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ARTICLE : Spiritual Centre of Hindu Society
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: ARTICLE : Spiritual Centre of Hindu Society
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From: Prasad Gokhale <f0g1@unb.ca>
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Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 15:54:07 -0300
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In-Reply-To: <4svf4g$p05@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: University of New Brunswick
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References: <4sfgmh$jtp@babbage.ece.uc.edu> <4shpdo$bne@babbage.ece.uc.edu> <4svf4g$p05@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
Spiritual Centre of Hindu Society
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Each nation has its own key-note in life and marches ahead in tune with
that national ethos. Our Hindu nation has also preserved a unique
characteristic since time immemorial. This unique characteristic is a
spiritual centre of Hindu society around which its religious, cultural and
social life has revolved.
It was an active awareness of its spiritual centre which emboldened Hindu
society at the very dawn of its history, to explore all varieties of
religious experience, to evolve endless ways of worship, to express its
intellectual insights in many metaphysical points of view, to project its
genius in many forms of language, literature and art. It was the same
awareness which encouraged Hindus to experiment with cultural, social,
economic and political pluralism on a scale such as has been unknown to
any human society. The same awareness provided inner stability to Hindu
society in the midst of outer change, and proved its inexhaustible source
of strength in weathering the vicissitudes of worldly fortunes.
What is this spiritual centre of Hindu society?
Hindu seers and sages, as also scriptures, no matter to what Hindu sect
they belong, describe this spiritual centre as Sanatan Dharma which can be
loosely translated in English as the perennial Philosophy or the Permanent
Principle of Sustenance.
According to our Sanatan Dharma, the aspiration of the human soul (atma)
for Truth (satyam), Goodness (shivam), beauty (sundaram) and Power
(aishvarya) is inherent in every human being, everywhere and at all
times. The satisfaction of this aspiration is neither dependent upon nor
waits for a particular prophet or revelation. The spiritual aspiration of
the human soul can not come to rest till one overcomes all limitations of
human nature and emerges as master of oneself. The people who cultivate
mind and character are known as Aryas. Arya is a Sanskrit word signifying
a way of life which aims at elevating the individual soul through a
disciplined life to godhood i.e. raising an atma to mahatma stage and then
to the parmatma level. This is the aim and goal of life as described by
our scriptures.
Sanatan Dharma also stresses on adjustment of various individuals for a
harmonious corporate existence i.e. a good social order to hold the people
together. Man's life has to be attuned to the wider interests of the
people as a whole. Thus the establishment of Dharma means the building of
an organised social life wherein each individual has realised his oneness
with others in society and is imbued with a spirit of sacrifice to make
others' life richer and happier, and develops spiritual strength which
leads to the realisation of the Ultimate Truth - moksha.
According to Sanatan Dharma, one is free to take a start according to his
own individual stage of spiritual evolution and also free to follow along
the curve of his own cultural moorings and environment, his own
inclination and aptitude. One is free to describe the spiritual experience
in cryptic aphorisms or sonorous songs, or to say that it is
indescribable. It is the discovery not the description which is
significant according to the tenets of Sanatan Dharma.
It is this spiritual centre of Hindu society which has been the watershed
of many ways of worship, each with its own outer forms; many religious
sects, each with its own private and public rituals, each with its own
language and metaphor; and many metaphysical points of view, each with its
own ontology and ethics. They are like the several streams of crystal
clear water which spring from the same snow-clad Himalayan heights, which
becomes many revers as they meander through the plains with many villages
and towns on their banks, and which merge in the same great ocean to
become one wide spread of water once more. Such is the universalism
envisaged by our Sanatan Dharma.
