A short note on Hindu Sectarianism

How did Sectarianism came about in Hinduism?

Let us take two sects- Vaishnavism and Saivism

Vaishnavism and Saivism are two types of religious sects that prevail in India. These two sects show some differences between them. The followers of Vaishnavism are called by the name Vaishnavites. On the other hand, the followers of Shaivism are called by the name Saivites.

Vaishnavism believes in the supremacy of Lord Vishnu over all the other Gods. On the other hand, Shaivism believes in the supreme power of Lord Shiva. This is one of the main differences between the two religious sects.

If you read the above paragraph you will realise that within Hinduism there are two sects.

1. How did this happen?
2. When as per  the Vedas Atma and the Paramatma are one (Advaita philosophy) how sectarianism was born?.

Let us philosophically inquire:

Vishnu means Antaryami or the Iswara who is within everything and everywhere. As long as man is overpowered by an illusory material conception of the universe, his conception of Iswara must be limited to Vishnu as the director and controller of everything from within. Bhakti or devotion to Him is thus proper process of worship prescribed. There are perhaps only few in the world who could even understand that there is an Antaryami, styled Vishnu. A large percentage of the sectarian Vaishnavites is probably innocent of this truth. The Saivites are no better in this respect. They have no idea of Saivism except as a creed opposed to Vaishnavism.

When a man philosophically and religiously advances beyond the illusion of a material cosmos he has no need for an Antaryami. His Iswara has no material cosmos to enter or pervade. Such a huge class Yogi’s Iswara is styled Maheshwara. This is true Saivism. Vairagya or renunciation is the prominent feature here, while Bhakti is the important factor in Vaishnavism. Evidently the so-called Saivites of the day have no proper claim even to Vaishnavism. 

The distinction between the two is beautifully expressed as follows by the great Yogi and poet Bhartrihari of old.  Please download Sanskrit 98 fonts to read the Sanskrit Mantras.

®     mheñre va jgtamxIñre jnadRne va jgdNtraTmin,

Maheshwara is the Iswara for those who have passed beyond the illusion of the Jagat.

®     nvStu-edàitpiÄriSt me twaip cetSté[eNduzeore.

The same Iswara is Antaryami for those who labour under a material Jagat. I make no difference between the two, but my mind is attracted towards Maheshwara who wears the Chandra-Kala on his crown.”

• Siva is often condemned as a devil of the cremation ground and is put down as inferior to Vishnu by the Vaishnavites. 
• Hanuman the favourite divinity of the Vaishnavites according to the sacred Upanishad represents Siva/Rudra whom they hate as a devil of the cremation ground.
• The Chandra-Kala here is technically known as the 16th Kala and could not therefore be foolishly misinterpreted as the digit of the moon. 
• Islam has no doubt ill-copied this Kala in its misunderstood material sense. This Kala refers to the pure Jiva-kala or the Individual Atma in the Hindu literature. 
• The moon has but 15 Kalas even in the ordinary sense of the word and the 16th Kala must be something different.
• The ten Indriyas, five Pranas and Buddhi make up the 16 Kalas.  It is well-known that the ‘Chaitanya’ whose entry into the 16^th Kalas brightens and sets up the ‘Viswam’ is what is called ‘Rama’.

He or she who sees, feels, hears everything without distinction or difference by the help of 'Brahman' is himself or herself Vishnu, Siva or Brahma.

The term Brahma, Vishnu, Siva points to pure Satwik intellect conceived in its totality. There is no logic to associate the same with crude conceptions of low material creations and physical entities.

Siva is everywhere and all the Devas are in the physical body of even the illiterate. None would therefore be condemned on any account. 

The violation of this rule is a sin and its strict observance by recognizing the existing of Devas in the human body leads to salvation. The Vedas have declared that Maheshwara remains within the Buddhi of each individuals and directs it. He is therefore known as Antaryami. Buddhi itself is his body and Buddhi cannot perceive him.

Vaishnavism theology has developed the concept of avatar (incarnation) around Vishnu as the preserver or sustainer. His avatars, asserts Vaishnavism, descend to empower the good and fight evil, thereby restoring Dharma. 

This is reflected in the passages of the ancient Bhagavad Gita which is as follows:

Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases 

I send myself forth.

For the protection of the good and for the destruction of evil,

and for the establishment of righteousness,

I come into being age after age.

— Bhagavad Gita 4.7–8, 

In Vaishnava legends, such as those presented in the Bhagavata Purana and the Pancaratra, whenever the cosmos is in crisis, typically because the evil has grown stronger and has thrown the cosmos out of its balance, an avatar of Vishnu appears in a material form, to destroy evil and its sources, and restore the cosmic balance between the ever present forces of good and evil.

The most known and celebrated avatars of Vishnu, within the Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism, are Krishna, Rama, Narayana and Vasudeva. These names have extensive literature associated with them, each has its own characteristics, legends and associated arts. The Mahabharata, for example, includes Krishna, while the Ramayana includes Rama.

But Avatara means a ‘lowering down’ .  The formless Brahman is given a symbolical form technically for the use of his devotees.  

What the Vaishnavites fail to recognise  and accept that the ten avatars are the stages of religious development in man.  Therefore, all sectarian thoughts (Ayyars/ Ayyangars – Saivites/Vaishnavites, Saktism/Smartism is the result of literal (mis)-interpretation of the Vedas by many Pseudo Pundits and so called Vedic scholars with their limited knowledge.

The holy Avataras mentioned in our sacred literature are too often unwarrantedly and unlawfully explained away as physical incarnations of the almighty Iswara in some parts of India. 

Without reference to anybody in person we must emphatically say that those who take to such explanations are pitiful mis-interpreters. The "Ten Avataras" are well-known as Archavataras, plainly meaning that they are intended for the purpose of worship.

Sectarianisms are of recent origin and might have originated from distorted and unscientific views of the contents of the sacred literature.  Such possible mistakes are clearly foretold within the literature itself and condemned as irreligious.  The fact is that Sectarian wise-acres may not gather any useful religious instructions from the voluminous literature luckily belonging to the Hindu community at large.

HariOM

HV Nath

Adapted from the book ‘Inside Out- a philosophical enquiry  of Hindu Dharma’© by HV Nath.  All rights reserved in all media