Making India Truly Hindu

As we all know, culture is the backbone of any nation. India has to identify and nourish a culture of its own not alien to its soil. By blindly following the western concepts of secularism and democracy, India has neglected its cultural character, which is based on the wisdom-tradition of its rishis and sages. In some western democracies, the Church may not have any direct role in governance, but they continue to swear by the gospel and stand behind Christianity, while allowing religious freedom to others, who do not believe in Christianity. However, in India, the State shies away from identifying with its ancient spiritual and cultural identity. It is not just because of a hollow interpretation of secularism and democracy. There are internal contradictions in Hinduism itself that prevent the Indian state to identify with Hinduism.

The cultural and spiritual identity of Bharat is not Judaic, Christian or Islamic, but Hinduism, as long as India remains a Hindu majority country - forget that India is the ancient-most civilization which gave birth to Hinduism and followed it for ages and ages. Sadly, the Hindus have been denied of their legitimate right to proclaim and uphold the unique cultural and religious identity of their mother land by the Nehruvian politicians left behind by the colonialists. The prevailing anti-Hindu political ideologies such as Marxism, Communism and pseudo Secularism are only the bye-products of this political misdirection. The colonialists and their agents have succeeded to mangle Hindus in such a way that the Hindus mock their own religion and culture. The Hindus have to be rescued from this cultural hara-kiri and spiritual stupor. This is the biggest civilizational challenge India faces today.

While some of the oldest civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Rome and others have withered away, the Indian civilization has survived for long adapting itself to the changing times. It shows the great strength and vision of the rishis and sages, on whose philosophy the Indian culture is based. Their worldview is founded on universal spiritual verities. Realizing the divine nature of life, they taught that Atma (one’s self or consciousness) can evolve to divine status through various incarnations. Truth is universal, therefore, the rishis never promoted an exclusive theory of religion. There cannot be a Hindu God, then a Christian or Islamic God. They conceived God as Pragyanam Brahm (Eternal Consciousness) or Sat-Chit-Ananda (Truth, Consciousness and Bliss), which transcends all dualities, name and form.

Attracted by the beauty of Indian thought and culture and the richness of the land, great travelers like Megasthenese, Fa Hien, Huen Tsang and others visited India. In a letter Huen Tsang wrote to a Buddhist monk in Magadha in 654 AD, Huen Tsang mentions that he carried a horse-load of scriptures to China for the study of Indian culture, philosophy and religion.  Thousands of students came to study in the ancient universities of Nalanda and Takshashila and carried the teachings of Indian sages on varied subjects such as metallurgy, textiles, medicine, surgery, mathematics, aviation, and of course, philosophy and spirituality to their countries. Thus Indian culture and philosophy had influenced the world from the very ancient times. Francois Voltaire rightly mentioned that ‘everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges…’

However, the pertinent question is why India has lost its olden glory. Here lies the need to examine what had gone wrong with the nation’s culture and spiritual heritage. There is a need to reinterpret and reinvigorate India’s ancient heritage. From the spiritual practices of Dwapara and Treta Yuga, Hindus have to evolve into the spiritual vision of Kali Yuga, the concluding era in a chaturyuga cycle (consisting of satya, treta, dwapara and kali yuga). Kaliyuga is the period of great spiritual churning. In Kaliyuga, the spiritual practices followed in Treta and Dwapara yuga become redundant and ineffective. Kali yuga is the age of enlightenment and supramental evolution under a Guru of transcendental realization. In Kali yuga souls get purified and perfected and these souls are promoted to the next chaturyuga beginning with Satyayuga to become perfect divinities, enjoying uninterrupted divine bliss. By clinging on to the spiritual practices of bygone ages, human beings limit their spiritual evolution. The cataclysms and attacks on Hinduism since the onset of Kali yuga about 5200 years ago after the time of Sri Krishna are related to this yuga-parivartan or aeonic change, which the Hindus are yet to be aware of. The main difficulty before Hindus in accepting the wisdom-tradition seems to be their difficulty in rallying behind a strong spiritual leadership forgetting caste, clan and regional boundaries.

Hinduism is attacked mainly because of two reasons: One is its polytheism, the veneration of trimurti gods (Brahma,Vishnu and Maheshwara) and other devi-devas instead of Brahman, the Almighty God. The learned as well as the ignorant are trapped in the puranic version of Hinduism that places gods and goddesses at the altar of veneration. Besides its weak rational foundation, this type of worship fragments the masses spiritually and socially. The votaries of this system, mainly the orthodox Brahmins justify the tradition and would not tolerate any attempts at its reformation as they are the only ones to lose by way of profession and social privileges. Thus the Buddha, Mahavira, the Sikh Gurus, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and others had to leave Hinduism and many millions converted. This is not to suggest that all Brahmins are against the reformation of Hinduism. On the contrary, some of the greatest reformers of Hinduism have been the Brahmins themselves.

The worship of devi-devas was popularized through the puranas, which are part of mythology written down for mass consumption of various sects in Hinduism. Each sect contradicts the other while promoting their ishta-devata over the other. For the Saivites, Siva is the Lord of creation, while for the Vaishnavites it is Vishnu. There are yet other gods like Surya, Ganapati as well as the Devi of Sakteyas who claim the role of creation. This spiritual fragmentation has led to inimical social groupings in a subtle way often leading to suicidal enmity and clashes, wherein the downfall of one group is desired by the other. The Hindus who work for the triumph of Hinduism should realize that this spiritual fragmentation stands in the way of Hindu unity, which is a precondition for making India a truly Hindu nation.

The Hindu philosophy (Sanatana Dharma) is not based on the mythology in the puranas. Its base can be said as the Upanishads, the jnana portion of the Vedas and the philosophical sciences such as Sankhya, Vedanta, Yoga, Nyaya etc. all of which speak about God in terms of Atman, Purusha or Brahman, the Absolute God Principle, which is contradictory to the creation theories in the puranas. The puranas portray Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara or Devi as the authorities of creation. In the same puranas as well as in the Vedas and Upanishads, it can be seen that the gods themselves were secondary creations of Brahman. Even the god Brahma has to meet with his end, say the puranas. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara were the spiritual authorities of previous yuga-cycles. The puranic myths glorify the history pertaining to a remote past, which cannot be relived now. Moreover, the spiritual incumbency of trimurty ends with the onset of Kaliyuga. It is said that even the gods and angels are eager to be born In Kali yuga, especially in Bharata Varsha for working out their liberation through the great preceptors who would be born in this age. In Kaliyuga human beings are able to perform the feats what gods had performed in earlier ages. Man has much evolved than the gods. Like the great god Siva did with his third eye, today man can destroy the whole earth with the press of a button. He can go to different planets using vehicles equivalent to the ones used by devas. Therefore, the worship of devas in Kali yuga would not yield any special boons to the worshippers because human beings in Kaliyuga are endowed with greater spiritual prowess. Those who worship still lower spiritual entities such as ghosts, goblins and other evil powers are sure to lose their human character and beauty.

This is not to deny the existence of devas nor their exalted spiritual status. Devas are splendorous spiritual entities inhabiting the heavenly plane (swarga). They are the embodiment of ashta aishwaryas, the eightfold riches and fortunes. By worshipping them and by living a life of dharma, one can no doubt attain heavenly pleasures here and hereafter. But there is one problem. They can enjoy this paradise only until the exhaustion of their punya. Once the punya is exhausted this person is expelled from the heavens to be born again, one does not know in what wombs (ksheene punye marthya lokam visanthi, ref Bhagavat Gita). Sri Sankara refers this vicious circle as ‘punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi janani jattare sayanam, iha samsare bahu dustarre….. (there is the chain of births and deaths; man is born in the mother’s womb again and again; this worldly existence is very difficult to transcend). Only after transcending the celestial plane of devas and angels, one can experience the real joy of spiritual realization, declare the rishis. However, no mahatmas or prophets in this Kali yuga could transcend the most perilous and treacherous plane of the celestials including those prophets who negate the devi-deva tradition. That is another story which resembles the star-wars.  

The Upanishads say: ‘the face of Truth is hidden by a golden vessel’. The golden vessel compared here is the splendorous world of the gods and angels, the seventh heaven. Kali yuga is the age to transcend this plane, which is the yuga dharma or the requirement of this age. According to the philosophy of Hinduism, the Supreme Truth is above the heavenly plane; therefore it becomes difficult to accept the authority of gods as the ultimate way of spiritual redemption. The strife between the inner sects in Hinduism as well as other religions has arisen because it promotes the worship of gods and angels, which limits man’s spiritual potential to the notion of heaven, which also happens to be the ultimate goal of Christianity and Islam. Christianity and Islam have a half-baked theory of creation. Since they do not entertain the idea of transmigration of souls, they do not accept the truth of spiritual evolution through the guidance of different preceptors, who incarnate from time to time in the long cycles of yugas. Hindus can never accept the view that only through the teachings of Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed the human race can be redeemed. In fact, no other religions have caused and continue to cause so much violence and bloodshed than Islam and Christianity because of the bigoted view of religion.

Fortunately, Hindus are the descendents of the great rishis who spoke about a universal religion, the Sanatana Dharma, whose principles are extolled as the highest peak of mystical experience. However, the Hindus have never come to terms with such a lofty religion of the rishis because of the corruption occurred over the ages. It is time the Hindus sit down and introspect in order to meet the challenges before their ancient-most religion, which happens to be the most peaceful and contemplative life science with a universal applicability.

Second is the caste gradation of Hindus, which divides them into socially fragmented groups. Religion unites people, but Hinduism created fissures among its adherents by the caste classification. We can find that the original inhabitants of India never instituted any caste system. It began with the ancient Vedic priests (yagnikas), who considered themselves as racially superior. They devised caste system in order to protect their racial purity and to exercise control over the people, whom they brought under subjugation. It is one of the earliest instances of colonialism in per-historic times, similar to the conquests of native populations by white Europeans in the continents of America, Africa and other places. Although, some Indians try to prove that Aryans were not different from the native Indians, all evidence suggests that it was a racially conscious group, which injected this poison into the Indian society. One may make any number of arguments for and against the Aryan invasion theory, but the truth is apparent and cannot be erased from the canvas of Indian history.

The otherwise lofty teachings in the scriptures are marred by the deification of a particular caste, the Brahmins. Again, instead of questioning its irrational foundation, some Hindus are eager to prove that caste system is good. No government would be able to promote the study of Hindu scriptures in schools and colleges despite its great treasure house of knowledge; it is because of the unequal and objectionable caste hierarchy in them. In almost all the scriptures, the Brahmin is eulogized to the level of a god, and the sudra is condemned without any privileges in the society. This hidden apartheid in the body of Hindu scriptures prevents it being accepted universally. It is naive to believe that the scriptures available now are the original work of Vyasa and other rishis. These scriptures have been manipulated and interpolated during subsequent redactions by the Brahmin editors. What one can do to make the Hindu scriptures universally acceptable is to remove the caste references in it. The word ‘brahmana’ in the scriptures should be replaced by ‘sage’, ‘brahma jnani’, ‘sadhu,’ ‘sanyasi’, ‘guru’ etc. The real meaning intended in the scriptures by the word ‘brahmana’ is brahma Jnani or a sage, who are realized souls. But, in the subsequent editions over the ages the pundits have deliberately used the words ‘brahmin’, ‘dwija’ etc. which has a definite caste connotation. Moreover, many stories have been incorporated in the puranas and epics that speak of cruel punishment for violation of caste laws. An example is the story of the killing of Shambhuka, a sudra sanyasi by Sri Ram. This is a concocted story incorporated in the Ramayana for legitimizing caste laws. Sri Ram, the supreme Guru of Treta Yuga was beyond all caste discrimination. In Ramayana, he is seen venerating Sabari, a sudra woman ascetic.

All sensible Hindus should think whether these types of stories and caste gradation would foster Hindu unity, leave alone the question of attracting other people to Hinduism. Conversion of other people to Hinduism is not possible because of the caste gradation. A few westerners who embrace Hinduism do not follow the traditional Hinduism; they follow only the path of jnana or yoga under the guru-sishya tradition, which is the real core of Sanatana Dharma. Brahmanical Hinduism remains like a parasite on the tree of Sanatana Dharma. India can regain its olden glory only by uniting its people spiritually and socially, for which there should be an internal discussion among the Hindu leadership regarding the true foundation of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) and its principles.

Traditionally, Hindus believe that the Vedas are the only authority in the matters of Hinduism. However, Vedas are bound to Yuga Dharma, i.e. they are age-specific. The sages in every age receive the revealed 'word' from Brahman, which is a catalog of spiritual principles and duties to be followed in a particular yuga. With the change of yuga, the sages again receive the Veda or the ‘Word’ from Brahman regarding the spiritual duties. This was how in Treta Yuga Sri Ram was worshiped and in Dwapara Yuga Sri Krishna was worshiped as the spiritual authorities of those ages relegating the Vedic gods (Indra, Varuna, Vayu, Agni, etc.) to the background. Their words and deeds were the moral code for the people. Spiritual truths were conveyed by them. The teachings of Sri Ram and Sri Krishna are available even now in the form of Jnana Vasishtam (Vasishta Ramayan) and Bhagavat Gita (also Udhava Gita, the last word of Sri Krishna to Uddhava ) respectively. Therefore, what the divinely commissioned sages reveal in this Kali yuga are the Vedas or the dharma shastra to be followed now.

In every age, a Trikala Jnani Guru takes birth in Bharat Varsha, the sacred land of rishis. They would appear by divine design and would lead us forward at the appropriate time, if and when we are ripe enough to receive their message. Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru was one such sage who tried to sensitize the people about the rich wisdom-tradition. The spiritual flowering of humanity has to take place through newer spiritual masters. We have to open our heart and heed their words of wisdom. We have to share the burden of improving the life of downtrodden and uphold the dignity and importance of women as well as sensitize them spiritually. This can be possible only by liberating the people from retarding cultural practices and exploitation in the name of religion. In order to infuse new life into the culture of the nation, it is very essential that the society be guided by the wisdom of a sage or Trikala Jnani Guru. Whenever the people of India absorbed the wisdom of its sages, it had risen to great heights and whenever it failed to do so, it fell into the depth of great moral and physical decadence. The present spiritual decadence of India is related to this spiritual perplexity.

The real enemies of Hinduism are internal. The new generation of children is not going to accept any irrational beliefs and practices. Already, the majority of Hindus remain Hindus for the namesake, having lost all sense of their religion. We should not be complacent and wait to see the complete alienation of our children from their cultural and spiritual moorings. It is difficult for Hindus to forget the temple tradition and caste gradation. However, they would be doing great injustice to the sages and rishis if they do not spiritually upgrade themselves by respecting the concept of yuga-parivartan or yuga-dharma by following the Jnana path through the medium of a transcendental Guru Parampara. When the Hindus are thus able to respect and rally behind a blameless spiritual leadership, they would have advanced one step forward in transforming India into a mighty Hindu nation. The followers of all other religions, including the Christians and Muslims ought to respect the Yuga dharma, which is the key to the door of a universal religion.

Mukundan P.R.

A New Spiritual Movement to Save India

The sage tradition representing Sri Krishna, Sri Buddha and Mahavir endeavored to uplift the masses from the quagmire of tradition that continues to confine them within prehistoric cults, moral values and objects of worship belonging to former ages retarding and deforming them spiritually. Educating and civilizing such ‘savage’ and heathen races and converting them to their ‘superior’ monotheistic religion and culture formed ‘the white man’s burden’ and the excuse for colonialism in the past. However, the truth is far from that. The so called western culture has been hegemonic and exploitive of the poor nations and peoples and has produced a corrupt and hollow human civilization bringing degradation in all walks of life including culture and morality. It has never been able to resuscitate the human race spiritually in its true sense. The mere evangelic preaching of the self-sacrifice and love of a compassionate God or forcing one’s religion on others would not help humanity’s transition to a new age of spiritual transformation.

The Guru-Word seeks to liberate individuals from the spiritual morass of ages that continues to pollute life and vitiate the social fabric. Beliefs and practices when outlive their tenure and age-specific dynamism stifle human aspirations and arrest spiritual growth unless renewed and reinterpreted from time to time by the wisdom tradition represented by great sages and avatars. The significance of the Guru Vani, the spoken Word of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru is immense in this age of socio-cultural turmoil. There is nothing beyond the Guru-Word for deliverance which has flowed down from Brahman, the Supreme Light. The Guru-Word sanctifies the pollution in our life and helps us to understand ourselves, our tradition and belief systems in a new age-specific perspective that is so liberating. For the same reason, the Guru said that His path is the Vimochana Matam, i.e. the Liberating Dharma.

The Guru-Word dusts away the dirt and pollution accumulated over the ages on the surface of tradition and beliefs of the forefathers and discovers for them the true basis of their ancient-most faith and culture, to which all forms of Gnostic and monotheistic beliefs in the world owe a debt. However, it might be a paradox to say so because of the long history of distortion and deviation the Indian spirituality is subjected to by its own votaries. The idea of a Single God and the Guru, the God in human form (as the medium between man and God) is central to Indian spirituality like any other monotheistic religions. The Guru Word re-affirms more emphatically what Sri Krishna said some five thousand years ago: 

Give me your whole heart,     

Love and adore me,   

Worship me always,

Bow to me only,

And you shall find me;

This is my promise,

Who love you dearly; 

Lay down all duties in me, your refuge,

Fear no longer, for I will save you

From sin and from bondage.                          

This is the assurance of the Guru to His followers. The very theme that underlines the corpus of Guru-Word is unmistakably the same. Follow the Guru-Word and the Guru Dharma that has been gifted to us as the invaluable gift of God for this age. Guru did not like to utter or act like a prophet who declares his prophet-hood himself, in keeping with the self-denial and self-effacing character of the age-old rishi tradition. However, the Almighty gave Guru’s disciples the divine eyes as it were to see for themselves the sameness of God in Guru through revelations and visions by which they realized beyond the clouds of doubt that in Guru was both the Will of God and the Word of God. 

Once an Islamic scholar from Delhi posed a question to the Guru; ‘Are you a Prophet? ‘I did not say so’, said the Guru to him. This scholar went away with the mistaken notion that Guru was like any other crowd-pulling god-men of India. Guru was not a messenger of God like Prophet Mohammad, he argued. It is true that Guru is not a prophet because with Prophet Mohammad, the prophetical tradition had come to an end, which Islam also asserts. In this age, the humanity needs to be guided by a Far-sighted Seer. Guru often talked about His role as a Far-Sighted Seer or Deergha Darshi, an Authority of Age, who is able to envision the genesis of the world and its sustenance through the course of long cosmic ages, its twists and turns and the rights and wrongs occurred in the spiritual and historical march of humanity. The final sublimation or liberation of human soul culminates in the truth of Guru. At the end of the tunnel of spiritual experience or spiritual realization is the Guru.

The Guru-Word reveals the cosmology of Manu and Manvantara, in which is found the original framework or the teleological foundation of monotheism. The far-reaching significance of the cosmology of Manu has never been comprehended by both monotheists and polytheists alike. God in the form of the Primordial Preceptor or Archetypal Guru - that is the raison d’être behind the concept of Manu. A solar system and human life originate from the sankalpam or creational intent of Manu in association with the Saptarshis, the guardians of the solar system. It is for this reason the cosmic ages are calculated in terms of Manu Ages or Manvantara cycles after Manu’s name. Reflecting the truth of Manu and the Guru-origin of the universe, the flow of wisdom or the system of spiritual guidance has been ordained through the medium of Preceptors who appear at specific ages as the spiritual authorities.

At the turn of every spiritual renewal, the appearance of a Guru is imminent. Everything has its ordained time and space and has to give place to the continuing stream of spiritual renewal. This is the basic foundation of Sanatana Dharma or the Eternal Dharma, which is behind the resilience and tolerant nature of Indian spirituality. The spiritual incumbency of the sages and prophets is not static in the course of long cosmic ages. In other words, there is no scope for a final prophet or an exclusive religion for salvation in the scheme of spiritual evolution. However, there is an exclusive spiritual path that links man to God. That is the path of a realized Guru who can sensitize us experientially about the eternal truth of God through direct experiences and spiritual visions nourished by a way of life based on universal love and compassion. India has been the land of this experiential spirituality from ancient times.

Although the original history of Manu has been lost to human race long ago, the mention of Manu is found in the scriptures in a passing way. A parallel is also seen in the Adam concept of Semitic religions, which must have found its way to Christianity originally from India. Here the Manu or the Adam is portrayed as the earliest human ancestor or preceptor in earthly terms. However, the reality of Manu is not so as explained earlier. God, the Formless One (Nirguna Brahman) projects the human universe through the medium of Manu, the Adi Guru who is said to be seated in a thousand-petalled Lotus presiding over the spiritual evolution of humanity. This idea of the Guru-origin of the world is found in the more ancient Saiva tradition (refer Maha Nirvana Tantra for example) as well as in the Rig Veda, which mentions that in the beginning there was only the Purusha or Hiranya Garbha, from whom originated  everything.  The Purusha, Hiranya Garbha and Isa in the Vedic and Puranic texts refer to Manu, the First Archetypal Guru.

However, over the long ages, this cosmology was distorted and presented through the sectarian lenses of spiritual cults like Saivism, Vaishnavism and Sakteyism and it developed into the system of soliciting help from the gods through priest-craft and yogic cults. The powerful league of priests replaced the position of sages from the center stage and instituted the worship of idols in temples. The priests became the spiritual mentors in the society claiming exclusive authority over spiritual functions and divine knowledge. It diluted the role of sages in the wisdom tradition or jnana path as ordained by Manu. The less fortunate in the society were left to live in gross ignorance and servitude in a high and low notion of caste hierarchy instituted by the priests. This has been the cause of the spiritual downfall and social disintegration of India.

A big array of inimical forces consisting of evangelists, jihadists, Maoists, Leftists and other victims of race politics are engaged in a pernicious war with India. Yes, they want to break India and its religion, which they perceive as a hegemonic social order of Brahmins and worship of mythical gods instead of the only God. What could not happen even during the Islamic and British rule is happening now. The Hindu civilization is crumbling. Unable to find an egalitarian and philanthropic spiritual leadership, vast sections of vulnerable Hindu population are falling in the trap of evangelists and leftist ideologies that would turn the nation into a dirty pig yard. India cannot forsake its wisdom tradition of the rishis and sages, which is in fact the backbone of all wisdom traditions in the world. A world without the saving wisdom of the sages is unimaginable. The mission of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru is to restore this lost wisdom tradition to its original status. It is a new spiritual initiative by the Almighty to save India.

Only a realized Guru can guide a soul to liberation or mukti. The Liberating Dharma of Guru provides another God given opportunity for India to reclaim its Guru status and the long lost egalitarian guru-disciple wisdom or jnana path under a Deergha Darshi Guru and His Parampara. The Guru-Parampara founded by Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru transcends all differentiations of race, religion, caste, class and creed and proclaims the Oneness of God. Through this new initiative of God, the human race can evolve into an age of goodness and perfection, as envisioned and dreamt by several mahatmas and sages down the ages. 

Mukundan P.R.

Setting the Record Straight About Hinduism

In the present age, we see that the whole humanity is in disharmony owing to religious differences. This means that the present day religious theologies and practices have outlived their spiritual efficacy to bring about peace and spiritual evolvement to humanity. It is for India to take up a leadership role in the spiritual renewal of humanity. Although it may be unconvincing to many, the reality is that India is the mother of spirituality, the inheritor of an ancient most spiritual culture. 

Mark Twain (1835-1910) wrote that India is the "Land of religions, cradle of human race, birthplace of human speech, grandmother of legend, great grandmother of tradition... India had the start of the whole world in the beginning of things. She had the first civilization; she had the first accumulation of material wealth; she was populous with deep thinkers and subtle intellect; she had mines, and woods, and a fruitful soul."

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), the famous American Philosopher, said that ‘The Hindoos are most serenely and thoughtfully religious than the Hebrews. They have perhaps a purer, more independent and impersonal knowledge of God. Their religious books describe the first inquisitive and contemplative access to God… The calmness and gentleness with which the Hindoo philosophers approach and discourse on forbidden themes is admirable.’  

Annie Wood Besant (1847-1933) once said about Hinduism: "After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophical and none so spiritual than the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. Make no mistake, without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil in to which India's roots are stuck and torn out of that she will inevitably wither as a tree torn out from its place. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism who shall save it?  If India's own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India and India and Hinduism are one.”

What is the base of India’s great spiritual culture that deserves such eulogy from these great teachers, thinkers and philosophers? They were obviously not referring to the superstitious beliefs and practices of the vast sections of ignorant Hindu population, about the snake charmers, about the relentless feuds between hostile castes, clans and regional states, or about the culture of animal and human sacrifices, bride burning etc. that attract the condemnation of Hindus and their religion. 

These famous thinkers found inspiration from the great metaphysical teachings of the rishis and sages of India that form the true Sanatana principles, which have hardly anything to do with the priest mediated temple oriented Hindu religion, often referred by scholars as Brahmanical Hinduism. Very few people, scholarly and otherwise, including the Hindus, seem to realize a great flip-flop occurred in understanding the true basis of Indian spirituality, which can be categorized into two broad heads based on their ideological and ritualistic differences, most importantly on the difference between their cosmologies. 

The first one is the ancient Rishi or Guru-Disciple Ashram tradition and the other is the Trimurti or the Devi-Deva Temple tradition. The temple tradition thrives on the premises of mythology found in the puranas that promote the worship of the Trimurti gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Siva - and their vast family of gods and goddesses, as the ultimate spiritual authorities. In the Rishi tradition, the authority of creation is Manu, known to be the first projection of God. In the Rishi tradition, the medium between man and God is the Preceptors or Gurus who come in every yuga for the spiritual uplift of humanity, reveals Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru. 

As Swami Vivekananda said, Guru is the mask worn by the formless God to come near man. Every human universe (solar system) is born out of the sankalpam or conception of Manu, the Primordial Father of humanity and that is why the age of the universe is calculated in terms of Manvantara after the name of Manu. In a cosmic age known as Kalpa, fourteen Manus appear and project the solar systems with the help of saptarshis, (the seven primal sages or the planetary spirits controlling the solar system). The time of six Manus has already passed and the present age belongs to the seventh Vaivaswata Manu. The sages of India have even mentioned the names of these seven Manus who are going to appear in this Kalpa. The spiritual cataclysm of India is that this universal cosmology based on Manu has been altered subsequently to accommodate and project the Trimurti gods as the authorities of creation. 

The Trimurti tradition is based on Purana Samhita, the mythological treatise known to have been composed by Veda Vyasa (Krishna Dwaipayana) at the end of the Dwapara Yuga. The present puranas are the subsequent redactions by his disciples such as Romaharsha and others during the beginning of Kali Yuga. There are evidences to suggest that the present day puranas and epics were composed during the Buddhist or post-Buddhist period about 2500 years ago or a little later. The puranas and epics, which contain important chronicles of the past cosmic ages, are said to be perennial and existed in every yuga in different forms and were orally handed down age after age. Thus, the myths and legends about Brahma, Vishnu and Siva might be speaking to us the spiritual history of an unimaginable distant past. 

The puranic authors have incorporated the metaphysical teachings of the rishis in their compositions in such a way that one would be unable to distinguish between the very divergent schools of thought in them. In reality, the philosophy of the rishis envisioned God independent of the mythical tradition and even the polytheism of the Vedas.

In the Upanishadic, Sankhyan, Vedantic and Yoga philosophies, the Creation is not attributed to the Trimurti but to Brahman, the Absolute Principle, from which emerges the creation through the medium of Manu, the astral projection of Brahman. The reference to Brahma, Vishnu and Siva as the authorities of creation appeared at a later stage through the mythology in the puranas. The Upanishadic rishis under the Manu Parampara pay obeisance only to the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth. For them the gods and demigods are only the denizens of the vast universe like the humans. Also, the caste, class and gender differences did not stand in the way of the sublime teachings of the Upanishadic rishis. The transcendental knowledge and experience (jnana) is transferred to any truthful disciple through a Guru-Disciple relationship. We can find that the backbone of India’s spiritual culture is in the Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita, Guru Gita and other philosophical sciences (sastras) such as Sankhya sastra, Yoga sastra, Nyaya sastra, Vedanta etc. that speak about the Absolute Truth and Creation differently in a metaphysical perspective. It is this path of knowledge or jnana marga of the ancient Indian rishis that has inspired and continues to inspire great philosophers and thinkers around the world and earns India the Guru status.

Thoreau once said that “One sentence of the Gita, is worth the State of Massachusetts many times over… In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavat Gita, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial….” 

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the German philosopher and writer, was one of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century. Sigmund Freud adopted a large part of his psychological theory from the writings of Schopenhauer.  Nietzsche and Wittgenstein are counted among his disciples. Schopenhauer spoke about the Upanishads in the following words: 

"From every sentence (of the Upanishads) deep, original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit....In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. They are destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people’. 

Similarly several other Western thinkers and philosophers have been inspired by the spiritual lore of India. Emerson (1803-1882) paid homage to Indian spirituality thus:  "It is sublime as night and a breathless ocean. It contains every religious sentiment, all the grand ethics which visit in turn each noble poetic mind....” In 1859 he wrote: "When India was explored and the wonderful riches of Indian theological literature found, that dispelled once and for all the dream about Christianity being the sole revelation."

Wilhelm Humboldt (1767- 1835), Prussian minister of education, said about the Bhagavad Gita that it was "The most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song existing in any known tongue ....perhaps the deepest and loftiest thing the world has to show." 

Such a glorious spiritual tradition was lost to India when the jnana path was shadowed by the ritualistic devi-deva tradition, which promotes the veneration of sectarian gods and demigods as well as other innumerable natural and supernatural forces including animals, birds and trees as the manifestation of the Supreme Being. Many obnoxious customs and superstitious beliefs such as human and animal sacrifices, sati and devadasi tradition, description of caste Brahmin as equal to god (brahmana devo bhava) and practices such as the performance of miracles (siddhi) and exorcism through mantric and tantric rituals also came to be identified with Hinduism.

 V. Venkatachalla Iyer once remarked about the spiritual malignancy of India through the interpolated puranic literature: “Some of the major Puranas appear to  have been re-written with the set purpose of promoting ignorance and superstition; of enslaving the minds of the people; of preventing them from thinking for themselves; and of giving currency to a religion which, while pretending in theory  to maintain within itself the principles of emancipation, is calculated in practice to sink one deeper and deeper in the quagmire…’ (V. Venkatachalla Iyer, The Puranas, QJMS 13, 1922-23).

Late Professor Theodore Goldstücker held similar views on the Puranas: 

“When by priest craft and ignorance, a nation has lost itself so far as to look upon writings like these as divinely inspired, there is but one conclusion to be drawn; it has arrived at the turning point of its destinies. Hinduism stands at this point, and we anxiously pause to see which way it will direct its steps. For several centuries, it is true, its position has seemed stationery; but the power of present circumstances, social and political is such that it can no longer continue so…All barriers to religious imposition having broken down since the modern Puranas were received by the masses as the source of their faith, sects have sprung up, which not merely endanger religion, but society itself, tenets have been propounded which are an insult to the human mind; practices have been introduced which must fill every true Hindu with confusion and shame.. There is no necessity for examining them in detail. It requires no evidence of the gulf which separates the present state from its past…” (Literary Remains, 2 Vols., London, Allen, 1879) Theodore believed that the real faith of the Hindus is neither founded on the Brahmana portion of the Vedas nor on the Puranas, but on the esoteric teachings found in the Vedas and Upanishads. 

Maharshi Devendranath Tagore said the Puranas were divisive and advised Hindus to turn away from it toward the Upanishads, in order to unite Hindus into one religion:

“Idolatry with all its pomp and circumstance was to be found chiefly in the tantras and Puranas and had no place in the Vedanta. If every one were to turn from the Tantras and Puranas to the Upanishads, if they sought to acquire the knowledge of Brahman as taught in the Upanishads and devoted themselves to His worship, then it would result in the utmost good of India…”(The Autobiography of Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Macmillan, London, 1914).

While most of the Puranas generally describe Brahma as the god of creation, the different sects have different views about the Creator. The Puranas according to the sects to which they belonged have tried to show their deity, such as Vishnu, Siva or Devi as the Supreme Lord or Creator, sometimes relegating Brahma to the background.

In Saivism, Siva is described as the Supreme. According to Lingapuranam, ‘Siva is the inner ruler of all beings. He is called Supreme for He is superior to all. Siva, Sambhu and Sankara are different names of the great Ruler, the Universal Soul. .. The sages know that there exists no other God than Siva.’ 

In Vaishnavism one can find the description of Vishnu as the Supreme. Vishnupuranam mentions thus: ‘May Lord Vishnu be pleased with us, from whom matter and soul emanate, who has created this universe consisting of moving and stationery things, and who is the prime cause of all this. Vishnu is that Brahman, from which this creation has emanated, with which it stays identified, in which it ever remains, and in which it eventually merges’.

In Shakteyism, the Devi is described as the Supreme. According to Markandeya Puranam, ‘Devi has created this universe by Her power. She includes in Herself potencies of all deities. With devotion, we bow to her, the Mother, who is adored by the gods and the sages alike. May She work out what is good for us!’

In Brahmavaivartta puranam one can also find the description of Ganesha as the Supreme: ‘Sri Ganesa is the source of this creation and the subsequent development thereof. Beyond the ken of all humanity is His form, which is primal in existence, foremost to be worshipped, adored by all, and full of auspicious qualities. He is both nirguna and saguna by His own sweet will…though Lord Ganesh is eternal, yet He appears and disappears at will by dint of His power.’

Similarly, Brahmapuranam describes that ‘Surya (Divakara) is the cause of all beings. It is by His desire that the universe consisting of all objects whether moving or stationery came into existence. Surya is the source of the three worlds. He is the great deity. The cosmos springs out of Him and again goes back to Him.’

The blending of mythology, rituals and practices thereon clashes with the esoteric teachings of the Upanishadic seers, who believed in the One Supreme Being, which they defined as ‘Satyam Jnaanamanantham Brahm – i.e., the Supreme Being is Truth, Knowledge and Infinity. It would be evident from the puranic literature that the concept of Swayambhuva Manu, from whom originated the creation in the beginning in association with the saptarshis has been altered in course of long ages giving prominence to Brahma, Vishnu, Siva etc.  

The Trimurti worship tradition existed as an authentic path for spiritual realization in the previous yuga cycles. However, its spiritual incumbency in the present age is questionable going by the evolving nature of dharma according to the yuga cycles. The Trimurti tradition promoted the cult of devi-deva worship according to the tastes of different sects. In this process, the inner teachings of Sanatana Dharma were lost to humanity. India needs the guidance of an all-knowing Sage to evaluate its true spiritual path. This is important. The Hindus can be united only under such a great Guru Parampara, which can lead them to spiritual enlightenment as well as social unity. The life mission of Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru was to reinvigorate this lost jnana path and after Adi Sankaracharya, this is the time for another great spiritual renaissance of India.

 Mukundan P.R.