Author: Dhamu Chodavarapu
Publication: Organiser
Date: July 9, 2006
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=138&page=19
Other day I went to buy morning bread, there
a lady, said to me, "Are you not the person who writes in Nordjyske,
a Danish newspaper? I could not deny. She went on, "You put words on
our thoughts. Keep it on, why not write on Hinduism, we know nothing of it."
I said, "If I am to write on Hinduism, the newspaper has to give special
addition, but I will see if I can within the space allotted to me."
Hinduism is not a religion in its traditional
understanding. All religions have a God and people worshipping in submissive
way, following do's and don't do's, dictated by Him in their daily life. But
Hinduism does not prescribe any such.
Hinduism is life style, where human beings
are exalted to God himself. Thereby it is atheistic religion, no God, everyone
is God. All living beings, human, animals and plants do have an element of
God, the soul and again a part of a kind of suzerainty.
Before 1829, there was no word as Hinduism.
It was Christian missionaries that coined the name Hinduism to corner and
identify of the religion.
It was known to Indians as lifestyle according
to Vedas. The term "Veda" means wisdom to understand and to know
oneself. In Vedanta, popularly called as Hinduism, maya, the unwisdom, a kind
of mental darkness, covers the Godly element, as ash covers the embers, needs
to be blown out to come to it.
Therefore, we have no 10 commands nor any
do this and that. It is all left to each individual how to blow the ash away.
It is both very good and very bad. It promotes
individual capabilities but the collective society weakens, looses. It was
therefore completely incomprehensive in any religious understandings. If the
man can control himself, what God is to do? Muslims gave up to understand
and used sword to convert Hindus and Christians.
Very heinous and barbaric crime is to deprive
human to think and take decision. It was/is exactly why Indian society was
so much divided, never was a unique unit. Every individual made a stall for
himself, it is what we know now is caste system. Indian society was divided
in various stalls without contact to the other. Wiser exploits unwise. This
was the backside of the medal. All religions try to create a uniform society
at the cost of individual freedom and have a rigid central control.
The present Christianity in the West, is slowly
moving towards Vedanta understanding while Islam still waiting.
The central element in Hinduism is all moves
in cycle around suzerainty, with no beginning and no end. There was nothing
that evolves into an other soul. It was time when dinosaurs were dominating,
now it is human beings are dominating the earth. No indication that human
beings were not there, at dinosaurs' time.
The Hindu trinity, the creator, Brahma, did
not create the human being on one fine morning at 5 o'clock, but a thought
is created, an action is taken, a possibility opens up by Brahma, and Vishnu
sees it conducted perfected, while Shiva ends it. Then all start again, that
is how mathematical zero, was born in Hindu thinking. Karma ones behaviour,
decides ones future.
Rebirth, therefore, is not ununderstandable
thought but a natural part of life. A man is born again as man, cow as cow,
likewise, as we all know there are no DNA between man and animals.
Dharma, another central point in Hinduism,
is a kind of human behaving plan. It is neither, nor was decided by any central
body, but by every individual for himself. It needs wisdom. It can be achieved
by studying, listening and understanding the epics of Hindu and performing
certain rituals, meditation and puja. It gives clarification to clarify the
behaviour of humans in all situations.
What praying means to me: It is to get contact
with God, who is in me. The few seconds contact, I achieve, gives me a state
of mind, where I can identify myself completely with God and feel His presence
in me, knowing fully well I am too a part of Him. As if some thing of me comes
out as God and sometimes I talk to Him. It always ends with "I can do
it."
Hinduism demands all to carry their duties
and take responsibility; therefore anybody can be a Hindu. It is, therefore,
causing many suffocations and indigestion to Muslims and Christian Missionaries
to convert Hindus by augmentations.
(The author who contributes frequently in
Danish newspapers has sent the English version of his latest article. He can
be contacted at Kajmunksvej 21, DK 9600 Aars, Denmark.)
