Hinduism, the universal way of life, is practised by more than one billion people the world over. Adherents of the Hindu faith comprise a sixth of the global population. Available records tell us that it is the oldest religious order in the world, with an unbroken history of at least seven thousand years.[1] A person who follows Hinduism is called a ‘Hindu’ but we must remember that this term is more a geographical indicator than a religious one.
For practical purposes, we say that Hinduism is a ‘religion’ but its framework is different from the Semitic (or Abrahamic) idea of religion.[2]
Hinduism is arguably the most profound, most diverse, and most sophisticated system of religio-philosophical thought and practice in the world.
In its original and purest form, Hinduism is Sanātana-dharma, which can be roughly translated as ‘timeless tradition’ or ‘eternal way of life’ or ‘ageless global ethic.’[3] It has been drawn from Nature and remains free of space-time constraints. But in the practical application of Sanātana-dharma, we adopt specific spatiotemporal frames.
Where and when did Hinduism start?
We don’t know. We are unsure about its origins. Sanātana-dharma is older than the idea of religion. It has no single founder. The revelations of several seers—both men (ṛṣis) and women (ṛṣikās)—make up its foundational treatises.[4] Hinduism does not have a single ‘Holy Book’ nor a single ‘God’ nor a ‘prophet.’ What one may call as Hindu scriptures are numerous and variegated.* They are composed in the Sanskrit language, the fountainhead for many languages of Greater India.[5]
Our ancestors did not know the term ‘Hinduism.’ Even today, many of the common people of our land do not know it. Strictly speaking, the ancient way of life in India has no name. The reason we give a name to something is to distinguish it from another of the same kind. But when only one exists, what is the purpose of a name![6]
Similarly, the ancient language of India was just called bhāṣā—‘language’—and only later was it given the name ‘Sanskrit[7].’
So we must remember that ‘Sanātana-dharma’ (or ‘Hinduism’) is a general name and not a specific one. We use these appellations merely for convenience.
Sanātana-dharma
The dictionary gives the following meanings for the word sanātana[8] –
sanātana adj. 1 Perpetual, constant, eternal, permanent. 2 Firm, fixed, settled. 3 Primeval, ancient.
From linguistic and cultural viewpoints, the word sanātana is a symbol of an unbiased, non-dogmatic, universal spirit.
There are some words like dharma that do not have a simple, one-word equivalent in English. In such cases, it is best to retain the original Sanskrit word instead of giving an inaccurate one-word equivalent!
We can try to capture the spirit of ‘dharma’ in English by calling it ‘righteousness,’ ‘way of life,’ ‘global ethic,’ ‘moral principle,’ ‘justice,’ ‘nature,’ ‘charity,’ etc.
The dictionary gives the following meanings for the word dharma[9] –
dharmaḥ 1 …the customary observances [of different groups] 2 Law, usage, practice, custom, ordinance, statute. 3 Religious or moral merit, virtue, righteousness, good works (regarded as one of the four ends of human existence). 4 Duty, prescribed course of conduct. 5 Right, justice, equity, impartiality. 6 Piety, propriety, decorum. 7 Morality, ethics. 8 Nature, disposition, character. 9 An essential quality, peculiarity, characteristic property, (peculiar) attribute. 10 Manner, resemblance, likeness…
The word dharma signifies all these concepts put together. In a nutshell, we can say that dharma is the principle of sustenance.[10] If we are forced to provide a single-word equivalent in English, we may use the word ‘sustainability.’
The literal meaning of Sanātana-dharma is ‘eternal sustainability’ and a reasonable approximation of the implied meaning is ‘ancient Indian way of life’—or even ‘Indian Culture,’ roughly speaking.
While defining the words ‘sanātana’ and ‘dharma,’ there was no mention of a Supreme Being (god). There was no allusion to a special messenger of the divine (prophet) nor any sacred text (holy book); there was neither a reference to a ‘chosen people’ (the faithful) nor to ‘non-believers’ (infidels[11]).
In other words, while defining Sanātana-dharma, we mentioned nothing connected to faith, dogma, doctrine, or religion.
The very definition of Sanātana-dharma suggests a universal approach to understanding life: observing nature, comprehending facts, and realizing values through first-hand experience. The bedrock of ancient Indian thought has been rational enquiry, but not in a narrow, reductionist sense.
Having said that, we will do well to remember that Sanātana-dharma makes allowance for all kinds of faiths, beliefs, and traditions – a Supreme Being, various gods and goddesses, divinely-inspired seers, a multitude of scriptures, a diverse array of rituals and customs, belief in rebirth, social classification, festivals, multiple forms of worship, and so forth.
Let us return to rational enquiry now.
We shall begin by exploring the absolute basics of consciousness – something that each and every one of us experiences directly.
[1] See the writings of S Srikanta Sastri, Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Michel Danino, Shrikant G Talageri, Navaratna S Rajaram, David Frawley, et al. to know more about the hoary antiquity of the Vedas.
[2] The defining features of Semitic/Abrahamic religions (which include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are the following:
• Unquestioning belief in an exclusive divine person: God, who is an individual and not an impersonal metaphysical essence.
• God is an elderly patriarch (not a female nor a young person let alone non-human), a father-figure who resides in Heaven (not elsewhere); His eternal nemesis is Satan, evil incarnate.
• God is superior to humans and Heaven is superior to earth; God, humans, and the world are forever separate (philosophy of extreme dualism).
• God is the creator of the world, a patriarchal monarch who lords over the universe; He is the law-giver and the ultimate judge (religion is therefore inseparable from divine monarchy).
• God created man in His own image and created the world (including women) for man’s enjoyment.
• The Divine Will of the ruler-God is revealed to the people through a male Prophet (special divine messenger), who alone is capable of being mediating between God and man (religion therefore equals obeying the Will of God; humans do not have free will and thus, uniformity is lauded and diversity is abhorred).
• The revelations of prophets are recorded in a Holy Book (the single authoritative source for the religion); and in the case of Islam, the Prophet of God is the last prophet and there can be nobody after him.
• There is a clear distinction between sacred and profane as laid out in the Holy Book; God rewards the sacred and punishes the profane (emphasis is more on creed than conduct).
• People who believe in all the principles of the religion are the faithful while those who do not have faith are infidels, who must either be converted (which takes place through proselytization) or killed (which takes places by Holy War).
• Apostasy (formal disaffiliation from or abandonment of the religion) is punishable by expulsion from home, confiscation of property, imprisonment, or even death.
• During the Last Judgment (or Judgment Day), all humans who have ever lived will be judged by God; those who adhered to the teachings of the Holy Book are granted salvation (eternal stay in heaven) or damnation (eternal stay in hell)—the focus is more on the afterlife than the present life.
• In general, art, idolatry, humour directed against religion, making friends with infidels (or marrying them), following a lifestyle slightly varying from the Holy Book (even in food and clothing, let alone sexual orientation), intellectual freedom rooted in universal experience, etc. are not tolerated to the point of being punishable by religious law.
[Needless to say, there are minor variations in tenets between the three main Abrahamic religions but the aforementioned maxims give a broad picture of their school of thought.]
[3] In Ṛg-veda-saṃhitā 3.3.1, we see the phrase “sanatā dharmāṇi” (eternal principles). Also see –
satyaṃ brūyāt priyaṃ brūyān-na brūyāt satyam apriyam।
priyaṃ ca nānṛtaṃ brūyād-eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ॥
—Manu-smṛti 4.138
cātur-vedye ca ye proktāś-cātur-hotre ca bhārata।
sāṅkhye yoge ca niyatā ye ca dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ॥
—Mahābhārata 12.50.32
parasparābhisaṃrakṣā rājñā rāṣṭreṇa cāpadi।
nityam eveha kartavyā eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ॥
—Mahābhārata 12.128.30
[4] It is noteworthy that men and women enjoyed similar kinds of privileges in the pre-Buddha period. A simple example should suffice to show the respect accorded to women: it is perhaps only in Hinduism that we have female deities (to the extent of having a śākta cult that only worships the goddess), female seers whose compositions are part of the Vedas (the foremost revealed scriptures of Hinduism), and even female rulers (all the way down to Prime Ministers and Presidents of many countries that were part of Greater India). See Great Women of India, edited by Swami Madhavananda and Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2014)
[5] While the primary sources of Sanātana-dharma are in Sanskrit, there are many sacred compositions in the major languages of India that capture the essence of the primary texts and these compositions are revered just like the scriptures. For example, Divya-prabandhams and Tevārams (Tamil), vacanas and dāsara-padas (Kannada), abhaṅgs (Marathi), etc.
[6] Sarasvatī, Candraśekharendra. Aspects of our Religion. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1966. pp. 1–2
[7] The word ‘saṃskṛta’ (anglicized as ‘Sanskrit’) is explained as saṃyak kṛtam iti saṃskṛtam—‘made perfect,’ ‘refined,’ ‘cultivated,’ ‘polished,’ etc.
[8] Apte, V S. The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan, 1957–59, p. 1617
[9] Ibid., p. 857
[10] Dharma comes from the word-root √dhṛ–dhāraṇe, meaning ‘to bear,’ ‘to support,’ ‘to possess,’ ‘to hold.’
[11] Semitic religions have branded (in their Holy Books, no less) adherents of other religions as ‘enemies.’ Hinduism has also identified its enemies; they are known as the ari-ṣaḍ-varga (‘class of six opponents’) – kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (obsession), mada (intoxication, arrogance), mātsarya (envy). See Bhagavad-gītā 16.21
To be continued.
