Tattva

Hindu Dharma is for all – theists, semi-theists, atheists, vegetarians, non-vegetarians, realists, mystics, logicists, and who not. Some of these schools of thoughts have taken shape and are widely regarded as distinct faiths. Hindu Dharma and all faiths that evolved from the punyabhumi Bharat are sisterly, complimentary to each other.

Long before the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians had built their magnificent civilization, the holy waters of the Sindhu (Indus) were daily witnessing the lucid and curling columns of the scented sacrificial smokes and the valleys resounding with the chants of Rig Vedic hymns.  The glorious civilization took its birth in the lap of the Sindhu river as early as 7000-6500 BCE. While much of the world outside were occupied cutting through the Bronze Age, the highly advanced civic societies on the Harappan banks of the Sindhu grew and eventually spread toward the east, beyond the alluvial planes of the Ganges and Saraswati, with the sharpest usage of cultivating tools not yet known to the rest of mankind. The evolution of this single continuous stream of civilization is perhaps the most remarkable in human history. We are in succession of that blazing legacy, comprising the purest wisdom built over millennia, and we should take nothing less than pride in this identity.

Who is a Hindu?
Hinduism is much more than a religion; it is a coherently heterogeneous cultural entity, a homogenous racial entity, and a vociferous national entity. What defined the ancestral habitat of Hindus itself is the source of their name. “Sindhu” was repeatedly mentioned in ancient Persian literatures like Zend-Avesta as “Hindu.”  The land washed by the Sapta-Sindhu (seven rivers), stretching from the banks of the Sindhu (Indus) to the Himalayas until Sindhu (ocean), is the land of our forefathers. That defines, since the time of the earliest of Homo sapiens known on this planet, the Hindu nation – Bharat. Therefore all those who love this land as their father land, motherland, or ancestral land and consequently claim to inherit the blood of that sacred race, by incorporation and/or  adaptation can be called a Hindu.

And the most recent series of scientific searches flawlessly prove that DNA samples from across Hindu demographics bear unadulterated and uniform traits, thereby disproving existence of any racial divide among Hindus ever. Different cultures, linguistics, and traditions indeed evolved within Hindu societies, under the influence of topological, climatic and other external variations.  But at the top of the pyramid, “Hindu” is one – hailing from the identical golden root of the Sindhus. Needless to say, we, the Hindus Diaspora living in America, Canada, the Caribbean, UK, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Africa, Australia, Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and across the globe are all the lineage of the same golden root.

Hindu Dharma and Indic faiths
Hindu Dharma is probably the most philosophically rich, compound and yet liberal and inclusive amongst all others in the world. This richness has drawn people all over the world, and this liberalism gives birth to hundreds of schools of thought. Philosophy for a better mankind and quest for wisdom for a healthy body, mind, and soul is the essence of Hindu Dharma.

Nahi Gyanena pavitramiha vidyate
-Shrimad-Bhagavatam

Nothing is purer than wisdom in this world. Broadly, Hindu philosophy comprises of six astika (accepting the Vedas as supreme) and four nastika (heterodox) schools.

The major astika schools are:

1. Samkhya – dualist exposition of nature, i.e. purusha (soul or self) and prakriti (matter and    energy)
2. Yoga – advocates meditation and compliments samkhya
3. Nyaya – methodologies of logic
4. Vaisheshika – physical  and metaphysical inference of nature and Brahma in light of atomism
5. Mimamsa – anti-mystic and practical school of orthopraxy
6. Vedanta – philosophical teachings of Upanishads and humanitarianism

The major nastika schools are:

1. Ajivaka – semi-theist and ascetic school of philosophy (extinct)
2. Boudha – Buddhism
3. Jaina – Jainism
4. Carvaka – materialistic and atheist school (extinct)

This list is just a summary, and Hindu philosophy extends much beyond them.  But the clearest point springing out of this is that Hindu Dharma is for all – theists, semi-theists, atheists, vegetarians, non-vegetarians, realists, mystics, logicists, and who not. Some of these schools of thoughts have taken shape and are widely regarded as distinct faiths. Hindu Dharma and all faiths that evolved from the punyabhumi Bharat are sisterly, complimentary to each other. Sikhism is the most recent addition to this. They form the most cohesive cluster of faiths, commonly known as “Indic faiths,” to the world.

Buddha has been widely regarded as the ninth most significant avatar of God Vishnu.

tatah kalau sampravritte sammohaya sura-dvisham
buddho namnanjana-sutah kikateshu bhavishyati
-Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.24)

God says, “Thereafter, in the twenty-first manvantara at the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, ful demigods.”, the son of Anjana, in Kikata Pradesa (the province of Gaya-Bihar), for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful demigods.”

In Nepal and Tibet, it is difficult to differentiate between what is Hindu and what is Buddhist.  In Tantrism, both the streams are just tributaries to each other.  Here, Goddess Tara Shakti becomes the female bodhisattva and mother of all being, in various forms - Green, White, Red and Yellow Tara. God Bhairava (Shiva) or Mahakala becomes Chakrasambhara. Goddess Chhinnamasta (one of the 10 mahavidyas) becomes Devi Vajravarahi.  There are hundreds of such examples. Thus, H.H. Dalai Lama says, “Hinduism and Buddhism are twin brothers.”

Similarly, Jainism has the seeds of the Upanishads and Vedanta. Lord Mahavira is respected as no less than a holy god-head by Hindus. Jains and Hindus visit each others’ temples to pray. Jains worship Lakshmi, Ganesha, Krishna, etc., while in Shravanbelagola, during mahabhishekam of Lord Bahubali hundreds of Hindus participate with pious hearts.

Sikhism too reciprocates the same camaraderie. Guru Nanak Dev ji, while referring to Gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva said, “It is one God whom we realize in different forms.” Guru Angad ji was a devotee of Durga Mata. And Guru Govind Singh ji helped Hindus in joining direct battle against Aurangzeb to protect the sacred city Ayodhya. Today, one can find hundreds of Sikh brothers busy in bhajans at Vaishno Devi shrine, while Hindus whole-heartedly visit Gurdwaras and accept all Sikh Gurus as their holy mentors.

The primeval holy sound of “Om” carries a larger significance uniting these four faiths of Bharat in one garland. The Buddhist “Aum,” Sikh “Ek Omkara,” and Jain “Om’” are the ramifications of the same sacred “Om” which, to every Hindu, is the source of ultimate power. Let the celestial might of “Om” bestow upon us all Hindus and the brothers of Hindus. Let Hindus unite globally for a better, safer and peaceful planet.

Ajoy Chatteree is a graduate student currently working as a Project Lead for Cognizant Tech Solutions. Ajoy is interested in philosophy, Dharma, politics, technology, the environment, and music. He lives in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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