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Home , Devi, Hinduism, Hindus, Ishvara, Shakti, Shaktism

Chapter 2 or over 200 years, Western scholars have struggled to understand , a whose followers F seemed (to outsiders) to arbitrarily any one of a dozen as the Supreme, a vastly diverse in its beliefs, practices and ways of worship. Some Indolo- Hinduism’s Four gists labeled the Hinduism they encountered polytheistic; others even coined new terms, like , to describe this baffling array of spiritual traditions. Few, however, have realized, and fewer still have written, that ’s Sanatana , or “eternal faith,” known today as Hinduism and Denominations comprising nearly a billion followers, is a family of reli- gions with four principal denominations—Saivism, Shak- tism, and Smartism. This single perception is essential for understanding Hinduisim and explaining it accurately to others. Contrary to prevailing misconceptions, Hinduism Is all worship a one Supreme Being, though by differ- ent names. For Vaishnavites, is . For ­vites, God is Siva. For Shaktas, is su­preme. For A Splendrous Smar­tas, liberal Hindus, the choice of is left to the dev- otee. Each has a multitude of lineages, religious lead- ers, priesthoods, , monastic communities, Lotus with schools, and tens of thousands of tem- ples. They possess a wealth of art and architecture, philoso- Four Superb phy and scholarship. These four hold such divergent be­liefs that each is a complete and independent religion. Yet, they share a vast heritage of culture and —, Petals dharma, , all-pervasive Di­vinity, tem­ple wor- ship, sac­ra­ments, manifold , the guru-disciple tradi- tion and the as scriptural authority. In this eight-page Insight, drawn from Sat­guru ’s Dancing with Siva, we offer a synopsis of these four Saivism denominations, followed by a point-by-point comparison. Saivite Hindus worship the Supreme God as Siva, the Smartism Compassionate One. Saivites esteem discipline and phi- Smartas worship the Supreme in losophy and follow a sat­guru. Shaktas worship the Supreme as one of six forms: , Siva, They worship in the the Divine , Shakti or . Vaishnavism Sakti, Vishnu, and Skanda. and practice , striving to She has many forms. Some are Because they accept all the major Each of Hinduism’s , schools and lineages shares Vaishnavites worship the Supreme be one with Siva within. gentle, some are fierce. Shaktas use Hindu Gods, they are known as a common purpose: to further the ’s unfoldment to its , real , holy diagrams, as Lord Vishnu and His , liberal or nonsectarian. They follow divine destiny. Nowhere is this process better represented yoga and to call forth cos- especially and . Vaish- a philosophical, meditative path, than in the growth of the renowned lotus, which, seek- mic forces and awaken the great navites are mainly dualistic. They are emphasizing man’s oneness with ing the , arises from the mud to become a magnificent power within the spine. deeply devotional. Their religion is God through understanding. . Its blossom is a promise of purity and perfection. rich in , and scriptures.

20 what is hinduism? chapter 2: hinduism’s four denominations 21 What Is the What Is the Deeply Mystical Magic and Power Saiva ? Of Shaktism?

Saivism is the world’s oldest reli- Shaktism reveres the Supreme as gion. Worshiping God Siva, the the Divine Mother, Shakti or Devi, compassionate One, it stresses in Her many forms, both gentle and potent disciplines, high philo­sophy, fierce. Shaktas use , , the guru’s centrality and - , yoga and to invoke - yoga leading to one- cosmic forces and awaken the ness with Siva within. Aum. kundalini power. Aum. art by s. rajam

Seated on , his mount, the perfect devotee, Lord Shakti, depicted in Her green form, radiates beauty, energy, Siva holds beads and the , symbol of -wis- and protection for followers. Wearing the dom-action, and offers of protection and fearless- of the Shakta sect on Her forehead, She blesses ness. Mount Kailas, His sacred Himalayan abode, represents devotees, who shower rosewater, hold an umbrella and the pinnacle of . prostrate at Her feet.

aivism is ancient, truly ageless, for a profound system of temple mys­ti­cism and siddha hile worship of the divine mother and power. Shakta seek to awaken the sleep- it has no beginning. It is the precursor of yoga. It provides of man’s ev­o­lution from e x t­ e n d s beyond the pale of history, ing Goddess Kundalini and unite her with Siva in S the many-faceted religion now termed Hin- God and back to God, of the soul’s un­fold­­­ment and W Shakta Hinduism arose as an organized the s a ­­h a s ­­r a r a . Shakta­ universalists follow duism. Scholars trace the roots of Siva worship back awak­ening guided by en­lightened sages. Like all sect in India around the fifth century.T oday it has the reformed Vedantic tradition ex­­­em­plified by Sri more than 8,000 years to the advanced Indus Valley the sects, its majority are devout families, headed four expressions—d e v­­ o tional,­­ folk-shamanic, yo - Ram­akrishna. “Left-hand” tan­tric rites transcend civ­ilization. But sa­cred writings tell us there never by hundreds of orders of swamis and sa­dhus who gic and universalist—all invoking the fierce power traditional ethical codes. Shaktism is chiefly ad­vaitic, was a when Saivism did not exist. Modern follow the fiery, world-re­nouncing path to . of or , or the benign grace of Par­vati de­fin­ing the soul’s destiny as complete identity with history records­ six main schools: Saiva , The Ved­as state, “By knowing Siva, the Auspicious or . Shakta de­­­vo­tionalists use puja rites, the Un­man­­ifest, Siva. Central scrip­tures are the Ve- Pashupatism, Saivism, Vira Saivism, Sid- One who is hidden in all things, exceedingly fine, especial­ly to the Chakra yan­tra, t o e s t­­ a b l i s h , Shakta Agamas and P u r ­a n a s . The Devi Gita dha Siddhan­ta and Siva Ad­vaita. Saivism’s grand­eur like film arising from clarified , the One intimacy with the God­dess. Sha­­man­ic Shak­tism extols, “We bow down to the uni­ver­sal soul of all. and beauty are found in a practical culture, an en­ embracer of the universe—by realizing God, one employs magic, medium­ship, Above and below and in all four directions, Mother lightened view of man’s place in the universe and is released from all fetters.” Aum Namah Sivaya. and animal for healing, fertility, pro­­ph­e­cy of the universe, we bow.” Aum Chandikayai Namah.

22 what is hinduism? chapter 2: hinduism’s four denominations 23 What Is the What Is the Devotional Universalistic Vaishnava Sect? Smarta Sect?

Vaishnavism is an ancient Hindu Smartism is an ancient brah- sect centering on the worship minical tradition reformed by of Lord Vishnu and His incarna- Shankara in the ninth century. tions, especially Krishna and Rama. Worshiping six forms of God, Largely dualistic, profoundly this liberal Hindu path is monis- devotional, it is rich in saints, tem- tic, nonsectarian, meditative ples and scriptures. Aum. and philosophical. Aum.

Vishnu is the infinite from which the world emerges. Shankara lived from 788 to 820 c e , a mere 32 years, yet He stands on waves, surrounded by the many-headed Ses- he gave Hinduism a new liberal denomination—Smartism. hanaga, who represents agelessness and is regarded as an Here, wearing sacred marks, he holds his writings and is extension of divine energy and an of , flanked by the six Deities of the Smarta : Surya the Sun, Lord Krishna’s brother. Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Kumaran and Ganesha.

he worship of vishnu, meaning “per- va’s pure du­alism to ’s qualified nondual- marta means a follower of classical devotees may choose their “preferred Deity,” or Ish- vader,” dates back to Vedic . The Pan- ism to ’s nearly monistic vis­ion. God and , particularly the Dharma , ta . Each God is but a reflection of the one T charatra and sects were popular soul are everlastingly distinct. The soul’s destiny, S and . Smartas re­vere the Sa­guna . Shankara organized hundreds prior to 300 bce. Today’s five Vaishnava schools through God’s grace, is to eternally worship and V e ­d a s and honor the Agamas. Today this faith is of mon­asteries into a ten-order, d a ­s h a ­­n a ­m i system, emerged in the , founded by Ramanuja, en­joy Him. While general­ly nonascetic, advocat- synonymous with the teachings of , which now has five pontifical cen­ters. He wrote Madh­va, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Chaitanya. Vaish­ ing bhakti as the highest path, Vaish­na­­vism has the -phil­os­opher known as Sthap- profuse commentaries on the U p a n i ­shads, Brah ­­­m a na­­vism stresses prapatti, single-pointed sur­­render a strong mon­astic community. Central scriptures anacharya, “found­­er of the six-sect system.” He cam- and . Shankara proclaimed, to Vishnu, or His ten or more incarnations, called are the Vedas, Vaish­nava Aga­mas, Itihasas and paigned India-wide to con­solidate “It is the one which ­pears to our ignorance a v a­ taras.­­ Japa is a key devotional sannyasin, as is Puranas. The Bhagavad Gita states, “On those who of his time under the banner of Advaita . as a manifold universe of names and forms and ecstatic chanting and dancing, called kirtana. Tem- meditate on Me and worship with un­divided , To unify the worship, he popularized the an­cient changes. Like the gold of which many or­­naments ple worship and are elaborately observed. I confer attainment of what they have not, and pre- Smarta five-Deity altar—Ga­na­pati, Surya, Vishnu, are made, it remains in itself un­chang­ed. Such is Philosophically, Vaishna­vism ranges from Madh- serve what they have.” Aum Namo Narayanaya. Siva and Shakti—and added Kumara. From these, Brahman, and That art Thou.” Aum Namah Sivaya.

24 what is hinduism? chapter 2: hinduism’s four denominations 25 shaktism: The Goddess Shakti is both by God Siva’s grace. Major Scriptures compassionate and terrifying, pleasing shaktism: The Divine Mother, Shakti, is saivism: Vedas, Saiva Agamas and Saiva and wrathful, assuaged by sacrifice and mediatrix, bestowing advaitic moksha on Puranas. submission. those who worship Her. shaktism: Vedas, Shakta Agamas () s j u s t s e e n , t h e s p e c t r u m vaishnavism: God Vishnu is loving and vaishnavism: God and soul are eternally and Puranas. On the /Goddess On the of Shakti of Hindu religiousness is beautiful, the object­ of man’s devotion, distinct. Through Lord Vishnu’s grace, the vaishnavism: Vedas, Vaishnava Agamas, saivism: Personal God and temple Deity saivism: Shakti is God Siva’s inseparable pleased by our service and surrender. soul’s destiny is to worship and enjoy God. Puranas and the Itihasas ( and is Siva, neither male nor female. power and manifest will, energy or . Afound within four major smartism: appears as a -like smartism: Ishvara and man are in reality , especially the Bhagavad Ganesha and Karttikeya are also shaktism: Shakti is an active, immanent sects or denominations: Saivism, Deity according to devotees’ loving wor- Brahman.­ Within , the soul Gita). worshiped. Being, separate from a quiescent and Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism. ship, which is sometimes considered a and Ishvara appear as two. () smartism: Vedas, Agamas and classical shaktism: Personal Goddess and temple remote Siva. rudimentary, self-purifying­ practice. dispels the illusion. smriti—Puranas, Itihasas, especially the Among these four streams, there are Deity is Shri Devi or Shakti, female,­ wor- vaishnavism: No special importance Bhagavad Gita, etc. certainly more similarities than difer- shiped as Rajarajeshvari, , Lak- is given to Shakti. How­­ever, there are On the of Avatara shmi, Sarasvati, Kali, Amman, etc. —the parallels wherein the divine consorts ences. All four believe in karma and saivism: There are no divine earthly saivism: With bhakti as a base, emphasis Regions of Influence Divine Mother. are conceived as the inseparable pow- incarnations of the Supreme Being. is placed on (austerity) and yoga. saivism: Strongest in South and North In- reincarnation and in a Supreme Being vaishnavism: Personal God and temple ers of Vishnu and His incarnations: e.g., shaktism: The Divine Mother does Ascetic. dia, and Sri . who both is form and pervades form, Deity is Vishnu, male. His incar­nations as Krishna’s Radharani and Rama’s . incarnate in this world. shaktism: Emphasis is on bhakti and shaktism: Most prominent in Northeast Rama and Krishna are also worshiped, as smartism: Shakti is a divine form of Ish- who creates, sustains and destroys vaishnavism: Vishnu has ten or more tantra, sometimes , practices. India, especially and . well as His divine consort, Radharani. vara. It is God’s manifesting power. the universe only to create it again incar­na­­tions. Ascetic-occult. vaishnavism: Strong throughout India, smartism: Personal God and temple De- smartism: All Deities may assume vaishnavism: Emphasis is on supreme North and South. in unending cycles. They strongly ity is Ishvara, male or female, worshiped On the Nature of Personal God earthly incarnations. bhakti or surrender, called prapatti.­ Gener- smartism: Most prominent in North and declare the validity and importance as Vishnu, Siva, Shakti, Ganesha and Surya­ saivism: God Siva is pure love and com- ally devotional and nonascetic. . or another Deity of dev­otee’s choice, e.g., passion, immanent and transcendent, of temple worship, the three worlds On the Soul and God smartism: Preparatory are Kumara or Krishna. pleased by our purity and . saivism: God Siva is one with the soul. The bhakti, karma, . The highest path of existence and the myriad Gods and soul must realize this advaitic (monistic) is through knowledge, leading to jnana. devas residing in them. They concur that there is no intrinsic , that the cosmos is created out of God and is permeated by Him. They each believe Paths of Attainment in maya (though their definitions dif- saivism: The path for Saivites is divided into four pro- vaishnavism: Most Vaishnavites believe that religion is the fer somewhat), and in the liberation of gressive stages of belief and practice called charya, , performance of bhakti sadhanas, devotional disciplines, and yoga and jnana. The soul evolves through karma and that man can com­municate with and receive the grace of the the soul from , called moksha, reincarna­tion from the instinctive-intellectual sphere Gods and through the darshan (sight) of their . as the goal of human existence. They into virtuous and moral living, then into temple wor- The paths of and lead to . believe in dharma and in , non- ship and devotion, followed by internalized worship, Among the foremost practices of Vaishnavites is chanting the injury, and in the need for a to or yoga, and its meditative disciplines. Union with God holy names of the Avataras, Vishnu’s incarnations, especially Siva comes through the grace of the satguru and culmi- Rama and Krishna. Through total self-surrender, prapatti, to lead the soul toward Self Realization. nates in the soul’s maturity in the state of jnana, or wis- Vishnu, to Krishna or to His beloved consort Radharani, libera- They wear the sacred marks, tilaka, dom. Saivism values both bhakti and yoga, devotional tion from samsara (the cycle of reincarnation) is attained. on their foreheads as sacred symbols, and contemplative sadhanas, or disciplines. though each wears a distinct mark. smartism: Smartas, the most eclectic of Hindus, believe that shaktism: The spiritual practices in Shaktism are similar moksha is achieved through jnana yoga alone—defined as an Finally, they prefer of the to those in Saivism, though there is more emphasis in Sak­ intellectual and meditative but non-kundalini-yoga path. Jnana body upon , believing that the tism on God’s Power as opposed­ to Being, on and yoga’s progressive stages are scriptural study (), reflec- soul will inhabit another body in the , and on embracing apparent opposites: male-fe­ tion () and sustained (dhyana). Guided by next life. While Hinduism has many male, abso­ ­lute-relative, pleasure-pain, cause-ef­ect, mind- a realized guru and avowed to the unreality of the world, the body. Certain sects within Shaktism under­ ­take “left-hand” initiate meditates on him­self as Brahman, Absolute Reality, to sacred scriptures, all sects ascribe the tantric rites, consciously using the world of form to trans­ break through the illusion of maya. Dev­otees may also choose highest authority to the Vedas and mute and eventually transcend that world. The “left-hand” from three other non-successive paths to cultivate devotion, ac- Agamas, though their Agamas difer approach is somewhat occult in nature; it is considered a crue good karma and purify the mind. These are bhakti yoga, somewhat. Here, now, is a brief com- path for the few, not the many. The “right-hand” path is karma yoga and raja yoga, which certain Smartas teach can more con­ser­vative in nature. also bring enlightenment. parison of these four denominations.

s. rajam Artwork: The Divine is reflected in four pots, repre- senting Hinduism’s four main denominations, their common source being the radiant Aum, the sacred mystic syllable and symbol of Sanatana Dharma. 26 what is hinduism? chapter 2: hinduism’s four denominations 27 FOUR FACTS OF HINDUISM KARMA, REINCARNATION, GOD’S ALL-PERVASIVENESS AND DHARMA ARE THE ESSENCE OF THE FOUR VEDAS AND THE FABRIC OF HINDUISM. LIVE THEM, ENJOY THEM AND TEACH THEM TO ALL WHO WILL LISTEN.

KARMA According as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action. —Yajur Veda, Br. Upanishad4.4.5 God’s cosmic of karma governs all our experiences through cause and ef- fect. Through karma, our thoughts, emotions and deeds—whether good, bad or mixed—return to us. Karma is not fate. We have . No God or external force is controlling our life. By applying the wisdom of the sages to the experiences encoun- tered in life, we resolve our karma rather than create new karma. To be responsible for our karma is strength. To blame others is weak- ness. Therefore, remember God’s great law of karma and act wisely. Life is the classroom. Karma is the teacher. God Ganeßa is the Lord of karma.

REINCARNATION After death, the soul goes to the next world, bear- ing in mind the subtle impressions of its deeds, and after reaping their harvest returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has continues subject to rebirth. —Yajur Veda, Br. Upanishad4.4.6 Reincarnation is the natural cycle of birth, death and re birth. We are not the body in which we live, but the im mortal soul which inhabits one body after another on the Earth during its evolutionary journey. Like the caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly, physical death is a most natural transition for the soul, never to be feared. We are now the sum total of all our past lives. The ac tions and re actions we in tion in our last life form the tendencies in the next. Re in car nation ceases when allkarmas have been resolved, dharma has been well performed and God real- ized. This is known as mok sha, or liberation from rebirth. THE ONE, ALL-PERVASIVE SUPREME BEING Self-resplendent, formless, unoriginated and pure, that all-pervading Being is both within and without. He transcends even the transcendent, unmanifest, causal state of the universe. —Atharva Veda, 2.1.2 God is a one Being, yet we un derstand Him in three perfections. Paraßiva, Absol ute Reality, timeless, formless, spaceless, is His un- manifest first perfection. His second perfection, Pure Conscious- ness or Parâßakti, is all-pervasive, infinite, and is found in every ac- tion and particle of His creation. His third perfection, Primal Soul, Parameßvara, is our personal Lord and Ruler of all three worlds. Pûjâ, bhajana, and meditation are all worshipful means of communion with God and the Gods, who are real beings dwelling in the inner worlds. They can and want to help us in every aspect of our life. The Gods have established many temples to allow us to com- municate with them.

DHARMA There is nothing higher than dharma. Verily, that which is dharma is Truth. —Yajur Veda, Br. Upanishad 1.4.14 Dharma is God’s divine law prevailing on every level of existence, from the sustain- ing cosmic order to religious and moral which bind us in harmony with that order. It is piety and ethical practice, duty and ob ligation. Dharma is to the in- dividual what its normal development is to a seed—the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature and destiny. Hindu dharma is embodied in the ten (restraints) and ten (observances). The yamas are noninjury, truthfulness, nonstealing, sexual purity, , stead- fastness, compassion, straightforwardness and moderate appetite. The niyamas are purity, remorse, contentment, giving, faith, worship, scriptural study, cognition, vows, recitation and austerity. Noninjury, ahiμsâ, is the cardinal , the mahâvrata.

Himalayan Publications www.Gurudeva.org 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, HI 96746-9304 USA FROM THE SACRED TEACHINGS OF SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI NINE BELIEFS OF HINDUISM Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred —God, soul and cosmos—are essential to one’s approach to life. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following nine beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu . NINE HINDU BELIEFS

1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Be ing who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality. 2. Hindus believe in the of the four Vedas, the world’s most ancient scrip ture, and venerate the Ågamas as equally revealed. These primordial are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanâtana Dharma, the eternal religion. 3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. 4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds. 5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny. 6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devo- tionals create a communion with these devas and Gods. 7. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is es- sential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-in- quiry, meditation and surrender in God. 8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahiμsâ, noninjury, in thought, word and deed. 9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salva- tion above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s , deserving tolerance and understanding.

from the sacred teachings of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Himalayan Academy Publications www.gurudeva.org 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, HI 96746-9304 USA For more pamphlets, visit www.minimela.com