On Hinduism
It’s significant to note that the term “Hindu” doesn’t appear in the early texts and scriptures that define the religion itself — like the Vedas, Upanishads, or the Bhagavad Gita. These texts focus more on the philosophies, practices, and diverse ways of life that encompass what is now considered Hinduism. The word “Hindu” was more of a geographical and cultural identifier initially used by ancient Persians, which over time became associated with the religious practices prevalent in the Indian subcontinent.
Origin of the word “Hindu”
The Persian word “Hindu,” derived from the Sanskrit “Sindhu,” refers to the Indus River. The ancient Persian language had a particular phonetic tendency where the initial “s” sound in words was often changed to an “h” sound. So, when Persian speakers tried to pronounce “Sindhu,” which is the Sanskrit name for the Indus River, it naturally transformed into “Hindu.” This was how ancient Persians referred to the people living beyond the Indus River.
Later, through the invasions and influence of Greeks and Arabs, the term began to be used more widely. The Greeks modified “Sindhu” to “Indos,” and it was through these adaptations that “India” and “Hindu” came to be associated with the region and its culture. This transformation occurred during the period of Greek exploration and expansion into the Indian subcontinent, particularly under the leadership of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE.
Sanatan Dharma
“Sanatan Dharma” and “Hinduism” are terms often used interchangeably, but they have nuanced differences in meaning and implication, particularly in their connotations and the breadth of what they encompass.
“Sanatan Dharma” translates to “eternal duty” or “eternal order.” The term “Sanatan” implies something that is ageless, eternal, and beyond human history, while “Dharma” refers to duty, righteousness, or law. This term is used to describe the timeless spiritual truths and moral principles that underlie the universe, which are considered relevant and applicable to all times and circumstances. “Sanatan Dharma” is often viewed as a more philosophical and less institutional term, emphasising universal spiritual principles that go beyond mere religious identity.
The term “Hinduism,” as previously discussed, originates from “Sindhu,” referring historically to the people living beyond the Indus River. “Hinduism” as a term has come to encompass the wide variety of religious, spiritual, and cultural practices found in the Indian subcontinent. It includes the worship of multiple gods and goddesses, various rituals, cultural practices, philosophies, and mystical sects.
The Hindu Religion
The Hindus have received their religion through the “revelation”, the Vedas. The Vedas were not composed or authored, but a compilation of the spiritual laws. The Hindus hold that the Vedas have no beginning and therefore no end. There is no author of the Vedas. Ved Vyasa, who is credited with the compilation and organisation of the spiritual laws into 4 Vedas, did not create and author the spiritual laws.
Think of the Law of Gravitation. It was always there before Newton “discovered” the law. Did Newton “author” law of gravitation? The law of gravitation existed before and will exist with or without someone discovering it. Similarly, the spiritual laws are eternal. They are not “created” by some Godman. If I ask you “Who is the author of Chemistry or Physics or Mathematics”, would there be an answer that such and such man authored such subjects? No. We would find that we can only say such and such man discovered the laws of this universe.
The discoverers of the spiritual laws are called Rishis by the Hindus. These Rishis, in the deepest and the highest state of being, discovered their true nature which is beyond body, mind and intellect. The Hindu believes he is the spirit enlivening the body, but he is not the body.
Creation and Creator
If there is an Ultimate Truth, that Truth must be immutable, it must self-effulgent without any cause in all three periods of time. That Ultimate Truth is God. The Vedas reveal that the creation was without beginning or end. If there was a time when there was no creation or when nothing “existed”, then some may say all this manifested energy was in a potential form. Some term that potential form as God. The Hindu thrashes this idea as ridiculous. Because if that were the case, then God is sometimes potential, the other times He is kinetic. This would simply make Him mutable. But God is immutable truth, the Hindus hold. Everything that is mutable must undergo change, and change means destruction. Then, God would die, which is clearly absurd. Therefore, there was never a time that there was no creation.
As a Hindu Brahmin, I chant daily in the morning something called Agharmarshana Sukta. A line goes as follows: There was only Truth and the season of sacrifice. From this truth, the universe was born, and from the universe, night was born, and from the night, the ocean was born. The year was born from the ocean, and from the year, day and night were born. The sun and moon were placed in the sky, just as in the previous cycles. And this agrees with the modern science.
The Idea of the Spirit
If I try to contemplate upon “I”, what is the idea that is placed before me usually? This body. Am I then just a conglomerate of matter — blood, bones and flesh? The Vedas declare, “No!”. I am the Spirit carrying this body. I am a spiritual being experiencing the human body. I am not this body. The body will die, but I shall not. My true nature is Atman, or Self, the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, which is beyond the body. This Self was not created, for creation means mutation and mutation means destruction. The Self is indestructible. The Bhagavad Gita declares — weapons do not pierce this Spirit, fire does not burn It, water does not make It wet, the wind does not make It dry. The Self is eternal, all pervading, immutable.
Past Lives
What is the proof if we had past lives? Verification is the proof of theory. Some are born happy, some miserable. Why, if they are all created, does a merciful God create one happy and another unhappy? The idea of a just and merciful God does not explain the anomaly. The Hindus do not not believe there is a God up there who commands to be worshipped else He shall make our lives miserable. If there is God, He is must here, now, not when this body dies! There must be causes to a happy or unhappy life, and these causes can well be explained by his past actions. The physical laws of this Universe follow a cause and effect relationship. So does man’s actions, in this life or past lives.
How does one explain certain new-borns are prodigies, some not? How does one explain the natural tendencies of new-borns? Tendencies are acquired through repetitions of habits. Since these habits were not acquired at the time of birth, they must have been acquired in the past lives. The soul with a peculiar tendency acquires the right body to exhaust its tendencies. Science would agree with how habits are formed. And thus is explained the science of past lives.
How is it then we do not remember our past lives? Our consciousness is only at the surface level most of the time. But within its depths are stored exhaustive experiences. The Rishis were able to discover their past lives by diving deep into the nature of their own existence.
Key to Fulfilment
So, the Hindu believes he is the Spirit. Then why does he feel he is tied down to matter and thinks of himself as matter? Why does he feel unsatisfied? Ignorance of Self.
Even though mankind has progressed significantly with so much comfort than we ever had, yet we cannot say this generation is happier than before. If external comforts brought happiness, then today mankind should be screaming in joy. The person posting nice pictures on instagram may be found dead next day because they committed suicide. Everyone is seeking freedom. From whom/what? From one’s own mental prison. As much as exercise is important to the body, so is resting the mind. When the mind is calm, breathing is calm. Breathwork absolutely helps calm the mind and should be practised, but it only removes the symptoms, not the root cause.
When is the mind at peace? When it is content = the ratio of desires fulfilled upon desires entertained. Desire for name, fame, money, sex etc. Desire is the active craving for something unattained. Why do we desire at all? Because we feel incomplete within. Why? We think acquiring part of the “impermanent” world will give us “permanent” joy.
If it is the happiness to enjoy the consciousness of this little body, then imagine the happiness of enjoying the consciousness of two bodies. By that logic, imagine the happiness of enjoying the consciousness of an increasing number of bodies. The ultimate happiness is attained by the individual consciousness finds itself as one with the universal consciousness without a second. Happiness is not outside, but the state of the mind, and Atman beyond body, mind and intellect.
The mind and the intellect, after the drops off, picks up another body to express itself. The English translation for the Sanskrit word “Ahankara” is ego. Ahankara is Aham + Akara = “I” with a “form”. The sense of agency or doership in this individual identification is Ahankara. This Ahankara has no true existence apart from the Universal Consciousness. Can the mind exist without Consciousness illumining it? No. This Pure Consciousness is Atman, Self, and that is who he is, the Hindu holds. This Self is the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
Non-attachment
Love only brings forth a reaction of bliss. True love cannot cause pain to the lover or the beloved. If it does, know that morbid attachment masquerades in the name of love. Love shines through freedom alone. Attachment comes only where we expect some returns. Working as slaves to results result in selfishness and attachment, while working as a master of our own mind brings forth the bliss of non-attachment. Work, for work’s sake. Love, for love’s sake. As a parent, do you ask for returns from your children for what you have given them? It is your duty to work for them, and there the matter ends. Full stop. True happiness comprises of crushing selfishness and that no one has the power to hijack the peace of your mind. This world is a gymnasium to work out to kill this selfishness. Selfishness arises because of attachment, and not love. Every duty becomes sweet when there is love in it. Any duty can become a curse when there is attachment to results. The Hindu knows that non-attachment to things and beings is the key to fulfilment, for he is the Self. The Self has no gender, craves nothing, it is Infinite Fullness. When that Infinite has to express through finite matter, the ignorance of the ego results in knowing itself as a limited being.
God
Looking at Hindusim as an outsider, it would give one an idea of thousands of Gods and Goddesses. The idea of the Hindu is simple — One, as many minds, as many paths. So he believes as much as his faith is true, so is yours. Second, that which is Formless also has Forms.
An extroverted mind gravitates towards what it likes and repulses what it dislikes. I, as the experiencer of joys and sorrows, experienced all the changes in my mind. So I cannot be the changing mind. If I were the changing mind, I cannot claim to know I experienced the changes. Changes are recognised from a frame of changeless substratum. That changeless substratum is pure existence, consciousness. That changeless substratum is the impersonal God. When the impersonal God takes up a name and form just as us having a body identified with a name, He becomes a personal God. God does not have any selfish desire. He does not exist, He is Existence Himself. He does not have a purpose; He is Purpose Himself.
The lower aspect of God is this very Prakriti, the nature, which undergoes creation, sustenance and destruction. The Hindus worship everything for he believes this Universe is God — the trees, the moon, the Sun, the planets, the water. The higher aspect of God, the Bhagavad Gita, or the Song of God, declares, is Aksharam Param Brahma — the Supreme Imperishable Universal Consciousness. The Lord, the incarnation in the form of Krishna, has declared in His song, to the Hindus — He is the fragrance of the earth, he is the wickedness of the wicked, the holiness of the holy, the mother, the father, the Vedas, the sun and the moon, all this is nothing but Him. In the absolute aspect of His, he exists in an unmanifested form that pervades this entire universe. There was never a time you and I never existed.
To create God out of man, is the doctrine of Hinduism. The Hindu does not “believe”. He has “faith”. Faith is the power to envisage to realise the Ultimate Truth in future when he does not enough data points at the moment. The Hindu does not believe in a God, he is instructed to “realise” Him.
