HINDUISM
SAGES,AVTARS, REFORMERS
AND
PROPHETS
A civil society and a civil Government are
more than enough, if there is no God, Satan, Heaven and Hell.
Think of it. If we are sure that there
is no God, we won’t need religion. However, we will definitely need a Civil Government for orderly and peaceful living.
It is difficult to say if religion came first or civil Government.
We will talk of religion here and not of civil government. This is because, Human mind has always been speculating
on (i) what happened to us before our birth and (ii) what would happen to us after
our death.
This speculation is natural for human mind and does not need a government. It is individualistic basically but when people come together, it becomes a religion.
This speculation on life before birth
and life after death gave rise to different religions at different times and
different places, as people speculated, postulated and invented (or discovered) God, Satan, Heaven, Hell and such other metaphysical phenomena,
with widely differing characteristics in each religion.
Several thousands of years before other
religions came into existence, Hinduism had come into existence. Hindu
religious stalwarts had debated on these phenomena in great detail and had come
to certain conclusions.
Nothing was ever accepted in Hinduism
without detailed, logical questioning and reasoning. As a consequence, Hinduism
developed many schools of thought on these phenomena like Advaita, Dvaita,
Visishtadvaita and so on, unlike other religions. All these schools of thought have
become part of Hinduism. All of them co-exist until today.
Aham Brahmasmi or I am myself the
Brahman or the supreme is as much an accepted concept in Hinduism as Dvaita or
Dualism and Visishtadvaitha or specialized non dualism. All these co-exist
today.
Hinduism was always an evolving,
reforming and modernizing religion. You can accept any school of thought and yet
be a Hindu. You can reject all schools of thought and yet be a Hindu. You can
accept or reject God. You can be an idol worshipper or an image less
worshipper. You can focus on self exploration like in Meditation.
I am not going to deal much with the most ancient texts of Vedas
today, as these are largely unknown to current day Hindus. Yes. These are
studied by a miniscule section even today. But their impact on Hinduism in current days is very less.
Upanishads are the last parts of Vedas but are studied as independent texts also. They reveal great debates on several metaphysical phenomena that
happened countless years ago. They are studied a
little more than Vedas, being simpler and more practical. But, even they have
very little impact and relevance on current day Hinduism and Hindus.
Sanskrit, in which these scriptures are
written has gone largely out of popular usage.
Mahabharat and Ramayan are very popular
and are well known to most Hindus as these are made into popular books, movies
and TV serials. They spread the core values of Hinduism among all people.
Bhagavad Geetha, propounded by Lord
Krishna, is the most popular scripture and is accepted as the easiest and the best religious scripture by
most schools of thought.
GEETHA gives four paths for God realization : Bhakthi Yoga,
Karma Yoga, Dhyana Yoga and Jnana Yoga. The depiction of these is beautiful and extraordinary. Lord Krishna has stated that what he
has pronounced in Geetha is nothing but age old, and most ancient wisdom and nothing new. Thus, it represents the
essence of all past teaching. Geetha is thus the quintessence of all Vedas and Upanishads. Unlike the other ancient texts, Geetha comes directly from Lord Krishna who is undoubtedly the manifestation of the supreme, almighty.
Geetha represents a great forward step for Hinduism.
Lord Krishna has explicitly told that
he ( the God) himself takes birth on earth whenever there is too much Unrighteousness and
when righteous people are subjected by the unrighteous people to too much
distress. These incarnations are usually called Avtars .
Lord Krishna was the last such Avtar,
who came in Dwapar Yug, 5500 years back and went away after cleansing the earth
of unrighteousness. Crores of warriors got killed in the Great Mahabharat war.
Did unrighteousness end with these killings? To some extent, yes. Dwapar yug
ended soon after Lord Krishna ended his incarnation.
Kaliyug started soon after and
it is said to be more predominantly unrighteous, compared to Dwapar Yug. We are now said to be in the
first quarter of Kaliyug. All of our future discussions will be on how Hinduism
stands at present and what reforms and improvements are needed in it now.
Experientially, we all know that human minds
contain righteousness and unrighteousness both. Their character is so. Their
proportion varies from individual to individual and society to society.
Lord Krishna says that - (i) Mind is
difficult to control but (ii) it can be
controlled through practice and non-attachment, and (iii) righteousness can be
cultivated and practiced. In essence, it means that proper education and practice creates righteousness
in us. Do we have such education right now? The answer is a big No.
Lord Kalki is named as the last Avtar
and he will come much later in Kaliyug. That
is what the future predictions say. Are we going to live with growing
unrighteousness till his supposed arrival or are we going to reform the society
right now is the choice before us. We must reform the society now.
Extraordinary people devoted to spreading
of righteousness are born periodically in India and are available even now amidst us. India is producing
such great Human beings from time to time.
The important fact is – today, Hinduism
is largely India-centric. We do not know much about the distant past. Images of Hindu
Gods are being unearthed in all parts of the world periodically. So, we really do not
know about the distant past.
But, Indian Rishis were always aware of the
immensity of earth and the oceans. There were no multiple religions in their
times though multiple schools of thought existed. Therefore, Individual seeking
and mutual discussions and debating were common but not the present kind of unseemly
conversions without conviction.
Lord Krishna was the last and latest
Avtar, and only Lord Kalki is supposed to come as the next Avtar. But, great sages are appearing from time to time, in between.
Buddha came about 2500 years ago as an enlightened soul and a great reformer.
Hinduism has immense space for such reformers
always. This was a land of Individual seekers and Jnanis always. Buddha was
essentially a reformer of Hinduism but his followers made his teachings into a
different and distinct religion.Hinduism also adopted many of the Buddhist principles but not all.
Had Buddha studied the Hindu scriptures
and woven his teachings around them and with reference to them, Hinduism would
have reformed rather than providing justification for creating a new religion.
Ditto with Mahavir of Jainism and Guru Nanak of Sikhism.
Lord Krishna’s
teachings remained India-centric and Buddha’s teachings spread from Nepal to
china, Japan and Sri Lanka etc but not to Middle East or the west. Hinduism and
Buddhism were simply unknown in the rest of the world. So, Jesus and Mohammad
came up in the Middle East.
It is generally believed by the
followers of Jesus that Jesus will come again. They however don’t know when,
where and how he will come again and how they will identify him in his new incarnation.
We will raise the same question with
reference to Mohammad. Why did Mohammad come as a prophet, after the death of
Christ and before the rebirth of Christ, within just 500 years, at a very
nearby place to the place of birth of Jesus? Simple logic. By that time,
the teachings of Jesus had not spread to Mecca, Madina and other places. No other reason.
Mohammad taught many things which vary drastically
from what Jesus taught and Jesus taught many things which vary drastically from
what Lord Buddha taught which vary drastically from what Lord Krishna taught. The
followers of each Prophet are rigid and blind in their faith. They don’t want
to even look at other prophets, their
teachings and their relevance. This is most unlike the earlier ,spiritual and
religious explorations by Indian seekers and rishis. Their minds were much more
open to reasoning and questioning.
Geetha was the ultimate testament of
truth given 5500 years before, by Lord Krishna, in his own voice and words. It
is extraordinarily scientific.It was recorded by Veda Vyasa, the greatest sage
of all times. The teachings in the Geetha are fantastic and extremely
scientific.
Why don’t the people of the whole world
read the Geetha first , then the Tripitikas, then the Bible and then the Koran?
The answer is simple. Geetha is getting translated into English only now
whereas Bible got translated into English long ago. Second reason is, Bible is
read widely and taught in the church. Koran is taught in Masjid or Mosque.
Geetha is not taught in the temples or any where to all Hindus. So, even Hindus
do not know its rich contents sufficiently! Nobody,
till today, extracted the Gist of Geetha and made it as an authoritative
summary, to be taught in temples, schools and universities.This is the greatest need for Hinduism today.
If the essentials of Geetha are widely prevalent and known, other religion scriptures would not be this
popular in India at least? Hinduism must move with times and reform itself.
That said, I have some reformist thoughts about all
religious Books and Teachings. Everything in the whole Universe is subject to
constant and continuous change. We all know that. But all religious scriptures stand “sealed”,
thousands of years ago, to be precise, at the respective times of their birth,
be it the Bhagavad Geeta, the Bible, the Koran or any other religious
scripture.
Religious puritans say – their
scriptures are unchangeable. They are held as unchangeable even when latest, scientifically
verifiable facts contradict the scriptures, or, even when some of their declarations
and exhortations are the biggest cause of all avoidable suffering, including
huge wars, on earth.
Geeta was sealed in its present shape
5500 years ago. Bible was sealed 2000 years ago. Koran was sealed 1500 years
ago. We don’t at all know about the Vedas and Upanishads. Much bloodshed and
wars in the world seem to be due to this UNCHANGEABLE NATURE of all religious
scriptures.
Buddha taught non
violence, love and deep meditational practices for enlightenment. There is
nothing in his teachings to quarrel with, especially for Hindus in India. It is
the Yogic path taught by Lord Krishna, with minor differences and detailed
prescriptions. Mahaveer taught much the same things but perhaps with more emphasis on non violence.
Both were very much needed – to reform Hinduism itself. Unfortunately, they became two independent religions,
instead of reforming the parent religion. In my view, the theme of “sambhavami
yuge yuge” of Lord Krishna applies to both Buddha and Mahaveer. I believe that they were needed and they were sent
specifically to weed out “Adharma” from human society.
When Adi Sankaracharya came on the
scene a little later, he started reforming Hinduism itself and infused the much
needed love and non-violence into it to some extent. Hindus started accepting
Buddha as an AVTAR. Gradually, Hinduism started following many Buddhist practices
also within the fold of Hinduism.
Adi Sankara also sought to end the
unseemly rivalry between Vasihnavites and Saivites with his unequivocal
assertion that Siva and Vishnu were one and the same. Yeko devah kesavova,
Sivova, Sivaya Vishnu roopaaya, vishnuroopaya namah Sivaha…and so on.. In his
days, the unseemly rivalry between followers of Siva and Vishnu was prominent,
ignoring the ancient teaching that the one and only supreme Brahman is in all.
If Adi Sankara
was born much later, after the western and west Asian invaders came to India,
he would have included the names of Allah and Ehovah also in the above slokas,
along with Siva and Vishnu.
He was very broad minded and
egalitarian in his approach. Under his influence, we, the Hindus, worshipped a single image and form with 1000 names! Each family can of course have a different Image. 2 more names like allah and ehovah would have been easily accepted by us under the influence of some great sage born after the influx of westerners.
Adi Sankaracharya condemned practices
like UNTOUCHABILITY in unequivocal terms. He had condemned it in several of his teachings. But, he lived
for TOO SHORT a period and hence, could
not reform Hinduism in this respect much.
Adi Sankaracharya had set up 4 Sankara
Mutts with very competent Swamijis as their heads. But, Adi Sankara’s zeal and
energy for social reform is missing.
Later came Ramanujacharya. In respect
of Social and religious reform, Ramanuja also strove in the same Genre as Adi
Sankaracharya and condemned the practices of Untouchability. He actively tried
to reform the caste system. But, he did not set up any effective
institutions to carry forward his mission of social reform.
Likewise, Madhvacharya preached many
good things. His influence also stays in some pockets only.
We must remember that, in those days,
current day type of speedy communication devices and methods, media to
propagate the leader’s views and exhortations etc were not available. It was
word of mouth of just one person who was fighting against the deep seated ugly practices
of a huge society.
So, however much Adi Sankara, Ramanuja,
and Madhvacharya tried, they could not make much dent in the social evils of
caste and untouchability.
Many other ‘social’ reformers also came
and went. They tried to introduce many different and much needed reforms within
Hinduism, succeeded to some extent and failed to some extent.
Guru Nanak rose as a social reformer
and preached a new set of energetic reforms. His messages and those of the
subsequent Gurus strengthened their followers into a distinct, high energy
religion called Sikhism. I would have loved it much more, if Sikhs, en masse,
are recognized as the much needed Kshatriya class of Hinduism then or at least
now.
Swami Vivekananda was a great and eloquent reformer and he went all around India
spreading the message of Love, non-violence, Unity, respect for all, respect
for women and so on. Swami Vivekananda once said that, he needed at least 100
highly energetic and devoted Indian youth to spread his message and transform
India.
It seems he could not get those 100
highly energetic and devoted Indian youths to achieve his lofty goals in his
days. His demise occurred before that. With great foresight, he and his friends
and disciples set up Ramakrishna Missions at several places which carried
forward his Mission significantly. The Ramakrishna Missions are doing a great
job in many respects till this day. Ramakrishna Missions need to do a whole lot more work to unite and harmonize
Hinduism. That said, their work is great and impressive and highly laudable but
not focused enough to achieve any single
religious reform completely.
Mahatma Gandhi was a pioneer in setting
personal example to abolish untouchability. He brought together freedom
fighters from all sections and set personal example in every aspect of human
behavior. People of all castes came together under his leadership, like never before. He always said – be the example that you wish to see in the world. Be
the change that you want to see in the world – this was his firm conviction. And, he
was a role model for the whole world.
Dr.Ambedkar’s role in making the Indian
constitution bind the Government to abolish UNTOUCHABILITY is a great and
invaluable contribution. He influenced all opinion leaders in the constituent
assembly on these aspects.
Raja Rammohan Roy abolished the practice
of “Sati” through law.Likewise, Child marriage stands abolished by Law. These are great Hindu reforms.
After Independence only, India has emerged
as a single entity. Urbanization, big cities, industrialization etc brought
people from the Hindu mode of living into the western mode of living. This
changed occupations, dress, culture and professions from the traditional ones
drastically to highly altered new ones. The whole methods of living changed.
But, some nauseating old practices like untouchability and caste divide remained. They need drastic change now in tune
with the changing realities and social structures. This urgent need for unity
and social transformation is growing every moment in India.
Today, there are of course, many great
leaders with a great reformist mindset in India. They are striving today to
abolish untouchability completely, unite the Hindu society and bring in the
much needed social harmony and individual dignity.
Many reforms have in fact happened in
the last 70 years. It is now time to make the final, successful assault on some
of the vexatious issues plaguing the Hindu society. But, some recent
complications are hindering the reform process.
My idea and goal is to suggest
practical measures to make Hinduism the most open and the best religion of the
world,
(i)
which is open to all,
(ii)
in which every Individual has a
dignified place,
(iii)
in which everybody gets equally respected,
(iv) which marches shoulder to shoulder and
step to step with the best of science, and
(v) in which science, scientific
exploration and the best of human compassion prevail
(vi) which strives for human welfare always.
There are social and religious leaders
even today, who are striving exactly for such a change. I can count all
Ramakrishna Mission Heads, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Sri Sri Ravishankar,Baba
Ramdev among the leaders who are
non-sectarian, liberal, and would be interested in making Hinduism a
universally acceptable religion.
I will close this chapter with a famous
poem of Ravindra Nath Tagore :
Where the mind is without fear and the
head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of
truth
Where tireless striving stretches its
arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has
not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead
habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,
let my country awake”
Essentially, this was always the Hindu
religious thought as we shall see in subsequent chapters also. Our Goal is to
achieve this dream of Tagore, in our Hindu religion today.
**** will continue ****
