BASIC TENETS OF HINDUISM
THE VEDA
1. The Veda is the holy scripture of the Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism.
2. The Vedas are 4 in number. – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda.
3. They are eternal. They were not created in time, at some place, by someone. In fact, they are supposed to be the very breath of the Creator!
4. They have always existed since the Creator has always existed. Hence, they have no beginning and no end (anaadi and ananta) They exist and have always existed as vibrations in the ethereal space.
5. They were cognised and heard by the rishis, hence they are also known as “sruti” or that which is heard.
6. The rishis were super human beings and can be called spiritual scientists. Their knowledge of the universe was phenomenal. No other civilization except the present has reached the heights of knowledge that they had achieved.
7. Veda Vyasa is the sage who compiled the Vedas into four.
8. Each Veda in turn is divided into four sections – Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.
9. The Samhitas are the actual mantras or vibrations which were heard by the rishis.
10. The Brahmanas are a guide to explain how the mantras could be used in the fire rituals known as yajnas which are mainly used by householders.
11. The Aranyakas also contain mantras and rituals for both householders and those who are starting a life of sannyasa or renunciation.
12. Both Brahmanas and Aranyakas contain a vast amount of scientific knowledge which has only recently been discovered by the west. Many profound truths of chemistry, physics, geometry, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, botany, geology, anatomy and medicine are dealt with in these portions.
13. Earth goes around the sun – Rg Veda 10. 22. 14. and Yajur Veda 3. 6.
14. Sun neither rises nor sets – Atreya Brahmana 3’44 and Gopatha Brahman 2’4’10.
15. Sun and other planets are round – Yajur Veda 20. 23
16. Moon is lighted by the sun – Yajur Veda 18, 20.
17. There are many suns – Rg Veda 9. 114. 3.
18. Seven colours in the sun – Atharva Veda 7. 107. 1.
19. Electromagnetic field, conversion of mass and energy – Rg 10. 72.
20. The Upanishads contain the ultimate message and purpose of the Vedas which is to gain liberation for the jivatma or embodied soul. They are also known as Vedanta since they come at the end of the Vedas.
THE BRAHMAN
21. The Brahman is the ultimate, non-dual Reality of Hinduism. It is the immutable foundation and support of the whole cosmos of movable and immovable things.
22. The only way to describe the Brahman is “sat-chid- ananda” – existence-consciousness-bliss. The word Aum is the sound of the Brahman. It is known as “shabda brahman”.
23. The Brahman is formless yet contains all forms. It is beyond the three bondages of Time, space and causality (desa, kaala, nimitta). It has no form, qualities or functions. It is changeless and therefore has no decay. It is non-relational so no one can perceive it. It is “advaita”- non-dual- One without a second. There is nothing beyond it.
24. The atman is the Self in each of us which is nothing but the Brahman. It is our true reality and it never dies with the death of the body.
25. The supreme reality of the Brahman projects itself in the forms of the various gods as well as this variegated universe of forms.
THE PURANAS
26. After the age of the Vedas, we come to the age of the Puranas which are eighteen in number.
27. Vyasa was the author of the eighteen Puranas.
28. The transcendental aspect of the Brahman cannot be grasped by normal human beings so in the Puranas, the one Supreme became many gods. Forms of gods are filled with scientific truths.
29. The Supreme has the potential for infinite expression and the deities are different facets of the Brahman.
30. Hinduism has two Itihasas or epics which are also part of our history. The Ramayana is the first poem ever to be written in the world. The sage Valmiki was the author. The Mahabharata was written by the sage Vyasa.
31. The Ramayana is the story of Lord Rama and the Mahabharata, of Lord Krishna.
32. The Puranas also present the idea that everything is in reality nothing but the Supreme spirit. Vyasa wove stories round the various gods which in-cooperated the Vedic truths so that they could be understood even by children and uneducated people.
33. The religion followed by the masses in Hinduism is what has been given by Valmiki and Vyasa in the epics and Puranas.
34. The human being is one of the expressions of the Brahman and is placed on the evolutionary scale that enables him to take a leap forward and experience the unconditioned reality of the Brahman.
35. The forms of gods are like algebraic symbols devised by Vyasa to aid us in our ascent to the highest.
36. The Puranas have deep psychological and metaphysical wisdom woven into their stories.
37. The avataras like Rama and Krishna are the descent of that Brahman into the form of the human in order to help our ascent to the divine.
38. Rama and Krishna are historical personages. The places they lived and places they travelled are all to be seen even now in this country. They are NOT mythological figures.
39. These epics are a true and faithful account of our history.
40. The four goals of Hinduism are dharma, (righteousness), artha, (acquisition of wealth), kama (the desire for pleasure) and moksha (the desire for liberation).
41. If we use righteous means to attain wealth and pleasure, we will automatically attain liberation, hence artha and kama are hemmed in by dharma and moksha.
42. The trinity in Hinduism is called Brahma, the creator, Vishnu the harmoniser and Maheswara or Shiva, the destroyer. These three are the immortals.
43. In his role as the one who keeps the balance in the world, Vishnu is the one who takes innumerable avataras or incarnations. Both Rama and Krishna are avataras of Lord Vishnu.
44. There are ten well-known avataras. These are Matsya (form of a fish), Kurma (form of a tortoise), Varaha (form of a boar), Narasimha (form of half human and half animal), Vamana (form of a dwarf), Parashurama (form carrying an axe), Sri Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki.
45. A close inspection shows that there is an evolutionary trend in these, starting from a water creature, to one which can go on both land and water, then one which is totally on land, then to a half human, then a dwarf man, the iron age man and the fully developed human and then the super human.
The supreme goal of life in Hinduism is for the jivatma to come in union with the Paramatma or the Brahman. This is known as moksha. To attain this goal many types of sadhanas or spiritual practices are given in Hinduism. Main among these are yogasanas which cleanse the body, pranayama which cleanses the emotions, meditation and mantra japa etc which cleanses the mind. This is only a small introduction to Hinduism. Keep following this space for more blogs coming your way soon!
Hari Om
Such a wonderful explanation - so lucid and crisp and yet all encompasing. Thank You Maa!