Goals of Hinduism and Vedantic Text of Hinduism - Essay Example

Goals of Hinduism Hinduism is a major religion and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, originally formed from the ancient Vedic religion. In Hinduism, there are many philosophical schools and diverse areas of devotional and ascetic cults, all of which share and spread the belief of reincarnation, which is the act of a person dying but being reborn again in the future as another person or being. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, meaning that it worships more than one god or goddess; indeed, Hinduism comes with a large pantheon of various deities, many of which have connections to certain aspects of the creation of the world. The Vedic texts of Hinduism, also known as the Vedas, are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism and are essential to the practicing of Hinduism. The Vedic texts make up the four Saṃhitās: the Rigveda contains hymns and songs that are meant to be recited by a designated priest; the Yajurveda has various formulas that are also to be recited by a specific priest; the Samaveda also contains formulas, but instead of being recited, these are to be sung by the designated priest; the fourth and final text is the Atharvaveda, which is a collection of spells, incantations, charms, and hymns. In the songs and hymns, each individual verse is also known as a mantra, which can be recited for certain needs or occasions, much as a prayer would be recited in other religions. These various texts are said to have been passed down from numerous gods and goddesses, as it it believed that humans had no part in their creation. Furthermore, they did not originate as texts, but as words that were heard and then written down. Many practitioners of Hinduism preferred, and still do, to memorize the Vedic texts rather than write them down or keep them as a book because they believe there is an importance of remembering sacred words as opposed to looking them up when they are needed. Since there are no direct origins of the texts, there are many branches of Hinduism that do not trust them, and therefore do not use them in their practices. In orthodox branches of Hinduism, the Vedic texts are regarded as their main spiritual authority. The Vedantic text of Hinduism is essentially an appendix to the Vedic hymns, referring to the Upanishads, which is the most philosophical book of the Vedic texts. Vedantic is thought to mean “the purpose or goal of the Vedas (Prasad, 2004).” Though considered a text, the Vedantic is not confined to a single book, nor is there a definite source for the Vedantic philosophy. Instead, Vedantic philosophy reveals that the most authentic means of knowledge is scriptural evidence; perception, logic, and other methods of obtaining knowledge are thought to be less trustworthy, since the gods and goddesses had a hand in presenting their people with their scriptures. Not only is the Vedantic text philosophical, but it is also instructive, focusing a great portion on the idea of karma. Karma is the belief that the sum of a person’s actions in this life will play a role in their future fate, whether in this lifetime or in the next. The Vedantic text reveals that the Supreme and Ultimate Reality is eternal, self-existent, and transcendent. The concept of God is also present in the Vedantic text, though he is not regarded in the same light as the Christian God, or the god of other Western religions. Tantric, or Tantra, pertains to the worshipping of Shakti, which is the divine feminine creative power, though it also represents fertility. “Tantra deals primarily with spiritual practices and ritual forms of worship, which aim at liberation from ignorance and rebirth (Van Lysebeth, 2002).” The Tantric view of the universe is that the world we live in is nothing more than the manifestation of the divine energy of the God that created and maintains this world. The Tantric view goes on to divulge that Tantra is undergone to ritually channel the energy of the world and to use it in creative ways. Ritual is a very important part of Tantra, and is often seen in the form of yoga, which is a sacred practice in Hinduism. The implementing of ritual in the practices of Hinduism allow practitioners to become closer with their gods and goddesses, bringing them closer through a spiritual exercise. By using the divine power, which is also known as prana, that can be found in the Earth and in the bodies of human beings, Hindus are able to use the energy to achieve certain spiritual or physical goals. During these rituals to access the divine energy, it is common for practitioners to use yoga, as previously mentioned, as well as visualizations of specific deities and mantras. All of these tools are used to help center and focus the attention of the practitioner on the goal that they wish to achieve. The sole purpose of tantric exercises and worship is to help a person attain complete control over themselves, as well as every force of nature, to become one with the divine rulers. Tantric exercises must be taught to followers of Hinduism, and their training usually begins with being taught how to meditate, which is often taught and overseen by a guru. Meditation will teach the practitioners how to control their breathing, their thoughts, and the ability to shut themselves off from their surroundings, allowing them to completely focus. After learning how to meditate, practitioners are taught yoga, which teaches how to exercise will over one’s body. From there, the practitioner is able to implement everything into a tantric worship ritual, bringing forth the energy from the Earth and their own body. Dharma, or Dharmimie, is an important concept of Indian philosophy, and is often practiced throughout Hinduism. Dharma refers to the natural order of things, and in the context of Hinduism, it concerns one’s obligations, calling and duties (Hiltebeitel, 2010); in Hinduism, what a person’s dharma is can be dependent of their age, class, occupation, or gender. Dharma reveals that there is a natural order to everything in the world, and that this order should not be upset or disturbed, but adhered to accordingly. Personal liberation, one of the greatest beliefs and attainments of Hinduism, can be accomplished more quickly if one follows and lives accordingly to their dharma. Since Hinduism covers more than religion, being also considered a culture, Hindu society often based the structure of their society on the dharma of each individual person. Ethical codes, rules of castes, and criminal laws were created because of the concept of dharma. There are two principles that have come from dharma: “social life should be structured through well-defined and well-regulated classes, and that an individual’s life within a class should be organized into defined stages (Hay & Embree, 1988).” Adhering to the dharma was an essential and important of Hindu society, and is still considered to be important in Hinduism as a religion. The Bhagavad Gita, also known as Gita, is another scripture found in Hinduism. Oftentimes to be considered as the manual of mankind, the Bhagavad Gita goes well beyond the purposes of religion and attempts to reach humanity as a whole. There are precisely seven hundred verses in the Bhagavad Gita, all of which are taught by Lord Krishna, who, in Hindu tradition, is believed to be the manifestation of God and is referred to as Bhagavan in the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita scripture covers the conversation that takes place between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna while they are on the battlefield awaiting the start of the Kurukshtra War. The prince is confused about the morality of fighting his own cousins, and listens as Lord Krishna explains to him his duties as both a prince and a warrior. Lord Krishna refers to the Vedantic philosophies to help make his point clear to the prince. The Bhagavad Gita not only explains the moralities, or lack thereof, that are found in battle, but also divulges into why warriors must continue to fight. The purpose of war is to bring about universal harmony. While the body may die during battle, the soul is immortal and continues to live on after the body has given up. It is also part of Prince Arjuna’s dharma to be a part of the battle that he does not understand nor agrees with. Lord Krishna convinces the prince to stay, informing him that the world would fall out of order if the prince did not follow what was set down for him in his dharma. As such, the Bhagavad Gita also shows the importance of maintaining order not only in the world, but in the lives of individuals. Bhaktic worship, or simply bhakti, is an act that involves the worshipper becoming fully engaged in a relationship with their god (Pechilis, 2000). Though this term can be used to describe any such relationship in any religion, its origins can be found in Hinduism. The purpose of bhakti is to show that devotion and practice is regarded above ritual; there is no point to ritual, or to any form of worship, unless it is done with the purest and truest of devotion. In Hinduism, bhakti can be shown to Shiva and any gods or goddesses associated with him, Vishnu and his avatars, or to any variety of goddesses. Bhaktic worship is often undergone by means of bhakti yoga or specialized forms of meditation. Hinduism holds very few similarities with Western religions. The most common aspects include the use of religious scriptures and hymns, and the saying of mantras, which can be regarded as pray in many Western religions. The greatest difference is that most Western religions are monotheistic, meaning that they only acknowledge and worship one god. Though there are no bad reasons to practice Hinduism, it is believed that only those with Hindu roots should be allowed to engage in the practices, mainly due to the fact that many of them have grown up knowing the different concepts and philosophies presented in Hinduism. However, one of the best reasons to practice Hinduism is for the connection that it allows people to have with the world, and the knowledge of morality and ethics. Adapting one’s life to Hinduism requires a lot of dedication and letting go of a lot of previously held ideas, mainly those that deal with morality and ethics. The individual must be ready to live their life according to their dharma, as well as uphold everything that they are taught from the scripture. As is the case with any religion, Hinduism is not something that should be taken lightly if the person is serious about practicing it. Meditation and yoga come with the need to be disciplined, and not everyone is willing to reach that level of commitment with a religion. Bibliography Hay, S. & Embree, A.T. (1988). Sources of Indian tradition: Modern India and Pakistan. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press. p215. Hiltebeitel, A. (2010). Dharma. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p.19. Pechilis, K. (2000). The embodiment of Bhakti. New York: Oxford University Press. p.31. Prasad, R. (2004). Vedas: A way of life. Delhi: Pustak Mahal Publishers. p17. Van Lysebeth, A. (2002). Tantra: The cult of the feminine. 2nd ed. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser. p.7. Read More