Sunday, June 12, 2011

Knowing Hinduism -- Triple Lights

THE TRIPLE LIGHTS 


Divine Revelation 

Debating Reason 

Devotional experience 

These are the triple lights that form the basic canons of Hinduism. 

Vedas or Shruthi is the light of Divine Revelation. 

Brahma Sutras is the light of debating Reason. 

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the light of Devotional Experience. 

All the three lights bring to vision the same reality. 

What Reason understands of the Revelation, Experience confirms. 

Shruthi, Yukthi, Anubhava are the words used by the great Adisankara for Revelation, Reason and Experience. 

But what is the basic proof of Religion according to Hinduism? 

Is it reading, debating, being emotional, building an empire of the faith? 

Not anyone of these. They mean nothing, if the basic proof is not there. 

The basic proof is not believing something. 

It is 'Seeing God'. 

To see God is the basic proof of Religion. 
 
It is the Vision, which the words explicate. 

Beholding is the base, believing may be only a prop on the way. 

The Vision is not concrete. It is the Transcendental Vision. 

Words are not mundane but they descend to the earth carrying the pure warmth of Divinity, only to form the ascend back along with men. 

Some years back I wrote in the series "ethu bhakthi?" dealing with what is devotion this observation -- 

Unless and until one understands that Bhakthi is something which encompasses man's reason totally, it should be understood that his dawn is yet to come. 

Hinduism is the project of man, which started when he discovered that there is really, God. 

*** 




Saturday, June 11, 2011

Knowing Hinduism -- 6

All the world religions talk about something in Heaven, which man must reach. 

Religion is other-worldly, according to them. 

They compensate that aspect of their religions by doing social service, as the main practice of their faith. 

Of course they combine it with propaganda. 

But the main idea is that Divinity is something from above into man or from outside into man's life. 

So religion as an institution of training men to mourn and wish for a super reality is inherent in world religions. 

But Hinduism never talks of religion as such. 

It always speaks of Dharma. 

Dharma is the reality as it is in principles. 

From atom to cosmos Dharma runs like a golden thread. 

The sustained, becomes the sustainer, through out nature. 

It is best for man to find out as early as possible his place in this universe. 

Fulfill your place in nature and that in turn will fulfill your nature as a man. 

According to Dharma, you have the final beatitude always in you, carrying it through all stages of the growth. 

The troubles start when you act in neglect of your value in Dharma. 

Divinity is not somewhere. It is, has been, and will be shining in your heart. 

In the heart of every being, He resides and moves the world. 

***