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SATISH KUMAR KAPOOR RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

Hinduism : The Faith Eternal

SATISH KUMAR KAPOOR

he subject cannot be defined exactly, Samaj first in Mumbai and two years later in nor can it be explained fully. It can Punjab. You all know that he had his own Tonly be felt and experienced. It philosophy, his own ideology, his own way cannot be defined because definitions of looking at things. constrict and circumscribe, and what is So, starting with the first thing, that is, circumscribed cannot be complete, cannot is a . And dharma cannot be free, cannot go beyond a certain have a name. Defining Hinduism is like dimension. Yet, Hinduism, which is timeless defining the five elements of Nature. You and also within time, has to be explained in cannot measure the earth fully. You cannot some way, catching a few glimpses from measure the volume of water all over the here and there, and thereby we must try to earth and even beyond. You cannot have know a little about what the ancient tradition the gravity of other five elements existing is, what the holy religion is, what right in front of you. You cannot also sanàtanadharma is, and why it is relevant measure space. Likewise, Hinduism cannot even to this day. be defined. It cannot be covered by any India had to undergo one political crisis such definition. All have their own after another. It had to face foreign forces. It views about their own religion. And those had to face people who proselytized the who are not Hindus have also their own Indians at the point of sword, or by some views, and the views keep changing. But, other mischievous methods. But, despite, all when it comes to dharma, it does not these attacks, all these machinations, all change. It is permanent. It is eternal. It is these setbacks Hinduism lives even today. the centre of life. It is duty, it is Rather, it is the religion of the future if righteousness, it is divine law, and it is humanity is to survive. much more than all these because, dharma Hinduism has meant differently to is at the root of what we know as different people. Its most ancient name is sanàtanadharma. It is the quintessential sanàtanadharma. I must say that it is element of what we now know as dharma. To begin with, it is dharma and Hinduism. And the sàmànyadharma, which dharma has to be understood in its right is to be distinguished from svadharma, perspective. Then it is sanàtana or eternal. obviously rests on the ten principles This has to be taken in an adjectival sense mentioned in the . has rather than in the sense of a noun. It is a given ten characteristics of dharma. He different matter that in the 19th century it says, got a new perspective in the form of a noun Dhriti kshamà damah asteyam shoucham when the Arya Samaj was set up in 1875 by indriyanigrahah Swami Dayananda . Dayananda vidyà satyam akrodho dashakam belonged to Gujarat. He established his Arya dharma lakshanam.

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The value of these ten principles is very incarnations are removed, Hinduism will live profound. Dhriti is dhairya or patience or as before. Therein lies its greatness. Because perseverance; kshamà is ; damah of this quintessential element Hinduism has is self-control; asteyam is non-stealing; survived despite all vicissitude and it will shouca is cleanliness (both physical and survive. It is a different matter that these mental). Dhi is intelligence; vidyà is true days we have critics, academics and scholars knowledge or wisdom; satyam is the truth; of comparative religion who just talk about and is absence of anger. These are caste, untouchability, superstitions, and the ten formulations of dharma which make consider these all to be the Hindu way of Hinduism move and go. As people have life, which it is not. been adhering to these principles of Coming back to our point, Hinduism is righteousness they have been achieving essentially sanàtanadharma. Our and wonderful things in almost all walks of life. munis did not give all these principles You see, there is not a single domain in specific names because they are meant for which the Hindus had not contributed all times. They were as valid in the past as whether it was the concept of the zero in they are in the present and will continue to mathematics, the decimal system, or be so in future. Why? Because that is rita, architecture and engineering, and . the cosmic order, which is the substratum of Hinduism is in fact eternal because it is existence. Without the cosmic order nothing based on or Truth and rita, ie the happens. The sun and moon shine, weather cosmic order. changes, seasons come and go and many more things happen. It is all a part of the Not person, but principle cosmic order. And we are no different. That rightly observed is what the Hindu sages told us. Our body is that Hinduism does not rest on persons, but a part of the cosmic body, our mind is a part on principles. When we talk about persons, of the cosmic mind, our consciousness is a they may have their limitations. They may part of the cosmic consciousness. So this is also change from time to time. But this does one order; this is one unit. not happen when we stick to principles. Again, Hinduism believes in Principles do not change provided they have differentiation which is why, as individuals, some connections with the cosmic order or if we can choose our own path depending on they are rooted in Truth. Swami our mental dispositions or inclinations. One Vivekananda has pointed out this weakness can go ahead and follow the path of of many religions which are based on devotion (-yoga), or realize God personality. Indeed, if you take away the through knowledge (Jnàna-yoga). Similarly, prophet from Christianity, what remains? If many spiritual aspirants try to control the you take away the prophet from Islam, what fluctuations of their mind and be a ràja- remains? You may take away from or be a man of action and become a - certain religions and what remains? You yogi. So, in Hinduism one can choose the may take Bahaullah from the Baha’i and path of one’s choice depending on one’s what remains? By contrast, there are in capabilities, one’s mental proclivities and Hinduism thirty-three million gods and taste, and the circumstances in which one is goddesses as per the popular belief. But placed. This is something very unique which even if all those gods and all their you do not find in other faiths although they

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are also valid paths that ultimately lead to Everyone is moving along that path. the one. We also have a few more insights on Then, there must be a way which is the Hinduism. But let me tell you that some ultimate way and is rooted in the internal or people believe that even the very word inner nature of man. This inner nature is a ‘Hinduism’ is a misnomer. It is a misnomer part of outer nature. But what we do is to because it has come to us from the Persians. concentrate only on the outer nature in a It has come to us from the Greeks. The regimented fashion. Sometimes we do not Greeks called the Hindus Indoi. Be that as it use our minds. We do not realize what we may, there are so many controversies even are. And therein lies a great concept of relating to its origin because Hinduism is Hinduism—that man is divine. Never forget said to be the religious faith of the . the glory of human nature, as Swami Western scholars have always tried to show Vivekananda rightly said and added that we that—the Hindus came from outside. are the greatest god that ever was or ever But the scientific and archaeological will be. ‘Christs and Buddhas are but waves researches of the present day have definitely on the boundless ocean which I am.’ And on shown that the Aryans belonged to this very another occasion he said that it does not land. It is regrettable, however that the matter if Mohammad or Christ were good or Western theory of Aryan invasion has been great. But does it affect our own greatness? taught in the history textbooks for the last Do we become great by going through their many years, from the time when I was a lives, by following their ideals? Can we do student, to present times by historians and that? Yes, it is possible, said Swamiji, some of these textbooks have been because in Hinduism anybody can become published by top publishers including divine. There is no restriction. There is no NCERT. There we find that the Aryans single prophet. There is no central came from outside. Then they defeated the organization in Hinduism to control Dravidians resulting in the Aryan-Dravidian everything. There is no set principles. One cultural divide. They have claimed that cannot only choose one’s path, one can also Hinduism does not have its roots. It is not choose many more things on the way and indigenous. This distortion of fact needs to ultimately attain perfection. That is what the be understood because this is a sacred land, goal of Hinduism is—to reach perfection. A the ‘punyabhumi’ as Swami Vivekananda common man will just go on a pilgrimage called it. This is the land, I should say, in and through that pilgrimage he will try to which hundreds of thousands of schools of realize because he cannot read or understand thoughts have grown over the centuries. But scriptures or he has no time for all this. the thoughts of all those schools were Another man, an intellectual perhaps, can focused only on one thing—the ultimate follow the path of jnàna-yoga and move Reality. Whether they were atheist, gnostics, from one scripture to another—think or theists, or henotheists, polytheists or sometimes in a cynical way, sometimes in a monotheists, whatever term or name you sarcastical way, or just ignore the vital give them, they were all speculating on the lessons contained in the scriptures, or may ultimate Reality. even raise objections. But, ultimately, Hinduism being the quest for the ultimate The roots of Hinduism reality, all those paths have the same goal. The roots of the Hindu dharma lay in

8 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture  November 2017 HINDUISM : THE FAITH ETERNAL the . The Vedas, as Swami Dharma has that integratic element in it Vivekananda rightly pointed out, are not a which lasts, which continues, which was, is, set of books: The root of the word ‘Veda’ is and shall be. All these orientalists, I have vid. Vid means, to know. That divine and already referred to, tried to re-define revealed knowledge which came through the Hinduism in the light of dharma, in the light rishis became the Veda. We do not say that of the basic principles. Some of them learnt the Vedas were written. They were never from the pundits. Pundits in those written. The Vedic rishis perceived the days would not normally impart the , perceived the hymns. They were language of the gods to foreigners. But drashtà, not kartà. They saw the sacred somehow they learnt Sanskrit. They studied hymns coming through the firmament of the scriptures. They interpreted the their pure, transparent minds. That spiritual philosophical texts and the result was that knowledge which has survived to this day. there was a flood of literature in most parts When Henry David Thoreau read the Vedas of the world where people started feeling he said that going through one hymn, one that Hinduism was not barbaric; Hinduism verse made me understand the reality, the was not the religion of the primitive people, truth, and it is worth the entire material but it was an ennobling religion that could possession that I have. Such is the quality of raise one’s consciousness to a higher level. the Vedas! But you will be surprised to Nineteenth century finally became know that before Swami Vivekananda went known for the great contribution of Swami abroad, barring a few enlightened Vivekananda, the foremost disciple of Sri intellectuals like Ralph W. Emerson and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Percival Spear, Thoreau, people generally took the Hindus in his The Oxford History of Modern India to be fiendish race that worshipped writes that if Rammohun was the mind, innumerable deities, including serpents, Dayananda, the physical arm and Sri plants and trees. But when the British Ramakrishna was the soul of modern India. Indologists of the eighteenth century which Imagine! A foreigner calling Sri included John Zephania Holwell, Nathaniel Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ‘the soul of Brassey Halhed, Alexander Dow, Charles modern India’. Although Sri Ramakrishna Wilkins and Sir William Jones came to was a Bengali, his spirit had travelled all Calcutta and did a lot of work, they proved through India and created a new renaissance. that the earlier perceptions of Hinduism As a result of certain British policies, the were wrong. Then and then only that some rise of the new middle classes, the intellectuals started proving the mysteries of introduction of new means of transport and Hinduism and trying to redefine it. communications, the proselytizing activities When I was talking to you about of the Christian missionaries there came a dharma, I perhaps missed one point and it is renaissance. That renaissance defined what that dharma has its root in the word dhri Hinduism is today. which means, to uphold, to uphold the In medieval times Hinduism was defined cosmos, to uphold the universe. Dharma is by different sects differently. It was defined not religion because there can be many by the Vaishnavas in one way, by the religions, but only one dharma. Religions Shaivas in a different way. And then again, can divide mankind and they have been the Shaivas too had their own doing so for ages, but dharma unites. denominations. There were Pàshupatas,

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there were Kàlmukhas, there were I have said already that Hinduism is a Veerashaivas, there were of the quest for the Divine. Swami Vivekananda Kashmir Shaivaism school—all belonging to rightly deserved that man is divine and this the Shaiva tradition. There were also the divinity has to be realized by controlling our Shaktas. Through methods of worship, their internal nature. He said, we may take the philosophy, their ethics, their solution to help of scriptures, rituals or anything of that metaphysical riddles, their answers to sort to attain our goal. Rituals are not to be eschatological questions—they also defined rejected altogether, worship is not to be Hinduism in some respects. And before that, rejected as you just cannot find out God in there were the Vaishnava schools of an abstract way. It is very different. Very Ràmànujàchàrya, Madhvàchàrya, few can do that. But we can approach God Nimbàrkàchàrya, Vallabhàchàrya, with form rather easily. So for the majority Chaitanya, Mira Bai, and many others, sàkàra worship is very helpful. From sàkàra which tried to put things in their own to niràkàra (God without form) is the perspectives. Much before that, âdi gradual journey. That is why image worship Shankaràchàrya, who can really be called a has been recognized in India. Why only renaissance man, welded different India? It is imperceptibly in vogue in other communities, different religious orders religions as well. Swamiji in his lecture on under the Advaita doctrine. But Hinduism at the Parliament of Religions in times changed and with the change in times Chicago on 19th September, 1893, had very the perception of the people has changed. As boldly pointed out that if you call our Hindu long as the personalities were there, their image worship as idolatry, then the same ideas were alive. But after a few centuries practice exists even among the Christians, the ideas remain but the spirit behind those the Muslims, and others. He said, ideas begins to slacken off. And this is what ‘Superstition is a great enemy of man, but happened in India. bigotry is worse. Why does a Christian go to I am telling you all these because I told church? Why is the cross holy? Why is the you in the beginning that Hinduism has been face turned toward the sky in prayer? Why defined in different ways. And we are just are there so many images in the Catholic talking about those purest souls who realized Church? Why are there so many images in and put things in their own ways. the minds of Protestants when they pray? But with the dawn of modernity, the My brethren, we can no more think about arrival of Swami Vivekananda on the scene anything without a mental image than we and his great guru, the guru of humanity, Sri can live without breathing. By the law of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a new approach association, the material image calls up the to religion, a new approach to Hinduism mental idea and vice versa. This is why the developed. And under that umbrella came Hindu uses an external symbol when he most of the people. I am yet to come across a worships. He will tell you, it helps to keep person or a member of a group, not attached his mind fixed on the Being to whom he to the Ramakrishna Mission, who has a word prays. He knows as well as you do that the of criticism against Sri Ramakrishna or image is not God, is not omnipresent. After Swami Vivekananda. Why? Because they all all, how much does omnipresence mean to accept their universality, their greatness, almost the whole world? It stands merely as their contribution. a word, a symbol. Has God superficial area?

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If not, when we repeat that word also need to know that our scriptures do not “omnipresent”, we think of the extended sky talk about caste inequality, rather they focus or of space, that is all (C. W. I. pp. 15-16). on the divinity of human beings. Perhaps So, for ordinary persons, this may be the you already know that even people first stage. A person who does not know belonging to the so-called low caste had how to swim, needs the help of an inflated risen to the position of the , and rubber tube to get into the pool. But once he they were worshipped. Take for example the learns swimming, he does not need such case of Chokamela, or of Narhari, or of props. Swamiji used to say that it is good to Ravidasji, or of many Vàrkari and other be born in a church, but bad to die there. saints who were accepted and revered by the Why I am referring to this aspect is the fact people. Moreover, the sants of those time that many people belonging to the would accept as their disciple anyone who monotheistic, or semitic religions suffer had shraddhà. If somebody had faith he was from a superiority complex. They love to accepted and given spiritual lessons. believe they are superior to the Hindu Hinduism is, in fact, nothing but a idolaters. pursuit of spirituality or unfoldment of Swami Vivekananda proved that image spirituality and perfection in man. It is worship had a psychological and a scientific unfoldment of whatever is good in man, and basis, for you become what you think you man includes woman. In the are. When you have the picture of Lord Brihadàranyaka Upanishad it is very clearly Hanumàn before you, you feel strength. stated that God is one, and He divided When you place the picture of Goddess Himself into two—man, and woman. The Durgà before you, you feel the pulsation of Hindu wife is called ardhàngini or in you. Keep the picture of Buddha sahadharmini. You do not find any religion before you and you feel you are having except Hinduism where women had peace within. So this is the law of composed sacred hymns. It is on record that association. Swamiji explained this vital there were twenty-nine such women point. contributors to the Vedas. Even among the âlvàrs (Vaishnava saints), and Nayanar Caste aspect (Shaiva saints) you find women all over. If There was another aspect which is now you go to the Vàrkaris or if you go to the no more relevant—the aspect of caste in other sects of Maharashtra, Mahànubhava, Hinduism. It was usually believed by many for example, you would find that that Hinduism and caste were synonymous. discrimination against women did not But you do not find caste in the sense of prevail. inequality in the Vedas, Upa-vedas, or in the In those days when things were not that eighteen . You do not have the word safe, when there were no roads, when people ‘Caste’ even in the dharmashàstras. The would live in forests, obviously, women had Manusmriti is often quoted by critics to to be confined to the homes. And since it prove the prevalence of evils connected with was an agricultural society, it was not the caste system in Hinduism. But we should expected of a woman to take to the field and know that these critics quote a few leave the household chores. Scholars statements out of text and present them in sometimes do not understand the situation such a way that castes look like an evil. We that prevailed in ancient times and they

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denigrate Hinduism by saying that Manu so many things that move, and even we wanted women to remain in somewhat worship things that do not move. We cloistered position all the time—at the time worship even the mountains. According to of birth, in youth, and when she grew old— Hinduism, everything and everyone is always she was subjected to the tight grip of worthy of our worship. So we cannot be just man. They ignore such statement of Manu dubbed as nature worshippers. that gods are pleased with those families in We do we talk about ecological which women are duly honoured. problems nowadays? Because man is now So, you see that the actual status of cut off from nature. Man is cut off from the women as sanctioned by the scriptures was creatures of nature. But if you go to the very good. In the Vedas, and subsequently in ancient times and read what the scriptures the later literature, you find that women say, you would find that life is all one. There were given position of eminence. This we is a common spirit, a common thread find in the Gupta and the Maurya period, or running through all existence. And if it is a even in later times. Situation changed when common spirit it has to be taken care of. the foreign aggressors invaded India. There is one Bhumisukta, perhaps in the Another aspect which comes to my mind Atharva-veda, and there are hymns that refer is the Hindu concept of reverence for life. to water and other primary natural elements; We consider everything to be sacred. We because if you pollute those elements, if you worship even the snakes. We observe become careless about those elements, then Nàgpancami which is dedicated to the there is going to be chaos and this is what is snakes. Then we have the concept of the five happening today—whether it is global types of . Yajnas do not always mean warming, environmental pollution, dearth of pouring oblations into the fire. There are drinking water, and natural calamities like other kinds of sacrifice as well. One such is the Tsunami. These were not heard of bhutàyajnà where you feed the insects and before. There are also recurrent earth- all those creatures who cannot earn their quakes. All these are happening because we livelihood. There is Nriyajnà where you feed have moved away from our axis, we have human beings. There are also devayajnas moved away from the path of the rishis. and so on. So you feed the spirits, you feed Without going into further details, I the plants, you feed the guests, you feed would like to say that Hinduism has its those creatures who are helpless, and relevance. If you are confused, bewildered ultimately you do your duty to society, to and restless, what you need to do is to humanity as a whole. meditate, and meditation has been accepted The Vedas never looked at the world in all over the world in one form or another, to a way where one would be different from the have the body, mind and the spirit in order. other. It is the unique concept which Following those principles which the Vedic crystallized into , first seers laid down, you get up early in the explained in the most comprehensive way by morning, take your bath, do svàddhàya and Shankaràchàrya, and subsequently, towards for achieving your mental balance and the end of the 19th century, by Swami then become a karmayogi throughout the Vivekananda. Advaita Vedanta preaches day. This mode of life also is fast becoming reverence for life. So we are taught to see acceptable. The science of too is life in everything. We are very careful about (Continued to page 36)

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