This article, the Gist of Hinduism gives a brief explanation of the Hindu philosophy and a broad lay-out of literature associated with the religion. Religions were formulated and formed with the grace of God by great saints, to bring out the meaning of life, foster tolerance and guide people to attain bliss. The Hindu religion is classified and called by different names according to the origin on which they are based. Those which arose in the names of God forms worshiped: Saivaisim, Vainavaism, Saaktham. Those in the name of saints: Buddhism, Jainism Those based on the names of religious epics: The Vethananda, The Siththaanda How do all these get the name of Hindu religion? The people who lived in the basin of the river Sinthu, now within Pakistan, followed a religion. That religion in the course of time developed into branches. These branches modified and ‘evolved’ to the present forms. The Turkish and the Greeks who dwelled into the area called the people who lived in the Sindu river basin as Sindus and later as Hindus. The descendants of these people congregated in the land of India. People who follow the Hindu religion are now spread all over the globe. When a living thing suffers for any reason the person who considers that as incurred by him and acts to alleviate it is rightly a Hindu. In other words the Hindu religion is a religion of Love. The base of Love is ‘Ahimsa’ or non violence. Love is God. It is present as inseparable unit in all living things.
To the ignorant Love and Shiva (God) are different entities That Love is Shiva no one realizes Those who realize love as Shiva They live in love as Shiva
As Hindu religion is founded on love it is an undying virtue. Great people call it eternal righteousness. Religion is a set of believes containing a moral code and governing human values and behaviour. It is a light of wisdom that enlightens our views of the materialistic world we live in and the soul and God which can be understood by intuition and insight.
The three truths of Hinduism
Hinduism tells about three realities. They are
- PATHY or God
- PASU or soul
- PAASAM or bindings which prevent soul from knowing God.
All these three are ever present. Pathy is above imagination, without form and is a single entity (EAhan). For the reason of being formless it is beyond imagination. It is not perceived in the same way by each one of us. Hence it takes up innumerous forms concretely (Anehan). Pasu or Souls number infinite. They cannot be counted. Paasam or bindings though ever present have at a certain point, to be shed by the soul. Hence it is not permanent. Pathy or God can be perceived as having virtues to limitless extent. This can be explained thus; The normal human being loves his family. It could be special towards the mother, father, Spouse or any of the children. For some this love could be expanded towards the whole relations or even the ethnic group. Great men like Gandhi loved the whole nation. Mother Theresa’s love was towards the whole human race Buddha’s love extended to all living things. The love which transcends and rise above all these is God’s love. It will be something greater than we’d ever think of. An earth worm can feel the immediate environment around it. A deer not only knows the vegetation it grazes on but could also feel a small crumpling noise of twigs and leaves caused by a predator at a distance. The peacock knows when it is going to rain. The historian knows the past. The learned intellectual knows what is going to happen tomorrow. Prophets can predict things centuries ahead. The ability of knowing matters of past, present and future to indefinite extent is that of God. If you visualize an entity with indefinite love, grace, kindness, benevolence, power, potency, wealth and all virtues then that is God. Being limitless it doesn’t diminish by giving/imparting or acquiring some. This can be visualized by comparing with the mathematical concept infinity (∞). When you add, subtract or multiply anything by infinity the result is infinity. But when you divide by it the result is zero. So when we move towards God, that is acquire God’s characteristics the goodness grows and the bad wanes.