Om Etc. Blog:: Hindu | Hinduism | Hindu Gods | Yoga

Hinduism, a Philosophy?

The ancient Vedic faith of Hinduism is perhaps the oldest organized surviving religion today – so old that it predates history. Thought to have originated around 3000 BCE, it cannot be attributed to any single founder, does not worship any single God, and does not follow any single philosophy. The term “Hindu” originated as a secular term; coined perhaps by Persians and Arabs to refer to the people who lived beyond the River Indus, and only acquiring communal overtones after the 17th century. Hinduism therefore refers generally to the (rather disparate) ways of life of those people.

The inherently diverse, complex nature of Hinduism makes it near impossible to state a defining philosophy. There is general agreement on the significance of the immortal soul (as against the triviality of the body, which is nothing more than a vehicle for the soul). The soul must stay on earth (albeit in a succession of different bodies through rebirth) until all its misdeeds have been nullified. The purpose of a Hindu’s life, then, is to attain liberation (Moksha) from this cycle of life and death.

Broadly, there may be said to be three schools of thought regarding the path to attaining Moksha – Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita.

• Advaita, defined by the Sanskrit phrase “Tat Tvam Asi” (That Thou Art) argues that all life and the “Brahman” or God, are one and the same, and the pursuit of knowledge is the way to merge with the Brahman.
• Vishishtadvaita states that all life forms are part of, and make up the supreme whole, as drops of water make the ocean. The path to liberation is knowledge and devotion.
• Dvaita is dualistic, and much like Christianity, Judaism and Islam, believe in the superiority of God over his followers, and that the path to Moksha is self-surrender, devotion and worship.

Some believe that these are but references to stages of realization, with the soul progressing from Dvaita, the basic stage, to Advaita through the acquisition of knowledge and the practice of meditation.

Yoga & Hindu Mythology

Mythology has played a powerful and important role in survival and popularity of yogic principles. Yoga is associated with the god Shiva, who is revered as the Adi Guru or first teacher. And therein lies a tale! For millennia, the blue-throated, ash-smeared god with dread-locks would remain in deep meditation. Coming out of his trance, he would dance ecstatically over the mountains, blissed out, as moderns would say! He was different from other divinities, the most realized of them all. Curious, the Gods approached him for the secret of his evolved state, whereupon Shiva expounded upon the various types of yoga.

Shiva’s first student was his wife Parvati, Goddess of creation, to whom he taught yoga with great gentleness and detail. His classroom was the shore of an uninhabited island. Parvati, eager as she was to learn, fell asleep during the exposition. However, there was a listener hiding in the sea – the sage Lokesvara. Shiva appreciated his keen interest and named him Matsyendranath, or Lord of the Fishes; the sage was conferred with the authority to disseminate the techniques of Hatha Yoga, the yogic school that is most widely practiced worldwide. Matsyendranath passed his knowledge on to his disciple Goraksa and the tradition continued. Possibly, Lokesvara and his disciple were historical personalities. Of more interest is the question: why did Parvati fall asleep? Was she, god forbid, bored? Most myths have hidden meanings and so does this one. Shiva, in yogic philosophy, represents the Universal Soul or transcendent Self (in Sanskrit, “paramatma”); Parvati is us, the individual self (“jivatma”). Like her, we too go through life “asleep”, unaware of our spiritual potential. Yoga is the means by which we may attain union with that Self.

A second set of yogic teachings came down to the Saptarishis (the seven sages), or guardians of divine laws, near Kedarnath, Shiva’s icy shrine in the Himalayas. On Mahashivaratri, the festival that honors Shiva, devotees fast and stay up all night. On this night, the alignment of the planets in the northern hemisphere creates a rise in cosmic energies. Sitting with the spine upright in a state of wakefulness on Mahashivaratri is believed to boost spiritual powers.

Tangibles leading to the intangibles

Not everybody can relate to abstract concepts. Something tangible is needed by most of us, especially if it is to be followed on a day-to-day basis. Hinduism seems to understand this need, which is why you see meditation, idol worship, myriad rituals and even music and dance as part of the spiritual pursuit.

A mandala is a symbolic depiction of the cosmos, trying to bridge the gap between the abstract and actual perception. It is a spiritual teaching tool and is used an aid to meditation. The rudraksha – berries of an evergreen broad-leaved tree – is another such tool.  Garlands with 108 rudrakshas are used to aid chanting. The beads help in keeping count of the number of times a mantra is chanted.

Meditation – a tool which when used properly calms the mind and enables it to function more efficiently – has always been a part of worship across all Hindu sects. Ancient Hindu texts tell us about the existence of a subtle body wherever there is a physical body. Chakras are energy centers in the subtle body.  Practices like mantra chanting and meditation are believed to cleanse and energize these energy centers. The effect of this cleansing and energizing permeates to the physical body, making it more energetic both physically and mentally.

A calm mind in an energetic body is the goal of all ritualistic practices of Hinduism. Once this goal is achieved, recognition of one’s dharma comes easily, bringing the spiritual goal of moksha closer.

Getting Familiar with Hindu Philosophic Terminology

Spiritual laws that govern human existence form the basis of Sanatana dharma or Hinduism, as it is more popularly known. Sanatana means universal and dharma can best be translated as ‘righteousness’ in this context.  These laws have universal applicability with a few underlying concepts that run as a common thread through all the perceived differences in Hinduism. An underlying belief in the rebirth of the human soul forms the basis of several of these concepts. 

A few abstract concepts

Moksha, a much bandied about word, is the goal of human existence according to Hinduism. Moksha is described as an exalted state reached by the human soul after release from the cycle of birth and death. Interpretations of the exalted state of Moksha, or Nirvana as it is also called, vary.  This is where differences creep in and are visible as different Hindu sects.

The word atman is used to identify the soul in a living being. This word has an Indo-European root and is derived from “et-men” which means breath – the very essence of life. The atman is one’s true Self, which continues to exist even after the body ceases to exist. The body is a vehicle that the atman uses to live out a cycle of birth and death. Release from this cycle enables the atman to attain moksha.

The spiritual laws of Hinduism also lay down the path to be followed for the atman to attain moksha. This path or method is called dharma and a life lived according to dharma will obliterate the cause of rebirth. Living life according to dharma means recognition of duties as per your role in life and performing those with the right mental attitude. Sounds like a new-age management mantra, right?

Belief in what causes rebirth ties up all these concepts together. The ‘blame’ is placed on desires that crowd a person’s mind. Every action that is performed has the capacity to generate further desires; however, actions performed in true dharmic spirit will ensure that there is no further build-up of desires, thus paving the way to moksha. This cause and effect principle is called karma, a popular Hindu concept.

To sum up the abstract concept of Hinduism – karmic repercussions cause the atman to be caught in a seemingly endless cycle of birth and death; living life according to dharma helps the atman negate karmic repercussions and attain moksha.

The Power of Om

Aum, Om, Ohm…no matter how you spell it, is a powerful intonation. Calling it a word does not do justice to it.  Om is a sacred word symbol in many faiths.  It is a symbol of the all-pervading divine force. Why Om you might ask? There has to be a reason, right? Music, good music, has the power to transcend barriers of language, cultures and even species. This is because of an intangible quality that appeals to the listener. Aum, too, has that quality.

Om is a sound that encompasses all the sounds that can be made by a human being. The sound Om is a triad of three basic sounds ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’. The ‘a’ sound is a guttural sound produced in the throat by the vocal chords. The sound ‘u’ originates from the navel region and can be felt in the mouth. The sound ‘m’ is heard when the mouth closes after saying the ‘u’.

If Om is pronounced correctly, the vibrations produced should be felt in three different parts of the body. Vibrations produced by the sound of ‘a’ should be felt in the abdomen near the navel, those by ‘u’ should be felt in the chest and ‘m’ should be felt reverberating in the cranium.
The ancient Indian science of yoga – a set of mental and physical disciplines – uses Om extensively, harnessing the benefits of the vibrations produced by Om.

In the physical disciplines prescribed by yoga, Om is used as part of breathing exercises. Controlled breathing exercises done while chanting Om truly rejuvenate. When Om is pronounced loudly, the sound is believed to produce positive vibrations. These vibrations have a healing effect on your body and mind, and on your surroundings too.

Yoga also prescribes the mental discipline of meditation. The process of meditation involves the silent chanting of a ‘mantra’ (a sacred sound) while sitting in a cross legged posture. The mantra often chosen for meditation is Om.  A silent chant is believed to produce subtle vibrations that benefit the mind. Maybe this is why people of faith always seem tranquil and at peace. After all, Om does exist in some form in all faiths.

Buddhists use Om extensively in prayers and meditation. “Om mani padme hum”, one of the most important mantras used in Buddhism, originated in India, the land of Om. Jains use a five-syllable Aum for meditation. Sikhs chant the Omkar regularly, while all Christian prayers end with an ‘Amen’, Islam uses ‘Amin’ and there is the ‘Shalom’ in Judaism.

Want to type out Om on your computer? Choose the Wingdings font in MS Word and type in the backslash. And there you have your Aum.

Today Om is found everywhere... on T-shirts, coffee mugs, artifacts and even in tattoos and body art. The movie ‘The origin of Om,’ might have had a hand in all the Om merchandise. But Om has been around much, much longer than that. Ancient scriptures tell us that this primordial sound existed before creation, exists now and will continue to exist when the world as we know it ceases to exist. Omnipresent and omnipotent may well describe Om – these words have Om in them too!