Interfa aithPerspectiveswi ithaFocus sontheBh hagavadG Gita

Brahman:TheM a ManyF Formso oftheOneFo ormles ss

1


Therearedifferentpaths(orrealization)astaughtintheVedas,Samkhya,Yoga,Pashupataand intheVaishnavaShastras.Peoplefollowingthesedifferentpathsstraightorcrooked accordingtowhateverpaththeyconsidertobethebestorthemostappropriateonedueto thedifferenceintheirtemperaments,reachShivaalone,justasallriversentertheocean. ShivaMahimnahStotra,verse7

TABLEOFCONTENTS
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No.
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3

TOPIC
Introduction: Can we Describe God Completely? Non Hindu Traditions Religions on God The Parable of Six Blind Men and the Elephant The Hindu Viewpoint on God: Brahman, the One in Many and Many in One A note on the word Brahman. The Meaning of Om the most Meaningful Name of Brahman Other Names of Brahman used Commonly by Modern Hindus The Two Aspects of Brahman (Saguna and Nirguna) The Meaning of the Word Gua The Two Meanings of Nirgua or Sagua Does Brahman have a Form: Skra and Nirkra Analogy of Different Forms of Water Nirgua Brahman and the Five Levels of Sagua Brahman Relationship between Nirgua and Sagua Brahman Comparison between Nirgua and Sagua Brahman Which Aspect is Superior: Nirgua or Sagua? Nirgua Brahman or Parabrahman The Transcendence of Parabrahman The Positive Attributes of Parabrahman Interfaith Perspectives: Is there Nirgua Brahman in History Centric Abrahamic Religions? Sagua Brahman as shvara (Lord) The Concept of Trimrti The Concept of Devat (Deva) and Dev Relationship of Devats to Brahman Doctrine of Adhikra and Different Perceptions of Brahman The Symbolism of the Forms of shvara or Devas Is Hinduism Polytheistic or Monotheistic? The Gender of shvara The Vyha doctrine of Pnchartra scriptures The Eternal Body of Shiva in the Shaiva-gamas

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615 6 8 9 10 11 15 16 22 16 16 17 18 20 20 21 23 27 24 25 26

4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9

28 50 28 30 31 34 35 39 41 46 50

5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4

Sagua Brahman as Antarymin (Immanent Controller) Attributes of Brahman as Antarymin Brahman as Antarymin in Vishishtadvaita Vednta Interiorization of Brahman and Devas in ones Body and Soul Interfaith Perspectives: Antarymin in other Religions Sagua Brahman as Avatra (Incarnation) Why does Brahman take an Avatra? Distinction between Avatra and Humans Types of Avatras Avatras of various Devats and Liberated Souls Rejection of Avatras and the Doctrine of Avatras by certain Hindus Interfaith Perspectives: Avatras vs. Prophets Objections against the Doctrine of Avatras and Responses Sagua Brahman as Vibhti Relationship between Vibhti, Avatra and Mrti Are Vibhtis Gender Specific? Gurus, Parents and Atithis as Vihnuti Guidelines for Worshipping shvara as Vibhtis Sagua Brahman as a Mrti Two Viewpoints about worshipping Mrtis The Concepts of Pratka, Pratim, Arch, Vigraha Are Hindus Idolators? Idols versus Mrtis Importance of worship of Brahman through Mrtis for Hindus Is worshipping Mrtis inferior to other forms of Worship? Arguments for and against Worship of Mrtis Idolatry in Other Religions and Nirgua Hindu Traditions The Hindu Theology of Worshipping Brahman Four Types of Faithful Worshippers of Brahman Worshipping Nirgua (Attributeless) and Nirkra (Formless) Brahman Worshipping Sagua and Nirkra Brahman: Divinity with Qualities/Attributes but without a Form Is worshipping a Formless Brahman superior to worshipping a Form of Brahman?

51 56 51 52 54 55 57 65 57 58 59 59 62 63 63 66 70 67 68 69 69 71 91 71 74 74 76 79 83 87 92 110 92 93 95 98

9.5 9.6 9.7 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4

Worshipping Sagua and Skra Brahman: Divinity with Attributes and Form and the Concept of Ishta Devat The Major Ishta-Devats and the Traditions (Sampradyas) of Worship The Concept of Ishta-Devat and Hindu Pluralism Worshipping non-Brahman ResultsofWorshippingsomethingotherthanBrahman RiversnotleadingtoBrahman:DoctrineofAdhikraandonesDeity TheCorrectWayofworshippingDevatsotherthanBrahman WorshipofNonGodinotherReligions

99 102 104 111 114 111 112 113 114 115 127 115 116 118 119 121 122 124

11.0 Interfaith Perspectives: 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 12 12.1 12.2 13 14 Hindu polytheism and Hindu Tolerance of Diversity Hindu Dharma as the only true Monotheistic Spiritual Tradition Reconciling Spiritual Visions and NDE of followers of different religions Distortions of Hindu Concept of God by Christian Fundamentalists Comparison of Brahman/shvara with the Abrahamic God Comparing Hindu Theology to Abrahamic Theology Hindu View of God in Other Religions Atheism and Hindu Dharma Atheist arguments against existence of God and Hindu responses Can an Atheist be a good Hindu? Summary BIBLIOGRAPHY

128 128 132 133 134

Copyright Note: This booklet was created for selfstudy (of the Bhagavad Gita) and for teaching purposesbyVishalAgarwal.Permissionisgrantedforitsfreedisseminationandreproductionfornon commercialDharmic/Academicpurposes. Credits:Powerpointslidesandothermaterialpreparedbythefollowingindividualshasbeenusedinor incorporatedintothiscompilation:DasharathLohar,VedChaudhary,NirajMohanka. Foranyquestionsorcorrections,pleasewritetotheauthorVishalAgarwal(vishalsagarwal@yahoo.com) Rev.AA.dt.27January2012

1.0 INT TRODUCT TION - CA WE DESCRIBE GOD CO AN D E OMPLET TELY? Scope The purpose e:

of this

docum mentistodesc cribethenatu ureof God fr rom a Hindu viewpoint, and , compa this view are wpoint to th of hat he t other religions. Th document also ns how the Hindu explain interpr retation of God leads to different ways in which H n Hindus ipGod. worshi The Bh hagavad Gita is often regarded as a su ummary and a synthesis of all the ma ajor philosop phies of Hind duism. Therefore,thisscrip pturewillformthe ur n. major basis of ou discussion To verbosity, we will refrain from e avoid v stuffing our disc g cussion with an h excessi ivenumbero ofquotations sfrom other H Hindu scriptu ures. There is also s no dea arth of secon ndary literatu on ure how H Hindus interp pret and wo orship God. H However, only a few indiv vidual titlesw willbereferre edto.

1.1Non nHinduTra aditionson ntheNatu ureofGod d:

Thescript tures,teachersandfollow wersofdiffere entreligionsm makedifferen ntclaimsaboutGod.Thec claims ofonereligionoftenco ontradicttheclaimsofano otherreligion n. wpoint:Christ tianssaythatthereisOne eGodwhosen phetsandrev vealed ChristianView ntmanyprop th heBibletohu umanity.Then,HesentHi isonlysonJe esusChristto takeawayo oursins.There efore, ChristiansseeGodthroughthehistoryo oftheircomm munityasreco ordedintheB Bible.Accordingto heBible,aun niqueeventinhumanhist torywasthe descentofJesus,theonlybegottens sonof th God, in Palestine. Jesus wa the perfec person and he set the g as ct d gold standard on what is good d an ndwhatisba ad.Togotoh heaven,wem mustbelieveiinwhattheB Biblesaysabo outhumanhistory, es speciallythefactthatJesu usistheonlysonofGod. Noonecang getSalvation unlesstheyf follow th heseChristian ndoctrinesan ndtheirview wofhistory.T Therefore,no onbelievingC Christiansand dnon Christians alla automatically go to everla y asting hell aft their deaths, although Catholics be ter h elieve hatHellisatemporarypurgatoryande eventuallyalllwillgotohe eaven.Christiansbelievet thatit th is sasintowors shipGodthro oughidols.Sin ncetheearth hisaspecialp planettowhichGodsentJ Jesus, 6

theUniverseisgeocentric.HumanbeingsaresaidtosinbecausetheygettemptedbytheDevil, who is an antiGod creature, so to speak. The Devil is also created by God, and his task is to tempt people so that those who are firm in faith are separated from those who are not. Christians worship the Biblical God and his only son Jesus Christ so that they may reach an everlastingheavenaftertheirdeaths.InthispalacelikeheavenresideGodandJesusinwhose company the limited number of successful Christians will become permanent residents. Many Christians also worship Saints and Angels for worldly benefits. They also believe that these SaintsaswellasJesuscanintercedeontheirbehalfsothattheycanenterheaven. JewishViewpoint:JewsbelievethattheyareaspecialpeoplechosenbyGodwhorevealedthe OldTestamentoftheBibletotheJewishProphets.JewsrejecttheChristianclaimthatJesuswas the only son of God, and they also reject the New Testament of the Bible which contains the teachings of Jesus Christ and his followers. Jews also believe that idol worship is a sin. Like Christians,JewsalsounderstandGodthroughthehistoryofHischosenpeople,i.e.,theJews themselves.JewsbelievethatGodpromisedthemthelandofIsraelforever. IslamicViewpoint: MuslimsbelievethattheirGodwhotheynamedAllah didsendtheJewish Prophets. But unlike Christians, they do not believe that God has any son or daughter. They considerJesustooasaprophet.MuslimsbelievethattheBiblewaspollutedbyhumanbeings andthereforeGodsentHislastprophetnamedMuhammadtorevealtheKoraninArabic.There will be no more scripture revealed and no new prophet will be sent. The Mosque in Mecca is constructed around a cubicle structure called the Kaaba, which is said to have been the first mosque of humanity. At one of the corners is kept a black stone encased in silver. Muslims believethatthisstonefellfromtheheaventotheearth.AllnonMuslimsoranyonewhodoes notbelieveinAllahandMuhammadwillgotoeverlastinghellaftertheirdeaths.SomeMuslims also believe that it is acceptable to attack and kill nonMuslims because they do not accept Muhammad and Koran as Divine. The Devil (Shaitan) plays a similar role in Islam as in Christianity. The goal of Muslims is to reach an everlasting heaven after death. This heaven is theoppositeofthedesertwastesofArabiaitislikeanevergreengardenwithunderground channelsofwater,fruitladentrees,everflowingcupsofwineservedbybeautifuldamselsand boysetc.ManyMuslimsalsoworshipothersupernaturalfigurescalledJinns,andatthegraves of dead holy men for getting mundane rewards(likesuccess,orchildren)whileothers askforthesamethingsfromAllah. BuddhistViewpoint:Buddhistsdonot believe in a God or in the devil. Buddha neither confirmed nor did he deny the existence of God. Buddhists believe that the presenceorabsenceofaGodisnotrequired for final Moksha. However, many Buddhists worship the Buddha, and several Buddhists worship Hindu Deities as well. Buddhists also believe in the law of Karma and in rebirth but 7

at ot or ese dhism emphasize tha God is no required fo the functiioning of the two. Moksha in Budd meansgoingo m outofexistence,orbecomingnonexist tent(Nirva) ). Ja ainViewpoint:Jainsareat theistsinthe eory,butmos stofthemwo orshipGodlik keHindusina actual practice.Theu universeisbe eginninglessandiseterna aleventhoughitkeepscha angingallthe etime ccordingtoth helawsofna ature.Therefo ore,thereisn aGodtocrea ateitortode estroy ac noneedfora it.Jainsworsh hiptheir24te eacherscalled dTirthankara asbuttheyareworshippe edonlyasrealized Sa agesandnotasgods. Si ikhViewpoin nt:Sikhssayt thatGodisfo ormlessandc canbeworshippedperfect tlyonlyinthe eway th their 10 Gurus startin with Guru Nanak (bor 1469 CE) taught by chanting His holy hat ng u rn s namesandthr roughdevotio onandlove.A Accordingto Sikhs,Godd doesnotincar rnate,Hedoe esnot mandidolworshipisfutile.TheDeities ofHindusare eacknowledg gedascreatio onsof haveanyform th hatoneGod.LikeHindus,Sikhstoobel lievethatpeo opleofallfait thscanattain nMoksha.Th hereis noconceptofadevilinSikh hism. J ligions: Follow wers of Chin nese religions worship ancestors. They also s y Chinese and Japanese Rel worship Buddha if they su w ubscribe to Buddhism. Folllowers of Sh hintoism also worship diff ferent naturespiritsa andalsoextra aterrestrialg gods.

1.2Para ableofthe eElephant tandtheS SixBlindM Men:

Hindu Sag say that all the above views are only partially correct. Acco ges e o ording to Hin scriptures, the ndu Universe isinfinitein extentandis sbillionsofy yearsold.Mo oreover,there earebillionsofUniverses s,and icharebeingcreatedanddestroyedat tanygivenpo ointoftime. ToseeGodthroughthele ensof manywhi our histor is to there ry efore like studying an oce through a drop of sea water. So w should ke in ean a a we eep m mind that th Universe i not Geoce he is entric. R Rather,itisTh heocentricor rGodcentere ed. W human beings have only a limited We e u understanding, a limited knowledge a and a l imitedimagin issoawesom me,He nation.Godi e, e annot i s so unique so infinite that we ca d describe Him completely cannot im m y, magine h himcomplete elyandcanno otthinkabou uthim c completely. G God is much more than what h w say about Him, what we imagine about we t H Himorwhatw kaboutHim.H wecanthink Hindu 1 S Sages narrate a parable to explain how p people who c claim to know God comp w pletely a areonlypartiallycorrect.

Thisparableisfirstreco ordedtogivea adifferentmes ssageintheJt takaTalescolle ectionofBuddhism.

Once,sixmenwhowerebornblindwerebroughttoanelephantandwereaskedtodescribeit.Theblind mensurroundedtheelephantandtoucheddifferentpartsofit. Thefirstblindmantouchedthetailoftheelephantandsaid,Theelephantislikearope. Thesecondblindmantouchedthelegofthecreatureandsaid,Theelephantislikeapillar. Thethirdgentlemantouchedthetrunkofthecreatureandsaid,Theelephantislikeasnake. The fourth person who had touched the body of the elephant said, You are all wrong because the elephantislikeawall. Thefifthperson,whohappenedtotouchanearoftheelephantassertedthateveryoneelsewaswrong becauseitwasactuallylikeafan. Thesixthpersoncaughtholdofatuskandsaid,Howcanyousaythat?Iamsuretheelephantislikea sharpspear. Thesixblindmenkeptarguingwitheachother,refusingtoagreetooneanotherbecauseeachofthem wassurethathealoneknewthetruecharacteroftheelephant! Themoralofthestoryisthatalthoughthetruthisone,everyonedescribesitinhisorherownwayfrom a different angle. But when we take all perspectives into account and harmonize them, we get the completetruth. In a similar way, people who fight with each other on the nature of God are perhaps like these blind men. Perhaps, all these different views are different aspects of the same truth or parts of the same truth.Thefactisthatjustliketheblindmencouldnotseetheelephant,wecannotseeorhearortaste ortouchorsmellGod.Therefore,wecannotmakedogmaticassertionsaboutwhatGodisandwhatGod isnotandsummarilyrejectwhatothershavetosay. ToknowGod,wemustexperienceHim.Justaswecannotknowthetasteofabananawithouteatingit, wecannotknowGodwithoutexperiencingHim.

1.3TheHinduViewpointonGod:Brahman,the OneinManyandtheManyin One

TheconceptofGodinHinduDharmaisthemostcomplexofallandadmitsofagreatdealofvarietyin howGodmanifestsandhowGodcanbeworshipped. InHinduDharma,GodisoftenreferredtoasBrahmanwhichmeanstheGreatestorSupreme.Hindu tradition recognizes Brahman as an eternal, omnipresent, unchangeable, infinite, omniscient Soul (NirguaBrahman)butitalsoallowsustoworshipBrahmaninmanybeautifulforms(SaguaorSkra Brahman). Most Hindus believe that simply out of compassion, Brahman assumes different forms and becomes moreaccessibletohumans,whowouldfinditdifficulttoworshipaformlessDivinity.TheseFormsarea partofBrahmanandtheyrepresentdifferentfunctionsoraspectsofBrahman.Theseformsarecalled shvara.Initsroleastheshvara,Brahmanperformsthefunctionsofcreating,sustaining,transforming anddissolvingtheUniverse.

shvaracanincarnatefurtherinhumanornonhumanformsforupholdingDharma,vanquishingevil,for settinganexampleforhumansorforthesakeofteachingwisdomtohumanity.Theseformsarecalled Avatras. Again, the mean reason for Brahman or shvara assuming Avatras is compassion for humanity. SaguaBrahmanisalsopresentinitsAntaryminaspectinwhichitdwellsinsidetheentirecreationas thewitness,asthecontrollerandastheunifyingthread. TheentirecreationisreflectionofthegrandeurofBrahman,butthoselivingandnonlivingentitiesthat are endowed with beauty, power, glory and so on are especially representative of Brahman. These entities(e.g.,theSun)arecalledtheVibhtis(ormanifestationofpowers)ofBrahman. Lastly,theallpervadingBrahmanmakesItselfmoreaccessibletotheworshipperbyabidingwithinthe sacredandsanctifiedimage,ortheMrti. Therefore, Hindus worship the One Infinite Brahman that manifests itself in many ways, and is the infiniteandcompleteDivinityunderlyingalltheshvaras,Avatras,VibhtisandMrtis,Whoisoutside everything,andWhoisalsopresentinsideeverythingastheAntarymin.

1.4ANoteonthewordBrahman:
The word Brahman must be distinguished from Brhmaa denoting one of the four social classes of Hindus (the other three being Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra), and Brahm, the Creator aspect of Brahman.ThefinalnofBrahmanissilentwhenthewordisspoken,andthespellingusedhereismore of an academic convention in English. The phonetic nature of Indian scripts prevents any confusion betweenthesethreewordsbutthephoneticsofEnglish(Roman)scriptarenotadequatetodepictthese threewordswithoutcreatingconfusion.Hencethisclarificationisgivenhere. All the three words are derived from the same Sanskrit root. The Upanishads define Brahman in the followingwords ItiscalledtheSupremeBrahman(parabrahman)becauseitgrows(bhati)andcauses (theUniverse)togrow(bhmayati).AtharvashirasUpanishad4 Radhakrishnanelaborates2theetymologicalmeaningofBrahman The word used in the Upanishads to indicate the supreme reality is Brahman. It is derived from the root bh. to grow, to burst forth. The derivation suggests gushing forth, bubbling over, ceaseless growth, brhattvam. Shankara derives the word Brahmanfromtheroot,bhatitoexceed,atishayanaandmeansbyiteternity,purity. ForMadhva,Brahmanisthepersoninwhom[good]qualitiesdwellinfullness,bhanto hyasmingun.Therealisnotapaleabstraction,butisquickeninglyalive,orpowerful vitality.
2

Radhakrishnan,p.52

10

RamanujacharyaalsodefinesBrahmaninthefollowingwords: The Highest Being Who is the Ruler of all; Whose nature is the opposite of all evil; Whosepurposescometrue;Whopossessesinfinitenumberofauspiciousqualitieslike knowledge,blessednessandsoon;WhoisAllKnowing,Almighty,supremelyMerciful; from Whom the creation, subsistence, and dissolution of this universe result He is Brahman(TheSupremeGod). ShriRamanujacharya(10171137CE)inShribhashya1.1.2 Asweshallseelater,thetwodifferentdefinitionsofBrahman,(Shankaracharyavs.Ramanuja/Madhva) resultfromthedifferentphilosophiesthatthesethreeAcharyasofVedantaespoused. Inthisdocument,wewillavoidusingthewordGodandwillusethewordBrahmanunlessotherwords includingGodfitthecontextbetter.

1.5 The Meaning of OM the Most Meaningful NameofGod

OM is a sacred sound in all the four Dharmic traditions Hindu Dharma,Buddhism,SikhismandJainism.AllHinduprayersstartwith theutteranceofOmbecauseitisconsideredthebestnameorthe SoundForm(ShabdaBrahman)ofGod.ItrepresentsBrahmaninits totality in both of its two aspects and in all of its six levels (Nirgua Brahman, shvara, Avatra, Antarymin, Vibhti and Mrti). The recitationoftheHinduHolyscripturesisalsoalwaysstartedwiththe utterance of OM. The O sound is elongated, and a short silence shouldfollowM.TherecitationofOMisdonewithgreatconcentration,thinkingofGod,andwitheyes closed. Om,Tat,SatthishasbeentaughtasthethreefolddesignationofBrahman.Bythis, theBrahmins,theVedas,andthesacrificeswerecreatedinancienttimes.Gita17.23 IamthesacredsyllableOm.Gita9.17 ThefigurebelowshowshowOMiswrittenindifferentscriptsusedinthreeofthefourDharmic traditions

11

 Devan gar Tamil Gurumukhi Telugu/ /Kannada Tibetan

Inreality,Omisacom mbinationofthreelettersA,UandM M.Thesethreelettersare foundinthe three raBrahma, Vishnu,Mah hesh(Shiva).T attheendof eachutteran nceof majorformsofshvar Thesilencea AUMdenotestheinv visible,ineffab bleaspectofNirguaBrah hman.

AUM and the Sanskrit Alph a habet: The alphabet of H a ages starts w with the lette A, er Hindu langua
followed byallthevowels.Then,w wehaveasetof25conso onantscalled dcontactcon nsonants(sp parsha vyanjanabecausetheyareuttere edbythecon ntactoftheto ongue,teeth, ,lips,palatee etc.)thatend dwith the letter M whose utterance in r nvolves a com mplete conta of the tw lips. The letter M its is act wo self followedbyeight(8)o otherconsona antsthatareutteredfrom mwithin(ya, ra,la,va,sha a,shha,sa,ha a)and are not pronounced by the contac of the tongue, teeth o r the lips. So in short, re p b ct o, ecitation of AUM represent tstheentire alphabetfrom mA(thefir rstvowel)tillM(thelast tcontactco onsonant),an ndthe silence af fter its uttera ance stands for the 8 int terior conson nants. This p parallelism be etween the H Hindu alphabet symbolizes that Om (or Brahman) enc B compasses a ll that can be described b the vowel and e by ls nd ers. perhaps beautifully consonants, and It is also the silence within us and beyon these lette This is p statedint theGitainthefollowingw words: Krishnasaidto oArjuna: I IamtheAtm manpresentin nthehearto ofallcreature es.AndIam alsothebegi inning,the middleandthe m eendofallth hings.Gita10.20

AUM and Brah hman: Whenever we pray to any form of

Brahman we must a n, always first s AUM. Saying AUM a the say at start of every prayer means that Brahman is One, and a the r t s all ethedifferen ntformsofth hatoneBrahm man. Devats andDevsare

Gaapa and Om ClassicalH ati m: HinduDharm maasitisprac cticed

today, in nvolves a pro olific use of M Mrtis or Div vine Images (dealt withing greaterdetail later).Hindu uworshipalw waysstartswit ththe recitationofOm,an ndthefirstDe eityorMrtiw worshippedisthat pati(akaGa esha)theb beautifulelephantheadedDeity ofGaap of the Hindus. One of the reas H sons sometim given for this mes parallelis is that Ga sm aapati Hims is the solid or the manifest self

12

formofOm.Thisisquiteclearfromthepictureshown.

Interfaith Perspectives: Is Om the same as God or Amen in Christianity?

Om (or Aum) is a very special name of Brahman that cannot be replaced with any other. Malhotra criticizes this tendency to think that all the names of God are equal from a spiritual perspective. He says3 Nowhere is the question of nontranslatability [of dharmic terms into English] more crucialthanintheEnglishtransliterationofthesoundandsymbolAum.Theimportance of Aum has long been recognized, even in the West, where yogic practices try to preservethisoriginalsound.Aum hasbeenthesubjectofextensiveanddeepenquiry andpracticeineverysystemofHinduism,includingVaishnavism,Shaivism,Tantra,Sri Vidya,PatanjalisYogaSutra.SabdaBrahman,NadaBrahmanandNadaYoga,aswellas various grammarian schools, sphota theory etc. Numerous Vedic mantras contain Aum. A common, yet erroneous practice, especially in Christian Yoga circles, is to replace AumwithAmenorJesus.ThemantricaspectofAumcannotbereplacedbysynonyms. Aum is the vibration of Ishwara, unmediated by the conditioned mind. Patanjali calls Aum a spokesperson (vacakah) of Ishwara. Hence, the experience it brings about cannot be generated by an alternative sound such as the sound of another name for God.. One medicine generally cannot be substituted for another; each has its unique properties and is applicable in certain situations to produce specific results. Maharshi MaheshYogiexplainednumeroustimesthateachbijamantraisasoundwhoseprecise effectsareknow.Universalapplicabilitymeansthatunderagivensetofcircumstances a specific practice produces the same results. Replacing one bijamantra with some otherarbitrarysoundchangestheinputs,asitwere,andinsciencethiswouldnaturally meanachangeintheoutputsaswell. Indeed,thenameAUMorOMmustnotbesubstitutedbyanyothernamesofBrahmanorGod.There areentireHinduscriptures(e.g.MndkyaUpanishad)thatexpoundthesignificanceanddeepmeaning ofOm.Politicalcorrectnessmustneverbeasubstitutefortrueunderstandinginthesematters.

Om in Other Dharmic Traditions and Religions:

AlthoughJainsandBuddhistsareatheistsoragnostics(theoretically),Omhasahallowedstatusintheir traditions too and is recited at the commencement of ceremonies. This is perhaps a result of the importance of Yoga (meditation) in these religions which they have borrowed from the panIndic heritage.OmplaysacentralroleinYogapractices.ButonlytheHindutraditionhasretainedtheproper originalcontextandmeaningofOmbecauseithasnotejectedDivinityoutofspiritualpractices.
3

Malhotra,pp.263264

13

 m,IkOmkar (OneOm)is sprefixedbef foreeveryre ecitationofth heholyscriptureandits useis InSikhism clearly bo orrowed from Hindu Dharma. Sikhs often emph m hasize the di istinctiveness of Sikhism from s Hinduism and argue that the first Sikh Guru Nanak found t t ded a separa religion b ate because the Sikhs nd nation is disin ngenuous be ecause the original manu uscript worship Ik Omkar an not Om. This explan (calledthe eHarsahaiPothi,lostina atrainrobber ryin1970,bu utitsPhotostatstillexistin ng)ofSikhreligious hymns fro the time of Guru Nan starts wit Om, and not Ik Omka Clearly th om nak th ar. hen, Ik Omka is a ar later inno ovation. More eover, Om is extolled in the di Grant the sacred scripture o the Sikhs, i the t th, of in sameway yasitispraisedintheHinduscriptures s.Itisstatedt thatOmkarc createdtheV Vedas(diGr ranth, Mahlu1,DakhaniOmk karu)amongo otherthings. The first Surah or cha apter of the Quran (and therefore the entire Mus t e slim holy boo starts wit the ok) th mmeaningt thelettersA, ,L,Minthe eArabicalpha abet.Severalotherchaptersof wordsAlephLamMim reisnoconclusive theQuran ntoostartwiththesewords.Nooner reallyknows whattheym meanandther theory ac ccepted by all Muslim sch holars. Howev Swami R ver, Ram Tirth (18 8731906), an influential H n Hindu monkfrom mGujranwala a(nowinPak kistan)hadex xplainedthat tinArabicgra ammar,Lw wouldbecome eaU when pre eceded by A and follow A wed by M (e e.g., the Mu uslim name Shamsaldin is pronounce as ed Shamsudd din).There,th heQuran,acc cordingtohim mtoostartsw withAUMor rOm.

Summar of the Me ry eaning of O Om

Thefigure ebelowsumm marizestheim mportanceof fAUMorOM inHinduDha arma.

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1.6OtherNamesofBrahmanusedCommonlybyModernHindus:
When Hindus utter the name of any particular Form of Brahman, they frequently prefix the word Bhagavntoit.Forexample,BhagavnKrishna,orBhagavnShivaandsoon.Ineverydayconversation and other usage, Hindus simply refer to Brahman by the following words: Prabhu (master), shvara (Lord),Bhagavn,DevaandsoonwithoutmuchregardtowhichparticularaspectofBrahmanisbeing referredto. AllthesedifferentnamesrepresentdifferentattributesofBrahmanandhaveroughEnglishequivalents, althoughitisalwaysbettertousetheSanskritoriginal.However,unlikethesenames,thenameOmis considerednontranslatableeveninSanskrit.

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2.0 THE TWO ASPECTS OF BRAHMAN (SAGUA AND NIRGUNA):

InHinduDharma,GodisoftenreferredtoasBrahmanwhichmeanstheGreatestorSupreme.Hindu traditionrecognizesBrahmanasaneternal,unchangeableSoulbutitalsoallowsustoworshipBrahman inmanybeautifulforms. ManyHinduscripturesandSagessaythatBrahmanexistsintwodifferentaspectswhicharesometimes furtherclassifiedintofivedifferentlevels.ThesetwodifferentaspectsinwhichGodexistsareSagua andNirgua.BothSagunaandNirgunaBrahmanareaspectsofoneandthesameBrahmanorGod.4 Theyareliketwosidesofthesamecoin.

2.1TheMeaningsoftheWordGua
ThewordNirguameansDevoidorfreeofGuaswhereasthewordSaguameansendowedwithor associatedwithGuas.ThewordGuaitselfhastwomajormeanings 1. Guasarethethreeconstituentsofthematerialuniverse.Thesethreestrands,accordingtothe SamkhyaschoolofHinduPhilosophy(Darshana)areSattva,RajasandTamas.Thesethreeterms again have no modern equivalents, but may be equated roughly to intelligence, energy and matter. 2. Guaalsomeansquality,likegoodness,colorandsoon. BecausethewordGuaitselfhasadualmeaning,theresultisthatboththewordsNirguaandSagua havetwomeaningseach.

2.2TheTwoMeaningsofNirguaBrahmanandSaguaBrahman
WhenweconsiderthefirstmeaningofthewordGua(thethreeconstituentsofthematerialuniverse), then the phrase Nirgua Brahman means that Brahman is nonmaterial, and instead it is a purely spiritualentity.ItisalsomeansthatpartofBrahmanwhichisnotengagedinanysortofinteractionwith thematerialuniversewhichiscomprisedofthethreeguas(sattva, rajas and tamas). Brahman in this aspect is completely devoid of a form, and is therefore ineffable and imperceptible. Similarly, the word Sagua Brahman now means Brahman that is engaged with the universe as the creator, sustainer or destroyer, or as the indwelling Antarymin, or as an incarnation (Avatra) or another manifestation like the Vibhti, or that which takes up Its abode within a Mrti that is being worshipped. Nirgua Brahman is necessarily without a form (nirkra) whereas Sagua Brahman is typically with a Form (Skra). Of course, it is not necessary that Sagua Brahmana must take a Form because it can perform its
NotethattheHindutermBrahmandoesnotreallyequatetothewordGodinEnglish.Godismoreaccurately designatedbythewordshvara.
4

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functionsengagedwiththethreeguasevenwithouttaking itsownform. e he m t y), e When we consider th second meaning of the word G ua (quality then the phrase Nirgua Brahman is taken to mean that Brahman is de B evoid of any negative qua alities, and that it is pure and e, uncontam minated. Likew wise, the phrase Sagua Brahman is interpreted as Brahman that is end s d n dowed withnumerouspositiv veandauspiciousqualities s(kalyanagu as)likeinfin nitepower,in nfiniteblissa andso nthetwoasp pectsofBrahm manaredefin nedwiththismeaningof guainmind d,Brahmanm mayor on.When maynoth haveaform. Asstated above,thea ancientHindu utraditiondo oesnotdraw washarpline ebetweenNi irguaandSa agua .TheUpanish hadsdepictB Brahmanasa Divinitythatistranscendenttotheun niverse,isinv volved Brahman. inthecos smosandisf formless,isin neffableand mysteriousa andyet,isalsoendowed withseveral good qualities. Whatthemo ostancientUpanishadsdo onotacceptiisthatBrahm mancanhaveaform.Fort them, theuniverseitselfisaformofBrahman.

2.3Doe esBrahma anhaveaF Form?Sk kra(With haForm)a andNirk kra(Lacki inga Form)B Brahman:
Theabovedefinitions ofNirguaa andSaguaB Brahmanrefle ecttheactua alsituationin nthemostan ncient Hindu scr riptures and philosophy. However, mo lay Hindu simply tak Nirgua B H ost us ke Brahman to mean ineffable andformlessaspectofB Brahman(Nir rkra),andS SaguaBrahmantomeanBrahmanw witha kra)thatthe eyworship. Form(Sk Whenwe eworshipBrahmaninitsF Formlessnatu ure,wearew worshippingit tsImpersona alform.And when weworsh hipitwithafo ormsuchasS Shiva,Devi,Vishnuetc.,w eareworship ppingitsPersonalform.Hindu scriptures stermtheset twoaspectso ofGodasNir rguaandSa aguarespec ctively. Buthowc canthesameBrahmanexistasaForml lessentityan ndyethavea form?Hindusaintsexplai inthis c conundrumw withthehelpo ofthe a analogy of d different stat of tes w waterbelow A Analogyofth heDifferentS States o Water: The same subs of stance water, can exist in three d different form As ice, it is not ms. o only visible, but it has a solid a and a fixed form. As liquid w water,itisvis sible,butith hasno fi ixed form. A moisture in the As a it is invisible and ha no air, as fi wecan ixedformeventhoughw fe it. In a similar manne the eel er,

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same Brahman can exist in numerous forms. As Parabrahman (or Nirguna Brahman) and also as Antarymin,itisinvisible,andhasnoform(i.e.,itisNirkara).Asshvara,itisinvisibleordinarily,but hasafixedform.AsAvatra,itisvisibleonlyduringthedurationoftheAvatraspresenceinourmidst, butnotthereafter,eventhoughithasafixedform.AsMrti,ithasafixedformandisvisibletillitfalls apart.AsVibhti,itisvisiblebutitmayormaynothaveafixedform.Butnevertheless,allofthemare differentaspectsofthesameBrahman. AstowhytheFormlessBrahmantakesaForm,HinduSantshavedeclared: There is really no difference between Sagua and Nirgua Brahman. The Munis, Puranas, Wise and the Vedas sing that the that very Brahman which is without Gua, hasnoform,nocharacteristicandisunbornthatsameBrahmanbecomesSaguaout ofloveforhisdevotees.TulsidasRamacharitmanas Indeed,inconnectionwitheveryaspectofBrahmanthathasaForm,thescripturesreiteratethatthe Formless,NirguaBrahmanhasassumedthatFormpurelyoutofloveandcompassionforItsdevotees. AtleastthatistheviewofthedominantHinduphilosophyofBhakti.

2.4NirguaBrahmanandtheFiveLevelsofSaguaBrahman:
TheNirguaBrahmanandthefivedifferentlevelsofSaguaBrahmanaredescribedbelow 1. Nirgua Brahman or Parabrahman: At this level, Brahman is the Supreme Being that is infinite in spaceandtime(Anantam)andissuperior(Para)totheCreation.NirguaBrahmanalsoincludesall the other five levels of Sagua Brahman below. It is the unchanging and eternal Reality (Sat), the Universal Consciousness or the Life of the Universe (Chit) and an ocean of true happiness and bliss (nanda). Therefore, Brahman is also referred to as SatChitAnanda (or Sacchidnanda in short). Parabrahmancannotbedescribedcompletely,Hecannotbeimaginedcompletely. 2. shvara or Bhagavn: At this level, the emanations (vyha) of the Parabrahman preside over the functions of creation, preservation, and destruction of the Universe. God at this level also reveals the Vedas,thedivinescripturesofHindus.HeoverseesourKarma,andgivesthefruitofourKarmaandso on.WecanpickandchooseoneoftheFormsofIshvaraasourpreferredform(IshtaDevat)andthen worshiptheimageorvigrahaofthatform. The relationship between shvara and Brahman and also the main Forms of shvara worshipped by Hindusaregiveninthediagrambelow:

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Brahman Nirguna Brahman Saguna Brahman Devi

shvara

Brahm

Vishnu

Shiva

3. Avatra or Vibhava: At specific times, the shvara manifests (vibhava) or incarnates. Divine personalities like Rama and Krishna represent such earthly incarnations (avataras). On numerous occasionsinhistory,thevariousformsofshvaramanifestedtorestoreDharma,tosetanexamplefor humanity and to eliminate wrongdoing. Most Hindus believe that Bhagavn Vishnu incarnated numerous times for this purpose. These incarnations are called Avatra or descent from above, and manyofthemlikeBhagavnKrishnaandBhagavnRamaarewidelyworshipped.

4.Antarymin:Brahmanresidesintheheartofallhumanbeingsastheinnercontroller(antarymin).In fact, Brahman as the Antarymin is immanent (resides within) in the entire universe. It can communicate to us in our dreams, in our conscience and so on. We see It inside us typically as our Ishta. In this mode, Brahman can also possess a worshipper and make him a medium of his communication. Enlightened personalities who completely surrender their ego, heart and soul to God becomelikeHisMastersVoice,andtheirwordsaretakenbybelieversasDivineWill.

5. Vibhti: Brahman abides with the entire universe and therefore all living and nonliving entities reflect Brahmans glory,power, love,beauty and energy. In other words, the creation is a Vibhti of Brahman. However, only the most spiritually advanced can see Brahman in the entire creation. Therefore,HinduscripturesrecommendthatbeginnersshouldstartperceivingthegloryofBrahmanin thebestinclasstypeentities.Fore.g.theriverGangaamongallrivers,kingamongallmenandsoon. Thesebestinclassitemsarethensaidtobevibhtis,ormanifestationsofBrahmansglories. 6.VigrahaorMrti:Finally,andmostimportantforthemajorityHindus,isthedescentofshvarainto theworldasanimageoutofcompassionforus.ThetermArchvatraisusedtorefertothisimage incarnation. It is the form in which the shvara makes Himself accessible for worship to his ordinary humandevoteewhocannotfathomHishigheraspectsanddonothaveaccesstoaTeacher.Theimage islikeaTelescope,throughwhichwecanseethedistantHeavenlyBodymoreclearlyandclosely.The image(justlikethetelescope)isnotBrahmanassuch,butameansthroughwhichpeoplewhohavea limitedinsightandvisioncanseeGodmoreclosely.Orwemaylikentheimageasasoftwareicononour desktopwhichisnotthesoftwarecodeitself,butwhichwhenclicked,makesthesoftwareaccessibleto usforuse.

InterfaithPerspectives:BecauseofthesemanylevelsinwhichBrahmancancommunicatetous,
HinduDharmadoesnotbelieveinprophetschosenbyit,exceptthefirstSagestowhomItrevealsthe 19

scriptures at the beginning of the creation. Anyone can establish a live connection with Brahman by beingpiousandspiritual,andwiththeassistanceofotherspirituallyenlightenedteacherscalledGurus.

2.5RelationshipbetweenNirgunaandSagunaBrahman
NoHinduconsidersthetwoaspectsofBrahmanasseparateentities,whateverhisorherunderstanding of what they mean may be. They are like two sides of the same coin, or like day and night, complementingeachother,andmakingasinglewhole.TheBhagavadGitasummarizesboththenatures ofBrahmanbeautifullyintheseverses: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Brahmanappearstohavethequalitiesofallthesenses,andyetiswithoutanyofthe senses. Brahman is unattached, and yet supports all. He is free of all the guas of Prakritievenwhileenjoyingthemall.Heiswithoutandwithinallbeings.Heisunmoving andalsomoving.Heistoosubtletobeperceivedwiththesenses.HeisfarandyetHeis near. He is indivisible and yet He seems to be divided among beings. He should be known as the nourisher of all creatures, as well as their Devourer and also as their Creatorafresh.HeistheLightoflights,devoidofalldarkness.HeistheKnowledge,the ObjectofallKnowledgeandtheGoalofallKnowledge.Heisseatedintheheartsofall. Gita13.1417 WhatisatdisputeamongtheHindusiswhetherBrahmancanhaveaformornot,andwhetheritisthe Nirgua or the Sagua Brahman that is primary (with the other being secondary) aspect of Brahman. However,mostofthesedebatesdatefromlaterdevelopmentsinHinduDharma.Asstatedabove,the ancientUpanishadsandotherspiritualscripturesdonotconsiderthiscontroversy. Whereas the Upanishads assume Brahman as a formless Divinity (and the Brahmasutras, that present their teachings in a systematic form, reject any body of Brahman), followers of many sophisticated philosophieslikeVaisheshikapreferredtoworshipBrahmanasShivaandsoon. The view that is upheld by a majority of modern Hindus is that Nirgua Brahman represents a higher aspectofBrahmanalthoughworshipofSaguaBrahmanissufficienttogetMoksha.

2.6ComparisonbetweenNirguaandSaguaBrahman
Thedifferencebetweenthetwomaybetabulatedasfollows:

NirguaBrahman

SaguaBrahman

ThataspectofBrahmanthatcannotbedescribed ThataspectofBrahmanthatisassociatedwithan inwordsaspossessinganydistinguishingor infinitemeasureofwonderfulqualities. specialqualities. MeditateduponasaFormlessandImpersonal Atman(SupremeSoul). WorshippedinmanyFormsasaPersonalDeity (IshtaDevat).

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HasnoconnectiontotheGuasofPrakriti. OthernamesaresimplyBrahman,Parabrahman, Paramatman.

RuleroftheGunasofPrakriti. Canexistatfive differentlevels:1.shvara, 2.Avatra,3.Antaryminand4.Vibhti, 5.Vigraha/Archa(Mrti). AfewHindusandSikhsdonotworshipanyformsof theSaguaBrahman.TheysaythatSaguamerely meansthatGodhasmanywonderfulqualities (anothermeaningofthewordgua)andNirgua meansthatGoddoesnothaveanynegative qualitiesandisnotcomprisedofanyguaor strandofPrakriti.TheyalsosaythatGoddoesnot needaformtoperformhisrolesatthefourlevels ofSaguaBrahman. AfewHindusthinkthatSaguaBrahmanisa superioraspectofBrahman.Theybelievethatthe FormofGodiseternal.Forthem,theword NirguamerelymeansthatGoddoesnothaveany negativequalitiesandnotthatGoddoesnothave anyform.

AllHindusacceptandworshipNirguaBrahman.

MostHindusconsiderNirguaBrahmanaasa superioraspectofBrahman.

2.7WhichAspectisSuperiorNirguaBrahmanorSaguaBrahman?
The ancient scriptures of Hindu traditions, namely the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and theancientPuranasdonotadvocatethesuperiorityofNirguaBrahmanoverSaguaBrahmanorvice versa. However, the gama scriptures compiled in the first millennium C.E. and later appear to teach sometimesthatSaguaBrahmanissuperior. Vednta,thepreeminentschoolofHindutheologyhasnumerousinterpretationswhichtakeastance on this matter. The oldest surviving school, that of Advaita Vedanta, which is associated with Adi Shankaracharya(7thcent. CE)upholds thesuperiorityof Nirgua BrahmanoverSaguaBrahman.This viewpointiselaboratedinthefollowingwords WorshipofaGodwhoisnotalsotheAbsoluteisidolatry,andamereAbsolute,whois characterlessandirresponsive,isnotbetterthanmatter.TheVedantathereforeaccepts theSupremeBeingasbothPersonalandImpersonal.Whenthevotaryinthecourseof hisspiritualdevelopmentbecomesdepersonalizedonachievingtheeliminationofhis egobasedbodymind,hewillbeabletounderstandthetrueImpersonal.Tillthen,that is,solongasheisaperson,theImpersonalandtheAbsolutecanonlymeanforhima PersonalBeingwhoismuchmorethanwhathe,aperson,hasgraspedorcangraspof Him.Toillustrate,theImpersonalPersonalDivineoftheVedantaistheocean,andthe Godofadorationofthedevoteeislikeabigfieldorbackwaterintowhichthewaterof thatoceanhasflowed.ThemanydeitiesthatformtheobjectofworshipofVedantism 21

arelikethesetanksandbackwatersintheanalogy.Therearesomanymanifestationsof thePersonalImpersonalSatchitanandainthethoughtstructuresofthosewhoadore Him,orareformsadoptedbyHimfortheachievementofcosmicpurposesinHisworld play5 Incontrast,mostoftheotherschoolsofVedanta,notablytheVishishtadvaitaVedantaassociatedwith RamanujacharyaandtheDvaitaVedantaassociatedwithMadhvacharya,arguetheopposite. ArvindSharmasummarizesthiscontroversyinthefollowingwords A lot of philosophical controversy in Hinduism centers on whether Brahman, the ultimate reality, is itself nirgua or sagua. Hardly any school denies that it possesses both these aspects; rather, the battle rages over the issue of which of the two is primary.SomeoftheschoolswhichfavourtheviewthatBrahmanissaguamorelike apersonalGodinterpretthetermnirguadifferentlysoastoaccommodateitwithin their system. Then, the word nirgua is understood not as meaning that Brahman possesses no attributes whatsoever but rather that Brahman possesses no evil attributes. Orelsethewordnirguais takenasrepresentingthe impersonalpowerof God, in the sense the president exercises the impersonal powers of the presidency. Similarly, scriptural passages which apparently seem to accord primacy to sagua Brahmanarereinterpretedtorepresentapenultimateformulationbythosewhoregard nirguaBrahmanassupreme.6 ItmightbeaddedthatthetruecauseofthiscontroversyisoverwhethertheBrahmanwithaformis superiororwhetheritisBrahmanwithoutaformthatissuperior. Ignoringthesecontroversies,thissectionofthedocumentisclosedwiththefollowingbeautifulwords ofascholarontheHinduconceptionofBrahman Hinduism teaches that God is not only infinitely higher than ourselves but also infinitelyneartoourselves.Heisnearertousthanourhandsandfeet.ForHeisthesoul of our souls. He lives in our hearts. He is the canvas on which we shine as painted pictures.Heistheverygroundofourbeing.7

Sarma,pp.ixx ArvindSharma(2000),p.3 7 Sarma,p.95

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3.0 NIRGUA BRAHMAN - PARABRAHMAN

Parabrahman is normally described in the Hindu scriptures as a formless, mysterious andindescribableaspectofBrahmanthatis above the Universe and superior to it. Parabrahman is represented simply by silence, or by OM. It is not worshipped in the form of any mrti and is described most commonly in negative terms. Typically, when the word Brahman is used, it denotes Parabrahman or Nirgua Brahman. SwamiBhaskaranandadescribestheHindu concept of Nirguna Brahman very eloquentlyinthefollowingwords(pp.6668) Ifweask,Whowastherebeforecreation?thenthelogicalreplywillbethatonlythe creator, or God, was there. But if we ask, What was God like before creation? then Hinduisms reply will be that God was in a transcendental state of existence before creation.ThewordtranscendentalmeansthatGodsexistencewasbeyondourtime, spaceandcausation.HinduismholdsthatwhenGodcreatedtheworldhecreatedtime andspacealongwithit.Hisprecreationexistencemust,therefore,havebeenbeyond timeandspacesincetheypertainonlytothisworld.. .Godspreexistencemusthavebeentranscendentalexistence,becauseGodthendid notbelongtothetimeandspacepertainingtothisworld.Godsexistenceinthatstate may be called the True State of the Existence of God. In that state God is beyond all limitations imposed by time, space and causation. God in that transcendental state is eternal,infiniteandchangeless. In Hinduism, God in this transcendental state of existence is called Nirguna Brahman, theSupremeSpirit,theSupremeBrahman,ortheImpersonalandAttributelessGod. NirgunaBrahmancannothaveapersonality.Personalityisalimitation.Beingdevoidof apersonality,NirgunaBrahmanisalsobeyondsex.NeitherthepronounHenorShe can be used to denote Nirguna Brahman. The Vedas use the Sanskrit neuter pronoun Tat, the counterpart of the English word That, indicating that Nirguna Brahman is neithermalenorfemale. Transcendingspace,NirgunaBrahmanisInfinite.Transcendingtime,NirgunaBrahman isTimelessorEternal.Freefromtheceaselesschangegeneratedbycausation,Nirguna BrahmanisChangeless. Attribute or quality is a factor of separation. For example, the power of burning is a qualityoffire.Itseparatesfirefromwater,whichlacksthatquality.AsNirgunaBrahman

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is One, Indivisible and Infinite, It cannot accommodate any kind of separation within Itself.Therefore,NirgunaBrahmanmustbeattributeless,orfreefromallqualities. Hinduism also uses the expressions Absolute Truth, Consciousness, and Infinite Bliss to mean Nirguna Brahman. But no matter what epithets are used, Nirguna Brahmancanneverbeadequatelydescribedbythefinitewordsandexpressionsofour world of limitations. Nirguna Brahman is indescribable. The great Hindu saint and philosopher Shankaracharya says that Vedic statements such as SatChidAnandam Brahman is Eternal Existence, Absolute Knowledge and Infinite Bliss are only hints about the nature of Nirguna Brahman. They are never the description of Nirguna Brahman. SwamiRamakrishnaParamahamsasaidverycolorfullythateverythingthatisspokenbyhumanmouths iscontaminated,butBrahmanaloneispurebecausenoonecanreallydescribeIt.

3.1TheTranscendenceofNirguaBrahmaninHinduScriptures:
Hindu scriptures describe Brahman as an entity that has an unfathomable nature which cannot be understoodorperceivedcompletely.SomepassagesfromtheBhagavadGitaandotherscripturesare givenbelowtodescribeParabrahman: Of thousands of humans, hardly anyone strives for perfection. Even among those who striveandhavebecomeperfect,hardlyanyoneknowsMeintruth.Gita7.3 Iknowthepastandthepresentasalsothefuturebeings,butnooneknowsMe!Gita 7.26 ThisentireUniverseispervadedbyMyunmanifestedform.AllbeingsresideinMe,butI donotabideinthem(i.e.,Iamnotexhaustedbythem).Gita.9.4 Itisdifferentfromtheknown,anddifferentfromtheunknown.KenaUpanishad1.4 Itisneithercoarse,norfine;neithershortnorlong.KathaUpanishad1.3.15 That heavenly person is without body, he is both without and within, not produced. MundakaUpanishad2.1.2 Brahman is that from which all speech, with the mind, turns away unable to reach it. TaittiriyaUpanishad2.9 Thatunderwhichtheyearrevolveswithitsdays,thegodsworshipthatasthelightof lightsandaslifeimmortal,ThatinwhichthepeopleofallthefiveregionsoftheEarth andspaceareestablished,thataloneIregardastheSoul;knowthatImmortalBrahman, I too am immortal (=reference to Divinely enlightened). Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. 4.4.1617

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Heisnotapprehendedbytheeye,notbyspeechnorbyothersenses,notbypenancenor bygoodworks.MundakaUpanishad3.1.8 AVedanticexamplegiventoexplainthetranscendentnatureofNirguaBrahmanisthatItislikethe sun,whichcausesthedayandnight,butisitselfbeyondthenightandalsothedayasweunderstandit conventionally.8 Shankaracharya narrates a beautiful parable9 from a lost Vedic scripture on how Nirgua Brahman is bestdescribedbysilence ParableofBhvaandVshkalin: When Bhva was questioned about Brahman by Vshkalin, he explained it to him with silence.Hesaidtohim,LearnaboutBrahman,myfriend,andbecamesilent.Then,on beingquestionedaboutBrahmanthesecondandthirdquestioningtoo,hereplied,Iam teachingyouindeed,butyouarenottryingtounderstand.ThatAtmanissilence. AllHindusworshipBrahmanasParabrahmanoratleastacknowledgeitasanaspectofBrahman.Most Hindus following certain schools of Vednta also believe that Brahman in its Parabrahman aspect is SupremeorsuperiortoalltheotheraspectsoflevelsofBrahman.However,afewHindus10believethat theParabrahmanaspectissubservienttotheshvaraaspectofBrahman.

3.2ThePositiveAttributesofNirguaBrahman
ThefactthatNirguaBrahmanistranscendentandunfathomabledoesnotmeanthatItdoesnothave anypositiveattributes,orthatItcannotbedescribedinpositiveterms.TheUpanishadsthemselvesdo not distinguish sharply between these two aspects of Brahman, and therefore, describe It both negatively(asshownabove)andpositively. However, the point to be noted is that these positive indications of Brahman are of a more eternal nature, and do not have to assume a comparison of Brahman with anything in the Universe. Swami ShivanandahasnarratedabeautifulparablecalledCrowontheHouseToptoexplaintheconceptsof NirguaandSaguaBrahman Amancametoavillageandaskedanotherman standingatthecrossroads:Friend, whichisthehouseofMr.Iyer?Seethathouseonthetopofwhichacrowissitting? That is the house of Mr. Iyer, replied the second man. The first one went away. He returnedafteraweekandwasbewilderedtofindthatnocrowwassittingonthetopof any house. He again asked a bystander: Which is the house of Mr. Iyer? He replied: Thathousewiththreestoreys,whichisbuiltofstonesthatisMr.IyershouseSince then,heneverhadanyconfusionaboutthehouseindicated.
Hiriyanna,p.154 SeehisShrrakaBhhya3.2.17 10 E.g.VaishnavaHinduswhofollowtheteachingsofShriRamanujacharyaorShriMadhvacharya;orShaivaHindus whofollowtheShaivagamascriptures.
9 8

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ShastrasspeakofGodorBrahmanastheSupremeOriginoftheuniverse:Yatovaimani bhutanijayante.Butthisisnotenough.For,therearetimeswhenthereisnocreation atall.Hence,thisisnotapermanentdefinitionofBrahman.Therefore,theygiveEternal Indications like Satyama Jnanam Anantam Brahman, etc. By following these indications,noonecanevermisstoattaintheGoal,viz.BrahmanorGod.11 It was noted above that Adi Shankaracharya considered even the designations of SatChitnanda as denotingtheSaguaBrahman.However,thatisaviewpeculiartoAdvaitaVedanta(andpopularizedin recenttimesbythefollowersofNeoVedantalikeSwamiVivekananda). MostoftheotherHinduspiritualtraditionsbelievethatthehighestBrahmanorevenNirguaBrahman has positive qualities that constitute Its very nature. For example, the followers of Pancharatra Vaishnavism emphasize that Parabrahman definitely has positive attributes that are six in number. These six attributes are reflected in the word Bhagavn that is used for Parabrahman. Bhagavn means He who is endowed with Bhaga where the word Bhaga denotes six things. According to a verseintheVishnuPurathesixwonderfulqualitieswhicharemajesty(aishvarya),knowledge(jnna), glory(yashas),splendor(shr),dharmaanddetachment(vairgya).12

3.3IsthereNirguaBrahmaninHistoryCentricAbrahamicReligions?
TheonebigdifferencebetweenthenotionsofAbrahmicGodandBrahmanisthattheformerisalways perceivedthroughhumanhistoryandassumesthattheUniverseisgeocentric.Therefore,fromaHindu perspective,AbrahamicGodisalwaysconditionedandconstrainedbythehistorynarratedintheBible orintheKoran;andhecanbeunderstoodonlythroughHissonJesusorthroughHisprophetslike Muhammad.Inshort,theAbrahamicGodcanneverequalNirguaBrahmaneventhoughthefollowers ofthesereligionsdonotworshipwhattheycallidols. RajivMalhotradiscusses13thedifferencebetweentheHistoryCentric(atermveryaptlycoinedbyhim) AbrahamicreligionsandtheDharmictraditionsinthefollowingwords IntheJudeoChristiantraditions,revelationcomesfromabove.ItisinitiatedbyGod, anditscontentisstrictlyGodgiven.Humanreceptivenessisrequired,butthisaloneis insufficient.Godistranscendentandmustpersonallyinterveneinhistoryfromwithout in order for human beings to discern the truth. The bedrock of such religions is this historical event. This leads to an obsession with compiling and studying the historical detailsofsuchinterventionsandmakesthemwhatIcallhistorycentric. The dharmic faiths do not depend on historical events in the same manner or to the samedegreeastheJudeoChristianreligions.Thedharmictraditionspositthattruthis not located out there in a heaven, accessible only through the rare intervention of prophets, but resides as the indivisible Self within each person, animal, plant, and indeedeachtiniestparticle.TheisticdharmatraditionssuchasHinduismseehumanity
11 12

SwamiSivananda,pp.56 VishnuPurana6.5.74 13 Malhotra,pp.5556.

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as a manifestation of GodEndowed with the potential for achieving, in this very life, thestateofsatchitanandablissfulknowledgeof,andunitywithGodanyonemay exploreanddiscoverautonomouslythemeaningofourexistence.Anarrayofembodied approaches such as yoga, shorn of any historical grand narratives or institutional authority,isavailabletoaidtheseeker.Thepathofembodiedknowingbeginswiththe sublime idea that humankind is divine, and this is one of Indias greatest gifts to humanity. Malhotraarguesthattheseorganizedreligionsconstituteahistoryclub(ibid,p.59)andonemustbea memberofthisclubtounderstandGodstruepurposeandattainsalvation.Butseenobjectively,many ofthedebatesonthesocalledGoddirectedhistorythathavegeneratedviolentcontroversiesinthese religions,areactuallyquitetrivialfromaDharmicspiritualperspective.MalhotraquotesthegreatHindu mysticSriAurobindotothiseffect(p.5758) Such controversies as the one that has raged in Europe over the historicity of Christ, wouldseemtoaspirituallymindedIndianlargelyawasteoftime;hewouldseemtoa spirituallymindedIndianlargelyawasteoftime;hewouldconcedetoitaconsiderable historical importance, but hardly any religious importance; for what does it matter in theendwhetheraJesus,sonofthecarpenterJoseph,wasactuallyborninNazarethor Bethlehem,livedandtaughtandwasdonetodeathonarealortrumpedupchargeof sedition,solongaswecanknowbyspiritualexperiencetheinnerChrist,liveupliftedin thelightofhisteachingandescapefromtheyokeofthenaturalbythatatonementof manwithGodofwhichthecrucifixionisthesymbol?IftheChrist,Godmademan,lives withinourspiritualbeing,itwouldseemtomatterlittlewhetherornotasonofMary physicallylivedandsufferedanddiedinJudea.SotootheKrishnawhomatterstousis theeternalincarnationoftheDivineandnotthehistoricalteacherandleaderofmen. To conclude therefore, it does appear, from the Hindu perspective, that Abrahamic religions lack an understandingandconceptionoftheParabrahman,oraSupremeNirguaBrahmanwhoistranscends spaceandtimeinthetruesense.

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4.0 SAGUA BRAHMAN AS SHVARA OR BHAGAVN

Speakingofshvara,SwamiBhaskarananda(pp.6869)comments WhenmantriestothinkoftheinfiniteBrahmanwithhisfinitemind,heunknowingly projects the limitations of his finite mind on Nirguna Brahman. As a result, Nirguna Brahmanappearstobecomefinitetohim.Thehumanmindcanneverthinkotherthan inhumanterms.ItunknowinglyprojectshumancharacteristicsorqualitiesonNirguna Brahman. Thus the impersonal Nirguna Brahman acquires a personality very much resemblingahumanpersonality,nomatterhowglorified.ImpersonalNirgunaBrahman appears to become Personal Brahman or Personal God. In reality, Nirguna Brahman does not undergo any change or modification whatsoever. Personal God is no other thanImpersonalGodorNirgunaBrahmanexperiencedthroughtheveiloftime,space andcausation. ThewordshvarameansLordorRuleroftheUniverse: shvaraisalsotheoriginatorandupholderoftheeternalmoralorderinthisworld.This moral order or basic law, which is called Rita in Sanskrit, maintains the regularity and orderliness of everything in this universe including the stars and planets. (Bhaskarananda,p.72) WhatweshouldkeepinmindisthatBrahmanisinfiniteandonlyafractionofItspowerisneededto dealwiththeUniverse.TheBhagavadGitasays: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: ByasmallpartofMyself,IampresentintheUniverseandsupporttheentireCreation. Gita10.42b Therefore, most Hindus consider shvara as a lower aspect of Brahman than the Parabrahman. They alsobelieve(followingwhatmanyPurassay)thatthereisnotjustonebutseveralUniverses,eachof whichiscreatedwithanindividualbigbang.AndthereisaseparateshvaraforeachoftheseUniverses. ThewordBhagavnisfrequentlyusedbyVaishnaviteHindustodenotethislevelofBrahman,athoughit clearlyappliestoNirguaBrahmanaswell.Thiswordisverymeaningfulbecauseitmeansthatshvarais endowedwithBhagaorthesixattributesthatwehavelistedabove.

4.1TheConceptofTrimrti:TripartiteDivisionofshvara
MostHindusbelievethatinitsaspectastheshvara,Brahmanexistsinthreemainforms: BrahmforcreatingtheUniverse, Vishnuforsustainingandnourishingit,and Shiva(orMahesh)fordissolvingitattheendofitslifesothatitcanbecreatedanew. 28

In summary the Trimrti represents the Generation,OperationandDissolution(GO D)functionsofBrahman.14 Each of these great Deities (Devas) of the Hindu trinity exists as a pair of male and female. The femalepartofeachpairisoftenunitedasShakti (power) or Devi who is the Mother of the Universe. The passage below is said to be the first in Hindu literature that mentions the Hindu trinity for the first time. The passage declares that all these Deities are manifestations of the sameBrahman,andthatworshippinganyofthemeventuallyleadstotheSupremePurushaorBrahman. Brahma,VishnuandShivaareaspectsofOneSupremeBeing: They said: Revered one, you are the teacher, you are the teacher indeed. What has beensaidbyyouhasbeendulyunderstoodbyus.Nowkindlyanswerafurtherquestion ofours.Fire,air,sun,time,whateveritis,breath,food,Brahma,Rudra(Shiva),Vishnu somemeditateuponone,somemeditateuponanother.Telluswhichoneisthebestfor us? Thenherepliedtothem:Allthesearemerelythemanifest/frontalformsofBrahman, theImmmortal,theFormless.Towhicheverformeachmanisdevotedhere,intherealm ofthatdeitydoesthatmanrejoices. ForithasbeensaidIndeed,thiswhole(comprisingofalltheDevas)isBrahman.Indeed, these, which are Brahmans manifest forms that one meditates on, worships and discards (when he transcends them). For by meditation upon these forms, one moves into higher and higher realms. And when all things perish, he attains unity with the Purusha!MaitrayaniyaUpanishadIV.56 The picture ontherightisasculptureoftheTrimrticarvedin the ElephantaCaves,offthecoastofMumbaiinIndia.Thesecaveswere carved into beautiful images of Hindu Deities by the Rashtrakta kings more than 1000 years ago. The sculpture in question depicts Brahm,VishnuandShivaaspartsofthesamegreatBrahman. The bodies of the Trimurti are not composed of the usual stuff. According to some Hindu philosophers, the bodies of shvara are comprised of a material that lasts billions of years. In fact, some Hindus who consider Sagua Brahman as the ultimate aspect of
14

IowethisanalogytoNirajMohanka.

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BrahmanalsobelievethatshvarasbodysurviveseventhedissolutionoftheUniverse. AminorityofHindushoweverbelievethatBrahmancannottakeanyforms,andheperformshisroleas shvarawithouttakingontheformsoftheTrimurti.Theyarguethatnoformispermanent,evenifitis the form of Brahman. Only the formless Brahman is permanent. Therefore, these forms are not of Brahman, but are created by him for specific tasks and are different from Brahman, or that they are nevercreatedinthefirstplaceatall.TheseHindusbelongtothetraditionsoftheAryaSamaj,ortothe traditionofNirguaBhaktisaintslikeKabir.SikhstoodonotagreethatBrahmancantakeforms.

4.2WhoaretheDevs(orDevat)andDevs?
HindusworshipBrahmaninmanydifferentformsortheDevasiftheyaremasculine,andDevisifthey arefeminine.TheseDevasdwellnotonlyinHeavenbutalsoinotherrealms.Hinduscripturesdividethe Universeintothreerealms,eachofwhichas11majorDevas(makingatotalof33).Brahmanisthensaid tobetheSupremeDevaorthe34thDevawhoisoverandabovethem.Inlatertimes,thenumberofthe Devasincreasesto330million!Inreality,Brahmanisinfinite,andtherefore,thenumberofDevasisalso infinite. The word Deva literally means divine, shining, giver (of peace, wisdom, light, knowledge etc.). The wordisusedtodenote:15 1.Brahmaninbothitsaspects 2.ItsformsoftheTrimurti 3.OtherformsofTrimurtiandotherDivinities,e.g.Ganesha 4.SoulsthathaveattainedanelevatedstatusduetotheirpastgoodKarma,e.g.Indrainheaven 5.GodlikeSages 6.GreatHindusincludingonesownGuru 7.Naturalpowers. 8.DeitiestoWhomVedicversesareaddressed. 9.SubjectmatteroftheversesoftheVedas.

It may be noted that we can worship any of these Devas. Hindu Dharma does not consider worshipofanyofthesetypesofDevatsasasin.However,itisrecognizedthatworshipping differenttypesDevatshasdifferentresults.MostHindusbelievethatworshippingDevats28 above eventually leads us to No. 1, i.e., Brahman (see the quotation from Maitrayaniya Upanishadabove),directlyorindirectly.JohnsencapturestheHinduunderstandingoftheunity of Brahman together with the multiplicity of the names and forms of Devas in the following words:
..thepointisnottochooseanameforGodandthenclaimthatanyonewhocallsGod byadifferentnameiswrong.ForHindusthepointistoenterintoalivingrelationship withtheSupremetillyoufeelitsbreathinyourbreath.Tillyoufeelenvelopedintheall encompassingembraceoftheinfinitewisdomoutofwhichthisuniverseemerged.
Therearemanyothermeaningsoftheworddevatbutadetaileddiscussionisbeyondthescopeofthis document.
15

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TherearenofalsegodsaccordingtoHinduism.Atleastnotifyourprayertothatgodis sincere.Whateverformofthedivineyouworship,evenifitsamanwithanelephants head, the one allpervading Being who loves you more than you can possibly imagine willusethatformtoguideyoutoHer.16 TheDevas,whentheyaretheresidentsofheaven(no.4above),arenotnecessarilyconsideredmoral idealsorexemplars.ThereareintheirexaltedpositionsmerelyduetotheirpastgoodKarma.Butwhen they are in heaven, they are still subject to the laws of Karma and to Dharma. There, they can still continuetostrivetowardsachievingMoksha.Butordinarily,whentheirgoodkarmaisexhausted,they are reborn as human beings on earth. The Devas have a limited ability to bestow favors. Therefore, humanswhodesiretemporaryrewards(likeprosperity,childrenetc.)canpropitiatethembyperforming Vedicceremonies(Yajnas)orotherformsofworship.However,iftheDevasareworshippednotontheir own terms as distinct from Brahman or merely for the temporary benefits but rather as a Vibhti (or gloriousmanifestation)ofBrahman,thenthatworshipcanleadustoMoksha. ButweshouldalwaysrememberthatthereisonlyOneBrahmanWhoisInfiniteandhasbecomeMany andItistheSupremeDevat.TheUpanishadsthereforesay

EkoahamBahusyaam(IamtheOnewhobecameMany)

ChhandogyaUpanishad
4.3RelationshipbetweenDevatsandBrahman
ThewordDevatcanofcourserefertoBrahmanitself.ButwhatistherelationshipofotherDevatsto Brahman?HinduSagesexplainthisinthefollowingways.

DevasareLiketheChiselledFacetsoftheSameDiamond: The different Devats are

likedifferentchiseledfacetsofthesamegem.Whenwelookatadiamondfromaparticulardirection, then depending on where the light is falling from, only one facet may shine brightly. Similarly, these different Devats are different facets or manifestations of one Brahman sometimes we see one facet and at anothertimesweseetheotherfacet.However,weshouldkeepinmind that all these facets have at their base the same beautiful diamond. Admiringtheglitterofonefacetisawayofadmiringtheentiregem.But only a foolish man will say that no other facet of the gem will glitter otherthantheonethatisshiningrightnow.

Different Devats represent Different Natures or Functions of the same Brahman: A single person may have different names representing his different qualities and
relationshipsandthereforethatpersoncanbecalledoutbutallthesenames.E.g.,AboynamedShyam is addressed as son by his parents, brother by his siblings, Dad by his kid, husband, by his wife,
16

Johnsen,p.74

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master by his servants, and has nicknames like handsome because he is pleasing in appearance, YankeebecauseheisfromNewYorkandsoon.Similarly,thedifferentnamesofBrahmanrepresent hisdifferentnaturesandrelationshipstous.Godisinfiniteandtherefore,wecannotputalimitonhis names.IfwesaythatGodanswersonlywhenaddressedbyoneparticularname,thenwearelimiting him,andaretryingtocontrolhisfreedombecauseofourownhumanlimitations. ThefollowingpassagesfromthePuranasillustratewhythedifferentattributesofthesameBrahmanare reflectedinItsdifferentnames: MeaningsofthenamesofGod:FromVyuPurana
Heiscalled'Atman'becausewhateverHeattains(apnoti),takesup(adatte)andexists(asti)for the(enjoymentof)objects,thatishispermanentbeing.1.5.32 HeiscalledRishibecauseHegoeseverywhere.HeisVishnubecausehepervadeseverything.He hasthelordshipovereverything.HeisthelordofthePhysicalbodyetc.1.5.33 HeiscalledBhagavanbecausetherearesuch(excellences)inhim.HeisRaga(lordofpassion) because he controls passion. He is Para (Supreme) because he is the cosmic being. He is Om becauseheprotects(all).1.5.34 HeisSarvajnabecauseheknowseverything.Heissarvabecauseeverythingoriginatesfromhim. Asmenoriginatefromhim,Heiscalled'Narayana.'1.5.35 BecauseHeisthefirsttomanifest,heiscalledthefirstgod.HeiscalledAjabecauseheisnot born(isselfexistent).SinceHeprotectshissubjects,HeiscalledthePrajapati.1.5.37 HeiscalledMahadevabecauseheisthegreatestdeityamongsttheDevas.HeisIshvarabecause heistheLordoftheworldsandbecauseheisnotsubjecttoother'scontrol.1.5.38 He is called Brahma because of his hugeness. He is called Bhuta because of his (eternal) existence.HeisKshetrajnabecauseheknowstheunmanifestcosmicnature.HeisVibhubecause heisomnipresent.1.5.39 Because he lies in the subtle body (called Pur), he is called Purusha. He is called Svayambhu becauseheisnotprocreatedandbecauseheexistsbeforethecreation.1.5.40 He is called Yajna because worship or sacrifice is offered to him. He is Kavi because he is omniscient.HeisKramanabecauseheisworthyofbeingapproachedandduetohispatronage ofcastesheiscalledAditya,KapilaandAgni.Hiswombwasgoldenandhewasbornofagolden womb,soheiscalledHiranyagarbhainthisPurana.1.5.4142 Wehaveheardtheepithetofwaters,thatwaterscalledNara,andthattheyareminuteorsubtle bodies.Sinceheliesinwaters,heisthereforecalledNarayana.1.6.5

Analogy of Different Names of Water: Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa gave another

analogyinwhichhepointedoutthatthesamesubstancenamelywater,isreferredtoasJalabythe Hindus, Paani by the Muslims,17 and also by other names like Neera and so on. But these different names all belong to the same substance water. Likewise, the Bhagavn of Hindus, Allah of Muslims, WaheguruofSikhsandJehovahorYahwehoftheChristiansandJewsisoneandthesameDivineBeing. ThisanalogyoftheOneDivinitypossessingmanydifferentnameshasbeengivenasearlyastheVedic
The word Paani is also a Sanskrit word and there is nothing Islamic about it. What Swami Ramakrishna ParamahamsareferredtowasthattheHindusinhisvicinitypreferredtousethewordJalawhereastheMuslims tendedtousethewordPaani.
17

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scriptures in Hindu Dharma. Rigveda 1.164.46 Several scriptural statements may be quoted below to illustratethispoint: TheycallHimIndra,Mitra,Varuna,Agni,andheistheDivinegoodwingedbird(thesun withbeautifulrays).ThesagesdescribeoneandthesameAgniinvariouswaysandcall itAgni,YamaandMatarisvan.Rigveda1.164.46
AgniitselfisIndra,Vayu,Brahma,VishnuandBrahmanaspati.Rigveda2.1.3 VarunaandMitraarebutfunctionalmanifestationsofAgni.Rigveda2.1.4 Vishnu,RudraandMarutarealsofunctionalmanifestationsofAgni.Rigveda2.1.6 That(SupremeBeing)isAgni;thatistheSurya;thatistheVayu;thatistheChandrama;thatis Jyoti;thatisBrahman;andthatisPrajapati.(Madhyandina)Yajurveda32.1 TheperceptionoftheworshippermakestheONEDeityappearasthree,butintheirontological essence,theyareONE.Brihaddevata2.18

Thesamesentimenthas been echoedinlatertimesbySaintslikeKabirand GuruArjanDev(thefifth SikhGuru)toarguethathumanbeingsarenotintrinsicallydifferentasHindusandMuslimsbecauseHe whoisRamisthesameasAllahandtoHimalonebelongourbodiesaswellasourlife.Inmoderntimes, thiseclecticismandacceptanceofdiversityisseenintheeverydaybehaviorofHindus.ManyHinduswill addimagesfromChristianity(likeapictureofJesusChrist)intheirprivate homeshrines,andwillnot criticizeAbrahamicreligionsevenifthesereligionsarebusyunderminingandconvertingpoorHindusin manyareas.Infact,itisquintessentiallyHindutohonorallreligionsandtheirGods.

Different Devats are like limbs of the body of the same Brahman: The different
limbsofourbodyarepartsofthebody,buttheyfunctiontogethersothatthebodycanperformitsrole as a whole. In a similar way, the different Devats represent different limbs of the whole that is Brahman.NotethatthisisjustametaphoricaldescriptionbecauseBrahmandoesnotreallyhaveabody likeus.ThefollowingpassagefromNiruktaofRishiYaskaisveryeloquentonthismatter:
OnaccountofsuperbexcellenceoftheDivinity,Onesoul(i.e.,theAllpervadingSoul)isextolledinvarious ways. The other (manifest) gods are just like the limbs of the Great Soul, the secondary members of the body. The specialists in this branch of study (= spirituality) observe that the Sages praise the beings according to the plurality and Universalityof their intrinsic nature. Thegods are(figuratively described in theVedaas)bornfromeachother(e.g.,Rigveda10.72.4).Thegodsaretheprimarysourceofeachother. Theyowetheirbirth,i.e.,comingintobeing,totheirspecificfunctionsaswellastothe(Universal)Soul.Soul aloneistheirchariot,horse,weaponandarrow,i.e.,thesethingswhicharenotdifferentfromthesoulare onlyfigurativeappellationsintheirdescriptions.Nirukta7.4

An extension of seeing the different Devats as limbs or partsof the same Brahman is in that several HinduscripturesadvocateseeingthesedifferentDevatsinthecorrespondinglimbsofourownbodyas aspiritualdiscipline.SeethesectiononSaguaBrahmanasAntaryminformoredetails.

AnalogyoftheSamenessofWaterinDifferentWaterBodies:
AnotherexamplegivenintheHindutraditionisthatofthesamenessofwater,whetheritisinapond,in a river, the ocean, in the rain or in the dew drops. Although the external forms of all these bodies of 33

water are different, the essence is the same. It is the same substance that is chemically written as H2O, to use modernparlance.Likewise,thedifferent DevasareinessencethesameBrahman, onlytheirexternalformsaredifferent.A similar analogy is made with regard to fire also. One can light different fires at differentspots,butthefireoritsessence isthesame,nomatterwhereitislit.
OneisAgni,kindledinmanyaspot; OneisSurya,shiningoverall; OneisUshasilluminatingallthis. ThatwhichisOnehasbecomethisall.Rigveda8.58.218

AndjustasoneWindispresentintheworldatmanydifferentlocations,andassumesseveralshapes and configurations, likewise the Atman too takes on different forms (in different bodies) but is not exhaustedbytheseforms.19PeoplemayworshipBrahmanindifferentwaysorcallitdifferentlydueto their different cultural background or perceptions, but in reality, all these Devats are the same Brahman.
ForindeedAgniisthatGod.Hisarethenames:astheeasterners(prachyaah)callhimSarva (all),Bahlikas(callhim)Dhava(onewhoshakes),Rudra(onewhocausesweeping), Pasunampatih(theLordortheprotectorofbeasts),Agni(thefirstleader,hewhowasthereat theoutset).Yajurveda(KanvaShatapathBrahmana)2.7.1.7

AnalogyofSunanditsRays:
The various Devatas and Brahman are like the rays of the Sun and the Sun itself respectively. It is difficult, if not impossible, to experience and see the sun directly, but we can easily experience it throughitsrayswhichhavethesunswarmth,lightandotherproperties.AlthoughthenumberofraysIS infinite,theyallemanatefromthesamesourcetheoneSun.20Inthesameway,allDevasrepresent DivinequalitiesofthesameBrahman,fromWhomtheyallemerge. TherelationshipbetweenBrahmanandtheDevasmayalsobedepictedpictoriallybelowinasummary manner:

18 19

Tr.byACBose.1988.TheCalloftheVedas.BharatiyaVidyaBhawan:Mumbai KathaUpanishad5.910 20 Forsimilaridea,referSageShaunakasBrihaddevat1.6163

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 4.4Doc ctrineofAd dhikraan ndDifferen ntPercepti ionsofBra ahman:

Sometime the doctrine of Adhi es, ikra is invo oked to expla why the same Brahman is perc ain e ceived differently ybypeopleo ofdifferentlevelsofunder rstanding.Wh hatisAdhikr ra? [ [Adhikra me eans] Moral and spiritual competence The doctri of Adhik means e. ine ra th hatanidealte eachershould dadapthiste eachingtothe eneedsofhispupil.Itisw worsethan us selesstoteac chabstractph hilosophytoamanwhose emindhunge ersforconcre etegods.A la aborermayre equireatype eofreligiond differentfrom mthatofthe scholar.Soi instruction sh houldbecare efullygraded. .Theskilloft theteacherc consistsindis scoveringthe enextstep whichhispupi w ilcantake,andmakinghimconcreteo onthatandn notwastingh histimeon 2 21 va agueandabstractideas.T Thus,heshouldleadhimst tepbystep. Individual with a diff ls ferent Adhik will interpret and lea rn about the same Brahm in a diff ra e man ferent manner, just as the same electricity is perce eived differen ntly by indiv viduals with different typ of pes nding understan P People are at different st tages of understanding th truth and God. For an ordinary he d n person it is so ometimes diff ficult to realize that ther e is only one God. The e e example of rgycanbeuse edinthisrespect.Electric calenergyise explainedby ascientist electricalener y t on ceives it as e energy in the form of a by reference to the electro theory; a student perc cu urrent that fl lows through a wire like water; a sim ple persons concept is th light is h w hat
21

Sarma,p p.70

35

mabulbwhe enanelectric switchistur rnedon.The electricalene ergyisthe producedfrom amebutallth hreeundersta anditinthre eedifferentw wayseventho oughallexpe eriencethe sa 22 sa ameresultwh hentheyuseit. Thereare eprosandcon nsofinvoking gthisdoctrine.Thepositiv veaspectiso obviousiten nablespeople ewith different levels of inte elligence to understand Brahman in t u B their own wa in a way t ay that is allowed by n on t ahman in the only e Hindu Dharma officially. There is no persecutio of people who do not worship Bra permissib official way. At the same time, it can lead to stereotypin like say, ble w s t o ng He is an illit terate servant,a andtherefore eherAdhikr raistoworsh hipBrahmano onlyasHanu umanandnot tasRamabecause thelatterwasaKingandthereforefittobewors shippedonly byrulers.

4.5TheSymbolism moftheFo ormsofsh hvara&De evas:

Thediffer rentbeautiful lformsofGodhaveavery ydeepsymbo olicalmeaning g.Someexam mplescanbe considere edbelow. Example 1: Ganesh asthevi ha isiblesymbol ofOmturn nedclockwise eby90degre ees.Thetwo tusks represent tAtmanand dMaya(Delusionofthis World,Ignor rance.Ganes shauprooted dthetuskof Maya andbecam mepureAtm man.Hindusstartalltheir prayersbyut tteringOma andbyinvokin ngGaneshaa asthe first Dev before everyone else due to the pa rallelism be va t etween Om and Gan m nesha.

22

Prinja,pp.2526

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2: aDancin ngShiva. Inthisfamousdepiction ofLordShiva a,thecirclear round Example2 Nataraja himrepre esentstheEnt tireCreationwithinwhich hLordShivaliives.Thebow wloffirerepresentsdestru uction oftheUn niverse.Thed dumrooinstrumentrepre esentstheso oundofcreat tion.Thedem monbelowhisfeet represent tsevilandign norance.Lord dShivapoints swithoneha andtowardst thedemonandsaysthat ifyou crushevil landignoran ncebelowyourfeet,thenmyblessings s(represente edbytheoth herhand)are ewith you. In ot ther words, in this world we oscillate between b d, birth and dea through rebirth repea ath atedly (represen ntedbytheci ircle,thebow wloffireand dthedumroo o),andtheon nlywaytoov vercomethiscycle and thus get Moksha through the grace of God is to crus all our ev tendencies and give up our e sh vil s eanddelusion nforspiritual lwisdomand dknowledge. ignorance

Example3 Padmanbhaswm VishnuwithBrahm emergingfro 3: my omHisnavel

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In the city of Trivandrum in the Indian state of Kerala, there is the famous Vaishnavite shrine of Anantapadmanabhaswami.23 The main Mrti of the shrine showsVishnurecliningonthe bed of the seven hooded snake Sheshanga. From His navel,arisesanumbilicalcord attheendofwhichisalotus on which Brahm, the Creator, is seated. This is an interesting symbolism in thehumanworld,itisthechildtowhosenaveltheumbilicalcordisattached.Butinthiscase,itissaid that the Creator Brahma is seated on the lotus which emerged from the navel of Vishnu quite the opposite of what one would expect. One hand of the reclining Vishnu is extended downwards, and is offeringflowers(anactofworship)totheShivaLingakeptatthatposition.SowhiletheShivaLingais located at a position lower than Vishnu, the latter is offering flowers in veneration to Shiva! The profound symbolism from the image of Padmanabhaswami is apparently meant to indicate to thevisitingpilgrimsthefactthatthesethreeDevsare formsofoneanotherandareallworthyofworship. Example4: Bhagavn Datttreya In the Hindu tradition, Anasy is depicted as a very chaste and virtuous wife and a woman who is completely incorruptible. Her name itself means one who is free of ego and hatred, and the quality representedbyhernameisconsideredanessentialpre requisite for a human being to know Brahman.24 Her husbandAtriisaSagewhosenamemeansonewhois freeofthethree(kindsofsorrowsorthethreeGunas ofPrakriti).ThisepithetappliestoGod,aswellastoa spiritually realized person. Sage Atri is also held by the
Intheyear2010,itwasdiscoveredthattheundergroundchambersofthetemplehadhiddenafabledtreasure ofgold,gemsetc.,thatwasestimatedtobevalued(foronlythechambersthatwereopenedandexamined)at morethan$1billion.Theguardiansofthetemple(theroyalhouseofTravancore)hadknowntheexistenceofthe treasureallalong,buttheirhonestyanddedicationtotheLordpreventedthemfromeverymisusingthatwealth for their own selfish purposes. Interestingly, the person who alleged misuse of the wealth by its guardians suddenlyfellillanddiedwhilethelitigationwason. 24 E.g.,inGita9.1,KrishnasaysthathewillrevealtheroyalsecretaboutthenatureofGodtoArjunabecausehe hasthevirtueofanasuya.
23

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Hindu tradition to be one who was friendly towards everyone. This is often considered in the Hindu scriptures as the summary of virtuous behavior in the Hindu scriptures. Dattatreya is the child of Atri andAnasy.Thismeansthatwhenaworshipperbecomeschasteandvirtuous,givesupallhatred,goes beyondthethreestrandsorgunasofPrakriti,andisfriendlyandkindtowardsall,hewillattainBrahman that is represented by Dattatreya, the child. The three heads of Dattatreya are said to represent the essenceofBrahma,VishnuandShiva.HehassixarmsthatholdtheinsigniaofthesethreeDeities.Heis accompaniedbyfourdogsthatrepresenttheVedas.ThismeansthatthefourVedasarealwaysinthe service of Dattatreya, or that the spiritually realized soul transcends the Vedas themselves. The cow represents spiritual wisdom and realization. The Datttreya Upanishad commences with a declaration that Datttreya is identical to Vishnu, and ends with the declaration that the Deva is an Avatra (incarnation) of Shiva. In fact, the worshippers of Datttreya are often Shaivites and sometimes also Vaishnavites.

4.6IsHinduismPolytheisticorMonotheistic?
Monotheism means believing that there is only One God. Polytheism means worshipping several independent gods. In monotheistic religions like Islam, Christianity and Judaism, God is normally understoodasamalefatherlyfigurethatespeciallylivesinaplacecalledtheHeavenalthoughHecan controltheentireUniversefromthere.HecreatestheUniversesothatallcreaturescanglorifyHim. Inpolytheism,thegodstypicallyliveintheHeavenbutcantravelbackandforthtotheearth. The concept of God in Hindu Dharma is completely different. Brahman is not an elderly male unit in heaven.Forus,BrahmanisnotmerelyaFatherlyfigurethatresidesintheheaven,buttheUnitythat pervadesthepluralityofthisentireUniverse.Itisquitemeaninglesstoputanumberoneormanyto describeGodbecauseGodisnotaUnitybutInfinity(AnantamintheTaittiriyaUpanishad).Rather,itis better to say that he extends from minus infinity to plus infinity. This means that Brahman has no beginningandnoendaswellasnomiddle. Whenwedrawanumberlinefromminusinfinitytoplusinfinity,itincludesthenumber1andevery othernumber,becauseitrepresentsthetotalityofallnumbers.SimilaristhecasewithBrahman. BrahmanislikeathreadthatpassesthrougheverythingintheUniverseandgivesitunity.Theplurality of the entire Universe has Brahman as its underlying Unity. And at the same time, Brahman envelops andencompassesthisdiverseCreation. Tosummarize,weHindusareMonistsbecausewebelieveinaBrahmanwhoisInfiniteandwho givesanunderlyingunitytothisentirediversecreation.

Hindu Conception of God in the Eyes of NonHindus:

AlBiruni,aMuslimtravelerwhovisitedNWIndiaintheearly11thcent.CEsaysthefollowingaboutthe HinduperceptionofGod:

39

There is one God only Who is without beginning or end. He cannot be reached by thoughtbutissublimebeyondourabilitytoconceive.Heisinfinitelyvast,butnotinthe spatial sense since He exists outside of time and space. How can we worship this one whomwecannotperceive?Heliesbeyondthegraspofthephysicalsenses,butthesoul feels His presence and the mind understands His divine qualities. Meditating on Him onepointedly is true worship. When meditation is practiced for a long time without interruption,oneattainsthehigheststateofblissfulness.25 Similarly, astute scholars of religion have also noted the Hindu belief in one Brahman underlying the pluralityoftheformsthatweworship toenumerateallthevariousdeitiesworshippedinIndiawouldproduceaformidable list,andperhapsbesuggestiveofpolytheism,andperhapsbesuggestiveofpolytheism, todosowouldbemisleadingwithouttakingintoaccountthepositionoftheindividual worshipper.Fortheindividual,thereisonesupremeGod,howeverconceivedornamed, and various other devas, gods or spiritual powers. These merit respect and perhaps worshipped,butareconceivedofassubordinatemanifestations,oftenwithspecialized functions. One author has rightly pointed out that one could spend a lifetime in India andneverfindapolytheistinWesternterms,becauseevenanunletteredpeasantwho has just made offerings at several shrines will affirm that Bhagavan ek hai, God is one26 ThemultiplicityofDevasandoftheformsoftheirMrtisisoftentakenasaproofthatHindusare polytheistic.ThegreatHindumysticSriAurobindorejectsthewesternpracticingofequatingHindu MrtiswithpaganidolsofancientEuropeinthefollowingwords27 Indian religion founded itself on the conception of a timeless,namelessandformlessSupreme,butitdidnotfeel called upon like the narrower and more ignorant monotheisms of the younger races, to deny or abolish all intermediaryformsandnamesandpowersandpersonalities of the Eternal and Infinite. A colorless monism or a pale vague transcendental Theism was not its beginning, its middle and its end. The one Godhead is worshipped as the All,forallintheuniverseishe,ormadeoutofthisbeingor his natureIndian polytheism is not the popular polytheism ofancientEurope;forheretheworshipperofmanygodsstill knows that all his divinities are forms, names, personalities and powers of the One; his gods proceed from the one Purusha, his goddesses are energies of the one divine
25 26

QuotedbyJohnsen,p.40 Hinnels,p.212. 27 CitedbyMalhotra,pp.286287

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Force..Indian imageworship is not the idolatry of a barabaric or undeveloped mind, foreventhemostignorantknowthattheimageisasymbolandsupportandcanthrow itawaywhenitsuseisover. Inmoderntimeshowever,someIndologistsandleftistIndianswithapalpableanimositytowardsHindus claim that the Hindus who project their faith as a monotheistic religion are somehow distorting their religionwithsomeulteriormotives.Contrarytowhatthesepeopleimply,HinduDharmaanditsnotion ofDivinitydoesnotneedtobesavedfromdistortionbypracticingHindusthemselves!Weknowwhat ourDharmais,andthereforefindtheallegationquitecheapandmeanspirited.Thereisnoneedtosave HinduDharmafromHindus!

4.7 The Gender of shvara: Dev or shvar

Isshvaramaleorfemale?Oneopinion isexpressedbySwamiBhaskarananda28 shvara is sexless. Yet the Hinduscanlookuponshvaraas both father and mother. According to the devotees mental attitudes they can establish other relationships with shvara as well. They can look upon shvara as friend, child, or even husband or sweetheart, for such relationships are nothing but mental projections of shvara. ManygreatwomensaintsofHinduismconsideredthemselvestobespirituallymarried to God. They looked upon God as their Divine Husband or Divine Sweetheart. Some women saints looked upon God as their Divine Child. Many saints of Hinduism like Kamalakanta,Ramaprasad,ShriRamakrishnaandotherslookeduponGodastheDivine Mother. Such relationships were purely mental and completely devoid of any kind of association with the physical body. According to Shri Ramakrishna, the famous 19th century saint of India, such attitudes toward God can generate feelings of great closenessbetweenGodandthedevotees,andthushastenGodrealization. SomeHindusworshipBrahmaninHerSaguaformasDevi,ortheDivineMother.Femininetheologyin HinduDharmaexistsattwolevels:
28

SwamiBhaskarananda,pp.7172

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1. Devi as the Univ versal Mother, the CreatorandR C RulerofallmaleDevas 2. As w wives or con nsorts of diff ferent malegods. Most Hindus worship the feminine a s e aspect o Brahman in the secon manner, w of nd where t feminine aspect is th consort or wife the e he r o a male aspect, an the two are of nd o w as Vishnu worshipped a a pair. For example, V aspectandh a asthemalea hiswifeLaksh hmias t thefemaleco ounterpart. However, some Hindus also wor rship Devi as the forem ost or Supre s eme manifes station of Sa aguna Brahman, ,andastheo overlordorru ulerofalloth hermaledeitiies.ThistraditionofHinduDharmais called ShktaSampradaaya,a afterShaktiorthe(Universal)Power . Evensom mefollowerso ofNirgunaBr rahmanconsiderHisfema alecounterpa artasthePra akriticomprisingof threeGun nas.Theentir reUniverseisthensaidtoresultfromt heirmutualc cooperationo orunion. The language in which the revealed Hindu text are comp d ts posed, namely Sanskrit, has a n euter gender in addition to the masc culine and feminine In fact, th Ultimate R e. he Reality, the S Supreme God29 of d Hindus, is often describ o bed as gende neutral. I er Interestingly, in a famousverse eofRigvedat thatsaystha atallthevario ousdeitiesar rebut descriptions ofOneTruth h,thenames ofdeitiesare eallmasculin nebut ) er the phrase One Truth (Ekam Sat) is in neute gender as if to emphasizeth hatGodisnot tmale.

Dev in th Vedic H he Hindu Dha arma: Both male and fe emale

deitiesareex xtolledinthe hymnsofallrevealedtext tsofHindusa andin 30 the family prayers of all the 10 lineages of Vedic Sages. The p superlative epithets used uniformly to denote female deitie like e d es Ushas,Sarasvatietc., intheVedas describethe emassweetly ysmiling,the efirstorfore emostofdeit tiesto ersof whomwo orshipisoffered,theshin ning ones,spl lendidand be eautiful,poss sessorsofwi isdom,teache mankindandaspowerscapableof fulfillingthe desiresofhu umanbeings. .Theveryinv vocatoryman ntraof

29

The very word Brahm y man used to denote Suprem Being in H d me Hindu texts is in neuter gender. Likewise, many words use to denote Universal Virtu such as Tr ed U ues ruth (Satyam) are considere neuter gen ed nder in Sanskr the rit, sacredlang guageofHindu uDharma. 30 Thesefa amilyhymnsar recalledApri Suktas,anda allthesehymns shaveinvocat tionstowomendeitiessuch asIla, Bharati,Sa arasvatietc.

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theAtharvaveda31addressesdivinityasaDevitheGoddess,who whilepresentinwaters,fulfillsallourdesiresandhopes. The Gayatri Mantra, the holiest prayer of Hindus in the Vedas, is oftenrepresentedsymbolicallyasaDeviinclassicalHinduism.Sheis thusafemaledeity,whoisalsooftentermedastheMotherofall Vedas,andgiverofboons32. It is common to read in scriptures of mankind God is like the husband of all human beings and of all churches. In the Vedas however, we even read that God is like a dear wife whom His worshipperloveslikeadotinghusband33.TheDivineWord34itselfis likened to a beautiful maiden who manifests her beauty to the husband35. Asgoddesses(devis),theyareworshippedasmothersofeventhemostpowerfulmaledeities(devatas). DeviAditiisthusthemotherofallprominentdevatassuchasVaruna,Mitra,Aryaman,Rudras,Indra,of kingsandmanyotherexcellentsons.SheisinvokedasthemistressoftheCosmicOrder,omnipotent, everyyouthful,protector,motherofthedevoutworshipperandawiseguideofallhumans.36 TheVedashardlyeverconceiveofdevataswithoutcorrespondingdevis.Almostasarule,theSage,the worshipperandtheritualistinvokethedevatastomanifestalongwithdevisandpartakeofthesacred oblationspouredintothesacredfirealtar.

DevinClassicalHinduDharma:Around2000yearsago,ClassicalHinduism,orHinduDharma
as we know today, started crystallizing. Worship of the Supreme Being through icons and sacred symbolswasalignedamongfiveHindutraditionsofworshipSaura,Gnapatya,Vaishnava,Shaivaand Shkta.ThelastthreeofthesetraditionsencompasspracticallyallHindustoday.

Omshannodevirbhishtiyeaapobhavantu..ThetraditionalrecitationofAtharvavedaiscommencedwiththis verse.ThePaippaladaversionofAtharvavedastartswiththismantra.Itoccursasmantra1.6.1intheShaunaka versionofAtharvavedabuteventherecitationofthistextisoftencommencedwiththeinvocationtoDevi. 32 Atharvaveda19.71.1 33 anavadyaapatijushtevanaariiRigveda1.73.3 34 Vak,theSanskritworddenotingDivineSpeech,isconsideredfeminineaccordingtogrammaticalrules. 35 Rigveda10.71.4 36 Atharvaveda7.6.2;MadhyandinaYajurveda21.5

31

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Significantly, the Shkta tradition specifically worships the Divine as the Mother of the Universe37, to whom all the male deities also bow in reverence. Shrines of this tradition have perhaps a greater geographical spreadthanthoseofothertraditionsintheIndiansubcontinent. Inthistradition,theDivineMotheristermedasShaktiorThe(Supreme) Power,asUmaortheSacredWisdom,asMaheshvariorTheSupreme Goddessandsoon.TheShaaktatraditionhashundredsoftexts38(often termedgenericallyasTantras)andtraditionsconsideredauthoritativeby Hindusevenoutsidethatspecifictradition. The Shaiva tradition is considered the male counterpart of the Shaakta tradition and the two share numerous texts, liturgies and other sacred traditions. In numerous iconic representations, God is shown as ardhanariishvaraorGodwhoishalfwoman,toemphasizethateitherGodhasnogenderorheisboth womanandman. EvenmaledeitiessuchasLordVishnusometimesincarnateaswomentoservethecauseofDharma. TheDeviherselfisoftensaidtocombinethe powers of all male deities including Brahma, VishnuandShiva. IntheVaishnavatradition,whichisthemost prevalent Hindu tradition today, God is worshippedasVishnu39togetherwithShri, who is also addressed variously as Lakshmi40. They incarnate together41, and their incarnations, namely that of Rama and Sita respectively, and so on, are also worshippedasacouple.Perhapsagoodidea ofthesimultaneousandequalreverencethat Hindus have for the feminine and the masculineaspectsofDivinitymaybegaugedfromthefollowingquotation42 SageParasharsaid: OMaitreya!AlwaysacompanionofVishnuandtheMotherofthisUniverse,
37 38

MarkandeyaPurana91.2 Even texts not specifically belonging to the Shaakta tradition per se have sections that eulogize the Divine Mother.Forinstance,thefamousDeviMahaatmya(thegloryofDevi)occursintheMarkandeyaPuranawhichis notaShaaktatext. 39 Vishnu=allpervading 40 Lakshmiisalsoworshippedindependentlyasthedeityofwealth,splendor,prosperityandfertility. 41 VishnuPurana1.9.142146 42 VishnuPurana1.8.1720ab

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Dev viLakshmiise eternal.Vishn nuisomnipresent,soisShe e. IfSheisspeec If ch,Vishnuist theobjectofd description. VishnuiistheLaw,an ndSheistheP Policy. LordVishn nuisknowledg ge,sheisinte elligence. eisgoodkarm ma. Heis Dharma,She IfVishnuistheCreat tor,Sheisthe eCreation(thatabidesete ernally withHim). . Heis sthemounta ain,SheisEart th. ofcontentme ent,Sheisthe eallsatisfying g. Heisthevirtueo IfLordVishnu uisdesire,Sh heistheobjec ctofdesire. Heisthesacre H edVedicritua al,sheisthep priestlyfee Lor Rama is worshipped with his wi Devi Sita Lord Krish rd ife a. hna is ed ha D . nava Hindus, Radha is ac ctually worshippe with Radh or with Devi Rukmini. In some se cts of Vaishn accor ded more im mportance w with Lord Krishna. Indep pendent Hind spiritual t du names texts with n such as Sitopanis shad, Radho opanishad and so onex ist,whichext tolthegreatn nessoftheDe evisin thediivinepairs. It is important to note that when Go is od worsh hipped as D Divine Couple by Hindus the e s, name of the feminine typically precedes th of e y hat mascu uline. For in nstance, we say that we are e worsh hipping SitaRam, Radh heShyam, Uma Mahe esh or Shri V Vishnu and s on43. In po so opular nond denomination Hindu prayers, whenever nal God i s addressed as a parent, he is first te ermed asaMoth her,andonlythenasaFather44. IntheGan napatyatradi ition,themaj jorfocusofv venerationist theBhagavan nGanesh,we ellrecognized dfrom hiselepha anthead.The efollowersof fthistraditio onarenotnu merous,but allHindus,ir rrespectiveof ftheir sectarian affiliation,co ommencethe eirprayersto oGodwithan ninvocationt toGanesh.In nterestingly, inthe ories of Hindu texts, Gane esha is considered more of his mothe Parvatis son than his f er father sacred sto Shivas.In nfact,somev versionsstate ethatParvaticreatedHim moutofhero ownpowerbe ecauseshewanted asonwho omonlyshec couldcallher rown.Ganesh histypicallyw worshippeda asachild,and disoftendep picted

43

ItisaHi indutradition toaddresswo omenbeforem meninagroup p,outofreverenceforthefo ormer.Forins stance, Hinduwed ddinginvitation nsarenormally yaddressedT ToMrs.andM Mr.Smithand soonandnot asToMr.And dMrs. Smithora asToMr.andMrs.JohnSmithorevenasToMrs.andM Mr.JohnSmith h. 44 Thepray yercommencingwiththewo ordstvameva amatachapita atvameva(Yo oualoneareM Mother,andar realso ourFather r)isrecitedbymillionsofHindusalloverth heword.

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along

with

his

brother

Skanda

together

with

their

allpowerful

mother.

Thisweseethateveninthemaleorientedtraditionsofclassical Hinduism,thefeminineaspectofDivinityoccupiesaverycentral positionofsignificance. InnumerousHinducommunitiesofBangladesh,NepalandIndia, themostprominentfestivalintheyearisdedicatedtotheDivine Mother. During Diwali, the most important festival in northern IndiaandamongstHinducommunitiesintheCaribbean,themain worship is offered to Devi Lakshmi. Diwali itself is often called LakshmiPujan. A period of 9 nights every year is devoted to the worship of numerousmanifestationsoftheMother.ItiscelebratedasDurga Puja festival in eastern India and as Navaratri in Gujarat as the majorfestivalsoftheseregions.

4.8TheVyhaDoctrineofPchartraVaishnavism:
ThisschoolofHindusspeaksoffiveformsofGod45 1. The Para or the transcendent. This form of God possesses the six attributes denoted by the wordBhagavn(knowledge,lordship.Potency,strength,virilityandsplendor). 2. TheVyhaorthegrouped.Therearefourinnumber,andarerespectivelynamedafterKrishna, hiselderbrother,hissonandhisgrandson a. VasudevathisisthesameastheParaform.
45

Mahadevan,pp.193194.

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b. Samka arshaawithhim,thecreationassum mesanembry yonicform.Healsoteache esone pointe eddevotionto oVsudeva. Sometimesid dentifiedwith hShiva. c. Pradyu umnawithh him,thedualityofPurush aandPrakrit timanifests. d. Anirud ddhaenable esthebodyandsoultogro ow. 3. Th heVibhavao ortheincarna ated(Avatra as)formslike Rama,Krishn naetc. 4. Th heAntarym minortheimm manentform. 5. Th heArchort theMrtiwhichisthemos stconcretefo orm. Itisthesecondoftheabove,i.e.,t thefourVyh haaspectof thePanchara atraphilosophythatisrej jected e us. d tically by all the other Hindu This doctrine itself is quite compliicated and is represented diagrammat belowside.

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ThePancharatraDoctrineexplainedwiththehelpoftheWaterAnalogy: Pillai Lokacharya, a Shri Vaishnava theologian belonging to the catschool of the followers of VishishtadvaitaVedantagivesthefollowinganalogyofwatertoexplainthefiveaspectsofBhagavn:46 Theattempttocomprehendthetranscendentformislikegettingwaterfromtheother worldforquenchingthirst;theVyhaformislikethelegendaryoceanofmilkwhichalso isnoteasyofaccess;theimmanentformislikesubterraneanwaterwhichisnotreadily availabletoathirstmanalthoughitisrightunderneathhisfeet;theincarnatedforms arelikethefloodsthatinundatethecountryforawhilebutdonotlastlong;andarch islikeastagnantpoolfromwhichanyoneanytimecouldslakehisthirst. TheEternalFormofVishnuinPancharatraVaishnavism&VishishtadvaitaVednta: ParalleltothedoctrinethatParaformofBrahmanhassixpositiveattributes,thePancharatrascriptures also declare that Parabrahman also has a personal, immutable and a magnificent form made of ShuddhaSattva that survives the dissolution of the Universe. This body is of Vishnu reclining on the multihoodedcobra(theSheshanga).NotonlyVishnuandSheshanga,buthisattendantsetc.havean indestructiblebodymadeofthesamematerial.ThisconceptofBrahmanpossessinganeternalbodyhas been developed further in the school of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, that was systematized by Ramanujacharya(10171137CE). IfGodalreadyhastheuniverseandthefiniteselvesasHisbody,thenwhatistheneedtohaveanother one?SriRamanujaadducesfourreasons: 1. Firstly, scriptural texts themselves indicated at many places that the Lord possesses a Supernatural Form.Ramanujaproposesthatweshouldinterpretthesetextsattheirfacevalue. 2. The acceptance of the Supernal Form of God would make possible the comprehension and reconciliation of apparently conflicting scriptural texts in a literalist manner. For instance, they would allowthepossibilityoftheLordenjoyingallthePraktrtic(material)endowmentsthroughHisSupernal Form. 3.SriRamanujaappealstotheauthorityofBhagvanBadrayana,AcharyaTankaandDramidacharyato proposetheexistenceofthedivineform.HequotesstatementsfromtheirworkstotheeffectthatGod possessanEternalandPureForm. 4.Lastly,itisconsistentwiththefactthatLordisanoceanofmercyandcompassionandsoHisform servestoattracttheearnestdevoteestowardsHim. It is surprising to note that while on one hand, Sri Ramanuja is very insistent about the supreme and transcendentalnatureofGodanddeclaresthatthefiniteselvesaswellastheuniverseconstituteHis body,ontheotherhand,hefeelstheneedtostatewithalmostequalinsistencethatGodpossessesin addition, His own body, that is free of all imperfections and is possessed of infinite splendor, glory, brillianceandextent.
46

Mahadevan,p.195

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ce e ddition to the His body c e constituted b the by Such an insistence on the existenc of a Divine Form in ad vesandtheu universealmo ostseemsto beredundan nt.YetSriRam manujajustifieshisstand point finiteselv by taking recourse to scriptural texts that se g o t eem to describe such a body posses ssed by God The d. theologica alreasonsforthisdoctrin nearenotfar rtoseek.The econceptof aperfectbod dyforGodfit tvery wellintoa aschemetha atincludesah hostofkalyan nagunasasa attributesofG God.SriRama anujassuccessors, likeSriVe enkatanatha, whostressed dmoreonth hekalyanagu nasofBrahm man,alsopraiseeloquentl lythis supposed divine form of God. In fact, in Sarvarthasiddhi, Sr Venkatanatha quotes a statement o the ri a of ancientVedantinDram midacaryato theeffectthatthisdivine ebodyofGod diseternalandiscompos sedof sattva on Sri Ramanuja also quotes the Aca nly. arya Tanka in his Vedarth n hasamgraha to this effec and ct stressesthattheessen ntialformof fGodisetern nalandpurea andisnotass sumedonlyt temporarilyfo orthe benefit of his devotees. This pecu uliar concept seems to h t have been in ntroduced int Vedanta b Sri to by Ramanuja afromthePancaratra. Sri Raman nuja goes ev further. He describes this divine abode of Br ven s rahman along the lines o the g of descriptio onsgivenintheVaisnavat textslikeVisn nuPuranaan ndPancaratra atextsliketh heParamasam mhita. Thus, God is adorned with jewels of matchle beauty, h wears a y d s ess he yellow garme and is served ent ts(suris)whoaremorere ealthanthef finiteselvesl likeBrahmaa andSiva.The word eternallybyattendant suriremindsoftheRi igvedicverse Tadvisnohp paramampa adamsadapa asyantisuriyah.

However, more detailed descriptio of the same are reser ons rved for his w works like the Vaikunthag e gadya. Fromthes sedescription nsinthewor rksofRamanuja,itisclear rthatheistr ryingtosynth hesizethevie ewsof the Panca aratra and Bhagavata sch hool with the Vedantic c onception of God. Rathe he views these e f er, descriptio as furthe clarifications of nature of Brahman as reveale in the Ved and Ved ons er e n ed das dantas (Upanisad Thus, Sri Ramanuja se no contra ds). ees adiction in th two descriptions of Bra he ahman as giv in ven these two groups of texts. This is why, his fo o s ollowers term the Visis med stadvaita scho of Vedan as ool nta Ubhayavedantaort thetwofoldV Vedanta. 49

nuja beautifu weaves his concept of Gods etern body with His accessib ully f nal h bility. He says that s Sri Raman althoughtheformofG Godcannotbe egraspedbyourorganso ofperception, ,yetitsveryb beautyattrac ctsHis devotees. .Thereafter,God,through hHismercy,r revealsHisfo rmtoHisblesseddevotee esandgrantsthem EternalSa alvation.

4.9 The Eternal Body of Sh e B hiva intheS Shaivaga amas

Similar to the Panch o hratra schoo of ol Vaishnava the follo as, owers of Sh haiva gamas (now found mainly in Tamil ( T Naduand dadjacentpar rtsofSIndia, ,and some are in Sri Lanka and Malaysia) eas 47 believe that Shiva is the Supr reme ssing all the Brahman encompas attributes softheTrim rtiandHeha asan eternal body that is not impacted by d the creat tion and dis ssolution of the Universe. This, they argue, is possible because y the Divin Body of Shiva is not ne comprised dofanyofth hethreegua asof Prakriti and is not und the influe der ence body ofKarma orPrakriti.Instead,thisb sed Shaktioren nergy iscompos ofpure whichare ethefiveman ntraslistedin nthe followingscripturaltex xt: T TheSupreme ehastheIsh naasHishead,theTatpu urushaasHis smouth,the Aghoraas Hisheart,theVmadevaas sHisgenitalsandtheSady yojtaasHisf feet. CitedinMadhavchryasS Sarvadarshan nasamgraha, chapterVIII. . y d d e ctions of Shiv namely: g va, grace, This body is produced by His own free fill and is the cause of five func obscuratio on,dissolutio on,preservati ionandcreation.Thisbody yofShivaisinvisible,andimperceptibl le. olofHinduD DharmadoesnotdenyotherformsofS Shiva,butdec claresthatSh hivaassumes these Thisschoo formsout tofcompassi ionforhiswo orshippersbe ecauseitisve erydifficultto omeditateup ponandwors shipa Deitythat thasnoform.
47

Thissect tionisbasedonMadhavacha aryasSarvadar rshanasamgrah hatranslatedb byEBCowell(1900)

50

5.0 SAGUA BRAHMAN AS ANTARYMIN:

In a general sense, the word Antarymin meanstheBrahmanWhoispresentinside everything. And in a restricted sense, it meanstheBrahmanthatabideswithinour heartsastheinnercontrolleraswellasthe witness. The Antarymin can really be subsumed within shvara but is emphasized as a separate level of Brahman by several VaishnavaHindutheologianstounderscore the fact that Brahman is not merely transcendent to the creation, It also controlstheUniversefromwithinitasthe ImmanentSoul(orAtman). As the AllPervading Immanent Atman, Brahman is present not just within the good and virtuous humans,butalsowithintheevilandthelow,andalsowithinnonhumancreatures.TheBhagavadGita thereforeemphasizesthatthewiseshouldseeBrahmanwithineveryone,andthereforetreateveryone withrespectandreverence: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Thewiseseethesame(Atman)inaBrahmanaendowedwithknowledgeandhumility, inacow,inanelephant,andeveninadogorinanoutcaste.Gita5.18

5.1AttributesofBrahmanasAntarymin:
AstheAntarymin,Brahmangivesanunderlyingunitytothisentirecreationandstringsittogether: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: ThereisnothingwhatsoeverhigherthanMe.ThisentireUniverseisstrunginMe,like clustersofjewelsonathread.Gita7.7 Brahmanalsocontrolsallcreaturesbybeingpresentinsidetheirhearts: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: shvara resides in the hearts of all beings, causing them to turn around by His My (powerormagic)asiftheyweremountedonamachine.Gita18.61 Third, due to Its immanence, Brahman is the witness (Skshi) of our good and bad Karma. However, Brahmanitselfdoesnotgettaintedbytheresultsofthegoodorbadkarmaofthedoer.

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Fourth,BrahmanspresenceinourheartmakesitpossibleforthehumanbeingtomeditateonItand advancespirituallytowardsMoksha.ThisdoesnotmeanthatBrahmanispresentonlyinsidetheheart ofallcreatures,orthatItisnotpresentincreatureswhichdonothaveaheart!Krishnaclarifies: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: IamtheSoulseatedintheheartsofallcreatures.Iamthebeginning,themiddleand theveryendofbeings.Gita10.20 ThereasonwhytheheartisemphasizedasanabodeofBrahmaninthehumanbodyandnototherparts ofthebody asfrequentlyisthat itisveryfruitfultomeditateuponBrahmanbyfocusingintheheart region.Inthestateofdeepmeditation,theindividualsoulabidesintheheart(daharapundarka)ofits body.There,itisinveryclosecommunionwith Brahman. Fifth, the presence of Brahman as Antarymin intheheartsofallcreaturesmeanthatallliving beings are the abode of the Divine and are worthy of our respect. Bhagavad Gita clearly states: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Sages see the same (Brahman) in a brahmana embued with learning and humility,inacow,anelephantoreven adogoranoutcaste.Gita5.18 The very gesture Namaste with which Hindus greetothersmeansIbowtotheDivineinyou andisanacknowledgementofthepresenceof Brahmanineveryone. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Sage YajnavalkyatellshiswifeMaitreyithattheonly rational and true basis for loving everyone is theunderstandingthatweareallunitedinBrahman,Whopervadesusall.

5.2BrahmanasAntarymininVishishtadvaitaVednta48
ThedoctrineofBrahmanastheAntaryminisverywelldevelopedandisacentralprincipleintheHindu philosophyofVishishtadvaitaVedanta.AcharacteristicfeatureofVisistadvaitaschoolofphilosophyisits tenetthatBrahmanistheinnerdwellerofjivasaswellastheinanimateUniverse.Ramanujautilizesthis tenet to explain the monistic statements of Upanisads. For instance, in his Vedarthasamgraha, he
Fordetailsonthissection,referChari(1988);Carman(1974);Narayanan(1987)andSwamiAdidevananda (1978)
48

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discusses the sadvidya section of Chhandogya Upanisad and its famous mahavakya tat tvam asi in greatdetail.Here,hecontendsthatjustasinordinaryparlance,thingsarereferredtobytheidentityof theirindwellingsoul,soalso,herethejivaisreferredtobyitsinnerdwellerBrahman.Forinstance,we allknowthathumansareinessence,thesoul.Andyet,onseeingaperson/hisbody,wesayRamis comingandsoon.Inalikewisemanner,thereisnodiscrepancyifallthingsareequatedtoBrahmanby UpanisadssinceHeistheindwellingsoulofallentities. Sri Ramanuja defines a body as something that an intelligent being is able to completely control and supportforhispurposes,andtheessentialnatureofwhichisentirelysubservienttothatintelligentself. SriRamanujaalsoclarifiesthattheimperfectionsoftheUniverseandthejivasdonotstainBrahmanat all.BrahmanisalsounaffectedbythekarmasofjivasandpossessingthesebodiesaddstoHismajesty andlordship.TheentireopinionofSriRamanujainthisregardcanbesummedupinhisownwordsthat formhiscommentonBrahmasutra1.1.18: Thus the entire group of intelligent and nonintelligent entities, which are different from Him, constitute His body, and He alone is the unconditioned Self, ensouling that body. For this very reason, competent authorities (abhiyuktaih) call this doctrine concerningtheSupremeBrahmanbythenameSariraka:thedoctrineoftheembodied Self. RelationshipofBrahmanwiththeJivasandtheUniverse: Since Brahman is the Indwelling Soul of jivas and the Universe, He is related to them in multifarious ways.SriRamanujausesseveraltermstodescribetheserelationships: 1.dhraandAdheya:Theformermeansasupport,substratum,orcontainerandthelattermeansthat whichissupportedorcontained.BrahmanistheadharaofthejivasandtheUniverseasallfinitebeings are completely dependent on Him for their essential nature, continued existence in the phenomenal realmandactualfunctioningoractivity. 2. Niyant and Niyamya: The second aspect of the selfbody relationship is that between the ruler or controllerandthatwhichisruled.Thisconceptionclearlyexpressesthepersonalanddynamiccharacter ofGodsrelationshiptotheuniverse. 3.Antarymin:SinceGodabidesinfinitebeings,hemaybecalledtheinnerrulerortheanataryami.The Anataryami Brahman section of the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad thus plays an important role in the theologyofSriRamanujaandhepaysgreatattentiontoitinhiscommentaryonBrahmasutra2.1.15. 4. Jivas and the Universe as Vibhutis of Brahman: For Sri Ramanuja, the term Vibhuti connotes the materialUniverseandthejivas.ThesearevibhutisofBrahmansinceHeabidesinthem,controlsthem, fashionsthem,enjoysthemandsincetheirveryexistenceiseternallydependentonHim.Onethingto be noted however is that Sri Ramanuja, while designating Siva, Brahma, Indra etc. also as vibhutis of Brahman(whoisequatedwithNarayana)isatpainstopointoutthatSriRamaandSriKrishnaarenot vibhutisofNarayanabutareratheronewithhimandsameasHim.Inordertojustifyhisdesignationof 53

finiteselvesandtheuniverseasvibhutisofBrahman,SriRamanujastatesthatthesearepossessedby BrahmanandthereforearemanifestationsofHisglory.Thus,hebringsoutthetruemeaningviz.glory, ofthewordvibhutiandfitsitintoVisistadvaitaschoolofphilosophy. 5.TheSesaSesinrelationship:AnotherpairofwordsthatRamanujausestodesignatetherelationship betweenBrahmanononehandandthefiniteselvesandtheuniverseontheotherissesaandsesin. He says: The sesasesi relationship in any situation means just this: the sesa is that whose essential nature consists solely in being useful to something else by virtue of its intention to contribute some excellencetothisotherbeing,andthisotheristhesesi. Thus, in Sri Ramanujas scheme of things, Brahman is the sesi, everything else is sesa since the finite selvesandtheuniversearesubservienttothewillandlordshipofBrahman.Godistheownerandfinite selvesarelikehisslaves.Andyet, GodisanoceanofmercyanddeliversHisdevoteesfrombondage. GodnotmerelygrantssalvationtoHisdevotees,ratherHeplaysamuchmoreactiveroleinthatHeis responsiblefortheirsalvation.Bydefiningthesetwotermsthus,Ramanujasetsthepathclearforthe subsequentdoctrineofPrapattithatwasexpoundedinSriVaisnavatextslikeYatindramatadipikaof Shrinivasadasa. ItiseasytorelatethesetwotermstothetermsadharaadheyaandthisiswhatSriRamanujadoesin his treatment of the sadvidya of Chhandogya Upanisad in the Vedarthasamgraha. He also counters possibleobjectionstohisdefinitionsofthetermssesasesi.Forinstance,hestatesthatthedesireon thepartofeveryonetobeindependentofallkindsofcontroldoesnotcontradictourdependenceon GodforsalvationsinceitisHewhoisthegoalandtheabodeofallbliss.Whenthesacredtextslaudthe desire of all finite beings to be independent, what is really meant is the desire to be free from the bondage in the material body and not freedom from the will of Brahman. This is because God is an ocean of all auspicious qualities and complete detachment from Him is unthinkable for any sensible person. ThisparticulardefinitionofsesasesiallowsRamanujatobuildtheinstitutionofworshipharmoniously into his system of Vedanta something that Sri Samkaracarya was unable to do. The latter had to envisage a twofold Brahman to accommodate the act of worship and stated that only the lower (Saguna)BrahmancanbeworshippedtheHigherBrahmanisbeyondofallworshipsinceHeisdevoid ofallgunas.

5.3InteriorizationofBrahmanandallDevatsinonesBodyandSoul:
Asstatedearlier,thedifferentDevasareoftenperceivedaslimbsofthewholebodyofOneBrahman. BrahmanandtheDevascanbeworshippedasexternaltoourbeing,butatthesametime,Brahmanalso abideswithinusasourAntarymin.Therefore,theDevastooresidewithinourownbodyandsoul.One modeofspiritualpracticesinHinduDharmathereforeinvolvesinteriorizingtheexternalsacredritesand direct them inwards through meditation. The body is imagined as the Universe within which dwell Brahman and all his limbs the Devas. This technique is well illustrated by the following concluding versesofManusmriti,themostesteemedcodeofDharmaintheHindutradition:

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The Atman alone is the entire multitude of Devas. The Universe rests on the Atman becauseitaloneconnectstheembodiedsouls(individualsouls)withtheirkarma.Manu 12.119 Let him therefore meditate upon space as identical with the openings of his body; or uponwindasidenticalwiththeorgansofmotionandtouch;onthemostexaltedlightas hiseyesanddigestiveorgans;onwaterashisbodyfluids;andontheearthasthesolid partsofthebody.Manu12.120 Let him meditate upon the moon as identical with his mind; on the directions as his organofhearing;onVishnuashisabilitytomove;onShivaashisstrength;onAgnias identicalwithhisspeech;onMitraasthesameashisexcretions;andonPrajapatiasone withhisprocreativeorgans.Manu12.121 LethimseektoknowtheSupremeBeing(Purusha)asthesovereignrulerofthemall;as smaller than the smallest; as bright as light (or gold); and experienced by intellect (Buddhi)onlyinthestateofdeepsleep.Manu12.122 SomecallHimAgni,othersManu,Lordofallcreatures(Prajapati),othersIndra,others as Pra (life sustaining currents) and again others as the eternal Brahman. Manu 12.123 He pervades all creation comprised of five elements, and makes them revolve like a wheelthroughtheeternalcycleofbirth,growthanddecay.Manu12.124 HewhorecognizesinthiswaytheAtmanthroughhisownsoul(andbody)inallcreated beings,becomesequalmindedtowardsall,thenentersthehighestabodeofBrahman. Manu12.125 ThepurposeofseeingBrahmanandtheuniverseinitsentiretyinonesbodyandsoulisnotbecoming anegocentricperson,buttodevelopauniversalsenseofempathyinwhichtheentirecreationisone withhisownselfandinBrahman,andthereforeworthyofreverenceandcompassion.

5.4InterfaithPerspectives:AntarymininotherReligions
ThedistinctionbetweentheHinduandtheAbrahamicnotionsofanallpervadingandimmanentGod maybeexplainedwiththefollowingexample:ForAbrahamicreligions,Godresidesintheheavenbutis presenteverywhereinthesensethathecancontroltheentireUniverse,andalsoknowswhathappens everywhereintheUniverse.Heislikeacandleinsidearoom,withthecandlerepresentingGod,andthe light of the candle spread out in the room reflecting Gods omnipotence and omnipresence. In that sense,theAbrahamicGodiscontainedwithintheheavenalthoughhecancontrolwhatisintheentire Universe. There is no understanding of God beyond the Universe. Therefore, God transcends the Universe, but is not immanent to it. The Abrahamic religions have no conception of God that is independentofspaceandtime. Incontrast,inHinduDharma,BrahmanisnotjustpresentinheaventogoverntheUniversebyremote control.Brahmanispresentequallyeverywhere.HeisnotjusttranscendenttotheUniverse.Heisalso beyondit,andbeyondallspaceandtime.Ratherthanbeingacandleinaparticularlocationthatlights

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theareaaroundit,Brahmanislikeanallpervadinginflammablegas,thatburningeverywhereandall thetime. When Krishna shows his Vishvarpa (Universal Form) to Arjuna (in Bhagavad Gita, chapter 12), who wasfirstbestowedwiththedivineeye,ArjunasawaDivineBeingwithinfinitefaces,eyes,marvelous displays, adorned with divine clothes, garlands and ornaments. Arjuna saw that the splendor of this Beingexceededthelightofa1000sunsshiningsimultaneously.ArjunasawtheentireUniverseinthat being, the past, the present, the future. Arjuna was overwhelmed with what he saw. He bowed reverentiallyandsaid
OLord!IseewithinyouBrahma,thecreator.IseeVishnuwithhisfourarms.IseeShiva. Iseetheheaven,earth,allplanets,stars,alllivingcreatures,allDevas,countlessthingsthatIcannoteven understand. Yourradiancedazzlesme. Youhavenobeginning,noend,nomiddle. YouaretheBeingwhoupholdsDharmaeternally,whoisInfinite,WhoistheCreatorandtheDestroyer. Theworldsseemtotrembleatyoursight.YouarethefoundationoftheentireUniverse. Iamterrifiedtoseeyourmouthsblazingwithfire. IcanseethesecountlesswarriorsintheKurukshetrabattlefieldplungingtotheirdeathsintoyourmouths,as mothsplungeintoaflame. TheentireUniverseisfilledwithyourgloryandisradiantwithyourlight. ThissightissooverwhelmingthatIamterrified. YouaretheFather,theGrandfather,theTeacherand theMotheroftheentireUniverse.Pleasetreatmeas afatherwouldtreathisson,orafriendhisfriend.

It is this nature of Brahman that explains his aspect of being the Antarymin. Brahman controls,oversees,governstheUniverseandall thecreaturesinitnotfromaremotepositionin theheaven,butbybeinginsideeverythingand byeverythinginsideHim.

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6.0 SAGUA BRAHMAN AS AVATRA (OR VIBHAVA)

TheAvatrasandVibhtisarematerialormanifestedFormsofshvarainhistoricalcontexts.Theyare thephysicalformsthatshvaratakesinfullvisionofhumanity.ButwhereastheAvatrasaretemporary andappearforaspecificperiodoftime,theVibhtiscanbemorepermanent. TheBhagavadGitaexplainsinthefollowingtwofamousverseswhyBrahmanassumesanAvatra: KrishnasaidtoArjuna WheneverthereisadeclineofDharmaandariseofAdharma,ImanifestMyself.Gita 4.7 Fortheprotectionanddeliveranceofthegood,anddestructionoftheevildoers;andfor thesakeofreestablishingDharma,Iambornineveryage.Gita4.8 Hindu scriptures stated repeatedly that Brahman is motivated to assume an Avatra out of the compassionthathehasforthelivingcreatures.

6.1WhydoesBrahmantakeanAvatra?
SinceBrahmanisallpervading,thereisnoneedforittoassumeafiniteformtodestroyadharmaand reestablishdharma.However,descendingasAvatraservestoinspireHisdevoteestoriseabovetheir humanlimitationsandlearnhowtowalkthepathsofDharmaandMoksha God incarnates on earth to fulfill two purposes: (1) to inspire and (2) to liberate. He inspiresmankindthroughexample.HewillinglytakesuponHimselfhumanlimitations. ThenthroughintensespiritualpracticeHegoesbeyondthemandmanifestsHisspiritual perfection.Itshouldbe understoodherethatasHeisperfectfromHisverybirth,the Divine Incarnation does not really need any spiritual practice to attain perfection. Nevertheless,toinspireothersHegoesthroughvariousspiritualdisciplinesandthereby manifestsHisperfectiontosetanexampleformankind.Justasahen,whichitselfisnot hungry,maypickatandgobbleupbirdseedtoteachitsyoungoneshowtoeat,soalsoa DivineIncarnation,forthesakeofmankind,goesthroughvariousspiritualausteritiesto teachthemhowtoattainperfectionthroughspiritualpractice.49 TheabovedescriptionconformsverywelltoAvatraslikeRamaandKrishna.Incaseofotherslikethe Matsya and Krma Avatras as well, the Divine Incarnation conveys a deeply ethical and spiritual messageaswell.AstowhyBhagavnincarnatesnotjustinthehumanbutalsoinnonhumanforms,it hasbeensaid One may wonder why God incarnated in forms other than human. To explain this, Hinduism draws our attention to the fact that all creatures were created by one and samecompassionateGod.GodsinfinitecompassionwhichcausesHisdescentonearth

49

SwamiBhaskarananda,pp.7778

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as a Divine Incarnation, should be the same for both human and subhuman beings. OtherwiseGodbecomesbiasedandpartial,anideawhichisnotacceptable.50 It might be suspected that Advaita Vedanta, with its emphasis on Nirgua Brahman, would underplay the importance of Avatras. But on the contrary, in the introduction to his commentary on the Gita, ShankaracharyaclearlyacknowledgesthatalthoughBrahmanisunborn,eternallypure,conscious,free, immutable and so on, it is also endowed with the six auspicious qualities understood from the word Bhagavn. This same Brahman incarnates not to serve any private end of his, but to reestablish the primacy of Vedic Dharma over Adharma and heresies, so that the wellbeing of the world may be ensured. The doctrine of Avatras is also emphasized in the school of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta. According to Ramanuja,Brahmanassumesavatarasperiodicallyforthreepurposes

1. Torestorelawandorderandtoconfoundtheiropponents. 2. Toactasanappropriaterefugeandmainstayforhisdevotees 3. Asanexemplarandtype,aparticularlineageororderofbeing

Swaminarayan(SajahanandaSwami,17811830CE)andmanyotherHindusaintshavealsoemphasized that Vishnu assumes Avatras primarily out of compassion for his devotees, and the same has been declaredinHinduscriptures.51

6.2DistinctionbetweenAvatrasandHumans:
AlthoughBrahmanassumesaformasanAvatra,itisnotboundbythelawsofKarmaunlikehuman beings.SwamiBhaskarananda52explains ADivineIncarnationisnevercontrolledbytheforcesofkarmanorishisbodycaused byanyprrabdhakarma.God,inordertoincarnateonearthinhumanform,createsan earthlybodyforHimselfthroughHisinscrutablemagicalpowerormyandentersinto it.ByhismyHegivesotherstheimpressionthatHeisbornofhumanparents.Outof compassion for His creatures who take refuge in Him, He absorbs their sins or bad karmainHisearthlybody,andsuffersontheirbehalf.Heworksouttheirbadprrabdha karmatogivethemreliefandsalvation.NeitherdoesaDivineIncarnationgenerateany karmaphala[fruitofaction]forwhateverhedoesduringhisearthlyexistence. ThereasonthattheAvatraisnotboundbykarmaisexplainedintheGitasuccinctly: Though I am unborn and My Atman is imperishable, though I am the Lord of all creatures, yet subjugating Prakriti, I assume a form through my mysterious power (My).Gita4.6
50 51

SwamiBhaskarananda,p.76 E.g.ShandilyaBhaktiSutra49 52 SwamiBhaskarananda,p.84

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So, whereas all creatures are born due to being subjugated by their karma and Prakriti, Brahman subjugatesthePrakritiandisbornofItsownfreewill.Forthisreason,anAvatraisnotsubjectedto karma.

6.3TypesofAvatras:
HinduscripturesenumerateseveraltypesofAvatrasbutthethreemajortypesare53 1. PrnaAvatra:Inthese,themanifestationofBrahmaniscomplete.AnexampleisKrishna. 2. AmshaAvatra: In these, the manifestation of Brahman is partial. Examples include great RishislikeVedaVyasa. 3. ShaktveshaAvatra: In this type, the divine enters a body only for a short period of time, andthenleavesit.E.g.,onceagroupofKapalikasimprisonedShankaracharyaintheHimalayas and were about to sacrifice him to their deity when suddenly, Vishnu in the form of the ferociousNarasimhaenteredthebodyofPadmapadacharya(adiscipleofShankaracharya)and took possession of it. As a result, Padmapadacharya aggressively challenged the captors and freed his teacher. After the task was accomplished, Narasimha left the body of Padmapadacharyaandthelatterwasbacktohisnormalself.

6.4AvatrasofVariousDevasandLiberatedSouls: I.AvatrasofVishnu:AmongsttheprimaryFormsofshvara,theincarnationsofBhagavnVishnu
are most commonly known and recognized. The reason for this is that Vishnu is the Preserver of the Universeaspectofshvara.Therefore,hedescendsinaphysicalformfromtimetotimetorestorethe balancewhenDharmahasbeenmarginalizedseverely.Vishnuhasinnumerableincarnations,butthe10 majorAvatrasofVishnuaredepictedinthepicturebelowandareenumeratedas: 1.Matsya(Fish) 2.Krma(Tortoise) 3.Varha(Boar) 4.Narasimha(HalfLionHalfMan) 5.Vmana(Dwarf) 6.Parshurma(RamawiththeAxe) 7.Rama 8.Krishna 9.Buddha 10.Kalki(inthefuture) The Avatras of even male Devas are not restricted to a specific gender. For example, one of the Avatras of Vishnu is a beautiful lady named Mohin. Moreover, as stated earlier, Vishnu often incarnatestogetherwithhisconsort,Lakshmi.

53

SwamiHarshananda,VolI,p.221

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 Sometimes,severalsaintsaresaidtobeAvatrasofotherAvatras.Forexample,thefollowersofShri ChaitanyaMahaprabhubelievethattheMahprabhuwastheAvatraofKrishnaforthisage.54Another oneisthatSwamiNryaa(SahajnandaSwm,17811830CE)whoisconsideredamanifestationof Nryaa (equated with Parabrahman) or of Krishna by the followers of the Swaminarayana SampradyaofHindus. Likewise, Assamese Vaishnavites believe that Saint Shankaradeva (1449 1568 CE) was an incarnation of Krishna. Finally, some Vaishnavite Hindus also believe that the objects associated with Vishnu themselves have so much potencythattheycanincarnateaswell.Inthetraditionof Shri Vaishnavites of South India, the 12 Alwar saints, and numerous later saints belonging to the tradition are considered as incarnations of objects like the Bell, the SudarshanaChakraandsoonassociatedwithVishnu.

II.AvatrasofShiva: SomeschoolsofHinduslikethe ShaivaSiddhanta believe that Shivanever

incarnatesbytakingbirthinthehomeofhumanparentsalthoughHewillappearinabodytosavehis
54

It should be noted however that the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu consider Krishna as the Supreme Godhead,higherthanevenVishnu.

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devotees. And yet, other Hindus (e.g. Smrta) believe that Shiva does incarnate just like Vishnu. In contrast, Shiva typically does not incarnate55 but appears to His devotees either in person, in their dreamsorintheFormofhisiconicsymboltheShivalinga.NumeroussitesspreadallovertheIndian subcontinentwhereBhagavnShivaappearedinthepastaremarkedbyfamoustemples.

III.AvatarasofDev: Inthescriptures(e.g.DevBhgavataPurna)oftheShktaHindutradition,
theDevgracestheearthwithnumerousincarnationsinwhichsheisborninpioushouseholds.E.g.,her birthasSatiinthehouseholdofDaksha.

IV.AvatrasofGanapati: InscripturesliketheMudgalaPura,manyincarnationsofGaesha
arealsocounted.

V. Avatras of Other Devatas: Other Devats are also said to

havetakenAvatras.E.g.VyuwasincarnatedfirstasHanumn,thenas Bheema,andfinallyasMadhvachrya(inthe13thcent.C.E.)according the theology ofthefollowersofDvaitaVednta.SindhiHindusbelieve thatSantJhulelalwasanAvatraofVaruadevata.Hesavedthemfrom forcibleconversiontoIslaminthe11thcent.CEandisworshippedeven today along with the Indus river, which is traditionally associated with Varunadevata. The great Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali is regarded as an Avatra of Shesha,andsoareBalarma,Lakshmana,Ramanuja(10171137CE)and Nityananda Prabhu, an associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The lady saint Antal is considered an incarnationofBhdev(earth).

VI. Avatras of Liberated Souls: Hindu scriptures also declare that souls that have attained
Moksha,andhavebeenliberatedfromthecycleofbirthsanddeathscan,ontheirownwill,takeabirth inthisworldoutofcompassionandtoguidethosewhoneedhelponthepathoftheirspiritualjourney. Thisbirthoftheliberatedsoulsispurelyoftheirownvolition,unlikethatofnonliberatedsoulswhich arebornduetheirunexhaustedkarma.HindusbelievethatthesoulsthathaveattainedMokshaarelike BrahmanandthereforetheirAvatrasmayalsothereforebelikenedtoBrahmanItselfincarnating. ManyexamplesofthistypeofAvatrasinHinduscriptures.ThefollowersofSamkhyaDarshanabelieve thatSageKapila,thefounderoftheirphilosophy,wasonesuchsoulthatcreatedabodyforhimselfto teachhisphilosophytohumanitythroughhisdisciplesuri.Likewise,theliberatedsageApntaratamas tookbirthasVedaVysatocompilethefourVedas,theMahabharata,thePuranasetc.56

AdiShankarchryaisregardedasanAvatraofShivabymanyfollowersofAdvaitaVedanta.Thepurposeof thisAvatrawastocheckthegrowthintheinfluenceofthehereticalBuddhistdoctrine. 56 SeetraditionalcommentariesonBrahmasutra3.2.32

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Early Sikh traditions state that none other than King Janaka of Videha (the celebrated Philosopher King in Hindu scriptures) was reborn as GuruNanakinthepresentage. AnotherexampleisthatofSaiBabaofShirdi(??To1915)whoissaidto have been a realized and liberated soul. Some Hindus believe that he thentookrebirthonhisownwillasSathyaSaiBaba(19262011),and willberebornonceagainforthelasttimeinthenearfuture. Some scholars (e.g., those of the Arya Samaj) believe that Krishna Himselfwasonesuchliberatedsoul(andthatishowtheyinterpretthe Gita4.78)thattookbirthforthebenefitofall. Of course, all Hindus do not believe in all these Avatras, but neverthelessdonotdisrespectthem,andevenworshipthemassaints,ifnotasAvatras.

6.5RejectionofAvatrasortheDoctrineofAvatrasbycertainHindus:
ThefollowersofHindutraditionsliketheNirguaBhakti(e.g.Kabir),theAryaSamajandtheSikhsdo not accept the notion of Brahman incarnating in a finite Form. However, they have no hesitation in acceptingincarnationslikeRamaandKrishnaasgreatindividualsandasrealizedsouls.Secondly,even Hindus who believe in the doctrine of Avatras have an ambiguous viewpoint about Buddha, who is countedasanincarnationinseveralHinduscriptures.HindustypicallybelievethatVishnuincarnatedas Buddha to delude (and thereby weaken) the evil people (Asuras) by propounding a heretical and an antiVedicdoctrine.SowhereastheBuddhamaybeworshippedduetoHisdivinenature,hisdoctrine oughttoberejected. Ithasbeennotedabovethatmanysaints(bothpastandlivinginthepresent)aretreatedasAvatrasof particularformsofshvarabytheirfollowers,butnonfollowerdonotsubscribetothisbelief.Sohow should nonbelieving Hindus perceive these saints, who are regarded as Divine Avatras by other Hindus? What Swami Bhaktivinode Thakur (1838 1914) has rightly said57 with regard to Chaitanya MahaprabhuappliestootherHindusaintstoo WeleaveittoourreaderstodecidehowtodealwiththeMahaprabhu.TheVaishnavas have accepted Him as the great Lord, Shri Krishna, Himself.Those who are not prepared to accept this perspective may think of Lord Chaitanya as a noble and only teacher.ThatisallwewantourreaderstobelieveWemakenoobjectionifthereader doesnotbelieveHismiracles,asmiraclesaloneneverdemonstrateGodhead.Demons like Ravana and others have also worked miracles and these do not prove that they weregods.Itisunlimitedloveanditsoverwhelminginfluencethatwouldbeseeninnon butGodHimself.

57

QuotedinStevenRosen,p.21

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In summary, even if a Hindu does not regard a particular saint as an Avatra, he is nevertheless respectfulandreverentialtowardsthatsaint.

6.6InterfaithPerspectives:AvatrasversusProphets
ItmaybecommentedthatintheAbrahamicreligions,Godsendseitherprophetsorhisownsontoset an example. Thus, Muslims consider Muhammad as an exemplar of ideal conduct whereas Christians believe in Imitatio dei or imitating Christ because he is a perfect son of God. On the other hand, in HinduDharma,BhagavnHimselfassumesafiniteformtoguidehumanityoutofHisinfinitecompassion forHiscreation.AndthiscompassionisthemainreasonwhyHechoosestoincarnatefromtimetotime. TheconceptofAvatrasdistinguishesHinduDharmasharplyfromAbrahamictraditions.Intheformer,it ispossibletobeholdtheFormofshvaradirectlywithoutintermediariesandinonesownlifetime.On theotherhand,inAbrahamicreligions,GodcommunicatesandappearsonlythroughHisintermediaries (the Prophets or the only son) and can be seen by humans directly only in Heaven after the Day of Judgment. In Christianity, God is said to have made his only son Jesus born to Mary through immaculate conception. Because Jesus was not conceived through a human father, he is said to be free of the originalsinthatispassedfromAdamtoallhumanbeings.Atthesame,hewasalsothesonofhuman beingsbecausehehadahumanmother.ChristiansbelievethatJesuswasperfectandthatweshould followhisexampleinallmatters.Moreover,salvationispossibleonlytothosewhobelieveinJesusas theChristandastheonlysonofGodbecauseJesusalonecantakeawayalloursins.Thosewhodonot believeinJesusChristaredamnedtohell.ThisnotionofGodssonbeingrebornonthisearthtoprovide theonlymediumofsalvationhenceforthisrejectedbyIslam.TheKoransaysthatAllahdoesnothavea wifeanditisridiculoustosupposethatHecanbegetason. The concept of Avatra of Hindu Dharma is somewhat different from that of Jesus as the only son of God.HindusbelievethatweareallchildrenofBrahman.58Moreover,Jesushasappearedonlyonce,but Avatras appear from time to time. And Brahman does not send his son or any other agent to accomplishthetask.Rather,BrahmanitselfmanifestsinaformtodestroyAdharma,establishDharma andsetanexampleforhumanity.TheAvatradoesnottakeoursinsautomatically.Wehavetomake effortonthepathofMokshatoshedoursins.Andfinally,faithinanAvatraisnotessentialforaHindu togetMoksha.

6.7ObjectionsAgainsttheDoctrineofAvatrasandResponses:
As stated above, several Hindus themselves do not accept the doctrine of Avatras. Sikhs, who otherwise are an offshoot of Hindu Dharma, reject this doctrine. However, their own scripture, the GuruGranthSahib,showsutmostreverencetotheAvatarasofVishnu(RamaandKrishna).Inourtimes, Sikh scholars tend to gloss over these reverential verses addressed to Rama and Krishna. Numerous historic Sikh shrines display the paintings of Hindu Deities and Vishnus Avatras on their walls. But currentpracticesofrenovationensuresthattheseareallwhitewashedorarecoveredupwithathick
58

Foradetaileddiscussion,seeMalhotra(2011),pp.268270

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layer of paint. In fact, many of the 10 Sikh Gurus are themselves named after the Avatras of Vishnu (Ramdas,Harkishan,HarRai,Hargobind,GobindSingh). Theobjectionsstatedbelowarecollectedfromvarioussources(Sikhscriptures,AryaSamajtextsetc.). Objection 1: God is allpervading. So he can vanquish evildoers by dismembering their bodies from within.Thereisnoneedforhimtotakeanincarnation. Reply:Yes,Godisallpervading.ButmerelydestroyingtheevildoersfromwithinwillnotenableGodto setapersonalexampleforalltimestocome.E.g.,Ramashowedushowtobeagoodson,agoodruler, anoblewarriorandsoonthroughhisownactions. Objection 2: There is no unanimity over who is an Avatra and who is not. Different sets of people consider different entities as incarnations. Some consider the Buddha as an Avatra of Vishnu, others substituteBalarmainhisplace.Thisshowsthattherearenoobjectivecriteriaforestablishingwhether somethingisanincarnationofBrahmanornot. Reply:TheAvatrasarelistedintheHinduscriptures.Yes,theHindusdonothaveacentralauthority (like the Pope) to declare who is an incarnation and who is not. But who are we humans to decide mattersrelatedtoDivinity?EvenifthereisacontroversyontheAvatrahoodofsomeperson,thereis no bar in accepting him or her as a Vibhti or a Sage. This ambiguity prevents the development of intoleranceandfanaticisminHinduDharma,andalsoallowsforawiderangeofpossibilitiesforspiritual advancement. Objection3:Itisimpossibleforanallpervading,infiniteBrahmantotakeafiniteformofanAvatra. Reply:Justbecausemoisturecondensesintoadewdroponaleafdoesnotmeanthatmoistureisno longer existent in the entire atmosphere. When Brahman takes an Avatra, It does not cease to exist anywhereelseintheuniverse.Infact,intheHinduscripturesthemselves,KrishnatakesArjunatomeet VishnuinVaikuntha,eventhoughKrishnawasanincarnationofVishnu.Itisonlyaportionoftheinfinite BrahmanthatassumestheaspectofAvatra,althougheventhatportionmayreflectBrahmaninallof itsglory.OnlyfoolishpeopleequateanAvatrawithavisibleandafinitebodytorepresentBrahmanin totality.AsKrishnaHimselfwarnsintheGita KrishnasaidtoArjuna: The deluded despise Me clad in human body, not knowing My higher nature as the Lordofallexistences.Gita9.11 Infact,HindusgiveanotherargumentastowhyitispossibleforBrahmantoassumeanincarnation: Abrahamicreligions(i.e.,Christianity,JudaismandIslam)promotetheideaofGodwith attributessuchasomnipotence(allpowerful)andomniscience(allknowing),butresist givingaformtoGod.ThesereligionsinsistthattheinfiniteGodcannotbecomefinite. Hindusdisagree;theysaythathavinginfinitepowermustincludethepowertobecome finite.TheyclaimthatthegraciousGodassumesafiniteformfortheloveifhisdevotee. TheformHeassumesisimposedbyHisdevotee.Thisisthereasonwhywefindmany imagesofGodsandGoddessesintheHindutradition.Thisisacelebrationofpluralism andshouldnotbeconfusedwithpolytheism.59
59

Lakhani,p.12

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Objection4:ThebeliefthatBrahmancanassumeanincarnationisinsultingtoBrahman.Itiscontraryto thedoctrinesofVedanta. Reply:ThisobjectionpresupposesthatGodisanirasciblepersonalitywhoLordsoverthecreationbut cannot assume a form to redeem humanity out of love. The doctrine of Avatra clearly states that Brahmanassumesformsoutofhiscompassion,toreenergizeDharma,destroyevildoersandtosetan example.ItisnotbeyondtheabilityofGodtoanimateafiniteformwithhisownessence,evenwhile remaining omnipresence, immanence and transcendence with regard to the universe. Ironically, the Abrahamics too presume God to be an elderly figure residing in a place called Heaven. If that is not irrational,thenwhyisthedoctrineofAvatraso? Objection 5: The doctrine of incarnation is a late innovation in Hindu traditions. The Vedas do not mention it, nor do the Upanishads, or even the Brahmasutras which systematize the Upanishadic theology.Infact,allthesixschoolsofHinduphilosophy(Darshanas)aresilentaboutit. Reply:HinduismisnotbasedentirelyontheVedas.ManyofthetenetsofHindusarederivedfromthe Gita,thePuranasandotherscriptureswhichdoupholdthisdoctrine.Inanycase,tobeaHindudoesnot meanthatonemustacceptthisdoctrine.ThereareotheraspectsofBrahmanthatcanbeworshipped. Objection 6: An Avatra of Brahman must be perfect. But we see many Avatras demonstrate wrong and immoral behavior. For example, Krishnahad16108wives.Nowthisis immoralandalsoimpossible. Reply: As stated above, all Avatras arenotPrnaAvatrasandtherefore they may not reflect Divinity in its fullness. The actions of Avatras are certainly meant to convey subtle ethicalandphilosophicalprinciples.In theexamplecited,the16108wivesof Krishna are meant to indicate that Brahman is the inexhaustible seed of all existences (Gita 9.18; Skanda Purana 7.4.2.32). In a similar way, other objections raised against the character of Avataras can be answeredtoo,butthisdiscussionisbeyondthescopeofthecurrentdocument.

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7.0 SAGUA BRAHMAN AS VIBHTIS:

The Avatras appear at a definite moment in history and then merge back into Bhagavn after their purposeisover.Inadditiontothesetemporary60emanationsofshvara,therearethemorepermanent manifestationsasmentionedbythe10thchapteroftheBhagavadGita.Thesemanifestationsarecalled the Vibhtis, which means manifestations of the glory, power, love, beauty and other positive attributesofBrahman. Inchapter10oftheGita,Krishnaexplainsthattheentireuniverse,nonlivingaswellascomprisingof livingbeings,constituteshisglories(vibhtis).Brahmanabidesinthem,controlsthem,fashionsthem, enjoysthemandsincetheirveryexistenceiseternallydependentonHim.WhenArjunasasksKrishnato describecompletelytheVibhtis,Krishnarespondsthattheyareinfiniteandcannotbedescribedtoa humanbeingcompletely.But,KrishnaofferstolistthechiefofhisVibhtis,whicharethebestintheir class: for example, the best of all the trees, the best of all rivers, the best of warriors, the best of all mountainsandsoon. Mahadevan,thegreatscholarofHinduDharma,explainstheconceptofVibhtisandMrtisassymbols ofBrahman Itisofcourse,difficulttoseeGodineverything.Infact,torealizetheSelfinandasallis theheightofspiritualexperience.So,asadisciplinethatwilleventuallyleadtothegoal, oneisaskedtoseethefaceofGodinwhicheverthingthathasprowess,splendorand rectitude. Illustrating this truth in the tenth chapter of the Bhagavadgita, Sri Krishna identifieshimselfwiththebestofeverykind,e.g.,theHimalayaamongthemountains, the Ganga among the rivers, Vasudeva among the Vrishnis and Arjuna among the Pandavas (Gita 10.2537). The great mountains and the big rivers, majestic trees and fine animals, heroic men and women in fact, all things that have excellence thus becomeobjectsofveneration. TheimportantpointtoreemphasizeisthatthislistofVibhtsintheGitaisillustrativebecausetheydo notexhaustthepowersandgloriesofBrahman.KrishnathereforeconcludesthedescriptionofVibhtis withthefollowingwords KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Whatever thing there is, endowed with glory and grace and vigor, know that it has sprungfromafractionofMysplendor.Gita10.41 WemaysummarizetheconceptofVibhtisinthefollowingwords

Althoughtheyaretemporary,shvaracanmanifestHimselftoHisdevoteesinthatformifthatAvatraisthe IshtaDevat(orfavoriteformofworship)ofthedevotee.Again,thispointstotheinfinitecompassionthat Brahmanhasforitscreation.

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HindusbelievethatGodisomnipresentandthesamespiritpervadeseverywhere.Just as thread is common to all fabric or mud is common to all earthen pots, so the same universalspiritabidesinallbeings.Oneconceptisthatdivinegloryismanifestedmore prominentlyincertainbeingsorobjectswhicharecalledvibhtis. Electricityisenergywhichisinvisiblebutwhosepresencecanbeexperiencedthrough innumerableappliancessuchasbulbs,fans,motorsandsoon.Similarly,thepresenceof Godasuniversalspiritcanbenoticeablyexperiencedincertainobjects.Eveninanimate objects may be significant bearers of the spirit. A mighty ocean, a lofty mountain, an immenselyradiantstarlikethesun,forexample,areallvibhtis.61

7.1RelationshipbetweenVibhtis,AvatrasandMrtis:
The concept of Vibhtis overlaps that of Avatras on one hand, and that of Mrti on the other. In particular,wemayevencallAvatrasasprominentVibhtisthatreflectthepowerandgloryofBrahman morefully.Orconversely,severalVibhtisarepartialincarnationsofBrahman.Thisisthereasonwhya personagelikeVedaVysaisenumeratedasanAvatrainscripturesliketheBhgavataPurabutasa VibhtiintheBhagavadGita.Malhotraexplainsthisoverlap: The Puranas and some other Vaishnava traditions do not make a clear distinction between vibhuti and avatara, and there is a tendency to apply the name avatar to anyone who has risen above the ordinary level of human consciousness or has some specialdivinepower.ButtheBhagavadgitaisspecificaboutavatarasandsaysthatthere can be infinite numbers of vibhutis, or ones with special qualities and powers of the divine,buttheSupremedescendsinhumanformasanavatarforaspecificpurpose.62 Many Vibhtis, on the other hand, are natural objects like the river Gang, the Himalayas and so on. Theyhaveadiscernible,tangibleandpermanentmaterialformliketheMrti.Therefore,theseVibhtis arelikenaturalMrtis.ThetwoarealsorelatedtoeachotherthroughthepracticeofworshippingKula andGrmaDevats. SomescholarsstatethatanAvatraisdistinctfromaVibhtibecausetheformerisalwaysconsciousof its divine nature whereas the latter is not. However, this is not completely true. For example, in the RamayanawereadthatShriRama,anAvatra,hadtoberemindedofHisdivinenaturebeforehisbattle with Ravana. It should be pointed out however, that some Hindu Sages also clarify that this apparent forgetfulness on the part of Rama was merely His divine play, and that in reality He was never non cognizantofHisdivinenatureorpurpose.

VibhtisasKulaDevatandGrmaDevat:
TheconceptofthisentireuniversebeingavibhtiofBrahman(withnumerousfiniteexemplarslistedin theGita)naturallyleadstorecognitionbytheHindusoflocalmanifestationsofDivinity(GrmaDevat)
Prinja,pp.2728 Malhotra,p.427,en.67

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andalsoworshipofanIshtaDevatthathasbeentraditionallyworshippedwithintheirownfamilyfor severalgenerations(KulaDevat). These may be either a pan Hindu deity like Durga, or a locally worshipped Deity or a Deity that is worshippedonlybythatparticularfamilyorafewotherfamilies. TheKulaandGrmaDevatsareworshippedforthesakeofwelfareofthevillageoronesfamilyoutof traditionintheformofaMrti.TheyarefrequentlytreatedasmanifestationsofoneofthepanHindu Deitiesandthroughthem,ofBrahman.Typically,Hindusdonotworshipthemtoachievethehighergoal of Moksha and accord the right to all communities and families to worship their own kula and grma devat.

7.2AreVibhtisGenderSpecific:
Justasshvaraisworshippedbothinfeminine,masculine,androgynousandneutralaspects,soarethe Vibhtis.Asstatedabove,popularHinduismalsoexhibitstheconceptofgramadevatainwhichalocal manifestation of the Divine is worshipped as the presiding deity of that place. Many Indian cities and towns, including several important pilgrim centers, have various forms of the Divine Mother as their gramadevi.Asexamples,wemayciteAmbawhoisworshippedinKolhapurandAhmedabad(formerly calledAmbavad);MeenakshiwhoisworshippedinthepilgrimtownofMadurai;aformofSati,thewife ofShiva,worshippedinJalandhar;andDhakeshvariDeviofDhaka(capitalofBangladesh). Likewise,foreststhatprovideuswithsomanyresourcesaresaidtobepresidedoverbyDeviswhoare knownasVanadevis(vana=forest).TherearenumerousHinduritualsinvolvingthevenerationoftrees, plants and forests in their feminine form. An example of such ritual is the Karama Puja done by BangladeshiHindus.

KaramaPujabyBangladeshiHinduwomennearDhaka

It is Mother Ganga, Mother Yamuna, Mother Kaveri and so onwho have manifested as rivers to feed mankind. Rivers, their confluences, their mouths and their origins form prominent Hindu pilgrim

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centers. The evening worship of Ganga Ma (Mother Ganges) in the pilgrimcenterofHardwarwithhundredsoflampswhicharesetafloat ontheriverinthenightisabreathtakingspectacle.

7.3Guru,ParentsandAtithisasVibhtis:
Hinduscripturesrepeatedlyaskustoserve,worshipandnourishour Gurus, our parents and visiting and unexpected guests, learned scholarsorneedypeople;andevenstrayanimalsetc.,withloveona daily basis. This is a natural extension of the concept of the entire creation being a Vibhti of Brahman, in particular our Gurus who enlightenus,ourparents whogivebirthtous,provideforusandso on.TotaketheexampleoftheGuruforexample,BhagavnKrishnasaystoUddhavainHislastsermon: KnowtheAcharyaasmyownself.Neverinsulthiminanyway.Donotregardhimasan ordinarymortal,becausetheAcharyacontainsallDevats.BhgavataPura11.17.27 TheGurumustberegardedastheDivineDevatHimselfbecauseheimpartsthelamp ofliberatingknowledgetohisstudents.ThelearningofhewhoregardshisGuruasan ordinarybeingallgoeswasteanddoesnotbearanyfruit.BhgavataPura11.20.17 Likewise, Hindu scriptures (e.g. Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11) exhort graduating students to treat their mother, father, teacher and their guests as Divine and serve them to the best of their ability, with respect,humilityandsoon.

7.4GuidelinesforworshippingshvaraasVibhti:
TheconceptofBrahmansVibhtistogetheraswellasthepermissiontoworshipMrtishasresultedin anincrediblediversityofworshipinHinduDharma.Thereisnorealseparationbetweenthesecularand DharmainHinduculture.SpiritualityhaspermeateddeepinallaspectsofthelivesofHindus,afactthat isacknowledgedgrudginglyevenbyChristianMissionarieswhohavebeentryingtoconverttheHindus forcenturies. Unfortunately, it has also resulted in Hindus sometimes worshipping monstrosities and the most grotesque, evil and inappropriate entities. For example, many Hindus worship at the famous grave of the Sufi Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. But, historical details give clear evidence of his bigotry againsttheHindus.ThisSufidemonstratedadeepseatedhatredtowardHindureligionanditspractices. OnhisarrivalneartheAnasagarLakeatAjmer,hesawmanyHindutemplesandpromisedtorazethem tothegroundwiththehelpofAllahandHisProphet.Aftersettlingdownthere,Khwajasfollowersused tobringeverydayacow(sacredtoHindus)nearafamoustemple,wherethekingandHindusprayed, slaughteritandcookkebabfromitsmeatclearlytoshowhiscontempttowardHinduism.Inorderto 'provethemajestyofIslam',heissaidtohavedriedthetwoholylakesofAnasagarandPansela(holyto Hindus) by the heat of his spiritual power. Chishti also came to India with his disciples to fight Jihad 69

againsttheinfidelsandparticipatedinthetreacherousholywarofSultanMuhammadGhauriinwhich thekindandchivalrousHinduKingPrithvirajChauhanwasdefeatedinAjmer.InhisJihadizeal,Chishti ascribed the credit for the victory to himself, saying, "We have seized Pithaura (Prithviraj) alive and handedhimovertothearmyofIslam."63Itisalsostatedthathistomboccupiesthesiteofthetempleof ShadiDevusurpedbythefollowersoftheSufiandthatKhwajaChishtihimselfhadatleastoneHindu womancapturedtomarryherforcibly.64 Therefore,thefollowingtwoguidelinesshouldbeobservedinworshippingtheVibhtisofBrahman 1.TheVibhtisshouldreflectthepurityandauspiciousqualitiesofBrahman: Brahman pervades the entire universe and fashions, controls and endows everything with its characteristic properties, whether good or bad (from our perspectives). But Brahman itself is pure (as emphasizedinAdvaitaVedanta)andisendowedwithnumerousauspiciousqualitiesorkalyanaguas(as emphasizedinVishishtadvaitaVedantaandDvaitaVedanta).ItisthesenobleaspectsofBrahmanthat weoughttoseekintheVibhtis.Asanauthorsays65 Whileeverycreaturepossessaspark,tejas,ofthedivine,onlythosewhofullyexpress thisdivinepotentialcometobeidentifiedwiththelordandbecomeworthyofworship. These are Vishnus vibhutis..Vishnu thus resides in all that is perfect, wise, beautiful andgood,eternallybringinghope,peace,stabilityandjoytothethreeworlds. Whenthisguidelineisunderstood,thereisnoscopeforworshippingviolentandsinfulSufisandlocal gods,althoughthosethathaveauspiciousqualitiesandarepurecanbeworshipped. 2.WorshipBrahman,nottheVibhtiItself: ThesecondandmoreimportantguidelineisthatthespiritualseekershouldnotequateBrahmantothe Vibhti itself. Krishna mentions numerous geographical features, creatures, saints and so on as His vibhtis, but we cannot worship them in their own right as having nothing to do with Brahman. For example, one of the vibhtis mentioned in the Gita is, Among men, I am the king. In this case, worshipping ones political head of the country to the exclusion of Brahman will be fruitless. It will certainly not lead to Moksha66 because the king himself is bound by the law of Karma. Just because somethingisavibhtidoesnotmeanthatitbecomesanobjectofworship.Thepurposeoflistingthese vibhtisismerelytoelaborateuponthegloriesofBrahman. Atthesametimehowever,thereareseveralvibhtisinthelistoftheBhagavadGitathatareformsof shvara,likeRama,Krishnaetc.WorshippingthesevibhtisdirectlyhoweverresultsinMokshabecause theyaretheformsofSaguaBrahman.67Thisprincipleagainunderscoresthefactthattheconceptof Vibhtis is very vast and expansive, and Avatras are one aspect of it. Therefore, worship of Vibhtis mustproceedwithcaution.
63 64

Rizvi,pp.116117 Currie,inpassim 65 Pattanaik(1998),p.91 66 ShandilyaBhaktiSutra5051 67 ShandilyaBhaktiSutra5255

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8.0 SAGUA BRAHMAN AS MRTI

TheVishnuDharmottaraPurahasanilluminatingdiscussionbetweenSagesVajraandMarkandeyaon theappropriatenessofworshippingBrahmanthroughMrtis VajraaskedMarkandeya: YouhavetoldmethattheSupremeBeingdoesnothaveanyform,odor,taste,soundor touch(theobjectsofthefivesenses0.ThenhowcanaformofHimbemade? Markandeyaresponded: Prakriti and Vikriti are the two Forms of Paramatman. The Form which is not seen is called the Prakriti. The Form which is seen is called the Vikriti and is the Universe. Worship and meditation etc. of the Supreme Being are possible only the aid of His manifestedform(theVikriti).Therefore,theDivineFormoftheSupremeBeingshould beworshippedwiththeappropriaterites.Itisonlywithgreatdifficultythatlivingbeings canapprehendthenonmanifestnatureofBrahman.Forthisreason,outofhisownfree will,Brahmanhasassumedvariousforms.Thesevariousforms,intheshapeofMrtis, actually point to Its different manifestations. Therefore, the scriptures enjoin the worshipofthesemanifestedforms(Mrtis)oftheSupremeBeing.Vishnudharmottara Purana3.46.16a And thus, Hindus believe that it is Brahmans compassion that It allows us to worship through Mrtis becauseitisverydifficultforthehumanmindaccustomedtoformstoworshiptheDivinewhichlacks anyform.TheMrtiservesasaladderorastep,climbingwhichwecanreachtheHighestGoalmore conveniently. WorshipofBrahmanthroughMrtisisaveryprevalentandvisibleaspectofHinduworship.Appearing infrontofaMrtiforaDarshantobeholdIt,andtobeseenbyitisajoyousoccasion: TheHindudevoteelongstostandinthepresenceoftheimageandtoseeandbeseen by the deity. There is a great sense of excitement in the temple as the curtains are drawn back and the image is revealed to the view of the worshippers. Gifts are taken not to atone for sins or to win favors but to express delight in God, just as when one visitsafriendonedoesnotgoemptyhanded.Again,thisdesiretoseeandtobeinthe presenceofthedivineisareminderalsothatworshipisnotjustamatterofbeliefbutof presenceofsensingamysteryandbeautyandpeacethatpassesallunderstanding.68

8.1TwoViewpointsaboutworshippingMrtis:
TherearetwowaysinwhichHindusinterprettheuseandnatureofMrtisasanabodeofBrahman, orasasymbolofBrahman.LayHindusdonotnecessarilyviewthesetwointerpretationsasnecessarily exclusive(eitherthisorthat)toeachother,ortheymayaccordprimacytooneofthetwoduetotheir ownpersonalpreferencesorduetotheirselfassociationwithaparticulartraditionofHindus.Whatever
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betheinterpretation,bothofthemhavethesamepurposeofmakingBrahmanmoreaccessibletothe layworshipper.

1. The Mrti as a Symbol of Sagua Brahman: Once Swami Vivekananda during his
itineraryarrivedatAlwar.TheDewanofthestatekepthiminhishouseasaguest,beingimpressedby the Swamis personality, learning and spirituality. He once invited the Maharaja to listen to the discoursesoftheSwamiandbenefitfromhiswisdom. TheMaharajasaidtotheSwami,MyforefathershadconsecratedanimageofShriKrishnainsidethe palace. But I do not worship it because I do not have faith in idol worship. Dont you think that idol worshipisharmful? Swamijithoughtforawhileandthenaskedsomepersonstogeta pictureoftheMaharajatothegathering.Then,heaskedpeopleto spitonit.Everyonewasaghast.TheysaidtoSwamiji,Howcanyou ask us to spit on this picture? It is of the Maharaja whom we all revereandrespect. SwamijismiledandsaidtotheMaharaja,Didyouseehownoone wantstospitonthispicture?Thepictureisnotthesameasyou.It is merely a painting of you on a piece of paper. Yet, it symbolizes you and represents you which is why no one wants to spit on it. Thesesamepeoplewhohaverefusedtospitonthispicturehaveno problemsspittingintotheexpensivesilverandgoldspittoonskept intheDewanshouse.Similarly,theimageof ShriKrishnareminds theworshipperoftheLordwhomitrepresents.Theworshipperknowsthattheimageisnotthesameas theLord,butthisimageremindshimoftheLordwhomheworshipsinhisheart.Andwhenheoffers worshiptothisimage,heisofferingworshiptoShriKrishnathattheimagerepresents. TheMaharajalearnedhislessonabouttherationalebehindidolworshipandpromisedtoSwamijithat hewillnothenceforthlookdownuponmrtipooj.69 Toconcludeagain,inthewordsofMahadevan(pp.4748) Thefunctionoftheidolissymbolic.NoHindu,howeverunletteredhemaybe,regards the idol as exhausting the being of God. To see God everywhere and to practice the presenceofGodalwaysisimpossiblefortheordinaryindividual.Andsoheisaskedto behold the manifestation of God, wherever there is splendor, beauty and love. Whateverbeingthereis,endowedwithgrandeur,beautyorstrength,saysSriKrishna, know that it has sprung only from a spark of my splendor (Gita 10.41). Temples are builtonbeautifulspotsinorderthatmanmayberemindedofGod,themasterartist, andgetintocommunionwithHim.(pp.4748).
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SwamiSambuddhananda,pp.9192

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2.TheMrtiasanAbodeofBrahman: For many Hindus however, the mrti is not just a

symboloftheDivine.ItisratherthebodyofGod,anddivineassuch.However,thisdoesnotmeanthat Hinduspracticeidolatry,whichwouldmeanreducingBrahmantotheidol.Rather,Hindusbelievethat Brahmanisgraciouslypresentinthemrti,butitiswrongtothinkthatBrahmanispresentinthemrti alone.70ThisdistinctionisexplainedbyRambachan71: TheHinduacceptanceofthearcavataraconcepthastobeunderstoodinthecontextof itsprevalentviewsaboutthenatureofGodandHisrelationshiptotheworld.According to Ramanuja, God is the only reality. There is no existence outside or independent of God. God, however, contains within Himself the world of individual souls and material objects. Within the allinclusive God exist unconscious matter and finite spirits. Ramanujausestheanalogyofthebodyandsoulforclarifyingtherelationshipbetween theLordandtheuniverse.Matterandsoulsareconceivedofasconstitutingthebodyof God.God,asthesouloftheentireuniverse,pervades,controls,guidesandusesitasan instrument. For the Advaita philosopher Sankara, the entire universe is an inexplicable appearance of God who is both its intelligent and material cause. In either view, the universeasawholeandallitsparticularformsarepervadedbyGod.Allformsbelongto God and each can serve as a medium for appreciating and worshipping Him. The fact that the axis of the universe literally runs through everything, grants to all objects the potentialforrevealingGod. The persistent equation of the arcavatara concept with idolatry ought also to be examined in the light of the clear and strong affirmation of divine transcendence in Hinduism.inVaisnavatheology,thearcaformisonlyoneofthefivewaysinwhichthe LordisunderstoodtomanifestHimself.TheHinduconceptofGodasbothimmanentin theworldandtranscendentoveritisexpressedfigurativelyintheVedasintheviewthat God pervades the world by a fourth of his being, while threefourths of him remain beyond it. The Bhagavadgita similarly affirms that while the entire universe owes its beingtoGod,theformsoftheuniversedonotcontainorexpresshimfully(9:45).Itis clearly recognized that no finite process or form can ever finally express the absolute. Ultimately, however, we appreciate the limitations of all our concepts and forms of worship

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Rambachan(2004),pp.56 Rambachan(1992),pp.57

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8.2TheConceptsofPratka,Pratim,Mrti, Arch,Vigraha:
Several terms are used interchangeably for the images used in Hinduworship.TheconceptofMrtisispracticallyabsentinthe Vedas,Upanishads,Ramayana,Mahabharata,thesixDarshanas and in the Kalpastras (except for the Supplementary portions thatarelate)althoughthedescriptionofseveralDevasinthese scriptures easily lends itself to a tangible form that can be sculpted.However,inbothVedicritesaswellasinUpanishadic meditations, the use of symbols (Pratkas) is taught. For example,meditationonOm,orawheel(asasymbolofsun),on space or the sky (as symbols of the formless Brahman) and so on. The word Pratim means a likeness, image, measure and is usedforsacrediconsorimagesofDevasworshippedbyHindus. ThereisnosharpdividinglinebetweenPratkaandPratime.g.theShivalingaisboth.

MrtimeansarealormaterialmanifestationofaDevatthathasbeenawakenedthroughprescribed
consecrationceremonies.

Vigrahameanstakingupresidencein.ItisanothertermusedfortheMrtithatistheabodeofthe
Deityandisservedregularlyaslivingentitybythepriestsandtheworshippers. Theword ArchisatechnicalterminVaishnaviteliterature.ItdenotestheMrtiintowhichtheDivine has descended through prescribed rituals so that the devotees may worship Him. Because Vishnu descendsandtakesupresidenceintheMrti,itbecomesanArchvatara. From the above definitions, it should be clear that Pratka is a more restricted term than others. A Mrti, or a Pratim, Arch or Vigrahais both a Pratka (symbol) for all Hindus, as well asan abode of BrahmanformostHindus.ButaPratkaneednotbeworshippedasanabodeofBrahman,butjustasIts symbol.

8.3AreHindusIdolators?IdolsversusMrtis:
TheHindusareneitheridolators,norarewepolytheists.Mahadevanexplains72 WhentheHinduworshipstheseortheidolsintheshrines,heisawarethatitistoGod thathereallyoffershisworship.Itiswrong,therefore,tocharacterizeHinduismasan idolatrous religion. The idols are symbols of the invisible Spirit. It is after the devotee hasinvokedthepresence ofGodthereinthatthey becomesacredobjectsofworship. TheHindu,itistrue,bowshisheadbeforemanyaformoftheDeity.Onthataccount,
72

Mahadevan,p.24

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however,heisnottobedubbedapolytheist.WhattheHinduadoresistheOneGodin themanygods. Notjusteverymrtisculptedoutofanyrandommaterialcanbeworshipped.Beforebecomingsuitable forworship,themrtiisconsecratedinaceremonywheretheDevatisreverentiallyinvitedtodwellin itforthebenefitoftheworshipper.AlthoughBrahmanisallpervadinganditcannotcomeinsideandgo out of the mrti, this act serves to draw a boundary between the profane and sacred for practical reasons.TheworshippercanthereafterveneratetheMrtiasanabodeofBrahmanoraDevainahome shrineinhisprivacyorinthetempleandfeelclosetohisDeity. Inthecourseoftime,oncethemrtibecomeswornout,theDevatisrequestedtoabandonit,andthe mrti itself is discarded by immersion in water or by burning. All this again underscores the fact that Hindusdonotworshiptheidolperse,buttheDivinitywithinit.ThisactremindstheHinduworshipper thatthoughhisDeityhadtakenresidenceinsidetheMrti,thesamecannotbeequatedtotheDeity. The Mrti can never exhaust any Deva or Brahman. The physical mrti is always understood as perishable,justasourownbody,whereastheBrahmanwithinitiseternal,justlikeoursoul.Anditis thatBrahmanwhichisworshippedthroughthemediumofthemrti,andnotthephysicalmrtiitself. Even those who see the Mrti as an abode of Brahman understand this point very well. They also emphasizethefactthatitispurelyoutofcompassionforhumanbeingsthattheirDevathaschosenby HisorHerownwilltomakeaportionofHimselforHerselfabideintheMrti,sothatwemayapproach Brahmanmoreeasily. ThereisanunfathomabledifferencebetweentheveryconceptofidolinAbrahamicreligions,andthat of Mrti in Hindu Dharma. Malhotra highlights this difference and warns Hindus against using the loadedtermidolwhilereferringtoMrtis: The term idol is loaded with negative and demonic connotations in the Abrahamic religions.Thetermgenerallyreferstothegravenimagesoffalsegodstowhichsacrifices were made in return for privileges and benefits. The Quran demonizes idol worshippers,asdoestheHebrewBible.Bothauthorizeviolenceagainstthem.Allthree religionshaveundergoneperiodsinwhichimagesarepurged,becausetheyarefeltto evoke idolatrous forms of worship. The reformers also felt an intense phobia visvis Orthodox and Catholic representations, which for them were associated with priest craft and attempts to control and manipulate people through superstition and sensationalism. Nonetheless, the tendency to use such aids in worship is persistent in humanreligioustraditions,andOrthodoxchurchesaswellasCatholicismhavecometo embracetheseinthecaseofJesusandthesaints(albeitinacarefullyqualifiedway). InChristianity,trueworship(latria)canonlybetoGod,butimagesoflesserexemplars ofholinessintheformofsaintsaretoleratedaslongastheyareobjectsofreverence (dulia)andnotworship.Thetermiconisapplied tothelatter practice,andtheterm idolisusedforpracticesthatelevateamaterialrepresentationofafalsegodorentity todivinestatus.InOrthodoxchurches,iconsarekissedandtreatedwithreverencebut 75

they are not, technically speaking, worshipped. Stated more directly, what Christians revereareiconsandwhatpagansworshipareidols. By the time Christian colonizers encountered Indian culture closely, these prejudices, biblical in origin, had become entrenched. The prominence of images and icons in popularHinduismoccasioned,andstilloccasions,aparticularvisceralrevulsionamong thefollowersofJewishandChristianreligions.WesternmischaracterizationofHinduism aspolytheistichasresultedinitsrepresentationsofdivinitybeingassociatedwithahost of;heathenpracticesandtraitsofpreChristianEuropeandAsiaMinor.Theseinclude sacrificetomagicalfetishes,lackofmoralintegrity,ethicalinstability,grotesquesexual indulgences, fatalism, and so on. The various images and devotional objects encountered are instantly and arbitrarily registered as idols not icons. In terms of interfaith encounters, even those friendly to visual representations, such as the early CatholicimmigrantstoIndia,wereopposedtothevisualrepresentationsofthedivine whichtheyencounteredespeciallywhentheseinvolvedfemaledeities(theirconcept ofdivinitybeingentirelymale).73

8.4ImportanceofworshippingBrahmanthroughMrtisforHindus:
There are several reasons that Hindus give for the use of various symbols and icons such as mrtis, mandalasandotherformstoworshiptheDivine.

1.AidsinMeditation: First,theseareusedasanaidtofocusourconcentrationduringworshipand
meditation. Here,the mrtimerelyservesasasymbolofthe deityorDivineassuch. Themindbyits verynatureisveryrestlessandtendstowanderoffindifferentdirections.Themrtihelpstofocusthe mindonGodduringworshipandprayersothatitdoesnotdrifttothinkofmundanematters.

2.MakesBrahmanmoreaccessible:Second,thevigrahamakesBrahmanmoreaccessibletous.Asa
scholarexplains Ifyoulookthroughatelescope,youcanclearlyseetheplanets.Yetnoonethinksthe telescope is actually Mars. The idols in the temples, called murtis in India, are telescopestohelpusseeGodandGoddessmoreclearly.Thedivinecomesintofocus, comescloser,comessonearwecanreachoutandtouchthedivinefeet.74 Anotherexampleistoregardthemrtiastheiconofasoftwareonthedesktopscreenofacomputer. Byclickingattheicon,weaccessthesoftwarepromptlyeventhoughtheiconisnotthesoftwareitself. Theiconismerelyashortcut,orawaytoaccessthesoftwarehiddeninthecomputerharddrivemore easilyandquickly.75

73 74

Malhotra,pp.284285 Johnsen,p.152 75 IowethisexampletoJeffreyArmstrong.

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3.HelpsinUnderstandingtheAwesomenatureofBrahman: Third,themrtiofaDevatgivesa
lotofinformationabouttheDeity.Forexample,themultiplearmsindicatethatBrahmanisomnipotent. Multipleheadsindicateomniscience.WeaponsinthehandsindicatethattheDeityupholdsDharmaand thelawofKarmabypunishingevil. ThemanyDevasenrichourunderstandingofBrahmanbyrepresentingdifferentfacetsandaspectsof his Divine nature and attributes. To the rational human mind, the forms of these Devas sometimes appear too fantastic or outrageously unreal, but they merely highlight the fact that the nature of Brahmantooisdifferentfromeverythingthatweknow,thatweseeorhearofthatwecanthinkoff. One danger of worshipping Mrti is that the worshipper can reduce Brahman to it, and forget that Brahman is much more beyond the Mrti. But the extravagant form of many Mrtis is a constant reminder to Hindus that it is not possible to capture the nature of Brahman in any physical form. BrahmanandDevasarenotlikehumanbeings,theyaresuperiortousinmanyways.

4. Makes the Hindu home a Shrine of Brahman: Fourth, it is often remarked that communal
worship in temples is not a necessary requirement to be a good Hindu devotee whereas in Islam and Christianity, aregularattendanceatthemosqueorachurchis amust.The reasonforthisisthatthe presenceofthemrtiinaHinduhomemakesitsacred.Rambachansays76: The presence of a properly consecrated and installed murti literallytransformsthefamilyhome into an abode of the Lord. It becomes a sacred environment in which all aspects of life are centered and focused in God. For the Hindu, the murti is a potent reminderofGodseternalpresence and His existence in all beings. It callsustoactasifwewerealways in the presence of the divine. For one whose consciousness is so imbued with a sense of the divine, God cannot be ignored. In his arch form he is the beloved household guest, around whomallactivitiesrevolveandtowhomeverythingisdedicated.

5.InspirationforHinduArtandMusic:Fifth,thetraditionofworshippingBrahmanthroughvigrahas
has inspired excellent Hindu art and music. One does not talk about Islamic sculpture or Islamic Music,whereasthereareseveralbeautifulgenresofsculptureandmusicinHinduDharma.Asascholar aptlyputs
Rambachan(1992),p.9

76

77

Traditions that reject art and the use of images, which are used in most spiritual approaches,arelimitedandincapableofrepresentingthefullaspirationsofhumanity. HinduismasSanatanaDharmaorauniversaltraditionincludesallformsofartasvalid approaches to the Divine or truth. It has music, dance, poetry, drama, sculpture, painting,architecture,notasendsinthemselvesbutasdifferentlanguagesofworship. Yet this has not prevented it from developing formless approaches as well, which it has developed through formless meditation methods to a degree largely unparalleled in aniconictraditions.77 The practice of worshipping Brahman through Mrtis is thecauseofthefloweringofdiverseandbeautifulforms of Hindu art, sculpture, painting, poetry and so in in Hindu communities both within and outside of the Indian subcontinent. Hindus have erected breathtaking, monumentalandbeautifultemplestohouseexquisitely fashioned Mrtis of their Devats, saints have written soulstirring hymns revering Them and painters have created beautiful frescos on the walls of temples and palaces to depict Them. In fact, the largest single religious structure in the whole world is the Hindu templeofAngkorWatinKampuchea. When we Hindus behold the Mrtis, the temples, the sacred paintings; and when we listen to the beautiful hymnsofthesaintpoets,wearedrawnimmediatelyclosertoBrahman.

6.BringstheWorshipperclosertoBrahman: The whole purpose of worship is to come closer to

God (or Brahman in Hindu Dharma) and the worship of mrtis certainly achieves this purpose. So the mrtidoesnotmerelybringBrahmanclosertotheworshipper,italsobringstheworshippercloserto Brahman. While worshipping a mrti, the devotee washes its feet, offers it food and clothing, burns incense,signsdevotionalhymnstoit,fansit,bathesit,wipesitdryanddoesallotheractivitiesthatone woulddotowardsalovingguestorhouseholdmember.Worshippingthemrtiasalivingmanifestation ofBrahmangivesgreatjoytotheHinduworshipper,andmakeshimfeelclosertoBrahman.Whenthe mrtiishousedwithinatemple,thereareseveralotherceremonialactivitiesrelatedtoit.Forspecific timesduringtheday,visitingworshipperscancomeforadarshana,i.e.,toseetheDevatandbeseen byHim.Manyprominenttempleshavetheirperiodicfestivalsthatserveasapanoramaofthereligious cultureoftheregion,andareatimeofgreatpompandgaiety.Alltheseactivitiesservetobringarts, culture,musicandsculpturewithinthespiritualrealminthelivesofHindus.Asaresult,artetc.,isno longeradistractionthattakesusawayfromBrahman,butbecomesameanstoreachBrahman.
77

Frawley,pp.105106

78

Ithasbeensaidquitecorrectly: The mind of man is in a chaotic state and helplessly runs in all directions, seeking fulfillment of all its desires. It thus becomes agitated, rendering the mind unfit for meditation.The great Hindu sages and seers saw divinity in everything in this world and set out in a scientific, logical and practical manner, a way of life to achieve union withGod.Hinduismhasthoughtfullybroughtinimages,rituals,festivalsandceremonies so that the mind is constantly reminded of the Supreme Being even when engaged in the pursuit of desired material objects. There are numerous gods covering the entire sphereofhumanactivities,representinginimageorsymbolicformtheattributesofone God.78

8.5IsWorshippingMrtisinferiortootherformsofWorship?
ThoseHinduswhoregardtheMrtiprimarilyasasymboloftheirIshtaDevatconsidertheworshipof imagesasaninferiorformofworship.Mahadevanelaboratesonthisperspective: TheHinduscripturesarenotunawareofthedangersofoverdoingthisformofworship. Idolatryisthebeginningofreligionandnotitsend.TheSivaPuranasays:Thehighest stateisthenaturalrealizationofGodspresence,thesecondinrankismeditationand contemplation,thethirdistheworshipofsymbolswhichareremindersoftheSupreme, andthefourthistheperformanceofritualandpilgrimagestosacredplaces.Another Sanskritversearrangesthedifferentgradesofworshipthis:Thefirstistheworshipof idols;thenextismutteringofmantrasandofferingofprayers;superiortothatismental worship; and the best of all is the contemplation of the Absolute. The strong in spirit find God everywhere. For the feeble minded the idol is an index of the Supreme. The Yogins see the blissful God in the self. The less developed require a concrete peg to handtheirconvictionon.Transitionfromthelowertothehigherformofworshipisthe mode of the pilgrims progress. The individual should evolve from the crude and the grotesquetotheloftyandthesublimeinreligiousexperience.(p.48) In this viewpoint, the Mrti can never capture the totality of Brahman. Therefore, there is a stigma attached to the worship of Brahman through Mrti. In fact, no form of worship is perfect because Brahmanisineffableandtranscendent.Asanexampleofthisviewpoint,wequoteaverseinahymnto KashiVishvanthathatisattributedtoShankaracharyasays Shiva,forgivemythreegreatsins.First,IcameonapilgrimagetoKashi,forgettingthat you are present everywhere. Second, I think you, forgetting that you are beyond thought.Third,Ipraiseyouinmyprayers,forgettingthatyouarebeyondwords! TheHindutraditionnarratesmanyincidentsinwhichtheSaintstranscendedtheformoftheMrtithat theyworshipped.
78

Prijna,p.21

79

RamakrishnaseestheKalibeyondtheKali:
Ramakrishna was a priest of the Hindu goddess Kali. It was his responsibility to care for the statue of the goddess in the Dakshineshvar Temple, to bring offerings to her and chant her mantras. Ramakrishna took his duties very seriouslyHe hardly had a life apart from the goddess. He wouldspeakabouther,singabouther,meditateonherandworshipherinvirtuallyeverywaking moment.HeexperiencedthestatueofKaliasactuallyaliveandwouldseeherleapdownfrom thealtartodanceecstaticallyaroundthetemple. A tantric master named Bhairavi Ma noticed Ramakrishnas extraordinary devotion and began calling peoples attention to the presence of a great saint amongthem.Asanadvancedadept,shecouldseethathis intense devotion was not only giving Ramakrishna divine visionsbutcarryinghimintoveryhighmeditativestates. ThenamasternamedTotaPurivisitedtheKalitemple.He wasanadeptintheAdvaitaVedantatradition..TotaPuri scoldedRamakrishnaforhisattachmenttoKalisform.He explained that if Ramakrishna really wanted to know the goddesstruenature,hemustgobeyondtheimageofher hecherishedinhismind. Tota Puri took a sharp rock and pierced Ramakrishnas forehead at the third eye, the point between his eyebrows. Next time you go into meditation, the Vedantininstructed,focusbehindthispoint.Ifapictureof Kali appears in your mind, take a sword and hack her to pieces. Ramakrishna was shocked at this advice, but he obeyed. When he next sat for meditation, he brought his full awareness to his ajna chakra, the center behind the eyebrows. When he saw his beloved Kali approach, he destroyed the image, moving through the visual image he held of her in his mind into the formlessrealitybeyond ThisexperiencetransportedRmakrishnaintooneofthehighestmeditativestatesahumanbeing can achieve. He experienced the living reality of Brahman, the allpervading essence of awarenessthatexistsbeyondthought79

However, Hindus who worship the Mrti as the Arch Avatra are not overtly bothered by the considerationthatitcannotexhausttheirIshtaDevatinitsentirety.Inthisviewpoint,Brahmanisso compassionatethatitconsentstotakeupItsabodeintheMrtisothattheworshipperscanapproachIt moreconveniently.HindusbelievethatduetotheconsecrationceremoniesthatbringstheMrtitolife, and due to its continuous worship by devotees, it becomes endowed with spiritual potentialities and powers.DevoteeswhoapproachthespirituallychargedMrtibenefitfromtheirproximitytoit.Infact,
79

Johnsen,pp.147148

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theentirestructureofthetemplehousingtheMrtibecomesspirituallycharged.Forthisreason,many Hindusprefertobuyhomesandbusinessesinthevicinityofatemplesite. Asstatedabove,mostHindusdonotdistinguishstrictlybetweenthesymbolicaspectoftheMrtiorits Divinenatureafteritsconsecration.TheMrti,foralayHindu,isbothasymbolaswellasanabodeof their IshtaDevat. The Mrti does not contain the Devat in its entirety, and can be replaced with a newerone,oncetheoldimagebecomeswornout.AllHindusseemtounderstandthattheMrtican onlyreflectasmallfractionoftheglory,thebeauty,thepoweroftheirDeity.NoHinduwillequatethe MrtiwithhisIshtaDevat,howeverheperceivesorinterpretsit. The understanding that the worship of Mrti can lead the devotee to his Lord is seen literally in the hagiographies of numerous saints. For example, the saint musician Tyagaraja (1767 1847 CE) worshippedhisMrtiofShriRamawithgreatdedicationforseveralyearstillHeappearedtoTyagaraja inaspiritualvision.Likewise,Mirabai(16thcentCE)hadavisionofKrishnaafterworshippingHismrti for several years. Similarly, Nmadeva saw Krishna in the Mrti of Vithoba that he worshipped devotedly. Butonceagain,itisemphasizedthatatrueworshipperisonewhoseeshisDevatnotjustintheMrti, butinallcreatures,andintheentirecreation.Abeautifulstoryisnarratedinthisregardfromthelifeof SantNmadeva:

NamadevSeesBrahmaninaDog
One day, Nivrtti, Jnanadeva, Sopana and Muktabai came to PandharpurtoseeNamadeva,onhearingofhisgreatdevotion. The devotees at Pandharpur were extremely happy to have theseyoungsaintsintheirmidstandlostnoopportunitytolearn fromthem.JnanadevaalsowasveryimpressedwithNamadeva and the other saints of Pandharpur. He called Namadeva the illumination of the world. However, he also knew that Namadevas knowledge of God was limited it was confined onlytotheimage.Thishadtochange. Once,whenafeastwasbeingcelebrated,JnanadevaaskedGora, apotterbyprofession,totestthedevoteestoseeiftheywere baked or unbaked tht is, whether they were firmly establishedinGodornot.Goratookthestickwhichheusedto testhispotsand,aftertappingeveryoneontheheadwithit,foundthatallthedevoteeswere baked except Namadeva. Namadeva felt humiliated. Muktabai then told him that he was unbakedbecausehedidnothaveaguru.ButwhenVithobaishere,thoughtNamadeva,what is the necessity of aguru?Namadeva sent straightto the temple and poured outhis heart to Vithoba. Instead of comforting him, however, the Lord advised him to go to Visoba Khechara, whowasthenattheMallikarjunatemple,andapproachhimforinitiation. Withaheavyheart,NamadevawenttotheShivatempleandsawVisobaKhecharaasleeponthe floorwithhisfeetontheShivalingam.Namadevawasshocked.Andthismanissupposedtomy

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guru!hethought.HeimmediatelywokeVisobaKhecharaandaskedhimtoremovehisfeetfrom thelingam.Visobareplied:Mychild,itistrue,Ihavedoneaverybadthing.Butmybodyhas gottenveryoldandweak,andIcannotalwayscontrolwhatIdo.Pleasetakemyfeetawayfrom theLord.Namadevagrabbedhisfeetandwasabouttoplacethemonthefloorwhenhesawin avisionthatShivawaspresenteverywhere.Shivawasinthefloor,inthewalls,intheofferings, in Visoba Khechara, in himself. Where could he place Visobas feet where the Lord was not present?ThenNamadevaunderstood.Tillthen,hisworshipanddevotionhadbeenconfinedto theLordinthetemple.ButtheLordwasineveryoneandineverything.Thiswastrueknowledge and also true devotion. He immediately bowed down to Visoba Khechara and begged for initiation. Visoba then blessed Vamadeva with initiation. In abhanga four of Visoba Khecharas abhangashesays:ThewholeworldisGod,saysKhecharatoNamadeva.Heutteredthesewords inNamadevasears,placedhishandupontheheadofNamadeva,relievedhimfromtheduality ofexistence,andbroughthimtoonenesswithhimself.Namadevathusbecameabakedvessel thatis,onewhoseknowledgeisfirmandunbreakable. The great transformation that took place in Namadeva after his initiation is indicated by the followingincident:OnceNamadevawasawayfromhomeandatnoonsatdownunderatreeto eatsomefood.Hetookoutsomechapattis(unleavenedbread)fromhisbagandwasjustabout to put some ghee (clarified butter) on them with a knife when a dog ran up, grabbed the chapattiswithitsmouth,andfled.Namadevaimmediatelygotupwiththegheeandknifeinhis handandstartedrunningafterthedog,shouting:OLord,donteatthosedrychapattis.Wait! Wait!Letmeputsomegheeonthemforyou.80

Perhaps,itisapttoclosethissectionwiththefollowingnarrative, which gives one of the interpretations of the form of ShivaLinga (thewordlingaliterallymeansamark,anindication,attribute among other things), which is one of the preferred forms of the MrtiofBhagavnShiva: The story goes that the primal artisan, Vishwakarma, stood before a cylindrical shaft, intent on carving the perfectformofGod.Butherealizedthatthemagnificence ofdivinitycouldnotbecontainedinanicon,soheplaced the shaft in a basin and declared this aniconic representation as the linga which literally means attributeofthatwhichhasnoattribute.81 Unfortunately, the followers of Abrahamic religions have not understood (andsometimesthey donotwantto understandit either)theHinduviewofworshipping theDivinethroughMrtis.SufficeittosaythatiftheHindushadequatedtheirGodtotheIdolsthat theyworshipped,thenHinduDharmaitselfwouldhavecollapsedwiththedestructionofthousandsof HindutemplesinthecradleareasofHindusbyIslamicandChristianinvadersinthelast13centuries.
80 81

Pravrajika,pp.3234 Pattanaik(2006),p.1

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8.6ArgumentsForandAgainstWorshippingMrtis:
In the course of human history, numerous arguments have been presented by the followers of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and of Hindu traditions like Ntha Shaivism, Vaishnavism of Shankaradeva, Nirguna Bhakti and Arya Samaj against the worship of idols. The arguments of Abrahamic faiths amount to little more than demonization of idolworshippers, who are equated to devil worshippers fit to be excoriated, persecuted and killed. The most sophisticated were the argumentsofSwamiDayanandSarasvati,thefounderoftheAryaSamaj.Thissectionisintendedtogive abriefoverviewoftheargumentsbyalltheopponentsfollowedbypotentialresponsesbythoseHindus whoworshipBrahmanthroughmrtis.Thereadercandrawhisorherownconclusions.Thesourcesof the objections are indicated by the following letters: I = Islam; C = Christianity; S = Sikhism; A = Arya Samaj;N=HinduNirgunaBhaktiSants;L=LeftsecularistsinIndia.
# 1

Arguments against Mrti Pj

God is eternal and all graven images are destructible. Therefore idols cannot represent God and it is an insult to worship Him through idols. [I, C, S, A].

Hindu responses
The Abrahamic God is irascible and vindictive whereas in Hinduism, Brahman is compassionate. Realizing that it is difficult for embodied humans to worship a formless Atman, Brahman has either permitted humans to worship through a form or has manifested in various forms lovingly for the sake of the worshippers. Therefore, this objection rather insults God by projecting Him as an arrogant and inconsiderate being. This allegation is pure demonization and devoid of logic. It is contradicted by the visible fact of the deeply spiritual nature of societies where Mrtis are worshipped. God must be a sadist, capricious and vicious Devil to send people through an eternal torture. Hindus do not accept the presence of a devil nor are Hindus are any more evil or debauched than Abrahamics. This Biblical and Koranic allegation is pure demonization and hatemongering. The false chimera of logic of this argument is trumped by the simple statement in the Hindu scriptures that Brahman out of compassion for Its worshippers assumes forms and abides in Mrtis so that embodied humans can worship Brahman more conveniently. Same as above.

Idol worship is the creation of the devil designed to take humans away from God. [C, I].

Idol worshippers are devil worshippers and therefore they are given to debauchery and other evils. They have rejected God and therefore idol worshippers will burn eternally in hell-fire. [C, I].

God is all pervading. So how can he be worshipped through a finite sized idol? [A, S, N]

God is the creator whereas any idol is constructed from materials that are created by him. Worship the creator, not the created. [I, C, S, N]

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God is one but idol-worshippers are all polytheists because they make many different types of idols. [C, I]

The different Mrtis represent different Devats which are all parts of and aspects of the same Brahman. Therefore, the same One Brahman is being worshipped through these different Mrtis. We Hindus find these forms very meaningful and beautiful. They have a great symbolic significance and they give a lot of information on the nature of the Deity. The multiple arms and heads signify the omnipotence and other divine attributes of the Deity. If they appear ridiculous to you, it is because the human mind is conditioned by its limitations and is not able to go beyond its boundaries of understanding. Just because Mrti worship is not mentioned in these ancient scriptures does not mean that we cannot start this practice at a particular period of history. Hindu Dharma is not static like a stagnant pond but is like an ever-flowing river that refreshes itself every now and then. Moreover, Mrti worship is in fact taught in the Puranas and the gamas that are also scriptures f Hindu Dharma. Pratka Upsan (using symbols for meditation) is clearly taught in Vedic scriptures and the use of Mrtis is merely a natural extension of that. Abrahamics perhaps spend more money in constructing mosques and temples than Hindus do in constructing temples. Are their shrines also a waste of money? Hindu temples have served historically as a center for Hindu art, education, sculpture, social life and have even played important economic roles in sustaining the society. People construct temples because they have a right to spend their money the way they want, and because they derive value out of temples. In fact, from one perspective, spending billions on golf-courses, museums, palatial mansions, stately government buildings, spending space probes and launching satellites for gathering information from Mars and Jupiter is a big waste when this money can be used to house the orphans, feed the poor and hungry. It is prejudice to single out temples and Mrtis. There is partial validity in this statement. In fact, saints like Dsimayya, a Vrashaiva saint did not use flowers for his worship to prevent inflicting violence to flowering plants. But nevertheless, offering flowers out of love is esthetically pleasing and is a beautiful gesture full of worship. There are many other

The forms of God depicted by idols are ridiculous. [C, I, S, N, A].

Idol worship is not preached in the Vedic scriptures, or in the Aranyakas, Upanishads, Darshanas or any ancient scripture from the times of Brahma to Jaimini. Even the Ramayana or the Mahabharata do not mention it. In fact, the Vedas forbid it. [S, A]

Construction of idols and temples to house them requires spending big amounts of money that could have been used instead to do other better things like feeding the poor. Therefore, idol worship leads to wasted resources. [L, A].

10

Worship of idols requires continuous and repeated use of flowers, incense, water, food and other resources. This makes the temples very dirty places. Moreover, flowers look better on their natural origins (the plants) and plucking them to offer to

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idols is violence. [A]

practices, both religious and secular, that generate more waste and pollutants than offering flowers and food to Mrtis. If construction of temples and donations of money to them resulted in poverty, then the poorest parts of India would be those where we have the fewest temples and the poorest periods of Indian history would necessarily follow construction of temples. But this is not the case. The Golden Ages of Indian history have coincided with construction of temples and a flourishing of Hindu Dharma whereas in contrast, the dark ages of Europe coincided with the triumph of Christianity. To say that temple wealth attracted invaders is blaming the victim and is like saying that AAmerican prosperity invited 9-11. The Swiss Bank is certainly not owned by idol-worshippers. This objection is worthless because people find their own ways to congregate and celebrate. Not just temples, but all religious and non-religious institutions organize period celebrations and communal events. And it is paranoia to allege that all these events result in an undesirable mixing of sexes. Numerous saints have in fact attained spiritual enlightenment through the worship of Mrtis and therefore this argument is contradicted by direct evidence. Moreover, focusing on a Mrti for the sake of worship is many times superior to staring in a vacuum inside ones mind and letting the mind wander off towards numerous other material objects. This makes it appear that Christians and Muslims never lost any battles to Hindus. And what about wars between Abrahamics themselves? Or between two groups of Muslims? Whose side will Jehovah or Allah take in these cases? In the last three centuries, Muslim rule has receded from India, and last swathes of land in Central Asia, Balkans and from many other regions. So why did this happen? Also, what kind of God is this which incites his worshippers to invade other countries and kill people just because they do not worship him in the way he wants? If this is God, then why do we need the devil? Pilgrimages are undertaken even by people of Abrahamic religions in which no idols are worshipped. In fact, the Hajj is one of the five pillars

11

Temples housing these idols attract monetary and other forms of donation. But all this wealth gets removed permanently from the economy. Not only do the temples act as a black hole, there legendary riches have in the past attracted invaders to India, causing great slaughter of and misery to Hindus. [A, L]

12

Idols and Temples come to be associated with festivals and other public celebrations. These events are a waste of energy and time, and indiscriminate mixing of genders in these events is highly undesirable. [A]

13

It is incorrect to say that focusing on the idol helps train our thoughts towards God. In fact, meditation on an idol is impossible because the mind will keep travelling from one part of the idol to another. From a spiritual perspective of Yoga therefore, idol worship is worthless. [A] The worthlessness of worshipping idols is evident from numerous historical episodes where the worshipper cried piteously in front of their idols to protect them from violent invaders. Of course, the god in the idol did not manifest, the worshippers were slaughtered by the invaders and the idols themselves smashed by the Christian and Muslim iconoclasts. Had Hindus not trusted these idols so much, their fate would have been better. [A]

14

15

Idols and temples are associated with the practice of pilgrimages. Hindus waste a lot of time and energy to travel from one

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pilgrim center to another, abandoning their family and friends. But it is doubtful if these pilgrimages beget anything. [A, N, S]

of faith in Islam, the most iconoclastic religion of all. Moreover, millions do derive peace and other benefits through pilgrimages, which is why they do them year after year. There are many reasons why Hindus undertake pilgrimages, but a discussion is beyond the scope here. Leaders of all kinds, religious or non-religious, dupe innocent people and indulge in demagoguery. No one can match the extent of pedophilia by priests in Catholic churches, or the incitement of youth towards terrorism in several Islamic mosques by hard-line Muslim clerics. The excesses of idol-worshipping Hindu priests are little more than childish pranks in comparison. This crass argument is contradicted by the inspiring lives of thousands of Hindu saints who attained great spiritual heights worshipping idols. Numerous saints were successful in witnessing Brahman by worshiping their Mrti. Your argument would require that all these biographies are false, which is simply not admissible because in our own times we find many saintly and spiritual people who worship mrtis. This objection is disproven by observable facts. Service of parents and teachers is perhaps much more a norm in India than in non-idol worshipping nations of the west.

16

Using idols as a means, unscrupulous priests swindle the innocent, gullible worshippers of a lot of money. Idol worship therefore promotes fraud and exploitation. [A]

17

The idols are lifeless. By meditating on these lifeless idols, ones mind can only become dull whereas by meditating on Brahman, the universal consciousness, the result will be enlightenment. [A]

18

Idol worshippers often substitute reverence for their own parents and teachers for reverence of idols. They pay more attention to the lifeless idols than to their own family, friends and teachers. [A] Idol worship promotes sectarianism and prevents unity amongst Hindus. Worship of different idols makes the difference between different gods even more apparent. How can idol worshippers therefore unite like say, the Muslims, who worship Allah only.

19

Hindus are perhaps the most united religion in many ways. Within the same temple, it is common to find different groups of Hindus worshipping different Mrtis and then going to other Mrtis for their next round of worship. Persecution of one sect of Hindus by another is rare, unlike the literal genocides and civil wars that mar the history of Abrahamic religions. For example, civil wars between Catholics and Protestants lead to the slaughter of a quarter to half of the populations of many European countries in medieval Europe. Likewise, Islamists kill more Muslims than non-Muslims. This is a worthless argument because all material objects require maintenance and expense for refurbishing. This is true of mosques, churches and Arya Samaj temples too, as well as of Gurudwaras. Riots happen also when the shrines of these religions

20

Consecration of idols and temples to house them is accompanied with many other headaches like ensuring their security and so on. Every now and then, someone vandalizes and idol causing riots, despair

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and so on. These things would not happen in the absence of idol worship. [A] 21 The worthlessness of the stones that you worship was quite evident when the armies of Allah and Jesus invaded the Hindu kingdoms. The Hindus kept praying to their idols but to no avail, whereas the worshippers of Allah and Jesus inflicted crushing defeats on Hindu armies and enslaved the Hindus for several centuries. [C, I]

are desecrated. So this cannot be specific to worshipping idols. A God that answers prayers only of his chosen people is nothing more than a tribal god, a totem or a cultic object. Many of the wars waged by Abrahamics against Hindus were unprovoked invasions and involved lots of wanton slaughter, rape, looting and enslavement of innocent people. Did Allah and Jehovah approve all this too? If Hindus lost battles in the past, it was because of antiquated fighting equipment and poor military strategy. And in fact, even after centuries of Islamic rule, Hindu armies led by Marathas, Jats, Rajputs and Sikhs were able to route Muslim armies and regain control of most of India. The critic was not there to confirm that the miracle was a fake! In fact, miracles are narrated in all religions including those that do not worship idols. In fact, miracles have no theological importance in Hindu Dharma but are considered valid proofs of prophethood in Abrahamic religions. As for the poverty, for most of history, the Hindu societies have been more prosperous and educated than Christian and Islamic societies. And China and India are on the ascent once again in the global economy. These ceremonies draw a formal line between what is sacred and profane for practical purposes. Brahman can of course not go and come, but for this reason, it is very difficult to treat the entire Universe as sacred in day to day life. These ceremonies make it convenient for us to restrict our space of worship to the consecrated Mrti.

22

Many of these idols and temples are associated with some fake miracle that supposedly happened in the past. Fooled by these myths, Hindus spend more time worshipping these idols to improve their lot than they spend in pursuing the goals of Dharma, Artha and Kama. The result is grinding poverty in India and Nepal. [A, L]

23

You say that the Mrti is merely a symbol of God which is all-pervading. But your consecration ceremonies that involve calling the Deva to dwell in the idol, and then leave it all smack of totemism and indicate that your Deva is not the all pervading Brahman. [A]

8.7IdolatryinOtherReligionsandinNirguaHindutraditions:
Idolatrymeansworshippingthecreated,inlieuoftheCreatorGod.IdolsarelikenedtofalseGodsby Abrahamicreligions.TheMuslimsgototheextentofbelievingthatitisagreatvirtuetodestroyidols andtempleshousingthem.However,aswewillseebelow,useofimagesforworshipormortalhuman teachers as a proxy for a personal God exists in all religions, even in those that swear against idol worship.AHinduscholarthereforeargues TheuseofimagesispartofanartisticapproachandrenderingofourrelationshiptotheDivine. For this, sculpture uses statues, painting uses colored surfaces, music uses sound, and poetry usesverbalimages.Todenythesethingsasidolatryisonlytobanishartfromourrelationship 87

withtheDivine.Forthisreason,aniconictraditionshavegenerallyremainedartisticallysterile. WhereforexamplecanwefindgreatreligioussculptureorpaintingamongorthodoxMuslimsor Protestants? Both the Bible and the Koran, though they reject graven images, abound with poeticimages,whichareresponsibleformuchofthebeautyofthesebooks.Ifapoeticimageis acceptable,whynotaformalimage?Isnotapictureworthathousandwords?Whyisapoetic formofartallowedasreligiousbutnotaplasticformlikepaintingandsculpture?Infactitcould bearguedthattheliteralismofcertainreligioustraditionsinworshippingtheirbookshasonly occurredbecausetheydenytheuseofimages.Thebookbecomesasubstituteimagetofillthat aspectofuniversalaspirationwhichrequiresanobjecttoworship.82 TherearemanygreatteachersandTruthcannotbelimitedtoasingleperson,howevergreat heorshemaybe.ToinsistthatGodhasonlyoneSonorthathehasafinalprophetisitselfa formofidolatryanattempttolimitUltimateRealitytowhatisonlyanappearanceintimeand space.. Hinduismholdsthattheindividual,youorI,isthemostimportantthing.Theteacherisonlyan aidandaguidetoourownSelfrealization.Hinduismdoesnotsacrificethesacrednatureofthe individualforanyprophetorsavior,howevergreat,butdirectseachoneofustoourownSelf Realizationasthehighestgoal.83 ExclusivisminreligiousbeliefthatourGod,saviororholybookaloneistrueisitselfidolatry, the limitation of truth to a form or construct in the realm of time and space. Unless we transcend the idolatry of dogmatism and exclusivism in religion, it is not spirituality we are followingbutsomedivisivecreedwhichbreedsconflictandcanneverleadustopeace.84 Hindu View of Christian Idolatry: In Christianity, idolatry is defined as worshipping anything that is createdinlieuoftheCreatorGod.ThenameChristianityitselfderivesfromthefoundJesusChrist,who is believed by all Christians to be the unique son of God. It is very difficult to conceive of a formless, invisibleGodasapersonalDivineBeing.AllAbrahamicreligionsovercomethislimitationbybelievingin Prophets,orindividualswhowerechosenbyGodtobehismouthpieces.Thisitselfisidolatry,because these prophets are revered and worshipped very similar to Idols. A Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox Church is full of images of Saints, Jesus, Mary and so on with their own associated rituals and paraphernalia.

82 83

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EvenPro otestantChristians therefor reaccuseCatholics ofindulg ginginidolatry!All Christian worship Jesus ns Christan nditisdevotionto him, and his name more hat of God that than th inspires respect and ce minds. reverenc in their m Catholic worship a cs angels on and sain in additio to nts God. Th here are saints for every specific req quest. There is a saint for t fisherme en, a saint for t n o t per blacksmiths and even a saint who can help the worshipp find a suitable saint that can help the erinhisspecificrequest.C Catholicswor rshipnumero ousotherobje ectslikesacre edrelics,cruc cifixes worshippe etc.,and liketodraw adistinctionbetweenthe eirsacredic onsandtheidolsorfals segodsofothers. Butthisse emanticjuggl lerydoesnot thidethefact tthatChristia anityingener ralandCatho olicisminpart ticular doesuset theseiconsinthesamew waythatHind dususetheir idols. Hindu view of Isla u amic Idolatry All Muslims face y: s the K Kaaba mosqu during th ue heir prayers. The Kaaba aisacubicals structureclaim medtobethefirst ueonearth. mosqu Muslim msalsokissa arockembed ddedinthew wallof Kaaba aasaholyob bject,because eitissaidto ohave fallen from heav ven with Ad dam. If Go is od everyw where, why should Mus slims face in one n ular direction The fund particu n? damental belief of Islam is that The is no Go but Allah and ere od h is Muha mmad is Hi prophet. This belief itself makes Allah subse s ervient to Mu uhammad because one c cannot be M Muslim unles he believ ss ves in Muhamm as a Prop mad phet. An average Muslim may someh ow digest an insult to Al n llah but will never tolerate any insult towards his idol, Prophet Muhammad. Much like a idol, Musl a M an lims have a lot of ritualisticpracticescon ncerningtheirholybook,t theKoran.Th hebookisalw waysheldino onesrightha and,it o a n Muslims believ in superna ve atural is always kept above all books in ones home and so on. In addition, M beingslikeJinnsandA Angels,andm manyMuslims salsoworship patthegravesoftheirsa aintsbelieving gthat e o ll Islam theoret tically the souls of these saints will give blessings to the worshiipper. Overal however, I rejectsan nywhiffofido olatry.Dueto othisrigidity,Muslimshav vefrequently destroyedth hehousesofidols 89

belonging t other relig to gions in displays of intole erance y.Literallytho ousandsofHi indu,Buddhis stand andbigotry Jain temple have been and are be es n eing destroye by ed Muslims sin the inception of Isla nce am, and the same happened t Zoroastrian fire temple and numerous to es, churches a and synagogues. Devout Muslims r t regard idolators llike Hindus a inferior a as and sinful hu umans who can be persecuted and oppressed on this e e d earth, andaredes stinedforeve erlastinghell aftertheirde eaths. Alltheseva aluesruncou untertoaplu uralisticworld dview. In Islam as well as in Christianity, those who are not of t heir faith are tormented till eternity in an a e everlastin hell, which is a chamb of tortur built by G ng h ber re God. Wherea in Hindu D as Dharma, even the greatests sinneriseven ntuallysavedbyVishnuo orShivaandg grantedthenMoksha.Alm mosttwothirdsof theKoran ndealswitht thecursesoninfidels,theirbasenatur e,Godscurs sesonthema andhowthem mwill suffer in hellfire along with the st tones (idols) that they wo orshipped. Hindus would prefer to wo orship olsofVishnu uandShivaw whohavemorecompassio onthanadiv vinitythatis vindictivetow wards theseido thosewho odonotwors shiphim. HinduVie ewofSikhIdo olatry:ThefirstSikhGuruNanakreject tedseveralH Hindupractice eslikepilgrim mages, worshipo ofvigrahas,w worshippingintemples,ta akingdipsin sacredrivers sandsoon. Hisargumen ntwas that God is formless, eternal, unbo and infin and there orn nite efore all thes Hindu form of worshi se ms ipping f e o y wever, the th Guru Am Das reins hird mar stated Him are futile and are insulting to the majesty of God. How some Hin practices. Starting from him, Sikh Gurus progre ndu essively created Sikh plac of pilgrim ces mages. th The 10 Guru said th after him their sacre text the Adi Granth would be the next Guru till hat m, ed e h, y.Sincethen,theSikhsha avebeenritua allyworshipp pingcopiesof ftheirscriptu ureasaliving gGuru perpetuity that is placed on a th hrone, worsh hipped, fanne fed, put t sleep, woken up with music and s on, ed, to so exactlyinthemannerofaHinduvig graha. eover, the A Granth itself Adi More celeb bratesepisod desfromthe Hindu script turesthatassumethefor rmsof Brahman. For example, the ndra Moksha episode in w a which Gajen Vishn saves an e nu elephant from the m clutches of death, of the Ku ubjika ode vers a episo in which Krishna deliv lady ofthesame name.Then names a, ayana Rama Krishna, Vishnu, Nara and s on occur t so thousands of time f in th heir entire sc cripture, and even thoug Sikh tran gh nslators uniformly trans slate them a God in their as 90

Englishtranslations,thecontextoftenmakesitclearthattheHinduDevasarebeingreferredto.When the Sikhs worship God as Waheguru, they are reminded not only of God, but also of the 10 human Gurus.Inshorttherefore,Sikhismalsopracticesidolatryinitsownway. IdolatryinNirguaHinduTraditions:Interestingly,thoseHindutraditionsthatdonotadmitorworship Skra Brahman have developed practices similar to worship of a God with a form to fulfill the basic humanneedofavisibleandtangiblesymboloftheFormlessDivinity. InancientIndia,theSmkhyatraditionraisedthefounderoftheirschool,SageKapila,toadivinestatus. QuotationsfromnowlostSmkhyanscripturesclaimthatKapilawasamanifestationofDivinity,orthat hewascreatedattheverybeginningofthecreationasthefirstGuruofhumanity.Inmorerecenttimes, the followers of Sant Kabr have divinized him and some Kabrpanthis treat him as a manifestation of none other than Brahman. In Yogic traditions that focus on meditation on the formless soul, the supremeimportanceofandreverencefortheGuruatparwiththatforBrahmaniswellknown. All these examples show that classical mainstream Hindu Dharma has been very honest to itself, and completelynonhypocriticalinrecognizingthesimplefactthattheaveragehumanbeingdoesneedthe support of visible symbols to reach the invisible final goal. And it has justified these dual modes of worshipofBrahman(asformlessandwithforms)tolicenseallowedbyBrahmanoutofcompassionfor embodiedhumanbeings.

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9.0 THE THEOLOGY OF HINDU MODES OF WORSHIP

ThissectiondoesnotdealwiththeritualdetailsofhowHindusworship.Rather,itdiscusseshowthe different ways of worshipping in Hindu Dharma relate to the different aspects of Brahman in Hindu conception. AveryusefulwayofclassifyingthethreewaysinwhichHindusworshipBrahmanisthefollowing:85 1. Brahman viewed as a personality with attributes and form. This is worshipping Brahman as SaguaandSkra. 2. Brahmanviewedasapersonalitywithattributesbutnoform.ThisisworshippingBrahmanas SaguaandNirkra. 3. Brahmanviewedasaprinciplethatunderlieseverything,withoutattributesandwithoutform. ThisisworshippingBrahmanasNirguaandNirkra. From the preceding sections however, it should be clear that Hindu Dharma is not fixated on the correctnessoftheformorwayinwhichweshould worshipBrahman.Themoreimportantthingisto establish a meaningful, living and a real relationship with Brahman. And this could involve worship Brahman as a Formless Atman, as shvara or Dev, as an Avatra, as ones Antaraymin, through a VibhtioraMrti.ThehouseofBrahmanhasmanydoorsthroughwhichonecanenterit.

9.1TheFourTypesofWorshippersofBrahman:
Evenamong thosewhoworshipBrahman,therearefourcategoriesoftheworshippersdependingon whattheyseek: KrishnasaidtoArjuna: FourtypesofvirtuouspeopleworshipMethedistressed,theseekerofknowledge,the seekerofwealthandthewise.Gita7.16 Ofthese,thewiseworshipper,whoisalwaysestablishedinYoga,andwhoisalways devotedtoMe,isthebest;becauseIamextremelydeartothewiseworshipper,andhe isalsoverydeartome.Gita7.17 Allthesefourworshippersarenobleindeed,butIconsiderthewiseworshipperasmy veryself(orapartofMe).Thisisbecause,hissoulissteadfastinYogaandhepursues Mealoneashishighestgoal.Gita7.18 Theverse7.18oftheGitaclearlystatesthatalthoughthesefourtypesofworshippersaregraded,with the wise being the highest type. But, all of these four types of worshippers are nevertheless noble. ThereisnothingwrongaboutseekingrefugeinBhagavnwhenwearedistressed,orwhenwedesire materialprogress. Inthisworld,mostpeoplegetsodistractedbymaterialattractionsthattheydonotspareanytimefor Bhagavn,andhavenodeeprelationshipwithHim.Butitisindeedtheresultofgoodkarma,orvirtuous
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conduct in the past that motivates the worshipper to remember Bhagavn. In fact, in the Hindu scriptures,devoteeslikeQueenKuntiaresaidtoaskBhagavnforcontinuoussorrowsanddangers,so thatsheisforcedtorememberHimatalltimes.Thesedevoteesevenwishtoshunworldlyhappiness andpleasureslestthesemakethemforgetBhagavnforevenasinglemoment.

9.2WorshippingNirgua(Attributeless)andNirkra(Formless)Brahman:
ThisapproachtoworshippingBrahmaninvolvesperceivingasanimpersonalprinciple. TheBhagavadGitaissaidtobeasynthesis,asynopsisandevenacommentaryoftheteachingsofthe most authoritative scriptures of Hindu Theology the Upanishads. The Upanishads are profoundly spiritual treatises occurring towards the end of the scriptural corpus of different Vedic schools (Shkhs). The major ancient Upanishads are: Ishavasya, Kena, Katha, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Kaushitaki, Prashna,Mundaka,Mandukya,Chhandogya,Shvetashvatara,Brihadaranyaka,MaitrayaniyaBrahmana, Bashkalamantra,Chhagaleya,Arsheya,Shaunaka,Pranava,Nilarudra,Jabala,Mahanarayanaandsoon. For most part, the Upanishads, even while acknowledging the Vedic Devatas (e.g., Indra, Agni, Vayu) nevertheless advocate meditation upon and a knowledge of a Formless Brahman that is without attributes. However, it should be emphasized that the Upanishads also elaborate upon Brahmans numerous attributes, enjoining meditation on them, and see no difference between Brahman with or withoutattributes.TheBhagavadGitaelaboratesonworshippingBrahmaninbothwaysFormlessas wellaswithaFormsuperimposedonBrahman,andsays(seethenextsection)thatthelatterissuperior becauseofitsrelativeease,althoughboththepathsleadtothesameGoaleventually. WorshippingFormlessandAttributelessBrahmancantakeplaceinthefollowingways: 1. Meditation upon Brahman through a symbol. Even other Devats are meditated upon as symbolsoftheFormlessBrahman. 2. MeditationupontheParamatman(theUniversalAtman)withinonesownbodyandatman. Thefollowingisagooddescriptionofthefirstmethod:86 AnimportantaspectofsdhanasenunciatedintheUpanisadsisvidyorupsan.A madeeplydevotedtoorevenaddictedtothereligionofyajasorVedicsacrifices has to be led gradually first to contemplation and then to jana (knowledge or direct experience)oftheatmanincourseoftime,becausethatistheultimategoaloflife.And, thatistheonlywaytomoksha. These upsans have taken two forms. In the first group, the sdhaka is advised to imaginethevariouspartsofaritualandthemsuperimposecertainideasonthem.For instance, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.1.1,2) advises one to meditate upon the horse,tobeofferedintheAsvamedhasacrifice,bythinkingthatitisPrajpati,theLord ofbeings.Thisupsan,whichcanbepracticedevenbythosewhoarenotcompetent toperformtheAsvamedhasacrifice,givesthesamefruitsastherealAsvamedhaitself.
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Inthesecondgroupofupsanscertainknownobjectslikenma(name),vk(speech), bala(strength)ormanas(mind)arerecommendedtobemeditateduponasBrahman, by imagining or discovering some similarity between that object and Brahman. Such upsansgraduallyhelptheaspirantsmindtoberaisedtothehighestlevel,Brahman, andgivehimthemuchneededspiritualexperience. AnexampleofthesecondmethodistheDaharavidyinChhndogyaUpanishad(chapter8)inwhich the seeker meditates on Brahman in a region within the heart that is shaped like a Lotus flower containing a very small space. Brahman in its Antarymin aspect is also formless, and therefore the daharavidymaybecalledameditationontheAntaryminBrahman. Some scholars claim that the approach of worshipping Brahman as principle that is without attributes or a form is most appealingtothemodernscientificmind The third approach to God in Hinduism is to think of God as formless,nirakara,aswellaswithout attribute, nirguna. This may appear very abstract and difficult, and yet this approach provides the best link between science and religion. This approach takes pluralism to the otherextreme.ItmovesdramaticallyfromtheideaofGodasapersonality,totheidea ofGodasaprinciple.TheideathatGodhasaparticularformorthathehassuperhuman attributeslikeomniscienceoromnipotenceisseenashumanlimitationsimposedinthe conceptofGod.Aswearehuman,theonlywaywecanrelatetoGodisinhumanterms, and thus we give him various human forms and superhuman attributes like being all compassionate. Some people recognize the limitations of such monotheistic approaches and thus prefer to adopt this third approach. The word God is now replacedwiththetermUltimateorCosmicReality~Brahman. Vivekananda emphasized the importance of moving away from the idea of God as a personality to the idea of God as the principle that underpins everything. Modern thinking man will find it easier to relate to spirituality if this third approach is promoted.87 There is some validity in this claim. In the western world and to some extent, even in India, many so calledmodernandscientificallymindedpeopleprefertorefertoBrahmanbytermslikeForce,Power as in sentences, May the Force be with you. In their circles, it is even considered unfashionable or

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politicallyincorrecttousemorepositiveandpersonaltermsforBrahman,likeGod,Creator,Motherand soon.

DoAbrahamicsworshipaFormlessandAttributelessGod?
Although the Abrahamic faiths disallow the worship of God in any form, they presume Him to be an embodiedDivinityresidingintheheaven,andlikeanelderlymalewhocontrolstheUniversefromthis remoteposition.TheAbrahamicGodisoutsideofandtranscedanttotheUniverse,whereasBrahmanis immanent and one with the creation even though Brahman is superior to the Universe. Christians typicallyworshipfacinganicon(whichmaybeaCross)andtheMuslimsfaceanichecalledtheMihrab inthedirectionofMecca.SofromaHinduperspective,theseobjects(theCrossortheMihrab)maybe calledPratkas. Ironically,oneofthechargesleveledagainstHinduDharmainmostoftheChristianliteraturethatthe SupremeGodofHindusisImpersonal,andnotPersonalwithpositiveattributesofcompassion,loveetc. Thisisawhollyfalsechargeasdemonstratedthroughoutthisdocument. TheAbrahamicreligionsassignnumerousattributestotheir God(like compassionate,loving,provider andsoon)andsotheirworshipismoreakintotheHinduwayorworshippingaformlessBrahmanwith attributes,asdiscussedinthenextsectionthoughthenotionofAbrahamicGodisverydifferentfrom thatofBrahmanandshvara,asdiscussedlaterinthisdocument.

9.3 Worshipping Sagua and Nirkra Qualities/AttributesbutwithoutaForm:

Brahman:

Divinity

with

SomescholarsdenythatBrahmancanbewithoutattributescompletely.Theypointout ThequestionofwhetherornotGodpossessestheabilitytohavequalitativeattributes hasbeenanunfortunatepointofdebateamonganumberVedantaphilosophersforthe last two millennia. As a result of this debate, some philosophers have claimed that Brahman is nirguna, or without qualities. Others have claimed that God is wholly saguna,orpossessedofqualitativeattributes.TheVedicshastras(scriptures)teachthat theAbsolute(Brahman)isbothequallynirguna,meaningwithoutmaterialqualities,and saguna, or possessed of transcendent qualities, simultaneously. One aspect is not "lower" or "higher" than the other. Rather, one necessitates the other. If God is ontologically transcendent and antecedent to matter in His being, then it necessarily followsthatGodiswithoutdelimitingorconditionedmaterialqualitiesandattributes. The Absolute has no material (prakriticonditioned) attributes within the contexts of temporality, sequential causality, enervativeness and spatial extensiveness that constitutes the functional makeup of all things material. But the Absolute does have infinite auspicious qualities (anantakalyanagunaih) that are wholly transcendent and spiritualinnature.ThefactthatGodcannotevenbeunderstoodwithoutreferenceto God's qualities is evocatively demonstrated in the truth that even the very statement thatGodisnirgunainitselfisdirectlystatingaqualityofBrahman.Godisnirguna;God iswithoutmaterialqualities,whichisitselfclearlyanattribute.

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These spiritual qualities of the Divine are enumerated by the multiple thousands all throughout the Vedic scriptures. In the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1.1), as one of many thousands of examples of the attributes of God delineated throughout the totality of the Vedic scriptures, God is described in the following way: satyam jnanam anantam brahma, "God is truth, wisdom and infinity." Thus, God can be both described and recognizedinaccordancewithHisnaturalinherentattributes.88 ItisveryclearthatthebulkoftheVedasdescribetheDevatswithveryhumanattributes,andsodothe significant proportion of Upanishads. There, it cannot be denied that in Hindu Dharma, Brahman is indeed assigned many qualities and attributes it is another matter that they may not accurately describeBrahmanduetothelimitationsofthehumanspeechindescribingIt. Several sampradyas or traditions of Hindus worship Brahman as formless and yet endowed with numerousattributes: 1.

Ntha Shaivites: They follow the teachings of NthaYogins like Matsyendrantha and
Gorakhantha.AsectionofthistraditionworshipsBrahmanorShivaasaformlessDivinity,but others may worship Forms of Shiva or even Vishnu. This tradition survives today largely in RajasthanandinMaharashtrainIndia.BeforethepartitionofIndiain1947,NthaYogis(called (Jogis) were found as itinerant ascetics in large parts of Sindh and W Punjab in Pakistan (with theircentersatGorakhTillaakaTillaJogianinNWPunjab,andinHinglaj).TheJogisstillsurvive in Pakistan in smaller numbers and still wear their characteristic orangered robes and even piercetheirearswithwoodenearings,buttheyarenowassociatedwiththeshrinesofvarious SufisandPirsandareconsideredasMuslims.

2.

NirguaBhaktiSants:InthemedievalperiodinIndiaarosenumerousBhaktisaintswho
preachedatenderdevotiontoaformlessDeitywithnumerouslovingattributes.TheDeitywas still addressed with the traditional Hindus names for Avatras, but the Sants clarified that their Rama (say, foranexample)wasnottheincarnationbuttheLordof theUniverse.ThesesaintsincludeKabir,Raidas,Dadu, Devachandra (founder of the Pram Sampradya) and have followings of several million Hindus today. Many of these Sants like Ramananda and Namadeva are ironically claimed both by Hindus who worship Brahman through Its Forms and those that worship a Formless Brahman. Early Nirgua Bhakti Sants like Namadeva and Kabir had profound connections with theNthatraditionswhichwerestrongbutwerefading away in their times. The followers of Kabir have established several monastic institutions with lineages ofAcharyas.Thesemonasteriesspreadtheteachingsof

88

SriDharmaPravartakaAcharya,pp.158159

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Kabir and their Acharyas, and some even consider Kabir as an incarnation of Brahman. The PranamistodayworshipMrtisofotherHindudeities,buthavealwaysenshrinedacopyofthe KulzamSwarup(acollectionofscriptureslargelyattributedtoPrannath,theirsecondandmost influentialteacherinthe17thcent.CE).FollowersofRaidas(akaRavidas)arecloselyassociated withSikhismandevenhavetheirownGurudwarasbutarealsoconsideredasHindus.TheDadu Panthis(followersofDadu)havetheirshrineslargelyinRajasthanandthereverethewritingsof DaduandfourotherNirgunaSants(collectedtogetherasPanchavani)andalsoworshipMrtis ofDaduhimself. 3.

Sikhs: Today, Sikhism is considered a separate religion from Hinduism but it is doubtful
whether this was true completely before the last decades of the 19th cent. C.E. The Sikh scripturesrejectthedoctrinesofAvatras,VibhtisandtheworshipofMrtis.However,Godis otherwisedescribedasformlessbutendowedwiththousandsofbeautifulqualities.Infact,the most common names used for God in Sikhism are Hari, Rama, Bishan (Vishnu), Ishar (shvara) andsoonandareclearlyderivedfromtheVaishnavitetradition.Somescholarsassertthatthe Sikh tradition is historically situated well within the Nirgua Bhakti tradition of Hindus. Sikh worship comprises largely of reading and singing sacred hymns from the di Grantha, their scripturecompiledbytheirfifthGuruShriArjanDevintheyear1604CEandenlargedabutby their10thGuruGobindSinghinthelate17thcentCE.

4.

Brahmos:Thistermrepresentsofclusterofsimilarmovements(e.g.BrahmoSamaj)founded
inthe19thcent.BritishIndiaandassociatedwithHinduluminarieslikeRajaRamMohanRoyand Devendranath Tagore. They believed that the Vedas and the Upanishads are the only true scriptures of Hindus and practices like idol worship are later false accretions. This organization is practically defunct today but the Adi Dharma, which is said to have originated from its principles of the Brahmo Samaj and other organizations, has more than 7 million followerstoday.

5.

AryaSamaj: The followers of rya Samaj are

most numerous in the Indian states of Haryana andPunjabandinpartsoftheadjacentstatesin N India. This sect of Hindus was founded by Swami Daynand Saraswati (1824 1883 CE) in the year 1875. They believe that the Vedas preach a pure Monotheism and that the various Devats mentioned in the Vedas are merely namesoraspectsofaformlessBrahmanwhohas all these different qualities of the Devats. The Aryas completely reject all the Hindu scriptures (gamas, Puras etc.) that talk about Avatras, Vibhtis, worship of Mrtis, pilgrimages and so

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on. Swami Dayanand Saraswati instead advocated the practice of meditation (Yoga) and performance of worship through the Yajna or Havan the Vedic Fire Ceremony. In this ceremony, the chief form of worship in the Vedic scriptures, a fire altar is lit, and offerings of clarified butter (ghee), grains and various herbs are poured as oblations with the chanting of Vedicprayers.However,itisemphasizedthatalltheprayersaredirectedtoBrahmanandthat the purpose of the oblations of ghee and grains etc., is to rarify them and purify the environment for reducing sickness etc. In other words, the Arya Samaj rejects the traditional VedicnotionthattheofferingsaremeantfortheDevatsoutofreverencebecauseitdoesnot evenacknowledgetheexistenceofanydivinityotherthanBrahman.Scholarsofthissecttreat the Avatras not as divine incarnations but as superheros and saints and interpret the RamayanaandtheMahabharataaccordingly. ThereareseveralothermovementswithinHinduDharmawhichdonotworshipBrahmaninanyform buttheirtreatmentisbeyondthescopeofthisdocument.Notmorethan5%oftheHindussubscribeto all these traditions collectively although their intellectual and philosophical contribution to Hindu Dharmaisfarmorethantheirnumbers. Inadditiontothesemovements,thereareothertraditionswithinHinduDharmathatacknowledgethat BrahmanhasorcanhaveformsbutneverthelessdiscouragetheworshipofMrtis.Anexampleisthe Eka Dharma Naam Sharan sect of Vaishnavites of Assam, who follow the teachings of Sant Shankara Deva. There are many modern Hindus who call themselves followers of Vednta. They are comfortable worshipping a Brahman with numerous positive attributes and qualities as long as It is not given any form. They justify their stance with the argument that worship of forms of Brahman and Mrtis are meant for the less educated or less spiritually advanced, and that they have risen above these limitations. Interestingly, historically the followers of all these groups of Hindus have been in the forefront of polemicsdefendingHindutraditionsagainstcriticismsbyMuslimsandChristians.

9.4 Is Worshipping Formless Brahman Superior to Worshipping a Form of Brahman?

Opinionsvaryonthismatter.AsimilarquestionwasaskedbyArjunatoKrishnaintheBhagavadGita. ThereplycomprisesoftheentireChapter12oftheGita.Thefirstfewrelevantversesofthischapterare are: ArjunaaskedKrishna: The constantly steadfast devotees who worship you with devotion, and those who worship the eternal unmanifest; which of these have the greater knowledge of yoga? Gita12.1 KrishnasaidtoArjuna: 98

Those who fixing their minds on Me worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supremefaiththemdoIconsiderthemostperfectinYoga.Gita12.2 But those who worship the Imperishable, the Indefinable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent,theUnthinkable,Unchanging,theImmovable,theEternalbyrestraining their senses, being evenminded in all conditions, rejoicing in the welfare of all creatures,theytoocometoMeforsure.Gita12.34 Butthedifficultyofthosewhosemindsarefixedontheunmanifestisgreater,because thegoaloftheUnmanifestishardtoreachbytheembodiedbeings.Gita12.5 Those who, renouncing all their actions in Me, and regarding Me as the Supreme, WorshipMe,meditating onMewithundistracted Yoga,thosewhosethoughtsareset onMe,Isoondeliverfromtheoceanofdeathandtransmigration.Gita12.67 In his commentary on Gita 12.17, Shankaracharya clarifies that Krishna does not intend to say that worshippingapersonalshvarawithaformissuperiortoworshippingaformless,NirguaBrahman.The superiority of the first method merely lies in the fact that it is the easier path of the two for most spiritual seekers. This interpretation appears correct, contrasted with the interpretation of others like Ramanujacharya,whoholdthattheworshipperofSaguaandSkraBrahmanaresuperiortoothers. ThereasonisthatthequestionofArjunadoesnotrelatetothesuperiorityofoneclassofdevoteesto another,buttowhichpathmakesonemoreknowledgeableaboutBrahman.Krishnaanswersthatthe followersofboththepathsreachBrahman,buttheworshipofaformlessandattributelessBrahmanis verydifficultfortheordinaryembodiedhumanbeings,duetowhichthosewhoworshipBrahmanwith attributesandformsaremoreperfectedinyoga,ie.,moreunitedwithBrahman. Krishnaconsidersthequalitiesofhisbestorfavoritedevoteeslater,inverses1320andthesehaveno statementonwhetherthedevoteeworshipsBrahmanwithaformorwithoutaform. In contrast, other traditions within Hindu Dharma (as listed in the preceding sections) hold that worshipping the Formless Brahman is superior to worshipping Forms Brahman because the latter is merelyaportionofthelatter.

9.5 Worshipping Sagua and Skra Brahman: Divinity with Attributes and FormandtheConceptofIhtaDevat
WorshippingBrahmanasaPersonalitywithattributesorqualitiesaswellasaformisthemostpopular approachamongHindus.Asascholarsays Godwithattributes,saguna,andform,sakara,isthemostpopularapproachadopted by Hindus. The corporeality attributed to God allows the devotee to develop a relationship with the Ultimate Reality (God) viewed as a personality, and is therefore considered to be the simplest way of relating to God. This personified God can be regarded as kith and kin, for example as a father or mother, a brother or sister, or maybeachildorafriend.Thereareavastnumberofrelationshipsthatthedevoteecan

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hoosefromin nordertobuildarelations shipwithGod d.Thisisnots seenasalimitationbut ch 89 as saverypract ticalwayofre elatingtoand dapproaching gGod. Istherea apreferredfo ormofshvar rathatwesh houldworship ptotheexclu usionofothe erforms?The eGita says that no matter whom we wo w orship, the re esult is the s same becaus we really w se worship the same ,andmoreov verthefruitof fourworship pcomesfrom mthesamesourceBrahm man. Brahman, Krishnasaidto oArjuna: In nwhateverwayhumansta akerefugeinMe,Iloveth em. In nallways,humansfollowMypath.Gita a4.11 In nWhateverfo ormmywors shipperchoos sestoworshiipme,inthat tveryformI accepthis worshipandm w makehisfaithsteadyintha atveryform. Gita7.21 The impo of these verses is ver clear Brahman loves the worship ort v ry s pper no mat tter what Form of Brahman he worships. Moreover, the worshipp pers of all the Forms are in fact all wa e alking on the path e thatleads stothesameBrahman.

IshtaDevat:Therearesevera alFormsofBr rahmantoch hoosefromto oworship.Bu uttypically,in nstead

ofworshippingallofth hem,Hinduschosetofocu usononeoft themtheir IshtaDevat .Theword Ishta mea ansthatwhic chisdesiredo orbeloved.S Sothe favo orite Devat o formof Brahman ors or shvara that toneworship psisonesIshtaDevat. Swa miniPramanandaSaraswatiexplains90 The deity chos e sen for worship by a give en person, based u upon his positionandli iking,isknow wnasishta disp deva at. For insta ance, one who cannot but express one devotion by singing es and dancing may choose Lord Krishna forw worship,whil leapersonw withaquiet disp positioninclin nedtospirituallearning may ychooseLord dDakshinm rti.Ones own choice can also be determined by n a fa amily tradition or wors shipping a part ticular deity This de y. eity then beco omes the ku devat, t ula the family deity whose wo y, orship is handed down thro ough genera ations. Some etimes, a who ole village together worships a
89 90

Lakhani,p.11 Swamini iPramanandaSaraswatietal,pp.4849

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particular deity known as the grmadevat, who also serves as the presiding deity of thevillage. One worships the chosen deity, or deities, as the Lord. Most people have an altar for worship,havingmanygodsandgoddessesintheformoficonsandpictures.Onemay have his or her primary deity in the center of the altar and place the other deities aroundtheprimarydeity. IntheItihasasandthePuranas,therearedifferentstoriestoldaboutthevariousdeities. Each deity is depicted with a different form. This form is based on either symbolic representation of the functions the deity represents, or on the mythological stories surrounding its manifestation. A person chooses the form that is most pleasing and cultivatesaspecialrelationshipwiththatdeity Rambachanexplains91thesignificanceoftheconceptofIshtadevatinHinduDharma MuchofthevarietyofHinduworshipistheresultoftheconceptoftheistadevata,or the deity of ones choice. This concept is partly the result of the plurality of the environment in which Hinduism developed, and the recognition of the diversity of human personalities. It is a view which also helps to explain a certain liberality of outlookinHinduismtowardsotherreligions.Withinacertainframework,wehavethe freedomtochooseconceptsandrepresentationsofGodwithwhichwecanmosteasily identify,andwithwhomwecanenterintoarelationshipThereasonsforaparticular choice are many. The deity might have been traditionally worshipped in the family or theindividualmaybeattractedtocertainfeaturesandattributesofthedeityItisnot uncommontofindthemembersofanyHinduhomechoosingdifferentpersonaldeities forworship. There are many reasons why this plurality of representations of God is not, for us, confusing or conflicting. Each chosen deity is completely identified with the qualities andattributesofGodhead,suchasomnipotenceandomniscience,andisnotopposed to another similar representation. The unity and oneness of God is most strongly affirmed side by side with this multiplicity of representation in worship. The guiding principleforusistheRgVedatext,Truthisone;itisspokenofdiversely.Thereisalso averybeautifulandoftenquotedverseoftheBhagavadgitainwhichKrishnasays:In whatsoeverwayspeopleapproachme,inthatsamewaydoIreturntheirlove;forthe pathspeopletakefromeverysideareMine.(4:11) TheIshtaDevatcanbeoneoftheTrimrti(althoughtheworshipofBrahmisveryraretodayinthe Indiansubcontinent,althoughstillfoundinThailandandotherplaces),anAvatra,aDevorevenalocal or a family or a tribal Deity that has been given the form of a Mrti so that it can be worshipped concretely.

91

Rambachan(1992),pp.23

101

It is very typical that within the same Hindu household, one member (say the father) has one Ishta Devat(sayVishnu)andanotherfamilymember(saytheson)hasanother(saytheDev).MostHindu families do not have strong sectarian affiliations in which they must worship the same Ishta Devat generation after generation. All this does indicate that an overwhelming majority of Hindus have the sensethatBrahmanisone,andalltheDevatsaremanifestationsofthatoneBrahman.

9.6TheMajorIshtaDevatsandtheTraditions(Sampradyas)ofWorship:
HinduswhoworshipSaguaBrahmanaredividedintothefollowingsixgroupssinceancienttimeslisted below i.

The Vaishnavas worship Vishnu and Lakshmi, with their incarnations of Avataras
suchasRamaSita,RadhaKrishnaandsoon.Theypredominateinallthecommunities ofHindustodaywiththeexceptionsofthoselistedbelow. They perhaps comprise 70% of the Hindu population today. ii.

The Shaiva Hindus worshipped Lord

Shiva and Devi Parvati. They predominate among the Hindu communities in Tamil Nadu (followers of Shaiva gama scriptures), parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra (followers of Veerashaiva and Ntha traditions), Kashmir (followers of Pratyabhijna or Kashmir Shaivism) in India, Nepal (followers of Ntha and Pshupata traditions), Bali andJavainIndonesia(followersofgamaHinduDharma), and Sri Lanka etc. Shaivite Hindus constitute approximately2025%ofHindustoday.InKashmir,where theHindushavebeenethnicallycleansedoutrecentlyby Islamists, Shaivism was intimately fused with Shkta traditions. iii.

TheShktaHindusworshipBrahman

as Devi in many forms Durga, Kl and so on. They predominate among the Hindu communities in W Bengal and parts of Assam in eastern India, Bangladesh. They form around5%orlessoftheHindustoday. iv.

The Saura Sampradya worships Brahman as Sun. This tradition is today very
minorandthetemplesareinKonarka(IndianstateofOrissa),Modhera(Indianstateof Gujarat),Sohna(IndianstateofHaryana),Martanda(IndianstateofKashmir)andsoon.

v.

Gnapatya Hindus worship Brahman in the form of Ganesha. This tradition is

particularlystrongintheIndianstateofMaharashtra.

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vi.

Skndatradition worshipsBrahmanasKarttikeyaorSkanda.Thistraditionismore
prevalentin the IndianstateofTamil Naduwhere Skandais called Murugan.It isalso prominentinotherareaswhereTamilshavesettled,likepartsofSriLankaandMalaysia. Sometimes,thistraditionisnotcountedseparatelyandissubsumedwithintheShaivite tradition.

HindushavefreedomtoconsideranyofthesefiveorsixformsofBrahmanasthesupremeform,with the other forms subservient to their chosen supreme form. In fact, a great majority of Hindus do not identifythemselvesstronglywithanyoneofthesixtraditionslistedabove,andarequiteeclecticintheir worship. Many of these individual traditions are very ancient. In fact, several of them are older than entire religionslikeChristianityandIslam.Withinmostofthesetraditions,thereisahugecorpusofscriptures, traditionalpractices,shrines,lineageofsaintsandsoon.Andtherefore,somescholarsthinkthatthese traditions are individual religions, and Hinduism as such does not exist as a unified religion. This is howeveraveryextremeview.TheunityofthedifferentHindutraditionsislikethatofabouquetmade ofbeautifuldifferentflowers,notthatofuniformlyblackcharcoalderivedbyburningseveraltypesof wood.

Smrta Sampradya Panchyatana Worship: Many

and
centuries

ago, Adi Shankaracharya organized the worship of Brahman in Its many forms into the above five (sometimes said to be six) different traditions. His followersworshipGodinalltheseformsequally.Butit is acceptable to choose one form and worship God in thatformthroughoutoneslife.Hinduswhofollowthis tradition of worship are said to be of the Smrta Sampradya(tradition).Intheirhouseholds,theyhave vigrahasofallthefiveDevatsalthoughoneofthemis chosen as the IshtaDevat and placed at the center with the other four around it. Sometimes these vigrahas may be just five kinds of stones or even five marksonthefloor.Thecollectiveworshipofthesefive main Devats of Hindus is called the Panchyatana Pj.

Shamata

Sampradya:

Sometimes,

ShankaracharyaisalsosaidtobethefounderoftheShamatamodeofworshipinwhichKarrtikeyais worshippedalongwiththeotherfiveDevats.Again,thefollowersofthismodearealsocalledSmrttas andtheyuniformlyregardthesixDevatsasequalmanifestationsofSaguaBrahman. 103

Ekntin Mode of Worship: Some Hindus believe that to avoid all distractions and to focus
completely on ones chosen IshtaDevat, not other Devat should be worshipped by them. As an example, some Hindus will worship only Krishna. Or, if they worship Vishnu, they will start their ceremonieswithaninvocationtoNarasimha,anAvatraofVishnu,ratherthantoGaneshaasdomost Hindus.Thereisindeedanelementofvalidityinthisapproachinsofarasithelpsthedevoteetofocus in his spiritual practices. But if it generates into reviling the other IshtaDevats and into a phobia of them,thenitbecomesanobstacleinonesspiritualprogress.Numerousstoriesnarratehowthis

9.7TheConceptofIshtaDevatandHinduPluralism:
TheHinduworshipperdoesnotdenytheexistenceofDevatsotherthanhisIshtaDevat.Secondly,he cannotinsultorignoretheotherDevats.Finally,mostHindus,willnotevenregardtheirIshtaDevatas superiortotheotherDevats.Bilvamangala,anardentdevotee ofShivafromSouthIndia,writesina verse that although he is a faithful devotee of Shiva and recites this five syllabled mantra to Him, neverthelesswhenhethinksoftheradianceofthefaceofKrishna,hederivesimmensejoysomuchso thatKrishnaandShivaappearsametohim.92 Hindus belonging to different traditions of worship do not fight with each other because they all understandthatthesearealldifferentmanifestationsofthesameOneGod.Incontrast,peopleofother religionswhoclaimtobeMonotheistskeepfightingwithpeopleofotherreligions,andpeopleoftheir ownreligionoverthenatureofGod,andoverwhoseGodistrue! Hindusgivetheexampleofallriversmergingwiththeoceantoexplainwhythisfreedomofworshipping Brahmaninanyformisphilosophicallyandtheologicallysound.

AnalogyofManyRiversMergingintotheOcean: Justasdifferentriversleadtothesame
onebigmassofwatercalledocean,likewisetheworshipofBrahmaninanyofItsformoraspectleads toBrahmanalone.ItisnotpropertoaskaworshippertoabandonhisIshtaDevatandadoptanother oneifhisownIshtaismeetingallhisspiritualrequirements.Forexample,nooneaskssomeonelivingon thebanksoftheMississippitorelocatetothebanksoftheDanubeorviceversatogetwater.Therivers adequately meet the needs of people living on their respective banks. Therefore, it is not proper to persuadesomeonetoabandonhisorherIshtaDevatinfavoroftheonethatyouworship.

DoNotKeepChangingtheIshtaDevat: Infact,itisrecommendedoncewehaveselected
our IshtaDevat, we should stick to it and not change our Deity to please others, out of fickle mindednessoroutofpeerpressure(orpersecution)..Whengoingdowntherivertomeettheocean,it isoftenjustfastertojuststicktoonesownriverratherthankeepgettingontothelandtotransferto otherrivers.Similarly,HindusbelievethatiftheworshipperkeepschanginghisIshtaDevatfrequently, hewillnotmakemuchspiritualprogress.

Respecting Devats other than Ones Ishta Devat: Loving and revering ones own
92

motherdoesnotmeanthatwecandisrespectsomeoneelsesmother.Similarly,worshippingonesown
ShashiKSharma,p.23

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Ishta Devat does not mean that we criticize or revile the Ishta Devat of others. For example, a worshipper of Shiva must not revile Vishnu and vice versa. Hindu tradition emphasizes the need to honorallformsofBrahmanevenwhilebeingdevotedtooneoftheminmanydifferentways.

SectarianisminHinduDharma:AfewHindushoweverdoregardtheirIshtaDevatassuperior
to other Devats. They will then either refuse to worship other Devats completely so that their devotion does not get divided and diffused between different Devats. Or they consider all other DevatsassuperiororsubordinatetotheirownIshtaDevat.Inotherwords,theyperceivealltheother Devats through the prism of their own Ishta Devat. In rare circumstances, this has motivated some worshippers of Shiva abuse Vishnu, and some worshippers of Vishnu abuse Shiva. However, these instancesareindeedexceptional,andintersectarianpersecutionswithintheHindusocietyhavebeen an exception rather than the rule. This sectarianism goes against the very fundamentals of Hindu teachings.Ithasbeensaidveryaptly Thoughitisallrighttoworshipmanygods,devoteesneedtoguardagainstthebelief thatonespersonalformofGodissuperiortoanotherorthatonespersonalformgod is greater than the neighbors god. In devotion to God, one is supposed to overcome onesego.IfegoisdevelopedbyfightingforonesgodthenthewholebasisofHinduism is totally lost. Everyone can have a personal god, but they should try to see their personalgodinallformsofGod.Bydoingso,theywillbeabletoestablishtheoneness ofGodaswellaseradicatetheegoandalotoftheinterreligiousstrifethatexistsinthe worldtoday.93 SeveralparablesexemplifytheconceptofIshtaDevat,theassociatedpluralism,andthedangersof sectarianismverywell.

Parable1:SwamiSamarthRamdasrealizesthatRamaandVithobaarethesame:
Once, Swami Samartha Ramadasa was on his way to the shrine of Vithoba in Pandharpur when Hanuman appeared to him in a vision and said that the Swami would see none other than Bhagavan Ramathere.ButwhenSwamiSamarthaRamadasareachedthemandir,hewasdisappointedtoseethe mrtiofVithoba(withhishandsonthehips)andRukmini.Hewasdisappointedandprayed,Whathas happenedtoyoumyLord?Whereareyourbowandarrows?ThewordsofthesaintreachedVithoba andhesaidtoRukmini,RamadasahascometoseeRamaandSita,hisishtadevatas.Letuschangeto that form and give a darshana (vision) to Ramadasa. A miracle happened, and the image of Vithoba turnedtothatofRama.Theimagecamealive,andLordRama,withhisbowandarrow,walkedtowards the saint, and hugged him. Swami Samartha Ramadasa was overwhelmed with the compassion of Vithoba,andherealizedthatRamaandVithobaarenotdifferent,andtheyareoneandthesame.94

93 94

Prinja,p.26 Pravrajika,pp.194195

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Parable2:TheDevoteewhoSawVishnubutfelt Shiva
ThetownofPandharpurwasfamousforitstempleofVithoba, a form of Bhagavn Vishnu. In that town also lived a famous goldsmith named Narahari. He was a great devotee of Shiva butsonarrowwashisdevotionthathewouldnotworshipany Deva but Shiva. He had made a vow that he would not even lookatthespireofthetempleofVithoba. Once, a rich merchant had no son and he vowed that if he becameafather,hewouldgiveagoldwaistbandtoVithobain gratitude. His prayers were answered and soon, a boy was born to him and his wife. The merchant approached Narahari andrequestedhimtotakethewaistmeasurementofthemrti of Vithoba for making the gold waistband. But Narahari refused flatly even if that meant losing the business. So the merchantofferedtomeasureithimselfandbringthemeasurementtoNarhari.Hewenttothetemple, tookthemeasurementandthengaveittoNarahari.Unfortunately,whenthegoldwaistbandwastried ontheMrti,itwasfoundtobesomewhatshorterthanneeded.ThemerchanttookitbacktoNarahari and requested him to add one more section to make it a bit longer. But, this time the merchant discoveredthatthewaistbandwasalittletoolong. Frustrated,themerchantrequestedNaraharitogohimselftothetempletotakethemeasurementof the Mrtis waist. Narahari was very reluctant, but he agreed on the condition that he will be taken blindfoldedtothetemple.Themerchantagreedtothiscondition.WhileNarahariwasbeingtakento theMandir,thepilgrimstookpityonhimforhisfoolishnessfornotseeingthebeautifulLordduetohis bigotry.ButNarahariwouldnotbudgefromhisprinciples. There inside the temple, the blindfolded Narahari placed his tapemeasure around the Mrti of Vithoba.Butasurprisewasinstoreforhim.InsteadoffeelingthestoneMrti,hefeltelephantskin,just liketheskinthatShivawearsonHiswaist.Narahariwasabutunnerved,butheputthetapemeasure aroundthewaistagain.Butonceagain,hefeltaMrtiofShivawithanelephantskinaroundit.Narahari wasconvincedthatthefoolishworshippersofVithobawereactuallyworshippinganMrtiofShiva. So he took off his blindfold. But a bigger surprise was in store for him. He saw that he was indeed lookingattheMrtiofVithobaandtherewasnoelephantskinarounditswaist.Hepromptlyplacedthe blindfold again around his head and started measuring the waist. But once again, he felt that he was touching a Mrti of Shiva. Upon taking off the blindfold, Narahari confirmed that it was actually Vithoba. NaraharigotthemessagethatShivawasconveyingtohimthatShivaandVishnuareoneanditwas foolish on part of Narahari to assume that he could worship Shiva but totally ignore Vishnu, because Theyareonehalfofeachother. ItisperhapsinstructivetocitethefollowingversefromtheHinduscripture:

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They who do not distinguish between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, but worship them bothequallyasONEtheseindeedarethetruedevoteesofGod.NaradaPurana1.5.72

Parable3:WhentheDevasloveeachother,
WhyshouldtheirDevoteesQuarrel?
Once Narada was fed up of the mutual sectarian bickeringofthedevoteesofthedevoteesofVishnuand Shiva, each of whom claimed that their Ishta was superiorthanthatoftheothers.Sohedecidedtogetthe truth straight from Vishnu and Shiva. When he went to see Rama, an Avatra of Vishnu, he found that Rama worshipping Shiva by offering prayers and flowers to a ShivaLinga.Elatedthathehadfoundtheanswer(Shiva is greater than Vishnu because the latter worships the former),heproceedtoMtKailashtoconveythenewstoShivahimself.Butthere,hefoundShivadeep in meditation, worshipping none other than Vishnu! Narada now got the correct answer that these twogreatDevasareformsofeachotherandnoneisgreaterthantheother. AvariationofthisstoryexplainsthedualmeaningofthewordRameshvaram,whichisoneofthe12 importantshrinestoShivacalledthetwelveJyotirlingas.AfterRamavanquishedRavana,theevilkingof Lanka,hedecidedtoworshipShivatoatoneforthekillinginvolvedinthewarofLanka.Heconsecrated aShivaLingaanddeclaredthatitshouldbecalledRameshvaram,whichheexplainedasShiva,whois theLordofRama.WhenShivaheardthisinMt.Kailash,hesmiledandsaidtoHiswifeParvatiThe Lord is so humble. He is twisting the meaning of the word Rameshvaram which should really mean RamawhoistheLord(ofShiva)! In the Hindu tradition, Shiva is considered the narrator parexcellence of the Ramayana, which is the inspiringbiographyoftheAvatraofRama.Ontheotherhand,manydevoteesofRamalikeTulasidas, havededicatedtheirworkswithaprayerfulversetoShiva.

Parable4:HatingothersIshtaDevatamakesitimpossibletoloveonesownIshtaDevat
TherearemanyversionsofthestoryofGhantakarnaallofwhichhavethecentralthemethatShivaand Vishnu are the same. In one version of the story that is prevalent in the shrine of Badrinatha, GhantakarnawasadoorkeeperofthisVaishnaviteshrine.Infact,hisimageispresentattherightsideof gate of the Mandir. Although he served as a doorkeeper at this shrine, he hated Vishnu and was an ardentdevoteeofShiva.HeevenhungbellsonhisearsgivinghimthenameGhantakarna.Whenever the worshippers and pilgrims would chant the names of Vishnu, he would shake his head so that the peal of the bells would prevent him from hearing Vishnus names. After years of devotion, Shiva appearedtoGhantakarnaandofferedtofulfillhisboon.ButwhenGhantakarnaaskedforMoksha,Shiva saidLook,Vishnuismyotherhalf.YoucannotgetMokshabyjustworshippingmeifyouhateVishnu. SoifyoutrulywantMoksha,worshipVishnubecauseHeisverycompassionatetowardsHisdevotees. He will surely fulfill your desires. Ghantakarna was heartbroken. He truly did not want to worship Vishnu.ButShivaconvincedhimtogotoDwaraka,whichwasruledbyKrishna,anAvatraofVishnu. 107

WhenGhantakarnareachedDwaraka,hewassurprisedto learnthatKrishnawasatMtKailash,wherehehadgoneto worshipShivatoaskforason.Ghantakarnathought,This is strange! Shiva asked me to worship Krishna and here I find that Krishna Himself has gone to Mt Kailash to venerateShiva.SoletmealsogotoMtKailashdirectlyto Shiva. On his way, he stopped at the Badrinath temple wherehesawmanydevoteessingingthepraisesofVishnu and chanting his names. Ghantakarna too joined these devotees and started singing the praises of Vishnu. So sincerely was his devotion that he was soon lost in meditation. Krishna had still not reached Mt Kailash and was at that time right there in Badrinath. When Krishna heardGhantakarnachantingHisname,appearedinfrontof him. Ghantakarna was overjoyed to see Krishna and instantly, all of his hatred for Vishnu disappeared. Ghantakarna now became the doorkeeper of the shrinewithadifferencehenowservedwithdevotion.Whenhedied,hissoulmergedwithBrahman, anddevoteeserectedastatueofhimattheentranceoftheBadrinathtemple.

Parable5:TheywhodistinguishbetweendifferentIshtaDevats,lovingoneandhating
another,suferterribly:
ThenarrativeoftheconflictbetweenDakshaandhissoninlawShivaisnarratedinmanyPuranaswith somevariations.TheversionreproducedbelowisfromtheKrmaPuraandBhgavataPurawith conflictingandirrelevantdetailsexcluded. DakshagreatlyresentedthemarriageofhisdaughterSatitoShiva.HehadallowedSatitomarryShiva only because of her insistence. He thought that Shiva was just a good for nothing, uncouth wanderer anditwasashamethathisowndaughterhadchosentomarryShiva.But,DakshasopinionofShivawas basedmerelyonHisexternalappearancesofaYogiwhosebodywascoveredwithashes,whoworea snakelikeagarlandonHisnechandwhowasaccompaniedbyfiercelookingGaasatalltimes.Daksha didnotrevereShivaforwhoHereallywasaFormofBrahman. Once, Daksha organized a huge Yajna. He invited all the Devas, but did not send any invitation to his daughterandsoninlawbecausetheirpresencewouldhaveembarrassedhim.SageDadhiciurgeshim to include Shiva also but Daksha refuses saying that all the other devatas are already present and he doesnotrecognizeLordShivaasadeity.AllDevatsandsagesthenleave,boycottingthesacrifice.Only VishnustaysbackandDakshaseeksrefugeinhim.

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Shiva does arrive, with his attendants. The latter go on a warpath, ruining the sacrifice. At this juncture, Daksha realizing his mistake offershomagetoSati (Kurma Purana 1.14.71), who intercedes on his behalf with Shiva (Kurma Purana 1.14.7173). Lord Shiva instructs Daksha to include all deities and also Himself in his sacrifices.ThisisfollowedbyasermontoDakshabyBrahmwhodescribesthegreatnessofLordShiva and then asks Daksha not to differentiate between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu because they are not separate,andthereforeheshouldbedevotedtobothofthem.95 ItisworthcitingtherelevantversesofBrahmsaidtoDakshaforhisinstruction FromKurmaPurana Thisgreatmediator,theImperishableVishnuWhoisyourprotectorisnoneotherthan Mahadeva,theLordofDevatsthereisnodoubtinit.1.14.86 They,whoregardVishnu,thecauseoftheUniverse,asdifferentfromShankaraduetoa deludedmindorduetolackofadherencetotheVedas,indeedgotohell.1.41.87 The followers of Vedas behold Vishnu and Rudra with the same feeling (of reverence) andthusbecomefitforLiberation.1.41.88 He Who is Vishnu is indeed Rudra Himself; and He who is Rudra is indeed Vishnu. He who worships Brahman, with this understanding; reaches the supreme state (of salvation).1.14.89

Parable6:TheGirlwhokeptchanginghisIshtaDevat
Agirlwasbicyclingonthebanksoftheriverandshesuddenlylostcontrolandfellintotheriver.She prayed to Lord Krishna to save her but after a second when he did not come, she lost patience and prayed to Lord Rama. After another second she lost patience again and prayed to Lord Ganesha. She thoughtthatifKrishnadidnotlistentoher,maybeRamawillandifRamadidnotlistentoher,maybe Ganeshawill.ButwhenevenGaneshadidnotcome,sheprayedtoLordShiva.Nowshedecidedtowait foralongertimeandsuddenlyLordShivaappearedandpulledherout.Shewasverygratefulandsaid O my Lord Shiva, you are the greatest because I called out to Rama and Krishna and Ganesha and
ThereconciliatoryattitudeoftheKurmaPuranaisalsoevidentfromthefactthatalthoughitisnamedafteran incarnation of Lord Vishnu, it is predominantly Shaivite in flavor. Embedded in the Purana is the beautiful Ishvaragita,whichislargelyaShaiviteretellingoftheBhagavadgita.
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othersbutnooneelsecame.Onlyyoucametosaveme.LordShivasaidYouarewronglittlegirl! Youdidnothavepatience.IamthesamepersonwhoyoucallKrishnaandRamaandGanesha.Butas soonasyoucalledforKrishnaandIgotreadytocome,youstartedcallingforRama.SoItooktimeto changemyformfromKrishnatoRama.ButyousuddenlystartedcallingforGanesha.ThenagainIhadto changemyformtoGanesha.Butatlast,youcalledforShivaandwaitedandsoIdidnothavetochange myforminahurry.Therefore,Icouldcomeandsaveyou.Therefore,nexttimewhenyoucallMe,have patience,anddonotthinkthatalltheDevasaredifferent.WeareallOne.PickyourfavoriteFormand focus all your prayers to that IshtaDevat alone. Or even if you call Me by many names, always rememberthatalltheseformsareofOneBrahmanalone.

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10. Worshipping Non-Brahman

The freedom of worship permitted in the Hindu tradition does not mean that anything goes in this matter. The fact of the matter is that people worship Divinity with different intents and also with a different understanding. And therefore the results of their worship cannot be the same even though Brahmanrespondstoallofthesedifferentworshipperswithcompassionandlove. Therearetwoconsiderationsthataffectthefruitofourworship: Thefirstisobjectofourworship,ortheDeity(ortheForm)towhichtheworshipisoffered. Thesecondistheintentoftheworship.WehavealreadycitedtheopinionoftheGitaonthis pointinsection9.1above.

10.1ResultsofWorshippingsomethingotherthanBrahman:
HindusworshipBrahmaninmanywaysasdescribedintheprecedingsections.Theycanaskforeither mundanefavors(likechildren,orwealth)orforthefinalgoal,whichisMoksha.Inaddition,Hindusalso worshiptheDevas(throughVedicceremonies),Pitars(soulsofdepartedindividualsworshippedthrough ceremonies like the Shrddha) and Bhtas (malevolent powers, nature spirits that are local in nature andareworshippedthroughTantricrites,throughsacrificesoffowletc.).Typicallyhowever,Mokshais notsoughtfromtheDevas,PitarsorfromtheBhtas.ItissoughtonlyfromBrahmanworshippedinany ofitsfiveforms. Among Hindus, those who perform Vedic ritual ceremonies typically do so with intent to gain some earthly or otherworldly reward from the Devats. These ceremonies quickly result in the desire fruit, butthatfruititselfalsogetsexhaustedfast. KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Those who desire success from actions in this world make sacrifices to the Devas; becausesuccessisindeedquicklyobtainedfromtheseactionsinthisworldofhumans. Gita4.12 Butlimitedandtemporaryisthefruitgainedbytheseworshipperswhohavealimited intelligence.TheworshippersofDevasgototheDevas,likewiseMyworshippersreach Me.Gita7.23 The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes that the worship of either Brahman, Devas, Pitars or Bhtas is not fruitless.Butthefruitsaredifferentineachofthefourcases. KrishnasaidtoArjuna: Those who are devoted to the Devas go to the Devas. Those who are devoted to the ancestors go to the ancestors. Those who are devoted to the spirits go to the spirits. ThosewhoworshipMecomesurelytoMe.Gita9.25 WhattheresultsandgoalsofworshippigPitarsorBhtasareisnotdescribedintheGita.However,itis well known that Pitars are worshipped for achieving mundane benefits (e.g., children by an issueless 111

couple)throughritesliketheshrddhaceremonies.TheBhtasareworshippedprimarilyforwarding offdiseaseorcalamityandotherlimitedreasonsthroughritesprescribedinscripturesliketheGrua Tantrasandsoon. Howdoestheworshipoftheseentitiesachieveitsintendedresult?Dothesedeitieshavethepowerto bestow the fruit of worship to them? The Bhagavad Gita disagrees, and declares that even the fruit (limitedbyitsverynature)ofworshiptothesedeitiescomesfromBrahman. KrishnasaidtoArjuna: ThosewhosemindsaredistortedbydesiresresorttootherDevats(differentfromMe), observingvariousinjunctionsandrites,andconstrainedbytheirownnatures.Gita7.20 Whateverformanydevoteewithfaithwishestoworship,Imakethatfaithofhisstead. Gita7.21 Endowed with that faith, he seeks the propitiation of such a one and from him he obtainshisdesires,butthebenefitsareactuallydecredbyMealone.Gita7.22

10.2RiversnotleadingtoBrahman:DoctrineofAdhikraandonesDeity
TheworshipoftheseentitiesthataredifferentfromBrahmanmaybeexplainedagainwiththeriverine analogy.Somerivershoweverdoendupininlandlakesandnotintheocean.Andafewdryouteven before reaching the ocean or even a terminal lake. The boatman will travel some distance on these riversbuthewillneverreachtheocean.Likewise,worshippingsomethingotherthanBrahmandoesnot leadtoMoksha,thefinalgoalofourlife.Itmaybegetsomeothersmallerandmoretemporarybenefits, but nothing more. Some boatmen just do not want to reach the ocean. They are just content sailing down a little downstream, and then stop. The Bhagavad Gita clearly states ones faith and values are whatdecidesourDeity: KrishnasaidtoArjuna SattvicpeopleworshiptheDevas, RajasticpeopleworshiptheYakshasandRakshasas. OtherpeoplewhoareTamasic, Worshipthecategoriesofspiritsofthedeadandghosts.Gita17.4 So does Hindu Dharma condemn these people who worship the heavenly Devats and other entities differentfromBrahman?TheanswerisaclearNo.HinduDharmarecognizesthefactthatevenpeople living on the banks of river that terminate inland nevertheless derive some benefit like water for drinkingandirrigation,eventhoughtherivermaynotbeabletotakethemtotheocean.Likewise,the worshippersofthesenonBrahmanentitiesneverthelessgivessometemporarybenefiteventhoughit cannotleadtheworshippertothefinalgoalBrahman. Somepeopleareinfactnotinterestedinthefinalgoal.Theirunderstandingislimitedandtheywillnot fathom the fact that happiness from temporary material rewards and material goods are eclipsed greatlybytheblissofMoksha.Alltheywantarethingslikechildren,abighouse,expensiveclothesand jewellery,latestelectronicgadets,successinschooltests,agoodjobandon.Giventheirunderstanding 112

and their circumstances, it is understandable that they would want only these things and not even reflectonthemeansofachievingMoksha. Butjustlikealovingparentappreciatesandfulfillsthewantsofhislittleinnocentchildwithoutlecturing the child on stuff like college education and the like, Brahman too fulfills the temporary and trivial wantsofhisdevoteeswhoisnotyetadvancedspiritually.Justlikeachildlearnswithtimeandoutgrows his silly wants, the devotee too outgrows his trivial desires as he advances spiritually and eventually aspiresforthefinalgoalMoksha. ThisDoctrineofAdhikraallowsHinduswhoaremorelearned,wise,andspiritual,tolookattheir lessfortunatebrethrenwithlove,understandingandcompassion.Notwithcondenscension,hatredor contempt.Indeed,BrahmandoesnotcondemnworshippersofpowersdifferentfromIt,butincreases theirfaiththroughthem,unliketheAbrahamicGodwhopunishespeopleforworshippingotherfalse gods. Toconclude,Hindusdoacceptthatthereisahierarchyofworshippersaccordingtowhattheyworship (Brahman,Devas,Yakshas,Rakshasas,Pretas,Bhutas)butneverthelessnoneofthemiscondemnedor damned.

10.3TheCorrectWayofworshippingDevatsotherthanBrahman:
Interestinglyhowever,BhagavadGitadoesnotdiscouragetheperformanceofVedicceremonies (Yajnas)meantforworshippingDevatsresidinginheavenevenbythosewhoaspireonlyforMoksha andhavenointerestintemporaryrewards.TheGitaoffersthreereasonswhyeventheenlightened shouldcontinuetoperformtheseceremonies: 1. TheyareenjoinedbytheVedasand thereforetheirabandonmentisnotgood becausewemustfollowthedictatesofour revealedscriptures(Gita18.23) 2. PerformanceofYajnaspurifiesthewise. (Gita18.5) 3. OblationsmadeintheYajnasdoreach theDevasandkeepsthewheeloflifemoving. (Gita3.1016) 4. Evenifthewisedonotneedoperform theYajnas,theyshouldperformthem neverthelessforthegreatergoodoftheworld,tosetanexampleforothers(Gita3.21),andso asnottoconfusethosewhoarenotasenlightenedandknowledgeableastheyare(Gita3.26). Therefore,oneshouldcontinuetoperformYajnas,butwihoutattachmenttotheseactions,andwithout adesireforthefruitofthesegoodkarma.(Gita18.6)AdetaileddiscussionofKarmaYogadoctrineof the Gita is beyond the scope of the present document, and what is presented here is a very brief summaryoftherelevantpoints. 113

10.4WorshipofNonGodinotherReligions:
NotonlytheHindus,followersofotherreligionstooworshipentitiesthatarenotGod. ManyChristians(largely CatholicsandOrthodoxChristians)alsoworshipSaintsandAngelsfor worldly benefits. They also believe that these Saints as well as Jesus can intercede on their behalf so that they can enter heaven. There are saints for every specific desire and for every specificprofession. Many Muslims also worship other supernatural figures called Jinns, and at the graves of dead holymenforgettingmundanerewards(likesuccess,orchildren)whileothersaskforthesame thingsfromAllah. FollowersofChinesereligionsworshipancestors.TheyalsoworshipBuddhaiftheysubscribeto Buddhism.FollowersofShintoismalsoworshipdifferentnaturespiritsandalsoextraterrestrial gods.

In general, Abrahamic religions are highly intolerant of the worship of anything other than their one God.FromaHinduperspectivehowever,theAbrahamicGodHimselfoftenassumesthecharacteristics of heavenly Devas, Pitars, Bhutas etc., going by His traits described in the Bible and the Koran.

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11.0 INTERFAITH PERSPECTIVES 11.1HinduPolytheismandHinduToleranceofDiversity:

Hindu Dharma has evolved in a huge landmass with incredible geographical diversity. Accordingly, Hindus have perceived Brahman in many, many different ways and the Hindu tradition itself acknowledges this diversity by accepting and validatingalloftheirdiverseexperiences.Incontrast, faithslikeIslamthatevolvedinableakdesertwhere the contrast between sandy wastes and the wide openskyisquitestartcanonlypictureaGod(Allah) whoisharsh,andwhodemandsexclusiveallegiance. EitheryouarewithAllah,oryouareagainstAllah. HowdoesHinduDharmasconceptofBrahmanmake Hindusaverypluralisticandtolerantpeople?Ascholarexplains HinduismaboundswitheverypossiblenameandformforTruthortheDivine.Thisis becauseHinduismrequiresthatweseethesamerealityinallthediversityofcreation that we see the same Self in all beings. It is not because Hinduism is trapped in the diversityofnameandformbutbecauseitssenseofunityisinclusive,notexclusive.Asa formulationofSanatanaDharma,Hinduismisnotattachedeventoitsownnamesand forms,howeverdiverse.Itcanaccommodatethenamesandformsofallreligionsinto its comprehensive view. This universal view permeates the form of the teachings of Hinduism, which consists of many different approaches to the same One Reality. It allowstheteachingsofHinduismtoencompassalltimeandallreligion,andaffordsita characteristictoleranceandsyncreticviewoflife.96 OntheproverbialHinduTolerance,thesamescholarsays: As a conscious formulation of Sanatana Dharma, Hinduism remains close to its basic principles of universality and eternity. This universality even encompasses partiality. Hinduismholdsthatitisalrightforanyoneofustothinkthatourparticularreligionis the best, or that our teacher is the highest, if such thoughts increase faith and concentrationinourinnerpractices.Butweshouldrecognizetherightofotherstothink the same of their teachings, and not try to impose our point of view upon them. SanatanaDharmarequiresthatwerespectthesacrednatureofeachindividualandhis orherownprivaterelationshipwithDivinity,whichisnotforustojudge.97 ThisdistinctionbetweentheliberalDharmic(HinduandSikh)andtherigidAbrahamicreligiousnotions ofDivinityhaveresultedindifferenthistoricaloutcomesofthesetwostreamsoffaiths.WhereasHindu
96 97

Frawley,pp.56 Frawley,pp.8081

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Dharma has spread through a process of peaceful assimilation of neighboring populations along with adoption of their alien traditions (resulting in an incredible diversity of worship within the Hindu society),theAbrahamicfaithshavespreadlargelybydestroyingtheolderreligionsthatwerepracticed bytheconvertedpopulations.Theaggressive,offensiveandintrusivenatureoftheAbrahamictraditions haspersistedtoagreatextenteventoday.Streamsofmissionaries,peacefulandnotsopeaceful,are constantlysentouttounconvertedpopulationstounderminetheirancestralbeliefsandconvertthem toIslamortoChristianity.AndwherethesetwoAbrahamicreligionshavecomefacetofacewithnone other than each other, endemic violence results. This is the case in countries like Indonesia, Nigeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Serbia and so on where the followers of Islam and Christianity are both significant proportionsofthepopulationofthesamecountry. In contrast, the Hindu concepts of Ishta and Adhikra have ensured that pluralism in matters of worshippingBrahmanareacornerstoneofHinduDharma TherearevariouscultsinHinduismandavarietyofcreeds.Butconflictamongthemis avoided by the twin doctrines of adhikra and ishta. Adhikra means eligibility. A personsfaithisdeterminedbythekindofmanheis.Thereisnouse,forinstance,in puttingaboyintheHonoursClass,ifheisfitonlyforthePassCourse.Whatismeatfor onemaybepoisonforanother.Amanscreeddependsuponhisadhikra.Anditishis eligibilitythatdetermineshisishtaorideal.Hinduismprescribestoeachaccordingtohis needs. Hence it is not to be considered as a single creed or cult, but as a league of religions,afellowshipoffaiths.98 FromaHinduperspective,itcaninfactbeargued,thattheGodofAbrahamicreligionsisnotreallya Universal Divinity like Brahman, because their God does not make Himself equally accessible to non believers. He hates these people and is instead partial towards the believers, whom he selectively favors.But,infact,onesizefitsallishardlythecaseinreallife,sohowcanitapplytospiritualpursuits in a pluralistic world? Therefore, we must accept the fact that people will naturally perceive God in differentways.HinduDharmanaturallyallowsthisdiversityofviews,whereastheAbrahamicsadopta moremywayofthehighwayattitude.

11.2HinduDharmaastheonlyMonotheisticSpiritualTradition:
How is it possible that worship of anything other than Brahman results in something good? Is the worshipofanythingotherBrahmanfruitlessorfutile?Weseemillionsofpeopleworshippingnotthe BrahmaninhisvariousaspectsastaughtintheHindutradition,butinotherways.Sowhatistheresult of their worship? Are these worshippers merely wasting their time? The Gita gives a very beautiful answertothesequestionsandreassureseveryone: KrishnasaidtoArjuna:

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Mahadevan,p.21

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Thosewhoseknowledgehasbeenaffectedbydifferentdesiresseekrefugeinother deities.Theyobservediverseritualsrelevanttothetraditionofworshipofthese respectivedeities,beingconstrainedbytheirownmaterialnature99.Gita7.20 Whicheverform(deity)suchadevoteeseekstoworshipwithfaith,inthatveryformI makehisfaithunswerving(orfirm).Gita7.21 Endowedwiththatfaith,heseekstoworshipthatform(god)andthroughthat,he fulfillshisdesires,whicharereallyfulfilledmyMe(throughthemediumofthatformor god).Gita7.22 EventheywhoworshipotherDevaswithfaithalsoworshipMealone,althoughtheydo soinignorance.Gita9.23 BecauseIindeedamtheLordofallyajnas(worshipceremonies).Buttheseworshippers (whopraytotheseotherDevas)donotknowMe,andthereforetheyfall(i.e.,are rebornafterthefruitoftheirprayersisexhausted).Gita9.24 In other words, unlike some religions who declare that all nonbelievers worship false gods and therefore their prayers are futile and they will go to hell, Hindu Dharma says that there is only One Brahmanwhoalonerespondstotheprayersofeveryone,nomatterwhotheworshipperaddresseshis prayer to. It is Brahman who responds to the prayers of a Muslim worshipping Allah, of a Christian worshippingGod,ofaJewworshippingYahweh,ofaSikhworshippingWaheguruandofaBuddhist worshipping Buddha because all of their prayers actually end up only with Brahman and none else. Therefore,ithasbeenremarked100thatHinduismisperhapstheonlyreligionthatistrulymonotheistic! Toquoteascholar: TheotherideasoftheDivinewhichSemiticreligionsholdtheirsocalledmonotheism isonlyaformofdisguisedidolatry;forwhenitissaidthatJehovahisajealousGod,or that there is no God but Allah, it obvious that the Supreme Being is identified as an exclusiveindividualandnotasanexpressionofanInfiniteBeingintermsofthehuman mind.WhenthelinkwiththeInfiniteisforgotten,aDeity,whetheritisamonotheistic entityorapolytheisticbeing,becomesamereidol.RealworshipoftheSupremebeing, becomes a mere idol. Real worship of the Supreme Being is possible only when the principle of Vedantic Polytheism is understood that principle being the perception of theinfinitePersonalImpersonalBeingthroughalimitedandhumanizedmanifestation ofHim. AVedanticDeityisneveraggressive,demandingtheoverthrowofotherDdeities.Buta monotheistic Deity, always a jealous God, cannot tolerate another Deity. As Toynbee pointedout,themonotheisticDeityoftheSemiticsisonlyanapotheosisofthegroupor tribalconsciousnessofcertainpeople, asentiment thatheldtogethersocietiesbefore
The wise worshipper is not constrained by his material nature (the desires of his body, mind and intellect) whereastheworshipperwhoisnotwisecannotlookbeyondhisphysical,mental,emotionalandmaterialneeds andthereforeresortstodifferentgodswhoaresaidtobestowthesekindsoffavorstotheirworshippers. 100 BytheFrenchjournalistFrancoisGautier.
99

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nationalismtookitsplace.Justasthenationalisticpatriotismiseagertoabsorballother countries, that form of group consciousness masquerading as monotheism wants to supplant all other religions and establish its Deity in their sanctuaries. Proselytism, for which many religions stand but which has no place in the Vedantic scheme, is the consequenceofentertainingaGodwhoisnotanexpressionoftheInfiniteBeingbuta personalizationofthegroupconsciousnessofapeople.101 In modern times, followers of other religions merely pay lipservice to currently fashionable ideas like religious pluralism and diversity. In contrast, Hindu Dharma provides a theological justification for acceptingthediversityofworshipandritualinitsverycorescriptures.Religiouspluralismistherefore somethingthatisingrainedintotheheartofHindusandisnotsomethingthattheyneedtolearnfrom others.

11.3ReconcilingtheSpiritualVisionsandNDEofFollowersofDifferentReligions
Many individuals, who were declared dead clinically or were thought to be dead, have miraculously recovered. Some of them have reported meeting supernatural figures of light who asked the dead persons soul to return to the world, causing the persontobecomealiveagain. A few of the accounts diverge from the predominant descriptions that accord well with Hindu scriptural teachings, and include meetings with angels, seeing God and going to a heaven as narratedintheBible.Abook(HeavenisforReal) based on the recollections of a child born in a devout Christian family is very popular among American Christians. Similarly, many Hindus have narratedseeingtheirownDevats. Hindusdonotfindtheseconflictingaccountsdisturbingtoourreligiousconvictions.Deathisatraumatic experienceinwhichtheatmanofthedeadpersonisuprootedfromthisworldandsenttothenext.The atmanencountersatotallyalienenvironmentevenwhilebeingattachedtoitspriorexistencewhenit livedinabody.HinduswouldexplainthatjustasBrahmanassumesformsoutofloveforus,soalso,he wouldensurethatthedepartedsoulsconditionedbytheirreligiousupbringinginthisworldareinitially made to experience an environment with which they are more comfortable and familiar, so as not to exaggeratetheirtraumaofdeath. Similarly,wecanexplainthediversespiritualvisionsofthefollowersofdifferentfaiths.

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Sarma,p.x

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11.4Dis stortionof fHinducon nceptofBr rahmanby yChristian nFundame entalists

Examp ple1:Lord dShivais stheDes stroyera andSatan

Christian fundamenta alists misrepr resent Shiva as the de estroyer of the world, and therefor an re nt atan who is out there to destroy and lead people astray from God. But t o d m this is equivalen to their Sa totallydif fferentfrom howHindus perceiveShiv va.FortheSh haiviteHindu us,heistheS SupremeBrahman thatmani ifestsinthree edifferentas spects(Brahm ma,Vishnuan ndShiva)and devenforno onShaiviteHi indus, heismuc chmorethanmerelythe Destoyer.Sh hivaisaman nifestationof Brahmanfor rallHindus,a andis theconce eptofSatanw whoisthean ntithesisofG God,andiso outsideofGodistotallyunHindu.Mal lhotra explainsa andcounterstheChristiandistortionsin nthefollowin ngwords S Shiva is often mistranslat as the destroyer an d assumed t be the an n ted d to ntithesis of Brahma, the c creator and Vishnu, the preserver. W have seen that Brahm is not a We ma ntheJudeoC Christiansens se,norisShiv vaadestroye erGodasma anywriters CreatorGodin to oday think. Shiva might perhaps bes be describ S st bed as a tra ansformer w who moves humanity and the universe forward in the evolutio of conscio e on ousness. This evolution entailsdissolut tionofthefalselyconstruc ctedmentalf frameofrefe erence(namarupa)and s om on. sformation br rought by Shiva is a deco onstruction is different fro destructio The trans process that has been misconstrued as destruc d ction. The p physical and material d 119

dissolutionmayalsobeseenasendofacyclemakingroomforfreshmanifestationin thesamewayasoneseasongiveswaytoanother.Thetraditionemphasizescontinuity, makingeveryapparentdestruction,infact,atransformation. Shiva is therefore also described as the lord of dance and of yoga, enlightenment and mysticism,andthisiswhyheinspiressomuchmoredevotionthanhewouldifhewere thoughtofsimplyasdestroyer.102

Example2:Anthropomorphic

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DeitiesandDeitieswithmanyHandsandHeads:

SwamiBhaskaranandadiscusses,inbrief,whyHinduimageshavethesesupernaturalforms Some images used by Hindus to worship God have several arms, or more than one head. The images also have different colors. To portray Gods various powers many armsareused,eacharmsymbolizingadifferentpowerofGod.Someimageshaveone hundred,orevenonethousandarms,toindicatethatGodhasinfinitepowers.Forthe samereason,Hindussometimesputmorethanoneheadonimages.Thebluecolorof animageindicatestheunfathomableandinfinitenatureofGod.Similarly,othercolors maysymbolizeotheraspectsofGod.104

102 103

Malhotra,p.252 Deitieswithhalfhumanandhalfanimalforms 104 SwamiBhaskarananda,p.138

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11.5ComparisonofBrahman/shvarawiththeAbrahamicGod:
MalhotrasummarizesthedifferencebetweentheHinduandtheAbrahamicnotionsofDivinityvery eloquently: The word Brahman comes from the root brih, which means to expand. The all expansiveultimatereality which createsall,livesinall,andtranscendsallisBrahman. To translate it as God in the JudeoChristian sense diminishes its meaning. The God whomMosessawonMountSinaiandfromwhomhereceivedthestonetabletsisnot remotelythesameasBrahman.ThisJudeoChristianGodisthecreatoroftheuniverse, distinct and separate from it. Furthermore, this God is authoritative, punishes those whotransgressrules,andintervenesinhistoryatspecifictimesandplaces.Brahman,on the other hand, is the cosmos and resides in each one of us, unrealized as atman, making us ultimately Brahman. This makes Brahman everpresent and accessible; indeed,enlightenedspiritualmasterswhoareinunitywithBrahmanarealwaysamong us, in every era, to serve as guides. The idea of nondual unity with God is absent for mainstream practitioners of the JudeoChristian faith, though it is buried among their mysticswhohaveoftenbeenmarginalizedbyinstitutionalizedchurches. Inmuchthesameway,thetermIshwaraisnotthesameastheJudeoChristiannotion of God. Ishwara has countless forms of manifestations depending on each individuals choice of form (ishtadevata). Each of the terms (Brahman, Ishwara, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva,Devi,etc.)hasrichimplicationswhicharedistinctfromoneanother.Theseterms (andvariousothers)cannotbeallcollapsedintoamonolithicconceptofGod.105 Thisdifferencemayberepresenteddiagrammaticallyasbelow

105

Malhotra,pp.251252

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11.6Co omparingH HinduTheo ologywith hAbraham micTheolog gy:

It has bec come very fa ashionable in modern sec cularIndian and Interfai Dialogue circles to su ith uggest thatBrahmanandshv varaofHindu uDharmaist thesameas GodofAbrahamictraditions.Althoughthis fashionab bleclaimmay ybe drivenb byagenuine desiretopro omoteinterf faithharmony,ordueto sheer innocent ignorance, it does not reflect the truth. Malhot elaborate on the di tra es ifference bet tween /shvaraandG God,andexp plainswhythe eformercann notbetransla atedasGod: Brahman/ T word Br The rahman come from the root brih, w es which means to expand. The all s ahman.To ex xpansiveultim materealityw whichcreates sall,livesina allandtranscendsallisBra tr ranslate it as God in the JudeoChri s istian sense diminishes it meaning. The God ts whomMoses sawonMountSinaiandf w fromwhomh hereceivedt thestonetab bletsisnot re emotelythes sameasBrahman.ThisJud deoChristian nGodisthec creatorofthe euniverse, distinct and se eparate from it. Furtherm m more, this Go is authori od itative, punis shes those whotransgressrules,andin w ntervenesinhistoryatspe ecifictimesan ndplaces.Bra ahman,on th other han is the cosmos and re he nd, esides in eac h one of us, unrealized as atman, , making us ult m timately Brahman. This makes Brah man everpr resent and a accessible; in ndeed,enlightenedspiritualmastersw whoareinun itywithBrah hmanalways amongus, 122

in every era, to serve as guides. The idea of nondual unity with God is absent for mainstream practitioners of the JudeoChristian faith, though it is buried among their mysticswhohaveoftenbeenmarginalizedbyinstitutionalizedchurches. Inmuchthesameway,thetermshvaraisnotthesameastheJudeoChristiannotionof God. shvara has countless forms of manifestations depending on each individuals choice of form (ishtadevata). Each of the terms (Brahman, Ishwara, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva,Devietc.)hastheimplicationswhicharedistinctfromoneanother.Theseterms (andvariousothers)cannotallbecollapsedintoamonolithicconceptofGod.106 The Abrahamic religions simply lack the notion of Parabrahman, and even their notion of God is very restrictiveascomparedtotheconceptionofshvara.Forone,shvaraisseenasaderivativeofBrahman The Judaic god is not the svara of Santan Dharma. svara creates differently, it manifests itself differently and its relationship with man and the world are of a very different order. At a fundamental level an Indian seeker looks at a reality that is even greaterthanthetheisticnotionofsvara.Saintsandsageshaveimpelledmentopush beyond the limits of a particular manifestation and apprehended the one great truth thatexistseverywhereandineverything.Godlinessorsvaratisonlyanexpressionof theSupremeBeingwhoistheultimaterealityandtheultimatetruth.107 ThediagrambelowcomparesHindutheologywithAbrahamictheologyingeneralterms.

106 107

Malhotra(2011),pp.251252. ShashiKSharma,p.242

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11.7AHinduViewofGodinAbrahamicReligions:
Several sections of this document have contrasted Abrahamic notions of God with Hindu notions of Brahman. This section is meant not to repeat those points again, but to state additional Hindu perspectivesontheGodoftheBibleandtheKoran. Firstm given that pluralism is the bedrock of Hindu beliefs and practices, Hindus find it very difficult to comprehend howthegodoftheBible,whoclaimstoloveallhumans,can saythesewordshimselforthroughhisprophets In the Bible, Moses warns his people If you do not obey the Lord, then you will be destroyed just likethosenationsthatheisgoingtodestroyasyou advance.Dueteronomy8.20 God himself warns in the Bible: If you will only obey Me, you will eat all the good things the land 124

produces.ButifyoudefyMe,youaredoomedtodie.Isaiah1.18 Thosewhodonotworshipthe GodoftheBiblearewarned by Godhimself: Imyself willtearthemtopiecesandthenleavethem.ThenIdragthemoff,noonewillbeable tosavethem.Hosea5.1415 God further adds: No pity, compassion or mercy will stop me from killing them. Jeremiah12.1417 Prophet Isaiah too warns: He has condemned them to destruction. Their corpses will notbeburied,butwillliethererottingandstinking;andthemountainswillberedwith blood.Isaiah34.23 AChristianSaintevenwrotethatoneoftherewardsofabelieverwillbewatchingtheunbelieversbeing torturedinhell,andfeelgladthathehadnoterredlikethem.Numerouschurchhymnalsrightdownto our times have the worshippers sing how blessed they were to believe in the only true god and how damnedtheinfidelsandpaganswere. Similar statements are found in hundreds in the Koran, wherein idolworshippers and those who reject Allah and his prophets are condemned to everlasting hell where they will be roasted perpectuallyinanovenalongwiththeirstones(=idols)andforcedtoconsumethebitterfruitfromthe treeofZakkhumthere.Allahhascondemnedtheunbelieversnotonlyaftertheirdeath,buthasalso exhorted Muslims to persecute and slaughter them even in this world. Infidels are prevented by the Koran from even entering or passing through the holy cities of Mecca and Medina because the polytheists are unclean (Surah 9 of the Koran) divinely ordained untouchability, so to speak. The resultsofthesetypeSofteachingsarequiteobvious.

Secondly, thedoctrineofSatanmisleadinghumansonthisearthalsoimplicatesGodasapartyinthe
crime.HindusrejectanynotionofapowerfulSatanandmakehumanstakeresponsibilityfortheirown karma. Historically speaking, the concept of the Devil or Satan was absent in ancient Abrahamic traditions, and was borrowed from the Zoroastrians when the Israelis were enslaved and deported from Israel to Mesopotamia by the Persian Emperors. The fact that God allowsthisDeviltofreelygoand tempt humans due to which they go to an eternal hell is not a very loving trait. In modern courts of law, not just a perpetrator and instigator of a crime is held culpable, but also someone who is a silent accomplice.

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Third, Hindus reject the notion of heaven as a

perpetual reward for good deeds and correct beliefs as is taught by the Abrahamic religions. According to Christian theologians, less than 200,000peoplewillenterheaven,leavingother billionsdestinedforhell.TheKoranicheavenon the other hand reminds one of things that inhabitantsofableakdesertwouldwantallthe time. The Islamic heaven promises gardens watered by underground rivers, fruit laden trees, 72 beautiful women for each believing men (although women are promised only 1 man),pearlcomplexionedboysservingwine(whichisbannedonearthbutallowedinheaven)thatdoes notgiveahangoverandmanyotherdetailsnotsuitableformentioning.

Fourth, the character traits of God in these religions are not always edifying. He exterminates entire
citiestopunishsodomyandhomosexuality.Hecondemnswomentoprostitution.Heparticipatesinthe domesticdisputesofhisprophetstomagnifytheirunjustactions,insteadofelevatingthemspiritually fortrulyheplaysfavorites.Heisrevengeful,hethreatensangrily,heisajealousgodandhecondemns allthosewhodonotbelieveinhim.ButHindusagessaythatGodshouldshowerhisgraceonall HinduismsaysthatGodsgracecannotbeconditional.Anyconditionalgiftcannotbe called real grace. Therefore, Gods grace has to be unconditional, unbiased and impartial.Justasthesunshinesonboththegoodandthewicked,soalsoGodshowers Hisgraceimpartiallyoneveryone,whethergoodorevil.ThegooduseGodsgracefor goodpurposes.ThewickeduseGodsgraceforbadpurposes. Shri Ramakrishna explains this with the help of a beautiful analogy. In a small room a candle is burning. By the light of the candle one person is reading a holy book, while anotherpersoninthesameroomisforgingdollar bills.In thisanalogythe candlelight represents Gods grace. It is impartial; it shines equally on both. The two persons are usingGodsgracefortwocompletelydifferentpurposesonegood,andtheotherbad. Perhaps one of them will eventually turn into a saint, while the other will end up in prison.108 A loving parent has infinite patience with his recalcitrant prodigal child. He could never smite him or condemnthechildtoeverlastingpainnomatterhowdisrespectfulanddisobedientthechildis.InHindu Dharma,Brahmangivesusnotjustonebutmanylives,sothatwehaveseveralchancestounderstand the true nature of things, or ourselves and reach the Final Goal. The Abrahamic God gives the finite humanbeingwithfiniteunderstandingandafinitekarmaaninfiniterewardorretributionallthisjust doesnotsoundfair.
108

SwamiBhaskarananda,p.86

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Fifth, Hindus celebrate the compassion and love of Brahman who though ineffable, transcendent,
Supreme, Omnipotent, Omniscient, goes to the extent of assuming finite Forms so that we who have limited understanding can fathom It and approach It. The Abrahamic God appears too distant and historical.HeplaysfavoritesandHehasstoppedcommunicatingwithusbecauseHehasalreadysent HisonlysonandHislastprophet.WhereasweHindusperceiveBrahmannotasadistantentity,amale figureintheHeaven,butsomeoneWhoisapproachablenow,withinourselves,andwithineverythingin theUniverse. Withallthesethings,weHindusstilldonotbelievethatAbrahamicsareinferior,orevil,ordeficientin faithorinunderstandingcomparedtous,althoughmanyofthemthinkofusasifewereevil,foolish, obstinate or inferior. We have faith in unconditional grace and compassion of Brahman and we do believethatnomatterwherewesendourprayers,theywillreachthesameBrahman,beingguidedbya Theostationary Satellite, provided they are said with faith and with devotion. And the same Brahman willeventuallydeliveratheistsandthevilestevildoer.ThisisthefirmconvictionofHindus.

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12.0 ATHEISM AND HINDU DHARMA

AtheistshavelivedinthemidstofHindusforthousandsofyears.InancientIndia,theyformedtheirown school and community of philosophers and lay people known by various names like the Bhrspatyas, Charvakas, the Lokayatas and the Ajivakas. There were many different strands of atheism some believedinthesoulthattransmigrated(evenwhilerejectingtheexistenceofGod),somedidnotbelieve inanysoulwhatsoeverandsoon.TheMaitrayaniyaUpanishadsaysthatBrihaspati,theteacherofthe Devas,startedthefalsephilosophyofatheismtofooltheAsuras,whowerethetraditionaladversaries oftheDevas. IftheatheistsadvancedtheirownargumentsfortheabsenceofanyGod,Hinduphilosopherslikethe NyayascholarUdayanacharya(10thCentCE)gaveseveralargumentstoprovetheexistenceofGod: 1. Each effect has three causes material, and efficient. The latter must have the necessary wisdomandpowertocreatetheworld,andthiscanonlybeGod. 2. TheUniverseiscomprisedofatomswhichhoweverareinertandlifeless.Theymustbebrought togetherbyanintelligentandlivingentityandthisentityisGod. 3. TheUniversepresupposesandintelligentdesignbyanomniscientbeing,andthisbeingisGod. 4. FaithandscripturesrevealGod. 5. AnintelligentandmoralagentisneededtoupholdthelawofKarmaandthemoralorderinthe Universe.ThisagentisGod. 6. ThereisnoproofthatGoddoesnotexist. Notsurprisingly,theargumentsforandagainsttheexistenceofGodinancientIndiawereverysimilarto the arguments that we hear today. In addition to the arguments against the existence of God stated below, there are several additional arguments advanced by atheists. However, these additional argumentsapplyspecificallytoAbrahamicnotionsofGodandthereforetheyarenotincludedhere.109 TheresponsestoatheisticargumentsareculledfromthescripturesoftheNyyaschoolandfromthe traditionalcommentariesonBrahmasutras(specificallychapterII,sections12).

12.1AtheistArguments&HinduResponsestoAtheism
Atheist Arguments 1 Jaina Argument: The universe is eternal. It was never created and will never dissolve. Rather, it just keeps evolving and changing continuously. Therefore, there is no need to assume that a God creates, preserves or dissolves it. Hindu response The universe is not eternal. Even the largest boulders are seen to wear out. Everything in this world is seen to have a finite lifespan, no matter how long it is. We see new things being created every moment. We can therefore infer that the cosmos itself originated at some time and we believe that an all-powerful, all-wise Brahman created it. Modern science too concludes that the universe arose a at finite period of time in the past and that it will

ForanexcellentintroductorytreatmentofAtheismandHinduresponsealongthelinesofmodernphilosophical andscientifictheories,seeLakhani,pp.chapter6
109

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eventually die out. 2 In our belief, God has everything and does not need anything. Even if we assume that God created the Universe, then what can be his reason for creating it? Not intelligent being creates something without a cause. We disagree that all activities are done with some selfish motive or purpose. In our world, we see many people doing tasks without any selfish motive or even a conscious effort. We breathe in and out automatically. We can see a king or a child indulge in many activities as a matter of play, without any useful purpose. So also, Brahman also creates the Universe as His breath effortlessly and without any selfish motive. The universe shows the hand of an intelligent entity in creating it. There is order, cosmic laws that are obeyed and a complexity that cannot be attributed solely to the workings of inert matter. Water does not just flow randomly in any direction. It obeys the slope of the surface on which it is poured. Nor does milk convert to yoghurt automatically unless there are proper conditions like the presence of certain bacteria, ideal temperature conditions and so on. Moreover, the consistent flow of water only in a particular direction, and the repeated conversion of milk bowls to yoghurt would require a human being to pour the water at the same spot or mix the culture with milk repeatedly. Likewise, the fact that the Universe shows complex phenomenom happening repeatedly in a specific way pre-supposes an intelligent being, and that Being is Brahman. This argument does pre-suppose the existence of Brahman, is it not? The Universe would remain in a state of intertia of motion or rest if there were not intelligent interference by Brahman to create it out of primordial matter.

There is no need to assume an intelligent Creator God. The Universe in its current state evolved from primitive matter, which in turn evolved from more primitive matter. Just like water flows naturally in a particular direction, and milk transforms to yoghurt through natural processes; likewise inert matter transforms into the universe in its current state without requiring an intelligent cause.

Even if we assume there is a intelligent and a living entity, his mere proximity to matter may be the cause of creation rather than any conscious volition on his part. We can think of the presence of a magnet in the proximity of an iron object. The magnet automatically magnetizes the iron object and causes it to move. Matter itself has all the potentiality to cause it to behave intelligently. In other words, matter is not as inert as it is held out. Intelligence is an attribute of matter and derives from it.

Near death experiences, past life regression, recollection of previous lives does presuppose that something exists beyond our mortal material selves. Hindu Dharma agrees that intelligence per se (called buddhi) is actually an attribute of matter. But Hindu Dharma postulates a spiritual entity the Atman,

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beyond this buddhi. It is the Atman that controls and governs the buddhi, and it can be experienced through the path of meditation. 7 The universe is so vast, that it has trillions of cosmic bodies (starts, planets, dust etc.), whereas the earth which has complex life is like a mere spec of dust. So it is by random chance that earth came into being with life on it and there is no need to presume that a God created it intelligently. It is not essential for all cosmic bodies to have life to prove the existence of Brahman because the Divine Being would use only that portion of matter as is needed for the souls to acquire a body. The Universe is infinite and we can see only a portion of it. We do not know what lies in the far corners of our Universe, much less what lies beyond it. What exactly does Brahman need to do to satisfy the objector? What type of a Universe will convince the objector that Brahman indeed exists? Even in our daily lives, what appears disjointed, irrational and chaotic suddenly appears to be with a design, rational and connected when we see the whole picture, or when we learn more about that thing or about the situation. Perhaps, our feeling that there is chaos in the Universe is more a result of our limited knowledge and understanding than being the true nature of things. Brahman does not have any selfish purpose to serve in creating this Universe. Nor is Brahman obliged to Atmans. The objectors argument is purely a theoretical one that is contradicted by the actual fact that the Universe does serve its intended purpose of allowing individuals to perform and experience the fruit of their karma, and advance spiritually towards Moksha. May be Brahman did intend a pluralistic and a diverse human society. Hindu scriptures do not mandate a single code for all humanity for all times because what is good for someone at a particular time may not be good at another time or for another person. This objection therefore applies more to Abrahamic faiths with their my way or the highway nature than to the more variegated Hindu Dharma. We experience joy and sorrow as a result of our good and bad karma. There are an infinite number of souls, and they have infinite combinations of good and bad karma. Brahman

When analyzed carefully, the universe does not seem to have order and symmetry as claimed. Instead, there is a lot of chaos and randomness which negates the presence of a God that inputs order in the cosmos and rules it through his natural laws. The clock argument does not apply because seen as a whole, the Universe is a very poor construction.

The theist argues that the universe serves the purpose of souls and enables them to achieve spiritual emancipation or Moksha. But we do not see that the universe is actually serving that purpose. The universe is therefore without a purpose. If at all the universe helps the souls advance spiritually, this happens just incidentally and not by design. Morality really is a very subjective entity. Different ethnic groups have different norms and therefore we cannot accept the presence of a universal Supreme Being who has laid down a moral code for all living beings.

10

11

There is a lot of pain and sorrow in this world. How can a compassionate and all-knowing God create a universe with these evil. If he knows the future, why does He not prevent natural

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catastrophes and other pain giving incidents from happening in the first place?

has fashioned a Universe that allows all possibilities for experiencing the results of these different combonations of good and bad karma. This is why the Universe seems to have both good and bad things resulting in joys and sorrows. We get unnerved by disasters and the ensuing loss of life because our frame of reference is the single life we live or the victim lived. If we take a broader view across several lives, the whole interpretation of these events changes. We are not able to perceive many things that exist due to the limitations of our senses. E.g., we cannot hear sounds of certain frequencies, nor can we see certain colors (whereas other creatures can). Brahman cannot be perceived by our senses or by scientific instruments because It is very subtle and all our devices are incapable of detecting Brahman, not because Brahman does not exist. Nevertheless, we can indeed experience Brahman within our own Atman through the practice of meditation. Conversely, things that we see (e.g., Mirage) need not exist at all, and therefore this argument is inconclusive or invalid.

12

If there is a God, then why cant we perceive Him?

ItcanbeobservedthatanydiscussionabouttheexistenceofGodisboundtoremaininconclusive.For everyargument,a counterargument canbepresented.Forthis reason,the HinduschoolofVednta, whichdetailsthespiritualphilosophyofourDharma,saysthattheproofofpuddingisineatingit.We shouldseektoknowandunderstandGodbyfollowingthepathofDharmaandMoksha.Oncewesee Brahmanourselves,alltheseargumentshavenomeaning,andallthecontradictionsofspaceandtime thattheatheistspointoutgetresolved. IntheBhagavadGita,ArjunawasblessedtohaveavisionoftheUniversalFormoftheDivine.Hewas overwhelmedwhenhesawtimeandspacecollapseinthisForm.Hesawhisownfuture,hisancestors, hisdescendants,hiscontemporaries,thecosmicbodies,thingsthatheknew andthingsthathecould notevenhaveimagined.Thisvisionblewawayallhisdoubtsabouttheexistenceandthenatureofthe Divinity.Similarly,whenhaveseenandhavetastedthesugarourselves,allargumentsonwhetheritis whiteorcolorless,sweetorbitterbecomedissolvedinourfirsthandexperience. Hindu Dharma therefore boldly declares that that even the revealed scriptures, the Vedas, are of no valuetothatwisepersontowhomBrahmanitselfhasbeenrevealed:

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As is the use of a pond in a place flooded with water, so is that of all Vedas for a Brahmanawhoisenlightenedspiritually.Gita2.46

12.2CananAtheistbeaGoodHindu?
ManyHindusclaimthatitispossibletobeaHinduaswellasanatheistatthesametime.Thisstatement istrueaswellfalse.HinduDharmaoperatesatmanylevels:culture,ethicalvirtues,corevalues,public celebrations and so on. An atheist can practice several elements of Hindu culture, such as Hindu art, drama, music, clothing and food etc. He can also be a very virtuous and a pious person, practicing charity,speakingthetruth,showingcompassiontowardsallandsoon.Theonebigareathathewillbe lackingisfaithinBrahman,anda desiretopursue Mokshaasa goal.Most Hinduscripturesarequite explicitinstatingthatMokshacannotbeachievedwithoutinvolvingGodinonewayoranother. Tosummarize,itispossibletobeanagnosticoranatheistandyetbeagoodHinduinacultural,social andethicalsense.Butdefinitelynotinthespiritualsense.ThebestHinduisthatpersonwhoisatheist, andalsopracticesotherelementsofHinduDharma.

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13. Conclusions:
1. HinduscripturesteachusthatGodisOne.HeisourCreator,Destroyer,Preserver.Hegivesus thefruitsofourKarma,andalsograntsusMoksha.HeisEternal,Imperishable,AllPervading, Almighty, AllKnowing and abode of Bliss. He pervades the entire Universe, and he also envelopesitfromoutside. 2. GodexistsasaninfiniteSoulandisthencalledBrahman.However,itisverydifficultforhuman beings with limited intelligence to worship such a formless spirit and for our convenience, He hasalsomanifestedinmanydifferentformsthroughwhichwecanworshipHim.Inotherwords, thereisnocontradictionbetweenthePersonalandImpersonalaspectsofGod. 3. WecanworshipGodinwhicheverformappealstous.Hinduswhounderstandthetruenature of God do not quarrel over different forms of God. Many Hindus believe that we should rise abovetheworshipofaformofGod,andeventuallyworshiphimasaFormlessSoulwhichisHis truenature. 4. AlltheformsofGodhaveprofoundspiritualmeaningandsymbolism. 5. AnatheistcanbeaHinduinaculturalandtraditionalsensealone.ButHinduisminsiststhatto obtainMoksha,wemustworshipandunderstandGodspirituallyandpracticedifferentwaysof spirituality.Therefore,agoodHinduisaHinduspirituallyalso. 6. God can not be proved or disproved through arguments. But He can surely be experienced in onesownAtman. 7. Godisverycompassionate.Hewillnotpunishusjustifweworshiphiminawrongform,orif we do not worship his formless nature. Hindus do not believe like Christians or Muslims that GodisvindictiveandwillpunishusifweworshipHiminMurtis. 8. Bytradition,fiveorsixmajorformsofworshiphavebeenestablishedwithinHindutraditions. SomeHindusworshipGodinotherformsalso,buttheseotherformsaresomehowtiedtothese six major forms in some way or other. This diversity of worship gives Hinduism its famous tolerance for other religions because we Hindus do not believe that nonHindus worship something other than God. We allow nonHindus also to worship God in their own way. We believethatallhumansworshipthesameGodandtherearenofalsegods.Inthisway,wecan saythatHinduismistheonlytruemonotheistictraditionintheworld,becauseweworshipthe GodwhoistheLordofHindus,ofMuslims,ofChristiansandsoon. 133

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