Hinduism-The One Existence.

The One Existence. 

There is one Infinite, Eternal, Changeless Existence, 

the All. 

From That all comes forth ; to That all returns. 

“ One only', without a second.” * 

That includes within Itself all that ever has been, is, and can be. As a wave rises in the ocean, a universe rises in the All. As the wave sinks again into the ocean, a universe sinks again: into the All. As the ocean is water, and the wave a form or manifestation of the water, so is there one Existence, and the universe a form, or manifestation, of the Existence. 

“All This verily [is] Brahman.” 

This is the primary truth of Religion. Men have given to the All many different names. The name in the Sanatana Dharma is Brahman. English-speaking people use the name God, adding, to make the meaning clear, “God, in His own Nature." Sometimes the Hindu speaks of the All as Nirguna Brahman, the Brahman without attributes, or the unconditioned Brahman. This is to distinguish the unmanifested state of Brahman, the All, from the manifested state, in which Brahman is called the Saguna Brahman, the Brahman with attributes, or the conditioned Brahman, the Supreme Ishvara with His universe. 

These are called “ the two states of Brahman ’ the subject is very difficult, and it is enough for a boy to understand that the Saguna Brahman is Brahman revealed— not " a second ”, but Brahman shining forth as The One, the Great Lord of Being, Thought and Bliss, He is the self-existent One, the Root and Cause of all beings. He is also sometimes called Purushottama, the Supreme Spirit, The Self. With Himself as Spirit He reveals the other side of the All, which is named MQlaprakriti, the Root of Matter. Prakriti, Matter, is that which takes form, and so can give bodies of all sorts and shapes and kinds ; all that we can touch, taste, smell, see, and hear, is Matter, and a great deal more besides, which our five senses are not yet developed enough to perceive. The solids, liquids and gases of the chemist are made of Matter; all the things around us, stones, trees, animals, men, are made of Matter. But the whole of them is not Matter; inaudible, invisible, un-smellable, un-tastable, intangible, the Spirit is in each, an Amshah, a portion, of Ishvara. We call the Matter part a Shariram, body, or a kosah, sheath, or an Upadhih, vehicle ; that which embodies, clothes or carries the Spirit. Thus Ishvara is in everything, and it is He who gives life to all things. He is  Atma, the Self, the Immortal, the Inner Ruler, dwelling in all objects, and there is nothing that can exist apart from Him. An amhsa(portion) of Him in a body of Matter, is called a Jiva, or a Jivatman, a separated Self. 

There are some very important differences between Spirit and Matter, as well as the differences just spoken of, that the senses, when completely developed, can perceive Matter, while they cannot perceive Spirit, and that Matter takes form while Spirit is formless. It is the Spirit that is life, and that thinks, and feels, and observes, that is the “ I "in each of us. And the Spirit is one and the same in everybody and in every- thing. But Matter cannot think, or feel, or observe ; it is Jadam, without consciousness. And it has also the tendency to be constantly dividing itself into many forms and to become many. So that Spirit and Matter are said to be the opposites, one of the other ; Spirit is called the knower, the one that knows, while Matter is called the object of knowledge, that which is known. 

Students should try to understand these differences, and must never confuse Spirit and Matter ; they are opposites, the first “ pair of opposites,” out of which a universe is built up. 

Just as Spirit has three qualities —सत ,चित ,आनंदनम - Sat, Chit, Anandanam-Being, Thought-Power and Bliss, so has Matter three qualities,सम:,रज:,सतवं , Tamah, Rajah, Sattvam — Inertia, Motion, Rhythm. Inertia gives resistance and stability to Matter;Motion keeps Matter active, moving about ; Rhythm makes the movements regular. You may say, " A stone does not move of itself.” But science tells you that every particle in that stone — ^particles too small for you to see — is moving rapidly and regularly to and fro, is vibrating, to use the scientific name. The शक्तिः, Shaktih, or the Divine Power of Ishvara, which makes Matter begin to take form, is called माया,Maya, and sometimes दैवीप्रकृतिः, Daiviprakritih, the Divine Prakriti. Shri Krishna speaks of "My Divine Prakriti " as " My other Prakriti, the higher, the life- element, by which the universe is upheld.” ^ 

The student may think of the great pair of opposites, Ishvara and Molaprakriti, standing, as it were, face to face, and the Divine Power of Ishvara shining out on Molaprakriti and making the qualities, called Guna,acts on each other, so that many forms begin to appear. This Divine Power is Maya, and so ishvara is called the Lord of Miya, 

Even young students 'must try to remember these names, and what they mean, for they cannot otherwise understand the teaching of the Bhagavad-Gita which every Hindu boy must try to understand. It may be good to say that the word Prakriti is generally used instead of Molaprakriti,the prefix Mola,Root,being usually left out. 

शेयं  यततं प्रवशायामि  यज्ज्ञातवामृतमश्नुते  

“I will declare that which is to be known, that which being known immortality is gained — the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither Being nor Not- 

being. 

'‘Everywhere That has hands and feet, everywhere eyes, heads and mouths, all-hearing He dwell in the world, enveloping all. 

"Shining with all sense-faculties, without any senses ; unattached, supporting everything ; and free from properties, enjoying properties. 

"Without and within all beings, immovable and also movable ; from his subtlety indistinguishable ; at 'hand and far away is That. 

"Not divided amid beings and yet seated distributively. That is to be known as the supporter of beings ; 

He devours and He generates. That the Light of all Lights is said to be beyond darkness; .wisdom, the wisdom to be gained, the end of wisdom, seated in the hearts of all." 

This was in the form of Darkness, unknown without marks [ or homogeneous ], unattainable by reasoning, unknowable, wholly, as it were, in sleep. 

“ Then the Self-Existent, the Lord, un manifest, (but) making manifest This— the great elements and the rest— appeared with mighty power. Dispeller of Darkness. 

“ He who can be grasped by that which is beyond the senses, subtle, un manifest, ancient, containing all beings, inconceivable, even He Himself shone forth.

“ I, 0 Gudakesha, am the Self, seated in the heart of all beings ; I am the beginning, the middle, and also the end of all beings.” 

‘‘There arc two Purushas in this world, one destructible and one indestructible ; the destructible is all beings, the indestructible is called the unchanging. 

“The highest Purusha is verily another, declared as the Supreme Self; He who pervade and sustain-the three worlds, the indestructible Ishvara. 

"Since I excel the destructible, and am more excellent also than the indestructible, in the world and in the Veda I am proclaimed Purushottama." 

"An eternal portion of myself, in the world of life a living being, draw round itself the senses, of which Manas is the sixth, placed in Prakriti." 

" Seated equally in all beings, the supreme Ishvara, indestructible within the destructible; he who thus seeth, he seeth. 

"When he perceive that the varied natures of beings are rooted in Oxe and proceed from It, then he reaches the Brahman. 

*‘As this one sun illuminate the whole earth, so the Lord of the field illuminate the whole field, O Bharata." 

“ Earth, water, fire, air, ether, Manas and Buddhi also and Ahamkra — these are the eight-fold divisions of my Prakriti. 

*‘This the inferior. Know my other Prakriti, the higher,the life-element, O mighty armed, by which the universe is upheld." 

“Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, these are the Gunas, born of Prakriti, O great-armed one ; they bind fast in the body the indestructible dweller in the body." 

Sanatana Dharma(Hinduism)-An introduction

ॐ 

 INTRODUCTION

   Sanatana Dharma means the Eternal Religion, the Ancient Law, and it is based on the Vedas, sacred books given to men many long ages ago. This Religion has also been called the Aryan Religion, because it is the Religion that was given to the first nation of the Aryan race ; Arya means noble, and the name was given to a great race, much finer in character and appearance than the races which went before it in the world’s history. The first families of these people settled in the northern part of the land now called India, and that part in which they first settled was named Aryavarta, because these Aryans lived in it. “[The land] from the eastern ocean to the western ocean, between the two mountains [Himavat and Vindhya], the wise call Aryavarta." 

      In later days the Religion was called the Hindu Religion, and this is the name by which -it is now usually known. It is the oldest of living Religions, and no other Religion has produced so many great men — great teachers, great writers, great sages, great saints,’ great kings, great warriors, great statesmen, great benefactors, great patriots, The more you know of it, the more you will honour and love it, and the more thankful you will be that you were born into it. But unless you grow up worthy of it, this great and holy Religion will do you no good. 

The Basis of Sanatana Dharma. 

   The ancient Religion is based on one strong foundation on which are erected the walls of its structure. 

The foundation is called श्रुतिः Shrutih, " that which has been heard”; the walls are called स्मृतिः Smritih, ” that which has been remembered”. 

The Shruti has been given through very wise men, who heard it and received it from Devas ; these sacred teachings were not written down till comparatively modern times, but were learned by heart, and constantly repeated, The teacher sang them to his pupils, and the pupils sang them after him, a few words at a time, over and over again, till they knew them thoroughly. Boys still learn the Shruti in the same way as their forefathers learned it in very ancient day's and you may hear them chanting it in any Vaidik Pathshala at the present time. 

The Shruti consists of the चतुर्वेदः Four Vedah, 'Vedas. Veda means knowledge, that which is known ; and the knowledge which is the foundation of Religion is given to man in the Four Vedas. They are named: ऋग्वेद; Rigveda;सामवेद Samaveda;यजुर्वेद Yajurveda ; and अथर्ववेद Atharvaveda, 

Each Veda is divided into three pans : — 

1. मंत्र Mantrah ; or संहिता Samhita, collection. 

2. ब्राह्मणं;, Brahmanam. 

3 -उपनिषद्;, Upanishad. 

The Mantra portion consists of Mantras, or sentences in which the order of sounds has a particular power, producing certain effects. These are in the form of hymns to the Devas— whose relations to mcn we shall study presently — and when they are properly chanted by propcrl}' instructed persons, certain results follow. These are used in religious ceremonies, and the value of the ceremony depends chiefly upon their proper repetition. 

The Brahmanam portion of the Vedas consists of directions about ritual and explains how to perform the ceremonies in which were used the Mantras given in the first part ; and further,stories connected with them. 

The Upanishad portion consists of deep philosophical teachings on the nature of Brahman, on the Supreme and the separated Self, on man and the universe, on bondage and liberation. It is the foundation of all philosophy, and when you are men, you may study it and delight in it. Only highly educated men can study it ; it is too difficult for others. 

There was a fourth part of the Veda in the ancient days, sometimes called the Upavedah, or Tantram; this consisted of science, and of practical instructions based on the science ; but very little of the true ancient Tantra remains, as the Rishis took them away as unsuitable for times in which people were less spiritual. Some Tantrika forms of ritual are, however, used in worship, along with, or instead of, the current Vaidika forms. The books now extant under the name of Tantras are generally not regarded as part of the Veda. 

That which is found in the Shruti is of supreme authority and is accepted by every faithful follower of the Sanatana Dharma as final. All the sects, all the philosophical systems, appeal to the Shruti as the final authority, determining every dispute. 

The Smriti, or Dharma Shastra, is founded on, and stands next in authority to, the Shruti, and consists of four great works, written by sages, the chief contents of which are laws and regulations for the carrying on of individual, family, social and national life. 

Hindu Society is founded on, and governed by, these 

laws. They are:— 

1. मनुस्मृति Manu Smriti, or मानवधर्मशास्त्रं Manava Dharma Shastra. The Institutes of Manu 

2 .यजनावल्क्य स्मृति  Yajnavalkya Smriti. 

3 . Shankha and Likhita Smriti. 

4 . Parashara Smriti. 

    The first of these is the chief compendium of Aryan law, Manu being the great Law-giver of the race. Hindu chronology divides the history of a world into seven great periods or cycles of time, each of which is begun and is ended by a Manu, and is therefore called a Manvantara, Manu-antara, “ between [two] Manus." 

   “Six other Manus, very great minded and of great splendour, belonging to the race of this Manu, the descendant of Svayambhu, have each produced beings." This shows that we are in the fourth Manvantara, under the rule of the Manu who is, the next shloka tells us, the son of Vivasvata. Some of his laws are handed down in the Manu Smriti. 

   The Yajnavalkya Smriti follows the same general lines as the Manu Smriti and is next in importance to it. The other two are not now much studied or referred to. 

While the Shruti and the Smriti are the foundation and the walls of the Sanatana Dharma, there are two other important supports like buttresses : the Puranas and the Itihasah, (History).. 

The Puranas consist of histories and stories and allegories, composed for the use of the less learned part of the nation, especially for those who could not study the Vedas. They are very interesting to read, and are full of information of all kinds. Some of the allegories are difficult to understand, and require the help of a teacher. 

The Itihasa comprises two great poems : 

1. The Ramayanam the history of Shri Ramachandra, the son of king Dasharatha, and of His wife Sita, and of his brothers, a most interesting and delightful story, as you all know. 

2. The Mahabharatam, the history of the Kurus, a royal family of Northern India, which split into two parties, the Kurus and the Pandavas, between whom a great war broke out. It contains an immense number of beautiful stories, noble moral teachings, and useful lessons of all kinds. 

   These two books, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, tell us most of what we know about ancient India, about her people, and her customs, and her ways of living, and her arts, and her manufactures. If you read these, you will learn how great India once was, and you will also learn how you must behave to make her great once more. 

The Science and Philosophy of Sanatana Dharma. 

   While the Shruti and the Smriti, the Puranas and the Itihasa, make the edifice of Hindu Religion, we find that the Religion itself has given birth to a splendid literature of Science and Philosophy. 

Science was divided into the Shadangani, the Six Angas, literally Limbs ; and these six Limbs, or Branches, comprised what would now be called secular knowledge. In the old days religious and secular knowledge were not divided. They included Grammar, Philology, Astrology, Poetry, together with sixty-four sciences and arts, and the method by which study should be carried on, so that any one who mastered the six angas was a man of varied and deep learning. 

   The Philosophy also had six divisions, the Shaddarshanani, the six Darshanas, or ways of seeing things, usually called the Six Systems. They all have 

one object : the putting an end to pain by enabling the separated human selves to reunite with the Supreme Self ; and they all have one method — the development of Wisdom. The methods employed are different, to suit the different mental constitutions of men, so that thc3' are like six different roads, all leading to one town. 

As to what is contained in the six systems of philosophy*, it will be enough for boys to know this : — 

The Nydya and the Vaisheshika arrange all the things of the world into a certain number of kinds ; then point out that a man knows all things by means of his senses, or by inference and analogy, or by the testimony 

.of other (wise and experienced) men ; and then they explain how God has made all this material world out of atoms and molecules ; final]}' they show how the highest and most useful knowledge is the knowledge of God, who is also the inmost Spirit of man, and how this knowledge is obtained in various ways. 

The Sahkhya explains in more detail and in new ways the nature of 5^1 Purushah, spirit, and of Prakfitih, matter, and the relation of the two to each other. 

The Yoga says that as there are now, generally known five senses and five organs of action, so there are other subtler senses and organs; and explains more fully how they may be developed by men who are seeking to know God, who is their own true inmost Spirit. 

The Mimansa explains what Karma is, i. e. action, both religious and worldly, and what are its consequences, causes and effects, and how it binds man to 

this world or to another. 

The Vedanta finally tells fully what is the exact and true nature of God, or AtmS, and shows that the Jiva of man is in essence the same as this Inmost God, and explains how man may live so that Karma shall not tie him ; and finally, by understanding what the Maya Shakti of God is, by which all this world comes forth and appears and disappears, how he may (after practice of Yoga) merge himself into and become one with God and so gain Moksha.