Choice of Destiny 001

God In Dialogue with Self
[This dialogue emerged out of e-mail dialogues, initially with a former, junior colleague and later out of e-mail and face-face interactions with many others including siblings, relations, friends, and former colleagues. How interesting to note that almost all had their own spiritual beliefs and dilemmas. I sincerely thank them all for their contribution to my thoughts and to the emergence of this Dialogue over the years, even as I await more interactions in future. For most part, the thoughts reflect undigested readings of books and articles on Hindu Philosophy and Upanishads authored by both foreigners and Indians including learned Bengalis like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore. The entire responsibility of my weird views certainly rests with me and I would be happy to join you in ridiculing such views.]

PART ONE: CHOICE OF DESTINY

1. Hinduism & Dharma

G: Sir, in Hinduism, the religion allowed exchanges / challenges / criticisms. This had led to reforms, adaptation, change and development of new or modified principles. Thus, Hinduism is a religion that has developed through the ages based on interactions, debates and discussions, very much like science has progressed. The basic principles of Hinduism are, therefore, time-tested and have the progressive adaptability to deal face the challenge of Time.
S: Dear, please note first that what we all now refer to as Hinduism is a religion that, I suspect, did not call itself or name itself as Hinduism. In other words, those who pioneered the basic principles of this religion did not call themselves as Hindus. Others and foreign scholars coined the words Hindu and Hinduism, probably because the people who lived in the Indus valley and surrounding regions were commonly referred to as Hindus. Much later, following what outsiders coined, the people in the country named Bharat which outsiders named India, started calling their land as Hindusthan and the religion they inherited from the long past in this land as Hinduism
G: That seems an interesting interpretation of history. Hindus did not call them Hindus, outsides named them. But isn’t their religion, Hinduism, an old one that is time-tested?
S: Please note again that Hinduism is not based on any ‘ism’ religion. What we really have with us is a body of knowledge received from people who inhabited India millenniums before Christ. This body of knowledge is called Dharma. Sometimes, Hindus call that Sanatana Dharma. The philosophies and principles of Dharma expounded by the sages and saints of the ancient ages were reflection of their endeavor to seek Knowledge and Truth and explain the ground realities of life.
G: But Hindus have their epics and stories that preach religion. They have methods of worship, rituals and practices that are different from those of other religions.
S: You are correct. But Sanatana Dharma is independent of those methods of worship, rituals and practices. That the philosophies and principles of Dharma led to the development of a religion is a different story. When you put knowledge into practice in life, you may have to adopt various standards, norms of behavior including methods of worship and rituals. You also have to have stories or epics to illustrate the way the Dharma is practiced with what effect and when Dharma may not be practiced with what effect.
G: OK. But did the body of knowledge called Dharma evolve through debates and deliberations.
S: Yes, it certainly did that way. This knowledge of Dharma and the resultant religious practices got enriched through deliberations and debates. And, Dharma has been and adapted in different ways by different individuals and groups to form their own life-guidance principles and practices called religion. That is why sometimes, Hinduism is called as a way of life rather than a religion.
G: About this way of life practiced by Hindus, the name given by the Arabs to our forefathers residing around and south of the river Indus is now called Hinduism by adding ’ism’ is to the term Hindu. Thus, our emergence as Hindus following a religion called Hinduism is of very recent origin, after Buddha preaching spread from Bharat to other countries and after the birth of Christ. The, what is the religion that we have inherited?
S: We did not have any religion to start with; we only evolved religions. We have inherited Dharma, the universal principles of living that is reflected in humans as an integral part of the Nature or the Universe or the Creation. These principles explain the Creation and its various parts and facets including the ways of life of different human beings. These principles are themselves part of the Creation. Though not prescriptive in nature, these principles work themselves out to influence different people in different ways and lead human beings to evolve different rules and regulations that get known as different religions.
G: What you are saying is Greek to me. What we practice now, as Hindu religion is not a prescription of Dharma!
S: You are correct and that is the reason I would consider Hindu Religion or any other religion as practiced today or any time as particular cases evolved by human beings due to the operation of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Universal Knowledge as gathered by the ancient wrishis, munis, sages and learned persons who at some point of time in history started living in the land to the South of the Himalayas. Since the very beginning Sanatana Dharma has gone through continuous evolution and become progressively liberal and flexible to explain all that happens in the Universe. Thus this Knowledge also explains the development of various religions including the Hindu religion. This body of Knowledge of the Principles of Creation or Universe naturally has served across civilization and yugas (ages). These principles explain why most people believe in the existence of God as the creator and source of all knowledge and power reflected in the creation, maintenance and destruction of anything and everything in the Universe.
G: I really cherish Hindu religion for its flexibility. It seems to cater to all problems and all aspects of life throughout the ages. I think all other religions are also based on this basic belief system. I find many of the prescriptions, illustrations and stories common across all religions.
S: You are correct. Actually, all religions, including the various versions of what are normally referred to as Hindu religion, may be considered particular cases of Sanatana Dharma, the General Theory. To my mind there is no single Hindu religion. Based on the different principles of Dharma and philosophical knowledge handed over by the ancient sages in the form of Dharma, different ways of life have evolved in different regions in and around India. Virtually innumerable variations in life are consistent with Dharma. That is why Sanathana Dharma has no quarrel with any other religion or sect. While religions and sects may have quarrel among themselves, Sanatana Dharma accepts all religions as acceptable including those theories that do not believe in the existence of God as a creator of all. That is why this Dharam or religions based on Dharma are not “ism” religions. “ Ism” religions tend to differentiate and seek special status in society. For brevity, let me refer to Sanatana Dharma as only. Dharma does not differentiate among people adopting different ways of life. “Ism” develops rigidity, conservatism and narrowness. Dharma shuns ‘isms’ but does not quarrel with any ”ism”.
G: But there are fundamentalists among Hindus.
S: Yes, there are fundamentalists in all religions. That there are fundamentalists is also due to the operation of the Principles enunciated in Dharma. But Dharma is independent of fundamentalism. You remain subject to the principles of Dharma whether or not you adopt any particular way of life consistent with Dharma. Dharma does not ask any one to practice Dharma and form a group on that basis. Living a particular way of life is not a prescription of Dharma. No fundamentalist can find Dharma as a source of inspiration or justification.