduct according to its teachings. If we go the other way and revel in our impurities, we sink to the brute level. These, in short are some of the fundamental teachings of Hinduism and from these we get a general idea of what the Hindus mean by religion.

Hinduism - 3

2007-10-07T13:42:00.000+05:30

- The hindus would never thrust their religion upon other people by force or stratagem. Peace, love, sympathy and service were their watchwords. Wherever they went they gave a lift to the people of the land from primitive life.

- Surely, Hindusthan has been the mother of civilization in the east. And evidences have already come up to prove that Hindu ideas travelled even to ancient Greece, the cradle of western civilization.

- In its march through scores of centuries, Hinduism has been growing in bulk and variety. Within its fold there is now room for numerous sects, such as the Vaishnavas, the Shaktas, the Shaivas, the Sauras, the Ganapatyas etc. Within each of these sects again there is room for numerous distinct groups. Moreover, the faiths of the Jainas, the Buddhas, the Sikhs, the Arya Samaj, the Brahmo Samaj are also derived from Hinduism.

- For some time past the holy religion of the Hindus has been spreading its message in the far west. Many people in Europe and America are learning to esteem the Hindu view of life. Some of them are actually going so far as to Hindu ideas and ideals.

- Indeed, the great religion of the Hindus, is a mighty force for universal good. This is why this religion could have such a brilliant record of past achievements. And this is why the Hindus have reasons to believe that their religion is destined to have a more glorious future.

- We shall discuss certain essential contents of the Hindu religion shortly.

Hinduism - 2

2007-10-01T21:03:00.000+05:30

- The name Hindu is very, very old. When the Hindus spread all over India, this entire country came to be known as Hindusthan. This Hindusthan has been the birthplace of many saints, many sages, many prophets. Through scores of centuries it has been prominently a land of religion. Its hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas and cities have been made holy by the touch of religion. These holy places spread all over have made Hindusthan really a holy land. Through the ages myriad of pilgrims have been rushing to and fro from different corners of Hindusthan to visit these holy places. And religion has all along been the main-spring of the life of its people.

- It was their religion that gave birth to the glorious culture of the Hindus. Even in the very ancient days the Hindus produced high class painting, sculpture, architechture, music and poetry. They wrote learned treatises on various subjects such as Grammar, Philology, Logic, Philosophy, Politics , Astronomy (Jyotisha), Medicine and Surgery (Ayurveda). They put in valuable research work in Chemistry and have left behind sure proofs of their amazing skill in Engineering, Irrigation, Ship-building and in many other arts and crafts. And all these had their roots in religion; the ideas and ideals behind these were inspired mostly by Hindu Saints.

- In course of time, out of the great religion of the Hindus came two major offshoots, namely Jainism and Buddhism. Hinduism together with its branch Buddhism spread even beyond the borders of Hindusthan. Countries like Ceylon, Burma, Cambodia, Malaya, Java, Bali, Sumatra, China, Korea, Japan, Afghanistan and Turkestan came under the sway of one or both of these religions. Even in far off Mexico in North America, scholars have detected traces of Hindu civilization. The people of these foreign lands hailed with delight the superior culture of the Hindus.

Hinduism - 1

2007-09-26T21:08:00.000+05:30

Hinduism is one of the major religions of the world. It's followers, numbering nearly seven hundred millions, dwell in India and they are known as Hindus. India has been the motherland of Hinduism for a long, long time.How long no one can say with precision. Some say that it must be twenty thousand years, some others hold that it cannot be more than three thousand years. However, there is no doubt in the fact that Hinduism is several thousand years old, and it is older than any other religion of the world.

In very ancient days, Hindusim was known as the 'Arya Dharma' and its followers the Aryas. Their earliest home in India was in the Punjab. Nobody has yet been able to say finally where the Aryas of the Punjab had come from. Different schools have made different guesses about the original home of the Aryas, such as the Artic region, the great tableland of Central Asia, the Mediterranean coast etc. Swami Vivekananda was firm in his belief that the Aryas had not come from any place outside India.

However, from the Punjab, the Aryas gradually spread all over Northern India, which tract then came to be known as AryaVarta. In course of time, they crossed the Vindhya range and spread their religion in Southern India. An Arya sage, Agastya by name, is said to have led this march of the Aryas to the south.

One may like to know how the Aryas came to be called the Hindus. The origin of the name Hindu is rather funny. The river Sindhu (Indus) marked the western frontier of the ancient Aryan settlement in the Punjab. On the other side of river lived the ancient Iranians (Persians). It was by the name of this river that the Iranians called the Aryas. But they could not pronounce the word Sindhu correctly; they would pronounce it as Hindu. So, Hindu came to be the name by which Iranians called tthe Aryas. In course of time the Arryas themselves picked up this name from the Iranians.

Peace

2007-09-12T06:26:00.000+05:30

At the moment, our minds are constantly restless and agitated. We live on sensation--newspapers, novels, and movies. Naturally, while we are seeking sensation, peace eludes us; agitation and restlessness become our nature. We expect to gain peace by some external means, while agitation remains with us all the time.

The scriptures say that the truth is quite the opposite. We cannot get peace; but if we close our eyes and stop talking, peace will be there. It is not gotten or created. In fact, what we create is disturbance. It is important to recognize that before the disturbance was created, peace existed. While the disturbance is going on, peace remains, and when it stops, peace is evident again.

Waves rise in water. Before the waves rise, the water is calm. When the waves rise, the water remains unchanged, and when the waves subside water remains. In the same way, peace is always present, but we ourselves create the causes for disturbance, agitation, distraction, and restlessness--and then we "lose" that peace.

A verse from the Bhagavad Gita clearly and beautifully explains the one who attains the lasting peace in this life. It says:

vihaya kaman yah sarvan
pumams carati nihsprhah
nirmamo nirahankarah
sa santim adhigacchati

(He who lives and transacts in the world, giving up desires, free from longing and craving, free from attachment, and the ego sense of "I" and "MINE" attains peace.)

It is interesting to note that the Gita does not say what we must do, but rather, what we must get rid off. What a wonderful thing--we are not implored to do something, but are assured that peace is ours if we give up these four negative tendencies.

The Quest

2007-09-11T06:57:00.000+05:30

Familiarity is our worst enemy. There are ever so many things in this world which because we see them daily, we have ceased to be curious about. How few of us look at the sky? Very few really see it, for it has been our companion from the earliest moments of our lives, and has by its assuring constancy lulled to rest the spirit of questioning. The child stares with surprise at a stranger, but never so at its own mother. If however, the same sky with its beauty had not been there when we were born and were to surprise us with a sudden arrival our wonder and curiosity would reach a poetic height. But now look at our dullness. The sky is hourly minutely phenomenal. No two moments of its life are alike. Clouds pass and re-pass. The sun rises and sets with epic pomp, the moon shines out with lyric sweetness. There is a ceaseless rising and falling of the curtains above, and the scenes there are being endlessly shifted; but the majority of us are perfectly dull to such charms, though we know absolutely nothing about them.

But why talk about the sky: We are hardly concerned with it; How far it is going to meddle with our day’s work, the meteorological chart shows us, and that is quite enough for all our practical purposes: Let us go to things nearer home; Let us take man himself the one object in creation with which we are mostly concerned. Very few men can rid of human associations; in work and out of work we are always with men. ‘Society, Love and friendship’ is the silent cry even of our spare moments. But what do we know about Man? Nothing. He comes and goes, we do not know where? One man is a poet and another a warrior. We hardly know why. Man breathes while he lives, but at the moment of death, breath fails. No human physiology can tell us satisfactorily enough what it is that lies breathless, and that what which was breathing, why we came and where we go, if the life we lived ends with death, and whether we are matter, or spirit, or soul, or mind, or the senses, or everything or nothing. The great and profound mystery that encircles us all around baffles. We are eternally in contact with problems. Man is an obscure being. He knows little of the world and of himself least of all. We have no measure for this huge machine – the world. We cannot calculate its relations: we know neither its primary laws nor its final causes. We do not know ourselves; we know neither our nature nor our active principle. This kind of thoughts should at least shake off the dullness of familiarity. To feel the mystery, to understand the problem, to recognize the feebleness of our understanding is itself a privilege in the world.

Sri Vidyaranya Swami, in his famous vedantic book ‘Vedanta Panchadasi’ has defined the mystery of creation in the following beautiful sloka which would certainly motivate all of us to ponder over all the time.

ఏతస్మాక్తి మినేన్ద్ర జాలమపరం యద్గర్భవాసస్థితమ్
రేతశ్చేతతి హస్తమీస్తక ప్రదప్రోధ్భూత నానాంకురం
పర్యాయేణ శిశుత్వ యౌవన జారావేశే రనైకైర్వపతం
పశ్యత్తత్తి శ్రుణోతి జిఝ్రుతి తధా గచ్చత్యధా గఛ్ఛతి

(గర్భవాసం లో ఉంచబడిన వీర్యం, ఛెతనత్వాన్ని పొంది, చేతులు, తల, కాళ్లు, వ్రేళ్లుగా తయారవటం, అట్లాగే కండ్లు, చెవులు వగైరాలన్నీ పుట్టటం, ఆ వీర్యమే క్రమంగా బాల్య యౌవ్వన నార్ధక్యాది దశల్ని పొందటం, చూడటం, తినటం, వినటం, వాసన చూడటం, నడవటం మొదలైన పనులన్నీ చేయటం కంటె ఆశ్చర్యకరమైన విషయం, దీనిని మించిన ఇంద్రజాలం - మాయ - ఇంకెముంటుంది.)

From the above, we can easily come to the conclusion that there is a creator who is beyond our comprehension. Mankind calls him ‘GOD’ (Paramatma). Unfortunately, almost every person has a false notion that he knows the divine just because he knows the word. Word ‘GOD’ is not godliness, just as the word ‘Water’ is not water. When one is thirsty, the word water is of no use and actual water is needed to quench the thirst. At the time of death, the principles and theories of immortality are of no use; the actual taste of immortality is needed.

Therefore, it is time to make an attempt to understand the mystery while appreciating it side by side. People say, “Yes, we want to know GOD, but at present there are lots of things to be done, there are lots of problems to be sorted out.” So, they go on postponing the religion to the last. God is the last on the list of our necessities and the last of necessities is never fulfilled. He remains the last. One day, you will be finished; you will never be able to attain him. When one necessity is fulfilled, ten others arise. When one ambition is fulfilled, thousands of others will arise. Religion always remains the last. The divine doesn’t come nearer even by an inch. A fool is one who keeps religion as last on his list of life. He has lost an opportunity. The wise person who has understood properly that he may accumulate any amount of wealth, but eventually death will snatch it away from him, so there is no sense in wasting time in accumulating things which will be snatched away in the end.

That’s why, Shri Shankaracharya in his famous celestial song of ‘Bhaja Govindam’ warns the mankind like this:

baalastaavatkriidaasaktah
tarunastaavattaruniisaktah
vriddhastaavachchintaasaktah
pare brahmani koapi na saktah

When a boy, one is attached to sport;
when a youth, one is attached to as young woman;
when old, one is attached to anxiety;
to the supreme Brahman, no one, alas, is attached!

Modern civilization is a marvel of technological achievement, material wealth and communications systems that have shrunk the globe. In spite of all the wealth and ease of modern life, people are not content. They are not content because of their attitude towards the objects of the world and towards their relationships with others. Throughout their lives, they uphold the notion that they must have more and more possessions. They have a similar notion about relationships and maintain that something is to be received from a relationship rather than given. Instead of simply enjoying the objects and people in their lives, they cling to them, own them and fear losing them.

Over the course of a lifetime of needing, having and clinging, the fear of death grows and hovers, creating a spiral of more need, greater fear and inescapable pain. In this way, life cannot be lived effectively and is merely squandered.

It is appropriate for all of us to realize that life’s purpose is to know the distinction between what is outside and fleeting, and what is inside and eternal, and to discover through practice and experience the infinite value of one to the other.

If the above observations are digested to the point of seeking more inputs of and about Godliness, more discussions we can have and stand clarified.