Hinduism
Swami Vivekananda:
A prince of patriots
Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar
Swami Vivekananda whose birth anniversary fell last month was a
unique personality in the history of religion. In an all-too brief life
of 39 years, he traversed the entire gamut of spiritual experience by
his Saddhanas and confirmed by his own personal testimony the profound
truths enshrined in all religions.
Swami Vivekananda once said that before flooding India with
socialistic and political ideas, they should first deluge the land with
spiritual ideas. He felt deeply persuaded about the universal message of
India’s spirituality blazedforth by the contemplative seers and
thinkers. He was agonised at the poverty, superstition, violence,
disunity and other evils in India and he wanted to eradicate them.
He saw that a sound religions which satisfied the demands of realism
and the needs of humanity can getright the world. He found that message
not in the theoretical but in the practical Vedanta. The carried that
message to the world.
It was a great day for Hinduism when in the Parliament of Religions
in Chicago on September 11, 1893, the bell-like voice of Swami
Vivekananda’s speech made an imperishable impression in the west.
Swami Vivekananda caught the attention of the American press on the
first day of parliament with his graceful presence, dignified apparel
and large lustrous eyes like arks of fire. His roaring words of brothers
and sisters of America made him all who heard him their masks.
Rooted in the past and full of pride in India’s prestige, Swami
Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life’s problems. He wanted
to combine western progress with India’s spiritual background. He
defended the values and virtues of his faiths and opened the eyes of the
Hindus to the glories of their heritage. As a loyal son of India Swami
Vivekananda threw out a challenge and vindicated her cause in the forum
of the world.
To Swami Vivekananda, religion was the manifestation of perfection in
every human being. To him service to humanity meant service to God. He
heralded the dawn of a new era in human civilization by worshipping the
living God, that is Man. By that he brought the whole world so near,
made it so pleasant a family bound in a fraternal tie.
Universal love was the core of the religion of Man, Vivekananda said.
At first we think of a personal God and call him creato, ompnipoent
omniscient and soforth. But, when love comes, God is only love. He
further observed, Love is the ideal, Love is the culmination.
Swami Vivekananda’s tender heart bled for the teeming poor millions.
He preferred serving that unfortunate lot and came in close touch with
the masses of India.
He inspired the whole of India, touching the whole country from
Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, and everywhere emphatically said the same
thing.
His image of India mirrored the deep love, the vision and wisdom of
the spiritual guru of millions. It also ranked him as a prophet of New
India.
He once said that India would be raised not with the power of the
flesh, but with power of the spirit, not with the flag destruction but
with the flag of peace and love, the garb of the Sannyasin, not by the
power of wealth, but by the power of the begging bowl. Talking about the
great role of Swami Vivekananda, the former President of India Dr. S.
Radhakrishnan once said: “It is not merely the people of India that
require Vivekananda’s message. The whole world today is passing through
a crucible of doubt. Everywhere there is conflict between faith and
doubt, conviction on one side and the lack of conviction on the other.
Throughout the world people are having these problems.
The problems are testing man’s faith and if they are to get over all
the present crises and lift the world to a belts sphere, it is essential
for them to adopt religions as a human transformation, resulting in
social transformation”.
As a prince of patriots Swami Vivekananda insisted on
Character-building, on discipline, on strength of mind, physical and
spiritual.
Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar:
The Lord - myths, legends and traditions
Sanmugam Arumugam
Thiruketheeswaram is situated in Mantai, Mannar District. The most
ancient and largest Shiva Lingam in Sri Lanka is at Thiruketheeswaram,
the sacred place where Kethu Bhagavan was blessed with the vision of
Lord Parameshwara. The origins of ancient places are usually steeped in
hoary antiquity, in eras of millenniums of years. Same is the case of
Thiruketheeswaram.
The beginnings of this venerable location (Sthala) and how it became
to be known as Thiruketheeswaram is shrouded in myths and legends. In
the ancient days, memorable events were narrated as discourses which
were orally communicated by Rishis and Manivars (learned and inspired
personages) to their disciples, who in turn imparted them to others,
etc., and who did likewise in their turn.
The origin of most puranic legends bear thus:- “The Supreme One
enabled Nandi Devar to exemplify the Vedas by means of Puranas to those
unable to understand the Vedas. Nandi Devar accordingly recited them to
Sanat Kumar Munivar who in turn imparted them to Vyasa Munivar from whom
Sootha Maha Munivar obtained them and delivered the knowledge to his
Mini disciples”.
Concerning sacred Thiruketheeswaram puranic legends narrate the
immortal story of Kethu Bhagavan performing thapas beseeching the benign
dharshan of the Supreme One; Lord Iswara, for the ablution of his sins
at this site; this spot eight miles north of Mannar, thus becomes
sanctified forever, to be known as Thiru-Kethu-Iswaram or
Thiruketheeswaram.
Poets, priests, kings and emperors for a long time afterwards
established and retained the sanctity of this holy sthalam by erecting
temples and noble edifices for worship - for, was it not here that the
Lord long to appear in person and thus take abode?
To be continued
Developed systems of Hindu practices
Hindu practices generally involve seeking awareness of God and
sometimes also seeking blessings from Devas. Therefore, Hinduism has
developed numerous practices meant to help one think of divinity in the
midst of everyday life. Hindus can engage in puja (worship or
veneration), either at home or at a temple.
At home, Hindus often create a shrine with icons dedicated to their
chosen form(s) of God. Temples are usually dedicated to a primary deity
along with associated subordinate deities though some commemorate
multiple deities. Visiting temples is not obligatory, and many visit
temples only during religious festivals. Hindus perform their worship
through icons (murtis). The icon serves as a tangible link between the
worshiper and God.
The image is often considered a manifestation of God, simce God is
imminent. The Padma Purana states that the murti is not to be thought of
as mere stone or wood but as a manifest form of the Divinity. A few
Hindu sects, such as the Arya Samaj, do not believe in worshiping God
through icons.
Cultural traditions
Hinduism has a developed system of symbolism and iconography to
represent the sacred in art, architecture, literature and worship. These
symbols gain their meaning from the scriptures, mythology, or cultural
traditions. The syllale Om (which represents the Parabrahman) and the
Swastika sign (which symbolizes auspiciousness) have grown to represent
Hinduism itself, while other markings such as tilaka identify a follower
of the faith. Hinduism associates many symbols, which include the lotus,
chakra and veena, with particular deities.
Mantras are invocations, praise and prayers that through their
meaning, sound, and chanting style help a devotee focus the mind on holy
thoughts or express devotion to God/the deities. Many devotees perform
morning ablutions at the bank of a sacred river while chanting the
Gayatri Mantra or Mahamrityunjaya mantras. The epic Mahabharata extols
Japa (ritualistic chanting) as the greatest duty in the Kali Yuga (what
Hindus believe to be the current age). Many adopt Japa as their primary
spiritual practice.
Rituals
The vast majority of Hindus engage in religious rituals on a daily
basis. Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home, but observation of
rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals. Devout
Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping at dawn after bathing
(usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and
offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from
religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, meditation, chanting
mantras, reciting scriptures etc. A notable feature in religious ritual
is the division between purity and pollution. Religious acts presuppose
some degree of impurity or defilement for the practitioner, which must
be overcome or neutralised before or during ritual procedures.
Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most
religious action.
Concept of merit
Other characteristics include a belief in the efficacy of sacrifice
and concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good
works, that will accumulate over time and reduce sufferings in the next
world. Vedic rites of fire-oblation (yajna) are now only occasional
practices, although they are highly revered in theory.
In Hindu wedding and burial ceremonies, however, the yajna and
chanting of Vedic mantras are still the norm. The rituals, upacharas,
change with time. For instance, in the past few hundred years some
rituals, such as sacred dance and music offerings in the standard Sodasa
Upacharas set prescribed by the Agama Shastra, were replaced by the
offerings of rice and sweets.
Life-cycle rituals
Occasions like birth, marriage, and death involve what are often
elaborate sets of religious customs. In Hinduism, life-cycle rituals
include Annaprashan (a baby’s first intake of solid food), Upanayanam
(“sacred thread ceremony” undergone by upper-caste children at their
initiation into formal education) and Sraddha (ritual of treating people
of feasts in the name of the deceased). For most people in India, the
betrothal of the young couple and the exact date and time of the wedding
are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers. On
death. Cremation is considered obligatory for all except sanyasis, hijra,
and children under five. Cremation is typically performed by wrapping
the corpse in cloth and burning it on a pyre.
Source; Wikipedia
Aathma and law of karma in Hinduism
K.S. Sivakumaran
A Hindu sometimes may think that he was never created. He has no
beginning and he has no end. The reason for this attitude is simple:
What was created could also be destroyed and he does not like the idea
of ending his life in the grave.
But one may ask: What about Brahma who is eternally creating? What
about Vishnu who is always protecting? And what about Rudra (Siva) whose
only work appears to be destroying? Yes, it is true that they could no
doubt create, preserve and destroy everything - but not the Aathma or
Soul. Aathma is beyond their reach.
Immortal
Man does not believe in his heart of hearts that everything is over
when the heart stops working. Why? it is because Aathma is immortal and
that it could never die. Having said this I would like to clear certain
misconceptions regarding the Law of Karma which is one of the
fundamental concepts of the Hindu mind.
Of course orthodox Hindus might object my points of view. The first
objection may be on these lines. Law of Karma is an ancient Hindu
concept. Its laws are not applicable to everybody, particularly to
people in modern times.
Does it matter who discovered it first? In fact Karma is a discovery
of an existing law and it is not a new invention made for a purpose.
Merely because the Hindu discovered it first it doesn’t mean that it is
a Hindu Law. It’s like this - the law of gravity is not Newton’s law,
because Newton only discovered an existing law. He was not originating
it. Similarly it applies to the law discovered in ancient times. It does
not cease operating merely because our moral standards have fallen in
modern times. We try to forget the law and the consequences of ignoring
it.
Free to choose
The second objection is that it makes freedom of will impossibility.
The answer is that if ‘free will’ is not taken for granted there is no
place for the Law of Karma. Because one is free to choose between
alternatives at all times that one is held responsible for the results.
Even the so-called ‘free will’, one may argue, has been predestined.
Yes. We are responsible for that too. The ‘free will’ works for good or
bad according to one’s own character and this character is one’s own
making. What we sow we reap.
Right-path
If our character is bad our ‘free will’ would naturally lead us to do
wrong things. We can see this law working in every day life. - The good
men choosing always the right paths and the bad men following the
criminal ways to achieve their selfish ends.
The third objection I can see is that environments and heredity mould
a man’s life and not his Karma. Yes, they afford the facilities but man
could mar or make his life by using his ‘free will’. This again is seen
in our daily life - in every nation with all the facilities they ruin
themselves. It only shows that every act is self determined and cannot
be compelled by outside influences. No power on earth can make you think
and decide as it wants. Outside pressure might make you to act against
your ‘free will’ but it cannot kill your’ free will’.
It is for this reason that that the intention of your action is
looked into when your actions are reviewed in a court of law.
The fourth objection is that in this interminable series of cause and
effect why the merciful God and why He allowed this cruel law to operate
causing miseries at every turn.
Confined
Man is confined within space and time and as long as he is limited by
these he will be also subject to cause and effect. God provided the
worlds: the physical, mental and spiritual.
Man is like a child playing in the seashore collecting shells,
building houses of sand and digging holes for the purpose of draining
the vast ocean into them. The child has forgotten the mother and is
fully absorbed with its playthings and multicolored shells. A time would
come when the child is tired of its play and cry out for its mother who
is watching the child all the time unrecognized.
Similarly man by experience would be able to discriminate between the
real and the unreal, permanent and temporary, spiritual and material and
renounce everything both good and bad and their results.
When he ascends to that pure spiritual atmosphere the Law of Karma
ceases to operate and he becomes free which is the one goal of the Hindu
-Liberation.
The Law of Karma or Cause and effect is a universal one operating in
the physical and mental worlds. No one can escape it. All religions are
based on that principle.
Man can make his own destiny and this law provides all facilities for
that purpose at all times. |