Hinduism is probably the most misunderstood religion in the world, with
numerous misconceptions, assumptions and outright misinterpretation overshadowing
the main tenets of the religion. Attempts to link social laws and pagan
idolatries to it have further obfuscated it, hiding its core spirituality
behind simplistic ritual worship. Corruption in form and style is also
prevalent among its adherent, not surprising considering that religions
generally adapt, evolve and devolve according to local customs, politics
and economic forces, more so after being in existence for 12,000 years.
What is Hinduism then?
Current knowledge of Hinduism primarily based on the following shastras,
written originally in Sanskrit.
The Rig Vedas
A collection of hymns written around 6,500BCE, intended mainly as an
educational and spiritual strengthening tool. However, this has degenerated
to simple prayers for normal worshipping by Hindus the world over.
Mahabharata
A massive tome (twice the length of the Bible, Quran and Torah combined!),
it is a literary masterpiece with over 110,000 stanzas and 1.8 million
words in total. Literally translated as The Great Story of The Bharatas
(a synonym for the Indian people), it poetically narrates the history
of the land with tales of valor and chivalry, deceit and immorality,
warriors and demons, magical artifacts and celestial interventions;
a theme that was echoed by subsequent great works of literature, the
most notable being Homer’s trilogy of Ulysses, Iliad and Odyssey.
Ramayana
A more compact version of the Mahabharata, The Journey of Rama is nevertheless
equally influential with its symbolism and metaphors. There are a minority
who considers Ramayana to be the more authoritative over the former.
The Upanishads
The Upanishads, or Sitting Around The Mystic, is the original, most extensive
and the most in depth philosophical examination of humanity that the
world has ever seen. Its influence on the concept of ethics, individual
and community ethos and spirituality is evident everywhere we look,
despite being written between 6000-4000 BCE. The Greeks and Romans
philosophical leanings and its effect on the Western world have been
credited to the Upanishads by a growing number of scholars.
Bhagavad Gita
The Songs of God, a standalone segment from the Mahabharata, represents
Hinduism in all its form and principle. Replete with sharp analysis,
a well-balanced view of life and strong philosophical cogency, the
Gita has been embraced by literati and professionals of various creeds
and denominations as required reading. To the Hindu’s however,
it is the definitive, bible of sorts, guide to Darma and attainment
of eternal bliss.
The Genesis
A great war was about to commence between the virtuous Pandavas and
the immoral Kauravas, royal cousins, on the plains of Kuruksetra in 3137
BCE. The battle was the culmination of a long succession dispute between
Prince Yudhistira of the Pandavas and Prince Duryodhana of the Kauravas.
Prince Yudhistira’s younger brother, the mighty and legendary
warrior Prince, Arjuna, stood between the two opposing armies, accompanied
by his nephew Krishna, who was manning his war chariot. Arjuna began
to weep upon seeing his family and loved ones split over both sides of
the battlefield, fearing for their safety in the coming battle. That
Arjuna, whose courage was beyond question, the slayer of demons and protector
of the innocent, have seen it fit to cry piqued the interest of Krishna.
Thus begun their discourse, where Krishna eventually revealed himself
to be the manifestation of the Supreme Godhead, in a display of celestial
splendor. The Bhagavad Gita narrates their discourse and it has become
the symbol of Hinduism itself.
Krishna explained that in the beginning, there was an unnamed consciousness
that was everything and at the same time, was part of everything else.
Humans named Him Vishnu, and He extended His consciousness to create
an entity known as Brahma, whose task was to populate the material universe
with the creation of vessels for the eternal souls that exist within
Vishnu. The entity Brahma lives on a 100-year cycle, where his day is
equivalent to 8.5 billion of our years. At the end of the cycle, after
over 300 trillion years, another extended consciousness, known as Shiva,
is assigned to wipe everything out of existence and lay the grounds for
Brahma’s next cycle of creation.
In that intervening 300 trillion years period, souls that are part of
Vishnu were released into the karmic cycle and deposited in the vessels
of the material world, with the single objective of remembering Him and
thus, being rewarded with the blissful return to him, to be eternally
in the embrace of the ultimate consciousness - as a friend, disciple,
lover, child, siblings or even a parent. Each soul’s relationship
with the Creator is on an individual level, unique. However, upon arrival
in the material plane, souls lose their cosmic memory and remain trapped
in the samsara, owing to karmic repercussion of their decisions.
Liberation from this cycle can take on many forms; however, the most
direct method follows from the understanding of the main tenets of Hinduism
and its application in the daily life.
Tenets of Hinduism
Samsara
The concept behind the migration of the soul, its journey and its state
of being. The cycle begins with the eternal existence of a soul in the
spiritual plane, its entry to the material world, its quest to live according
to Darmic laws, the eventual death and the re-entry into the spiritual
plane, where the cycle starts again, ad infinitum.
Darma
Darma signifies the principles of ethics and morality of the living
in attaining material and spiritual victory, as outlined in the Bhagavad
Gita and the divinely inspired Upanishad’s and Vedic literature.
Karma
The natural and cosmic reaction to one’s decisions in the material
plane, determining their continuing participation in Samsara or returning
to their spiritual cradle
Mokhsha
The ultimate aim of any follower of Hinduism. Glimpsing the Creator,
understanding the truth and returning to its embrace. There are stories
of devotees who died peacefully with a smile upon their face after glimpsing
the memory of their love of the Creator.
Trivia
• The concept of hell and heaven does not exist in Hinduism. The
soul’s separation from Vishnu (the Creator) and being perpetually
trap in the material plane is considered the ultimate punishment, the
depravation of sensing the Supreme Soul. In between cycles of rebirths,
our soul yearns and longs to return back to the embrace of the Creator.
• Hinduism believes in the existence of intelligence life form
other than humans, as the entity Brahma created over 8.8 million types
of life in the universe.
• There are over
30 passages from the Bhagavad Gita that bears similarity to those in
the Bible and Quran.
• Chapter 10, Verse 20, Gita: I am the beginning,
the middle and the
end of things
• Revelation 1.8, New Test : I am Alpha, Omega, the beginning and the
ending
• Interesting facts about the birth of Krishna
• Conceived of a virgin mother, Devaki
• His adopted father was a wood craftsman
• The King of the Land ordered the murder of all male children in the
Land, after a prophesy revealed that one of the newborns would slay him
in the future. The adopted father followed a voice from the heavens,
guiding them to safety.
• His birth was witnessed by celestial beings and sages of the land and
heralded by lights from the heaven
• Krishna, a manifestation of Godhood, was foretold will come to provide
salvation for humanity
• In each cycle of the samsara, the soul’s rebirth is governed
by karma. As such, a virtuous life will lead to a higher plane of existence
and vice versa. Progressive climbs upon the material plane will eventually
transform the soul into a significant presence in the material plane,
leading to some being conceived to be demigods by lesser mortals.
|
Christian Girlfriends