Women according to Hindu Dharma... a brief perview

Indian Women as per the Sastras

Many people across the world and in India celebrate International Women’s day on March 8^th. Let us Introspect and ask  ourselves few questions :

®     do we need to  have a special day for women?

®     are they not special all 365 days in a year?

®     should the principles of equality be applied between a man       and a woman?

I would now like to dwell deep into how Ancient India treated women and what the sastras say about women. I have taken only the examples of how as per the sastra women used to play and important role and continues to play an important role.

Let’s start with applying the principles of equality in some of the Vedic rituals. Those who complain that women have no right to perform Yegna/sacrifices on their own must remember that men too have no right to the same without a wife.

If they know this truth they would not make the allegation that Hindu Sastras look down upon women.  A man can perform a yegna/homa/sacrifice only along with his wife. He does them for the well being of all mankind and for his own inner purity.  It is for this purpose that after the samavartana following the completion of his student bachelorhood, he goes through the samskara called marriage.

Marriage or vivaha is known as saha-dharma-charini-samprayoga.  It means (roughly) union with a wife together with whom a man practises his dharma.  The clear implication is that carnal pleasure is not its chief purpose, but the pursuit of dharma.  The Sastras do not ask a man to pursue dharma all by himself but require him to take a helpmate for it.  The wife is called Dharma Patni, Saha Dharma Charini, thus underlying her connection with dharma, and not with Kama or Sensual pleasure.  Here is proof of the high esteem in which the Sastras hold women.

Only a householder with a wife may perform the Yegna or sacrifice and not student-bachelors and ascetics.  If the wife were meant only for sensual gratification, would the Dharma Sastras have insisted that a man cannot perform sacrifices after her death?

Women’s “libbers, who note  that  a women cannot perform a sacrifice on her own, must also recognize the fact that the husband loses the right for the same without the wife and this is according to the Vedas themselves ( Patnivatasya Agnihotram Bhavati).

Our Sastras have thus given a high place to women in the matter of duties and works.

Just as society is divided according to occupations and the duties are different, so too there are differences between men and women in domestic life. Running a household means different types of work. By nature women can do the household chores much better than men. In truth there is no disparity between men and women, nor are women discriminated against as present-day women’s libbers or so called reformers allege.  Work is divided for the proper maintenance not only of home but the nation on the whole; and care has been taken not to have any duplication. There is no intention of lowering the status of any section in this division of labour.

The vocations have to be properly divided for the welfare of mankind.  If everybody paid attention to this fact, instead of talking of rights, it would be realized that the Sastras have not discriminated against women or any of the so called classes or castes.

Do women need to go out to work and earn?

When the marriage of girls got delayed and they had to stay at home doing nothing, the parents wondered why their daughters should not study, go to work and start earning.  The money would also come in handy when the girls were to be married.  Thus started the practice of women going to work.  

At first the parents felt a little embarrassed or a sense of shame about doing something they thought to be improper , that is depending on the daughters own earnings for her marriage expenses.  They were also worried and fearful about the girls being exposed to various risks and temptations.  But, in due course, this worry and fear vanished.  Also the parents came to think that there was no need to feel awkward about their daughters going to work.

At first we felt sheepish that our women went out to work, but, by and by we learned to accept it.  Now we take it as an advance, a step forward in our civilizations.  Most Parents have thrown all sense of responsibility to the winds and are not worried in the least about their daughters going out to work and, indeed, take pride in it.  

Has our Dharma sunk to such low depths?.

That women are receiving higher education and are working is a great step forward” proclaim reformists and women’s liberals.  A great injustice done to them in the past has been undone, they add.

No injustice was ever done to women in the past and if at all any injustice was done, it was to men.  

How does a man realise himself? 

He has to perform many religious ( read dharmic)  works, he has to learn the truth and feel it inwardly through nityakarmas and nitya sadhanas. In this way alone  will he be able to have control over his mind and purify the same.

A married woman does not need such difficult sadhanas or such ardent and intense practice to reach the same goal.  All she has to do is to support her husband in his pursuit of Dharmic work.  By respecting the wishes of her husband such a wife obliterates not only her wishes but all feelings of honour and dishonour and all ego-sense.  In this way she comes close to stilling her mind.  When the mind is utterly dedicated to another person in an attitude of surrender, should it not be close to being blotted out?  Is there any promotion for a woman higher than this?

A woman exalted by inner purity occupies a position far higher than another who earns a promotion in her office.    This is how many a woman in the history of this land won powers far greater than those earned even by the sages.  According to Tiruvalluvar if such a women says, let there be rain, it will rain, and it must rain. If she says to the sun, don’t rise, it will not rise. Such a women can retrieve her husband even from Death.  

Our Sastras, our traditions give these women a place more elevated than that accorded to any sage or deity.  We see from the Puranas that a woman of lofty character can transform even gods into little children by sprinkling water on them.  Our religious texts speak about how a woman may rise to true heights of glory and how she is enshrined in a temple and worshiped.  They do not ever condemn her to an inferior position.  It seems that it is the reformists and liberals who do so by preventing her from rising to the heights of glory.

If marriage is one of the many samskaras to render a man pure, for a woman it is the single samskara that gives her the ultimate fruits of all samskaras.  Now the essence of this samskaras is cast away and what remains, the refuse, is retained.  Marriage and the householder’s stage of life are not meant for carnal pleasures alone.  They constitute a path for liberation.  If this truth is understood people will appreciate that the role assigned to women by the Sastras is just and proper.

Few seem to have realized the undesirable economic consequences of women going to work.  This is on the unemployment problem.  Until some years ago parents had this excuse for their daughters going to work: Let her work till she gets married.  Otherwise she will have to stay at home brooding over things and being sorry for herself.  Going to work will be a way of spending the time.  Besides, the girl’s earnings will come in handy for the dowry and other expenses of marriage.  The idea then was to let the daughter work until her marriage and then asks her to resign her job.  The groom and his people thought it demeaning for the bride to work after the marriage.

This attitude changed not before long. How? During the past 50-70 years the Brahmin community has developed an increasing appetite for money.  Owing to this greed that grew with the years, girls going to work even after their marriage became a more widely accepted practice.  The result is that the noble duties of motherhood like child care are neglected in man houses ( not all).  

It is the same as in western countries and the warmth and sincerity governing relationships involving parents and children and other family members have rather come  down or coming down.( There would be exceptions to these in some family though)

On the economic front too the phenomenon of more and more women working has had a different consequence.  These days thousands of young men are unemployed.  At the same time, in some families both husband and wife work and earn.  If the husband alone worked, the wife’s   job would go to a young man who is without work.  Unfortunately, husbands no longer take pride in caring for the wife and family with their earnings alone; they want the wife also to earn.  At first the parents reluctantly sent their daughters to work.  Then the husband did the same perhaps half-heartedly.  As for the wife, she is now proud to be working.  In fact, she is so used to working outside that she does not like being confined to her home.  When she earns on her own she wants to spend as she likes without being questioned by her husband.( This does not apply to single Mothers who have to take care of her family 

To stay at home does not mean to be locked in.  There is no shortage of Sastras and Puranas in Sanskrit and in other languages.  If women develop a taste for them, they will keep reading them for a whole lifetime and find happiness.  They may form satsang groups and read such books by turns at home.  There is no need to form a club for this or for that matter a Kitty party or some other organisation nor any board.  The satsang may be held at home without any office bearers like president, secretary, committee members and so on.  This is basically to avoid contests and rivalry for positions.  To stay at home does not mean being caged in.  Besides, women will not lose their most precious possession, femininity. 

For women, surely this is far better than going to work out of greed and losing their femininity in the process, not to speak of earning the higher reward of Atmic well being.  It is also keeping with a women’s nature.  For a woman to work in an office on the pretext that she is otherwise confined to the four walls of her home may be the cause of so many problems, so many evils.  Though there is much talk of women’s liberation, what we actually see is that they have to work under so many people and have to be answerable to so many of them. 

• Is there peace in such a life? 
• In the liberation that is so much talked about, is there the bliss of domestic life?
• Are working women able to cook at leisure, eat in peace, and enjoy the warmth and affection of children?

Each man thinks of his own selfish interests and is least bothered about others.  People never pause to wonder whether others suffer on their account.  There is no feeling for others, no sense of justice.  In some families there is “double income” because both husband and wife earn while in some others even one member does not have a job and so has no income.  Isn't this a sad state?.  

There may of course be exceptions of some women who go to work to support their family due to her husband's inability to earn or in dire circumstances where feeding her dependents and taking care of an ailing or a disabled husband becomes priority.

If women decide not to work after their marriage it is possible that the vacancies thus created will be filled by the unemployed men.  Families without any means so far will then benefit.  Working women must think about this and those who try to bring equality between men and women ought to consider the logic behind this observations.

Nowadays people do not know where to apply the principle of equality and where not to.  Each entity or aspect of life has its own way of being, its own character; that is how life in the universe is ordained.  It is incorrect to contend that there must be sameness about everything, that all things must be equal.  To insist on such sameness and equality is to wreck the natural order of life.  Each finds its fulfillment and true happiness in being related to another as intended by nature and in promoting the common social life.  To pursue an arbitrary kind of equality instead of this means not only the denial of happiness on the individual level but jeopardizing family and social life.

Nature has assigned the job of child bearing ‘only to Women’.  However much we fight for equality we cannot change this fact of life.  It is the natural dharma of women to care for children and to be Grihalakshmis.  They do not lose anything by doing so, nor do they become superior in any sense by refusing to do it.  Equality in such matters has no meaning.

Please ponder over..................

HariOM

Some of the compilations and extracts are from the Voice of the Guru- Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi
- The late Pontiff of the Shankara Mutt, Kanchi

The Last piece of Advice by Adi Sankara

As Adi Sankara was proceeding towards his final journey deeper into the Himalayas, never to return, his disciples requested him to offer one last message from him. 

Adi Sankara spoke thus:

1.  वेदो नित्यमधीयतां तदुदितं कर्म स्वनुष्ठीयतां

तेनेशस्य विधीयतामपचितिः काम्ये मतिस्त्यज्यताम्‌।

पापौघः परिधूयतां भवसुखे दोषोऽनुसन्धीयतां

आत्मेच्छा व्यवसीयतां निजगृहात्तूर्णं विनिर्गम्यताम्‌ ॥ १ ॥

Let the Vedas be constantly studied and repeated. Let the activity as instructed in the Vedas by it be performed well.

Let the worship of good be by that (proper performance of activities prescribed in the Veda).

Let the motive, thought in desireful activity be dropped. Let the accumulation of sin be detached.

Let the defect in momentary happiness be thought over.

Let the longing quest for the self be steadied. Walk out of your house ( attachment) completely and soon."

2.  सङ्गः सत्सु विधीयतां भगवतो भक्तिर्दृढाऽऽधीयतां

शान्त्यादिः परिचीयतां दृढतरं कर्माशु सन्त्यज्यताम्‌।

सद्विद्वानुपसृप्यतां प्रतिदिनं तत्पादुका सेव्यतां

ब्रह्मैकाक्षरमर्थ्यतां श्रुतिशिरोवाक्यं समाकर्ण्यताम्‌ ॥ २ ॥

Let association be with the good and wise people. Let deep devotion to the Almighty be well planted.

Let there be mental peace, so one be more firmly and in all respects accumulated. Let activity ( for material and lower desires) be abandoned without delay and altogether.

Let a Knower of Sat (Truth) be approached with respect. Let his sandals be served every day.

Let Brahman (the Absolute) which is ever one and undecaying be asked for. Let the Upanishad passage be well listened to."

3.  वाक्यार्थश्च विचार्यतां श्रुतिशिरः पक्षः समाश्रीयतां

दुस्तर्कात्सुविरम्यतां श्रुतिमतस्तर्कोऽनुसन्धीयताम्‌।

ब्रह्मास्मीति विभाव्यतामहरहर्गर्वः परित्यज्यतां

देहेऽहंमतिरुझ्यतां बुधजनैर्वादः परित्यज्यताम्‌ ॥ ३ ॥

The significance of the (Upanishad) passage must be enquired into. (In doing so) the standpoint of the Upanishad must be strictly struck to.

There must be complete cessation of using (misleading or fallacious) reasoning.

Logic approved by (which is in consonance with) the Veda must be reflected upon.

The concept of "I am Brahman"( Aham Brahmasmi) ( The Supreme  Being/ The Paramatma within) must be deeply contemplated upon. 

Day by day pride (the sense of egoism) must be left behind.

The senses of 'I' in the body must be thrown off. Hostility with learned people must be avoided.

4.  क्षुद्व्याधिश्च चिकित्स्यतां प्रतिदिनं भिक्षौषधं भुज्यतां

स्वाद्वन्नं न तु याच्यतां विधिवशात्प्राप्तेन सन्तुष्यताम्‌।

शीतोष्णादि विषह्यतां न तु वृथा वाक्यं समुच्चार्यतां

औदासीन्यमभीप्स्यतां जनकृपानैष्ठुर्यमुत्सृज्यताम्‌ ॥ ४ ॥

The disease known as hunger must however be treated. Every day, the medicine, namely the food obtained must be taken in.

But tasty food must not be asked for. One must be well content with what s/he gets by force of fate. ( This means we need to eat what we get without complaining about the food and without criticizing the cook -most of the cases it will be our own Mothers, Grand Mothers, spouses)

Heat and cold and others (pairs of opposites) must be well borne with.

The state of indifference must be ardently wished for.

The senses of pity and censure in people must be given up"

5. एकान्ते सुखमास्यतां परतरे चेतः समाधीयतां

पूर्णात्मा सुसमीक्ष्यतां जगदिदं तद्बाधितं दृश्यताम्‌।

प्राक्कर्म प्रविलाप्यतां चितिबलान्नाप्युत्तरैः श्लिष्यतां

प्रारब्धं त्विह भुज्यतामथ परब्रह्मात्मना स्थीयताम् ‌॥ ५ ॥

Sit comfortably in a lonely place. Let the mind be fixed firmly on the Highest. Let the Ever Full Self be well and clearly perceived.

Let this fleeting universe be realised as negatived by that (the ever Existent Self).

Let the results of all previous actions be completely dissolved by the force of knowledge.

Let not those which come later (the actions performed after the attainment of knowledge) attach themselves(and yield fruit).

Let however the store of actions which have begun to bear fruit be exhausted by their fruit being experienced here and now itself (when the embodiment subsists).

Afterwards (when that store has worked itself out and the embodiment ceases to be) stay as the ever inherent Highest Brahman."

HariOm.

Compiled by Mukund  Bharadwaj, Student of H Parameswara Iyer ( aka Sekhar Anna) a champion of  the Vedas.

Who are the 33 Crores of Devas ( 330 millions of Gods and Goddesses) in Hinduism

The 33 crores of Devas ( 330 millions of Gods and Goddesses) in Hinduism?

Whenever you to seek blessings from Hindu elders, they bless saying- let the 33 crores of Gods and Goddesses bless you.

• Who are these 33 crores of Gods and Goddess? 
• Where are they situated? 
• How did this exact number figure?

The Crores of Devas refer to the glories of the "Paramatma" seated within you.

The properly trained, satvik, intellect and mind represents the Devas.  The Devas, Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, refer to the intellectual faculties of man purified by the scientific process of yoga as detailed in the Gita.

The correct number is 33 which is made up of :

Vasus        - 8 nos
Rudras    - 11 nos
Adityas   - 12 nos
Indra           1      and 
Prajapati     2

Total          33

The details:

Vasus-8 

1. Fire
2. Earth 
3. Air
4. Akash ( Space)
5. Sky
6. Moon and 
7. Stars
8. Aditya

They are called Vasus because they hold all substances of the world 

Rudras-11 

( 10 pranas ( including five upa pranas)  or breaths and the Atma)

The meaning of prana is 'life force' or 'vital energy'. In the universal sense, prana is responsible for all creation. It is the prana within every created object, whether a planet, an asteroid, a blade of grass or a tree, that gives it existence, material form. If there were no prana within that object or manifestation there would be no form; it would gradually crumble and go out of existence. 

The five Pranas are as follows

Prana

Prana is located between the diaphragm and the throat. This prana is an upward flowing force. It maintains the function of the lungs and heart, and is responsible for inhalation and exhalation, and for the swallowing and regurgitation of food. Although it is an upward moving force in general, it also has the ability to move downward in that region.

Samana

The next prana is known as samana. The word sam means 'equal' or 'same'. Samana is located between the diaphragm and the navel. Although it is a small area physically, it is very important. Samana is responsible for the digestive energy and coordinates and motivates the digestive organs such as the stomach, liver, pancreas and large intestine. 

If anything goes wrong with your samana energy then you will become weak and thin because you will not be able to absorb the nutrients in the food properly. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to digest, burn and separate the nutrients which we take in daily. That is one of the greatest pranic expenditures within our body.

Apana

The third prana is apana. Apana is located between the navel and the perineum in the pelvic region. It is a very important energy field which is responsible for procreation, production of semen and ovum, elimination of urine, faeces, gas, wind and expulsion of the foetus. This energy is mainly downward flowing, but we can also redirect it upward to the brain.

Udana

The fourth prana is udana. Udana is located in the head region as well as the limbs, between the shoulders and the fingertips, and from the hips down to the toes. It is associated with the motor and sensory nervous system. Udana controls an immense amount of energy. It coordinates and activates the nervous system, moves the limbs of the body and receives and categorizes the different sensory inputs from the external world. 

Udana is connected intimately with the functions of the five senses, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and touch. If this prana becomes weak or disturbed, we find it difficult to coordinate, balance and integrate our sensory and motor nerves.

Vyana

The fifth prana is vyana. Vyana is an integral prana. It exists throughout the body as an underlying reserve force, so if anything goes wrong in another area of prana, vyana can step in and support that weak or imbalanced area. Thereby vyana prevents diseases and imbalances from occurring in the different systems and parts of the body. Should vyana become weak or deficient then diseases will arise because there will be no back up system.

If breathing stops does it mean you are dead ?

As it has been explained in detail that the term “prana” actually refers to the subtle “life force “ or “energy” Breath , i.e the external movement of gross air is vayu ( pranavayu) not prana . 

Prana is the cause behind all kind of movements including the movement of diaphragms causing the pumping effect which in turn causes the air to come in and go out and we call it breathing . So naturally absence of life sustaining prana causes the breath to stop but this does not mean that absence of breath is necessarily the absence of prana.

Many yogis have proved it by completely stopping their breath, pulse and heart beat while being still alive and conscious ( eg .Lahiri mahasaya of kriya yoga lineage).

Upa Prana- 5

1. Naga- burping, throwing, stretching, salivation,  hiccups
2. Kurma- movement of the eyelids and size of iris to control intensity of light
3. Krikara- sneezing, coughing, reactions to pain, hunger, thirst
4. Devdatta- yawning, sleep
5. Dhananjaya- produce plegm, provides nourishment, inflates the body after death.

11. Atma- the Jivatma

They are named  Rudras because they make a noise when they leave the mortal body.

Adityas-12 

Adityas represent the twelve months in a year.  They are named because they extract everything from this world. 

The divine Aditya is the eternal Narayana himself.  He divides his wide body into 12 portions for the benefit of the lokas and for the purification of religious karmas and endows the six seasons with their special characteristics.

The seasons and months refer to the divine energy that creates and supports them.

Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya is the twelve letters mantra in Sanskrit.

Each of its letters ( in sanskrit) represents a month in the year and a corresponding portion of its body.

32. Indra ( is lightening- also the essence of satvik gunas) 
33. Prajapathi is yegna ( sacrifice)  or devotion also known as pasus)

Total 33.

Source : 

• Adhyayas X and XI- Vibhooti and Viswa Roopa Darshana yogas from - GITA
• 
  
• Extract from  my soon to be published book Inside- Out - a philosophical enquiry of Hindu dharma. 

Post your comments to book a copy of this book.

HariOM.

K V Vishwanathan

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

Do you really want to know the Significance of Ten Days Ganesh Utsav and Visarjan? if yes please read on....

Utsava

An Utsava refers to the high-class creation of the sacred Tatwams (philosophical analysis of the  Supreme Being within you) .

The days of the festivals being generally limited to ten days, the creation here refers to the purification of the ten Indriyas* of man by the necessary religious practices symbolically pointed out during the festivities continuing for ten days. This signifies the necessity of bestowing intellectual exercise to what is going on to be explained symbolically during the ten days of the festival. (Most of the Hindu festivals are of ten days duration). 

What is the symbolic of the ‘Visarjan”?

( immersion of the Vigrahas in the water/ocean/rivers)

Visarjanam means to sacrifice, to let go. To sacrifice your lower desires that are caused by the Indriyas is called Visarjanam. Since the Vigraha* moorti is an analysis of our own self, it is but natural to let go of all the impediments after the ten days festivities (ten Indriyas) are over.

Let’s welcome Lord Ganesha each year with the five knocks*** on your head by placing one limb over another and focus on letting go of all your lower desires for a period of ten days finally immersing them in the ocean on the 11^th day.

Notes:

*Indriyas refer to our five senses. That which is caused by organs of action is called Karma Indriyas

The Karma Indriyas ( organs of action)  are as follows:

           Vak (organ of speech)

     Pani (hands)

     Pada (feet),

     Upashtam (organ of generation) and 

     Payu or Guda (anus, the organ of excretion)

ü  The Karma Indriyas are the five soldiers.

ü  The commander-in-chief is the mind.

ü  The mind extracts work from these soldiers when it desires to get sensual objects for its gratification. Mind also works in unison with these five organs.

ü  Mind is the leader.

ü  These five organs are his assistants.

ü  These Karma Indriyas execute the commands of their leader (mind) immediately.

ü  The Karma Indriyas cannot work independently without the healthy and willing co-operation of the mind.

ü  It is the mind that really works through these organs. It is the mind that really plans, schemes and suggests in all activities.

ü  During sleep these Indriyas get Laya (involution) in the mind temporarily.

ü  During Samadhi or the super conscious state they are absorbed in the mind.

ü  The Karma Indriyas are born of the Rajasic portion of the Tanmatras (Five elements).

Ch. XVIII-13, 14, 15 of the Gita says:

"These five causes are for the accomplishment of all actions. The body, the actor, the various organs, the diverse kinds of energies and the presiding deities, also, the fifth-whatever action a man performs by his body, mind and speech, whether right or the reverse, these five are the cause thereof.".

Therefore Utsava refers to the process of purification of the senses and the sense organs through worship and Visarjanam refers to the sacrifice of the desires that are caused by the Indriyas.

**Vigraha refers to the deep philosophical analysis of the Supreme Being within you. Vigraha never refers to an Idol.

***Five Knocks refers to the practice of controlling your mind and focus.

To know more  about  who Ganesha is  and the significance  of Vigraha worship please visit http://essenceofhinduism.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-welcome-lord-ganesha.html

Om Ganeshaya Namaha:

Arya Samajist's (Mis) Interpretation of the Vedas

How Arya Samajists have differently (mis) interpreted many Vedic rituals:

It is evident that without the explanation furnished in the Puranam, the whole passage quoted from the Vedas would be ridiculously absurd if literally interpreted. The condemnation of the sacred Itihasas and Puranas without understanding their technical character by the Arya-samajists who pose themselves as the followers of Vedic religion in its pristine purity, displays their utter ignorance of the true import of the Vedas themselves. 

Their interpretation of the Agni-hotras and other religious rites as mere physical acts to purify the atmosphere seems to be silly and destructive. It is simply a foolish idea borrowed from the Anti-Hindus like the modern Theosophists. A sanitary department provided with up-to-date disinfectants might then prove more useful than all the Homas prescribed in the Vedas. Whatever may be the political aim of this Samaj, no Hindu could accept its whimsical elucidations as in any manner useful to Hinduism. 

They mistakenly thought that it was somehow necessary to prove to the satisfaction of the alien religionists who criticized the Hindus as idol worshippers, that the Vedic Hinduism did not prescribe idol-worship. They did not understand that the Vigaraha-aradhana prescribed for the less qualified is no idol-worship at all. ivze;e[ g&ýte #it iv¢h>,   Viseshena Grihyathe Ithi Vigraha. The spiritual idea intended to be conveyed by the symbol is alone required to be meditated upon in the performance of the Poojas at home and in public temples.

They foolishly took it into their heads to improve upon the wisdom of our ancients and turned out to be worse lconoclasts than the Mohamedans and Christians. Their mistaken theories and propagandas could never appeal to any sensible Hindu. To establish their perverted Iconoclasm, they hesitate not to misinterpret even the contents of the Vedas in a ridiculous style. n tSy àitma AiSt ySy nam mh*z>. Na Thasya Pratima Asthi Yasya Nama Mahadrisha

This for instance simply and clearly means that there is nothing to be compared with eternal Brahman. The word Pratima is irrelevantly interpreted by the Arya-Samajists as referring to an idol, and Vigraha-Aradhanam is explained as condemned by theVedas. If the idol-worship did not belong to the Vedic period as the Samajists contend, how could it be condemned in the Vedas?  Let me reproduce the famous couplet from the Sootasamhita: - ywai¶manyeTyuKte JvlTkaóa†te Svymœ, na=i¶ranIyte tÖTpUJyae mUTyaRTmna izv>. 

“When fire is asked to be brought, it is brought only through the medium of a burning piece of fuel, but not fire by itself. Similarly, Siva could not be worshipped except through the medium of a Moorthi or Vigraha.”

It is now certain that the Arya-samajists have misinterpreted the Vedas to suit their political objects and that in the quotation under reference regarding the Sandhya-Vandanam, they are compelled to admit the importance of Itihasas and Puranas which they have completely abandoned. Evidently they throw away similar passages from the Vedas which do not contribute to the advancement of their political propaganda. Their work is therefore not propagation of Hinduism but prostitution of it.

Before translating the above it is desirable to remind you that the Upanishads never contain any human histories. Stories are seldom introduced even as Itihasas. The apparent personalities and incidents occasionally found, have however their Itihasic meanings directly relating to the subjects dealt with.  Unless they are understood at the outset, the exact import of the Upanishads could not therefore be completely grasped. The very name mEÇay[I Upanishad suggests that it is intended for the edification of high class religious students who have attained a stage of development in which they look at all living creatures with the feelings of universal brother-hood mEÇI. (Maithree)

Besides, the Upanishads as a rule are meant to be understood as dialogues between competent Gurus and qualified Sishyas, whether any Itihasic names for them is mentioned or not.  The Upanishad must thus be taken to be addressed to those who have developed the feelings of Ahimsa and universal love and sympathy (Mytri) not only towards mankind but towards all living creatures.  The modern political trick of the Aryasamajists in pretending to teach and preach the Gayatri-mantra without regard for its sanctity could not but appear as a meaningless farce to the discerning eye of every earnest student of the sacred religion. 

Conversions and reconversions to Hinduism do not require insulting and degrading perversions which virtually destroy the very essence of the religion (read dharma) itself. The important use of the Gayatri-mantra has been found described in an Itihasa within the Vedas themselves.  Its meaning and application have also been found clearly explained in the sacred Puranas.

Ø  How could the Arya-Samajists pretend to have understood the Vedas without the help of their legitimate and ordained commentaries the Itihasas and Puranas? 

Poor Gayatri forsaken as it is by its owners has also fallen into unwelcome hands.  The so-called conversions and reconversions to Hinduism by the Arya-Samajists with the use of cotton thread and Gayatri virtually look to be a  meaningless farces.

Many pious and true Hindus already exist without them; in fact they form the majority in the land. Whatever might be the ultimate object of the proselytizing work of the Arya-samajists, the rituals adopted for conversion with a promiscuous use of the cotton thread and the muttering of Gayatri, are unnecessary and unmerited insults to Hinduism and to its scientific philosophy.

HariOM

hari vishwanathan