It is very difficult to make Hinduism understandable for laymen and intellectuals alike with completeness but in a concise form and with authenticity. The reason for this difficulty lies in the fact that this ancient religion has a deep and logical philosophy that has an overgrown vast literature. A large number of sages – in the spirit of ancient saying, “The truth is one but wise say it differently” – have been since ages interpreting and re-interpreting its core contents and superstructure. This has made it rich in literature, which needs deep study. In addition to that, many intellectuals have created confusion by adding their opinions. All which have created a vast mass of literature of their ignorant and archaic opinions about this great and ancient religion. There are many persons with Hindu-sounding names living in India and outside India who pose as experts on Hinduism but whose sole mission is to paint this religion in black. This series of articles on “What is Hinduism” has been borrowed with thanks from a book prepared and published by the “Board of Trustees, Central Hindu College, Benares” in 1916 under the title, “Sanatan Dharma – An Elementary Text Book of Hindu Religion and Ethics.” Let us know what Hinduism is:
(From One to) The Many. When Ishvara shines out on Prakriti and
makes it fall into shapes, the first Forms that appear are those of the Tri-murtih, the three Aspects of Ishvara, manifested to cause a Brahmandam, literally an Egg of Brahma, a universe, or orderly system of worlds. The aspect of Ishvara in which He creates the worlds is named Brahma ; Brahma is the Creator.
The aspect of Ishvara in which He preserves, takes care of, and maintains the worlds is named Vishnu; Vishnu is the Preserver.
The aspect of Ishvara in which He dissolves the worlds, when they are worn out and of no further use, is named Shiva, or Mahadeva ; Shiva is the Dissolver of the worlds.
These are the first manifestations of Ishvara, His Supreme Forms, His three Aspects, or Faces.
The One, the Saguna Brahman, or the Supreme Ishvara, appears as Three. Brahma, the Creator, shapes matter into seven Tattvani, Elements, as they have been called. Different names are given to the first two ; (The western chemist uses the word in a different sense, but the old meaning is the one we are concerned with) we may use the names Mahat-Buddhi, Pure Reason, and Ahamkara, Egoism, the principle of separation, breaking up matter into tiny particles, called atoms. Then come the remaining five Tattvas : Akasha, Ether ; Vayu, Air ; Agni, Fire ; Apa, Water ; Prithivi, Earth.
This is called the creation of the Bhutadi, Elements, and out of these all things are partly made. There is more of Tamo-guna than of Rajo-guna and of Sattva-guna showing itself in these elements, and so the things composed chiefly of them are dull and inert ; the inner life, the Jiva, cannot show its powers, for the coat of matter is so thick and heavy. Next after the Elements, the ten Indriyas are created ; these were at first only ideas in the mind of Brahma, and later were clothed in the Elements ; they are the five centres of the senses : smell, taste, sight, touch, hearing, the organs of which are the nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ears ; and the five centres of action, the organs of which are hands, feet, and those of speech, generation and excretion. There is more of Rajo-guna than of Tamo-guna and of Sattva-guna shewing itself in these Indriyas, so they are very active, and the inner life, the Jiva, can show more of its powers in them.
After the Indriyas, Brahma created in His mind the Devas who are connected with the senses, and also Manah, the mind, which is sometimes called the sixth Indriya, when the first five are spoken of, and the eleventh, when the ten are taken : because it draws into itself and arranges and thinks over all the sensations collected by the indriyas from the outer world. There is more of Sattva-guna than of Tamo-guna and of Rajo-guna showing itself in these Deities and Manah. The student must remember that these gunas are never separated, but one guna may be more dominant than another in any particular being. When Tamo-guna dominates, the being is called tamasik ; when Rajo-guna dominates, the being is called rajasik ; when Sattva-guna dominates, the being is called sattvik. All things may be divided under these three heads of sattvik, rajasik, and tamasik.
Brahma next created in His mind the hosts of Devas, who carry out, administer the laws of Ishvara, and see to the proper management of all the worlds. Ishvara is the King, the One Lord, and the Devas are His ministers, like the ministers and officials of an earthly king. The students must never
confuse the Devas with the supreme Ishvara, with Brahman. They are His higher officials for the Brahmanda, as we men are His lower officials for
this one particular world.
The Devas, sometimes called Suras, see that each man gets what he has earned by his karma. They give success and failure in worldly things, according to what a man deserves ; they help men in many ways, when men try to serve them, and much of the bad weather and sickness and famine and other national troubles come from men entirely neglecting the duties they owe to the Devas. The Devas are a vast multitude, divided under their five Rulers, Indra, Vayu, Agni, Varuna and Kubera.
Indra has to do with the ether ; Vayu with the air ; Agni with the fire : Varuna with the water ; Kubera with the earth. The Devas under each have different names, as we see in the Puranas and the Itihasa. The student may have read, for instance, how Bhima fought with the Yakshas, who were the servants of Kubera. In these Devas the Rajo-guna dominates ; Manu says that their ” nature is action.”
The Asuras, the enemies of the Devas, embody the resistance, or inertia, of Matter, and in them Tamo-guna is predominant.
Brahma then created in His mind minerals, plants, animals and men, thus completing the picture of the worlds wherein the unfolding of the
powers of the Jiva what is now called Evolution was to take place. In Sanskrit this world-evolution, or world-process, is called Samsarah, and it is compared to a wheel, constantly turning, on which all Jivas are bound.
Thus Brahma completed His share of the great task of a universe, but the forms needed, to be clothed in physical matter, to be made active beings ; this was the work of Vishnu, the All-pervader, the Maintainer and Preserver of the worlds.
He breathed His Life into all these forms, and, as a Purana says, became Prana in all forms and gave them consciousness. Then all the Brahmanda “became full of life and consciousness.” But even this was not enough, when man came upon the scene. Two Aspects of Ishvara had given Their Life, but the third Aspect remained, the One who dissolves forms and thus liberates the Jivas, calling them to union and bliss. The life of Mahadeva must be poured out to complete the triple Jiva of man, that he might be the perfect reflexion of the triple Ishvara. This was done, and the human Jiva began his long evolution, having already passed through, evolved through, the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms in previous kalpas.
A very beautiful description of the evolution through plants and animals to men, until “in man Atma is manifest,” and ” by the mortal he desires the immortal,” may be read by elder students in the Aitareyaranyaka and will be found in the Advanced Text-Book.
The special manifestations of Vishnu, called Avataras, must not be forgotten. The word means One who descends, from “tri” passing over, the prefix “ava” giving the significance of descending. It is applied to Divine manifestations of a peculiar kind, in which the Deity incarnates in some form to bring about some special result. When things are going badly with the world, and special help is needed to keep the world on the road of right evolution, then Vishnu comes down in some appropriate form, and puts things right.
Ten of His Avataras are regarded as more important than the others, and are often spoken of as “the Ten Avataras”.
1. Matsya, the fish. Vaivasvata Manu once saw a little fish, gasping for water, and put it into a bowl ; it grew, and He placed it in a larger pot, then again in a larger, and then in a tank, a pondr a river, the sea, and ever the Fish grew and filled its receptacle. Then the Manu knew that this Fish was connected with His own life-work, and when the time came for Him to save the seeds of life from a great flood, He entered a ship with the Rishis and the necessary life- seeds, the great Fish appeared, and drew the vessel to the world where lay the Manu’s work. With the coming of the Fish began the great evolution of animal life in the world.
2. Kurma, the Tortoise. As the tortoise, Vishnu, supported the whirling mountain, which churned the great sea of matter, that it might give forth the necessary forms. The Tortoise is the type of the next great step in evolution.
3. Varaha, the Boar. The earth was sunk below the waters, and Vishnu raised it up, giving, in the Boar, the type of the great mammalian kingdom which was to flourish on the dry land. Modern Science recognizes these three great stages of evolution, each marked in Hinduism by an Avatara.
4. Narasimha, the Man-Lion. This was the Avatara that came to free the earth from the tyranny of the Daityas. Into this race a child, Prahlada was born, who from earliest childhood was devoted to Vishnu, despite the threats and the cruelties of his Diatya father. Over and over again the father tried to slay the son, but ever Vishnu intervened to save him ; at last He burst from a pillar in the form of a Man- Lion, and slew the Daitya King.
5. Vamana, the Dwarf. At last He came as man, to aid the evolution of the human race, and gained from Bali the right to all He could cover, in three steps ; one step covered the earth, and thus He won for man the field of his evolution.
6. Parashurama, Rama of the Axe. This Avatara came to punish such of the Kshttriyas as were oppressing the people, and to teach bad rulers the danger of using power to tyrannise, instead of to help.
7. Rama, usually called Ramachandra, the son of Dasharatha. He, with His three brothers, came as the ideal Kshattriya, the model King, and He serves as an example of a perfect human life. An obedient and loving son, a tender husband, an affectionate brother, a gallant warrior, a wise ruler, a diligent protector of His people, He is emphatically The Perfect Man. His splendid story is told in Valmiki’s Ramayana, and the lovely version of Tulsi Das is known in every northern Indian home.
8. Krishna, the manifestation of Divine Love and Wisdom, worshipped by myriads with intense devotion. As the marvellous child of Vraja and Vrindavana, as the friend of Arjuna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad-Gita, as the wise counsellor of the Pandavas, as the adored of Bhishma what Indian boy does not know His story ? He is the central Figure of the Mahabhartam and His Life is traced in several Puranas.
9. Buddha, the gentle prince who gave up throne and luxury to become a travelling mendicant, Teacher of the Truth. He is known as Shakyamuni, as Gautama, as Siddhartha, and is the founder of a mighty faith, followed by millions of the human race. In him Vishnu teaches vast multitudes of non -Aryan peoples.
10. Kalki the Avatara who shall close the Kali Yuga, and whose coming is yet in the future. When He comes, the Satya Yuga, will return to earth, a new cycle will begin. The development and perfection of the human type is indicated by these Avataras.
(Quotes of authorities translated from Sanskrit):
” Within Thy Form, O God, the Gods I see, All grades of being with distinctive marks ; Brahma the Lord, upon His lotus-throne, The Rishis all, and Serpents, the Divine. Rudras, Vasus, Sadhyas and Adityas, Vishvas, the Ashvins, Maruts, Ushmapas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Asuras, In wondering multitudes beholding Thee.” (Bhagvad Gita Xi, 15, 22)
“Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, they call him, and He is the radiant golden-feathered Garutman, Of Him who is one, Sages speak as manifold ; they call him Agni, Yama, Matarishva.” (Rigveda, I, clxiv, 46).
“All the Gods (are) even the Self : all rests on the Self.” (Manusmirti xii, 119).
“Some call Him Agni, others Manu, (others) Prajapati, some Indra. others Life -Breath, others the eternal Brahman.” (Manusmirti xii, 124).
“As from a blazing fire sparks, all similar to each other, spring forth in thousands so from the Indestructible, beloved, various types of being are born, and they also return thither”
“From That are born Breath, Mind, and all the Senses, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, the support of all”
“From that in various ways are born, the Gods, Sadhyas, Men, Beast, Birds.”
“From Sattva wisdom is born, and also greed from Rajah ; negligence and delusion are of Tamah, and also unwisdom.”
“They rise upwards who are settled in Sattva ; the Rajasic dwell in the midmost place. The Tamasic go downwards, enveloped in the vilest
qualities.”“Sattva attacheth to bliss, Rajas to action,*Bhagavad-Gita xiv, 17.
Bharata. Tamalj, verily, having shrouded wisdom, attacheth on the contrary, to heedlessness. (Now) Sattva prevaileth, having overpowered Rajah and Tamak, Bharata ; (now) Rajah (having overpowered) Tamas and Sattva, (now) Tamas, (having overpowered) Rajah and Sattva.
“When the wisdom-light streameth forth from all the gates of the body, then it may be known that Sattva is increasing.
“Greed, outgoing energy, undertaking of actions, restlessness, desire these are born of the increase of Rajah, best of the Bharatas.
“Darkness, stagnation and heedlessness, and also delusion these are born of the increase of Tamah, joy of the Kurus.”
“When dharma decays, when adharma is exalted then I Myself come forth;
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, for firmly establishing dharma, I am born from age to age.