Introduction
The Hindu doctrinology, first written down in a literature over 3500 years ago in epics and legends, is still alive all over that ancient land, in palace, temple, city and village. The wisdom, adventure and romance instilled in these beliefs are a part of the life and thought of most Indians even today. To understand this unique religion better it is necessary to study in some detail the progression of events from the earliest times when the first seeds of the distinctive Hindu pantheon germinated and became evident in the subcontinent to the present times.
Over millennia of turmoil in the Indian subcontinent, the majority Hindus among the Indian populace have had to adapt to different situations but have somehow retained their original identity by adhering to the beliefs incorporated in their religion. The early beliefs have been molded, sometimes even distorted, to reflect new social conditions, to accommodate the beliefs and customs of new rulers, or to fit in with new philosophical schemes. Over the millennia, invaders with superior military techniques have constantly streamed into the subcontinent, mainly from the northwest, and have been continuously assimilated into, with the exception of the Muslim invaders from the tenth century onwards, and have influenced the more advanced and deep-rooted cultures of the people they have conquered. Thus, this foreign influence, mostly benign, has multiplied the deities and beliefs making up the Hindu religion till it is a bewildering potpourri of gods, goddesses, sages, humans (the suras), demons (the asuras), even animals and strange beings, some of which are half human and half animal, and customs and practices, some of which are strange, to say the least. To the present day, the popular Hindu assertion is that there are 33 crores (330 million, 1 crore equivalent to 10 million) deities in their pantheon. Not one Hindu, not even the most devoted, knows all of them but the Hindu calendar is a day-by-day account of ritualistic worship, to one deity or another and, on some days, to several deities, with a particular period of the 24-hour day assigned to each deity.
Also, over its long history of evolution, Hinduism has been influenced and modified by reformist movements like Buddhism, Jainism and The Bhakti Movement, the movements themselves having been generated to moderate certain periodic extremism in the mainstream Hindu doctrines. For example, the Bhakti Movement, which looked upon one supreme being of love to provide salvation to all people, moved Hindu beliefs away from the older practices of worship through ritual sacrifice performed specifically by the priestly class, the Brahmins, towards a more personal devotion whereupon the devotee personally calls upon the supreme being through both thought and deed. This movement also, to some extent, polarized the Hindu pantheon towards a central deity, Vishnu, around whom the other deities evolved. This is not unique in that Hindu beliefs have always been enamored with the idea of one supreme creator, sometimes Brahma, sometimes Shiva, sometimes Vishnu, who lent being to all else but the sheer weight of that wonderful diversity of deities in the pantheon has always created confusion which has, periodically, obscured all previous attempts to impose a central focus of worship. From the earliest times, however, a rough triad of deities, presently Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar (another name for Shiva), has always persisted at the apex of worship.
Over the millennia to the present day, what has distilled through as Hinduism, one of the principal religions of the world with over a billion worshippers spread out across the globe, makes pleasant and interesting studying and a student will never cease to be surprised at the variety and unusualness of the subject as he or she makes progress.
Like all other religions, Hinduism also points out the paths of love and sacrifice as the way to salvation (moksha). Dharma (religion) is Karma (deeds). Through Karma alone can one escape the endless cycle of birth and death. Hinduism preaches transmigration of the soul. The soul is reborn as according to the deeds of a person in a life. Thus, a person who has sinned much may be reborn as a lower animal, a dog, cow, etc. in the next life. Conversely, a cow, dog, or any other animal, through good deeds in life, may be reborn as a human being. Originally castes were also used to determine the deeds of a person in his or her previous birth. We shall see how this initially simple belief, over the millennia, had evolved into a major evil in Hindu society till the caste system was officially banned by the Indian Government after India’s independence.
Thus, to explain more, Hinduism preaches karma (deeds) without expectation of rewards. Therein lies moksha – salvation from the cycles of birth and death. This is much like all other religions in the world and maybe this is why Hinduism, even after almost 3500 years of existence, has still maintained its preeminence as a world religion at the beginning of the 21st century.
As the primary attraction of Hinduism for the West are the practices of Yoga and Meditation these have been treated in such a manner that the student will be fully acquainted with their true purposes. This knowledge will in no way detract from the student approaching Yoga and Meditation with the aim of building up a sound body and mind but will only prepare the student to utilize these ancient Hindu practices more efficiently and knowledgeably.
As the student progresses through this course he or she shall be much regaled by revelations from within this intriguingly ancient religion!
Lessons
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