THE BASIC FOUNDATIONS OF ANCIENT INDIAN CULTURE ( OR HINDUISM ) - WHO IS BRAHMAN / CREATOR ? - HOW TO REACH HIM?

THE BASIC FOUNDATIONS

OF 

ANCIENT INDIAN CULTURE

(OR HINDUISM)

Hinduism  was always based on a Few Basic, Timeless, Cultural tenets which were and are always applicable to the whole world. These are not narrow religious tenets but are Universal Principles. Let us discuss a few of them here.

OM

Aano bhadraa krathavoyanthu viswatah

This comes from Rigveda and means – “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides of the Universe.”

This has been the motto of the great, ancient Sages of India. In accordance with this motto, India has always remained a Land of seekers  of truth rather than of blind believers. They accepted great thoughts from wherever they came.

If a seeker of truth and founder of truth is to be called a founder of a religion, India had hundreds of them in the most ancient past. But, each founder of truth encouraged his disciples to seek the great truths himself, the Guru pointing out the path only. He did not say, follow me blindly. Guru was needed to show the path. Guru was needed to train you and encourage you  to tread the path to a certain distance. But, beyond that, you have to discover the ultimate truths yourself.

India had accepted many noble thoughts from all over the world as in the famous daily prayer below :

OM

Sarve bhavanthu sukhinah

Sarve santhu niraamayaah

Sarve bhadraani pasyanthu

Maa kaschith duhkhabhaag bhaveth

Om Santhih Santih Santih

Meaning:

OM

1: May All be Happy,

2: May All be Free from Illness.

3: May All See what is Good and Auspicious,

4: May no one Suffer.

5: Om ! Let there be Peace, Peace, Peace.

When we say, “ALL”, the first person who should (i) become Happy, (ii) become free from illness (iii) see all that is Good and Auspicious and (iv) not become part of suffering – is the SELF, who is selflessly praying for all others- human beings,  animals, birds, insects, trees and all other beings.

Om Santhih, Santhih, Santhih means – peace and freedom from three types of suffering.

First type of suffering is – “Adhyathmika” or internal and is inflicted by ourselves on ourselves, either knowingly or unknowingly.

Second type of suffering is  - “Adhi-bhouthika” or suffering due to physical reasons.

Third type of suffering is  - Adhi daivika or providential, unexpected, unanticipated or we may say, God-inflicted. We may also say, the third type of suffering is - Karma-inflicted, which we will explain in a later post. From all the three types of suffering, we seek release and peace for all beings.

The readers can easily see that this is a Universally applicable prayer and can be recited by anybody, anywhere, any time. It has no narrow religious connotations or boundaries. It surpasses all barriers like caste, creed, religion,race, language and so on. It is a truly Universal Prayer addressed to the Creator or the Powers of the Universe. They are all around YOU and they definitely are listening to your prayer. What they do - depends on the intensity and sincerity in your prayer.

Indian Sages had deep bonds of relationships with the Powers controlling the nature. By propitiating these powers controlling the nature, they got huge insights into the secrets of the Universe, secrets of  the Human being and the Ultimate power pervading the entire Universe. This Ultimate Power pervading the universe was called by them as ‘Brahman’. Other powers controlling the nature were called Devas or Gods.

Hinduism unequivocally proclaims that Brahman is just one. There is no second. He creates other Powers to control each function of the Universe.

Such Powers of Universe controlling each major function of the universe were identified by different names – like, Siva, Vishnu and Brahma.

There are also Indra, Varuna, Agni and many others. Many such ‘Devas’ exist, who control each one function of the Universe. Brahman is the only ultimate Power who creates and distributes his functions among the Devas. All Devas are his various faces or his various representations for specific purposes.

This is explained briefly in one sloka of Isaa vasyopanishad, which says, everything in the universe comes from one single totality and whatever you take away from or add to it, it remains the same totality (or, Completeness).

“Poornamadah, Poornamidam,

Poornaath Poornamudachyathe,

Poornasya Poornamaadaaya,

Poornamevavasishyathe”

Meaning :

Om, There, is completeness, Here too, is completeness, From one completeness comes the other completeness. If one completeness is taken away from another completeness, yet, Only completeness remains.  Om, Peace Peace Peace.

This ancient sloka is extraordinary and reveals many truths in itself, when properly understood. It explicitly proclaims the oneness of the supreme power which is Brahman itself and which is the creator of all Universe and all beings from out of itself.

You and I are all part of this totality; and when we completely realize it and experience it, we are entitled to identify ourselves with and call ourselves as that “completeness” or totality. All of our seeking is intended for this purpose.

This truth about our ‘self’ is also stated in many Upanishads - in what are famously called as Mahavakyas or the Greatest Truths. 

Let us look at the most famous 4 of them:

Aham Brahmasmi : “I am the Brahman”. This is not being proclaimed by someone unknown to you. ‘You’ are proclaiming it. You must realize and experience that you are the ‘Brahman’. And YOU are. This is the fact. What about me? I am Brahman, in my ‘self’ too. We are like Drops in the Ocean who are entitled to say, I am the Ocean. The total identification with the TOTALITY is the only important criterion. Once you experience yourself as Brahman, where are any narrow dividing boundaries between you and others? There exist none.

Thath Thvam Asi : “You are that”. You are searching for the  creator of this Universe who is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and so on. But, you must know and experience that - ‘YOU’ are that which you are searching for. See and experience yourself in the totality and the totality in yourself. This is the truth you must experience. We must not forget the analogy of the ocean drop identifying with the Ocean. We are all drops in the ocean of Brahman. We are therefore entitled to call ourselves as the ‘Brahman’.

Prajnaanam Brahma : So, what is Brahman in you? Is it your Body, or your Mind? Neither. It is your Prajna or superior Consciousness which runs your Body and Mind both. What can get you to that superior consciousness?

There are essentially 2 methods. One is, a realized Guru through his teaching, can show you the path. You can get there through the 3 steps called, Sravanam, Mananam and Nidhidhyasanam. This is the method of Jnana Yoga.  

Another Method is internal exploration through Meditation. You may call it Dhyana Yoga or just Yoga. Don’t say, nobody is there to teach me. If you become a sincere seeker, either you will find the Guru or the Guru will find you. The Universe itself may become a teacher to you. But first, become a sincere seeker and don’t throw the responsibility for this on others. You create your destiny by your own efforts.

Ayam Atma Brahma : My ‘Self’ or Atma and BRAHMAN  are one and the same. This realization comes through intense Sadhana through either of the above 2 methods.

These Mahavakyas from the Upanishads, form the foundation of the culture which existed in the ancient India.

The reader, who is un-initiated into the ancient Indian culture, usually gets perplexed with this narration. I agree that this foundation of Indian culture is a little tough to grasp, tough to realize and experience in its entirety and therefore, the intense, individual Sadhana or individual seeking is essential for each person.

Realization and experience may come in a day or in a year or in several years or several births, depending on the focus and sincerity in your seeking. The ultimate truth is put at a distance from us by the universe, through various lures and attractions that the Universe itself offers.

You can’t get at these ultimate truths by arguing, by use of mundane logic, by ordinary scientific principles, which are good to explore the physical Universe, but not enough to experience the creator of the universe. For that, you must transcend the mind itself – and come to a place where you discover yourself for the first time.Know thyself first and you will also know thy creator.

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