Let us open our hearts to the Sacred, and seek refuge.
Hindu Principles and Practices,
Chapters 12 to 16 : The Sacred.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Chapter 12. GOD: IS HINDUISM POLYTHEISTIC?
Chapter 13. WORSHIP: ARE IMAGES IDOLS?
Chapter 14. SYMBOLS
Chapter 15. SAMSKARAS: SACRAMENTS
Chapter 16. GUNAS: A PATH TO SPIRITUAL REFINEMENT (early p 64)
CHAPTER 12, GOD : IS HINDUISM POLYTHEISTIC? by Dr. D.C. RAO.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are often described as the world’s three great monotheistic religions, implying that Hinduism is polytheistic. Attempting to label Hinduism as either ‘monotheistic’ or ‘polytheistic’ is being unaware of what Hinduism really is.
Hindu scriptures speak of a single Supreme Being who is both transcendent and immanent, manifest in a multitude of forms. It is a mistake to seek in Hinduism an equivalent of the Creator God or Father figure who dwells in Heaven, presides over a Final Judgment and offers Salvation to those
who believe in Him. To understand what ‘God’ means in Hinduism, we need to reflect more deeply on the various meanings attached to the word ‘God.’
Many would agree that ‘God’ may be seen as the Supreme or Ultimate Reality. But, in practice, for most human beings, God is not an abstraction but a Person, with personal attributes. Hebrew scriptures, the Bible and the Quran have extensive descriptions of the attributes of God: compassion, love, forgiveness, justice and jealousy ( Exodus 34.6, 7, 14); seven attributes including power, wisdom and glory ( Revelations 5.12) ; the Quran refers to Allah as Most Gracious and Most Merciful; and, drawing on references in the Quran, Islamic tradition has compiled a list of 99 Most Beautiful Names that devout Muslims are asked to remember.
In Hinduism, ‘God’ is truly One but scriptures present various descriptions of ‘God’ to satisfy the spiritual needs of practitioners and devotees at different levels of spiritual development: the Ultimate Reality, the Inner Controller, and a devotional anchor. The very heart of Hindu spiritual practice is captured in the teaching: “by any means whatever, rest your mind in God’ 44
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The Upanishads discuss the Ultimate Reality.
“In the beginning there was Existence alone…One alone, without a second” (45)
. “…that which is invisible, ungraspable, birthless…eternal, the source of all.” (46 )
These statements relate to Brahman , Pure Consciousness, that has no name, no form, is indescribable and beyond the human mind. If God means Ultimate Reality, there can be no more monotheistic declarations than these.
Brahman is free of all attributes since to think of Brahman as a Person is to impose limitations on that which is Infinite. The attribute of being tall excludes short; being bright excludes dark; and so on. Being free of all attributes,
Brahman is said to be “indescribable” (47).
The Upanishads declare that although beyond description, can be experienced by negating all concepts that arise in the mind and by making the mind so still and pure that we become aware of the very source of our awareness. (48)
Because it is extremely hard for the human mind to grapple with such an abstraction, Hindu scriptures offer another way of thinking about God:
Ishwara.
Unlike Brahman, Ishwara has attributes: all-knowing, all-powerful, eternal and ever-free of all human limitations. (49)
Ishwara is the inner controller who dwells in the hearts of all living beings. (50)
By deep devotion and surrender to Ishwara the spiritual seeker is able to realize the true Self and overcome sorrow. Ishwara is one ( 51).
Although Brahman is the only true reality, Ishwara arises out of our projection of attributes to meet our own mental needs. In the language of Vedanta, Ishwara is a ‘superimposition’ on the One Reality that is Brahman, which means that Ishwara is not separate from Pure Consciousness.
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Such superimposition is encouraged by the Hindu scriptures as a practical aid to spiritual progress. Meditating on the attributes of Ishwara is a powerful spiritual practice (52)
For most, Ishwara is also too abstract. How are they to connect with God, develop deep devotion to God and ultimately rest their minds in God? Hinduism addresses this human need by presents God in specific forms.
Such forms are clearly recognizable and so lend themselves to deeper personal relationships. For example, Lord Ganesha, the God of Wisdom, is portrayed with the head of an elephant, which is known to be a highly intelligent animal; and there are numerous stories about Lord Ganesha that devotees can enjoy and relate to. Other names and forms in which God is portrayed include celestial, human and other beings; male and female; austere and opulent; fierce and serene; master and servant. These forms reflect the vision that God is not merely a remote ‘Creator’ of the universe; rather, the whole universe is a manifestation of God’s creative energy (53).
This is why Hindus regard the whole of nature as sacred. Mountains and rivers, trees, animals and all plants can be objects of worship as manifestations of the One Supreme Reality. This proliferation of names and forms in which God might be worshipped by Hindus has two important benefits: first, persons of every temperament can find a form of God that appeals to their heart and to whom they can offer deep devotion; and second, seeing Divinity in so many different forms creates in Hindus a reverence for the Creator who has brought forth this wondrous diversity. In referring to these forms of the Supreme Reality, another Sanskrit term that is used to denote
‘God’ is Bhagavan or Bhagavati.
Bhagavan refers to male and Bhagavati to female forms of Divinity. Both terms signify one who possesses six special attributes known collectively as “bhaga”: Knowledge, Detachment, Sovereignty, Righteousness, Renown and Glory.
There is of course no limit to the list of Divine attributes. For example, the Divine Mother is described as the source of 21 attributes in each living being 54 and Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: -
“there is no end to My Divine Glories…” 55.
Reciting the thousand names of Vishnu or Lalita are popular prayers, for each of the names is associated with a Divine attribute and helps in fostering devotion to God.
References.
(44) Srimad Bhagavatam 7.1.31
(45) Chandogya Upanishad 6.6.1
(46) Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.6
(47) Mandukya Upanishad ( 7..38)
(48 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
(49) Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1.24-26)
(50) Bhagavad Gita 18.61 )
(51) Svetashvatara Upanishad 6.11)
(52) Patanjali: Yoga Sutras 1.27-29; 36. )
(53) “Having created it, He entered into it…He Became the manifest and the unmanifest…and all this whatsoever that exists” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6)
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Does the multiplicity of forms of God mean Hinduism is polytheistic? No, for all these different forms are merely various manifestations of the One Pure Consciousness. The scriptures never tire of pointing this out. (56)
Even the Hindu who is not philosophically inclined and unaware of the scriptures relating to Brahman as the One Ultimate Reality does not regard the different forms of God as competing Divinities. The scriptures that present specific forms of God themselves proclaim that form to be the same as the One universal, infinite Reality. (57)
Furthermore, the Upanishads caution against seeing the object of worship as being separate from Brahman. (58)
When Hindus worship God in a specific form, they do so to connect with the all- powerful Higher Being that is the One Ultimate Reality.
Another Sanskrit term that is commonly translated as ‘God’ is deva or devata. Devas and devatas are divine beings that are manifestations of the One Supreme Being in all aspects of creation.
Deva literally means ‘shining being’ and is seen as the divine force presiding over each field of activity, whose blessings we invoke for success in what we do in that field. Each deva is merely one aspect of the Supreme Being who, being transcendent and immanent, is to be seen in all forms. Devas exist as cosmic forces as well as forces within us. They are invoked through prayer and worship as well as through a variety of yogic and tantric practices. Translating
deva or devata as ‘God’ or ‘gods’ invites conflict with the idea that there is only One Supreme Being that some other religions call God. From this interpretation comes the incorrect inference that Hinduism is polytheistic. If there has to be a label for Hinduism, a better one might be ‘pluriform monotheism.’ (59)
Hindu scriptures offer many manifestations of the One Reality -- from -
References.
54) Sri Durga Saptashati 5.16-75
55) Bhagavad Gita 10.40
56) See for example, Rg Veda 6.47.18; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.5.7; Katha Upanishad 2.2.9, 10; Srimad Bhagavatam 4.7.54
(57) See for example the Ganapati-atharvashirsha-upanishad mantras 1 and 5
on Ganesha as the Ultimate Reality; Bhagavad Gita 7.19 on Krishna; Yajur Veda 16.1-66 on Rudra; Mahanarayana Upanishad 11.6, 13, also known as Narayana Sukta which describes Narayana as being Brahma, Siva, Vishnu, Indra, the Imperishable Supreme.
(58) Kena Upanishad 1.5-9.
(59) See http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1770452/pluriform-monotheism (40 )
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The goal of each spiritual seeker is to connect with the infinite Divinity that is both transcendent and immanent, that can appear in any form even while being essentially beyond all forms. The scriptures encourage all seekers by leaving open all possibilities, allowing the seeker to choose a spiritual practice according to his or her own level of understanding.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the question is posed: “how many Gods exactly are there?” The first answer is “three hundred and three”. The question is repeated many times, eliciting a series of answers: “thirty three”; “six”; “three”; “two”; “one-and-a-half”; “One”.
This discussion ends with the question: “Which is the One God?” to which the answer is “it is Brahman…” (60)
All the forms in which Hindus worship ‘God’ are various manifestations of the One. (60)
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad3.9.1, 9. (41)
CHAPTER 13, WORSHIP : ARE IMAGES IDOLS? by Dr. D.C. Rao.
A central teaching of Hindu scriptures is that the whole of creation emerged from the One Supreme Being that is Pure Consciousness. Hindus are taught to see the Divine in all things: within themselves, in all other humans, in all beings and in the whole universe. Mountains and rivers, trees, animals and planets are all seen as sacred, being manifestations of the One. This is not merely a “belief”; it has to be a way of living.
To see Divine presence in everything around us, at all times, requires a mind that is exceptionally pure, calm and one-pointed. Hindu scriptures offer a variety of ways of transforming our minds to achieve this state of mind. (61) For some people the best path might be deep study of the scriptures or a sustained practice of intense meditation.
For most Hindus, however, the best way is the path of devotion to God, developing an attitude of total surrender to God. Surrendering to God is far from easy. It is made less difficult when we can see God in intimate terms as a mother, father or trusted friend; as one who knows our deepest anxieties; as one who is always there to guide and lift us up in our darkest moments. This is a very personal relationship that is nurtured over a long period of growing devotion to God and is a precursor to seeing God in all forms in the universe.
Hinduism responds to this yearning for a personal relationship with God by promoting the practice of worshipping God in a specific form. The specific form is represented as a picture or a sculpted image and is used by a devotee to help focus the mind in ardent devotion. It is the nature of the human mind to create a mental image even when thinking of an abstract concept.
Pure Consciousness, beyond name and form, beyond the conceptual capacity of the human mind, is the ultimate in abstraction. Worshipping God as represented in a physical image is a means for the human mind to connect with the Supreme Being that is the source of all life and manifests in all forms in the universe. Hindus worship images are physical representations of particular manifestations of the One Supreme Being that is called God. The devotee focuses his or her mind on the image as a way of making the mind single-pointed and to imbue it with love and devotion to the transcendent Divine Consciousness. The image is not seen as an independent source of power or divinity.
Before worshipping an image, a special ritual is undertaken to invoke in this image the energy of the transcendent God-Consciousness. Once this is done, the image, known as a murti, is seen as a living entity and suitably worshipped.
The ritual worship of a murti is known as puja. Its components are similar to how one would treat a respected guest to one’s home. The transcendent Divine force is invoked and invited to reside in the murti placed on an altar; the
murti is bathed and adorned; prayers are chanted or sung to the accompaniment of bells; various
symbolic offerings are made including flowers, fruit, incense and light; and finally, the devotee takes leave of the Divine force as it departs from the murti until it is time for the next worship ceremony, known as puja. Sometimes, the murti is made of clay and ritually destroyed at the end of the puja, having served its purpose.
It is these practices that distinguish Hindu worship of an image from the practice of idolatry that is so strongly condemned in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. The puja ritual is designed to captivate the mind by engaging all of the senses of perception. The sense of smell is stimulated by the incense, camphor and fragrant flowers; the eyes are bathed in the light that illuminates a beautifully decorated murti; the ears absorb the sound of bells, cymbals, the chanting of Vedic mantras and singing of devotional songs; the sense of taste is satisfied by eating the prasada, the food that has been ritually blessed by the deity; and the sense of touch is engaged in all of the activities of performing the rituals. Engaging all the senses keeps the mind fully focused on the puja
and enhances the worshipper’s devotion.
A significant feature of Hinduism is the large number of names and forms in which God might be worshipped. This has two important benefits:
There is a wealth of stories relating to each of these manifestations and Hindus enjoy retelling them to inspire greater love of God in themselves and in others. A Hindu typically worships God in all these forms on various occasions, though most choose to worship a favorite form, an Ishta Devata in their daily prayers.
Some Divine forms resemble animals or birds.
God has descended to earth for specific purposes as an avatar in a variety of forms including a fish, a tortoise, a boar and a dwarf. Gods and Goddesses are depicted as accompanied by animals or birds such as the bull, eagle, lion, peacock, mouse, dogs, owl and swan. Sacred rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna are worshipped as embodiments of Divinity. It is a common practice to worship the Tulsi plant every morning as a part of the daily prayers; and the Ashwattha or Peepul tree is sacred to all Hindus.
The variety of such forms reminds Hindus that the entire creation is merely a manifestation of Divinity, deserving of our reverence. (43) The murtis that depict the various forms of God incorporate symbolic representations that serve to remind the devotees of the transcendent greatness of God.
Consider, for example, some of the physical features of the image of Ganesha:
Similarly, the physical forms and adornments of each of the images create mental associations that enhance love and reverence of God. Hindus may relate to murtis in a variety of ways depending on the level of their own understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of Hinduism.
Some Hindus may believe that their chosen form of God is the only true representation of the Supreme Being; but even so, they respect others who have chosen to worship a different form of God. Those who are more philosophically aware recognize that all the different forms are but manifestations of the One. Sincere devotion to a single chosen form itself leads to deeper love of God and an acceptance of the multiplicity of manifestations described in the Hindu scriptures.
Hindu scriptures repeatedly emphasize that the essence of spirituality is to rest one’s mind in God “by any means whatsoever.” Scriptures also describe numerous techniques to achieve this goal and one of the most accessible of these techniques is murti puja. Worship of a physical representation of God is a reliable means of connecting with the Supreme Divinity that is the Source of all life. (44)
CHAPTER 14, SYMBOLS, by Dr. D.C. Rao.
OM
The deepest spiritual truth in the Vedas is the omnipresence of divine consciousness. Absolutely nothing in the universe exists separate from the divine. This supreme truth is beyond form and has no name; and is represented in the Vedas by the Sanskrit symbol OM
OM is a most sacred symbol: it is recited before all Vedic mantras; written at the start of any document; and even used as a greeting. The sound OM is composed of three sounds that span the whole vocal apparatus: ‘a’ from the base; ‘u’ from the middle; and ‘m’ from the tip at the lips; combining to form AUM.
The fourth element in OM is the silence between successive OMs: the silence from which all sounds emerge and into which they all subside (63)
The Upanishads explain how OM represents the sum totality of all human experience. Its four elements represent -
They represent the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep that span our entire lives and the Pure Awareness through which we experience all these states; they represent -
By reminding us of the omnipresence of the Divine, the chanting of OM can bring our minds to a profound meditative state. And the vibratory quality of the sound Om itself has a profound impact on our inner energies, preparing us for meditation.
LOTUS : The Lotus flower is cited widely in Hindu spiritual texts: Gods and Goddesses are frequently depicted holding a lotus or sitting on one; the centers of energy in the human body, known as chakras are symbolized by lotuses at each energy center; the Creator, Brahma, is said to have been born from the lotus that sprang up at the navel center of Narayana, who symbolizes Pure Consciousness. Why do Hindus accord such importance to the lotus? The ancient Sages who were close observers of nature saw a lot to learn from the lotus flower: (62)
The lotus grows in ponds that are frequently murky, yet retains its freshness and beauty. Although in water, the leaves of the lotus do not themselves become wet. That is a lesson for all of us to maintain our purity and nobility even when we are mired in the ugliness and chaos that often surrounds us.
(64).
The petals of the lotus open in the morning when touched by the rays of the sun and close again for the night. True knowledge is like light, and when we recognize our oneness with the eternal, universal consciousness, our Spirit blossoms forth in all its beauty.
Bees hover over the lotus attracted by its perfume and the careless bee is trapped in the petals of the lotus when they close for the night. That warns us that being overly immersed in seeking sensory satisfaction in the world can lead to our ruin. (65)
Drops of water tremble on the surface of lotus leaves and are blown off by a passing breeze. This is a reminder to us of the fragility of our lives which may end at any moment. (66)
SWASTIKA:
The word swastika in Sanskrit means “that which brings good luck and well-
being”: “su” means “good” and “asti” means “is”. It appears in
one of the most frequently used mantras of the Rg Veda [1.89.6], the oldest scripture known to man. The swastika is considered extremely sacred and holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and remains very widely used from ancient times to the present day.
The symbol is engraved on sacred objects of worship as well as on doorways of temples and homes. It forms part of religious ceremonies to celebrate weddings, consecrations of new homes, embarking on new ventures or any such auspicious undertaking. It is used to decorate books, vehicles, cash registers in stores and myriad other objects in daily use in many Asian countries, especially India. Because the swastika has been so widely used for so long, it has been interpreted in a variety of ways:
The four goals of human Endeavour: the line from bottom left to top right represents the pursuit of Artha [material security] and Kama [sensual pleasure]. The line from bottom right to top left represents the flow from Dharma [right action] to Moksha [liberation]. Note that the first line levels off, signifying the limitations of material pleasure, while the second is open-ended, signifying the infinite nature of spiritual bliss.
The swastika symbol is often used as a means of invoking Lord Ganesha, the Remover of obstacles, the Repository of wisdom, at the start of a religious ceremony.
LORD GANESHA:
Symbols are especially important when conveying concepts that are subtle and abstract. The Upanishads exhort Hindus to see the presence of Pure Consciousness in all things. (67)
That is hard to do unless the mind is exceptionally pure, calm and undistracted. As a means of developing these qualities of mind, our scriptures guide spiritual aspirants to worship God represented by a specific form and provide a variety of forms to choose from. (68)
Intense devotion to one form of God is a precursor to seeing the presence of God in all forms in the universe. Defining a form invites a physical representation of that form (called a murti) as a visual aid to contemplation on the worshipful qualities of God. A special ritual is undertaken to inhere in this murti the energy of the transcendent Pure Consciousness before engaging in worship; and in some cases, the image may even be ritually disposed of at the end of the worship ceremony. This worship of a sculpted image or painting as a representation of God, who as Pure Consciousness is everywhere, is
emphatically not the “idol worship” that is condemned in the Abrahamic traditions. The devotee uses the image as an aid to form an intense personal relationship with God and does not worship any image as an independent source of power or divinity. Thus the purpose of worshipping an image is to focus the mind and imbue it with love and devotion to the transcendent Divine Consciousness.
References.
62 Previously published by InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington [www.ifcmw.org]
63 Mandukya Upanishad 1 and 12.
45
64) Bhagavad Gita 5.10
65) Vivekachudamani by Shankaracharya: verse 76
66) Bhaja Govindam by Shankaracharya: verse 4
67) Isha Upanishad 1.
68) Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1
47
CHAPTER 15, SAMSKARAS: SACRAMENTS, By Dr. D.C. Rao
Samskara is the process of refining and making perfect. Hindu tradition prescribes a number of sacraments, known as samskaras, which aim to purify an individual’s inner being during the journey through life. Without knowledge of how we as individuals relate to the world around us and to the Divine Being that is the Source of all life, we have difficulty coping with the ups and downs of life. Unlike other forms of life, human beings have the capacity to make choices that can alter the course of their lives. Other forms of life, such as animals, are hard-wired to live by instinct. While their actions exhaust the burden of karma with which they are born, they are unable to accelerate the pace of their spiritual evolution.
Human beings have the privilege of being able to engage in spiritual practice to purify their minds and connect with the Divinity residing within all beings. However, only a minority of human beings devotes time or attention to serious spiritual practice and that is often in their twilight years when both physical and mental capacity has declined. To offset this deficiency, Hindu scriptures, Dharma Shastras, define samskaras that require all Hindus to be involved at least to some degree in spiritual practice as a part of their daily lives. Tradition defines as many as forty samskaras that span the entire gamut of milestones in a person’s life, from the womb to the funeral pyre. Sixteen of these are said to be more important.
This note briefly describes only the most prominent samskaras and merely alludes to the others.
The sacred fire, Agni, plays a central role in Hindu samskaras. The very first set of mantras of the Rig Veda is the Agni Sukta, the hymn in praise of Agni. The word Agni itself means ‘the one who leads us forward.’ The hymn praises Agni as the One who illuminates our paths and guides us to our true welfare; and appeals to Agni to be as a father unto all of us, saving us from harm.
The transformative power of fire is well known to all. In the Vedic tradition, prayerful offerings are made into the sacred fire, known as homa or havan. The subtle essence of these offerings is delivered by Agni to the particular Divinity that is the intended recipient. Hence, all Vedic rites require the invoking of the sacred fire, Agni, who is like a witness to the prayers and vows uttered in His presence.
Childhood:
There are several samskaras that are performed during infancy and childhood to pray for the health and well-being of the child and the mother, starting from the time of conception. They include landmarks such as birth, naming the child, first solid food, first outing, first haircut and piercing of the ears. An important samskara in this group is the upanayana when the child undergoes a religious initiation by the guru and embarks on formal education and regular religious practice. The upanayana applies only to boys of the upper three castes [ Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya] although the gender restriction is being contested by reformers as being contrary to the older scriptures.
Marriage is the most prominent of the Hindu Samskaras and has great practical as well as religious significance. Marriage marks the beginning of the second stage of life: that of a (48) householder, and central to the functioning of society. According to the scriptures, a man cannot fulfil his role in protecting dharma without having a spouse. (69)
The Vedic mantras used in the marriage ceremony make it clear that the primary purpose of getting married is to have children and continue the family line. For parents, finding a suitable husband for their daughter is a most
serious parental obligation and giving their daughter’s hand in marriage is the best gift possible. Traditionally, the proposal for marriage is usually initiated by the girl’s parents who approach the parents of the prospective groom.
Marriage requires the consent of both families, including the bride and groom. The core rituals of the marriage ceremony use mantras from the Vedas, with numerous additions that vary greatly by region and family traditions. Only the main steps of the ceremony are outlined here. The marriage takes place at a specially constructed mantap (70) at a venue hosted by the bride’s parents.
When the bridegroom arrives at the mantap, the bride and groom exchange garlands to signify their free intention to marry. The groom is formally welcomed by feeding him a sweet while praying for sweetness in all of nature; and gifts are exchanged. The bride’s father places the bride’s hand in the hand of the groom, recalling the divine marriage of Lord Vishnu and the Goddess Lakshmi. Bride and groom accept each other, saying “our hearts shall be one and at peace like water” and their scarves are joined by a knot for the rest of the marriage ceremony.
The main part of the ceremony now begins by invoking the sacred fire, Agni. To the accompaniment of Vedic mantras, bride and groom make several offerings of puffed rice into the fire, praying for blessings of prosperity and long life and affirming their commitment to support each other. The bride places her foot on a rock, symbolizing her commitment to be firm in her devotion to Dharma. The groom leads the bride for seven steps, praying for progeny, energy, wealth, happiness, health and friendship. Completing these seven steps is seen as the culmination of the marriage.
Bride and groom then look at the sun or the pole star as a symbol of being steadfast. Holding their hands over each other’s hearts, each of them vows: I place your heart in mine; may our hearts and minds be in harmony. The ceremony closes with the married couple being blessed by all those gathered to witness the marriage.
Cremation:
The final samskara is performed at death. For almost all Hindus, this means the body is cremated, either on a funeral pyre using wood or in an electric crematorium. Cremation purifies the body and returns it to the five physical elements of which it is composed: earth, water, fire, air and space. When a person is dying, his or her lips are moistened with sacred water from the river Ganga and the name of God is chanted softly. After death, the body is washed and prepared for cremation in daylight as soon as practicable after death. Embalming of the body is not recommended. Family members and friends accompany the body to the crematorium where a priest conducts the rites for this final sacrament. Mourners generally wear white clothes. The pyre is lit by a family member, generally the eldest son. After cremation, the ashes are collected and immersed in a river or ocean. For several days following the death, the family conducts readings of the scriptures at home and specific rituals to help the departed soul on its journey to the next world. Details of the rituals vary widely among different groups of Hindus. Thereafter, on each anniversary of a father’s or mother’s death, the eldest son performs a ritual in honor of three generations of forefathers as long as he lives. (69) Manu Smriti 9.42.
CHAPTER 16, GUNAS : A PATH TO SPIRITUAL REFINEMENT, by Dr. D.C. Rao.
The goal of Hindu spiritual practice is being able to live in the world and yet be above it. By recognizing the all-pervasive presence of the Divine and understanding our relationship with the world, we can engage in the world without being agitated and distressed. This blissful state can be achieved only by a mind that is highly refined, one that is no longer blinded by ignorance, selfish desire and fear. Hindu scriptures offer many ways to refine the mind and gain freedom from the bondage of worldly attachments. One of them is based on the philosophical concept of gunas (71)
Gunas are best understood as building blocks of nature. Everything in the whole created universe is composed of gunas.
This applies to physical matter as well as subtle energies. Rocks, plants, animals and human beings all represent a varied combination of gunas.
Only Pure Consciousness, known as Brahman or Atman , is our true nature and is free of gunas.
The particular combination of gunas in each living being determines its personalities and behavior. Unlike other parts of creation, human beings have the capacity to modify the play of gunas in their lives, by refining their minds through mindful awareness and practice.
Understanding the pattern of gunas in the make-up of our personality is a path to refining our minds and evolving spiritually. One of the literal meanings of the word Guna is ‘rope.’ It is the gunas that constitute the vast variety of objects and experiences in the world, to which we react with attachment or aversion driven by the pattern of gunas in our own personalities.
This is how we are bound – by these ‘ropes’-- to worldly matters and remain ignorant of the divinity in our true nature.
Hindu scriptures use a three-fold classification of gunas that may combine in an infinite range of variations:
All three gunas are present in each of us to varying degrees and, at any time, one or the other might influence our thinking to a greater or lesser extent. (71)
Chapter 14 and parts of Chapters 17 and 18 of the Bhagavad Gita are devoted to explaining this concept. (50)
To the extent that we allow the gunas to drive our interactions with the world, that prevents us from realizing our own essential nature as eternal and blissful. The impediment created by our gunas is relatively small with Sattva, more with Rajas and much more with Tamas.
The purity and clarity of Sattva make it easy for us to connect with the Light within; the agitation of Rajas disturbs our minds, which makes it more difficult; and the darkness and sloth of Tamas obscures the Light completely.
Overcoming the barrier created by Sattva is described as the equivalent of blowing smoke away from fire; overcoming Rajas is like having to wipe dust off a mirror; and overcoming Tamas is like having to wait patiently for a baby to be born (72).
The goal of spiritual practice is to gradually overcome the Tamas by increasing
Rajas; then to replace Rajas with Sattva; and finally to transcend all the gunas altogether.
The primary benefit of studying the concept of gunas is that it provides us with a tool to monitor spiritual progress in our daily lives. The Bhagavad Gita itself shows how this concept can be applied by illustrating the behavioral influence of each guna in many different activities of our daily lives (73)
Food, for example:
Another example is charity:
In every aspect of our lives, our behavior is determined by the particular guna or combination of gunas that happens to predominate in us at that time.
Introspection and reflection soon reveal to us which guna best characterized our own behavior in a given situation. We can identify our persistent tendencies and assess whether or not they are in our best interest. This shows us a clear path toward self-improvement. The path of spiritual improvement lies in consciously modifying our behavior to reflect sattva rather than rajas, and rajas rather than tamas so that we purify our minds and progress towards the goal of connecting with our true nature.
When we are dominated by tamas, feeling dull and lacking motivation, the remedy is to get engaged in any kind of activity so as to activate the rajas in us.
When we feel agitated and are driven by greed or desire, it is a sign of
rajas; the remedy is to calm our minds by deep breathing or meditation and recall the pain caused by ignorance and attachment. That will bolster the sattva in us and control the scope of rajas and tamas (74)
By recognizing the play of the different gunas in our behavior, we can identify our flaws without the self-condemnation that cripples personal growth.
References.
72, See The Holy Geeta, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda on
Bhagavad Gita verse 3.38
.
73) See Bhagavad Gita 14.6-18; 17.4-22; and 18.20-39. The main points are summarized in the Appendix: “How to identify Gunas”. Also see “Not too loose, Not too tight, Just right” by Swamini Vimalananda, Central Chinmaya
Mission Trust, 2011. ISBN 978-81-7597-208-7.
74) See Srimad Bhagavatam 11.13.1
51
************
Although we are endowed with a combination of gunas at birth based on our actions and spiritual development in previous lives we have the capacity to modify our behavior and upgrade the profile of our gunas in this life.
It is this objectification of our gunas that enables us to observe and modify our behavior without debilitating guilt. Being more accepting of our own less-than-perfect behavior helps us to better understand the behavior patterns of others and be more forgiving of their actions towards us. The more mindful we are in identifying our dominant guna and the more diligent in upgrading our behavior, the more we refine our minds and prepare it for spiritual understanding.
Gunas are no more than attributes of our personality, not part of our intrinsic nature or our true Self.
Gunas are subject to change; my Self is not.
While spiritual discipline is designed to maximize Sattva in our personality, the ultimate aim of spiritual practice is to transcend the gunas altogether and break away from their bondage – even from the silken rope of sattva.
The Bhagavad Gita describes how an enlightened person transcends the gunas, becoming totally unperturbed by the ups and downs of life (75)
APPENDIX: How to Identify Gunas
75) See Bhagavad Gita 14.24,25. Also see Srimad Bhagavatam 11.22.6.
52
APPENDIX: HOW TO IDENTIFY GUNAS SATTVA RAJAS TAMAS
KEY : Purity, knowledge Agitation, false projections Inertia, ignorance
ATTRIBUTES : [BG 14.11-13] Light, upward movement, clarity, purity, inspiration, warmth Activity, movement, agitation, restlessness, throbbing Darkness, heaviness, inertia, downward movement, lack of clarity, sloth, dullness, stupidity
EMOTIONS : Faith, devotion, humility, contentment, cheerfulness, peace, detachment, yearning for liberation Desire, Anger, greed, hypocrisy, arrogance, jealousy, egoism, envy, ambition, competitiveness, Sloth, lack of enthusiasm, stubbornness
BONDAGE : [BG 14.6-8] knowledge and happiness action Negligence, sloth and sleep
WORSHIP : [BG 17.4] Gods Demi-gods and demons Ghosts and spirits
FOOD [BG 17.8-10] -
Tasty, soft, substantial, that promote life, health, joy
Bitter, sour, spicy, dry, burning, causing pain, grief, disease
Stale, tasteless, putrid, impure
ENTERPRISE (Yajna) [BG 17.11-13 Without desire for fruit; according to scriptures; firm faith in duty; Seeking fruit; hypocritical; ostentatious; Fail to observe scriptures or right practice; without faith;
TAPAS [BG 17.14-19]
a) PHYSICAL Service to betters; Purity, straightforward, non-injury; To gain honor, ostentatious, fickle and transitory With foolish obstinacy; causing pain; with object of hurting others;
b) SPEECH Causes no agitation; truthful; pleasant; beneficial; scriptural study;
c) MIND Serene, kind, silent; self-control; purity of motive
53
CHARITY [BG 17.20-22] as a duty; at fit time and place; worthy cause; expect nothing in return; Expect return; reluctant; Wrong place or time; unworthy cause; without respect;
RENUNCIATION BG 18.7-9 Performing right action while abandoning attachment and fruit of action; Abandoning actions that are painful or may cause discomfort; Abandoning obligatory duties;
KNOWLEDGE [BG 18.20-22] Sees the One reality in all; undivided in the divided Sees plurality in the world; conscious of distinctions; Clings obstinately to a false view or a partial view as if it were the whole
ACTION [BG 18.23] Action as required; No attachment; no desire for fruit; Longing for fruit; ego boosting; with much effort Careless of consequence; based on misconception;
ACTOR [BG 18.26-28] Unaffected by success/failure; non-egoistic; enthusiastic; Passionate, desire for fruit; greedy, harmful, impure, full of delight/grief; Unsteady, vulgar, unbending, cheating, malicious, lazy, despondent, procrastinating
UNDERSTANDING [BG 18.30-32] Knows Dharma correctly Confuses dharma and its opposite Perverted understanding of dharma
STEADFASTNESS [BG 18.33-35] Restraining mind, prana and senses by Yoga sustains duty, pleasure, wealth, Craving fruit of action Clings to sleep, fear, grief, depression, arrogance
PLEASURE [BG 18.37-39] Born from within; Like poison at first, nectar in the end; Born from sense pleasure; Like nectar at first, poison in the end; Delusory from beginning to end; born of sleep, indolence, negligence;
REBIRTH [BG 14.14-15] Pure world of the learned World of activists World of the stupid FRUIT [BG 14.16] Pure Pain Ignorance
RESULT [BG 14.17] Knowledge Greed Carelessness, delusion
EVOLUTION [BG 14.18] Upward Static Downward
Chapter 12. GOD: IS HINDUISM POLYTHEISTIC?
Chapter 13. WORSHIP: ARE IMAGES IDOLS?
Chapter 14. SYMBOLS
Chapter 15. SAMSKARAS: SACRAMENTS
Chapter 16. GUNAS: A PATH TO SPIRITUAL REFINEMENT (early p 64)
CHAPTER 12, GOD : IS HINDUISM POLYTHEISTIC? by Dr. D.C. RAO.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are often described as the world’s three great monotheistic religions, implying that Hinduism is polytheistic. Attempting to label Hinduism as either ‘monotheistic’ or ‘polytheistic’ is being unaware of what Hinduism really is.
Hindu scriptures speak of a single Supreme Being who is both transcendent and immanent, manifest in a multitude of forms. It is a mistake to seek in Hinduism an equivalent of the Creator God or Father figure who dwells in Heaven, presides over a Final Judgment and offers Salvation to those
who believe in Him. To understand what ‘God’ means in Hinduism, we need to reflect more deeply on the various meanings attached to the word ‘God.’
Many would agree that ‘God’ may be seen as the Supreme or Ultimate Reality. But, in practice, for most human beings, God is not an abstraction but a Person, with personal attributes. Hebrew scriptures, the Bible and the Quran have extensive descriptions of the attributes of God: compassion, love, forgiveness, justice and jealousy ( Exodus 34.6, 7, 14); seven attributes including power, wisdom and glory ( Revelations 5.12) ; the Quran refers to Allah as Most Gracious and Most Merciful; and, drawing on references in the Quran, Islamic tradition has compiled a list of 99 Most Beautiful Names that devout Muslims are asked to remember.
In Hinduism, ‘God’ is truly One but scriptures present various descriptions of ‘God’ to satisfy the spiritual needs of practitioners and devotees at different levels of spiritual development: the Ultimate Reality, the Inner Controller, and a devotional anchor. The very heart of Hindu spiritual practice is captured in the teaching: “by any means whatever, rest your mind in God’ 44
.
The Upanishads discuss the Ultimate Reality.
“In the beginning there was Existence alone…One alone, without a second” (45)
. “…that which is invisible, ungraspable, birthless…eternal, the source of all.” (46 )
These statements relate to Brahman , Pure Consciousness, that has no name, no form, is indescribable and beyond the human mind. If God means Ultimate Reality, there can be no more monotheistic declarations than these.
Brahman is free of all attributes since to think of Brahman as a Person is to impose limitations on that which is Infinite. The attribute of being tall excludes short; being bright excludes dark; and so on. Being free of all attributes,
Brahman is said to be “indescribable” (47).
The Upanishads declare that although beyond description, can be experienced by negating all concepts that arise in the mind and by making the mind so still and pure that we become aware of the very source of our awareness. (48)
Because it is extremely hard for the human mind to grapple with such an abstraction, Hindu scriptures offer another way of thinking about God:
Ishwara.
Unlike Brahman, Ishwara has attributes: all-knowing, all-powerful, eternal and ever-free of all human limitations. (49)
Ishwara is the inner controller who dwells in the hearts of all living beings. (50)
By deep devotion and surrender to Ishwara the spiritual seeker is able to realize the true Self and overcome sorrow. Ishwara is one ( 51).
Although Brahman is the only true reality, Ishwara arises out of our projection of attributes to meet our own mental needs. In the language of Vedanta, Ishwara is a ‘superimposition’ on the One Reality that is Brahman, which means that Ishwara is not separate from Pure Consciousness.
.
Such superimposition is encouraged by the Hindu scriptures as a practical aid to spiritual progress. Meditating on the attributes of Ishwara is a powerful spiritual practice (52)
For most, Ishwara is also too abstract. How are they to connect with God, develop deep devotion to God and ultimately rest their minds in God? Hinduism addresses this human need by presents God in specific forms.
Such forms are clearly recognizable and so lend themselves to deeper personal relationships. For example, Lord Ganesha, the God of Wisdom, is portrayed with the head of an elephant, which is known to be a highly intelligent animal; and there are numerous stories about Lord Ganesha that devotees can enjoy and relate to. Other names and forms in which God is portrayed include celestial, human and other beings; male and female; austere and opulent; fierce and serene; master and servant. These forms reflect the vision that God is not merely a remote ‘Creator’ of the universe; rather, the whole universe is a manifestation of God’s creative energy (53).
This is why Hindus regard the whole of nature as sacred. Mountains and rivers, trees, animals and all plants can be objects of worship as manifestations of the One Supreme Reality. This proliferation of names and forms in which God might be worshipped by Hindus has two important benefits: first, persons of every temperament can find a form of God that appeals to their heart and to whom they can offer deep devotion; and second, seeing Divinity in so many different forms creates in Hindus a reverence for the Creator who has brought forth this wondrous diversity. In referring to these forms of the Supreme Reality, another Sanskrit term that is used to denote
‘God’ is Bhagavan or Bhagavati.
Bhagavan refers to male and Bhagavati to female forms of Divinity. Both terms signify one who possesses six special attributes known collectively as “bhaga”: Knowledge, Detachment, Sovereignty, Righteousness, Renown and Glory.
There is of course no limit to the list of Divine attributes. For example, the Divine Mother is described as the source of 21 attributes in each living being 54 and Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: -
“there is no end to My Divine Glories…” 55.
Reciting the thousand names of Vishnu or Lalita are popular prayers, for each of the names is associated with a Divine attribute and helps in fostering devotion to God.
References.
(44) Srimad Bhagavatam 7.1.31
(45) Chandogya Upanishad 6.6.1
(46) Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.6
(47) Mandukya Upanishad ( 7..38)
(48 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
(49) Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1.24-26)
(50) Bhagavad Gita 18.61 )
(51) Svetashvatara Upanishad 6.11)
(52) Patanjali: Yoga Sutras 1.27-29; 36. )
(53) “Having created it, He entered into it…He Became the manifest and the unmanifest…and all this whatsoever that exists” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6)
*****************
Does the multiplicity of forms of God mean Hinduism is polytheistic? No, for all these different forms are merely various manifestations of the One Pure Consciousness. The scriptures never tire of pointing this out. (56)
Even the Hindu who is not philosophically inclined and unaware of the scriptures relating to Brahman as the One Ultimate Reality does not regard the different forms of God as competing Divinities. The scriptures that present specific forms of God themselves proclaim that form to be the same as the One universal, infinite Reality. (57)
Furthermore, the Upanishads caution against seeing the object of worship as being separate from Brahman. (58)
When Hindus worship God in a specific form, they do so to connect with the all- powerful Higher Being that is the One Ultimate Reality.
Another Sanskrit term that is commonly translated as ‘God’ is deva or devata. Devas and devatas are divine beings that are manifestations of the One Supreme Being in all aspects of creation.
Deva literally means ‘shining being’ and is seen as the divine force presiding over each field of activity, whose blessings we invoke for success in what we do in that field. Each deva is merely one aspect of the Supreme Being who, being transcendent and immanent, is to be seen in all forms. Devas exist as cosmic forces as well as forces within us. They are invoked through prayer and worship as well as through a variety of yogic and tantric practices. Translating
deva or devata as ‘God’ or ‘gods’ invites conflict with the idea that there is only One Supreme Being that some other religions call God. From this interpretation comes the incorrect inference that Hinduism is polytheistic. If there has to be a label for Hinduism, a better one might be ‘pluriform monotheism.’ (59)
Hindu scriptures offer many manifestations of the One Reality -- from -
- Brahman as the most abstract to
- Ishwara bhagavan
- Personal manifestations such as Vishnu, Shiva, Durga or Lakshmi and Divine incarnations on earth such as Rama and Krishna. (54)
References.
54) Sri Durga Saptashati 5.16-75
55) Bhagavad Gita 10.40
56) See for example, Rg Veda 6.47.18; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.5.7; Katha Upanishad 2.2.9, 10; Srimad Bhagavatam 4.7.54
(57) See for example the Ganapati-atharvashirsha-upanishad mantras 1 and 5
on Ganesha as the Ultimate Reality; Bhagavad Gita 7.19 on Krishna; Yajur Veda 16.1-66 on Rudra; Mahanarayana Upanishad 11.6, 13, also known as Narayana Sukta which describes Narayana as being Brahma, Siva, Vishnu, Indra, the Imperishable Supreme.
(58) Kena Upanishad 1.5-9.
(59) See http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1770452/pluriform-monotheism (40 )
************
The goal of each spiritual seeker is to connect with the infinite Divinity that is both transcendent and immanent, that can appear in any form even while being essentially beyond all forms. The scriptures encourage all seekers by leaving open all possibilities, allowing the seeker to choose a spiritual practice according to his or her own level of understanding.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the question is posed: “how many Gods exactly are there?” The first answer is “three hundred and three”. The question is repeated many times, eliciting a series of answers: “thirty three”; “six”; “three”; “two”; “one-and-a-half”; “One”.
This discussion ends with the question: “Which is the One God?” to which the answer is “it is Brahman…” (60)
All the forms in which Hindus worship ‘God’ are various manifestations of the One. (60)
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad3.9.1, 9. (41)
CHAPTER 13, WORSHIP : ARE IMAGES IDOLS? by Dr. D.C. Rao.
A central teaching of Hindu scriptures is that the whole of creation emerged from the One Supreme Being that is Pure Consciousness. Hindus are taught to see the Divine in all things: within themselves, in all other humans, in all beings and in the whole universe. Mountains and rivers, trees, animals and planets are all seen as sacred, being manifestations of the One. This is not merely a “belief”; it has to be a way of living.
To see Divine presence in everything around us, at all times, requires a mind that is exceptionally pure, calm and one-pointed. Hindu scriptures offer a variety of ways of transforming our minds to achieve this state of mind. (61) For some people the best path might be deep study of the scriptures or a sustained practice of intense meditation.
For most Hindus, however, the best way is the path of devotion to God, developing an attitude of total surrender to God. Surrendering to God is far from easy. It is made less difficult when we can see God in intimate terms as a mother, father or trusted friend; as one who knows our deepest anxieties; as one who is always there to guide and lift us up in our darkest moments. This is a very personal relationship that is nurtured over a long period of growing devotion to God and is a precursor to seeing God in all forms in the universe.
Hinduism responds to this yearning for a personal relationship with God by promoting the practice of worshipping God in a specific form. The specific form is represented as a picture or a sculpted image and is used by a devotee to help focus the mind in ardent devotion. It is the nature of the human mind to create a mental image even when thinking of an abstract concept.
Pure Consciousness, beyond name and form, beyond the conceptual capacity of the human mind, is the ultimate in abstraction. Worshipping God as represented in a physical image is a means for the human mind to connect with the Supreme Being that is the source of all life and manifests in all forms in the universe. Hindus worship images are physical representations of particular manifestations of the One Supreme Being that is called God. The devotee focuses his or her mind on the image as a way of making the mind single-pointed and to imbue it with love and devotion to the transcendent Divine Consciousness. The image is not seen as an independent source of power or divinity.
Before worshipping an image, a special ritual is undertaken to invoke in this image the energy of the transcendent God-Consciousness. Once this is done, the image, known as a murti, is seen as a living entity and suitably worshipped.
The ritual worship of a murti is known as puja. Its components are similar to how one would treat a respected guest to one’s home. The transcendent Divine force is invoked and invited to reside in the murti placed on an altar; the
murti is bathed and adorned; prayers are chanted or sung to the accompaniment of bells; various
symbolic offerings are made including flowers, fruit, incense and light; and finally, the devotee takes leave of the Divine force as it departs from the murti until it is time for the next worship ceremony, known as puja. Sometimes, the murti is made of clay and ritually destroyed at the end of the puja, having served its purpose.
It is these practices that distinguish Hindu worship of an image from the practice of idolatry that is so strongly condemned in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. The puja ritual is designed to captivate the mind by engaging all of the senses of perception. The sense of smell is stimulated by the incense, camphor and fragrant flowers; the eyes are bathed in the light that illuminates a beautifully decorated murti; the ears absorb the sound of bells, cymbals, the chanting of Vedic mantras and singing of devotional songs; the sense of taste is satisfied by eating the prasada, the food that has been ritually blessed by the deity; and the sense of touch is engaged in all of the activities of performing the rituals. Engaging all the senses keeps the mind fully focused on the puja
and enhances the worshipper’s devotion.
A significant feature of Hinduism is the large number of names and forms in which God might be worshipped. This has two important benefits:
- first, persons of every temperament can find a form of God that appeals to their heart and to whom they can offer deep devotion; and
- second, seeing Divinity in so many different forms creates in Hindus a reverence for the Creator who has brought forth this wondrous diversity.
- Ganesha, the God of Wisdom who helps overcome all obstacles;
- Durga or Shakti as Goddess of power,
- Sarasvati , the Goddess of learning;
- Lakshmi , the Goddess of abundance;
- Rama who came to earth to show humans how to live the path of Dharma;
- Krishna, who came to earth to eradicate evil and protect the good;
- Hanuman, who is the ideal devoted servant of Rama;
- and many other forms that inspire Hindus to express their devotion to God.
There is a wealth of stories relating to each of these manifestations and Hindus enjoy retelling them to inspire greater love of God in themselves and in others. A Hindu typically worships God in all these forms on various occasions, though most choose to worship a favorite form, an Ishta Devata in their daily prayers.
Some Divine forms resemble animals or birds.
- Lord Ganesha is depicted with the head of an elephant;
- Lord Hanuman with the face of a monkey;
- Lord Narasimha with the head of a lion;
- Lord Hayagriva with the head of a horse;
- Lord Adishesha as a serpent.
God has descended to earth for specific purposes as an avatar in a variety of forms including a fish, a tortoise, a boar and a dwarf. Gods and Goddesses are depicted as accompanied by animals or birds such as the bull, eagle, lion, peacock, mouse, dogs, owl and swan. Sacred rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna are worshipped as embodiments of Divinity. It is a common practice to worship the Tulsi plant every morning as a part of the daily prayers; and the Ashwattha or Peepul tree is sacred to all Hindus.
The variety of such forms reminds Hindus that the entire creation is merely a manifestation of Divinity, deserving of our reverence. (43) The murtis that depict the various forms of God incorporate symbolic representations that serve to remind the devotees of the transcendent greatness of God.
Consider, for example, some of the physical features of the image of Ganesha:
- the large head represents perfect wisdom;
- the large stomach symbolizes the Divinity that envelops the entire universe;
- the large ears represent God’s capacity to hear silent prayers; the small feet show that God does not need to go anywhere because God is everywhere already;
- multiple arms show the all-powerful nature of God;
- one hand holds an axe that cuts the bonds of false attachments; another hand holds a rope that pulls us to the goal;
- another hand holds a sweet reward for the sincere seeker; and one palm is held in a gesture of blessing.
Similarly, the physical forms and adornments of each of the images create mental associations that enhance love and reverence of God. Hindus may relate to murtis in a variety of ways depending on the level of their own understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of Hinduism.
Some Hindus may believe that their chosen form of God is the only true representation of the Supreme Being; but even so, they respect others who have chosen to worship a different form of God. Those who are more philosophically aware recognize that all the different forms are but manifestations of the One. Sincere devotion to a single chosen form itself leads to deeper love of God and an acceptance of the multiplicity of manifestations described in the Hindu scriptures.
Hindu scriptures repeatedly emphasize that the essence of spirituality is to rest one’s mind in God “by any means whatsoever.” Scriptures also describe numerous techniques to achieve this goal and one of the most accessible of these techniques is murti puja. Worship of a physical representation of God is a reliable means of connecting with the Supreme Divinity that is the Source of all life. (44)
CHAPTER 14, SYMBOLS, by Dr. D.C. Rao.
OM
The deepest spiritual truth in the Vedas is the omnipresence of divine consciousness. Absolutely nothing in the universe exists separate from the divine. This supreme truth is beyond form and has no name; and is represented in the Vedas by the Sanskrit symbol OM
OM is a most sacred symbol: it is recited before all Vedic mantras; written at the start of any document; and even used as a greeting. The sound OM is composed of three sounds that span the whole vocal apparatus: ‘a’ from the base; ‘u’ from the middle; and ‘m’ from the tip at the lips; combining to form AUM.
The fourth element in OM is the silence between successive OMs: the silence from which all sounds emerge and into which they all subside (63)
The Upanishads explain how OM represents the sum totality of all human experience. Its four elements represent -
- the creation,
- sustenance and
- dissolution of the universe and
- the Pure Existence in which they all happen;
They represent the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep that span our entire lives and the Pure Awareness through which we experience all these states; they represent -
- earth,
- space and
- heaven and
- the Pure Bliss which transcends all these fields of experience.
By reminding us of the omnipresence of the Divine, the chanting of OM can bring our minds to a profound meditative state. And the vibratory quality of the sound Om itself has a profound impact on our inner energies, preparing us for meditation.
LOTUS : The Lotus flower is cited widely in Hindu spiritual texts: Gods and Goddesses are frequently depicted holding a lotus or sitting on one; the centers of energy in the human body, known as chakras are symbolized by lotuses at each energy center; the Creator, Brahma, is said to have been born from the lotus that sprang up at the navel center of Narayana, who symbolizes Pure Consciousness. Why do Hindus accord such importance to the lotus? The ancient Sages who were close observers of nature saw a lot to learn from the lotus flower: (62)
The lotus grows in ponds that are frequently murky, yet retains its freshness and beauty. Although in water, the leaves of the lotus do not themselves become wet. That is a lesson for all of us to maintain our purity and nobility even when we are mired in the ugliness and chaos that often surrounds us.
(64).
The petals of the lotus open in the morning when touched by the rays of the sun and close again for the night. True knowledge is like light, and when we recognize our oneness with the eternal, universal consciousness, our Spirit blossoms forth in all its beauty.
Bees hover over the lotus attracted by its perfume and the careless bee is trapped in the petals of the lotus when they close for the night. That warns us that being overly immersed in seeking sensory satisfaction in the world can lead to our ruin. (65)
Drops of water tremble on the surface of lotus leaves and are blown off by a passing breeze. This is a reminder to us of the fragility of our lives which may end at any moment. (66)
SWASTIKA:
The word swastika in Sanskrit means “that which brings good luck and well-
being”: “su” means “good” and “asti” means “is”. It appears in
one of the most frequently used mantras of the Rg Veda [1.89.6], the oldest scripture known to man. The swastika is considered extremely sacred and holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and remains very widely used from ancient times to the present day.
The symbol is engraved on sacred objects of worship as well as on doorways of temples and homes. It forms part of religious ceremonies to celebrate weddings, consecrations of new homes, embarking on new ventures or any such auspicious undertaking. It is used to decorate books, vehicles, cash registers in stores and myriad other objects in daily use in many Asian countries, especially India. Because the swastika has been so widely used for so long, it has been interpreted in a variety of ways:
The four goals of human Endeavour: the line from bottom left to top right represents the pursuit of Artha [material security] and Kama [sensual pleasure]. The line from bottom right to top left represents the flow from Dharma [right action] to Moksha [liberation]. Note that the first line levels off, signifying the limitations of material pleasure, while the second is open-ended, signifying the infinite nature of spiritual bliss.
The swastika symbol is often used as a means of invoking Lord Ganesha, the Remover of obstacles, the Repository of wisdom, at the start of a religious ceremony.
LORD GANESHA:
Symbols are especially important when conveying concepts that are subtle and abstract. The Upanishads exhort Hindus to see the presence of Pure Consciousness in all things. (67)
That is hard to do unless the mind is exceptionally pure, calm and undistracted. As a means of developing these qualities of mind, our scriptures guide spiritual aspirants to worship God represented by a specific form and provide a variety of forms to choose from. (68)
Intense devotion to one form of God is a precursor to seeing the presence of God in all forms in the universe. Defining a form invites a physical representation of that form (called a murti) as a visual aid to contemplation on the worshipful qualities of God. A special ritual is undertaken to inhere in this murti the energy of the transcendent Pure Consciousness before engaging in worship; and in some cases, the image may even be ritually disposed of at the end of the worship ceremony. This worship of a sculpted image or painting as a representation of God, who as Pure Consciousness is everywhere, is
emphatically not the “idol worship” that is condemned in the Abrahamic traditions. The devotee uses the image as an aid to form an intense personal relationship with God and does not worship any image as an independent source of power or divinity. Thus the purpose of worshipping an image is to focus the mind and imbue it with love and devotion to the transcendent Divine Consciousness.
References.
62 Previously published by InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington [www.ifcmw.org]
63 Mandukya Upanishad 1 and 12.
45
64) Bhagavad Gita 5.10
65) Vivekachudamani by Shankaracharya: verse 76
66) Bhaja Govindam by Shankaracharya: verse 4
67) Isha Upanishad 1.
68) Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1
47
CHAPTER 15, SAMSKARAS: SACRAMENTS, By Dr. D.C. Rao
Samskara is the process of refining and making perfect. Hindu tradition prescribes a number of sacraments, known as samskaras, which aim to purify an individual’s inner being during the journey through life. Without knowledge of how we as individuals relate to the world around us and to the Divine Being that is the Source of all life, we have difficulty coping with the ups and downs of life. Unlike other forms of life, human beings have the capacity to make choices that can alter the course of their lives. Other forms of life, such as animals, are hard-wired to live by instinct. While their actions exhaust the burden of karma with which they are born, they are unable to accelerate the pace of their spiritual evolution.
Human beings have the privilege of being able to engage in spiritual practice to purify their minds and connect with the Divinity residing within all beings. However, only a minority of human beings devotes time or attention to serious spiritual practice and that is often in their twilight years when both physical and mental capacity has declined. To offset this deficiency, Hindu scriptures, Dharma Shastras, define samskaras that require all Hindus to be involved at least to some degree in spiritual practice as a part of their daily lives. Tradition defines as many as forty samskaras that span the entire gamut of milestones in a person’s life, from the womb to the funeral pyre. Sixteen of these are said to be more important.
This note briefly describes only the most prominent samskaras and merely alludes to the others.
The sacred fire, Agni, plays a central role in Hindu samskaras. The very first set of mantras of the Rig Veda is the Agni Sukta, the hymn in praise of Agni. The word Agni itself means ‘the one who leads us forward.’ The hymn praises Agni as the One who illuminates our paths and guides us to our true welfare; and appeals to Agni to be as a father unto all of us, saving us from harm.
The transformative power of fire is well known to all. In the Vedic tradition, prayerful offerings are made into the sacred fire, known as homa or havan. The subtle essence of these offerings is delivered by Agni to the particular Divinity that is the intended recipient. Hence, all Vedic rites require the invoking of the sacred fire, Agni, who is like a witness to the prayers and vows uttered in His presence.
Childhood:
There are several samskaras that are performed during infancy and childhood to pray for the health and well-being of the child and the mother, starting from the time of conception. They include landmarks such as birth, naming the child, first solid food, first outing, first haircut and piercing of the ears. An important samskara in this group is the upanayana when the child undergoes a religious initiation by the guru and embarks on formal education and regular religious practice. The upanayana applies only to boys of the upper three castes [ Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya] although the gender restriction is being contested by reformers as being contrary to the older scriptures.
Marriage is the most prominent of the Hindu Samskaras and has great practical as well as religious significance. Marriage marks the beginning of the second stage of life: that of a (48) householder, and central to the functioning of society. According to the scriptures, a man cannot fulfil his role in protecting dharma without having a spouse. (69)
The Vedic mantras used in the marriage ceremony make it clear that the primary purpose of getting married is to have children and continue the family line. For parents, finding a suitable husband for their daughter is a most
serious parental obligation and giving their daughter’s hand in marriage is the best gift possible. Traditionally, the proposal for marriage is usually initiated by the girl’s parents who approach the parents of the prospective groom.
Marriage requires the consent of both families, including the bride and groom. The core rituals of the marriage ceremony use mantras from the Vedas, with numerous additions that vary greatly by region and family traditions. Only the main steps of the ceremony are outlined here. The marriage takes place at a specially constructed mantap (70) at a venue hosted by the bride’s parents.
When the bridegroom arrives at the mantap, the bride and groom exchange garlands to signify their free intention to marry. The groom is formally welcomed by feeding him a sweet while praying for sweetness in all of nature; and gifts are exchanged. The bride’s father places the bride’s hand in the hand of the groom, recalling the divine marriage of Lord Vishnu and the Goddess Lakshmi. Bride and groom accept each other, saying “our hearts shall be one and at peace like water” and their scarves are joined by a knot for the rest of the marriage ceremony.
The main part of the ceremony now begins by invoking the sacred fire, Agni. To the accompaniment of Vedic mantras, bride and groom make several offerings of puffed rice into the fire, praying for blessings of prosperity and long life and affirming their commitment to support each other. The bride places her foot on a rock, symbolizing her commitment to be firm in her devotion to Dharma. The groom leads the bride for seven steps, praying for progeny, energy, wealth, happiness, health and friendship. Completing these seven steps is seen as the culmination of the marriage.
Bride and groom then look at the sun or the pole star as a symbol of being steadfast. Holding their hands over each other’s hearts, each of them vows: I place your heart in mine; may our hearts and minds be in harmony. The ceremony closes with the married couple being blessed by all those gathered to witness the marriage.
Cremation:
The final samskara is performed at death. For almost all Hindus, this means the body is cremated, either on a funeral pyre using wood or in an electric crematorium. Cremation purifies the body and returns it to the five physical elements of which it is composed: earth, water, fire, air and space. When a person is dying, his or her lips are moistened with sacred water from the river Ganga and the name of God is chanted softly. After death, the body is washed and prepared for cremation in daylight as soon as practicable after death. Embalming of the body is not recommended. Family members and friends accompany the body to the crematorium where a priest conducts the rites for this final sacrament. Mourners generally wear white clothes. The pyre is lit by a family member, generally the eldest son. After cremation, the ashes are collected and immersed in a river or ocean. For several days following the death, the family conducts readings of the scriptures at home and specific rituals to help the departed soul on its journey to the next world. Details of the rituals vary widely among different groups of Hindus. Thereafter, on each anniversary of a father’s or mother’s death, the eldest son performs a ritual in honor of three generations of forefathers as long as he lives. (69) Manu Smriti 9.42.
CHAPTER 16, GUNAS : A PATH TO SPIRITUAL REFINEMENT, by Dr. D.C. Rao.
The goal of Hindu spiritual practice is being able to live in the world and yet be above it. By recognizing the all-pervasive presence of the Divine and understanding our relationship with the world, we can engage in the world without being agitated and distressed. This blissful state can be achieved only by a mind that is highly refined, one that is no longer blinded by ignorance, selfish desire and fear. Hindu scriptures offer many ways to refine the mind and gain freedom from the bondage of worldly attachments. One of them is based on the philosophical concept of gunas (71)
Gunas are best understood as building blocks of nature. Everything in the whole created universe is composed of gunas.
This applies to physical matter as well as subtle energies. Rocks, plants, animals and human beings all represent a varied combination of gunas.
Only Pure Consciousness, known as Brahman or Atman , is our true nature and is free of gunas.
The particular combination of gunas in each living being determines its personalities and behavior. Unlike other parts of creation, human beings have the capacity to modify the play of gunas in their lives, by refining their minds through mindful awareness and practice.
Understanding the pattern of gunas in the make-up of our personality is a path to refining our minds and evolving spiritually. One of the literal meanings of the word Guna is ‘rope.’ It is the gunas that constitute the vast variety of objects and experiences in the world, to which we react with attachment or aversion driven by the pattern of gunas in our own personalities.
This is how we are bound – by these ‘ropes’-- to worldly matters and remain ignorant of the divinity in our true nature.
Hindu scriptures use a three-fold classification of gunas that may combine in an infinite range of variations:
- Sattva: purity, knowledge, peace, contentment, clarity, humility, cheerfulness, inspiration, etc.
- Rajas: agitation, restlessness, desire, anger, greed, arrogance, ambition, competitiveness etc.
- Tamas: inertia, ignorance, darkness, sloth, stubbornness, fear, dullness, lack of motivation etc.
All three gunas are present in each of us to varying degrees and, at any time, one or the other might influence our thinking to a greater or lesser extent. (71)
Chapter 14 and parts of Chapters 17 and 18 of the Bhagavad Gita are devoted to explaining this concept. (50)
To the extent that we allow the gunas to drive our interactions with the world, that prevents us from realizing our own essential nature as eternal and blissful. The impediment created by our gunas is relatively small with Sattva, more with Rajas and much more with Tamas.
The purity and clarity of Sattva make it easy for us to connect with the Light within; the agitation of Rajas disturbs our minds, which makes it more difficult; and the darkness and sloth of Tamas obscures the Light completely.
Overcoming the barrier created by Sattva is described as the equivalent of blowing smoke away from fire; overcoming Rajas is like having to wipe dust off a mirror; and overcoming Tamas is like having to wait patiently for a baby to be born (72).
The goal of spiritual practice is to gradually overcome the Tamas by increasing
Rajas; then to replace Rajas with Sattva; and finally to transcend all the gunas altogether.
The primary benefit of studying the concept of gunas is that it provides us with a tool to monitor spiritual progress in our daily lives. The Bhagavad Gita itself shows how this concept can be applied by illustrating the behavioral influence of each guna in many different activities of our daily lives (73)
Food, for example:
- when Sattva predominates, we choose food that is pure, substantial and healthy;
- when Rajas predominates we choose food that is highly flavored, dry and causs pain;
- and when Tamas predominates we choose food that is stale, impure and unhealthy.
Another example is charity:
- when Sattva predominates, we engage in charity as a duty and direct it discreetly to a worthy cause;
- when Rajas predominates we give reluctantly, but with ostentation and in expectation of a return;
- when Tamas predominates, we help unworthy causes in an insulting manner.
In every aspect of our lives, our behavior is determined by the particular guna or combination of gunas that happens to predominate in us at that time.
Introspection and reflection soon reveal to us which guna best characterized our own behavior in a given situation. We can identify our persistent tendencies and assess whether or not they are in our best interest. This shows us a clear path toward self-improvement. The path of spiritual improvement lies in consciously modifying our behavior to reflect sattva rather than rajas, and rajas rather than tamas so that we purify our minds and progress towards the goal of connecting with our true nature.
When we are dominated by tamas, feeling dull and lacking motivation, the remedy is to get engaged in any kind of activity so as to activate the rajas in us.
When we feel agitated and are driven by greed or desire, it is a sign of
rajas; the remedy is to calm our minds by deep breathing or meditation and recall the pain caused by ignorance and attachment. That will bolster the sattva in us and control the scope of rajas and tamas (74)
By recognizing the play of the different gunas in our behavior, we can identify our flaws without the self-condemnation that cripples personal growth.
References.
72, See The Holy Geeta, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda on
Bhagavad Gita verse 3.38
.
73) See Bhagavad Gita 14.6-18; 17.4-22; and 18.20-39. The main points are summarized in the Appendix: “How to identify Gunas”. Also see “Not too loose, Not too tight, Just right” by Swamini Vimalananda, Central Chinmaya
Mission Trust, 2011. ISBN 978-81-7597-208-7.
74) See Srimad Bhagavatam 11.13.1
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Although we are endowed with a combination of gunas at birth based on our actions and spiritual development in previous lives we have the capacity to modify our behavior and upgrade the profile of our gunas in this life.
It is this objectification of our gunas that enables us to observe and modify our behavior without debilitating guilt. Being more accepting of our own less-than-perfect behavior helps us to better understand the behavior patterns of others and be more forgiving of their actions towards us. The more mindful we are in identifying our dominant guna and the more diligent in upgrading our behavior, the more we refine our minds and prepare it for spiritual understanding.
Gunas are no more than attributes of our personality, not part of our intrinsic nature or our true Self.
Gunas are subject to change; my Self is not.
While spiritual discipline is designed to maximize Sattva in our personality, the ultimate aim of spiritual practice is to transcend the gunas altogether and break away from their bondage – even from the silken rope of sattva.
The Bhagavad Gita describes how an enlightened person transcends the gunas, becoming totally unperturbed by the ups and downs of life (75)
APPENDIX: How to Identify Gunas
75) See Bhagavad Gita 14.24,25. Also see Srimad Bhagavatam 11.22.6.
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APPENDIX: HOW TO IDENTIFY GUNAS SATTVA RAJAS TAMAS
KEY : Purity, knowledge Agitation, false projections Inertia, ignorance
ATTRIBUTES : [BG 14.11-13] Light, upward movement, clarity, purity, inspiration, warmth Activity, movement, agitation, restlessness, throbbing Darkness, heaviness, inertia, downward movement, lack of clarity, sloth, dullness, stupidity
EMOTIONS : Faith, devotion, humility, contentment, cheerfulness, peace, detachment, yearning for liberation Desire, Anger, greed, hypocrisy, arrogance, jealousy, egoism, envy, ambition, competitiveness, Sloth, lack of enthusiasm, stubbornness
BONDAGE : [BG 14.6-8] knowledge and happiness action Negligence, sloth and sleep
WORSHIP : [BG 17.4] Gods Demi-gods and demons Ghosts and spirits
FOOD [BG 17.8-10] -
Tasty, soft, substantial, that promote life, health, joy
Bitter, sour, spicy, dry, burning, causing pain, grief, disease
Stale, tasteless, putrid, impure
ENTERPRISE (Yajna) [BG 17.11-13 Without desire for fruit; according to scriptures; firm faith in duty; Seeking fruit; hypocritical; ostentatious; Fail to observe scriptures or right practice; without faith;
TAPAS [BG 17.14-19]
a) PHYSICAL Service to betters; Purity, straightforward, non-injury; To gain honor, ostentatious, fickle and transitory With foolish obstinacy; causing pain; with object of hurting others;
b) SPEECH Causes no agitation; truthful; pleasant; beneficial; scriptural study;
c) MIND Serene, kind, silent; self-control; purity of motive
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CHARITY [BG 17.20-22] as a duty; at fit time and place; worthy cause; expect nothing in return; Expect return; reluctant; Wrong place or time; unworthy cause; without respect;
RENUNCIATION BG 18.7-9 Performing right action while abandoning attachment and fruit of action; Abandoning actions that are painful or may cause discomfort; Abandoning obligatory duties;
KNOWLEDGE [BG 18.20-22] Sees the One reality in all; undivided in the divided Sees plurality in the world; conscious of distinctions; Clings obstinately to a false view or a partial view as if it were the whole
ACTION [BG 18.23] Action as required; No attachment; no desire for fruit; Longing for fruit; ego boosting; with much effort Careless of consequence; based on misconception;
ACTOR [BG 18.26-28] Unaffected by success/failure; non-egoistic; enthusiastic; Passionate, desire for fruit; greedy, harmful, impure, full of delight/grief; Unsteady, vulgar, unbending, cheating, malicious, lazy, despondent, procrastinating
UNDERSTANDING [BG 18.30-32] Knows Dharma correctly Confuses dharma and its opposite Perverted understanding of dharma
STEADFASTNESS [BG 18.33-35] Restraining mind, prana and senses by Yoga sustains duty, pleasure, wealth, Craving fruit of action Clings to sleep, fear, grief, depression, arrogance
PLEASURE [BG 18.37-39] Born from within; Like poison at first, nectar in the end; Born from sense pleasure; Like nectar at first, poison in the end; Delusory from beginning to end; born of sleep, indolence, negligence;
REBIRTH [BG 14.14-15] Pure world of the learned World of activists World of the stupid FRUIT [BG 14.16] Pure Pain Ignorance
RESULT [BG 14.17] Knowledge Greed Carelessness, delusion
EVOLUTION [BG 14.18] Upward Static Downward