In this section, we present on an ongoing basis thought provoking articles by our Acharya Ji’s and possibly others on the subject of Religion, Hinduism and Arya Samaj.
Women Superiority or Equality
The Vedas don’t discriminate among human beings. Even if there is a distinction then it is purely on the merits because it is only the human society that has categories of good and bad humans. Also, there is no distinction among men and women in the Vedas. However, the current trend in civil society is to discourage discrimination based on the gender, probably because women have been deprived of their legitimate rights in the recent past. Indeed, such shortcomings originated in the western culture because even the word ‘woman’ seems to have been derived from the word ‘man’ indicating their secondary status. We can be proud of the Vedas that it gives us the independent word for woman – Stri. The root meaning of the term is ‘one that should be respected to the extent of being worshipped’. As the Vedas have their origin from the Supreme Being that has promulgated all the natural functions, it can be appreciated that men instinctively let a woman proceed if there happens to be a narrow passage even if she is a stranger. ‘Ladies first’ is the natural principle accepted worldwide. Manu has correctly stated that a society is well developed where men have acquired the status of Devatas that they treat women with respect – his word pujyante can be translated as ‘respect to the point of worship.’
All are Equal
All conscious beings are children of one God, the Supreme Consciousness that inhabits the entire universe. She provides air, water, food, sunshine, etc. to all without any discrimination. The equality is further stark for the humans. The Vedas make absolutely no distinction among humans. Even if there is a distinction it is in the qualitative nature because, unlike animals and birds, our deeds can be drastically varied. Some people engaged in noble deeds are called Devatas and some wicked people are referred to as Dasyus. Yet, it is level field for all that everybody is blessed with the natural bounties in equal measure so that there is ample room for every individual’s improvement. Nobody can be looked down upon for reasons of birth in a particular family or community. Of course, there is reference to man and woman but there is no inkling of inferiority for women. Indeed, as we will see next, there is evidence in the Vedas that women ought to be treated by men as superior members of the society.
Upkeep of Body
It is our duty to keep our body in good health, a leased house for the soul. Moreover, we will suffer if health deteriorates. It is important that we don’t let harmful substances enter into the body system via any tract, mouth or nose, and in whatever phase, solid, liquid or gas. Food should be nutritious, healthy and delicious. It is well recognized that meat, fish and egg are not natural to human diet. Also, we should avoid intoxicating drinks that harm our brain cells. Even carbonated drinks bring in excessive sugar. There are healthy cold drinks for summer in the form of homemade fruit juices and smoothies. Yogurt drink, coconut water, etc. are other alternatives. Tobacco and drugs should be avoided too. Even the right kind of food and drinks should be in moderate quantity. Excessive consumption of even sattvik substances can result in tamasik effects. If you are a regular practitioner of Patanjali Yoga Meditation then the body signals will guide you what to consume, when and how much.
Body is a Leased House
Humans are a bundle of body, mind and soul. The soul is our true identity, the inherent source of consciousness – the ‘I’. It is fair to say that we have received the body on lease as we rent a house in a new city we move in. Mind is a bit closer instrument similar to the suitcase we came with to live in a new rented house. It is expected from us to well maintain the house. The landlord (God) ensures that all vital forces make it habitable, called Praana. It is our duty to provide adequate supplies of air, water and food to the body. Furthermore, we need clothes, shelter, and a host of other things to protect it from the vagaries of nature. However, we should not forget that we are responsible for the body’s proper hygiene, upkeep and health. We should not get into tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs that are said to reduce the lifespan, the lease period for the house. Remember that the lease “agreement” has an unusual exit clause. We will be asked to vacate the body without any notice. As long as we occupy it, let us make good use of it for some higher purpose that others remember us for our deeds.
Validation for Soul
The framework of Body Mind & Soul hinges upon the concept of soul. The body is visible to all. When one is disconnected from surroundings by calming all the five senses then a chain of thoughts appear. Our mind is at work. But how can we know about the soul. Vedic philosophy says that matter does not exhibit consciousness and it must be the attribute of a tiny soul within us. Is it a mere speculation or can it be proven beyond any doubt. The proof lies in practices of meditation covered by the Sage Patanjali in his classic Yoga-Darshanam. When one is deep in meditation that body and mind are absolutely calm then the awareness that continues to persist is the soul, called Self-Realization. In other words, Patanjali Yoga Meditation practices validate existence of soul.
Praan Involuntary Forces
Body & Mind are two magnificent instruments with us. They work during the day and are tired at night when we must go to bed. Their tiredness is dissipated during sleep and we wake up refresh. However, certain functions continue during the sleep too, such as breathing, blood circulation due to the pumping heart, etc. as they are involuntary in nature. Indeed they work every moment non-stop and if they stop even for a moment then we must be rushed to a hospital. Such forces have a term in the Vedas, called Praan. Praan is a name for God too because it is She who ensures that these forces are at work as long as we are alive. Indeed, Praan is synonym with the life force. Thus She ensures that our life sustains, having brought us into the world. It is utmost important for us to thank Her and express our gratitude for the opportunity called life. Arya Samaj attempts to educate people in this direction that improves quality of life for every human being. It is as basic as a child’s proximity to his mother for his well being. A child without access to his mother is a pitiable life. So is true with us if we don’t care to know the origin of life and its sustainability in terms of Praan.
Body, Mind and Soul: Hall, Glass Shell and Lamp Filament
Our soul is a tiny point-like non-material singularity whereas body is gross, made of matter. Question: how they function together because their properties are vastly different. Answer: they are connected through mind that has intermediate properties, made of smallest sub-atomic particles of matter. YajurVeda 34.6 says that the soul is enveloped in a tiny shell of mind:
हृत्प्रतिष्ठं यदजिरं जविष्ठं तन्मे मनः शिवसंकल्पमस्तु
Continuing with the analogy of a lamp (soul) in a hall (body), we modify it in that a glass shell (mind) surrounds the filament (soul). In other words, the lamp is actually the mind-soul combine. Upon death, the soul enveloped by mind departs from the body. In that sense, mind is immortal too until the soul has attained Moksha. All the knowledge and skills we have gathered in the present life form the impressions in our mind (called Samsakaars), embedded in our mind-soul combine as it travels from one body to another.
Matter and Spirit: Unified Theory
Any philosophy must describe ALL events seen in the world in a logical, rational and consistent framework. This is quite a challenge particularly that the universe came into existence prior to the advent of humanity on the earth. Also, humans have all sorts of limitations and the universe is infinitely large. Indeed, there are things happening even on the earth that continue to remain shrouded with mystery for our finest minds. Very close to us, we are not fully aware of what exists between our two ears – the human brain. The mystery of our consciousness continues to chase us. We have no final answer to the related questions: its true nature; its ultimate seat in our body frame; different states of waking, dream and sleep; death and its irreversibility, and so on. Interplay of matter and spirit/soul (if the latter exists with inherent consciousness) is an intriguing challenge. Are they two independent things, or matter in certain favorable conditions gives rise to consciousness. Will it ever be possible for us to develop a unified theory for both matter and spirit?
Arya Samaj is fortunate to have inherited strong foundations from its founder, Maharshi Dayanand Sarasvati (1825-’83) in terms of the Vedic principles. Humanity as a whole will be excited to learn the unified theory of the Vedas.
Maharshi Dayanand Sarasvati
As we approach Deepavali, we are reminded of Maharshi Dayanand Sarasvati who died on the Deepavali evening 1883, having devoted his life primarily to shine the light of the Vedas. He is known for several contributions: 1) social reformer for girl education, widow remarriage, and to propagate the true Vedic Varna-Vyavastha based on the merits of an individual, in place of the birth-based caste system, 2) for initiating the freedom struggle, favoring country made goods, reminding Indians of their ancestors who ruled the world as Chakravarti Emperors, 3) cow protector and advancing a diet void of meat, fish and eggs, and so on. However, those associated with Arya Samaj must remember him primarily as Param Vedoddharak, meaning bringing back the message of the Vedas. His diagnosis for all the ills of the nation was that it had deviated from the message of the Vedas as if they were ‘locked in a steel box’, its key untraceable. The correct method of interpreting the Vedas was not known to anybody and nobody cared about it. In such a precarious condition, he unlocked the mystery using the classical approach called Aarsh, evolved by the great Rishis in pre-MahaBharata period, more than 5000 years ago. This is the singularly most important contribution of his: he unlocked the deep meanings of the Vedas, the revealed word. The day will definitely come when the entire world will breathe in the fresh air of the Vedic message and that will come sooner than later in the present Age of Science when all the false belief systems will crumble one after another. He will be universally recognized not just as the Man of the Century or the Man of the Millennium but the ‘Man in the last 5000 years’, the next Rishi in the series of Rishis ‘Brahma to Jaimini’. Until then we have to work very hard to practice, preach and propagate the Vedas, selflessly and tirelessly.
No Word for Religion/Dharma
A community coins a word for something that matters to it. Sanskrit has no word for religion – a faith-based sectarian organization. Its essential elements include: 1) a founder, 2) a place of worship, and 3) a holy book. Dharma is a moral code of conduct for the entire humanity and if not followed then there will be a chaos. This is a Sanskrit word and the western languages don’t quite have a word for it. India was a land of Dharma and nothing to do with religion and the western world has no idea of Dharma. India went through a massive spiritual decline resulting into the MahaBharata War, coinciding with decline of Dharma. Interestingly, all religions took birth afterwards – the oldest being Zoroastrianism and Judaism, about 4500 years ago. Now we find ourselves in the midst of a plethora of religions, sects and sub-sects. Most of the wars are in the name of religion. A typical Hindu is utterly confused and believes Hinduism is a religion as opposed to Satya Sanatana Vedic Dharma. He is rushing towards shaping his religion in the three-fold box: 1) Founder: he doesn’t know it but then has cooked up a concept that God reincarnates such as Rama and Krishna, 2) Place of Worship: he is building newer and grander temples, and 3) Holy Book: he is confused and names Gita, or Ramayana or whatever comes handy and could even be Hanuman-Chalisa.
Arya Samaj should assert that we belong to Dharma. If forced upon to reveal the three-fold parameters then, we should say: God- the Dharma-Raj, Heart (not the pumping heart that circulates blood) but deep in skull where the soul resides, called Hrit in Sanskrit – the only place where one can meet God, and the Vedas. Arya Samaj Bhavan (also referred to as temples by some people) is merely a place of assembly and learning.
Dharma & Religion: Where does Arya Samaj Fit in?
There are multiple religions and we are accustomed to hearing that one person has Religion ‘A’ and another Religion ‘B’, etc. Many people wonder: is it not true that multiplicity in religions is the principal cause that our beautiful planet is in turmoil today. The obvious question arises: What was the need of Arya Samaj, another religion? In this background, it should be pointed out that the words Dharma and religion are used synonymous by many people, but quite erroneously. Dharma signifies inherent characteristics of anything for that matter. For example, fire emits heat and light. This is Dharma of Fire, called Agni in Sanskrit. Every kind of fire exhibits these characteristics – the ‘Agni-Dharma’. In that sense, there must be ‘the Human Dharma’ – this is what we are concerned with – the Dharma. Dharma would mean the essential human characteristics without which the humanity will collapse. Humans are uniquely different from all the other infinite things in the universe that we have the freedom to act according to our Dharma or otherwise – even if I know my true Dharma I can choose to act contrary to it – there is absolutely nothing else in the universe that can behave contrary to its Dharma. This is why it is so important for everybody to understand the human Dharma, the Manav-Dhrama. What I finally act is called, my Karma. My Karma may be in accordance with Dharma or contrary to it whereas every other species’ Karma coincides with its Dharma. So, our Dharma is one and only one – what the entire humanity will agree upon. It’s not difficult to know our true Dharma – what I expect others to do to me. Arya Samaj stands for the universal principles – the Manav Dharma – that can lead the entire humanity to a lasting state of happiness based on universal love, brotherhood/sisterhood and peace. Arya Samaj is not a faith-based sectarian religion.
Why Arya Samaj?
Today humanity stands divided between science and religion. Science is one for all and everybody benefits from its advancement. On the other hand, religions are in multitude though they advocate one God – they are faith-based and sectarian, relying on one dogma or another. It is observed that the most of the present conflicts are between followers of one religion with those of another. Also, it is seen that young and intelligent people are renouncing religion in the present Age of Science. However, modern science does not have answers to many questions such as: the true nature of our consciousness, how the universe came into existence, and more importantly, why? From a human perspective, every thinking individual stands at a crossroad and seeks an answer to the questions: Who am I? Where I came from? Where will I go after some years? What is the purpose of my life and how can I attain them in the limited years I have in hand? How to make life a more purposeful, meaningful and enjoyable experience? Arya Samaj is a unique organization – not another religion. I strongly urge every intelligent human being – get to know the most ancient Vedic philosophy that has its own answers to all the above questions. The unique feature of this ancient civilization is that this is the only ancient civilization that continues to survive. Though the people who know and understand it are in microscopic minority yet we can together make a huge difference to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. You may not accept its answers at the end but they are worth knowing. I will take up one related issue every month in these columns to give you a glimpse of what I am deeply proud of. I will look forward to your feedback that may suggest what more to include as we traverse this beautiful journey together.