Hinduism in a Nutshell
by Swami Bhaskarananda
Hinduism is one of the world’s major religions. It is also one of the most ancient religions in the world. There are over 720 million Hindus today. Most live in India, although a sizable population live in Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Indonesia (Bali) and a few other countries.
The ancient sages of India who discovered the spiritual truths that constitute the basic scriptures of Hinduism preferred to remain anonymous. Therefore, Hinduism does not have a known founder. Those scriptures are called the Vedas, which means knowledge.
SCOPE FOR REASON AND FAITH IN HINDUISM
Hindus are allowed to ask sincere questions or make honest inquiries about their religion. If they have doubts, they can express them without any fear. Such questioning is never considered sacrilegious. All honest and sincere questions are addressed by Hinduism and rational answers given. From this rational inquiry Hinduism has been able to develop and accommodate in it six major systems of philosophy. While Hinduism encourages faith in its holy scriptures, it also gives full scope to reason out the truths contained in them.
IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
Knowledge derived from genuine spiritual experience is given the utmost importance. One scripture says that immortality, the ultimate spiritual goal of Hinduism, cannot be achieved by studying the scriptures alone. It has to be experienced. Experiential spiritual knowledge is given much more importance than mere theoretical knowledge.
SIX MAJOR SYSTEMS OF PHILOSOPHY
There are six major systems of Hindu philosophy: (1) Sankhya, (2) Yoga, (3) Nyaya, (4) Vaisheshika, (5) Mimamsa, and (6) Vedanta.
GOD
Hinduism believes in one God. It also accommodates the ideas of personal and impersonal God. They are different aspects or expressions of the same Divine Reality. God in His impersonal aspect is called Nirguna Brahman, and in His personal aspect He is called Saguna Brahman.
Saguna Brahman, who is the creator of this world, is omnipresent, all-knowing and all powerful. Saguna Brahman, even though sexless, can be addressed and adored by Hindus as both Mother and Father.
Creation, preservation and destruction go hand-in-hand in this world. Saguna Brahman is not just the creator, but the preserver and destroyer also. The creator aspect of Saguna Brahman is called Brahma; the preserver aspect, Vishnu; and the destroyer aspect Shiva or Maheshwara. These three form the so-called Hindu Trinity.
Different powers or glories of God are personified through imagination and called Deities in Hinduism. Deities are not so many gods; they are personified expressions of the different powers and glories of the one and only God.
Hinduism believes that out of compassion for His creatures God incarnates on earth in tangible form and becomes part of history. A Divine Incarnation is called an Avatara. In Hinduism there can be many Divine Incarnations. Whenever virtue declines and irreligion prevails God incarnates on earth to revitalize religion and save the righteous.
Some Hindus worship God through images. As God is intangible, tangible symbols of God, or images, are used by Hindus to establish mental communion with God. A Hindu who adores and worships God through images is fully aware that the images are not God Himself. They are only aids to God realization.
FOUR MAJOR SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR ASPIRANTS
Hinduism recognizes that temperamental differences exist between people. Different spiritual paths or disciplines are prescribed for people of differing temperaments. There are four major paths: (1) Bhakti-Yoga, or the path of devotion; (2) Jnana-Yoga, or the path of knowledge; (3) Raja-Yoga, or the path of mental control and concentration; and (4) Karma-Yoga, or the path of right action. Any of these paths, if sincerely followed, can give God-realization.
TWO SETS OF RELIGIOUS DUTIES
Other than the above, Hinduism speaks of two different sets of religious duties or paths, one suitable for householders and the other for monks. They are called (1) Pravritti Marga or the Path of permitted sensual desires and (2) Nivritti Marga or the Path of renunciation of sensual desires. Both paths can independently lead spiritual seekers, either monastic or lay, to God-realization.
A PATH FOR EVERYONE CAN BE FOUND IN HINDUISM
Hinduism, as a religion, can accommodate everyone, even an atheist. It does not see much difference between an atheist seeking the ultimate truth and a believer who wants to see God. Jnana Yoga or the path of knowledge is suitable for such an atheist.
Hinduism asserts that every soul is essentially divine. No one is a lost soul. Sooner or later every soul will be liberated. The impurity in the mind of an individual does not allow the inherent divinity to be manifest. Through spiritual practice this impurity can be eliminated and divinity made manifest.
HINDU ETHICS AND MORALITY
Hinduism puts great emphasis on the necessity for ethical and moral behavior. According to one scripture, a Hindu must observe moral and ethical laws from his birth till his death. Some scholars have rightly described Hinduism as a way of life. Every important event in Hindu life is directly influenced by religion. Marriage, birth, naming of babies, giving the first hair-cut, a baby’s first intake of solid food, a child’s first introduction to studies, eating habits, duties of married life, death, and post-mortem rituals - all are sanctified and made into sacraments.
THE CASTE SYSTEM
Hindu society has a caste or class system which was originally based on the character and aptitude of individuals. The system later became degraded as caste was made hereditary by powerful people. with vested interests. Through the efforts of many saints and reformers this degraded caste system is gradually on the verge of elimination today.
THE DOCTRINE OF KARMA
Connected to Hindu ethics is the Doctrine of Karma or the Doctrine of Cause and Effect. According to this doctrine, good deeds done on earth bring good results and bad deeds bad.1 Suffering and enjoyment in this life or hereafter are caused by one’s bad and good deeds, or Karma, done in the past. God is not responsible for one’s suffering or enjoyment.
OTHER PLANES OF EXISTENCE
The Hindu concept of the other world includes the idea of numerous planes of existence or Lokas. Lokas can be described as worlds of different sets of vibration, each grosser or subtler than the others. The existence of the departed souls in some Lokas can be enjoyable while in other Lokas it can be painful. A departed soul leaves behind his physical body, and depending on the results of his past actions done on earth, goes to a different Loka with his subtle body. He lives there in his subtle body for an indefinite period of time, either enjoying or suffering according to his good or bad Karma. If he has not gained spiritual perfection he will be born again on earth to strive for perfection.
REINCARNATION
Hinduism believes in reincarnation of souls. Only imperfect souls with impure minds haunted by unfulfilled desires reincarnate. Perfection of the soul is achieved through God-vision. If a person cannot purify his mind in one incarnation, he will be born again and again until he attains mental purity and God-Vision. A person attaining perfection through God-vision is never born again. He is called a liberated soul, or saint.
A person can be liberated even when living in this world. After death such a liberated soul either goes to a Loka where he enjoys the presence of God all the time, or he merges into God and becomes one with Him.
GOD’S GRACE
God’s grace, according to Hinduism, is unconditional and impartial. Like the sun shining equally on the good and evil, God showers his grace equally on all. A good person uses God’s grace for a good purpose and benefits from it, while a bad person uses God’s grace for a bad purpose, and thereby causes harm to himself.
NO CONVERSION IN HINDUISM
Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion. It does not believe in conversion; it believes in inner spiritual transformation.
THE HARMONY OF ALL RELIGIONS
The idea of the harmony of all religions is an integral part of Hinduism. The Vedas declare that God is one, but different sages call the same God by various names. Quarreling over religion is never condoned by Hinduism.
HINDUISM’S SEARCH FOR THE REAL
Hinduism is neither an optimistic nor a pessimistic religion. Its approach is purely realistic. It tends to seek out the reality of things and encourages its followers to pursue and experience that reality. According to Hindu philosophy, whatever is real has to be eternal and changeless. The world has a beginning in time, therefore, it cannot be eternal. It is subject to change, therefore, it cannot be real. The world is not real in the sense that it has only an empirical existence but no ultimate existence. God alone is the Reality. The ultimate goal of human life is to know this Reality through direct experience. Neglecting the duties of this world will not help a person to achieve this goal. Right performance of duties as enjoined by the scriptures helps a person to purify his mind and recognize the ultimate reality.
HINDUISM IS NOT FATALISTIC
Hinduism does not encourage the idea of fatalism. According to the doctrine of Karma a person is responsible for whatever happens to him in this life. He cannot blame anyone else for his own suffering. As his suffering is the result of his past actions of this or some earlier life, he must be able to create a better future life for him through right actions done in this incarnation.
HINDUISM’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE PHYSICAL BODY
Purposeless and neurotic mortification of the body is not encouraged by Hinduism. Physical austerity is necessary in so far as it helps to strengthen the mind. A person who is not easily affected by heat or cold, pleasure or pain, is mentally a stronger person. He is more likely to handle the various problems in his life without being defeated by them. Too much identification with the body makes a person mentally weak. Hinduism clearly forbids its followers to go to any extreme. Neglecting the body is not necessarily considered a virtue. The body therefore has to be taken care of. Hindu scriptures also teach that the body is the temple of God. The soul or the indwelling Divine Self resides in it. As God is omnipresent, God is present in each and every being.
NON-VIOLENCE
Hinduism considers the practice of non-violence as one of the greatest virtues. Yet it is not blind to the fact that we must put up with one or another kind of violence merely to survive. Thousands of microscopic lives are destroyed every time we breathe. Each food grain we eat has life in it. It is impossible to completely avoid committing violence. All that Hinduism expects it followers to do is to consciously minimize violence as much as is practical to get rid of a violent attitude of mind.
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