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UNIT 2 PHILOSOPHY OF HINDUISM

Contents

2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Sources of Hindu Philosophy
2.3 Vedic Hindu Metaphysics
2.4 Hindu Religious Concepts and Practices
2.5 Vedic Hindu Ethics
2.6 Supreme Goals of Life (Purusarthas)
2.7 Social Stratification (Varnashrama dharma)
2.8 Concept of Rta
2.9 Doctrine of Karma
2.10 Ways to Liberative Knowledge

2.0 OBJECTIVES
An ancient saying depicts a person, unaware of the golden treasure lying underground, walking
up and down the floor several times, and brooding over his wretched state of living. Being
Indians, much more as students of philosophy, we are to be aware of this treasure of our land.
The present unit on the philosophy of Hinduism initiates the students to the precious nature of
this treasure, and motivates them to unearth the hidden riches of the religious, spiritual, and
philosophical heritage of Hinduism.

2.1 INTRODUCTION
India is the birth place of many religions and religious sects. The word ‘Hindu’ is not of Hindu
origin. It is not found in any standard Sanskrit dictionary. The Persians used to refer to the
people who lived on the other side of the Indus (Sindu) river, as Hindu. Hinduism is more of an
umbrella, sheltering many different religious traditions which originated in very ancient times
and in various parts of the subcontinent. Some Hindu thinkers suggest that the Vedas provide the
bond that holds the Hindus together.

2.2 SOURCES OF HINDU PHILOSOPHY

Scriptures are the codified expressions of religious, mystical experiences of great souls.
Scriptures ‘make the unknown known.’ The Hindu Scriptures are divided into two distinct
categories Surti and Smrti (Revealed Texts - Surti – what is heard, and Remembered Texts
Smrti– what is remembered). The four Vedas and 108 Upanisads come under the Surti category.
The Bhagavat Gita, 18 Puranas, Manu Smrti, Dharma sastras, artha sastra, kama sutra, tantras,
and many others, come under the Smrti Category. The distinction between Surti and Smrti is
important for the two following reasons: 1. In case of conflicting views, Surti’s views will hold
good. 2. Without requiring any change in the Surti, the Smrtis preserve the authority admitting
changes in it.

2.3 VEDIC HINDU METAPHYSICS

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Vedic Hindu Concept of God

The Vedas are pantheistic. The names ‘isvara’ and ‘isa’ are not found in the Rg veda, although
the verb form is frequently used to express the power of the gods. Though the noun form,
‘isvara’ is found in the Atharvana Veda, it certainly does not have the connotations of later
times. Certain Upanisads begin to put the concept of the Lord in the foreground and the
Svetasvatara Upanisad gives it still greater prominence. The Personal Lord is finally and fully
disclosed in the Gita. In the Vedas, the concept of the Lord is not fully expressed in generic
terms such as pati, prabhu, adhipathi, etc. The term ‘lord’ does not refer to one particular God,
but each time refers to the different Vedic gods, Indra, Varuna, Agni, Soma, etc.

Concept of Atman-Brahman
Behind all the temporal flux of the world of experience of the senses is a subtle, pervasive,
timeless, and unchanging reality. It is identical to the essence of the human being as well. The
early Vedic Upanisads call this unified and imperishable world-soul as Brahman or Atman, the
former as Godhead and the latter as the ‘self’ residing at the deepest level of one’s person. The
theistic Upanisads teach that this Brahman is a single deity, Isvara or isa – lord. This could be
identified with that of Siva or Vishnu of sectarian communities. The ultimate reality is
unmanifested yet vital. Brahman is described as life-giving breath, pure consciousness, bliss,
and eternal. It is the infinite subject by whom all objects are known, the ‘inner guide’ of all that
is. There are difficulties in comprehending this hidden reality that either transcends or simply
cannot be known through the structures of time, space, and causation. The Upanisads hold that
through disciplined practices of meditation and the cultivation of extraordinary knowledge, it can
in fact be discerned. Such discernment releases one from the apparent cycles of life and death
caused by one’s ignorance of the fact that the essential self does not die.

Nirguna and Saguna Brahman

The ultimate reality is acknowledged in the Upanisads as both immanent and transcendent in
nature. Brahman is both cosmic (saguna –‘with characteristics’) and acosmic (nirguna –
‘without characteristics). Saguna Brahman is understood to be the finest essence of all things in
the world. Brahman is the substance of the universe. This does not mean that Brahman is the
material stuff of the world which can be perceived sensually. Rather it is that hidden and subtle
reality which allows all things to exist in the first place. Nirguna Brahman cannot be described
through definitive or positive statements, since Brahman transcends the limitations of language.
It is not subject to categorization, and therefore, can neither be perceived nor conceived. Thus,
one seeking knowledge of saguna Brahman was to comprehend the unity of all things in the
world constructed on the essence of Brahman. And the one seeking for an understanding of
nirguna Brahman was to ‘deconstruct’ the phenomenal world as it were, in order to comprehend
the imperishable self that lies behind the world of life and death. The process of knowing this
aspect of Brahman is negative theology, via negative, ‘neti-neti’ ‘not this’ ‘not this’. Brahman
can be best described only as ‘this is not Brahman,’ ‘that is not Brahman.’ A positive description
of Brahman would not fully comprehend the ultimate reality.

Mahavakya – Great pronouncements

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The essential oneness of the individual self and the absolute self is called jiva-isvara aikyam. The
scriptures say that jiva, the consciousness in the microcosm ,and isvara, the consciousness in the
macrocosm, are one and the same. The differences we perceive belong to the reflecting medium.
There is no difference in the essential consciousness at all. In the scriptures there are many
statements which reveal this oneness and these statements are called Mahavakya s. Mahavakya is
a Vedic statement which reveals the essential oneness of jiva and isvara. There are many
Mahavakya s occurring in the Vedas, but generally one Mahavakya is chosen from each Veda
as a sample: 1. Prajnanam brahma – Aitareya Upanisad. 2. Aham Brahmasmi – Bhadaranyaka
Upanisad. 3. Tat tvam asi – Chandogya Upanisad.4. Ayam Atma brahma – Mandukya Upanisad.

2.4. HINDU RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES

Transmigration of soul:
The doctrine of Karma and transmigration of soul are closely bound together. The soul is not
born with a body, nor does it perish therewith. It is unformed, constant, eternal, and primeval.
What happens at death is only the decay of the body. The soul migrates from life to life, being
conditioned by the cause of ignorance. ‘Verily one becomes good by good works and evil by evil
works.’ At death, the soul shuffles off its present body and enters a new one, like a caterpillar
which having come and reached the end of a blade of grass draws itself together and takes a leap
to another blade. The process is comparable to a goldsmith who makes new and more beautiful
forms like that of Brahman. The kind of form the soul takes depends on its previous karma. ‘As
is his resolve, such is the action he performs. What action he performs that he procures for
himself ‘( Brha. Upan 3 :4). Transmigration of the soul into a sub-human species is also held
possible. When one dies he may even go to another region before he takes another birth in this
world. After the death of the body the life of the individual is continued in another body and so
on in indefinite series. According to this theory, the soul though pure and blessed in itself, gets
entangled in the Samsara (cycle of birth and rebirth). It is because of the karma that it passes
through innumerable births (transmigration) before it regains its original state. The purpose and
mechanism of rebirth is elaborated in the Chandogya Upanishad. According to the Chandogya
Upanishad ,a man after his death reaches the moon with the merit he has acquired during his life.
He remains there as long as there is a residue of his good works. Then he returns again to space,
and from space he goes to mist and cloud, etc. After having become cloud, he rains down. Then
he is born as rice, trees, beans, etc. If someone eats him as food ,he develops further and finally
those who are of pleasant conduct enter either the womb of a Brahmin ,or a Kshatriya, or a
Vaisya and those who are of stinking conduct, enter either the womb of a dog or of swine, or of
an outcaste (Chandala).

Sin and forgiveness

The seers of the Vedic period possessed a peculiar awareness of sin and guilt. There are three
basic insights, like three seeds, which later may be developed into complete theories. Firstly,
there is a series of words indicating an external cause for all sorts of violence, harming, hurting,
and afflicting. Here the cause of evil comes from the outside; it encroaches upon us and hinders
the happy and smooth development of our being. The evil is transcendent. Secondly, another set
of words seem to denote an internal source; these words speak of anxiety, narrowness, lack of
expansion, and a feeling of imprisonment within oneself. Here the cause is within and seems to
be inherent in our own nature. We cannot blame others but only ourselves. We would like to be
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different and yet we are not. Evil here is immanent. Thirdly, a set of words, most of them
compounds, seems to suggest that evil springs from maladjustment and malfunctioning of a
system that otherwise is far from being bad. These words postulate a kind of factual ambivalence
in almost any human value, which can turn out to be either negative and mischievous, or positive
and beneficial. Evil here depends on the direction that events and values take, and on the use we
or others make of the data. The Vedas employ a term for grace, which implies pure and simple
forgiveness. The gods are requested to forgive man’s real sins and also his constitutional
shortcomings. Man is never worthy of grace from the divine. Mrdika, though occurring only
nine times in the Rg veda, denotes the grace that elevates man and wipes away all his stains. We
have here a forgiveness that comes, unpredictably and undeservedly, from the divine.

2.5. VEDIC HINDU ETHICS

Stages of Life (Asrama Dharma) Asrama dharma stands for individual development in society,
and economic aspect of society. The term ‘Asrama’ means ‘a’ – all around or intensive and
‘srama’- means to exert oneself. It stands for labour. Asrama thus means an all-round training
and development of the individual. It also means a stage, a way in the journey of life. According
to Vedic thought, life is divided into four stages or Ashramas. The four stages are brahmacarya:
studenthood, grahastha – householder, vanaprastha – stage of detachment, and sannyasa – stage
of renunciation.
Brahmacarya is a life of willing abstention, based on self control and austerity or tapas.
Brahmacari means student. The first stage of a student begins with the Upanayana ceremony,
and then the boy is entrusted to the care of his teacher with whom he lives, and his student life
continues with the teacher. The life of the student afterwards becomes simple and hardy. This
simple and hardy life is intended to make him strong and healthy, and independent of all soft and
luxurious living. His life is based on self-control, self-restraint, and austerity. During this stage
the individual develops a deep insight into the realities of life. His abode is with that of the
teacher in asrams or gurukulas. A gurukula is an institution of education. It has two distinct
purposes: 1. To transmit the heritage to the next generation, and 2. To train the individual to lead
a life of discipline. Great stress is laid on chastity and purity during youth, in order to have
vigour, strength of manhood, freedom from disease, healthy children, and a long life. Thus the
very name of the student, the Brahmacari, becomes synonymous with one who is under a vow of
celibacy. After completing the days in study and strict chastity during the student period, the
student has to present his teacher with a gift, according to his ability. Then he returns home to
enter the household life.
Grihasta is the second stage of life, the married life of a householder, where a person strives
towards the first three purusarthas: dharma, artha, and kama. In this stage he has to take a wife
and carry out the responsibilities of a man. After marriage, great temperance in sexual relations
is enjoinEd. Marital relation is only permissible on any one of ten nights in a month. Women
were to be honored and loved by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and brothers- in-law. When
the husband and wife are content with each other, their happiness is certain. As all creatures live
supported by air, so too the other stages of life exist supported by the householder. Hence the
householder is the best of the orders. The general virtues of a householder are hospitality,
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industry, truth, honesty, liberality, charity, and purity of food and life. He may enjoy wealth and
luxury, provided he gives alms. Any householder must duly offer five great sacrifices daily.

Vanaprastha: The householder at this stage of life quits the household life by way of
overcoming the bodily needs and emotional attachments to the members of his family. It is a
stage of detaching oneself from the responsibilities of family life, and handing them over to the
next generation. It is a voluntary withdrawal, or voluntary retirement. The generation gap
between father and son is solved by this stage. This stage solves the problem of unemployment
and also the problem of social disorganization. A man who has entered this stage, instead of
living for his family, should live for the betterment of society and must undertake the work of
educating the people of the neighbourhood. The rule of his life is to do sacrifice, study and
practice austerity, and show kindness to all. Here he engages in Veda study and remains always a
giver and not a receiver, and he becomes compassionate to all beings. This simple ascetic life
leads a forest-dweller to the last stage ─ Sannyasa
Sannyasa or complete renunciation: The achievement of the fourth purusartha i.e. moksa, is
attained at this stage. It is characterized by renunciation and service. Every narrow relationship
is renounced. The person has no Varna, and he changes his name and residence. He is called
vairagi, a man with no colour and no denominations. A sanyasin serves humanity as a whole.
The sannyasi is the one who renounces everything. He gives away all his property and he no
longer offers sacrifices. He lives alone, with a tree for shelter, and spends his life in deep
contemplation and meditation. The life of the sannyasi who freed himself from all human ties,
and stripped himself of all that ministers to physical comfort and well-being, has always seemed
to be the highest. A true sannyasi should not wish for life or death. He must rejoice in the
Supreme Self, sitting indifferent, and refraining from sensual delights. He must wander the earth,
aiming at liberation. He must meditate constantly on transmigration and suffering, and on the
Supreme Self, in order to trace the Jivatma through its many births and to rest in Brahman alone.
Thus by doing this he reaches Brahman.
In these modern days these four ashramas cannot be completely revived in their letter, but they
can be revived in their spirit, to the great improvement of modern life. Today the bramacari life
or period is passed or spent in school or college, instead of the ashrama of the guru. The grihasta
ideal is commenced at marriage. It is very largely followed in its sense of duty and responsibility,
in its discharge of religious obligations, in its balanced ordering of life, and in its recognition of
all claims and debts. Today the third ashrama cannot be lived in the forest by many, and the
fourth ashrama is beyond the reach of most. Yet, the idea of gradual withdrawal from worldly
life, the idea of meditation, study and worship, and the main duties of life can be carried out well.
Finally, a life,which is well ordered from the beginning to the end, is very much implied in the
phrase ‘the four ashramas’.

2.6. SUPREME GOALS OF LIFE (PURUSARTHAS)

The ancient seers laid down four supreme ends of life or Purusarthas, which give meaning to
human life. Pursusartha means ‘what is sought by human beings.’ They are dharma
(righteousness/ religious, moral merit), artha (pursuit of wealth), kama (pursuit of pleasure), and
moksa (liberation)
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Dharma (justice, righteousness): The term ‘dharma’ gathered more and more meaning down the
ages, and became a term of complex and varied meanings. For dharma, the dictionary suggests
terms like virtue, righteousness, duty, right, morality, justice, the good, the characteristics,
tradition, ordinance, law, etc. But dharma is essentially a human value, operating in the universe
of human ideals. The Brahadaranyaka Upanishad identifies ‘dharma’ with truth. That which is
justice is truth. And justice and truth are the same (1.4.14). Sankara in his own way interrelates
the three concepts rta, satya, and dharma. He says ‘rta’ is the mental perception of truth, Satya is
the expression of truth in words as perceived by the mind, and dharma is the observance of truth
in the conduct of life. And thus, dharma is the way of life embodying the truth perceivEd. This is
the supreme end in this world. It brings material property (artha) and fulfillment of desires
(kama), and liberation (moksa). The essence of dharma is that one should do to others what one
would like others to do to oneself. Dharma controls instincts, impulses, desires, and emotions
with the help of reason. Dharma is usually distinguished into sadharana dharma and
varnashrama dharma. Sadharana dharma refers to the duties of universal scope and validity.
There are ten cardinal virtues known as sadharana dharma according to Manu: endurance,
patience, self-control, integrity, purity, restraint of senses, wisdom, learning, truth, and absence
of anger or non-violence. The varnasrama dharma refers to the duties of persons according to
the castes and the stages of life. Thus ‘dharma’ is considered to be a means for attaining
personality integration in the spiritual level or liberation.
Artha (Wealth): The term ‘artha’ generally indicates the attainment of riches and worldly
prosperity, advantage, profit, and wealth. It means the whole range of tangible objects that can be
possessed, enjoyed, or lost and which we require in our daily life for the upkeep of a household,
raising of a family, and discharge of religious duties. It helps in the satisfaction of material,
biological, and economic desires, for according to the sages, lack of wealth weakens the person
and leads him to adopting illegal and immoral ways to obtain satisfaction. By the term ‘artha’,
Kautilya in his book Artha Sastra IV 9 means both the economic and political aspects of man’s
life in the society. The materialistic aspects of life have great significance, because the absence
of the economic well-being of man is a great hindrance to the pursuit of personality integration
and a good life. Absence of economic well-being may also lead a man to adopt or to do immoral
deeds to satisfy himself. The Mahabharata stresses the great importance of wealth, saying that
poverty is a state of sinfulness. All kinds of meritorious acts flow from the possession of great
wealth. From wealth springs all religious acts, pleasures, and heaven itself. From wealth one’s
merit increases, but the man who has no wealth has neither this world nor the next. The man who
has no wealth does not succeed in performing religious acts. Kautilya in the Artha Sastra
recommends that the state should punish those who renounce the world without having first
satisfied the claims of society and family. Kautilya would not even allow ascetics to enter into
the villages of the kingdom, for fear that they may cause disturbance in the economic activities
of the villagers. They say virtues themselves are impractical without wealth. Without wealth
neither virtue nor desire can be won.
Kama (Satisfaction of desires): Kama is a comprehensive term, which includes all desires:
desires ranging from the cravings of the flesh and the yearnings of the spirit. Every man has got
certain physical and emotional desires and their fulfillment gives happiness. Man should only
gradually overcome the insistent cravings of the flesh. In the process of fulfilling the desires,
dharma has to be maintained and there should be proper means for the satisfaction of the desires.
There is always a clear emphasis on the enjoyment of secular pleasures along with the emphasis
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on the realization of spiritual values. Vatsyayana in his book Kama Sutra, gives a great treatise
on erotic enjoyment. It deals with the various aspects of sex life and the natural strivings of the
human heart. However, Vatsyayana suggests that the satisfactions of sexual desires are to be
followed with moderation and caution. The uniqueness of the concept of kama and enjoyment is
that all of them were to be related to the spiritual goal of human existence, and so the Indian
ethics insisted on a regulated enjoyment.
Moksha (Liberation): In every school of philosophy in India the first three purusharthas are
treated as the instrumental values, which directly or indirectly promote the parama purushartha
─ the highest values of human life, namely, moksha. Moksha is also known by other names such
as mukti, apavarya, kaivalya, and nirvana. The concept moksha has a negative as well as a
positive side. In its negative aspect it signifies complete freedom from sorrow and in its positive
aspect it stands for plenary happiness or bliss. In the Vedic age the idea of mukti was not in
evidence. What the Vedic man sought was length of days on earth, and life in heaven in the
company of the gods. But it was in the Upanishads for the first time, that we find the full-fledged
doctrine of mukti or liberation. This liberation is intimately bound with the karma samsara, the
doctrine of transmigration. Almost all Indian schools of thought accepted the theory of karma
and rebirth, and the ideal of moksha is conceived as liberation from the cycle of births and
deaths.
As an ideal, moksha is pursued by an individual as a personal value. It is a spiritual perfection
understood by the intellect, loved by the will, and actualized in daily life. It is understood as
jivanmukti in the Advaita Vedanta. The man who has attained liberation in this life is called
jivanmukta. Different schools propose different ways to attain moksha. The Advaita Vedanta of
Sankara holds that knowledge or jnana is the means of attaining moksha. Here moksha refers not
to a new state to be attained, but is the realization of what has always been, namely, the
realization of the Universal Self (Brahman), in one’s own self (Atman). For this, no morality is
needed. The dualistic and pluralistic systems insist that the bondage of the individual can be
removed by the bhakthi marga or path of devotion to God. There is another way promoted by the
Gita to attain the ultimate realization in life and liberation from the cycle of births and deaths,
which is known as Karma Yoga (Path of activity). The Gita has described this way as the method
of disinterested action (nishkama karma). To attain moksha one has to be freed from the bondage
of one’s own actions. So the Gita suggests the golden rule that actions should be done with the
spirit of non-attachment to their fruits.

2.7 SOCIAL STRATIFICATION (VARNASHRAMA DHARMA)

The Vedic scheme of life is known as varnasrama vyavasha. Varna-dharma stands for social
stratification. It is meant for the maintenance of social order, social progress, and social
harmony, along with personal harmony and personal progress. The Rg Veda uses the term
‘varna’ to mean skin colour. Here the division of human beings is made into Aryans and Dasas.
Those who are fair in colour are Aryans and those dark skinned are dasas. The term Varna is
derived from the root vr which means to choose or select. Varna indicates a particular group or
class in a society, classified as brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra. In purusa-sukta (Rg
X.90) the term vana is used to indicate the four functions in human society, in general. In
purusa-sukta we come across the terms brahmin, rajanya, vaisya, and sudra. But these terms are
used only to indicate the four functions of society in general and not as the four varnas.
According to purusa-sukta ,the whole universe is the manifestation of the universal self called
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purusa. The brahmin is the mouth; the rajanya is made of the arms; the vaisya is the thighs; and
the sudra is the feet. The mouth being the seat of speech stands for learning; arms for strength;
thighs for productive work; feet for other works of labour. So the four terms stand for the four
functions rather than the four varnas.

Caturvarnyam is mentioned in the Gita (catvarah varnah caturvarnyam). The classification is

made from three standpoints, namely, birth, character, and profession.

Category Brahmanas Ksatriyas Vaisyas Sudras

By Birth Born of Born of Born of Born of sudras

brahmanas ksatriyas vaisyas

By character Contemplative Selflessly Selfishly active Idle, dull

active

By occupation Scriptural Administration Commerce and Unskilled

education and and defence agriculture labour
priesthood

Varna based on jati or birth has become oppressive and exploitative today as the caste system.
Varna is based on one’s character, svabhava or guna as Vedic psychology is at the root of Vedic
sociology. According to Vedic psychology the human mind has three qualities, or propensities,
or temperaments. They indicate the innate nature of the individual. They are: sattva ─ non-
active, quality of purity, goodness, wisdom, and knowledge; rajas ─ active; tamas ─ inactive.
So varna is the process of selection by the individual for the development of his mind. It stands
for the psychological frame, bent, and direction of the human mind. The four varnas are the four
basic natures of the human being. It refers to the four orders of the society. It is an all embracing
classification of the human beings on the basis of propensities (pravrittis ─ enjoyment for life).
It does not stand for the professions of life (vrittis). One can change one’s profession but not
one’s innate nature. When varna is interpreted as a profession and not as a propensity, the jati or
caste system comes in. Vedic sociology speaks of a varna system and not a jati system. Social
stratification by ability or talent is varna. No varna is superior or inferior as it depends on one’s
qualities. Hence it stands for the spirit of egalitarianism.

The duties of each varna are as follows: Brahmins – teaching and studying the Vedas, sacrificing
for their own benefit and for others, and giving and accepting alms; ksatriyas – to protect the
people, to bestow gifts, to offer sacrifices, and to study the Vedas but not to teach; vaisyas – to
tend cattle, to bestow gifts, to engage in different professions, to trade, to lend money, to
cultivate land ,and to study the Vedas; sudras – to serve the above three varnas. The first three
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varnas are ordained to study the Vedas. So they have upanayana, i.e. the rite to study the Vedas.
They are called dvijas or twice born, who are trained in Vedic learning. Since they are not
mentally equipped, the sudras are prohibited from studying the Vedas. Therefore they are
denied upanayana. Yet they are not deprived of the fruits of Vedic knowledge. A sudra is
eligible for Vedic knowledge through secondary sources like the Puranas and the itihasas.
Though the first three varnas can study the Vedas, only brahmins are ordained to teach the
Vedas. The other two may study, but cannot teach the Vedas. A sudra’s son in whom the
propensities of a brahmin are found is a brahmin and not a sudra. A brahmin’s son in whom the
propensities of a sudra are found is a sudra and not a brahmin. That is, anyone can attain
brahminhood. Some examples are: Valmiki, Vyasa, Vasistha, and Narada. All were children of
sudras. Similarly, Visvamitra , though born a prince, became a brahmin rishi.

2.8 CONCEPT OF RTA

Rta is generally translated as ‘Cosmic Order.’ This cosmic order is to be understood not as a
fixed physical or mathematical law, but as a ‘sacrificial order. Cosmic order is maintained by
sacrificial order. It is through Rta that Varuna governs the universe. Rta is the ultimate
foundation of everything; it is the ‘supreme’. Rta is the ‘law’ or universal order embodied in
sacrifice. It is the expression of the primordial dynamism that is inherent in everything and also
possesses its own internal coherence, a unifying force that could be said to be the very soul of
sacrifice. Rta is the actual functioning, or rather, the proper rhythm of the sacrifice. By sacrifice,
gods and humans collaborate, not only among themselves but also for the maintenance and very
existence of the universe. Reality subsists, thanks to sacrifice.

2.9 DOCTRINE OF KARMA

The doctrine of karma may be stated as ─ whatever a man suffers or enjoys is the fruit of his
own deed, a harvest sprung from his own actions, or good or bad committed in his previous life.
Every deed leads to double result (phala) – pain or pleasure, according to the nature of one’s
deEd. Moral progress therefore depends on how we direct and regulate our tendencies to
actions. Everything that happens in the moral realm is pre-ordainEd. It gives the idea of Moral
Retribution. ‘Whatever we knowingly do, will sooner or later bring us the result we merit.
There is no escape, ‘what we sow, we must reap.’ The events of life are determined by an
antecedent cause. The Law of Karma is not mechanical, but is essentially ethical. Moral
education is to choose the order, order of karma. The Mahabharata says, consequences of what a
man does will seek him, later, surely as a calf does its mother in a herd of cows. Karma is of
four categories: 1) Sanchita Karma or the accumulated past actions 2) Prarabdha Karma which
is a part of Sanchita Karma, and this results in the present birth itself. This is also called pre-
destination 3) Kriyamana Karma or present willful actions or free will 4) Agami Karma or the
immediate results caused by our present actions. The theory of transmigration is a necessary
corollary of karma.

2.10 WAYS TO LIBERATIVE KNOWLEDGE

Vedic scriptural study can give us the direct knowledge involving oneself in three stages:
sravanam, mananam, and nididdhyasanam.
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Sravanam: It means enquiry into the scriptures with the help of a guru. Sravanam is not passive
hearing. It requires the full participation of the student and he has to travel along with the
teacher. The teacher is trying to communicate something which is not an object, but which is
one’s own true nature. In other words, consistent and systematic study of the scriptures for a
length of time under the guidance of a competent guru is sravanam. In other words, looking into
the scriptural mirror which the teacher shows me is sravanam. Initially when I start doing
sravanam I have lots of doubts but I should never ask questions. I will have to be patient.
Whatever question comes up should be kept in mind or written in a book with the hope that all
the questions will be answered as I understand more and more; as the teaching opens up new
vistas; as the unfolding starts revealing new information. The student should have faith in the
scriptures and the teacher for this. Therefore, no questions are allowEd. Just receive the whole
vision comprehensively. Let all the questions be there. Then having done comprehensive
listening for a length of time and having got all the aspects of the teaching, look back at your
questions. A painter cannot paint the whole picture in one stroke. The painting unfolds
gradually. Until the painting is over, don’t disturb the painter. Similarly sravanam should be
done for a length of time, setting aside all our doubts. Thereafter the teacher say, ‘now come on,
see if you accept the teaching; see if you are convinced’

Mananam: After sravanam, the student can come out with any number of questions. All the
doubts are let loose and all of them are attacked. This is called mananam. This continues until I
am convinced. There should not be any doubt or question. Once I have done sravanam and
mananam satisfactorily, I feel convinced that I can be independent. But as I have been addicted
to dependence for so long, I find it difficult to be independent. I have to try to give up all
dependencies just as a person addicted to smoking tries to give it up. I can help him by telling
him that he can live without smoking. Similarly, we have to learn to come out of all
dependences.

Nididhyasanam: The person addicted to smoking is slightly nervous about quitting it, as he has
been addicted to it for years. Hence, there is a doubt if he can live without it. There are
withdrawal symptoms and he has to train himself to handle them. This is the discovery of true
independence. This third stage is called nididhyasanam and through it the person learns to drop
dependences and be independent. Initially there is fear, and there are also withdrawal symptoms.
But later he finds that he can be happy without people around. He discovers he can live alone
too. In short, nididhyasanam helps in converting knowledge into emotional strength. Thus
through sravanam, mananam, and nididhyasanam, a person becomes jivanmuktah, a liberated
person.

2.11 LET US SUM UP

This unit has largely focused its attention on the general religious philosophy of Hinduism from
the Vedic perspective. Since we have other units dealing with the philosophy of various
traditions in India, we do not intend to repeat them here. The metaphysical thinking of Vedic
Hinduism is centered around the concept of the self as individual and supreme. The ethical
concepts are derived from the scriptures, primary and secondary texts. For liberation, knowledge
is said to be important.

2.12 KEY WORDS

 11

Purusarthas −Supreme goals of human life such as wealth, pleasure, virtue, and
liberation
Rta – Concept of order and regulation in the cosmos.
Sravanam – Knowledge obtained by listening to the teachings.
Nididhyasanam – Contemplative knowledge.

2.13 FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES

Anand M. Saxena, Hinduism: A religion for the modern age. Delhi: Konark, 2007.

Anthony Giddens, The Nation-State in the Global Age. Delhi: Institute of Social Science, 2007.

Antony Kolencherry, Universality of Modern Hinduism. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation,

1984.

Arvind Sharma, Ed. Why I am a Believer: Personal Reflections on Nine World Religions. New
Delhi: Penguin Books, 2009.

Heredia, Rudolf. Changing Gods: Rethinking Conversion in India, New Delhi: Penguin Books,
2007.

K. Satchidananda Murty, Preface, Hinduism and its Development. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld,
2007.

Kisanlal Sharma, Why?: Hindu Customs, Rituals and Rites. Delhi: Manoj Publications, 2009.

Klaus K. Klostermaier, Hinduism: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009.

M.L. Ahuja, Gurus: Ancient, Medieval and Modern. New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 2009.

Savarkar, V. D. Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? Bombay: Veer Savarkar Prakashan, 1989.

Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati, Essentials of Hinduism. Secunderabad: Brahma vidya

Kuteer, 2003.

Swami Tejomayananda, Hindu Culture: An Introduction. Mumbai: Central Chinmaya Mission

Trust, 2004.

Swamini Pramananda Saraswati, Vedic Dharma and Culture. Coimbatore: Surti Seva Trust,
2004.