Vol 01.002 3. Prologue to "Hinduism Rediscovered"

3. PROLOGUE TO " HINDUISM REDISCOVERED "

It was in 1965 that the total ban on immigration and naturalization of Asians was withdrawn. By 1984, the Asian influx accounted for 48% ( against 12% of their European counterparts). Most of the Indian immigrants during these two decades were Hindus who promptly constructed temples, hundreds of which were opened for public worship in the U.S.A. between 1980 and 1990.

In 1987-88, when I first visited the U.S.A., I was struck by the upsurge of religious feelings of the Hindu brotherhood found crystallized in hundreds of temples and institutions in almost all the major cities dotting the landscape of the U.S.A. My second and third visits in 1992-93 and 1994-95 convinced me that Hinduism has not only survived but has also taken deep roots in the U.S.A. India, that is BHARAT was considered Punya bhumi ( world of merit) and the new world Bhogabhumi ( world of pleasure ). From the way the Hindu religious sentiment is enveloping the new world, one is tempted to conclude that America is fast transforming itself from a Bhoga bhumi into a Punya bhumi while India is sliding from its Punyabhumi status to a mere Karma bhumi ( world of performing rituals) as evidenced from the lack of Achara (Exemplary Character) and Anushtana ( meticulous performance of duties) of even those supposed to be the repositories of the highest rectitude.

The motivation for writing this book was provided by well meaning friends in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh temples in Pennsylvania, Baltimore-Maryland and Cleveland-Ohio, where I was invited to familiarize the kids and indeed also the parents who are 'Bharat-Indians in America ' on the basics of Hinduism. I presume that this opportunity was provided to me more out of love and regard for me than as a result of recognition of my capacity (or the lack of it) to carry out their behest.

You may wonder why I am using the word 'Bharat- Indian.' As you know when Columbus discovered America in 1493 in the age of discovery, he did it in the fond hope of fulfilling Europe's search for India and even today the Americans call the original inhabitants Indians and one would not know whether they are referring to the 'American Indian ' or the 'Indian American 'or the awkward expression of 'Indian Indian' ( i.e ) those hailing from. Bharat- India. To make sure of the correct reference, I have adopted the term' Bharat- Indians ' in America.

Let me in the first place admit that I am not a scholar except by way of calling one a `day-scholar' as distinct from a `Hostelier'. I am only a student trying to relearn our religion. This is an attempt to rediscover together with you the basics of our glorious religion. It is said "knowledge is what remains after forgetting what you have learnt". Therefore, to improve one's knowledge, one has to relearn, rediscover again and again and try to retain what has been so relearnt without forgetting it. As for the youngsters who had no exposure or orientation to the subject, hopefully this will prove an introductory learning process.

At this stage, I must thank one of my Christian friends who triggered in me a passionate desire to understand Hinduism. This might look paradoxical. But, it happened this way. He was a colleague of mine. As a true Christian of the Pentecostal mission, he was genuinely interested in "winning my soul for christ". He used to flood me with a lot of literature to persuade me into Christianity. To be very frank, I failed to reciprocate his sincerity. At one stage, I became so exasperated that I turned a heretic and indulged in polemic merely by way of banter to debunk him. I shot a few questions which he could not answer nor any of the fellow members of his fraternity. This of course, does not mean that there are no answers. In fact, subsequently, I stumbled upon sort of answers for them - all by my self.

This confrontation, however, led me to do a little introspection. I asked myself and became convinced that a lot more of questions could be and indeed have been asked of our religion itself-for which you and I may not be able to provide ready answers. This does not mean that these questions do not have any answers at all. I sincerely believe that we are not competent to criticize other religions, when we know nothing - maybe less than nothing of our own religion.

This prompted me to go through some of our religious literature and discuss with religious leaders and thinkers. I became convinced that anyone entering into the field of study of any faith ought to seek to know how it looks from within and not hasten to condemn their convictions as heresy or treat their sacred places as mere art museums. We should not let our pride and prejudice to desecrate what they deem holy. And, we should appreciate that for understanding any religion, there can be no simple, short statement of its philosophy and it calls for a subtle kind of sensibility, a friendliness and empathy more than mere ideology on the part of the seeker.

I was struck by the fact that in Hinduism almost all the possible questions that can ever be asked by genuine seekers and even heretics, atheists and agnostics have been anticipated and answered by our great seers thousands of years back. All we need is to look up to this treasure house of literature to clear our own doubts and those of others or to turn to our `Gurus' and `Acharyas' (not the pseudo ones who abound) who hold the key to these problems. While `Guru' means one who dispels darkness (ignorance) `Gu' means darkness and `Ru' means destroy; Acharya means one who enlightens (ie) one who imparts true knowledge and imparts right conduct too. The word Guru also means 'weighty one' denoting one endowed with great knowledge - 'one whose sayings carry weight and value'.
In fact, the more important aspects of Hinduism cannot be understood without the personal guidance of a preceptor who has been convinced that you are a deserving candidate. I take justifiable pride in saying that the head of the Mutt of Paundarigapuram Srimad Andavan who initiated me and the present 45th pontiff of the Ahobila Mutt (Azhagiyasingar) at whose feet I learned quite a few ideas about our religion - have found me worthy and have unstintingly come forward to instruct me within a short time. Before completing my apprenticeship, I was called to America due to force of circumstances. Oftentimes, I have a lurking feeling whether after all I have deserved their trust but I am constantly endeavoring to deserve the same. And, my wholehearted obeisance, I lay at their feet since I can in no way discharge the immeasurable debt of gratitude for the immense guidance they had and have been giving me. Lord Krishna says how one should approach a teacher. "Learn this (knowledge) by prostration, by respectful enquiry and by service. The wise who seek the truth will teach you true knowledge".

This encounter with the Christian friend illumined a new dimension in presenting Hindu religious ideologies to the Hindu population that had been cut off from its moorings due to prolonged absence from the homeland; and more so to the Non-Hindu population that was wholly alien to it but was nevertheless anxious to know.

In most of the pamphlets handed over to me by the Christian friend, I noticed stories and real life experiences which would build up interest in a crescendo only to end up with an anti-climax calling for a change of faith to Christianity by no more than citing a saying or two from an odd saint of their faith with whom I had no love to lose. There would be no logical or ostensible derivation from the stories to their denouement. It is but natural for a Christian to quote from his apostles but surely enough such quotations fail to impress a non-gullible Non-Christian.

It struck me, therefore, that in presenting the Hindu ideologies it would be equally futile to marshall quotations from the Hindu scriptures which were bound to fall flat. With this in view, I went through hundreds of books and articles authored by Non-Hindu thinkers from the various countries hailing from both the hemispheres- American, British, German, Greek, Roman, Australian, Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern and belonging to different faiths- Christian, Judaic, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Confucian, Shintoism and others- on what they had to say on Hinduism and quote from the 'horse's mouth'- authorities confirming the veracity of the wisdom contained in the Hindu faith. These authors have drawn personal inspiration and meaning from India as much from their native heritage. Most of them had never gone through the rigors of discipline and training in the 'Patasala' tradition ( traditional schooling ) nor had had any opportunity to listen to erudite exponents in confidential sessions of the Kalakshepa' tradition (erudite expositions).

Yet, their involvement was so palpably real, sincerity so stunningly stubborn, dedication indisputably total and their grasp so incredibly gripping that they reveal perfect mastery over the nuances of the innermost esoteric meanings (Svapadesa) lying buried in the innermost niches in our scriptures.

I was amazed at the superb range of their study of Sanskrit and Hinduism. This is because in India, religion and language are inextricably interwoven so much that no idea or expression in Sanskrit could subsist without an import into some aspect or other of Hinduism. A study of Sanskrit was necessarily a study of Hinduism and a study of Hinduism was not possible without a study of Sanskrit- the language through which Hinduism revealed itself.

Thus, Sanskrit was not only the culture but also the religion of the Hindus. Therefore, the exposure of most of them to both Sanskrit and Hinduism was so intimate that they could comprehend even minutest details and explain them with force and clarity in their expositions. - sometimes more revealing than some of our own preceptors back home in India.

For this reason, the reader would come across a good number of Sanskrit words. But, I have given such words in italics as far as possible and also their translations alongside unless specific words get repeated so much that the reader would have already become familiar with them (e.g) Yoga, Karma, Gnana, Bhakti, Prapatti, Moksha , Bhagavan etc

A reference or quotation from these world leaders who have dedicated themselves to the study of religions in general and Hinduism in particular provide an appropriate launching pad for the take off into the Hindu scriptural statements-which then would be more meaningful or at least less misunderstood. In fact, THEY tell us more about OUR religion than many of our so called self styled "Godmen" back in India.

I must record here my appreciation of the exemplary work and cooperation of the libraries in the U.S.A. which ( however small or big they may be.) could procure any title on any subject by any author from anywhere in the world and make them available within an unbelievably short time and one could reserve any work on the computer for being procured by the libraries.

In Annexure 1, a list of some such authors is given merely by way of example. The list is by no means exhaustive and some have very many works to their credit which reveal the astounding depth of their knowledge. I hereby acknowledge my deep sense of gratitude to their thought provoking works that have shaped my own thoughts and presentation. My inspiration from them is none the less than that drawn from my Acharyas as mentioned earlier. In Annexure 2, is given a list of Abbreviated titles of Scriptural and other texts referred to
In Annexure 3, is given a Guide to pronunciation of transliterated Sanskrit and other vernacular words. In Annexure 4, is given a table showing distribution of World Population according to Religions. ' Hinduism in a nutshell ' is also included as a sneak preview of the contents of this book for the reader in a hurry. Hopefully, this would kindle a curiosity to go through the rest of the matter.

A word about the ' Non-sexist' language. In the Indian tradition, when a masculine word is used say,' man' , no disrespect is meant to the' woman'. There is a plethora of judicial pronouncements right from the Supreme Court of India and down the line that an innocuous reference apparently connoting the ' male' does NOT per se carry any sexist overtones against the ' female' of the species. In fact, the term ' man' includes 'woman' unless specifically excluded. This is also due to the inherent nature of the subject. The undue obsession with the Non-sexist jargon would only create a mental blockade obstructing the natural flow of thought and understanding of a delicate subject. The use of the 'Nonsexist' expressions would very often be artificial, strained and grotesque in the context. I would request the reader - to see the woods - not the trees; to see the elephant - not the wood of which it is made; - to see the substance - not be paranoid about the form of presentation

I am here before you not so much for clearing all your doubts as for sharing what little I have learned and improving my own knowledge in a sort of joint study with you.

I am not itching to `win any soul for God' because in the words of Mahathma Gandhi -"God is not so helpless in winning souls all by himself as to need anybody's help" - much less an imperfect one like me. As mentioned, many doubts might arise and indeed will. Only two kinds of persons will not get any doubts : One - who has mastered a subject; the other - who is totally ignorant. For instance, I have no doubts in Hebrew because my ignorance of Hebrew is abysmal. Together, these two segments constitute an infinitesimal fraction; the mass of humanity stand between the two extremes. Getting doubts is a sign of progress and indicates an upward trend in evolution. The more one listens the more one learns; the more one learns, the more one understands

I may not be able to clear all your doubts or provide ready answers pat as in a quiz program. I would request you to bring your doubts to my notice. I shall answer what I can; for others, I shall consult authorities and convey their findings. But, be sure that the questions are based on genuine doubts not heretical. Let us approach the issues with an open mind and an earnest desire to know, because as Dale Carnegie puts it - "A man convinced against his will -is of the same opinion still"

2. 'You can't win an argument" by Dale Carnegie in his " How to win friends and influence people' ( p. 105), Pub. Simon & Schuster, NY, 1964 ( 114th Reprint)