[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
The Values of Hindu Culture for the World
Shubhashito
PART VI
...... There are those who do not like the term "Hindu culture" and
would prefer the more general term "Indian culture." To them the term
Hindu connotes a religious limitation but Indian is more embracing of
the diverse culture of the subcontinent. However the culture of India
is primarily Hindu and Sansktitic. Even the Buddhists, Jains and
Sikhs, and to some extent the Muslims and Christians of India, have
followed a Hindu or Sanskritic type culture.
The music of India is Hindustani, based upon Hindu and Sanskrit works
going back to Sama Veda. The dance is based upon Hindu temple dance.
The native medicine, Ayurveda, is rooted in the Vedas themselves, as
is the astrology, Jyotish. The poetry and drama traditions revolves
around Hindu mythology. The exercise tradition of Hatha Yoga is
rooted in the religious sadhana tradition. The literature and
philosophy all looks backs to Sanskrit , which derives from the Vedas.
The spirit and forms of the religion permeate all aspects of Indian
culture, far more than Christianity permeates the culture of Europe
which contains considerable pre-Christian Greco-Roman and
post-Christian Western intellectual influences.
Unfortunately many modern Hindus are rushing to embrace a superficial
Western culture, imitating its more mundane forms of thought and
expression. This may be a great loss not only for India but for the
whole world. There are enough people in the world exploring mass media
culture, writing superficially about political affairs or common human
emotions. There are enough students studying Western philosophy and
art. How many educated Hindus know Shakespeare and how many know
Kalidas and Bhatruhari, Indian poets and men of spiritual realization
whose knowledge of consciousness dwarfed not only that of Shakespeare
but that of Einstein? Why aren't there Kalidas festivals in India
comparable to the Shakespeare festivals in England and other English
speaking countries?
Why should the youth of India focus their studies on Western thinkers
while much greater figures in the culture of India are ignored
throughout the world? Why should they emulate such thinkers as Marx,
Kant or Freud, when they have those from Shankara to Sri Aurobindo,
who could contain the entire minds of all these Western thinkers in
one corner of their vaster awareness? India's place is to pour forth
the glory of the spirit through every cultural form. It should not
merely conserve but also renew and expand its great spiritual cultural
heritage, and allow the rest of the world to benefit from it. For this
Hindus must show their dedication to Hindu culture , not as a form of
national culture but as a form of world culture. To do this they must
be willing to express their culture to the world, not as cultural
propaganda but as the gift of the heart. This does not mean that
Hindus should not use computers or other technological advances but
they should use them to develop their own spiritual culture, not to
adopt a less evolved Western civilization.
Today there is little real culture left in the world anywhere. Modern
pop consumer culture is taking over in every country, except where
fundamentalist religion holds on with its rigid and sterile forms.
Western intellectual and artistic culture has been in decline for
severel decades. Yet this cultural vaccume is a great opportunity for
a spiritual culture, such as that of India, to move in. However for
this to occur Hindus must awaken to their mission and look at their
heritage in its universal relevance. This is one of the most important
endeavors of the coming century. Perhaps as Westerners like myself
come to appreciate Hindu culture, which is like the grace f the Divine
Mother, Hindus themselves will begin to recognize and once more use it
in a creative and beneficial way for all.
From "The value of Hindu culture for the world" pp208
Book: "Arise Arjuna" by Dr. David Frawley
Chandan
cbando@lynx.neu.edu
****************************************************************************
* "This life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they *
* alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive" *
* - Vishwa Vivek *
****************************************************************************
