By Paramjit Bakhshi
This winter appeared colder than the others and as expected, one saw a lot of funerals taking place. Along with them there were many weddings too. This quiet unfolding of the dance and drama of life, led one this season, to study some religions. Presented here, is a synopsis, of the oldest religion, which in spite of it outward weakness, just refuses to fade away.
Hinduism with its numerous gods and goddesses, its complex rituals, its apparent lack of a central doctrine, its extreme asceticism on one hand and erotic temple art on the other confuses the casual observer. Strangely enough though, we find it has inspired countless learned people including TS Eliot, Aldous Huxley, Christopher Isherwood, Joseph Campbell and Rene Guenon, among many others. On the eve of the first nuclear explosion the words which flashed across the mind of Robert Oppenheimer were from the Bhagvad Gita: “I have become death, the shatterer of worlds; Waiting that hour that ripens to their doom.” The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote, “In the whole world there is no study so beautiful and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life, it will be solace of my death.”
The most lucid explanation of this ancient religion comes from Huston Smith his book, “The Religions of Man. He writes “”If we are to take Hinduism as a whole – its vast literature, its opulent art, its elaborate rituals, its sprawling folkways – if we were to take this enormous outlook in its entirety and epitomize it in a single central affirmation we would find it saying to man : You can have what you want.”
It is indeed this assertion which differentiates Hinduism from other religions. Instead of laying down any commandments, it lets the individual free to explore the world of wishes, wants and desires. It is through this exploration of personal wants and of the material world that the Hindu is expected to find his salvation. In its timeless wisdom Hinduism knows that though human wants may appear numerous and varied they fall under four broad classifications and every human being sooner or later, must climb the ladder of wants in search of salvation. .
Like small children most human beings begin by pursuing pleasure. Hinduism goads the devout on the path of pleasure knowing well enough that our pursuit of pleasure is a vain exercise. We may long for an ice cream or lust for sex in a certain measure only. While denial keeps the illusion of pleasure alive it is the complete gratification of desire which makes an individual realise that pleasure and happiness are as different as tinsel and gold. The law of diminishing returns ensures that repeated indulgence of the same desire brings less and less pleasure.
With pleasure behind him the individual then climbs a rung and seeks worldly success with its three aspects of wealth, fame and power. A little worldly success, Hinduism acknowledges is necessary for raising a family and towards discharging social and civic duties. It also provides an individual with sense of self respect and dignity. However a continuing desire of worldly success instead of bringing happiness brings about misery. When such a desire becomes life’s sole objective it can never be satisfied by any degree of attainment. Our greed ensures that no amount of money, power or fame is enough to satisfy us. Further such a course of competition also cuts us off from genuine love and affection of other people and brings about a feeling of loneliness.
Pleasure and success according to Hinduism are the goals on the Path of Desire since they both involve the personal desires of the individual alone. It is only when a being is sated of personal cravings that he moves on to the path of Renunciation where the other two human wants are found.
The individual realising the folly of personal wants then seeks to further the good of the community in which he lives. This is first sign of spiritual maturity: from being a child occupied with illusory toys he grows up to become mindful of his duties to others. Instead of wanting to take, he now desires to give. The discharge of this new found duty brings both praise and self respect and the individual finds some contentment in this connection to the rest of humanity. However one day he realises that his duties are infinite yet his life certainly isn’t. It is going to be over soon. Since man is the only earthly creature which can conceive of infinity anything that is finite seems too little for him. “Measure any good”, to quote Huston Smith, “and man can always imagine a bit more of it and in doing so wish for that more.”
At this stage human beings now desire an eternal life. Not one of misery and ignorance but one which holds the promise of eternal bliss and infinite knowledge. This says Huston Smith is the stage which Hinduism has been waiting for man to reach and at this stage once again presents him with its initial promise to give whatever he wants. More surprisingly it tells him that not only can he have eternal life, joy and knowledge – he already possesses it. All that is required of him is a true realisation; an awareness that he is not just a physical body, or a mind or a personality made up of mere propensities and memories. Underlying all is the atman, a pool of being that never dies, and exists in infinite bliss and awareness connected as it is to Brahman – the god head. Hinduism informs him that the only reason, he does not realise all this is because such awareness is buried under layers of false ideas, misplaced conditioning and selfish and fearful impulses. Its literature abounds in parables to makes the individual open his eyes to this reality. We are like lion cubs that somehow got separated from their mother at birth and by living amongst sheep have started grazing and bleating like sheep. Or that we are like a king who suffers from amnesia and wanders around in tatters not knowing who he really is. Than in actuality we are spiritual beings having a brief human experience rather than human beings having rare spiritual experiences.
Such a realisation is what the Hindus call mukti, or liberation or salvation which is the ultimate goal of all human life. It is not that every soul reaches the stage where he seeks salvation. Sometimes it takes many births and reincarnation just to reach the path of renunciation. However salvation is there always at hand if desired. The texts then painstakingly lay out four different paths from which salvation can be approached. Every seeker, depending on his personal choice and nature, is free to walk any path or a combination of paths.
These are: Karma Yoga or the path of right action, the Bhakti Yoga or the path of Devotion and love, Jnana Yoga or the path of knowledge, and Raja Yoga- the path of psychological discovery. You can therefore follow Rama on the path of virtuous action, or get enlightened by the Gita, or like Mirabai lose yourself in devotion to Krishna or if curious experiment with mantras, breathing and meditation. It’s forbearance of human idiosyncrasies is real and maybe for this reason it has turned out to be one of the most tolerant religions in the world. The Hindu’s path is his and he never asserts that it is the only right path. You will therefore see a Hindu kneel in church or offer prayers at a mosque. To him other religions are merely different paths and are neither better nor worse than his path. It is this attitude that has without doubt helped it survive nearly three thousand years. And if one is to go by a fifty year old prediction made by Arnold Toynbee that in the twenty first century when religion replaces technology it is possible that “India the conquered will conquer its conquerors”.
Was such a long article required in explanation? Perhaps not, because this two and a half millennia old prayer from the Upanishad, sums up Hinduism very aptly:asato ma sadgamaya tamaso ma jyotirgamaya mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
Lead me from the ignorance to the truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality.
The writer is a life skills trainer and can be contacted at [email protected]