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Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith... |
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Sanatana
Dharma - "The Eternal Dharma (Ethos, Law, Values)" is the traditional
name of Hinduism, alludes to the idea that certain spiritual principles
hold true forever, transcending man-made constructs and representing a
pure science of consciousness. This consciousness is not merely that of
the body or mind and intellect, but of a transcendental state that exists
within and beyond our somatic existence, the unsullied 'Soul' of all.
Religion to the Hindu is the eternal search for the divine Brahman, translated
as the "Supreme Immanent and Transcendent Truth" or the Cosmic
Spirit. Hinduism is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life.
Hinduism has no founder. The greatness of Hinduism is its Freedom of Thoughts
and Actions. According to Hinduism, all existence, from vegetation to
mankind, are subject to the eternal Dharma, which is the natural law.
Even Heaven - Svarga Loka and Hell - Naraka Loka are temporary. Liberation
from material existence and the cycle of birth and death to join, reach
or develop a relationship with the "universal spirit", is known
as Moksha, which is the ultimate goal of all Hindus. |
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Basic
themes common to the value system of Hindus are the belief in Dharma
- individual ethics, duties and obligations. Samsara - Reincarnation
or rebirth, Karma - "actions", leading to a cause-and-effect
relationship, and Moksha - salvation for every soul through a variety
of paths, such as Bhakti - devotional service, Karma - selfless action
and Jñana - enlightenment, knowledge, Raja - meditation
and belief in God - Ishvara. Reincarnation, or the soul's transmigration
through a cycle of birth and death until it attains Moksha, is governed
by Karma. Anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is One and only
God and One Truth. Hinduism teaches universal peace, brotherhood and tolerance
of other religions, as expressed in the Rig Veda verse: |
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"Ekam
Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti" - Rig Veda 1:164:46
There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways |
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Hindus
believe in One and Only God - Brahman which expresses itself in trillions
of forms. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship
a God with name and form (nama-roopa), since man cannot conceive anything
without any name and form. In fact, in the Shruti scriptures of Hinduism,
God or Brahman has been described as Saguna Brahman (God-Brahman with attributes)
as well as Nirguna Brahman (God-without attributes. In the Upanishads, God
is described as Neti-Neti (not this-not that) method. |
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Hinduism
is more a way of life than a specific religion. In Hinduism one can find
all religions of the world. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being
truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all.
Hindus believe in one God expressed in different forms. For them, God is
timeless and form less entity. Hindus believe in eternal truths and these
truths are opened to anyone who seeks them, even if he or she is ignorant
of Hindu scripture or ideas. This religion also professes Non-violence -
"Ahimsa Paramo Dharma"
- Non violence is the highest duty. True Ahimsa implies curtsey, kindness,
hospitality, humanity and love. |
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During
the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis (scientists of that day)
said there is only One God - Brahman, they found out that laymen could
not understand that concept. So they wrote Itihasas (epics) and Puranas
[mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that when
you worship any God form, you are actually worshiping one and only God
Brahman. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, "Call me by
what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes
to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any
God form is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. |
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A
Hindu can worship as many Gods and Goddesses as he wants because
Hindus believe that all forms of Gods and Goddesses are the manifestations of one god or power. |
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At
the time of death, the body dies but the soul never dies. The soul passes
from one body to another after the death, like a body changes clothes,
the soul goes on taking endless number of bodies; until it pays off all
the karmas attached to the soul. The path the soul takes is decided by
the past actions which as popularly known as "Karmas". After
death the soul seeks an ideal body to be born again. So if you are born
rich or poor - it is because of your actions in your previous life. Thus
the journey of life continues and death with karmas attached to it from
one life to another by undergoing pain or pleasure. The different methods
of god realization provide an easy way to put an end to the drama. Then
the individual soul, which is called "Jeevatman", will merge
with Absolute Soul or Infinite Power [God], popularly known as "Paramatman".
This merging process is called Salvation or Enlightment. |
| Rituals or Samskaras: | |
Rituals
are basically an art of worshipping the God. Vedic Rituals are called Samskaras,
means refinement are carried out throughout the whole life cycle. Hinduism
prescribes both ritual and spiritual practices for the final liberation
of men. The ritual aspect is meant to make man more spiritual in the end.
Each and every important event in the life a Hindu, who has chosen to lead
a normal householder's life calls for the performance of certain rites.
These rites are intended mainly to invoke the blessings of various gods
and ensure success in the performance of his ordained duties. They are performed
during various stages in his life for different ends. There are 16 Samskaras,
details below: |
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Garbhadhana
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Ritual to guarantee conception |
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Pumsavana
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Ritual to protect fetus and to have a boy |
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Simantonnayana
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Ritual at the last month of pregnancy |
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Jatakarana
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Preparation of astrological chart of child |
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Namakarana
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Naming the child |
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Nishkaramana
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Taking the child out of the house for the first time |
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Annaprasana
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First feeding of rice to the child |
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Chudakarana
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First cutting of hair of the child |
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Karnavedha
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Boring ear lobes of the child |
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Vidyarambha
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Beginning of child learning alphabets |
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Upanayana
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Wearing of holy threads by boys |
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Vedarambha
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Commencement of the Vedic studies |
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Keshante
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First shaving of the child's head |
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Samavartana
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Home coming after completion of Vedic Studies |
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Vivaha
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Marriage Rituals |
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Anthyesthi
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Funeral rituals |
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Shraddha
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Rituals
at the time of death, these lasts for 12 days and is carried out to ensure
that the departed soul is at ease and it goes to heaven where there are
lesser difficulties. |
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Tirtha Yatra
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Ritual of going to holy places for purification and redemption from sin. |
| Vedas | |||
The
Vedas are the main scriptural texts of Sanatana Dharma, and are large corpus
of texts originating in Ancient India. Veda means knowledge, the word Veda
came from the root word "vid" meaning "to know". The
Vedas, regarded as ?ruti - meaning what was heard by or revealed, form part
of an oral tradition in the form of an ancient teacher-disciple tradition.
As per Hindu tradition the Vedas were 'revealed' to the Rishis referred
to in the texts, not composed or written by them. Even though many historians
have tried to affix dates to the Vedas there is as yet no common consensus
as there is for the scriptures of other religions. The Vedas are arguably
the oldest surviving oral traditions in the world. They were never written
down until the time of Krishna around 3500 B.C. According to Kanchi Madom
even an enquiry into how old is Vedas, is improper because they are eternal
truths. The Vedanta and Mimamsa schools of Hindu philosophy assert that
the Vedas are apaurusheya -"unauthored", that is, they have neither
human nor divine origin, and are eternal in nature. As per Hindu tradition,
the sage Vedavyasa divided the Vedas into Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda,
and Atharva-Veda at the beginning of the Kali Yuga. The 4 Vedas are: |
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Rig Veda
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Knowledge of Hymns | 10589 verses | |
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Yajur Veda
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Knowledge of Liturgy | 3988 verses | |
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Sama Veda
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Knowledge of Music | 1549 verses | |
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Atharva Veda
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Knowledge given by Sage Athrvana | 6000 Verses | |
| Brahmanas | |||
The
Brahmanas are part of the Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and
the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic
period or age approximately between 900 BCE and 500 BCE. They are essentially
commentaries of the Vedas, explaining Vedic ritual. The earliest Brahmanas
may have been written several centuries earlier, contemporary to the Yajurveda
commentary prose, but they have only survived in fragments. Each Brahmana
is associated with one of the four Vedas, and within the tradition of that
Veda with a particular shakha or school: |
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Rig
Veda - Shakala shakha: Aitareya Brahmana & Bashkala shakha: Kaushitaki
Brahmana
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Sama
Veda - Kauthuma & Jayminiya - Jayminiya Brahmana
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Yajur
Veda - Krishna - Maitrayani,Carakakatha, Kapisthalakatha & Taittiriya
Brahmana
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Yajur
Veda - Shukla - Vajasaneyi Madhyandina: Shatapatha Brahmana, Madhyadina
& Kanva: Shatapatha Brahmana, Kanva recension
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Atharva
Veda - Paippalada: Gopatha Brahmana
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| Aranyakas | |||
The
Aranyakas are part of the Sruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes
argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. The name translates
to "the forest books", meaning, treatises for hermits or sadhus
living in the wilderness. This contrasts with the grhyasutras, treatises
intended for domestic life. Their language is early Classical Sanskrit,
and together with the bulk of the Upanishads, the Aranyakas form the basis
of Vedanta, roughly dating to a few centuries before the Common Era. |
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The
Aranyakas discuss philosophy and sacrifice. They are believed to have originated
with the various mystical ascetic groups that developed in post-Vedic India.
The Aranyakas constitute a more philosophical and mystical interpretation
of the themes presented in the Vedas, as opposed to the Brahmanas, which
were primarily concerned with the proper performance of ritual. Like the
Upanishads, the Aranyakas may have initially constituted a secret or hidden
teaching, not in the sense of being forbidden or restricted, but rather
being both a non-obvious expansion on the themes of the Vedas and a teaching
that was primarily conveyed individually from teacher to student. The Aranyakas
are associated with and named after individual Vedic shakhas: |
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| The Atharvaveda has no surviving Aranyaka, although indications are that there did exist Araynaka works attached to this Veda in the past. | |||
| Upanishads | |||
The
Upanishads also known as Vedanta and Srutisira are part of the Vedas and
primarily discuss philosophy, meditation and nature of God; they form the
core spiritual thought of Vedantic Hinduism. The Upanishads are mystic or
spiritual contemplations of the Vedas, their putative end and essence, and
thus known as Vedanta - "the end or culmination of the Vedas".
The Upanishads were composed over several centuries. The roots of many Indian
religions are built upon the foundation of the Upanishads. The term Upanishad
means literally "those who sit near" and implies listening closely
to the secret doctrines of a spiritual teacher. |
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The
Upanishads are also called the Vedanta. The literary meaning of Vedanta
is "the end of the Vedas." But the spiritual meaning of Vedanta
is "the cream of the Vedas, the pick of the inner lore, the aim, the
goal of the inner life. In the Upanishads the spiritual meanings of the
Vedic texts are brought out and emphasized in their own right. According
to our Indian tradition, there were once one thousand one hundred and eighty
Upanishads. Each came from one branch, shakha, of the Vedas. Out of these,
two hundred Upanishads made their proper appearance, and out of these two
hundred, one hundred and eight Upanishads are now traceable. |
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The
thirteen principal Upanishads are: Isha, Katha, Kena, Prasna, Mundaka,
Mandukya, Chandogya, Brhadaranyaka, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Svetasvatara,
Kaivalya, and Maitri. The message of the Upanishads is the life
divine, the life of transformed humanity, and the life of an illumined earth-consciousness.
The Upanishads tell us that the renunciation of desire-life is the fulfilling
enjoyment of world-existence. This renunciation is neither self-denial nor
self-rejection. This renunciation demands the transcendence of ego to breathe
in freely the life-energy of the soul and yet to live a dynamic and active
life in the world where one can achieve Infinity's Height, Eternity's Delight,
and Immortality's Light. |
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Upanishads
are texts revealing ultimate truths by different saints. Upanishads teach
that there is One and Only thing that is BRAHMAN. You and I are just reflections
of Brahman. Or we are indeed God... Upanishads teach us "Tat Tvam Asi"
- That Thou Art. In fact, the word Upanishad can be broken down as upa (near)
ni (down) shad (sit) meaning that teachings of Upanishads were conveyed
from masters to students when students sat very next to masters and nobody
overheard those teachings. |
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Vedangas |
Upa
Vedas
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The
Vedanga are six Angas, explanatory limbs or auxiliary disciplines for understanding
Vedas. They are Vedic supplements. The Vedangas are first mentioned in the
Mundaka Upanishad as topics to be observed by students of the Vedas. Later,
they developed into independent disciplines, each with its own corpus of
Sutras. |
The
word, Upa-Veda, comes from 'Upa' - subsidiary and 'Veda' - sacred knowledge.
The Upa-Vedas are like appendices to the knowledge of the Vedas. A class
of texts on sacred sciences, composed by rishis over the course of time
to amplify and apply the Vedic knowledge. |
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Siksha
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Phonetics and phonology (sandhi) |
Ayurveda
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Hindu science of health and longevity |
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Nirukta
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Etymology |
Dharnur
Veda
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Hindu science of archery and war |
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Vyakarana
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Sanskrit grammar |
Gandharva
Veda
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Hindu science of Music |
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Chhandas
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Measurements |
Artha
Shastra
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Hindu science of governing by Kings |
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Kalpa
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Rituals and legal matters | ||
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Jyotisha
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Astrology and Astronomy | ||
| Darsanas | |||
Darsanas
are schools of philosophy based on the Vedas. The Agamas are theological.
The Darsana literature is philosophical. The Darsanas are meant for the
erudite scholars who are endowed with acute acumen, good understanding,
power of reasoning and subtle intellect. The Itihasas, Puranas and Agamas
are meant for the masses. The Darsanas appeal to the intellect, while the
Itihasas, Puranas, etc., appeal to the heart. Philosophy has six divisions—Shad-Darsana—the
six Darsanas or ways of seeing things, usually called the six systems or
six different schools of thought. The six schools of philosophy are the
six instruments of true teaching or the six demonstrations of Truth. Each
school has developed, systematised and correlated the various parts of the
Vedas in its own way. Each system has its Sutrakara, i.e., the one great
Rishi who systematised the doctrines of the school and put them in short
aphorisms or Sutras |
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Nyaya
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Sage Gautama wrote Nyaya sutras |
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Vaisheshika
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Sage Kanada wrote Vaisheshika sutra |
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Samkhya
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Sage Kapila Gita starts with this philosophy |
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Yoga
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Sage Patanjali wrote Patanjali Yogasutra |
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Mimamsa
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Sage Jaimini wrote Mimamsa Sutra |
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Vedanta
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Sage Veda Vyasa |
Gautama
Rishi systematised the principles of Nyaya or the Indian logical system.
Kanada composed the Vaiseshika Sutras. Kapila Muni founded the Sankhya system.
Patanjali Maharshi is the first systematiser of the Yoga school; he composed
his Yoga Sutras. The Yoga-Darsana of Patanjali is a celebrated text-book
on Raja Yoga. Jaimini, a disciple of Vyasa, composed the Sutras of the Mimamsa
school which is based on the ritual-sections of the Vedas. Badarayana composed
his famous Vedanta-Sutras or Brahma-Sutras which expound the teachings of
the Upanishads. The different schools of the Vedanta have built their philosophy
on the foundation of these Sutras. |
| Vedanta | |||
Vedanta
is a school of philosophy. The word Vedanta is a compound of veda "knowledge"
and anta "end, conclusion", translating to "the culmination
of the Vedas". Ved?nta is also called Uttara Mimamsa, or the latter
enquiry, and is often paired with Purva Mimamsa, the former enquiry. Purva
Mimamsa, usually simply called Mimamsa, deals with explanations of the fire-sacrifices
of the Vedic mantras, in the Samhita portion of the Vedas and Brahmanas,
while Vedanta explicates the esoteric teachings of the ?ra?yakas and the
Upanishads, composed from ca. the 6th century BC until modern times. |
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Vedanta
is one of the world's most ancient religious philosophies and one of its
broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms
the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.
Vedanta is the philosophical foundation of Hinduism; but while Hinduism
includes aspects of Indian culture, Vedanta is universal in its application
and is equally relevant to all countries, all cultures, and all religious
backgrounds. |
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| The
Vedanta is the most satisfactory system of philosophy. It has been evolved
out of the Upanishads. It has superseded all other schools. The Mimamsa
school has laid great stress on rituals, or Karma Kanda. According to the
Mimamsa school, Karma or ritual is all-in-all in the Veda. Upasana (worship)
and Jnana (knowledge) are only accessories to Karma. This view is refuted
by the Vedanta school. According to the Vedanta, Self-realisation (Jnana)
is the foremost thing, and ritual and worship are accessories. Karma will
take one to heaven which is only an impermanent place of refined sensual
enjoyment. Karma cannot destroy the cycle of births and deaths, and cannot
give eternal bliss and immortality. |
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Advaita
Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedanta, the other major sub-schools being
Dvaita and Visishtadvaita. Advaita literally non-duality is often called
a monistic system of thought. The word "Advaita" essentially refers
to the identity of the Self - Atman and the Whole - Brahman. The key source
texts for all schools of Vedanta are the Prasthanatrayi - the canonical
texts consisting of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita and the Brahma Sutras.
The first person to explicitly consolidate the principles of Advaita Vedanta
was Adi Shankara. |
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Dvaita
originally called Tattvavada, founded by Shri Madhvacharya, stresses a strict
distinction between God - Vishnu and the individual living beings - jivas.
According to Madhva, souls are not 'created' by God but do, nonetheless
depend on him for their existance. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains
dualism in his book, Dancing with Siva, by stating that in dualism, God
is seen as the efficient cause of the universe and not as the material cause.
He is the potter causing the clay to emerge, rather than serving as the
source of the clay itself. |
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Vishishtadvaita
is monism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone exists, but is
characterised by multiplicity. It is a school of Vedanta philosophy which
believes in all diversity subsuming to an underlying unity. Ramanuja, the
main proponent of Visishtadvaita philosophy contends that the Prasthana
Traya i.e. the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and The Brahma Sutras are
to be interpreted in way that shows this unity in diversity, for any other
way would violate their consistency. Visishtadvaita philosophy of Ramanuja
provided the philosophical basis for the establishment of Sri Vaishnavism
and gave Vedantic backing to the brimming devotion of the Alwar saints and
their composition of wonderful poetry and devotional songs in praise of
Lord Vishnu. VisishtAdvaita, which stands for "Advaita, qualified by
chit-achit visishtam" is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. |
| Itihasa | |||
Itihasa,
literally meaning that which happened is the word for History. The word
is often used within India to refer to Hindu Epics, Mahakavyas such as Ramayana
and Mahabharata. |
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| Ramayana | |||
One
of the most important literary works on ancient India, the Ramayana has
had a profound impact on art and culture in the Indian Subcontinent. The
story of Rama also inspired a large amount of later-day literature in various
languages. Valmiki's Ramayana, the oldest and most widely read version of
Ramayana is the basis of all the various version of Ramayana that are prevalent
in the various cultures. Valmiki Ramayana has been traditionally divided
into seven books, dealing with the life of Rama from his birth to his death.
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| In
his Ramayana, Valmiki expresses his view of human code of conduct through
Rama: life is evanescent and the hedonistic approach to it is meaningless.
However, that should not allow one to be indifferent to one's own rights
and duties laid down in the ancient texts. He thus adopts the view that
Dharma is what is proclaimed in the Veda and it should be followed for its
own sake, not for what it brings you in pain or pleasure. Doing this will
ensure one's welfare in this and the next world. In addition, Ramayana also
reinforces the need for thinking about the consequences before making promises,
for if you make them you must keep them, no matter how hard it may be. |
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| Mahabharata | |||
| With
its vast philosophical depth and sheer magnitude, a consummate embodiment
of the ethos of not only India but of Hinduism and Vedic tradition, the
Mahabharata's scope and grandeur is best summarized by one quotation from
the beginning of its first parva (section): "What is found here, may
be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere."
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| In
its scope, the Mahabharata is more than simply a story of kings and princes,
sages and wisemen, demons and gods; its author, Vyasa, says that one of
its aims is elucidating the four goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth),
dharma (duty) and moksha (liberation). The story culminates in moksha, believed
by many Hindus to be the ultimate goal of human beings. Karma and dharma
play an integral role in the Mahabharata. |
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| The
epic is traditionally ascribed to Maha Rishi Veda Vyasa, who is one of the
major dynastic characters within the epic. The first section of the Mahabharata
states that it was Ganesha who, at the behest of Vyasa, fixed the text in
manuscript form. Lord Ganesha is said to have agreed, but only on condition
that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa then put a counter-condition
that Ganesha understand whatever he recited, before writing it down. In
this way Vyasa could get some respite from continuously speaking by saying
a verse which was difficult to understand. |
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| Apart
from 18 parvas there is a section of poems in the form of an appendix with
16,375 verses which is known as Harivamsa Parva. So in total there are 19
Parvas, even though many saints do not consider the last Parva as an important
parva. The Bhagavad Gita is part and parcel of Mahabharata. |
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The
most important part of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad-Gita. It is a marvellous
dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battle-field, before the
commencement of the great war. Bhagavan Sri Krishna became the charioteer
of Arjuna. Sri Krishna explained the essentials of Hindu religion to Arjuna.
Just as the Upanishads contain the cream of the Vedas, so does the Gita
contain the cream of the Upanishads. The Gita is the most precious jewel
of Hindu literature. It is a universal gospel. The Gita teaches the Yoga
of Synthesis. It ranks high in the religious literature of the world. |
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| Yogavasishtha | |||
Yoga
Vasishtha is an ancient scripture narrated by sage Vasistha to Rama. A unique
and an extremely profound discourse, that provides innumerable insights
and secrets to the inner world of consciousness. This extremely huge scripture
covers all the topics that relate to the spiritual study of a seeker. This
scripture is a must read for anyone trying to understand the concepts of
consciousness, creation of the world, the multiple universes in this world,
our perception of world, dissolution of the world and the liberation of
this soul. Yoga Vasistha propounds that everything from the blade of grass
to the universes is all but consciousness alone. There is naught else but
consciousness. It expounds the non-dual approach to this creation. |
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Rama,
the eldest son of Dasaratha, after completing a piligrimage of holy places
returns to the palace. He is constantly found wandering in thoughts and
completely disenchanted with the worldly life and the pleasures of the kingdom.
This surprises and concerns the father king dasaratha. One day, in his court
arrives the great sage Visvamitra. Visvamitra requests Dasaratha to send
Rama with him while he conducts his yagna. He wants Rama to fight the demons
who would disrupt the yagna. When Dasaratha expresses his other concern
about Rama's sudden change in behaviour. Vasistha then asks for Rama to
be brought before him. Rama is then brought to the palace and king Dasaratha
asks Rama, as to what is bothering him? Rama then explains his disenchantment
with the worldly things and expresses sadness at the miserable life as a
wordly man. The ensuing answer to Rama's questions forms the entire scripture
that is Yoga Vasistha. |
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| Harivamsa | |||
Harivamsa,
in Sanskrit "the dynastic history of Hari ie. Vishnu", is a Hindu
mythological text written in Sanskrit. Harivamsa is a kind of appendix to
the Mahabharata, that runs to 16,375 verses and focuses specifically on
the life of Lord Krishna. Along with the Ramaya?a and Yogavasishtha, the
Harivamsa is considered to belong to the category of Hindu scripture known
as itihasa, or 'history'. Harivamsa takes its name from Hari, the well-known
epithet of Vishnu, of whom Krishna is considered to be an avatar. Harivamsa
includes many details of Krishna's youth and upbringing not found elsewhere
in Hindu itihaas. |
| Puranas | |||
Purana,
meaning "ancient" or "old" is the name of a genre, or
a group of related genres of Indian written literature as distinct from
oral literature. Its general themes are history, tradition and religion.
It is usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another.
Puranas are called the Vedas of the common folk, for they present the mysteries
through myth and legend. |
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They
have five characteristics (Pancha-Lakshana) viz., history, cosmology (with
various symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary
creation, genealogy of kings and of Manvantaras. All the Puranas belong
to the class of Suhrit-Samhitas. The Puranas were written to popularise
the religion of the Vedas. They contain the essence of the Vedas. The aim
of the Puranas is to impress on the minds of the masses the teachings of
the Vedas and to generate in them devotion to God, through concrete examples,
myths, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings and great men, allegories
and chronicles of great historical events. The sages made use of these things
to illustrate the eternal principles of religion. The Puranas were meant,
not for the scholars, but for the ordinary people who could not understand
high philosophy and who could not study the Vedas. |
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| There are eighteen main Puranas and an equal number of subsidiary Puranas or Upa-Puranas. The main Puranas are: |
| Six
puranas addressed to Lord Vishnu are: 1-Vishnu Purana 2-Narada Purana 3-Srimad Bhavata Purana 4-Garuda Purna 5-Padma Purana 6-Varaha Purana |
Six
Puranas --addressed to Lord Siva are: 1-Matsya Purana 2-Kurma Purana 3-Linga Purana 4-Vayu Purana 5-Skanda Purana 6-Agni Purana |
Six Puranas
addressed to Lord Brahma are: 1-Brahma Purana 2-Brahanda Purana 3-Brahma-Vaivasvata Puranaor Brahma-Vaivarta Purana 4-Markandeya Purana 5-Bhavishya Purana 6-Vamana Purana |
The
best among the Puranas are the Srimad Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana. The
most popular is the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. The Srimad Bhagavata Purana
is a chronicle of the various Avataras of Lord Vishnu. |
||
The
eighteen Upa-Puranas are: Sanatkumara, Narasimha, Brihannaradiya, Sivarahasya,
Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya,
Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa and Hamsa.
|
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| Ashramas: The four stages of life | |||
In
Hinduism, human life is believed to comprise four stages. These are called
"Ashramas" and every man should ideally go through each of these
stages. Meritorious way of life particular to each of the four stages of
life, following which one lives in harmony with nature and life, allowing
the body, emotions and mind to develop and undergo their natural cycles
in a most positive way. The four stages may be said to represent periods
of Preparation, Production, Service and Retirement. Deeper Hindu thinking
suggests, however, that there is also a natural progression of these values
so that one should grow toward more fundamental interests. This movement
toward more enduring and satisfying values has been institutionalized in
the understanding of the four stages of life. |
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| Brahmacharya: The Celibate Student | |||
This
is a period of formal education. Student, usually between 12 and 24 years
of age, during which, the young male leaves home to stay with a guru and
attain both spiritual and practical knowledge. During this period, he is
called a brahmachari, and is prepared for his future profession, as well
as for his family, and social and religious life ahead. The goal is to acquire
knowedge, build character and learn to shoulder resonsibilities.
|
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| Grihastha: The Married Family Man | |||
This
period begins when a man gets married, and undertakes the responsibility
for earning a living and supporting his family. At this stage, Hinduism
supports the pursuit of wealth (artha) as a necessity, and indulgence in
sexual pleasure (kama), under certain defined social and cosmic norms. This
ashrama lasts until around the age of 50. According to the Laws of Manu,
when a person's skin wrinkles and his hair greys, he should go out into
the forest. However, in real life, most Hindus are so much in love with
this second ashrama that the Grihastha stage lasts a lifetime! This
stage of the householder after the 'Gurukula Vasa' he graduates himself
into the mundane world, taking a wife to assist him in his performance of
Dharmic duties. People in the other three Ashramas heavily lean on the Grihasta
for support and sustenance required to carry out their respective duties.
The Grihasta earns his livelihood by whatever a vocation befitting his being
a member of his group, raising children, supporting his own family, kith
and kin besides the persons performing their duties in the other three Ashramas.
In this ashrama an individual pays three debts - service of God, serving
sages and saints and to ancestors and enjoys good and noble things in life
in accordace with Artha-Kama-Moksha. |
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| Vanaprastha: The Hermit in Retreat | |||
This stage of a man begins when his duty as a householder comes to an end:
A stage comes when business, family, secular life like the beauties and
hopes of youth have exhausted themselves and need to be left behind. Become
a grandfather, his children are grown up, and have established lives of
their own. At this age, he should renounce all physical, material and sexual
pleasures, retire from his social and professional life, leave his home,
and go to live in a forest hut, spending his time in prayers. He is allowed
to take his wife along, but is supposed to maintain little contact with
the family. This kind of life is indeed very harsh and cruel for an aged
person. No wonder, this third ashrama is now nearly obsolete. This stage
of Elder Advisor usually between 48 and 72 years of age. The person retires
usually from worldly attachments to lead a life of contemplation and meditation
alone or with his wife. What life holds beyond middle age depends in the
end not on fancy and imagination but on the realities of the values of life
we regard as inviolable. Vanaprasta may be termed as the beginning of a
person's real 'adult education' to evaluate his performance thus for as
Grihasta and reorder his life in such a way as to discover who he is and
what life is all about. This is known as ascetic or hermit stage of life.
In this stage one gradually withdraws from active life and begins devoting
more time to study of scriptures, contemplation and meditation. |
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| Sannyasa: The Wandering Recluse | |||
Fourth
stage of an Ascetic - Solitaire - usually beyond 72 years of age. This means
'Samyak Nyasa' - 'Total detachment' from worldly pleasures including the
bare necessities to subsist. This is the last 'Ashrama'. He does not aspire
to be recognized as somebody who matters - The wish of the Sannyasi is just
to be a 'persona non grata'- one who exists almost without giving any thought
to his being - with no desire for name or fame or recognition. At this stage,
a man is supposed to be totally devoted to God. He is a sannyasi, he has
no home, no other attachment; he has renounced all desires, fears and hopes,
duties and responsibilities. He is virtually merged with God, all his worldly
ties are broken, and his sole concern becomes attaining moksha, or release
from the circle of birth and death. Suffice it to say, very few Hindu men
can go up to this stage of becoming a complete ascetic. When he dies, the
funeral ceremonies-Pretakarma are performed by his son and heir.
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| Courtsey: www.mailerindia.com |
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