11-04-2006, 07:27 AM
Indian Culture- Part I
Nearly two years ago, I gifted a Ganapati ka murthi to a British girl in Hongkong. She thanked me but asked me what it stood for. I was stumped, did not know what to say but regained my composure to say its the God of Good Luck. Subsequently, a friend of mine told me what the elephant God stands for. I felt very sheepish and wondered how many of us know the true significance of the gods we worship and the customs we follow. Since then I have been trying to lay my hands on a book that would teach me about the basic truths about Hinduism. Fortunately, I found more than a couple of books that have enlightened me. Writing a complete essay on all aspects of Hinduism and Bharatvarsha would require me to be reborn n number of times.
I have written this essay in a question answer format ie a mother answering her daughters questions. . I take no credit for the essay. I see myself only, as a compiler of facts who is using the net, attempting to share what he has been fortunate to read.
I have relied on the following books to put this together. The Bhagwad Geeta by Swami Chinamayannda, Am I a Hindu by ED Vishwanathan, The Composites Works of Swami Vivekananda, Indian History and Culture by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals by A. Parthasarathy.
Q Mama, I want to ask you a lot of questions about Indian religions, history, philosophy.
A Please go ahead.
Q What is it to be a Hindu ?
Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Unlike other world religions, it does not prescribe any do's and don'ts. It allows you to live life the way you like. It allows freedom of thought. You do not have to agree with its philosophy unless you are convinced about it. Buddha questioned the authority of the Vedas, Adi Shankaracharya reformed Hinduism, yet not one of these critics was harmed unlike the Sufi saints who proclaimed they were God. It has a very broad encompassing philosophy and is a tolerant religion. It is a relentless pursuit of truth. You have to discover its philosophy yourself. It absorbs new ideas very easily. Unfortunately, some evils like the rigid caste system, superstitions have crept in over the years. By nature, Hindus are not fanatics, violence is abhorred, they forgive their enemies even those who could be a threat to their lives ( Remember how Prithviraj Chauhan set Mahmud Ghazni free inspite of defeating him in battle, only to be killed by the same man later ).You know Hindu religion never persecutes. It is a personal religion. You can pray sitting at home. No need to ask other Hindus to come and pray by using a loudspeaker.
Of the two patriots Mahatma Gandhi and Veer Savarkar, the Mahatma a preacher of non-violence was more popular. Hindus have this great propensity to put the past behind them, move on with their lives( think of your grandfather, a Punjabi refugee who left Lahore without a penny during Partition but is a very wealthy man today), absorb foreigners in to their culture. Quote Allana Iqbal " There has to be something about the entity of this civilisation that has defied destruction despite repeated onslaught by its enemies centuries after centuries. "
Q But why are Hindus slaves of idol worship and a large number of Gods ?
The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago Hindus never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Lord Buddha. There is a logic to idol worship. Hinduism speaks of one God that is the supreme self in man ie Atman or soul. Different Gods and Goddesses are manifestations of the powers and functions of the one supreme God. The human mind suffers from many diseases that need to be cured by specialists. One God cannot help a Hindu to get rid of all his problems. Every God has his own core competency as Michael Porter says. Man is full of desires. To fulfill these desires he relentlessly pursues acquisition of materialistic objects. Desires create agitations in our minds preventing us from concentrating on any one object. Religion helps us control our desires and concentrate our mind on pursuing the Self within. To make this happen, Hinduism has thought of Gods and rituals, festivals. By this man is reminded of the Supreme even while he is pursuing desires eg the Lord of Wealth is Laxmi. Every stockbroker while trying to make money on the stock market has a statute or photo of the Goddess of wealth in his office to remind him that there are is a touch of divinity in his pursuits. By worshipping an idol you are able to converge your thoughts and mind to improve your power of concentration. This helps us clear our mind of desires making it fit for meditation. It helps us peep into our souls, understand ourselves and form conclusions about right and wrong. Idols are a tool to achieve self realization and nothing else.
Q What is this I have read about Aryan and Dravidian Gods. Were there different Gods ?
Yes, there were different Gods. Aryan gods were Indra, Agni, Varuna, Soma, Surya or Vishnu, Ushas and Dravidian Gods were Shiva, Ma or Parvati, Murugan. There was never any major animosity between their followers. The Tirupati temple in the south is a Vishnuji ka mandir while the temple at Kashi is a Shivji ka mandir. Modern day Hinduism is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures. More about that later.
Q Please tell when did other world religions enter India ?
Jews are believed to have come into India in 5 a.d. Christianity came into India in two phases. Phase one was believed to be around the first century a.d. Phase two was with the advent of the Portugese into India in 1498 a.d. During the first phase Christianity was mainly limited to modern day Kerala, these converts were mostly Brahmans and are known as Syrian Catholics. Phase two started with the advent of the Portuguese and the British rule in India ie when Hindus were forcibly converted to Christianity. Rice Christians as Gandhiji called them. Islam entered the Indian sub-continent around the eighth century a.d. when Sind was conquered by the Arabs. However, Islam entered the Indian heartland only after the eleventh century a.d. Indian Muslims are a mixture of Afghans, Mongols and converted Hindus eg Bohri Muslims were originally Gujarati Brahmins.
Q Does Hinduism have a Pope or a founder like Prophet Mohammed ?
A No Hinduism does not have either. There is no central authority in Hinduism whose orders Hindus are bound to follow or nor is there one interpretation of Hindu philosophy. Nobody is excommunicated from Hinduism. Being an open and liberal religion, Hinduism is criticized more than other religions.
Q Then how did Hinduism take birth and evolve ?
An exact date of its birth cannot be given. It is known that Hinduism is as old as this land. Seals of Lord Shiva have been found in Harappa. Some say it is 5000 years old while others say it is 6000 to 7000 years old. I think it is atleast 6000 years old. Ancient India consisted of the Aryans and Dravidians.
The Hindu scriptures were written by the Rishis of ancient times and have got passed down over generations eg the Sage Vyasa, author of the Mahabharat and the Geeta is credited with writing the Vedas too. The word Hindu came originated from the word Sindhu which is another name for the river Indus. May be people who stayed along the Sindhu ( Indus ) came to be known as Hindus.
An ancient name of Hinduism would be Sanathan Dharm meaning that which has no beginning or an end, righteousness for ever. Today going to a temple would make you a follower of Sanathan Dharam. Sects like the Arya Samajis do not believe in idol worship but in the supremacy of the Vedas.
Q Is not Hinduism confusing and contradictory ?
Since Hinduism is subject to so many interpretations, to the ignorant it may appear to be confusing. But the Rishis worked on different aspects to unravel the riddles of the universe. Hinduism has a never had a cleaning up in its history, unlike Christianity. Since the first council in 325 a.d. it has thrown out anyone who did not literally follow the church. Contradictions are seen in every scripture in the world. The Old Testament is in direct contrast to the New one in certain aspects. The Old details all types of sexual activity while the New upholds high morality. The Old demanded and allowed human sacrifices while the New shows a very compassionate God.
Every religion has its share of contradictions. It is incorrect to criticize other religions on the basis of half-baked knowledge. Like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism are offshoots of Hinduism so also Christianity, Islam are offshoots of Judaism ( religion of the Jews ).
Q Mama tell me something about the Vedas ?
There are four Vedas. The Rig Veda ( of Hyms 1028 in number dedicated to gods like Indra and Agni ), Yajur Veda ( knowledge of rites or can be called a priestly handbook ), Sama Veda ( Veda of Music ) and the Atharva Veda is used as a manual by chief sacrificial priests and Brahmins.
The Rig Veda talks of the cosmic order called RTA. It means cosmic and sacred order. Later it came to be known as Dharma or righteousness forever.
Q Who were the first Law Givers of Hinduism ?
A They were the sages Manu, Yatnavalkya, Parasara and Gauthama. Their books were called Dharma Sutras, the most important one being Manusmriti. The name Manu means, Patriarchal Earth Ruler.
QWere not the statements on women deplorable and those on the caste system even worse ?
A Darling, do not get excited. Please understand that Manu's code was for a society that was just taking birth in North India and not modern day India. In fact on women Manu said " They are to be honored and adorned by fathers and brothers alike. When women are honored Gods rejoice, where they are not all rites are fruitless." You see every religion has put man on a higher pedestal. Man was physically and emotionally stronger. Things have changed today. I believe that the Indian women is emotionally far stronger than the man. She has to take care of work, house, children, hubby and sometimes in-laws. If you read the Old Testament esp Exodus you will see the statements regarding the treatment of slaves. History is a part of every scripture. Every evolving society makes mistakes, thus one cannot pass judgement hastily.
In today's kalyug we admire and envy the prosperity of America and keep on criticising India without realizing that they have become what you see after over 250 yrs of independence while we are in our 52 nd year.
Q Like the Christians have the Bible and the Muslims the Quoran is there a Hindu equivalent ?
Hindus consider the Bhagwad Geeta as the bible equivalent. It is the essence of the Vedas, a summation of the Upanishads. Having read the Geeta once, I can say that it has a solution to every problem. Sometimes, I feel it has more to do with human psychology and less with religion. The Geeta tries to show you the right path without imposing its thoughts on you.
I try and live my life by the following slokha ( verse ) of the Geeta. " Life is full of opposites, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, heat and cold, are impermanent in nature, have a beginning and an end, face them bravely, Oh Partha." What it says that our lives will have good days and bad ones, there would be times when we happy and are unhappy. We should not be affected by either of the two situations but learn to live life in equanimity. Its like saying what goes up will always go down.
Two other noteworthy things that I have learnt are the importance of removing desires and selfless work. If I desire, I expect, if I do not get what I want I become unhappy. Then why must I desire. Desires get the mind agitated making me loose peace of mind. If I work, only with the intent of earning the fruits of my action I would be unhappy as I am always expecting success. As we all know none of us can succeed all the time. The Geeta says karm karte jahao without worrying about the fruits of your actions. I have tried to put it simply for you.
Q Did Christianity ever believe in rebirth ?
The doctrine of reincarnation is taken for granted in most parts of Asia. In the West it was widely accepted before being anathematized by the Church at the council of Constantinople in 543 a.d. On account of its reasonableness it is gaining acceptance in the West again.
Q Is the doctrine of Bhakti ( the love of divine ) in Indian the result of Occidental influence?
The bhakti in India is not like the Western bhakti. The central idea of ours is that there is no thought of fear. There is no worship through fear but through love God from the beginning to the end. Bhakti is spoken of in the oldest of the Upanishads which is much older than the Christian ka Bible. The germs of Bhakti are even in the Samhita ( Vedic hyms ). The word bhakti was suggested by the word Shraddha.
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=196&sid=34
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=197&sid=35
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=198&sid=36
Q Mama, did you see the Hyundai ka advt today, it said Sampati Ghar Leha ho. Now what on earth does Sampati stand for ?
A Sat Sampatti stands for :
Sama ie calmness.
Dama ie self control.
Uparati ie detachment.
Titiksa ie endurance.
Samadhi ie creative concentration.
Sraddha ie faith.
Nearly two years ago, I gifted a Ganapati ka murthi to a British girl in Hongkong. She thanked me but asked me what it stood for. I was stumped, did not know what to say but regained my composure to say its the God of Good Luck. Subsequently, a friend of mine told me what the elephant God stands for. I felt very sheepish and wondered how many of us know the true significance of the gods we worship and the customs we follow. Since then I have been trying to lay my hands on a book that would teach me about the basic truths about Hinduism. Fortunately, I found more than a couple of books that have enlightened me. Writing a complete essay on all aspects of Hinduism and Bharatvarsha would require me to be reborn n number of times.
I have written this essay in a question answer format ie a mother answering her daughters questions. . I take no credit for the essay. I see myself only, as a compiler of facts who is using the net, attempting to share what he has been fortunate to read.
I have relied on the following books to put this together. The Bhagwad Geeta by Swami Chinamayannda, Am I a Hindu by ED Vishwanathan, The Composites Works of Swami Vivekananda, Indian History and Culture by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals by A. Parthasarathy.
Q Mama, I want to ask you a lot of questions about Indian religions, history, philosophy.
A Please go ahead.
Q What is it to be a Hindu ?
Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Unlike other world religions, it does not prescribe any do's and don'ts. It allows you to live life the way you like. It allows freedom of thought. You do not have to agree with its philosophy unless you are convinced about it. Buddha questioned the authority of the Vedas, Adi Shankaracharya reformed Hinduism, yet not one of these critics was harmed unlike the Sufi saints who proclaimed they were God. It has a very broad encompassing philosophy and is a tolerant religion. It is a relentless pursuit of truth. You have to discover its philosophy yourself. It absorbs new ideas very easily. Unfortunately, some evils like the rigid caste system, superstitions have crept in over the years. By nature, Hindus are not fanatics, violence is abhorred, they forgive their enemies even those who could be a threat to their lives ( Remember how Prithviraj Chauhan set Mahmud Ghazni free inspite of defeating him in battle, only to be killed by the same man later ).You know Hindu religion never persecutes. It is a personal religion. You can pray sitting at home. No need to ask other Hindus to come and pray by using a loudspeaker.
Of the two patriots Mahatma Gandhi and Veer Savarkar, the Mahatma a preacher of non-violence was more popular. Hindus have this great propensity to put the past behind them, move on with their lives( think of your grandfather, a Punjabi refugee who left Lahore without a penny during Partition but is a very wealthy man today), absorb foreigners in to their culture. Quote Allana Iqbal " There has to be something about the entity of this civilisation that has defied destruction despite repeated onslaught by its enemies centuries after centuries. "
Q But why are Hindus slaves of idol worship and a large number of Gods ?
The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago Hindus never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Lord Buddha. There is a logic to idol worship. Hinduism speaks of one God that is the supreme self in man ie Atman or soul. Different Gods and Goddesses are manifestations of the powers and functions of the one supreme God. The human mind suffers from many diseases that need to be cured by specialists. One God cannot help a Hindu to get rid of all his problems. Every God has his own core competency as Michael Porter says. Man is full of desires. To fulfill these desires he relentlessly pursues acquisition of materialistic objects. Desires create agitations in our minds preventing us from concentrating on any one object. Religion helps us control our desires and concentrate our mind on pursuing the Self within. To make this happen, Hinduism has thought of Gods and rituals, festivals. By this man is reminded of the Supreme even while he is pursuing desires eg the Lord of Wealth is Laxmi. Every stockbroker while trying to make money on the stock market has a statute or photo of the Goddess of wealth in his office to remind him that there are is a touch of divinity in his pursuits. By worshipping an idol you are able to converge your thoughts and mind to improve your power of concentration. This helps us clear our mind of desires making it fit for meditation. It helps us peep into our souls, understand ourselves and form conclusions about right and wrong. Idols are a tool to achieve self realization and nothing else.
Q What is this I have read about Aryan and Dravidian Gods. Were there different Gods ?
Yes, there were different Gods. Aryan gods were Indra, Agni, Varuna, Soma, Surya or Vishnu, Ushas and Dravidian Gods were Shiva, Ma or Parvati, Murugan. There was never any major animosity between their followers. The Tirupati temple in the south is a Vishnuji ka mandir while the temple at Kashi is a Shivji ka mandir. Modern day Hinduism is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures. More about that later.
Q Please tell when did other world religions enter India ?
Jews are believed to have come into India in 5 a.d. Christianity came into India in two phases. Phase one was believed to be around the first century a.d. Phase two was with the advent of the Portugese into India in 1498 a.d. During the first phase Christianity was mainly limited to modern day Kerala, these converts were mostly Brahmans and are known as Syrian Catholics. Phase two started with the advent of the Portuguese and the British rule in India ie when Hindus were forcibly converted to Christianity. Rice Christians as Gandhiji called them. Islam entered the Indian sub-continent around the eighth century a.d. when Sind was conquered by the Arabs. However, Islam entered the Indian heartland only after the eleventh century a.d. Indian Muslims are a mixture of Afghans, Mongols and converted Hindus eg Bohri Muslims were originally Gujarati Brahmins.
Q Does Hinduism have a Pope or a founder like Prophet Mohammed ?
A No Hinduism does not have either. There is no central authority in Hinduism whose orders Hindus are bound to follow or nor is there one interpretation of Hindu philosophy. Nobody is excommunicated from Hinduism. Being an open and liberal religion, Hinduism is criticized more than other religions.
Q Then how did Hinduism take birth and evolve ?
An exact date of its birth cannot be given. It is known that Hinduism is as old as this land. Seals of Lord Shiva have been found in Harappa. Some say it is 5000 years old while others say it is 6000 to 7000 years old. I think it is atleast 6000 years old. Ancient India consisted of the Aryans and Dravidians.
The Hindu scriptures were written by the Rishis of ancient times and have got passed down over generations eg the Sage Vyasa, author of the Mahabharat and the Geeta is credited with writing the Vedas too. The word Hindu came originated from the word Sindhu which is another name for the river Indus. May be people who stayed along the Sindhu ( Indus ) came to be known as Hindus.
An ancient name of Hinduism would be Sanathan Dharm meaning that which has no beginning or an end, righteousness for ever. Today going to a temple would make you a follower of Sanathan Dharam. Sects like the Arya Samajis do not believe in idol worship but in the supremacy of the Vedas.
Q Is not Hinduism confusing and contradictory ?
Since Hinduism is subject to so many interpretations, to the ignorant it may appear to be confusing. But the Rishis worked on different aspects to unravel the riddles of the universe. Hinduism has a never had a cleaning up in its history, unlike Christianity. Since the first council in 325 a.d. it has thrown out anyone who did not literally follow the church. Contradictions are seen in every scripture in the world. The Old Testament is in direct contrast to the New one in certain aspects. The Old details all types of sexual activity while the New upholds high morality. The Old demanded and allowed human sacrifices while the New shows a very compassionate God.
Every religion has its share of contradictions. It is incorrect to criticize other religions on the basis of half-baked knowledge. Like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism are offshoots of Hinduism so also Christianity, Islam are offshoots of Judaism ( religion of the Jews ).
Q Mama tell me something about the Vedas ?
There are four Vedas. The Rig Veda ( of Hyms 1028 in number dedicated to gods like Indra and Agni ), Yajur Veda ( knowledge of rites or can be called a priestly handbook ), Sama Veda ( Veda of Music ) and the Atharva Veda is used as a manual by chief sacrificial priests and Brahmins.
The Rig Veda talks of the cosmic order called RTA. It means cosmic and sacred order. Later it came to be known as Dharma or righteousness forever.
Q Who were the first Law Givers of Hinduism ?
A They were the sages Manu, Yatnavalkya, Parasara and Gauthama. Their books were called Dharma Sutras, the most important one being Manusmriti. The name Manu means, Patriarchal Earth Ruler.
QWere not the statements on women deplorable and those on the caste system even worse ?
A Darling, do not get excited. Please understand that Manu's code was for a society that was just taking birth in North India and not modern day India. In fact on women Manu said " They are to be honored and adorned by fathers and brothers alike. When women are honored Gods rejoice, where they are not all rites are fruitless." You see every religion has put man on a higher pedestal. Man was physically and emotionally stronger. Things have changed today. I believe that the Indian women is emotionally far stronger than the man. She has to take care of work, house, children, hubby and sometimes in-laws. If you read the Old Testament esp Exodus you will see the statements regarding the treatment of slaves. History is a part of every scripture. Every evolving society makes mistakes, thus one cannot pass judgement hastily.
In today's kalyug we admire and envy the prosperity of America and keep on criticising India without realizing that they have become what you see after over 250 yrs of independence while we are in our 52 nd year.
Q Like the Christians have the Bible and the Muslims the Quoran is there a Hindu equivalent ?
Hindus consider the Bhagwad Geeta as the bible equivalent. It is the essence of the Vedas, a summation of the Upanishads. Having read the Geeta once, I can say that it has a solution to every problem. Sometimes, I feel it has more to do with human psychology and less with religion. The Geeta tries to show you the right path without imposing its thoughts on you.
I try and live my life by the following slokha ( verse ) of the Geeta. " Life is full of opposites, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, heat and cold, are impermanent in nature, have a beginning and an end, face them bravely, Oh Partha." What it says that our lives will have good days and bad ones, there would be times when we happy and are unhappy. We should not be affected by either of the two situations but learn to live life in equanimity. Its like saying what goes up will always go down.
Two other noteworthy things that I have learnt are the importance of removing desires and selfless work. If I desire, I expect, if I do not get what I want I become unhappy. Then why must I desire. Desires get the mind agitated making me loose peace of mind. If I work, only with the intent of earning the fruits of my action I would be unhappy as I am always expecting success. As we all know none of us can succeed all the time. The Geeta says karm karte jahao without worrying about the fruits of your actions. I have tried to put it simply for you.
Q Did Christianity ever believe in rebirth ?
The doctrine of reincarnation is taken for granted in most parts of Asia. In the West it was widely accepted before being anathematized by the Church at the council of Constantinople in 543 a.d. On account of its reasonableness it is gaining acceptance in the West again.
Q Is the doctrine of Bhakti ( the love of divine ) in Indian the result of Occidental influence?
The bhakti in India is not like the Western bhakti. The central idea of ours is that there is no thought of fear. There is no worship through fear but through love God from the beginning to the end. Bhakti is spoken of in the oldest of the Upanishads which is much older than the Christian ka Bible. The germs of Bhakti are even in the Samhita ( Vedic hyms ). The word bhakti was suggested by the word Shraddha.
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=196&sid=34
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=197&sid=35
http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_essay_p...&cid=198&sid=36
Q Mama, did you see the Hyundai ka advt today, it said Sampati Ghar Leha ho. Now what on earth does Sampati stand for ?
A Sat Sampatti stands for :
Sama ie calmness.
Dama ie self control.
Uparati ie detachment.
Titiksa ie endurance.
Samadhi ie creative concentration.
Sraddha ie faith.