Hinduism and Spirituality

The Hindu Dharma is simply a view and way of life which can be accomplished by a self-conscious human being . Hindus do not subscribe to a set of beliefs because beliefs may be a view but they are not pragmatic enough to manifest into a way of life . You can go to the most remote village in India and ask them , “Where is God ?” and they will answer “ He is everywhere” . This is Hindu Dharma . It is a pragmatic view that beautifully unfolds into a way of life .

The Hindu tradition is rich with various religious practices and rituals that are meant to introduce spirituality in a Hindu’s life . There may be a scientific reason behind these practices and rituals or there may not be anything scientific about it . But , there is definitely the component of spirituality that is the underlying basis of these practices and rituals .

In the contemporary world , many neo-religions have come into existence . These religions are founded by particular persons and they subscribe to a set of beliefs . All the followers of neo-religions are religious people . There is no doubt about it . They lead a prayerful and religious life to prepare them for the hereafter . But , there is no such thing as spirituality in these neo-religions .

Spirituality is unique to our Hindu Dharma . Spirituality does not mean indulging yourself into mystics and mysteries . It is simply a search , an inquiry about yourself . When the word “you” is mentioned , it refers to “I” which also includes the Lord and the creation also because there is no second person other than “I” . I always look upon myself as separate from everything else that I see . But from the standpoint of totality , the observer (myself) is also included in all that I observe . If not , how can I deem it to be total when I am excluded from it ? Therefore , since I am not separate from the total , the inquiry about myself naturally also involves an inquiry about the Lord and the creation .

In short , the view and way of life that expounds the reality of oneself , the Lord and the creation is Hindu Dharma . Seeking the true nature of oneself alone is spirituality and without spirituality , nothing exists in Hindu Dharma .

Acceptance

When I accept something , what do I do ? Is it just a sentence , “I accept” ? A mere sentence does not imply acceptance . Sometimes I accept something without saying so .

Acceptance implies a certain attitude on my part . When I accept something , I give it the freedom to be what it  is . I do not want the thing to be different from what it is . 

Acceptance implies granting freedom to the object of acceptance to be what it is . In giving the freedom , I do not demand that the object of acceptance to be what it is . The mere word , acceptance , without understanding its implications does not help . I accept a child as the child is . I accept a tree . I accept the sun , the moon . I accept a bird , its colours , its behavior . I accept a chemical as it is . I accept sugar as it is . I accept poison as it is . Acceptance does not imply that I have to use it . In acceptance , there is objectivity . I let things be as they are . 

With reference to my past , however , I do not let it be as it is . I do not accept it because the past has caused me pain . Due to my helplessness I subjected myself to pain , to hurt . Therefore , the painful past is not acceptable to me . Can I bring myself to accept the past ? When I bring myself to bear upon the past , can I be the same person that I am when I accept the sky ?

How do I accept the sky ? What frame of mind do I have when I accept the sky ? That same frame of mind I bring to bear upon my mother and father –whether they are alive or not . In the same way , I accept my friends , my relatives , employees , my grandparents , my children , my partner in life . Individually , I accept every one of them because I give them the freedom to be what they are . I do not blame the sky because it is or is not blue .

I bring this same person to bear upon those with whom my life has been cast . They are all different characters in the drama of my life . I free myself from blaming any one of them . I blame no one , nor do I blame myself .

“ O Lord , please give me the serenity , the clarity , to accept gracefully what I cannot change and change what I can . I cannot change the past for it has already happened . But I can change my attitude , my understanding . I can bring about a change in my attitude towards myself , towards the world , by widening my understanding  . Let me change what I can , and grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what I can and cannot change . " 

~  Written by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati ( Arsha Vidya Gurukulam )

Who Is Bhagavan ?

Bhagavān is the one who has bhaga (the six-fold virtues) in absolute measure . These are : all knowledge (jñāna) , total dispassion (vairāgya) , the capacity to create , sustain and resolve (vīrya) , absolute fame (yaśas) , all wealth (srī) and overlordship (aiśvarya) .

To have all knowledge (jñāna) means to be free from all ignorance . Thus , the one who has jñāna does not require a mind , perception or a means of knowledge with which to know . If we require a mind to know , there is always ignorance . Thus , whoever is endowed with a mind in order to know cannot be Bhagavān – as an individual , that is . We will see how it is possible to be one with Bhagavān later . Bhaga , then , is jñāna , all knowledge .

The one who has total , absolute dispassion (vairāgya) has no longing  , no insecurity . He or she is full . Vīrya is absolute power or śakti , meaning the capacity to create , to sustain , and to resolve . The one who has this absolute power is called the Almighty .

Absolute fame (yaśas) means all fame , including your own or anyone else’s . One who is endowed with the ability to sing , for example , may gain some fame , a ray of glory , but that fame belongs to the Lord , the one who has all fame . The Lord also has all wealth , all resources (srī) . Any wealth you may have really belongs to Bhagavān , the Lord , and you are only a trustee of whatever resources you happen to have .

Finally , the one who is not caused , who is not ruled by anyone , who does not subject himself or herself to the laws of someone else , has what is called aiśvarya . We , as individuals , have to go by the laws ; we cannot go against them . Even an engineer who is responsible for planning , commissioning , and running a thermal plant cannot touch a live wire without consequence . In other words , the engineer cannot behave as he or she likes merely because he or she is the author of the electricity . It was because of the laws alone that the engineer was able to generate electricity in the first place .

The one who does not subject Himself to another’s law or laws is the Lord . If the Lord is ruled by someone else , then that someone else becomes the Lord – and it is this Lord that we are talking about . These six absolute virtues , then , constitute bhaga and the one who has bhaga is Bhagavān .

Source : Bhagavad Gita Home Study Book by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati

The Meaning of Omkara

Om is the name for Brahman , the cause and the basis of creation . Om , as a sound symbol , also indicates auspiciousness (mangalam) and is chanted at the beginning of prayers and religious studies . Om is derived from the Sanskrit verbal "av" , meaning "to protect" . It refers to the Lord who protects and sustains everything . When one chants Om with the understanding that it is a name for the Lord , it becomes a prayer for one's protection .

Om etymologically is composed of three sounds , "a" , "u" and "m" . The first syllable , "a" , stands for the waking world , the waker and the waking experience ( the physical body and the physical world) . The second syllable "u" , stands for the dream world , the dreamer and the dream experience ( the thought world - dreams / imaginations / thinking ) . The third syllable "m" , stands for the sleep world , the sleeper , and the sleep experience (the unmanifest condition) . As one chants Om repeatedly , the silence between the chants (called amātrā) stands for the awareness , the consciousness which is the basis of the three worlds , the three experiences , and the three states of experience .

Om thus represents all that exists and the basis or substratum of all that exists . Om is complete . This Om is a comprehensive name for the Lord and Om is the Lord .