A Portrait

by Dr. T. K. Venkateswaran

Professor of Religious Studies (Emeritus), University of Detroit; former Research Scholar, Harvard University; member, International Advisory Council, The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions; member, International Board of Advisors, The Temple of Understanding

Introduction

Hinduism is the oldest and perhaps the most complex of all the living, historical world religions. It has no one single identifiable founder. The actual names found for the religion in the Hindu scriptures are Vedic Religion, i.e. the Religion of the Vedas (Scriptures) and Sangtana Dharma, i.e. the Universal or Perennial Wisdom and Rghteousness, the "Eternal Religion." Hinduism is not merely a religion, however. It encompasses an entire civilization and way of life, whose roots date back prior to 3000 BCE, beyond the peoples of Indus Valley culture. Yet, since the time of the Vedas, there is seen a remarkable continuity, a cultural and philosophical complexity and also a pattern of unity in diversity that evolved in the course of its history, also a demonstrated propensity for deep integration and assimilation of all new and external influences.

Main Sources of Religious Knowledge

Scriptures

(1) The four Vedas—Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas—are seen as Sruti, "heard," as Revelation and "not human-originated," though human beings, wise and holy sages, seers and prophets were the human channels of the revealed wisdom. They "heard" in their hearts the eternal messages and "saw" and symbolized various names and forms of the One, Sacred, Ultimate Reality, Truth, God from different perspectives and contexts. The Hindu gods and goddesses, worshipped with different names and forms and qualities are, in reality, many aspects, powers, functions, and symbols of the only One all-pervasive Supreme Being, without a second. The Upanishads, later portions in the Vedas, teach that salvation/liberation is achieved in an experiential way and that oneness with the supreme Reality, Brahman, is possible; the supreme goal, Brahman, is also the One Self, the higher Self found in all. The philosophy and spiritual practice is known as Vedanta.

(2) The Agamas (Further Scriptures) teach union with God as the Lord, the Highest Person, Brahman seen in the process of action.

Supplements to the Scriptures:

(1) Smritis (works of Hindu Law, etc.).

(2) The two epics: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (along with the Bhagavad Gita in the latter, seen almost as an autonomous scripture) and the various *Puranas*.

Basic Beliefs, Values, Paradigms and Teachings

The one all-pervasive supreme Being is both immanent and transcendent, both supra-personal and highest person (God), who can be worshipped as both Father and/or Mother of the universe.

The universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. All souls are evolving and progressing toward union with God and everyone will ultimately attain salvation/ liberation.

Karma is the moral and physical law of cause and effect by which each individual creates one's own future destiny by accepting responsibility and accountability for one's own thoughts, words and deeds, individual and collective.

The individual soul reincarnates, evolving through many births and deaths, until all the karmic results, good and bad, are resolved. One can and should strive to attain liberation from this cycle of constant births and deaths in this very life, by pursuing one of the four spiritual paths to God-realization—the ways of Knowledge, Love and Devotion, Selfless Action, and Meditation.

Four aims or goals in life are arranged hierarchically: the joy cluster (sensual, sexual, artistic, aesthetic joys, compatible with ethics), the economic and social fulfillment cluster, the morality cluster (duties, obligations, right action, law, righteousness, general virtues, and supreme ethical values, etc.), and the spiritual goal of salvation/liberation (union and oneness with God). All the elements that are usually seen as exclusive or antagonistic in life are brought together in this holistic model, in which every goal has its own place.

Each individual passes through several stages in his/her journey through life toward the spiritual goal. The four classical stages in life are: (1) the student, (2) the house-holder, (3) retirement to the woods for spiritual pursuits and (4) renunciation (optional). Within each stage are specific goals which provide a practical model for the organization of life.

Divine aspects and elements of God, the "presence," are invoked through ritual symbolism and prayers in consecrated images and icons for purposes of worship. God also "descends," periodically, in incarnations and historical personalities such as Rama and Krishna.

All life is sacred and is to be loved and revered, through the practice of nonviolence, realizing that there is unity and inter-dependency among all forms of life and all aspects of the universe. Exemplary spiritual teachers (gurus) who themselves are liberated in this life help the spiritual aspirants with their knowledge and compassion.

No particular religion (including Hinduism) teaches the only, exclusive way to God and salvation, above all others. All authentic, genuine religious paths and traditions lead to the One God and are facets of God's love and light, deserving proper respect, mutual tolerance, and right understanding.

Hindu Sub-traditions (sampradayas)

The One Brahman is conceived and symbolized according to divine functions as Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Sustainer and Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer of evils and the Dissolver of the universe). This is referred to as the Hindu Trinity.

Within the Great Tradition of Hinduism are four main, living sub- traditions, called sampradayas: (1) Shaivites (2) Vaishnavites (3) Shaktas and (4) Smartas. The differences are based upon conceptions and worship of the central name, form, symbols, liturgies, mythologies and theologies of the One God, Lord and highest Person, as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti (the Divine as Mother), etc. Smartas worship, equally, several personal manifestations of the supreme Reality and philosophically emphasize the ultimate identity-experience of the individual self with the supreme Self, which is also Brahman.

Hinduism has a vast network of sacred symbols. Some are drawn from sacred geography like the Ganges River, others are drawn from plant, bird and animal life; other symbols include profound polyvalent (multi-level meanings) symbols such as the sacred sound-syllable Om (also written as AUM) which contains all reality, and Shiva's icon as the "Cosmic Dancer," fulfilling all the divine functions.