Hinduism : The Hindu View Of Life

MadanMohan Tarun

-Hinduism is a widely open concept of life

- It has no any particular founder

- It is beyond the concept of ‘ism’ in general

- It believes in sanaatan dharma, the spiritual - universal laws which controls and take care of everything in the universe.

-  It draws no any line between the creator and the creation.

- The whole universe is the manifestation of its creator.

- This creation is complete in itself in every respect –

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते।

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते।।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः।।

-  ईशावास्योपनिषद ,शान्तिपाठः

Om poorNmdah poorNamidam poorNaatpurNmudchyate,

poorNsya  poorNmaaday poorNmevaavashiShyate.

Om, that Brahman is infinite as well as his creation, the universe. The infinite is the product of the infinite. Taking infinite from the infinite, it is the infinite remains alone.

Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

-If everything is complete in itself, nothing is destroyed ever, along with our life. Our absence from the stage of life, known as death, is nothing but the changing time of a new dress for the performance of a new role behind the stage.

- The universe is run under universal rules. The Sun, The moon, the nature as a whole

are tied with these rules to keep the activities of the universe going on without any difficulty.

-In Mahabharata, when Arjun refused to fight with his own relatives, Lord Krishna, who was in role of his chariot driver, reminded him of his duties as a kshhtriya and a warrior, in various way. After finding Arjun adamant to agree with him, he revealed his spiritual self and talked about mysteries of his creation which is duty oriented. Death is like changing one’s old torn clothes to the new one to takeup the new duties. It is only a process of changing old body with the new and fresh one. Lord gives spiritual vision to see his viraat form as a creator and destroyer both. After seeing his various wondrous forms , seen never ever before , mesmerized and frightened  Arjun reveals his feelings   -

पश्यामि देवांस्तव देव देहे सर्वांस्तथा भूतविशेषसङघान् ।

ब्रह्माणमीशं कमलासनस्थ मृषींश्च सर्वानुरगांश्च दिव्यान् ।।15.11

Pashyaami devaanstavdevdehe sarvaanstathaa bhootvisheShsanghaan,

Brahmaanmeesham kamlaasnashta mreenShcha sarvaanurgaanshcha divyaan.15.11

O lord ! I behold all gods and hosts of other beings ,Brahma sitting on the lotus –seat ,Shiva, all Rishis and celestial serpents  within your body.

अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रं पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतोनन्तरूपम् ।

नान्तं न मध्यं न पुनस्तवादिं पश्यामि विश्वेश्वर विश्वरूप ।।16.11

Aneikbaahoodarvaktranetram pashyaami twaamsarvtonantaroopam,

Naantam na madhyam na punastavaadim pashyaami vishweshar vishwaroopa.16.11

O lord of the universe!  I see you endowed with many arms, bellies,  mouths and  eyes expanding all sides without any limit. I see neither your beginning nor the end. I see you in the form of the universe itself.

त्वमक्षरं परमं वेदितव्यं त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं विधानम् ।

त्वमव्ययः शाश्वतधर्मगोप्ता सनातनस्वं पुरुषोमतो मे ।। 18.11

Twamakchharam parmam veditavayam twamasya vishwasya param vidhaanam,

Twamavyayah shaashawatdharmagoptaa sanaatanastwam puruShomto mei.18.11

You are the supreme and infallible, worthy to be known; you are the ultimate refuge of this universe. You are inexhaustible, maintainer of the eternal dharma,you are the eternal supreme personality , in my view.

अनादिमध्यान्तमनतवीर्यमनन्तबाहुं शशिसूर्यनेत्रम् ।

पश्यामि त्वां दीप्तहुताशवक्त्रं स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं तपन्तम् ।।19.11

Anaadimadhyaantmanantveeryamanantbaahum shashisuryanetram,

Pashyaami twaam deeptahutaashvaktram swatejsaa vishwamidam tapantam.19.11

You are without beginning, middle or end, possessing unlimited prowess with countless arms, sun and moon like your eyes, blazing fire coming forth from your mouth and scorching this universe by your radiance.

द्यावापृथ्वोरिदमन्तरं हि व्याप्तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वाः ।

दृष्टाद्भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन् ।।20.11

Dyaavaaprithvoridmantam hi vyaaptam twaikeina dishashcha sarvaah,

driStaadbhutam roopmugram tavedam lokatryam pravyathitam mahaatman.20.11

The sky and the earth and the planets and the space in between are entirely covered only by you. Seeing this wondrous and dreadful form of yours all the three worlds feel greatly alarmed, o the soul of the universe!

.

नभःस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं व्यात्तानननं दीप्त विशालनेत्रम् ।

दृष्टां हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा धृतिम न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ।।24.11

Nabhahsprisham deeptamaneikvarNam vyaattaananam deepta vishaalnetram,

driShtaa hi twaam pravayathitaanraatmaa dhrtim na vindaami shamam ach  viShNo .24.11

 O ViShNo ! seeing your form touching the sky ,your many radiant colors , your wide open mouth , large flaming eyes , I am intensely frightened and  have lost my self control  and the peace of mind and find no place.

यथा नदीनां बहवोऽम्वुवेगाः समुद्रमेवाभिमुखाद्रवन्ति ।

तथा तवामी नरलोकवीरा विसन्ति वक्त्रण्यभिविज्वलन्ति ।।28.11

Yathaa nadeenaam bahu’mbuvegaah samudramevaabhimukhaadravanti,

Tathaa tavaamee narloakveeraa visanti vaktrNyabhivijwalanti.28.11

As the waves of rivers rush towards the ocean alone, so the all warriors of the mortal world , enter into your blazing mouth.

-Now  Arjun was in his purest self. He had no doubt about anything. He was ready to perform his duties as a Khhatriya, the warrior.

-‘Bhgvad Geeta’, basically a part of ‘Mahabharata’, is the gist of driving forces of Hindu way of life.  Geeta is also ‘A- paurusheya’ (not created by any earthly being) as it is revealed by the God himself.

- ‘Vedas’ followed by ‘Upnishdas’ have highest place in Hinduism.

They are not created by earthly beings.

They are ‘A-poureshya’.

Richas live in the ultimate sky.

Their divinity is unchangeable.

O Brihaspati !  First we come to know the name of things through the spoken words.

This is the first step of language.

The knowledge remains hidden in deep caves.

It is faultless, purest and great.

It reveals itself in highly divine – charged moments.

-such a deep concept of the creator and the creation has proved boon to Hinduism for keeping itself prepared to accept new ideas without hindering in others faith .

-Its power of adoptability, openness and diversity is tremendous. It believes in no boundaries.

-Hindus worshiped Agni, Sun, moon and Indra during Vaidic period. They performed regular Ygyaas.

-In later period Brhma, Vishnu and Mahesh became their main deities. Brama is the creator, Vishnu protector and the Shiva is destroyer.

- Vishnu incarnates in human or in other form whenever the higher values of life are disrupted by the evil forces.

-Hinduism covers many – many faiths of its followers.

- whether you worship a god or not, you have faith in god or not, you go to the temple or not ,whether you have beards of  your head full of hairs or keep clean shaved, you remain a Hindu. Hinduism does not care much such things unless it causes hindrance in others way of life.

-It gives high place to Buddhha , Mahavir who opposed various norms of Hinduism.

- It never thought of throwing   Charvaak out of Hinduism , in spite his being extremely harsh and critical to its many faiths and way of life.

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते।

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते।।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः।।

-  ईशावास्योपनिषद ,शान्तिपाठः

Om poorNmdah poorNamidam poorNaatpurNmudchyate,

poorNsya  poorNmaaday poorNmevaavashiShyate.

Om, that Brahman is infinite as well as his creation ,the universe. The infinite is the product of the infinite. Taking  infinite from the infinite ,it is the infinite remains alone.

Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!