More About Hinduism-1
Hinduism is the religion of the large majority of the people of India and Nepal and it was cradled mostly in the northern part of the country and not only it influenced the civilizations of the human race but coloured the thoughts and comforted the hearts of many people even outside this country. It essentially arose as the religion of the Aryanas who settled in the northern India from central Asia which was called in ancient days as Aryavarta, and the originator initiates were mostly the Rishis and Munis as incarnations of God, as held by many, or at least the great souls which had attained a high position in their moral, intellectual and spiritual development. This religion was not only for the training of the entire nature of man and for his intellectual, moral and spiritual growth or evolution but for guidance of him in his life as a citizen in the family, the community and the nation.
It blossomed in a settled society which had security and leisure, as no culture can flourish in a community of nomads who struggle for food and die early of privation. In northern India bound by the high Himalayas on one side and deep seas on the others, there was no danger of outside invasions for a long time and this region washed by the great Ganga and other six or seven rivers had great gifts of nature and bounteous food, forests and cattle wealth and people were not to struggle hard for good living or for power, riches and domination. When people were not to waste their energy in finding out a comfortable and secure living, their attention naturally goes to creation of art, developing sciences and for the higher life to live more perfectly in the spirit. The huge forests and open natural expanse provided the devote souls many avenues to wander through and being at peace with themselves they burst forth in song and joyous utterances in praise of the natural forces. Many, thinking men set up ashrams or hermitages for medication on deeper problems of existence. They had an impatience of spiritual love for wisdom and a passion for the saner pursuits of the mind and with this spiritual consciousness they found religious truths.
The account of the origin of Hindu religion began with the Vedic hymns which embody the character and function of the various gods and these hymns passed on from generation to generation orally as in those ancient days, people were ignorant of the art of writing and early inscriptions were at the time of Ashoka in the middle of 3rd BC or the numismatic evidence of writing came in during the invasion of Alexander. The records of sacred literature of the non-Aryan races of south India also were known after they came in contact with the Hindus of north India in the 100 BC, according to some authorities.
The Vedic gods mentioned in the Vedic hymns, were said to control the chief energies of nature. The ancient Rishis or religious personalities having been impressed by the natural forces and facts had a sense of awe, admiration, helplessness and wonder towards them and burst forth in songs or utterances called as hymns in praise of these forces.
They were wonder struck by thunder, lightening, rains, wind, earth sun & moon, Akash or sky, Agni or fire, rivers, mountains etc. and considering them as divine powers, they sang their praises and themselves feeling small and helpless sought their blessings and protection. There was some sort of animism and anthropomorphism in earlier days that these natural forces and even man made objects like implements, weapons etc. were living gods or as mighty human like beings and were given names as for idols to be worshipped and prayed to get prosperity and health and for protection against diseases, pestilences, draught, famines, floods and for all earthly comforts and even for good living in the next life after death. The gods of the elements were such as Indra animating Akasha or Agni animating fire and warmth Pavan residing in Vayu or air, Varuna residing in or controlling Apa or waters in the seas and rivers, Kubra or Krshiti ruling the earth or Prithvi etc. They were considered real entities or spiritual intelligences, each having its region as ruler or lord of the region. Below these principal sovereign rulers were said to be countless Devas and Devatas in descending order, all said to be 333 in number with their spouses. There was a sort of polytheism and the religious instinct was revealed in this polytheism and this was the first stage of the Vedic religion.
With more enlightenment, rationalism & religious fervour then the need was felt for a higher spirit to appeal to when the gods were all in one concept of a Vishva Deva or pantheism. This was monotheism. This was based on the feeling for the infinite which penetrated the boundless and brilliant firmament of heaven, the sun, moon & the stars and so also the storms clouds, winds, the rivers the seas and the earth and in fact everything experienced. The moral qualities of beneficence omniscience, omnipotent and righteousness were attributed to them. There was a steady advance from the physical to the personal and-from the personal to divine as manifestation of the same one divine spirit inhabiting them all. The crowd of gods and goddesses sometimes thwarting each other, was thus replaced by monotheism and the highest position, as in the later part of the Rig Veda was granted to Brahaspati, Prajapati the lord of all creatures or to Hiraynagarbha as the supreme being which was formless, impersonal, pure and passionless being addressed as He or It was the Absolute, as is thought of in the Upanishads. In fact, each Veda is composed of the three parts.
The first is the Samhita or the collection of Hymns or mantras in praise of the various gods, secondly the Brahmans, discussing rituals to be observed by the householders including the percepts and of religious duties. While the hymns were the creation of the poets and seers, the Brahmans were the work of the priest. In the third place were the Upanishads like Aitareya, Kena, Chandogya, Ise Taittiriya Braha-daranyka Mandukya etc. discussing philosophical thoughts and were the result of the meditations of philosophers and great religious personalities. These were the philosophical part of each Veda where the unconscious groping for unity led to the Absolute the ultimate as alluded to above as the universal spirit embodying all the gods or all that exists.
The longing of the human heart could not be satisfied with a pluralistic pantheon as men asked to which god they shall pray. (Kasmi Devayhavisha Vidhema). Even monotheism was criticised, as one great god under whom the others lived does not satisfy human mind with regard to the essence of the universe. We must feel or experience the one spiritual reality and not the anthropomorphic deity or monotheism. "The spiritual reality must be one uniform, eternal, necessary, fluttering about and gaily chirping is happy and enjoying himself when the first bird is amused over his childish pranks and sweetly smiles on his foolishness. In all of us is the second bird, the little self, ego or individual self or soul which is struggling in life, enjoying and suffering and which is the doer, the achiever and the player in the drama of life. There is the first bird also in us which is the true Atma which watches the doings of the little self like the 2nd bird which sometimes chides and warns and like a benevolent mother or the inner monitor checks and rebukes but being itself aloof or not concerned does not suffer and is not affected the doing of the little self or ego. This little light within is the voice of God or God in us as the true Atma, a part of the cosmic soul, like a drop in the ocean or rivers has the urge to merge in the fathomless ocean so each individual soul wishes to merge in the cosmic soul or Braham or identify with it. Such is essentially the teaching of the Upanishads about which Schopenhauer said "Upanishad had been the solace of my life and would be the solace of my death".
There is no scope for pessimism in Upanishads. The whole nature exists for man. This life is a stage and opportunity for spiritual development and perfection. Life is no empty dream and the world is no delirium of spirit. Upanishads do not flavor sacrifice, praise of God or prayer to the personal God. The true sacrifice is that the man himself, is effacing the self or ego by renunciation or by subduing his desires and keeping in check his creatures. Comforts and worldly pursuits and pleasures. One's whole life is to be one sacrament or Yajna when all the actions, feelings and thoughts be an offering to the supreme. No rigid rituals are necessary.
The Brahmans or priests are described as procession of dogs, each holding, the tail of the other and chanting "Om" let us eat, Om' let us drink 'Om' let us enjoy ourselves. The higher knowledge is by which the indestructible Braham is known and the Vedantic doctrine of Shankra, Yoga of Patanjali and Sankhya Sashtra of Kapila can all be traced to the Upanishads. In the Taittiriya Upnishad when the son asks his father where from these beings are born, that in which they live and that in which they enter after death is Braham. The son is made to believe that the body and the smaller prana (life) manas mental processes or psyche and consciousness) vijana (knowledge and intelligence) and bliss (Anand) Blissful state of self forgetfulness and obliteration of the self are all ultimately Braham or Nirguna Braham.
Hinduism is the religion of the large majority of the people of India and Nepal and it was cradled mostly in the northern part of the country and not only it influenced the civilizations of the human race but coloured the thoughts and comforted the hearts of many people even outside this country. It essentially arose as the religion of the Aryanas who settled in the northern India from central Asia which was called in ancient days as Aryavarta, and the originator initiates were mostly the Rishis and Munis as incarnations of God, as held by many, or at least the great souls which had attained a high position in their moral, intellectual and spiritual development. This religion was not only for the training of the entire nature of man and for his intellectual, moral and spiritual growth or evolution but for guidance of him in his life as a citizen in the family, the community and the nation.
It blossomed in a settled society which had security and leisure, as no culture can flourish in a community of nomads who struggle for food and die early of privation. In northern India bound by the high Himalayas on one side and deep seas on the others, there was no danger of outside invasions for a long time and this region washed by the great Ganga and other six or seven rivers had great gifts of nature and bounteous food, forests and cattle wealth and people were not to struggle hard for good living or for power, riches and domination. When people were not to waste their energy in finding out a comfortable and secure living, their attention naturally goes to creation of art, developing sciences and for the higher life to live more perfectly in the spirit. The huge forests and open natural expanse provided the devote souls many avenues to wander through and being at peace with themselves they burst forth in song and joyous utterances in praise of the natural forces. Many, thinking men set up ashrams or hermitages for medication on deeper problems of existence. They had an impatience of spiritual love for wisdom and a passion for the saner pursuits of the mind and with this spiritual consciousness they found religious truths.
The account of the origin of Hindu religion began with the Vedic hymns which embody the character and function of the various gods and these hymns passed on from generation to generation orally as in those ancient days, people were ignorant of the art of writing and early inscriptions were at the time of Ashoka in the middle of 3rd BC or the numismatic evidence of writing came in during the invasion of Alexander. The records of sacred literature of the non-Aryan races of south India also were known after they came in contact with the Hindus of north India in the 100 BC, according to some authorities.
The Vedic gods mentioned in the Vedic hymns, were said to control the chief energies of nature. The ancient Rishis or religious personalities having been impressed by the natural forces and facts had a sense of awe, admiration, helplessness and wonder towards them and burst forth in songs or utterances called as hymns in praise of these forces.
They were wonder struck by thunder, lightening, rains, wind, earth sun & moon, Akash or sky, Agni or fire, rivers, mountains etc. and considering them as divine powers, they sang their praises and themselves feeling small and helpless sought their blessings and protection. There was some sort of animism and anthropomorphism in earlier days that these natural forces and even man made objects like implements, weapons etc. were living gods or as mighty human like beings and were given names as for idols to be worshipped and prayed to get prosperity and health and for protection against diseases, pestilences, draught, famines, floods and for all earthly comforts and even for good living in the next life after death. The gods of the elements were such as Indra animating Akasha or Agni animating fire and warmth Pavan residing in Vayu or air, Varuna residing in or controlling Apa or waters in the seas and rivers, Kubra or Krshiti ruling the earth or Prithvi etc. They were considered real entities or spiritual intelligences, each having its region as ruler or lord of the region. Below these principal sovereign rulers were said to be countless Devas and Devatas in descending order, all said to be 333 in number with their spouses. There was a sort of polytheism and the religious instinct was revealed in this polytheism and this was the first stage of the Vedic religion.
With more enlightenment, rationalism & religious fervour then the need was felt for a higher spirit to appeal to when the gods were all in one concept of a Vishva Deva or pantheism. This was monotheism. This was based on the feeling for the infinite which penetrated the boundless and brilliant firmament of heaven, the sun, moon & the stars and so also the storms clouds, winds, the rivers the seas and the earth and in fact everything experienced. The moral qualities of beneficence omniscience, omnipotent and righteousness were attributed to them. There was a steady advance from the physical to the personal and-from the personal to divine as manifestation of the same one divine spirit inhabiting them all. The crowd of gods and goddesses sometimes thwarting each other, was thus replaced by monotheism and the highest position, as in the later part of the Rig Veda was granted to Brahaspati, Prajapati the lord of all creatures or to Hiraynagarbha as the supreme being which was formless, impersonal, pure and passionless being addressed as He or It was the Absolute, as is thought of in the Upanishads. In fact, each Veda is composed of the three parts.
The first is the Samhita or the collection of Hymns or mantras in praise of the various gods, secondly the Brahmans, discussing rituals to be observed by the householders including the percepts and of religious duties. While the hymns were the creation of the poets and seers, the Brahmans were the work of the priest. In the third place were the Upanishads like Aitareya, Kena, Chandogya, Ise Taittiriya Braha-daranyka Mandukya etc. discussing philosophical thoughts and were the result of the meditations of philosophers and great religious personalities. These were the philosophical part of each Veda where the unconscious groping for unity led to the Absolute the ultimate as alluded to above as the universal spirit embodying all the gods or all that exists.
The longing of the human heart could not be satisfied with a pluralistic pantheon as men asked to which god they shall pray. (Kasmi Devayhavisha Vidhema). Even monotheism was criticised, as one great god under whom the others lived does not satisfy human mind with regard to the essence of the universe. We must feel or experience the one spiritual reality and not the anthropomorphic deity or monotheism. "The spiritual reality must be one uniform, eternal, necessary, fluttering about and gaily chirping is happy and enjoying himself when the first bird is amused over his childish pranks and sweetly smiles on his foolishness. In all of us is the second bird, the little self, ego or individual self or soul which is struggling in life, enjoying and suffering and which is the doer, the achiever and the player in the drama of life. There is the first bird also in us which is the true Atma which watches the doings of the little self like the 2nd bird which sometimes chides and warns and like a benevolent mother or the inner monitor checks and rebukes but being itself aloof or not concerned does not suffer and is not affected the doing of the little self or ego. This little light within is the voice of God or God in us as the true Atma, a part of the cosmic soul, like a drop in the ocean or rivers has the urge to merge in the fathomless ocean so each individual soul wishes to merge in the cosmic soul or Braham or identify with it. Such is essentially the teaching of the Upanishads about which Schopenhauer said "Upanishad had been the solace of my life and would be the solace of my death".
There is no scope for pessimism in Upanishads. The whole nature exists for man. This life is a stage and opportunity for spiritual development and perfection. Life is no empty dream and the world is no delirium of spirit. Upanishads do not flavor sacrifice, praise of God or prayer to the personal God. The true sacrifice is that the man himself, is effacing the self or ego by renunciation or by subduing his desires and keeping in check his creatures. Comforts and worldly pursuits and pleasures. One's whole life is to be one sacrament or Yajna when all the actions, feelings and thoughts be an offering to the supreme. No rigid rituals are necessary.
The Brahmans or priests are described as procession of dogs, each holding, the tail of the other and chanting "Om" let us eat, Om' let us drink 'Om' let us enjoy ourselves. The higher knowledge is by which the indestructible Braham is known and the Vedantic doctrine of Shankra, Yoga of Patanjali and Sankhya Sashtra of Kapila can all be traced to the Upanishads. In the Taittiriya Upnishad when the son asks his father where from these beings are born, that in which they live and that in which they enter after death is Braham. The son is made to believe that the body and the smaller prana (life) manas mental processes or psyche and consciousness) vijana (knowledge and intelligence) and bliss (Anand) Blissful state of self forgetfulness and obliteration of the self are all ultimately Braham or Nirguna Braham.
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