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ARTICLES FROM M.P.BHATTATHIRY (
RETD. CHIEF TECHNICAL EXAMINER TO THE GOVT.
OF KERALA, RADHANIVAS, THALIYAL, KARAMANA, TRIVANDRUM. 695002. KERALA, INDIA
OM GANESAYA NAMAH
Hinduism is the mother of all religions and it is
individual's (jeevatma) association with the Supreme (Paramatma), and the
ultimate objective of
religion is realization of Truth. Forms which symbolize Truth are only
indications; they are not Truth itself, which transcends all conceptualization.
The mind in its efforts to understand Truth through reasoning must always fail,
for Truth transcends the very mind which seeks to embrace it. (Tatwamasi)
It is unique among the world's religions. We may boldly
proclaim it the greatest and oldest religion in the world. To begin with, it is
mankind's oldest spiritual declaration, the very fountainhead of faith on the
planet. Hinduism's venerable age has seasoned it to maturity. It is the only
religion, to my knowledge, which is not founded in a single historic event or
prophet, but which itself precedes recorded history. Hinduism has been called
the "cradle of spirituality," and the "mother of all
religions," partially because it has influenced virtually every major
religion and partly because it can absorb all other religions, honor and embrace
their scriptures, their saints, their philosophy. This is possible because
Hinduism looks compassionately on all genuine spiritual effort and knows
unmistakably that all souls are evolving toward union with the Divine, and all
are destined, without exception, to achieve spiritual enlightenment and
liberation in this or a future life.
Any religion in the world is considered as a mind stratum
within people It is a group of people who think consciously,
subconsciously and sub-super consciously alike and who are guided by their own super consciousness
and the super consciousness of their leaders which make up the force field which
we call a religion. It does not exist outside the mind. People of a certain
religion have all been impressed with the same experiences. They have all
accepted the same or similar beliefs and attitudes, and their mutual concurrence
creates the bonds of fellowship and purpose, of doctrine and communion.
The people in Hinduism through a shared mind structure can
understand, acknowledge, accept and love all the peoples of the world, encompass
them within their mind as being fine religious people. The Hindu truly believes
that there is a single Eternal Path, but he does not believe that any one
religion is the only valid religion or the only religion that will lead the soul
to salvation. Rather, the Eternal Path is seen reflected in all religions.
The will of God or the Gods is at work in all genuine worship
and service. It is said in Hindu scripture that "Truth is one. Paths are
many." The search for Truth, for God, is called the Sanatana Dharma, or the
Eternal Path because it is inherent in the soul itself, where religion begins.
This
path, this return to his Source, is ever existent in man, and is at work whether
he is aware of the processes or not. There is not this man's search
and that man's search. And where does the impetus come from? It comes from the
inside of man himself. Thus, Hinduism is ever vibrant and alive for it
depends on this original source of inspiration, this first impulse of the spirit
within, giving it an energy and a vibrancy that is renewable eternally in the
now.
The Hindu feels that his faith is the broadest, the most
practical and effective instrument of spiritual unfolding, but he includes in
his Hindu mind all the religions of the world as expressions of the one Eternal
Path and understands each proportionately in accordance with its doctrines and
dogma. He knows that certain beliefs and inner attitudes are more conducive to
spiritual growth than others, and that all religions are, therefore, not the
same. They differ in important ways. Yet, there is no sense whatsoever in
Hinduism of an "only path." A devout Hindu is supportive of all
efforts that lead to a pure and virtuous life and would consider it unthinkable
to dissuade a sincere devotee from his chosen faith. This is the Hindu mind, and
this is what we teach, what we practice and what we offer aspirants on the path.
To the Hindu, conduct and the inner processes of the
soul's maturation are more essential than the particular religion one may be by
the accidents of birth, culture or geography. The Hindu knows that he might
unknowingly disturb the dharma of the individual if he pulls him away from his
religious roots, and that would cause an unsavory karma for them both. He knows,
too that it is not necessary that all people believe exactly the same way or
call God by the same name.
Hinduism is also
extremely sectarian, altogether dogmatic in its beliefs. Its doctrines of karma
and reincarnation, its philosophy of nonviolence and compassion, its certainty
of mystical realities and experience and its universality are held with
unshakable conviction. Perhaps this is due to the
fact that Hinduism is a religion more of experience than of doctrine. It prefers
to say to its followers, "This is the nature of Truth, and these are the
means by which that truth may be realized. Here are the traditions which have
withstood time and proved most effective. Now you may test them in your own
life, prove them to yourself. And we will help as we can." It will never
say, "You must do or believe thusly or be condemned." In Hinduism it
is believed that none are eternally condemned. That loving acceptance and
unremitting faith in the goodness of life are another reason I boldly say that
Hinduism is the greatest religion even though not the largest in the world.
Within Hinduism, as within every religious system, are the
practical means of attaining the purity, the knowledge and the serenity of life.
Each Hindu is enjoined to attend a puja every day, preferably at a certain and
consistent time. He must observe the laws of virtue and the codes of ethics. He
must serve others, support religion within his community. He should occasionally
pilgrimage to sacred shrines and temples, and partake in the sacraments. If he
is more advanced, an older soul, then he is expected, expects of himself, to
undertake certain forms of sadhana and tapas, of discipline and asceticism.
Though it is broad and open in the freedom of the mind to
inquire, Hinduism is narrowly strict in its expectations of devotees--the more
awakened the soul, the higher the demands and responsibilities placed upon him.
And though other systems of belief are fully acceptable mind structures within
the structure of the higher mind, there is no way out of Hinduism. There is no
excommunication. There is no means of severance. There's no leaving Hinduism
once you have formally accepted and been accepted. Why is that? That is because
Hinduism contains the whole of religion within itself. There is no "other
religion" which one can adopt by leaving Hinduism, only other aspects of
the one religion which is the sum of them all, the Eternal Path, the Sanatana
Dharma.
It can be said that, if it lacked all the qualities of
open-mindedness and compassion and tolerance just mentioned, that Hinduism would
be the greatest religion on the basis of its profound mysticism alone. No other
faith boasts such a deep and enduring comprehension of the mysteries of
existence, or possesses so vast a metaphysical system. The storehouse of
religious revelation in Hinduism cannot be reckoned. I know of its equal
nowhere. It contains the entire system of yoga, of meditation and contemplation
and Self Realization. Nowhere else is there such insightful revelation of the
inner bodies of man, the subtle pranas and the chakras, or psychic centers
within the nerve system. Inner states of super consciousness are explored and
mapped fully in Hinduism, from the clear white light to the sights and sounds
which flood the awakened inner consciousness of man. In the West it is the
mystically awakened soul who is drawn to Hinduism for understanding of inner
states of consciousness, discovering after ardent seeking that Hinduism
possesses answers which do not exist elsewhere and is capable of guiding
awareness into ever-deepening mind strata.
The various scriptures written thousands of years ago explain
how we should live, and saints and rishis and seers throughout the ages have
told us that it is impossible to live that way. So, Hinduism has a great
tolerance for those who strive and a great forgiveness for those who fail. It
looks in awe at those who succeed in living a life according to its own strict
ethics. In Hinduism we have many, many saints. You don't have to die to be
acknowledged a saint in our religion, you have to live. The Hindus, perhaps
beyond all other people on the earth, realize the difficulties of living in a
human body and look in awe at those who achieve true spirituality.
Hindus believes in reincarnation. He believes that he is not
the body in which he lives, but the soul or awareness which takes on a body for
a
definite purpose. He believes he is going to get a better body in a better
birth, that the process does not begin and end in a single life, that the
process is continuous, reaching beyond the limits that one life may impose on
inner progress. Of course, his belief in karma assures him that a better birth,
that progress inwardly, will come only if he behaves in a certain way. He knows
that if he does not behave according to the natural laws, to the Hindu ethics,
that he will suffer for his transgressions in a future life, or future lives,
that he may by his own actions earn the necessity of
a so-called inferior birth, earn the right to start over where he left off in
the birth in which he failed.
This belief in more than a single life brings to the Hindu a great sense
of peace. He knows that the maturity of the soul takes many lives, perhaps
hundreds of lives. If he is not perfect right now, then at least he knows that
he is progressing, that there will be many opportunities for learning
and growing. This eliminates anxiety, gives the serene perception that
everything is all right as it is. There is no sense of a time limit, of an
impending end or an ultimate judgment of his actions and attitudes. This
understanding that the soul evolves gives the Hindu remarkable insight into
the human condition and appreciation for all men in all stages of spiritual
development.
Within it there is a place for the insane and a place for the saint. There
is a place for the beggar and for those who support beggars. There is a
place for the intelligent person and plenty of room for the fool. The beauty of
Hinduism is that it does not demand of every soul perfection in this
life, a necessary conclusion for those who believe in a single lifetime during
which human perfection or grace must be achieved. Belief in
reincarnation gives the Hindu an acceptance of every level of humanity. Some
souls are simply older souls than others, but all are inherently the same,
inherently immortal and of the nature of the Divine.
In Hinduism it is believed that the Gods are living, thinking, dynamic beings
who live in a different world, in an inner world in the microcosm within this
world in which there exists a greater macrocosm than this visible macrocosm. For
the Hindu, surrender to the Divine Will, that created and pervades and guides
the universe, is essential. The Hindu believes that these beings guide our
experiences on earth, actually consciously guide the
evolutionary processes. Therefore, he worships these beings as greater beings
than himself, and he maintains a subjective attitude toward them,
wondering if he is attuned with these grand forces of the universe, if his
personal will is in phase with what these great beings would have him do. This
gives birth to a great culture, a great attitude, a great tolerance and kindness
one to another. It gives rise to humility in the approach to life.
Not a weak or false humility, but a strong and mature sense of the grand
presence and purpose of life before which the head naturally bows.
There are said to be millions of Gods in the Hindu pantheon, though only a few
major Deities are actually worshipped in the temples. That God may be worshipped
as the Divine Father, or a Sainted Mother or the King of Kings is one of the
blessings of Hinduism. It offers to each a personal and significant contact, and
each Hindu will choose that aspect of the Deity which most appeals to his inner
needs and sensibilities. That can be confusing to some, but not to the Hindu.
Within his religion is monism and dualism, monotheism and polytheism, and a rich
array of other theological
views.
God and Goddess in Hinduism is accepted as both transcendent
and immanent, both beyond the mind and the very substratum of the mind. The
ideal of the Hindu is to think of God always, every moment, and to be ever
conscious of God's presence. This does not mean the transcendent God, the
Absolute Lord. That is for the yogi to ponder in his contemplative discipline.
That is for the well-perfected Hindu who has worshipped faithfully in the
temples, studied deeply the scriptures and found his guru. For most Hindus, God
means the Gods, one of the many personal devas and Mahadevas which prevail in
our religion. This means a personal great soul which may never have known
physical birth, a being which pervades the planet, pervades form with His mind
and Being, and which guides evolution. Such a God is capable of offering
protection and direction to the followers of Hinduism. The Hindu is supposed to
think of God every minute of every day, to see God everywhere. Of course, most
of us don't think of God even one minute a day. That's the reason that each
Hindu is obliged to conduct or attend at least one religious service, one puja
or ceremony, every day in his temple or home shrine. This turns his mind inward
to God and the Gods.
Hinduism is an Eastern religion, and the Eastern religions are very different from those of the West. For one thing, they are more introspective. Hinduism gave birth to Buddhism, for Buddha was born and died as a good Hindu. And it gave birth to other religions of the East, to Taoism, to Jainism, to Sikhism and others.
There are three distinct aspects of Hinduism: the temples,
the philosophy and the guru. It is very fortunate that in the last decade Hindu
temples have nearly circumference the world. There are temples in Europe, in the
United States, in South America, in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia. The
Hindu temple and stone images in it work as a channel for the Deity, for the
Gods, who hover over the stone image and in their subtle etheric forms change
people's lives through changing the nerve currents within them through their
darshan. People come to a sanctified temple and go away, and in that process
they are slowly changed from the inside out. They have changed because their
very life force has changed, their mind has been changed and their emotions have
undergone a subtle transformation. The temples of Hinduism are magnificent in
their immensity and in their ability to canalize the three worlds, the First
World of physical, outer existence and the inner Second and Third Worlds. Hindu
temples are not centered around a priest or minister, though there may be a holy
man associated with a temple whose advice is cautiously and quietly sought.
There is no sermon, no mediator, no director to guide the worship of pilgrims.
The temple is the home of the Deities, and each devotee goes according to his
own timing and for his own particular needs. Some may go to weep and seek
consolation in times of sorrow, while simultaneously others will be there to
rejoice in their good fortune and to sing God's name in thanksgiving. Naturally,
the sacraments of name-giving and marriage and so forth are closely associated
with the temple. One has only to attend a Hindu temple during festival days to
capture the great energy and vitality of this ancient religion.
In its second section, of philosophy, Hinduism has influenced
the deep religious thinkers of all cultures through known history. It is not a
single philosophy which can be labeled "Hinduism." Rather, it is a
network of many philosophies, some seeming to impertinently contradict the
validity of others, yet on deeper reflection seen as integral aspects of a
single radiant mind flow. In the area of philosophy must be included the
enormous array of scripture, hymns, mantrams, devotional bhajan and
philosophical texts which are certainly unequaled in the world. In the natural
order of things temple worship precedes philosophy. It all starts with the
temple, with this sacred house of the Deities, this sanctified site where the
three worlds communicate, where the inner and outer mesh and merge. It is there
that devotees change. They become more like the perfect being that lives in the
temple, become the voice of the Deity, writing down what is taught them from the
inside, and their writings, if they are faithful to the super conscious message
of the God, become scripture and make up the philosophies of Hinduism. The
philosophies then stand alone as the voice of the religion. They are taught in
the universities, discussed among scholars, meditated upon by yogis and devout
seekers. It is possible to be a good
Hindu by only learning the philosophy and never going to the temple, or by
simply going to the temple and never hearing of the deeper philosophies.
Hinduism has still another section within it, and that is the
guru--the teacher, the illuminator, the spiritual preceptor. The guru is the
remover of darkness. He is one who knows the philosophy, who knows the inner
workings of the temple, and who in himself is the philosopher and the temple.
The guru is he who can enliven the spirit within people. Like the temple and the
philosophy, he stands alone, apart from the institutions of learning, apart from
sites of pilgrimage. He is himself the source of knowledge, and he is himself
the pilgrim's destination. Should all the temples be destroyed, they would
spring up again from the seeds of philosophy, or from the presence of a realized
man. And if all the scriptures and philosophical treatises were burned, they
would be written again from the same source. So Hinduism cannot be destroyed. It
can never be destroyed. It exists as the spirit of religion within each being.
Its three aspects, the temple, the philosophy and the guru, individually
proficient, taken together make Hinduism the most vital and abundant religion in
the world.
Hinduism has a grand diversity among its many sects. That
diversity is itself strength, showing how broad and encompassing Hinduism is. It
does not seek to have all devotees believe exactly alike. In fact, it has no
central authority, no single organized institution which could ever proclaim or
enforce such sameness. There is an immense inner unity, but the real strength
and wisdom of Hinduism is its diversity, its variety. There are so many sects
within Hinduism that you could spend a lifetime studying them and never begin to
assess them all. More is there than any single human being could assimilate in a
single lifetime. Hinduism, therefore, has the magnetism to draw us back into its
immensity life after life. Each sect may be said to be a full religion in its
own right, with all the increments of faith, with no necessary part missing.
Therefore, each sect works for the individuals within it completely, and each
tolerates all the other sects. It does not totally divorce itself from the other
sects, denying their beliefs, but simply separates to stress or expound a
limited area of the vast philosophy, apart from all others, to be understood by
the limited faculties of man.
These various sects and divisions within Hinduism all spring from a one source. Most Hindus believe in the transcendental God as well as the personal Lord or God, and yet there is within the boundaries of the faith room for the nonbeliever, for the atheist or for the agnostic who is assessing and developing his beliefs. This brings another unique asset to our religion--the absence of heresy. There is no such thing as a heretic in Hinduism, for there is no single right perspective or belief. Doctrine and sadhana are not considered absolutes, but the means to an absolute end, and they can be tailored to individual needs and natures. My Guru would say that different prescriptions are required for different ailments.
In Hinduism there is no person or spiritual authority who
stands between man and God. In fact, Hinduism teaches just the opposite. The
priests in the temples are the servants of the Deity, the helper, the keeper of
the Gods' house. He prepares and purifies the atmosphere of the temple, but he
does not intervene between the devotee and his God--whichever of the many Gods
within our religion that he may be worshiping. Without a mediator,
responsibility is placed fully upon the individual.
There is on one to intercede on his behalf. He is responsible
for his actions, for his thoughts, for his emotions, for his relationship with
his God. He must work out his beliefs from the inside without undue dependence
upon external influences. Of course, there is much help, as much as may be
needed, from those who have previously gone through what he is now going
through. It is not enough that he adopts an authorized dogma. He must study and
bring the teachings to life from within himself.
Within the philosophy each philosopher proclaims that God can
be found within man if man practices the proper precepts of yoga and delves
within himself through his kundalini force. The guru himself teaches the
awakening of that force and how God can be realized in His transcendental as
well as His personal aspect within the sphere of one's own personal experience
in this very lifetime if he but pursues the path and is obedient. Hinduism is
unique because God and man, mind and God, instinctive mind, intellectual mind
and super conscious mind, can merge as one, according to the evolution of the
individual. Each one, according to his own self-created karma, has his own
fulfillment. Those in the first stages of evolution, whose interests and
experiences are basically instinctive, who possess little intellect or mental
prowess are guided by their emotions and impulses are generally fearful. They
have a personal experience of the Deity in the temple, but it is generally a
fearful experience. They are afraid of God.
Alongside of them during a puja is a great rishi who has had many hundreds of lives on this planet. He has his own personal experience of God, but it is an experience of love, of oneness and of union. There they are, side by side. Each experience of God is as real to one as to the other. There is no one in-between, no arbitrator of the experience to compel the one to see God exactly as the other one does.
Hinduism is as broad as humanity is, as diverse as people are
diverse. It is for the rich and the poor, for the mystic and for the
materialist. It is for
the sage and the fool. None is excluded. In a Hindu temple one can find every
variety of humanity. The man of accumulated wealth is there, supporting the
institutions that have grown up around the temple, seeking to spend his
abundance wisely and for its best purpose so that good merit may be earned for
his next life. The pauper is there, begging in hopes that perhaps he will eat
tomorrow and the God will inspire some devotee to give Him a coin or two. So a
Hindu temple is a reflection of life, set in the midst of the life of the
community. It is not making an effort to be better than the life of the village,
only to serve that life and direct it to its next stage of evolution. The same
Hindu mind which can consume within it all the religions of the world can and
does consume within it all of the peoples of the world who are drawn to the
temple by the shakti, the power, of the temple. Such is the great embracing
compassion of our religion.
The greatness of Hinduism cannot be compared with other
religions. There is no basis for comparison. Hinduism has no beginning,
therefore will certainly have no end. It was never created, and therefore it
cannot be destroyed. It is a God-centric religion. The center of it is God. All
of the other religions are prophet-centric. The center of those religions is a
great saint or sage, a prophet, a messenger or messiah, some God-Realized person
who has lived on earth and died. Perhaps he was born to create that particular
sect, that particular religion, needed by the people of a certain part of the
world at a certain time in history. The Hindus acknowledge this and recognize
all of the world's religious leaders as great prophets, as great souls, as great
incarnations, perhaps, of the Gods, or as great realized beings who have through
their realization and inward practices incarnated themselves into, or
transformed themselves into, eminent religious leaders and attracted devotees to
them to give forth the precepts of life all over again and thus guide a tribe,
or a nation or a race, into a better way of life. The Hindu mind can
encompass this, appreciate it, for it is firmly settled
in a God-centric religion. The center of Hinduism is the Absolute, the timeless,
formless, space less God who manifests as Pure Consciousness and as the most
perfect form conceivable, the Primal Soul. He radiates out from that form as a
myriad of Gods and Goddesses who inhabit the temples and bless the people,
inspire the scriptures, inspire the spiritual leaders and uplift humanity in
general. It is a one God in many forms.
There are nearly sixty five corers of Hindus in the world
today. Hinduism attends to the needs of each one. It is the only religion in the
world today that has such breadth and depth. Hinduism contains the Deities and
the sanctified temples, the esoteric knowledge of inner states of consciousness,
yoga and the disciplines of meditation. It possesses a gentle compassion and a
genuine tolerance and appreciation for other religions. It remains non dogmatic
and open to inquiry. It believes in a just world in which every soul is guided
by karma to the ultimate goal of Self Realization, or moksha.
It rests content in the knowledge of the divine origin of the
soul, its passage through one life and another until maturity has been reached.
It offers guidance to all who take refuge in it, from the nonbeliever to the
most evolved rishi. It cherishes the largest storehouse of scripture and
philosophy on the earth, and the oldest. It is endowed with a tradition of
saints and sages, of realized men and women, unrivaled on the earth. It is the
sum of these, and more, which makes us boldly declare that Hinduism is the
greatest, even though not the largest, religion in the entire world.
People in other religions may question the sanctity of idol
worship and we can say it is only due to ignorance. God is all-pervading
formless Being. The divinity of the all-pervading God is vibrant in every
atom of creation. There is not a speck of space where He is not. Why do you then
say that He is not the idols? The idol is a support for the
neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual childhood. A form or image is necessary
for worship in the beginning. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the
Absolute or the Infinite. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for
practicing concentration.
Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining
channels through which the heart of the devotee flows towards God. Though the
image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours
out his devotion unto it. The idol remains an idol, but the worship goes to the
Lord.
To a devotee, the image is a mass of Chaitanya or
consciousness. He draws inspiration from the image. The image guides him. It
talks to him. It assumes human form to help him in a variety of ways. Idol
worship is not peculiar to Hinduism. The Christians worship the Cross. They have
the image of the Cross in their mind. The Mohammedans keep the image of the
Kaaba stone when they kneel and do prayers. The mental image also is a form of
idol. The difference is not one in kind, but only one of degree.
All worshippers, however intellectual they may be, generate a
form in the mind and make the mind dwell on that image. Everyone is an idol
worshipper. Pictures and drawings are only a form of idol. A gross mind needs a
concrete symbol as a prop or Alambana; a subtle mind requires an abstract
symbol. Even a Vedantin has the symbol OM for fixing the wandering mind. It is
not only pictures or images in stone and wood that are idols. Dialectics and
leaders also become idols. In conclusion what we can say is that we should
be proud to be a Hindu.
OM TATSAT