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An overview of Hinduism (Sanathana

Dharma)
By Dr. Arun Kumar Suri

Religion in general is a much misunderstood entity. Hinduism is

perhaps the most misunderstood of all. It is also called Sanathana
Dharma. It is an Indian religion. The word Sanathana in Sanskrit
means eternal and Dharma is the code of conduct to be followed by
human beings. Every person has to follow a code of conduct if we want
to have a civilized society.

The scriptures of Hinduism are voluminous and this may be one of

reasons for misunderstanding this Indian religion. It is not necessary
to read all the books in order to understand the basic tenets of
Hinduism.

It is very important to understand that Hinduism leads a human

being, step by step towards the ultimate goal of human life that is
realizing the spiritual nature of oneself. As people are in different
stages of evolution they need to be taught what is appropriate for that
stage.

Hinduism has laid down guidelines for different stages of life and
for people of different vocations. Unfortunately the caste system
advocated by Sanathana Dharma has been completely misunderstood
by people. There can be no society without the four castes mentioned.

Every country and every society has priests and intellectuals

(Brahmins), people in armed forces (Kshatriyas), business people
(Vaishyaas) and manual laborers (Shudras). It is a pity that in India
some sections of people have been exploited and humiliated for
centuries by the so called upper caste people. This is no less a crime
than that of racial discrimination seen in many developed countries.

The Bhagavadgita says that the four castes have been created
on the basis of qualities of people and their vocations. It is clearly
mentioned in the Indian scriptures that everyone is a Shudra by birth
and can become a Brahmin by his deeds. The word Brahmin actually
means one who has experienced the real nature of oneself.

People vary widely in intelligence levels and possession of skills.

The more intelligent and better endowed people have a social
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obligation to look after the welfare of the less intelligent and less
endowed. If this does not happen and instead there in exploitation
social upheaval is bound to follow.

The Indian scriptures have described four stages in the life of a

human being.

Brahmacharya: This stage includes childhood and adolescence and

lasts till marriage. During this stage a child should study and acquire
knowledge and skill, required to earn a livelihood and learn to respect
human values. He is taught the importance of values like honesty,
truth and respect for parents, teachers and elders. Knowledge is of
two types-secular and spiritual. Today spiritual knowledge is neglected
in schools. The scriptures describe four goals of human life. They are
Dharma-code of conduct which is based on human values and is
conducive to spiritual progress, Artha-acquisition of wealth, Kama-
fulfillment of desires within certain limits and Moksha-attaining self
realization. After studying all these aspects of life an adult is ready to
move into the next stage of life.

Grihastha (Stage of married life): Marriage is not just for physical

pleasure. Married people have many responsibilities and obligations.
During marriage the would-be couple is told to be loyal to each other
till the end. Man is responsible for earning and the woman is expected
to look after the household. It is her duty to look after the children and
the elderly people in the family. The word used for wife is Dharma
Pathni. Pathni means wife. She has to take the husband along the path
of Dharma. Money should be earned through moral and legitimate
means. A portion of the money earned should be earmarked for social
service (tax in modern world).

One of the most important duties of married people is the proper

upbringing of their children. Mother is hailed as the first teacher. It is
extremely important for parents to lay down a strong foundation for
good character. It has been the custom in India to encourage children
to read stories which have moral lessons. Today most of the children
are not getting adequate parental attention. They spend most of their
time watching comics and reading useless books. Often both parents
are away and children are exposed to many undesirable influences.
Children of working mothers are vulnerable to abuse. While today’s
woman need not spend all her time in the kitchen she should learn to
balance family life and her career. She should give first priority to her
family. It is also important for parents to ensure that children learn
about their duties and obligations. Everyone talks about human rights
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but neglects duties. If everyone discharges his duties properly the

rights of all people will be fully taken care of.

Vanaprastha: Though the word means living in a forest it need not

be interpreted literally. During this stage a person should contemplate
on the higher purpose of human life. After enjoying all the sensual
pleasures a person should realize the evanescent nature of sensual
pleasures and make an attempt to attain inner bliss which is
everlasting. He should gradually withdraw himself from worldly
activities.

Sanyasa (Stage of renunciation): Sanyasa does not mean simply

wearing particular type of clothes. It has more to do with the inner
attitude. A person in this stage is fully convinced that he is not the
body and has conquered the six inner enemies- lust, anger, greed,
attachment, egoism and jealousy. He sees himself in everyone and
loves all equally. He spends his time either in meditation or in doing
social service without expecting anything in return.

Because we have ignored all these injunctions we have increasing

divorce rate, delinquent children and uncared for old people. If
children do not get sufficient attention they are bound to go astray,
commit crimes and ruin society. It is extremely important to restore
the sanctity of marriage and family. In the modern world premarital
and extramarital physical relationships have become very common. If
parents lead immoral lives how can children follow the right path? How
can any society be healthy if families are disrupted?

After parents, teachers play a vital role in building character of

children. In India the word used for a teacher is guru. The word has a
profound meaning. It has been said that a guru is like the light of
wisdom, which dispels the darkness of ignorance. A guru is expected
to look upon his disciples as his own children. But today we have
teachers and self-proclaimed spiritual leaders who rape their students
and followers. What a steep fall!

The Indian scriptures declare that knowledge of the self alone is

the right knowledge. Though secular knowledge is also important
spiritual knowledge is more important. The disciples are exhorted to
speak the truth and follow Dharma. It is because people have given up
Dharma that the world is in such turmoil.
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The vedas (Indian scriptures) have described the goals of human

life as Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

The most important goal of life is Moksha or self realization.

Considering the varied nature of human beings the scriptures
advocate four paths for achieving this- Karma yoga, Bhakthi
yoga, Jnana yoga and Raja yoga.

Karma yoga: Karma means action. The scriptures have

described a number of rituals to be performed on different
occasions. These rituals keep the mind busy and prevent it from
going in wrong directions. That is why the scriptures say karma
purifies the mind. We are also urged to indulge in social service
without expecting any reward. By serving others we are
expanding our consciousness. It helps us to overcome egoism
and takes us closer to our real nature. Hence service to fellow
human beings is hailed as service to god because god resides in
every human being. A karma yogi sees himself in others and
tries to help them in whatever way he can.

Bhakthi Yoga: Bhakthi means devotion to God. Love

directed towards a particular form of God is called devotion. In
no other country can you find so many forms of God. Many
people misunderstand this and think that Hinduism teaches that
there are many gods. People eat different types of sweets. Some
do not like sweets which are relished by others. The source of
sweetness in all is sugar while other ingredients vary. Does it
make any sense to say that all people should eat only one kind
of sweet and all other sweets should be banned?

God is like the sugar and the various names and forms are like
the other ingredients. It is also important to remember that
devotion to a particular form of God is only a step towards self-
realization when the worshipper becomes one with the
worshipped.

This path is suited to those who are emotional in nature. They

express their devotion to god by singing hymns and worshipping.
Bhakthi yoga also teaches people to see their chosen form of god
in everyone and love everyone.

Jnana Yoga: Jnana means enlightenment. The Bhagavad

geetha extols Jnana saying that there is nothing comparable to it
in this world. It is defined as experience of the oneness of soul
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and the universal spirit. The Upanishads impart Jnana about the
self. Knowledge of the self alone is the right knowledge.

The scriptures encourage people to analyze the nature of the

world and oneself. There is no place for blind faith. They use
many parables to explain the nature of the world. The core of
the Indian scriptures is that this world of names and forms is
only an illusion and that God (Brahman) is the only reality. The
world is superimposed on God just as a piece of rope is mistaken
for a snake in semidarkness. Due to ignorance about the real
nature of the universal spirit it is perceived as the world.

The Upanishads describe the various states of human mind. In a

dream a person may see himself as driving a chariot. Where did
the chariot come from? It originated in the mind.

The experiences of the dream state are negated in the waking

state and vice versa. In the stage of deep sleep we do not
experience anything. The Upanishads point out that the soul is
beyond these stages. The soul does not sleep. It is a witness.
That is why a person says after getting up from sound sleep- “I
had a nice sleep. I do not know what happened”. How does one
know that nothing happened? The state of no activity has to be
witnessed. It is like watching a blank screen when no movie is
being projected.

There is a book titled discrimination between the seer and

the seen. An object is seen by the eye. With respect to that
object the eye is the seer. But we know that when a person is
absent minded be may not notice it even if the eye has seen.
The mind sees through the eye and with respect to the eye the
mind is the seer. In the stage of deep sleep the mind is inactive
but the soul never sleeps and is the eternal witness.

The soul is beyond the senses and the mind and is the ultimate
seer. That is why the Upanishads declare that God can never be
understood by senses or the mind. All the scientific methods are
useless in the pursuit of self knowledge. The Upanishads declare
that God is known to the unknown and unknown to the known.
This paradoxical statement implies that a person who thinks he
knows God is ignorant and one who has experienced it knows
not how to describe it.
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The sage Ramana maharshi advocated the path of self

enquiry. A person has to ask himself “who am I”. The human
body is a product of union of an ovum and a sperm. The
fertilized ovum goes on dividing and subdividing into hundreds of
thousands of cells which are organized to form the human body.
It is made of many parts. With which part can a man identify
himself? The sense of “I-ness” persists even when a man loses
some parts of the body. Hence it is clear that “I” cannot be a
body.

It is said that the cosmic spirit appears to have become the

world. But the spirit itself does not undergo any change. Then
how can it become the world. This is a mystery beyond human
comprehensions. The cosmic spirit is described as both the
material cause and the efficient cause. Just as a spider weaves a
web using itself the cosmic spirit creates the world out of itself.
The power of the cosmic spirit is known as Maya.

The advances in physics have enabled modern man to

understand the truth of ancient Indian scriptures. Einstein
revealed that matter and energy are inter-convertible thus
underlining the oneness of entire cosmos.

Raja Yoga: This is the path of scientific meditation.

Pathanjali describes Yoga as the control of thought waves. After
intellectually understanding the dream like nature of the world
and that one is not the body a person should try to directly
experience the truth. Mere theoretical knowledge of scriptures
will not give experience. The Ashtanga Yoga of Pathanjali (eight
steps of Yoga) describes the meditation techniques which help in
experiencing the real nature of the self.

1) Yama: This deals with a code of conduct for interacting with

others in the society. By following these guidelines a person
not only lives a socially acceptable life but also progresses
spiritually. It consists of the following injunctions.

A) Ahimsa or non-violence: By hurting others a person actually

hurts himself spiritually because the same spirit dwells in
every organism. Non-violence does not simply mean not
causing physical injury to other creatures. It also involves not
talking harshly and not thinking of doing any harm. It should
be practiced in thought, word and deed.
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B) Sathya or truthfulness: The nature of the spirit is truth. One

who is eager to realize the spirit should never give up truth.

C) Astheya or non-stealing: One should not be greedy but learn

to be happy with whatever one has.

D) Brahmacharya: This is a much misunderstood concept in the

field of spirituality. Many people interpret it as celibacy. But
the analysis of the word certainly does not refer to abstinence
from sex. The first part namely Brahma refers to the cosmic
spirit and the second charya means activity or mode of living.
So the word actually means living in such a way which is
conducive to realizing the highest truth.

Sexual urge is a normal phenomenon in human beings and is

necessary for propagation of species. It is neither good nor bad.
Any attempt to simply repress this urge will only do more harm
than good. As the sexual pleasure is very intense man naturally
gets attracted and can become obsessed with this.

In order to realize oneself it is essential to reverse the flow of

electrical impulses in the nervous system so that there are no
agitations in the mind. A person obsessed with sex will never be
able achieve this because the electrical impulses are always
going out. Hence it is necessary to have control over all the
sensual desires including the sexual desire.

But this can only be done gradually. Instead of worrying all the
time about abstinence (which in fact leads to obsession with sex)
a person interested in spiritual progress should keep himself
busy with studying spiritual books, listening to spiritual
discourses, social service, meditation and other activities
conducive to spiritual progress while enjoying sensual pleasures
including sex within healthy limits.

It is extremely important to remember that one should look

upon the mind as a friend and never as an enemy. That is why
the scriptures declare that the mind is the instrument
responsible for both bondage as well as liberation.

Hence spiritual aspirants should handle their minds very

cautiously avoiding all extremes. Instead of worrying about what
they should not think of or should not do they should adopt a
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positive attitude and concentrate on what they should do.

Understanding the nature of the senses and the mind and the
transitory character of the sensual pleasures will help in
restraining the mind.

E) Aparigraha: This means not accumulating those worldly

objects which are unnecessary. There are many people who
simply want to possess the costliest objects available. They
make their lives miserable trying to get those things instead of
being happy with what they already possess.

2) Niyama: This deals with personal code of conduct. It

consists of the following.

A) Shaucha: This means purity. It consists of both

external and internal purity. Internal purity consists of
controlling the six inner enemies.
B) Santosha or contentment: One should try to be happy
with what he has without aspiring to get too many
worldly objects. This world keeps on changing showing
different things at different times. Many people get
carried away by their senses and try to acquire as
much wealth as possible so that they can buy
everything they want. But happiness can never come
from outside.
C) Tapas or austerity: This consists of spiritual practices
like meditation or chanting devotional hymns.
D) Swadhyaya or self study: This is interpreted as reading
of scriptures which help one to attain self realization. It
also means watching one’s mind. One should be able to
watch the mind objectively without getting affected by
the thoughts which pass across the mind.
E) Ishvarapranidhana or surrender to god: This means
overcoming one’s ego and completely giving oneself to
the cosmic spirit.

3) Asana: Asana means posture. One should sit in a comfortable

position in order to meditate. Bodily discomfort interferes with
meditation and prevents the person from overcoming body
consciousness. It is essential to keep the back straight while
meditating. This facilitates the smooth flow of the life force in the
spinal cord.
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Those who can squat can sit in the lotus posture (padmasana) or
semi lotus posture. Those who cannot squat can meditate sitting
on a chair.

4) Pranayama: Pranayama means the control of life force. Some

people get confused between breath and life force. Life force is
the energy which is responsible for all body functions. It
manifests as electrical activity in the nervous system which
controls all the tissues of the body.

The activity of the mind also depends on the life force. Life force
is not under our direct control. There is a relationship between
the life force and breathing. Both physical activity and mental
agitation affect the rate of breathing. If a person is angry or
agitated his breathing becomes faster and if he is calm the
breathing becomes slower. Indian yogis discovered that by
controlling our breath we can control the life force and the mind.
If we breathe slowly and deeply for some time the mind
becomes calm.

A simple exercise which anyone can do is to observe the

movement of the breath. The mind should be focused on the
incoming and outgoing breath without trying to voluntarily
control the breathing in any way. When this is practiced for a
prolonged time the breath automatically stops for a few seconds
and the person experiences intense peace of mind. No attempt
should be made to forcefully stop breathing.

5) Pratyahaara: This means withdrawing the life force from the

senses. The soul interacts with the external world through the
five senses. As long as a person is busy with the input from the
senses he will never be able to experience his real self. Hence it
is essential to prevent the life force from going out.

Paramahansa Yogananda explains in his lessons on Kriya yoga

that with the regular practice of Kriya yoga an elecro-magnetic
field is created around the spinal cord. This field withdraws the
electrical impulses from the senses thereby cutting off the soul’s
connection with the external world.

6) Dharana: This means focusing the mind on one object without

suffering from distraction.
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7) Dhyana: This is an extension of dharana. In this state the

yogi is able to intensely focus his attention on his chosen form of
god. Instead of a form he may focus on sound.

8) Samadhi: This is the highest stage of yoga. In this state the

person becomes completely one with the universal nameless and
formless spirit. In this state all the body functions come to a
standstill.

Miracles: Miracles have fascinated humans since

prehistoric times. A miracle simply reflects operation of
principles not known to majority of people of that time. There
was a time when the concept of remote sensing and remote
control was not known to the average man.

As a person progresses spiritually he may acquire

miraculous powers. These powers are actually the byproducts of
self realization and are mentioned only to warn the aspirant not
to get carried away by them. Misuse of such powers can cause
immense damage to the aspirant. Various miraculous powers are
described. Patanjali describes astha siddis or eight miraculous
powers.

Anima: Anu means atom and anima is the ability to make

one’s body extremely small.

Mahima: This is the opposite of anima and is the ability to

make one’s body very large.

Laghima- Laghu means light and laghima is the power to

render one’s body almost weightless.

Garima: This is the opposite of laghima and is the ability to

make one’s body very heavy.

Prapthi: This is the ability to acquire any material object in

the world.
Prakamya: This means the ability to satisfy any desire one
has.

Ishitva: This is the power of lordship. A person with power

can create new things, sustain them and also make them
disappear.
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Vashitva: This is the ability to bring anything under one’s

control.

In fact a fully accomplished yogi can become omniscient,

omnipresent and omnipotent.

Other miraculous powers which have been given specific

names are as follows.

Parakaya pravesa: An advanced yogi can enter into the

body of another person. By entering a dead body he can bring it
back to life. This has been described in the life of Adi
Shankarachary. Swami Rama has also mentioned one such
incident in his book.

Kama rupa: The yogi can assume any form he wants. It

may be that of another human being or that of any creature.

Modern science and paranormal phenomenon

Many strange incidents have baffled scientists for a long

time and at last a separate term called Paranormal Phenomenon
was coined to document such events which cannot be explained
on the basis of current scientific knowledge. Though many of
these have been described in the ancient Indian scriptures
modern scientists simply turned a blind eye and deaf ear to
these phenomenon for a long time.

At last they have started giving specific names to such

special abilities of humans. The term Parapsychology is used for
the study of special psychic powers possessed by some people
while Paranormal Phenomenon also includes study of ghosts,
UFOs, near death experiences and other strange events.

Clairvoyance: This is the ability to see things beyond

one’s field of vision.

Clairaudience: This is the ability to hear sounds not

within the range of normal hearing.

Psychokinesis: This is the ability to move objects without

touching them using the power of the mind.
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Telepathy: This means reading the minds of others.

Teleportation: This means transporting an object from

one place to the other using mental energy. This involves de-
materializing the object and then making it materialize in
another place.

Precognition: This is the ability to know what is going to

happen in future.

Levitation: This is the ability to suspend oneself in midair

against the force of gravity.

Though it is very tempting to acquire these powers one

should resist the temptation. Only those exceptionally advanced
people who have completely merged themselves with the cosmic
spirit and have fully conquered the six inner enemies can use
these powers for the benefit of others.

They occasionally use these powers to instill faith in people

and motivate them to progress spiritually. There are two
excellent books written by people who lived in recent times and
personally witnessed miracles and documented them for the
sake of humanity. One is Autobiography of a Yogi by
Paramahansa Yogananda and the other Living with the
Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama.

Law of karma and reincarnation

These two are interlinked. Karma simply means action but the
phrase “law of karma” refers to the cosmic principle of action and
reaction. We reap what we sow. Every person has to reap the
consequence of his acts. The operation of this law can be observed in
our daily lives. But sometimes a direct relationship may not be
obvious. If we help other people they will try to help us. But
occasionally those whom we help try to harm us. This does not negate
the law of karma. Man abuses the free will and the operation of this
law is influenced by many factors.
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Modern science is not able to explain everything. For example why

is a person born blind? Science may explain how this blindness was
caused but cannot explain why it happened to a particular person.

As the law of cause and effect appear to operate everywhere it has to

operate in the case of congenital blindness also. That person should
have caused blindness in another person in the past life. If we accept
reincarnation we can explain many things which cannot be explained in
any other way. Reincarnation is widely accepted in India but people in
many countries are still skeptical.

Several strange events have been well documented which lend

credence to the concept of reincarnation. A child suddenly starts
talking in a language which he never had any opportunity to learn in
his present life and goes on to describe his previous life and the
circumstances which led to death. Those facts have been verified and
found to be true. Doctors at NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental
Health And Neurosciences) a prestigious institution in India have
documented such events.

Child prodigies also support reincarnation. Some children master

some branch of knowledge considered difficult for even an above
average adult. Some children start giving musical concerts at a tender
age. Perhaps they were musicians in earlier lives. Some take up
meditation at an age when they are expected to spend most of their
time playing. How can we explain these phenomena without accepting
re-incarnation?

The Indian scriptures declare that the one universal spirit becomes
many to love itself. The different souls encased in different bodies are
like the spaces enclosed in different pots. The space inside a pot
though appears to be limited is yet one with the all pervading space.
Every soul evolves through countless incarnations till it realizes its real
nature.

Having attained complete self realization the soul in free and is not
bound by any cosmic law. Such a soul is not forced to come to this
earth to work out any karma but can do so at will. The cardinal
message of ancient Indian scriptures is that God alone is the truth and
this world is only an illusion. Every soul is a reflection of the same
spirit.

This world is somewhat like a drama where we forget our real

nature and identify ourselves with the roles we play. At some point of
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time we are forced to ponder over our real nature and realize it.
Usually the calamities in one’s life coming as a rude shock shake a
person out of the dream and put him on the way to self-realization.

It is very important to remember that the teachings of the ancient

Indian scriptures do not reject the messages of other religious
scriptures. A Hindu has no difficulty in accepting Jesus Christ or the
concept of Allah because all these are encompassed by the Indian
scriptures.

The scriptures have described God as nameless and formless spirit

but also say that the spirit can come down to earth in the form of a
human being. It is worth recalling the life of one of the greatest mystic
saints of India-Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

He lived like a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim and declared that

all the paths lead to the same goal. The Indian scriptures have been
loudly proclaiming since time immemorial that Truth is one but the
wise call it by different names. If this message spreads to every nook
and corner of the world people will perhaps stop fighting and killing
each other in the name of religion.