Maxims of Hinduism

Maxims of Hinduism

The word Hinduism or Hindu, is not of ancient origin. When the Turks and Mongols invaded Bharath or India, the term 'Hindu' was denoted for describing, the generic people living around and beyond the Sindhu or Indus River, by the foreign invaders. Slowly, the word Hinduism struck, to describe the religious practices of these people, beyond the Indus river and came to be known as a religion. The practices of the people of this civilization, which is called the Sindhu-Saraswathi civilization, is called Sanatana Dharma or the eternal path of righteousness, and true to its meaning, it is not bound by the shackles of organized religion.

Though not limited by trivialities of  organized religions, there are some tenets of Sanatana Dharma which form a common thread or belief system. It is the melting pot of diverse philosophies, which congregate at the gates of truth. The basis of Sanatana  Dharma is rooted in Henotheism, in which complete surrender in the worship of a deity is accepted, without discarding the possibility of the existence of other deities and ways of worship to reach them.

The worldly life or Samsara, follows a continuous cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, and the aim of a mortal human is to ultimately escape this endless cycle and attain Moksha. The word Moksha can be described as salvation from this endless cycle. But, what happens after that?? Hindus believe the 'Brahman' as the Supreme being, and every shred of creation as a manifestation of the Supreme being.  It is very well described in the  Vedic saying 'Tat tvam asi'  that is quoted in the Chandogya Upanishad,  which means 'thou art that' or “you are HIM' (the omnipotent and omnipresent consciousness), as HE is extant in all of us and hence we need not look further, but within ourselves to reach HIM.

The doctrine of Karma, is the most basic pillar of Hindu belief. What we do, behave and how we live our lives, is the basis on which our after life is dependent. The Karma theory is very complex in itself, but it can be described by the adage, 'As we sow, so we reap'. Our Karma is based on good Karma(deeds) and bad Karma. The good deeds help in offsetting the bad deeds, and the accumulated Karma gets passed on to our next life, thus entangling us in this Samsara(worldly life). The only way out of this vicious cycle is to accumulate good Karma, so over a period of births and deaths, the bad Karma is mitigated and one becomes eligible for Moksha and attains oneness with God.

Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are the torch bearers of the followers of Sanatana Dharma. They are called the Purusharthas, which can be loosely translated as that which gives meaning to human life, or that which a human should endeavour to pursue. Dharma, is the pursuit of righteousness,  integrity and justice which is considered to be the foundation for all that is to come. Artha is the pursuit of material and economic goals. Kama is the seeking of pleasure, love and psychological needs and Moksha is the pursuit of spirituality and renunciation, in search of the Supreme one. Though there are four Purushartas, Dharma is primordial, because Artha and Kama without Dharma, become skewed. Hence Dharma(righteousness)  has to be strong to support, Artha(material needs) and Kama(pleasure), only then the pursuit for Moksha stands a chance. 

Another basic idea that Hinduism,  espouses is that an individuals soul (atman) is immortal. The physical body is just like a garment, and is discarded time and again in the form of birth and death, while the soul lives on taking multiple births. The theory of rebirth, is what helps an individual to persevere towards moral uprightness. 

Sanatana Dharma, believes there are four stages in a human life cycle. Brahmacharya is the first stage where an individual spends his time in study and learning of the Vedas. Then comes Grihastha ashrama, when he is married and heads a family and has to shoulder worldly responsibilities and practices. The third stage is Vanaprastha, where he is expected to practice detachment from the material world( in ancient days, an individual was expected to retreat to the forest and lead a minimalistic life in the lap of nature) and the last stage is Sanyasa, where he renounces all attachments, in pursuit of spirituality. 

Belief in Varnashrama Dharma, is also an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Though it is a controversial and much maligned aspect of Hinduism, it has for the most part  been twisted out of context for political gains. In this, people are divided into four Varnas, the Brahmanas are those who dedicate their life in the pursuit of knowledge and spirituality, leading an austere life. The Kshatriyas are the rulers and warriors who dedicate their life in the protection of their country and its subjects. The Vaishyas are the merchant communities, involved in trade and commerce, who fuel the economy and the Shudras, are the various artisans involved in production of goods, that is the basis of development. 

Unflinching belief in the Vedas, as the storehouse of God's word, is important for a Hindu, as that is the bulwark of his faith. Common rituals and practices, are followed by all Hindus across the country, though they might vary with regard to geographical location. The most common among them are Pooja to God(where God is invoked in the form of prayers), birth and death rituals, wedding rituals like 'kanyadanam', where the daughter is given away in marriage. Coming of age rituals like 'Annaprasna'(the first introduction of solid food to an infant), 'Choulam' (tonsuring of hair for the first time), Upanayanam (investing of the sacred thread) and Shraddha karmas(annual ritual performed in honour of the dead).

The practice of worshipping 'Kuladevi or devatas' is also very common. All families have a certain deity as their family deity and a particular shrine where they offer regular worship and propitiate the deity. An individual is duty bound to invoke the blessings of his Kuladevi/devatas before every important occasion in the family.

Visiting temples and major pilgrim centre's are age old practices in Hinduism. In days of yore, when there was no means of transportation, the pilgrims walked the length and breath of the country in large and small groups to have a glimpse and offer worship at their favoured pilgrim sites. These journeys were called Yatras. Nowadays, the means of transportation is well developed,  but the spirit of the Yatras and Yatris (those who undertake the pilgrimage) remain the same.

Through all this, a single thread binds all Hindus or followers of Sanatana Dharma and that is Bhakthi or devotion. It is the complete surrender of oneself, to the divine power of creation. It knows not anger, nor ego, but the search for  'Sat Chit Anandam' (Truth, Consciousness, Bliss).