HINDUISM
The origin of Hinduism in all
likelihood lies in Aryanism and Brahmanism. Several historians opine that it is
the early Arabs who described people living across Sindhu as Hindus. However,
Hinduism can also be referred to as Sanatana Dharma-the external religion or
law.
Hinduism does not have a
single historical founder, a papal authority or one text. The esoteric
knowledge and the thought process of Hinduism can be found in the Vedic literature
(Vedas and Upavedas), Upanishads (sitting at the feet of the Master), Aryankas ,Puranas,
the epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bhagvad Gita, the concept of OM,
worship of the cow among others. There are innumerable references about
Hinduism in the texts of Buddhism, Jainism and various heterodox sects which
emerged during ancient India.
Hinduism is a religion, or a
way of life found primarily in India, Nepal, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and even in Bali(Indonesia).
There are around one billion followers of Hinduism making it the third largest
religion in the world.
‘India
is the meeting place of the religions and among these Hinduism alone is by
itself a vast and complex thing, not so much a religion as a great diversified
and yet subtly unified mass of spiritual thought, realization and aspiration “wrote
Sri Aurobindo
The
term "Hindu" has been hotly debated for a long time, but a firm
definition has proved to be elusive.
In an order decreed sometime back, the Supreme Court had ruled that
In an order decreed sometime back, the Supreme Court had ruled that
"Hinduism
is a way of life".
Bereft
of all dogma, Hinduism encompasses a wide variety of beliefs and rituals, which
are intricately woven in the land. There
are the triad of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the
destroyer) who form the bedrock of Hinduism and the Hindu culture.
In
the Hindu philosophy, there is one ultimate Supreme being- Brahman. Brahman is
the source of life, the world soul, and is present as the Atman in all animate
and inanimate bodies (this concept has been further developed in Jainism).
The
Brahman is eponymous in assuming myriad forms. For instance, Lord Ganesh represents fortune,
knowledge and everything propitious. Hanuman the monkey God represents valour,
loyalty, courage and devotion. All Gods have animals as their mode of
transportation. This can be also viewed as Man’s triumph over the beast either
through knowledge or hardihood.
Lord
Vishnu, the preserver maintains harmony in the universe. He assumed ten
incarnations or avatars to challenge evil and restore peace and harmony in the
creation. The sequence of the revelation of Avatars is indeed fascinating –
Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parusharama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha
and the Kalki. This is quite akin to
Charles Darwin’s theory and science of evolution as the origin is in the form
of Matsya and finally evolving into Kalki.
Moreover, incorporation of Buddha one of the
Avatars or incarnations reflects the elasticity of the Brahmanical mind. Third,
there is a school of thought which endorses that Lord Vishnu would assume the
form of Kalki during the period of Kaliyuga. Meanwhile Lord Krishna is
considered to be the complete Avatar of Lord Vishnu possessing all the traits
and qualities. There are as many as 64 Gunas of Lord Krishna. During the
Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna revealed to the humanity his SOHAM Swarupa or the
Vishwarupa Darshan . This was visible to Arjuna the Pandava and Sanjaya the charioteer of Dhritarashtra (the
King of Hastinapur).
Lord
Shiva or the Nataraja intriguingly represents both destruction and also
regeneration. From the moribund chaos arises fresh life. Life emerges after death. Shiva is also the
originator of Yoga, and the famous Nataraja pose is indicative of this aspect.
Braham
Samhita (verse 10) clearly establishes that Lord
Shiva derives his power from Lord Vishnu, “The
person embodying the material causal principle, viz., the great lord of this
mundane world [Maheshvara] Shambhu, in the form of the male generating organ,
is joined to his female consort, the limited energy [Maya] as the efficient
causal principle. The Lord of the world Maha-Vishnu is manifest in him by His
subjective portion in the form of His glance.”
Lord Shiva is neither
an avatara nor avesha and is also not in between them. Lord Shiva is the
greatest demigod, even greater than Lord Brahma. He is the spiritual master of the entire
universe. He has his own spiritual line (sampradaya) called the Rudra –
sampradaya. At present this sampradaya is represented by
Vishnusvami-sampradaya, or the Vallabha-sampradaya.
The
holy trinity have consorts who took the form of Saraswati ,MahaLakshmi and
Parvati. The consorts are worshipped in
the form of Shakti Swaroopa (the Divine Mother). The Divine mother is also worshipped in the
form of Shakti. Shakti represents the feminine principle, the dynamic life
providing energy of the universe. Worship of woman as Shakti acknowledges the
empowerment of womanhood in the Hindu pantheon. Besides, the male God is incomplete
without the female Goddess. This is the trademark of Hinduism.
In
addition to the above there are three additional concepts which need to be
appreciated while understanding the tenets of Hinduism. That is the form or symbol
of OM- the primordial sound, Ganesha- who represents knowledge and (Lord
Ganesha is worshipped before the commencement of any Puja) and the holy cow (which
is revered by millions of the followers of Hinduism).
Symbols
or hieroglyphs are an integral part of Hinduism. Lord Brahma the creator is
symbolised with the four Vedas and OM symbol, Lord Shiva is associated with
Lingam the energy centre in phallic form, the third eye, trident, Nandi, the
crescent/moon and the snake while Lord Vishnu is kindred with the white conch
shell, the rotating discus, golden mace and the lotus flower emerging from his
navel with four arms. In fact, Lord Brahma emerges from the navel/ nabhi of
Lord Vishnu.
It
will take generations and several life times to fathom the vastness that is
Hinduism. But through the texts, scriptures, philosophical schools such as
Advaita, Dwaita and Vishistadvaita, the Bhakti movement, its symbols, art, architecture,
festivals, the Gods and Goddesses a seeker can attempt to understand its
various intricacies.
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