The Samskaras or Sacraments

The Samskaras or sacraments vary in number from 11 to 48 , depending on the different Sutras ( or guide books )by different ancient authors . However a list of 16 is popular . These rituals are done at various stages of an individual's life to invoke divine blessings .They are compulsory . However nowadays not all are performed by all people , and some are combined to be performed together . For example , it is common to combine nos 2 &3, 4&5, 6&7, 10&11&12, etc .

They are

Pre Natal Samskaras

1. Garbhadhana ( conception )
2. Pumsavana ( "quickening a male child ")
3. Simantonnayana( the parting of the hair ( of the pregnant mother ))

The Samskaras of Childhood

4. Jatakarma ( rituals after birth )
5. Namakarana ( Naming ceremony)
6. Niskramana ( first outing )
7. Anna prasana ( first feeding of rice )
8. Chuda Karana ( tonsure)
9. Karnavedha ( ear boring )

The Educational Samskaras

10. Vidyarambha ( learning of the alphabet, the beginning of education)
11. The Upanayana ( initiation , through the thread ceremony )
12. Veda-rambha ( beginning of the study of the vedas )
13. Kesanta ( first shaving of the beard)
14. Samavartana ( graduation , end of studentship )

The householder's Samskaras

15. Vivaha ( marriage)
16. Antyeshti (funeral rites)

Some authors add the five pancha maha yajnas to the above list as well as the 21 compulsory fire sacrifices , taking the list to 42. Other authors add more , to take the list to 48 . Some of the educational Samskaras are performed only for males .

The Pancha Maha Yajnas or the Five Great Sacrifices

The five great sacrifices are to be performed daily by all householders ( the head of each family)
They are
1. Deva Yajna - sacrifices to the Gods
2. Pitr Yajna - sacrifices to the ancestors
3. Bhuta Yajna - ( food) offerings to animals
4. Manusha Yajna - ( food ) offerings to other humans , guests, the poor etc
5. Brahma Yajna - recitation of the Scriptures ( Brahma also means the Vedas ) .
The five great sacrifices are also part of the list of 40 Samskaras or sacraments .

The Four Purusharthas ( Legitimate aspirations )

The four Purusharthas or ( legitimate ) aspirations of human beings are described as Dharma , Artha ,Kama , and Moksha .
Dharma ( or sacred Law , nobility , virtue , right living, duty conciousness etc) , is a desirable state to aspire to .

Artha ( or wealth ) indicates that it is reasonable to aspire to wealth provided it is done in a ethical manner , and provided one is not obsessed with it . Wealth is to be used as a means to Dharma or principled living , which leads to the final goal which is moksha . A proportion of ones earning therefore is to be used for charitable purposes .

Kama ( or pleasures of the senses ) indicates that Hinduism is practical , and does not expect everyone to become a renunciate . Hence aspiring to pleasure is acceptable, as long as reasonable boundaries exist , and provided one is not solely obsessed with the pursuit of pleasure , one continues to make spiritual progress .

Moksha ( or liberation ,or freedom from rebirth ) is the final goal , that must not be lost sight of . Dharma and artha are among the tools to reach moksha .

One sloka or sanskrit verse says

" from learning we become humble and wise , from humility and wisdom we reach respectable status in society , from position and status we gain wealth and influence , from wealth and influence we are empowered to act nobly as per the dharma , and through the right path of Dharma , we attain peace and happiness . "

Belief in God?

Have I seen God ? Probably not . Or maybe I have, and I dont know it . Who or what is God anyway ? Why should I believe in something that I have not seen or felt or experienced ?

The answer , I believe , lies with our Gurus or spiritual teachers .

The ancient brilliant scholars , teachers , sages , Valmiki , Ved Vyasa , the Saptha(seven) Rishis , Badarayana , the ancient Law givers , Parasara , Yajnavalkya , etc they all felt , saw , and experienced the Divine and the sacred .

So did Jesus , Buddha , Mahavira etc .

So did the mystic poet- saints of the tamil region in south india - the Alvars and the Nayanmars .
So did the great teachers of the middle ages , Sankara , Ramanuja and Madhva .

And also Chaitanya , Ramananda , Vallabhacharya, Kabir , Jnaneshwar ,Shankara Deva ,Samarth Ramdas, Nimbarka , Goraknath , Guru Nanak etc .

And the great poet saints , Tulsidas ,Soordas , Mirabai , Jayadeva, Eknath, Tukaram , Thyagaraja , Purandara Dasa , Dikshitar , Shyama Sastri, and so on .

And the social reformers , Guru Ravidas , Narayana Guru , Basaveshwara, Dayananda Saraswati , etc

And in the 19th century , Shiridi Sai Baba , Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ,Swami Vivekananda ,Swami Narayan of Gujarat , etc
And more recently ,Paramahamsa Yogananda , Aurobindo ,"the Mother" , Ramana Maharishi , Swami Rama ,Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ,Prabhupada , Satya Sai Baba , Sri Sri Ravishankar , Mata Amritanandamayi etc

And so did many many others , who may have led quiet lives unknown to most except their chosen disciples .

If one reads even a few of their compositions , writings etc, or about their lives , we find that they were all great brilliant scholars, poets , philosophers and had the spark of divine genius . They all experienced God within and without .

If all of them have seen God , and felt the divine in themselves , then indeed God exists for me .

The seven basic principles

The Sanathana Dharma ,over hundreds of years, from 2000 BC to 800 AD, absorbed the entire population of the Indian Subcontinent into its fold , simply by accepting all their indiviudal customs , traditions , habits , beliefs etc as part of a greater religion . Thus india became a salad bowl of religious traditions with every denomination or community ( presently over 4000) having its unique identity within the greater frame work of Hinduism .Thus the Sanathana Dharma is a salad bowl and not a melting pot !! Nobody was forced to accept one particular system . However despite all their diversity , they are all broadly agreed on some fundamental principles .
These are
1. That God ( Brahman) exists , is eternal , and is one perfect universal power and being , but has many names and forms , and cannot be described ,but has to be experienced through spirituality ,
2. That the spiritual tradition embodied in the Shruti or Vedas is the ultimate authority for the Sanathana Dharma ( Hinduism ),
3. That the universe is eternal, infinite and cyclical , ( the wheel of time ); and that we ( individual souls )find ourselves repeatedly reborn in the toils of Samsara ( the worldly trials and tribulations , pitfalls of desire and sorrow, the cycle of birth and death ) ,due to our past Karma (or actions ),
4. That there is a triple path of Karma , Bhakti and Jnana ie (a. right action and duty , b . devotion ,
and c . knowledge and wisdom through reasoning ) which can lead us out of the coils of rebirth in Samsara ,and lead us to the perfection of God ,
5. That those who wish to be liberated and free , should cultivate the five cardinal virtues of purity ( sattva ), self control ( sama and dama ), detachment(vairagya ), truth (Satyam )and non violence (ahimsa) , in their various forms and become a Dharmatma , or a noble spiritual person ,
6. And further , the individual has to concentrate on his/her Ista Devata ( or form of God that appeals to him/her), (or meditate and contemplate the formless ), according to their Adhikara ( or moral and spiritual competence and understanding ) , and accquire the grace of God,or the infinite spirit ,
7. And that ultimate freedom , liberation, and true peace lies in becoming eternally free from the cycles of birth and death, and entering the world of the infinite , or Universal spirit or God ( Brahman) .

The five cardinal virtues

The Sanathana Dharma talks about five all important cardinal virtues that we have to cultivate in order to make spiritual progress . They are
1. Purity ( Sattvam ) of mind and body .
2. Self Control / discipline ( Sama / Dhama ) over ourselves .
3. Detachment ( Vairagyam ) over worldly issues .
4. Truth ( Satyam) in thought word and deed .
5. Non Violence ( Ahimsa ) towards all .

While it is not easy to cultivate all the cardinal virtues instantly , hinduism hopes that one should strive in the right direction .

A fairly unknown hoysala masterpiece temple

More history

Hinduism was influenced by Buddhism and Jainism , two religions that were born in India during the period 400 BC to 100 AD . Both of these also believed in the Law of Karma , the eternal cycle of life , reincarnation , the importance of Dharma etc .

Temple building, in honour of different hindu deities , began between the 2nd and 5th centuries AD , the devotees being encouraged by the Puranas and the Agamas . However , the Vedic culture also survived . Hinduism also was influenced by the dravidian people of india and their cultural and religious beliefs .

Temples were initially built of wood and brick , but later the preferred material became stone , for permanence , to last for eternity . Temple architecture evolved into different styles in different regions of India , and within regions, continued to change and evolve with ruling dynasties that patronised them.

In the 8th century ,the celebrated Hindu Saint and Guru Adi Sankara was born in Kerala but traversed the length of India , reforming hindu customs ,traditions , temples etc . He also composed and wrote extensively in sanskrit , and his philosophic interpretation of the scriptures is called Advaita ( monoism ) ( ie God is the only reality who encompasses everything ). He defeated all his scholar opponents in debates , and set up four Maths or seats of religious learning and authority in the four corners of India . He visited the ancient Sharada Temple at Shardi in Kashmir , ( Sharada being the Goddess of wisdom , knowledge and learning ) , and having proved his complete mastery over all knowledge , ascended the Sarvajna Pitha or Throne of transcendental Wisdom , inside the Temple .

In the 12th century another great scholar, saint and reformer was born in Tamilnadu in south India , Asuri Ramanuja .
Ramanuja also travelled the length of India and went to Kashmir to get a copy of the Brahma Sutra Bhashya of sage Bodhayana . He also wrote and composed extensively ,defeated all rival scholars of his time in debate , and his interpretation of the scriptures is called Vishistadvaita or qualified monoism , laying more stress on Bhakti or devotion to god . All subsequent bhakti traditions that evolved in India that presided over the future evolution of the Sanathana Dharma , trace their origins back to Ramanuja .

A third great scholar and philosopher came in the 13th century from present day karnataka in the south namely Madhvacharya . He preached Dvaita or dualism , ie that God and the individual souls had different identities for all time .

Vedas upanishads and other scriptures

The Vedas ( Rig , Saman , Yajur , and Atharva ) form the bedrock of the scripture of the Sanathana Dharma and form the primary authority .Each Veda as mentioned earlier , has four parts - (Mantra Samhitas , Brahmanas , Aranyakas and Upanishads ). The Upanishads ,dealing with the philosophy of God , form the last part of the Veda . They are 108 in number , of which 12 are considered important . Isha , kena katha , prashna , mundaka , mandukya , aitereya , taitiriya ,chandogya , brhadaranyaka, kausitaki, and svetasvatara.

The next level of Scriptures , the secondary authority , are called the Smriti ( as opposed to the Veda which is called the Sruti ). Smriti means " that which is remembered " . These were composed by the sages , philosophers and law givers . These being of human origin , can be adapted to suit the times .

The smritis consist of the Sutras and the Sastras.

The sutras are manuals dealing with rituals , customs , law , philosophy etc .

Examples of Sutras are

Brahma Sutras dealing with Vedanta philosophy, ( by sage Badarayana )

Dharma Sutras dealing with orthodox law ,

Grhya Sutras dealing with duties of householders ,by Ashvalayana

Srauta Sutras dealing with vedic ritual and fire sacrifices , byAshvalayana

Sulva Sutras dealing with geometry , and instructions to build the complex vedic altars etc .

Apahstambha Sutras .by sage Apahstambha .

The Six systems of philosophy are also each explained by a Sutra composition by the founder of each .(like Patanjali's Yoga Sutras .)

The Sastras are elaborations of the Sutras by commentators etc

For example ,

The Dharma Sastras form the codes of noble living .

The primary law givers were Manu , Yajnavalkya , and Parasara .

Next come the Itihasas or "histories " consisting of the two great epics the Mahabarata and the Ramayana . The Mahabharata is the worlds biggest epic composed by sage Ved Vyasa , consisting of 100,000 stanzas based on events that took place around 900 BC in north india. Around the main story ( about the rivalry between two branches of a royal family - the Kauravas and the Pandavas , wherein all the kingdoms of india became involved ) is woven numerous sub plots ,linked stories , moral stories , philosophical discussions , and so on . The Ramayana consists of 25000 stanzas , composed by sage Valmiki ,revolves around the adventures of Rama , prince of Ayodhya ( in north India ) who traverses the subcontinent and goes to Lanka ( Sri Lanka ) in search of his kidnapped wife Sita . This is based on events that took place around 1400 BC .The Ramayana , also has associated smaller stories interwoven into it with sub plots and philosophy thrown in .
The Bhagavad Gita , is part of the Mahabharata and is now considered specially sacred .
Together along with the Brahmasutras ( also called the vedanta sutras ) , and the Upanishads , the three are considered the Authoritative Scriptures or Prasthana Traya , that define the essence of the Sanathana Dharma .

Next come the Puranas , which deal with religious stories and legends about the gods , sages , saints , kings and their devotees .They are 18 in number . The epics and the puranas consist of folk religion , which ordinary people can understand , unlike the philosophy of the Vedas . The Bhagavata Purana ( with the story of Krishna ) , the Vishnu Purana , the Siva Purana etc are popular . The Puranas also describe the incarnations of God , wherein God comes down to earth to help Dharma .

Next come the Agamas or ritual texts dealing with the subject of the modes of temple and personal worship of individual deities . These are classified into 3 groups - Vaishnava ( dealing with Vishnu and related gods ), Saiva ( dealing with Siva and related gods ) , Sakta ( dealing with the mother goddess in all her forms ) agamas .

Last come the Darshanas or Philosophical traditions , of which there are six -Nyaya ( by Gautama) , Vaisesika ( by Kanada ), Samkhya (by Kapila ) , Yoga (by Patanjali ) , Mimamsa ( by Jaimini ) , and Vedanta ( by Badarayana) .
Currently , the Vedanta is considered as the most satisfactory .

These then are the scriptures of the Sanathana Dharma . They are all composed in Sanskrit , the perfect language of the Gods , ( which is why we should all learn at least some sanskrit ). The Scriptures of the Sanathana Dharma collectively rival ,in volume ,all other scriptures of other religions put together . They also cover ,umbrella like , every single type and form of religious and spiritual thought , belief , debate and philosophy that ever existed or may exist .

Early History

Hinduism today is the synthesis of various cultures . The oldest was the Indo Aryan religion of the worship of the powers of nature through fire sacrifices . This culture composed the Vedas which are the oldest scriptures in the world , and were composed approximately between 2000 BC to 200 BC . The vedas are known as the "Shruti " or "that which is heard" and were heard by the ancient Rishis or sages by divine revelation . The Vedas are "anadi" ie without beginning or end ..ie eternal .There are four Vedas- Rig , Sama, Yajur and Atharva. Each is further divided into 4 parts - the Mantra Samhitas or ( sacred verses ) , the brahmanas or ( ritual texts ) the Aranyakas or (meta physical dscussions in the isolation of forests ) and the Upanishads ( about philosophy and God).
When the indo aryans interacted with dravidian cultures and their local beliefs ,hinduism further changed ,absorbed and evolved .
Hinduism also was influenced by buddhism and Jainism during the period 400 BC to 200 AD.
Today hinduism is more about a way of life , and devotion or Bhakti towards personal deities , who in turn help one to progress spiritually, and achieve liberation and freedom from the cycle of birth and death , by a union with the supreme all encompassing spirit or Brahman .

to begin- intro

Sanathana Dharma which means in sanskrit" the ancient path of noble and righteous living " is the correct name for hinduism ."Hinduism " itself is a term that evolved from the word Sindhu meaning the river indus . It was first used by people living in the middle east etc to refer to all people living to the east of the indus , ie in India .India is home to one of the world earliest civilizations .The land south of the hindukush and the himalaya mountains , upto the indian ocean , ie ,the indian subcontinent , consists of traditional India . The Sanathana Dharma is the worlds oldest religion having its roots 5000 years ago .It is followed by nearly one billion people out of the world's 6.5 billion people . 80% or 800 million live in india . India is also the spiritual home of the offshoot or closely related religions of buddhism , Jainism , Sikhism , etc .Together , they constitute over 1.5 billion people , over a quarter of the world's population .Hinduism has no formal founder , church or organisation . It evolved and continues to evolve change and adapt out of a synthesis of of various cultures , beliefs customs and ways of living over centuries ...Traditional Hinduism does not attempt to convert others . The hindu view is that all religions are true . Hinduism believes that the faith one is born in is good for you .

Broad aim of this blog

Some time ago , a non Hindu friend of mine asked me to give a brief summary of hinduism or the Sanathana Dharma , and I suddenly realised I was tongue tied and at a loss for words ( which most hindus are , when it comes to their own dharma ) . Therefore my broad aim in this blog will be to collect titbits of information about the Sanathana Dharma .This will be a sort of online diary for me to refer to , a mirror of stuff in my head .I make no claims of being thorough , systematic , comprehensive, organised or regular in my posts , however they will be reasonably accurate .I have often found than when I need information I dont find it easily , hopefully this will help . A collection of stuff I feel I should know and remember . Perhaps this will be useful to others also. A sort of basic guide .