Hinduism 12

Transcript (Not Corrected)

Hinduism: Scriptures and Teachings

Opening Prayer

ॐ सह नाववतु ।

सह नौ भुनक्तु ।

सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु ।

मा विद्विषावहै ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।

हरिः ॐ ।

Transliteration (IAST):

Om Saha Nāvavatu

Saha Nau Bhunaktu

Saha Vīryaṃ Karavāvahai

Tejasvi Nāvadhītamastu

Mā Vidviṣāvahai

Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ

Hariḥ Om

Translation:

Om, may Brahman protect us both.

May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.

May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.

May what we both study reveal the truth.

May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

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Introduction: The Foundation of Hinduism

So we are discussing what is Hinduism. In this context, I already mentioned that every religion depends upon scriptures. The scriptures are the very lifeblood of these religions. Take away the scriptures, practically nothing remains.

In Hinduism, there is only one scripture which is the foundation, which is the authority—that is called the Vedas. By Veda is meant that particular knowledge which cannot be obtained through the ordinary five sense organs. In other words, extrasensory knowledge. These are the basis.

We discussed how many Vedas there are, how they are divided, and what is their application at different stages of life.

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The Purpose and Essence of the Vedas

Now, before we go further, let us recall what we have discussed. What is the purpose of these scriptures? Ajñāta jñāpakam̐ śāstram—to let us know what we can never obtain through any other means.

So what is it that these Vedas teach us?

The most fundamental teaching, the essence of the Vedas, is that we are not what we think we are. We are the divine, and therefore we must regain our forgotten knowledge that we are the divine. We are not in bondage; we are eternally blissful, but unfortunately we are not aware of this fact.

The whole of the scriptures, primary and secondary, only point out this fact. If we keep this much in mind, we know the essence of the Vedas: Each soul is potentially divine. Therefore, realize your own divinity and be happy ever afterwards.

These Vedas are called the fundamental scriptures of the Hindus, and not any other scripture.

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The Prasthāna Traya: Three Foundational Texts

Now, in practice however, these scriptures are obscure and difficult to understand. So these scriptures have been divided into three further parts. These go by the very beautiful name Prasthāna Traya.

Traya means three. Prasthāna means most important. What are those?

1. Upaniṣads
2. Brahma Sūtras
3. Bhagavad Gītā

1. The Upaniṣads

We already discussed the Upaniṣads. What is the meaning of the word Upaniṣad? That which destroys our wrong knowledge about ourselves and leads us to the right knowledge—that is called Upaniṣad.

2. The Brahma Sūtras

What are Brahma Sūtras? Sūtra is a special kind of literature, very brief—maybe a few words.

As an example: Atha yoga anuśāsanam—"Now we are going to expound what is called Yoga." Yoga citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ—"Yoga is the suppression of all mental modifications." It is called Sūtra literature.

Sūtra means a thread. Just as a thread—what is the purpose of a thread? A thread by itself is not of much use. It is always used for some other purpose. In our land, we use the thread to keep all the flowers together.

So, Brahma Sūtras. Sūtra also has another meaning: that which points, a pointer. So, Brahma Sūtra—what does it point to? Brahman. Brahman means the ultimate reality.

Why Brahma Sūtras?

Very briefly, these Upaniṣads seem to contain various contradictory statements. How do we know? Because there are three important schools of philosophy now. But before this time, there were six important schools of philosophy called Darśanas in Hinduism, which I will briefly come to later on.

So, why six different schools of philosophy? Because six different people think in six different ways, and each claims to be right.

Are there contradictory statements in the Vedas? Really, no. Apparently, yes.

Understanding Apparent Contradictions

How is it? When we are growing up, the mother tells us, "Don't enter into that room. There is a bhūta there, a boginā." But when we grow up, maybe the same mother—perhaps she is a scientist—says, "You know, gods, ghosts, afterlife—it's all bunk. Never believe in it, much less in a boginā."

So, is she contradicting herself? No. At this stage, when we are children, we are endangering ourselves if we go into that room. Therefore, to prevent us, she tells us there is a boginā. Because if the mother says "don't go," the first thing that we do is to go. Human nature, you know.

Vedas, scriptures, do not contain contradictory statements. They contain complementary statements. This means they give food suitable to different stages or understanding capacity of the person who needs them.

But there are fanatical people who say, "No, scripture only teaches this," and they go on quarreling. And probably, even at the time thousands of years ago, these quarrels were there.

The Solution: Vedavyāsa's Brahma Sūtras

So Vedavyāsa, the author of the Brahma Sūtras, took out all those seemingly contradictory statements and organized them: "This is the one controversy. This is the second controversy. This is the third controversy." He tried to make sense out of it to tell primarily these two facts:

First fact: Vedas, Vedic teachings, do not contradict themselves. They are systematic and they are whole; they are one in meaning. There is no contradiction at all.

Second fact: Every teaching which is seen to be contradictory serves some purpose for somebody to uplift them. A child is given one type of teaching. A young man is given another type of teaching. An old man is given another type of teaching.

This literature, Brahma Sūtras, has become very important, especially for the philosophers. For ordinary people, they do not even go to that book. That is the second book.

3. The Bhagavad Gītā

The third book is called Bhagavad Gītā. You know Mahābhārata? You have heard about Mahābhārata. Bhagavad Gītā forms part of the Mahābhārata.

Very few people are there who didn't hear about Bhagavad Gītā. Bhagavad Gītā—it is called Bhagavad Gītā—means song. A song sung by whom? By God himself.

What Does God Sing?

When God sings a song, what do you think He will sing? Come on, think.

You see a young man in blooming youth and he sees a young woman—what is the song that comes out? A child is going and he sees a toy shop and he sees something which he likes—what is the song he bursts into? "Teddy bear, teddy bear," "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, I wonder what you are," etc., etc.

But when God sings a song, what do you think He will sing? There is only one song He can sing: "I am God, I am God, I am God." There are no other words. Aham brahmāsmi, aham brahmāsmi, aham brahmāsmi.

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gītā

So the whole Bhagavad Gītā—what is the essence? That I am God.

"What about me?" "Oh Lord, good Lord, there is no you. There is only me. You are also God. I am also God. Everything is God."

I am not saying this. It is the Lord who said this: Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate / vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ.

"After many, many lives of spiritual practice, the realization comes: everything is nothing but God. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti—everything is God." That is the essence of Gītā. I will come to that point a little later.

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Summary: The Three Books

These are the three books:

1. Upaniṣads
2. Brahma Sūtras
3. Bhagavad Gītā

These constitute the very basis of Hinduism.

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Primary and Secondary Scriptures

Now we have spoken about Vedas and also Upaniṣads. I will not speak about Brahma Sūtras and other things now.

So the Hindu scriptures are divided, as I said, into two: primary and secondary.

Primary Scriptures: Śruti

Before entering into the secondary scriptures, I have to recollect. Vedas are—by Veda means suprasensory knowledge. Vedas, this knowledge is eternal. It is an interesting point.

Knowledge is eternal. Any knowledge is eternal. Therefore, you cannot create knowledge. You can combine certain things, but you cannot invent things, because the things are already there.

The Example of Gravitation

Swami Vivekananda gives an example: the law of gravitation. Who discovered the law of gravitation? Did he invent it? He didn't invent it. It was there. Even if there is not a single human being, the law of gravitation would always be there. But we didn't understand what it is until this person came along and pointed it out to us. So he is not an inventor; he is a discoverer, an uncoverer.

God and Eternal Knowledge

So how does it happen? God exists. This world is nothing but God. And therefore, when God exists, does He exist for a short time or eternally? He exists for eternity. Therefore, the knowledge of God is eternal. That is what Veda is meant to convey.

When we say Vedas are eternal, it means the knowledge of God is eternal. Because God is eternal, the knowledge about God is eternal. The rest—slowly we discover that knowledge. And the discoverer of that knowledge is called a sage, a ṛṣi. That's all.

Summary of Vedic Eternality

So what is the point? The point is: Vedas are eternal because knowledge is eternal. And it is not a human construct. No knowledge is a human construct. We can at best take some combination. We only combine certain things among the objects which already are there. We are discoverers. We are not inventors.

So from that point of view, Vedas are eternal, non-human constructs. Sages are only the discoverers. And this is the foundational, most important scripture. Every other scripture is a secondary scripture.

Secondary Scriptures: Smṛti

This secondary scripture is called Smṛti. The primary scriptures are called Śruti.

Śruti means "heard" or "realized" and passed on from year to year—the guru paramparā system, GPS system.

Smṛti means "memory." It's a wonderful word.

Why Are Secondary Scriptures Called Smṛti (Memory)?

You know, what's a wonderful thing? For example, you see something for the first time. Then it becomes an experience. Experience means you have some knowledge: "This object I didn't know before; now I know." Thereafter, how does that knowledge reside within us? In the form of memory, Smṛti.

The Vedic sages have given us the right knowledge about God, the afterworld, and the afterlife—three things: about God, about the afterlife, about other worlds.

Other Worlds: Heaven and Hell

There are other types of worlds. Naturally, somebody has committed great sin. He must go there and get what is called "barbecued." Why can't he be barbecued here? There is a problem. What is the problem? Once you barbecue him, there is no way to barbecue him a second time.

But the other place has some magic. You know, barbecue him and dip him in another tub—immediately he will come back to life. So you can barbecue him again and again and again. So that is called hell.

So also, somebody had done something wonderful—great meritorious, unselfish acts. So he must enjoy for a long time. So that is called heaven.

Do they exist? No... You see, we have to believe in these scriptures. There is no justification. You cannot derive any justice by looking at this world. So this is what the scriptures are teaching us. So we must have faith in them.

But the most important point is not hell or heaven. It is about our own divinity.

The Nature of Secondary Scriptures

All these secondary scriptures are called secondary in the sense that they are not editions, but they are a reformulation of Upaniṣadic teachings in an accessible form. This is why they are called secondary scriptures.

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Vedāṅgas: Subsidiary Vedas

How many of these secondary scriptures are there? I forgot to mention one thing. Let me go through this again.

Vedas—I said Vedas, primary Vedas. There are what are called Vedāṅgas—subsidiary Vedas. The purpose of these subsidiary Vedas is to facilitate right understanding of the Vedas. This is why they are called Vedāṅgas.

The Six Vedāṅgas

What are these?

1. Śikṣā: Phonetics

The science of phonetics.

2. Vyākaraṇa: Grammar

The science of grammar.

3. Chandas: Prosody

How to make poetry, how to understand poetry, etc.

4. Nirukta: Etymology

Etymology means what is the correct meaning of this particular word. You see, the correct meaning of a particular word is very, very important, especially in languages like Sanskrit. Sanskrit is an etymologically based language. This means every word has its meaning, and that meaning has to be understood in the right context. Otherwise, there is going to be a big problem. The word must be interpreted correctly. It is a very important issue in the interpretation of the Vedas.

The same word in different contexts can mean different things.

Example: The Word "Village"

For example, in Sanskrit we give an example: village. So this village is an empty place. You go to some village, and then you see there is nobody there practically. "The village is empty." What are you referring to? To the place.

Then there is a Ramakrishna birthday festival. "The whole village went." Did the whole earth with foundations get up and go? What does it mean? It means the people living in that village. Though the word used is "village," the meaning is "the people living in that village went to attend the festival."

So there is a third meaning which means both the place and also—"Avoid that village where people are not devotees of God." So what does it mean? Do not go to that place. Also, do not associate with the people living in that particular place.

So correct meaning is very important. Nirukta is one which deals with this science of correctly interpreting words.

5. Jyotiṣa: Astronomy and Astrology

Why? Because Hindus believe, and many people believe, certain things have to be done at certain particular times. For example, Vedas are full of rituals. So this particular ritual has to be done only on this particular day.

For example, Ekādaśī. When do you have to observe Ekādaśī fasting? On the 11th day. So you must know when the moon is on the 11th day—the 11th day of the moon. It has a lot of significance. People who live near the seashore or near a big river understand the meaning of it.

6. Kalpa: Ritualistic Literature

There are what are called Kalpas, which means a certain type of literature. They can interpret the ritualistic portions of the Vedas very nicely.

These are all what we call helps to understand the teachings of the scriptures and perform them correctly. These are called the subsidiary Vedas.

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Categories of Secondary Scriptures (Smṛti)

Now we will go further. These secondary scriptures can be subdivided into certain classes. So let me enumerate what they are:

1. Dharmaśāstras
2. Itihāsas
3. Purāṇas
4. Āgamas or Tantras
5. Darśanas
6. Lives of Saints

1. Dharmaśāstras: Codes of Conduct

Have you heard the word Dharmaśāstra? Manudharmaśāstra?

What Are Dharmaśāstras?

A Hindu learns how he has to spend his whole life from these special scriptures called Dharmaśāstra. Śāstra means scripture. Dharma means the duties.

The Four Castes (Varṇas)

First of all, Hindu life is divided into four castes. You know: Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya (warrior), Vaiśya (the merchant class), and everybody else who doesn't fall into these three—four castes.

The four castes—later on I will discuss this also—but briefly, it is an inevitable division because all people are not of the same intelligence or capability. So naturally, everybody has to fulfill his own or her own dharma.

The Four Stages of Life (Āśramas)

Then further, a Hindu life is divided into four stages:

1. The student life (brahmacārya)
2. The married life (gṛhastha)
3. The semi-retired life (vānaprastha)
4. The monastic life (saṁnyāsa)

Duties and Rules

Now, what are the duties of these Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, Śūdras? What should a student do, a married person do, a retired person do, and also a monastic person do? All these—there should be rules, regulations.

In the olden times, when we were in the tribal state, these were called taboos: "Do certain things, do not do certain things." Now they have become much more sophisticated, but we have not become better than tribals. Only we want to be called civilized.

As a great man had remarked: "Scratch the skin of any civilized man—out comes the savage, with this difference: that the savage could at best destroy only a few lives, whereas the modern man can destroy millions of lives at the flick of his switch."

Modern Examples

Is it right? You know, this man sits here in front of his console and he trades 40 billion pounds worth of things. How many people are affected? The Lehman Brothers—you know, there will be one or two people who do like this, and millions of lives may be affected—in Malaysia, in Singapore, in Australia, in Africa—their lives are destroyed, literally destroyed. Not only through weapons of mass destruction. These are even more destructive than physical things. But you cannot go to a court.

The Purpose of Dharmaśāstras

There must be some guidelines: what to do, what not to do. There are two points to be noted here:

The first point is how the whole society—society is a collection of individuals—between any given two individuals, there would always be differences of opinion. But there must be some harmony, some understanding if life has to go on properly. This is one purpose.

But the other purpose is not merely societal welfare. How can we evolve spiritually so that we can realize our own true nature?

Let us never forget: these Dharmaśāstras are not meant for propagating worldly life. They are meant so that life in this world becomes very easy, smooth—what you call energy-saving, time-saving techniques—so that we can pursue our true goal of life, which is spiritual progress. That is the real purpose.

These are the two points. These are called Dharmaśāstras.

Important Dharmaśāstras

There are many, many such scriptures. But briefly, there is one Dharmaśāstra which is very famous among Hindus. You know what that is? Manudharmaśāstra. Then Yājñavalkya. Then Parāśara. Then there is another, Raghunandana Smṛti—it is called Raghunandana.

Even today, most of Hindu law is based upon these books. There are two types of law in India. Did you know that? The central government has its own law, and there is a Hindu law. So for Hindus' guidance, we have to follow this Hindu law.

So anyway, in the modern situation, what do we do? As far as secular affairs are concerned, follow the government law. As far as spiritual life is concerned, follow the scriptural law, Dharmaśāstra. This is our understanding about this.

So these are called Dharmaśāstras.

2. Itihāsas: Historical Epics

Then there are Itihāsas. The meaning of the word Itihāsa—every Sanskrit word has etymological meaning. The word Sanskrit is also etymological. Saṁskṛta—well done, refined. Saṁkṛta—well done. That becomes Saṁskṛta. What is called the law of sandhi, conjunction—two words joined together, there is some change that comes.

So Itihāsa means iti-ha-āsa. Iti means "thus." Ha-āsa means "it was like this"—a kind of history. It happened like this. At that time, it was like this.

But we cannot call them historical literature because it has nothing to do with history. This you must always remember is part of religious literature. So what is the purpose? The purpose is to illustrate—take maybe some historical examples and put before us how those great people had set an ideal for how to live.

The Two Great Itihāsas

There are two such books which all of us know:

a) Rāmāyaṇa

One is Rāmāyaṇa, the story of Rāma. What does it teach? Rāma was an ideal son, ideal brother, ideal husband, ideal father, ideal ruler, ideal friend. He was a great man in every respect. So incidents are given to illustrate these points.

And then in Rāmāyaṇa we get characters like Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, Hanumān, Sītā. Regarding Sītā, Swami Vivekananda used to say, "For eternity she is the ideal of every Hindu wife."

So this is what Rāmāyaṇa is all about.

b) Mahābhārata

Then comes Mahābhārata. Even from the viewpoint of entertainment, no other scripture equals Mahābhārata. You want fight? You get it. You want intrigue? You will get it. You want to kill somebody by poison? You will get it. Whatever you want.

But at the same time, the highest spiritual teaching has been given.

Two Important Parts of Mahābhārata

There are two important parts of this Mahābhārata:

1. Viṣṇu Sahasranāma: The thousand names of Viṣṇu, without reciting which no devotee of Viṣṇu would ever pass his day. Viṣṇu Sahasranāma—Śiva Sahasranāma also is there.

2. Bhagavad Gītā: And second is, of course we all know, the greatest scripture on earth. What is it? Bhagavad Gītā—the teaching of Kṛṣṇa.

The Reality of Kurukṣetra

Again, as I told, some people ask, "Was there really a Kurukṣetra?" Yes. Not only was it there—it is there. Every household has this Kurukṣetra now and then. Yes, Kurukṣetra is there all the time. It is always between two countries. Between two parties in the same country. Between two [members] in the same family. It is always between two brothers, between husband and wife, between two sisters.

What happens every day of our life—that is called Kurukṣetra war, Mahābhārata war. So this is a fact of life.

The Teaching of Bhagavad Gītā

But the most important thing is, the Bhagavad Gītā teaches us how we should be victorious in this battle. It is not saying there is a way to avoid battle. Never said that. There will always be—as long as there is life on earth—there will be battle, there will be war, warfare.

Do not be idealistic and say, do not look for what is called utopia, paradise: "One day will come, everybody will be only playing harps." That's not going to happen. There will be wars. Somebody will become victorious.

How to become victorious? Not by hook, not by crooked means. But there is a technique. And that technique is called living a spiritual life. That is the teaching.

The Popularity of Bhagavad Gītā

Wonderful book. This has been the most widely popular book, next probably to the Bible. In so many languages it has been translated and read and appreciated. Thousands of commentaries have come up on it, including Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's own commentary.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Commentary on Gītā

Which is the shortest commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā? What is the commentary? Reverse the word Gītā—you get tāgi: "O man, renounce (tyāga) your false nature. Renounce your egotism. And realize your true nature."

That is the most wonderful comment. The whole Gospel is nothing but an essence, an elaboration of Bhagavad Gītā.

The Chain of Scriptural Essence

As I mentioned in my last class: If you have not read Vedas, do not worry, because if you read Upaniṣads, they are the essence of Vedas. If you have not read the Upaniṣads, do not worry, because if you have read Bhagavad Gītā, you have read all the Upaniṣads. If you have not read Gītā, do not worry. If you have read the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa or Swami Vivekananda's teachings, you have read Gītā, you have read Upaniṣads, you have read all the Vedas. You have read all the scriptures of all the world. This is the simple truth.

Structure and Essence of Bhagavad Gītā

So Bhagavad Gītā, to be very brief, consists of around 700 ślokas (verses). It is divided into 18 chapters. And the essential teaching of the Bhagavad Gītā is the teaching of the Upaniṣads, which is to say: Tat tvam asi—"Thou art That." Thou art the Divine. Realize this, become free. The rest is elaboration. That is the final goal.

Whether you like it or not, evolution is taking us to that goal. But this goal can be attained through any religion, through any path. That is the specialty of the Gītā. Through any path—you may be a devotee, or you may be a selfless worker, or you are a meditator, or you use knowledge, your intellect—by whichever means, all is fine. You will reach ultimately the same goal.

The Universal Teaching

So do not worry. You are a Muslim, you are a Hindu, you are a Christian, you are of no religion—no religious stamp. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to use funny words: mark, mark, stamp. "I am a Vaiṣṇava, do you know?" There is a big three-line mark in India. "I am a worshipper of Śiva, do you know?" Three big lines across will be there.

Don't worry. Do not worry about outside people trying to recognize you. In fact, you know, this is very good, this mark: "This fellow is coming, let us go the other way around!"

The Liberal Teaching of Hinduism

So the essence is this most liberal teaching of Hinduism. What is the first discovery? Ekam sat viprā bahudhā vadanti—"Truth is one, sages call it by various names." A rose is a rose, by whatever name you call it.

So what religion you travel, which name of God you call upon, doesn't really matter. What matters is: Have you reached the goal? Are you going towards the goal? Are you becoming a better person, unselfish, happier? That is the only thing that counts.

These teachings are there in the Bhagavad Gītā, and they are the teachings which practically every sage and saint in India propagates.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say that a devotee may not have any book, but if he has got one book, that is enough. What is that book? Bhagavad Gītā.

Recent Popularization

And of recent times, you know—that is about 20 years back—these films have been made: Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. How popular they have become. So these are the Itihāsas.

3. Purāṇas: Mythologies

Then come Purāṇas. These are wonderful things. So you know, the word Purāṇa means mythology. But as I said, do not compare these at all with Greek mythology or Roman mythology. There is something very, very special.

Number of Purāṇas

How many Purāṇas are there? There are 18 main Purāṇas. These Purāṇas, I have to say, are really the scriptures which influenced the whole of Hinduism, the whole Indian continent.

We are not followers of Upaniṣads. We are not followers of Bhagavad Gītā. We are followers of Purāṇas. This is the simple truth. They have nice stories.

The Five Parts of Every Purāṇa

What do these contain? There are five parts in every Purāṇa. I am using the Sanskrit word—Purāṇa, you can use it as mythology.

1. Sarga: Primary Creation First of all, it contains such facts, certain things—such and such a king was born, etc.

2. Cosmology How this creation has come, how it continues, how it is going to end. It is from these Purāṇas we get the idea that there are four time periods—we call them Yugas:

• The age of truth (Satya Yuga)
• The age when truth and righteousness are three-fourths present (Tretā Yuga)
• The age when they come to half (Dvāpara Yuga)
• And now we are in the last stage, called Kali Yuga, the materialistic age

So this is from our Purāṇas.

And also it has a threatening type of prognosis, an apocalypse. What happens? There is fire, you know—it will rain huge boulders burning at a thousand degrees Celsius that will fall on your head, and so many things will happen. Siamese twins will be born, a cow with 500 heads will be born. All these predictions and all these things will be coming. They are all told—cosmology.

3. Pratisarga: Secondary Creation How other people also have contributed to this creation.

4. Vaṁśa: Genealogy of Kings For example, there is Hariścandra—how his lineage had come down. There is the moon lineage, the sun lineage. In India, there are two important genealogies: the sun (Sūrya-vaṁśa) and the moon (Candra-vaṁśa). Most of the kings claim that either they are born from the sun or the moon.

Then, "Who is your grandfather? Who is your...?" In the Bible also you get, you know, the house of David—"Who was David? Of David was born so-and-so, of him is born so-and-so"—goes on and on and on for 10 pages. There may be more, I don't know.

5. Manvantara: The Ruler of the Age Who is the ruler? Hindus believe, at a particular age, one particular great spirit will be ruling our world. So the person who rules such a world is called Manu. We are called manuṣya or mānava. The children born of Manu are called Mānavas.

So another meaning of this word is, we are the subjects of this particular ruler. So there is a Manu. We are all under his protection. This is one of the teachings. That is not important.

The Real Purpose of Purāṇas

What is important is the Vedic teachings—means the Upaniṣadic teachings. They have to be put in a homeopathic formulation with nice sweet covering and all that. That is what the mythologies accomplish.

Important Purāṇas

Of these Purāṇas, there are 18 main Purāṇas, and I don't need to really go into those things, but just to give you some important Purāṇas, I will mention the name of two or three:

1. Bhāgavata Purāṇa
2. Viṣṇu Purāṇa (It is not very famous, but among Vaiṣṇavas it is very famous)
3. Liṅga Purāṇa
4. Śiva Purāṇa
5. Devī Purāṇa

And so on—mythologies, 18 are there.

Upa-Purāṇas

Then there are 18 what we call Upa-Purāṇas—smaller types of Purāṇas. But the theme is exactly the same: how to propagate the spiritual teachings of these Upaniṣads in the form of malleable stories, legends, inspiring.

There are some of the people whom these mention who may also be historical figures, but the point is we should not rely upon them as historical fact.

The Hindu Understanding of History

As I mentioned many times, for a Hindu, history has only one meaning. What is the meaning? His story—God's story. Not any king's story. History means His story. That's all.

So Upa-Purāṇas are there.

4. Tantras or Āgamas: Tantric Literature

Then there are special scriptures called Tantras—Āgamas or Tantras. Tantric literature. It is a very special type of literature.

Why This Literature?

So let me tell you, among Hindus, all Hindus can be divided into three categories:

1. Those who worship Viṣṇu are called Vaiṣṇavas
2. Those who worship Śiva are called Śaivas
3. Those who worship the Divine Mother are called Śāktas, Śakti worshippers

So these Tantric literatures are again divided into these three. Those books which praise and propagate the glory and greatness of Viṣṇu, those who propagate the glory of Śiva, and those who propagate the glory of Śakti, the Divine Mother.

A Brief Background

So this is only a brief background I am giving. All the Hindus can be divided into worshippers of these three forms of God, and these scriptures are also divided into these three types—these Purāṇas, these Āgamas—and each will tell you how to worship God, how to make hymns to Him, how to worship Him, how to get special powers from Him, etc., etc., etc.

The Misunderstanding About Tantras

Just in brief, I have to mention one thing. These Tantric literatures, especially those belonging to the Divine Mother, have got a very bad name because they are known as very popular black magic scriptures. You can kill a person if you don't like him as your colleague, you can throw him out. If you have a troublesome neighbor, repeat this mantra, he will sell his house to you.

I am not joking. Really, there are these powerful mantras which can accomplish this purpose. But if we do something wrong, we also must be prepared to reap the consequence of it and suffer as a result.

5. Darśanas: Schools of Philosophy

Then there is another type of literature called Darśanas. Darśana means various schools of philosophy.

The Six Classical Darśanas

In the past, there were six types of philosophy:

1. Sāṅkhya
2. Yoga
3. Nyāya
4. Vaiśeṣika
5. Pūrva Mīmāṁsā
6. Uttara Mīmāṁsā (also known as Vedānta)

Now all of them have been superseded by Vedānta. Vedānta is the philosophy that rules India now.

The Three Schools of Vedānta

But Vedānta again is divided into three schools:

1. Dvaita (Dualism)
2. Viśiṣṭādvaita (Qualified Non-dualism)
3. Advaita (Non-dualism)

Understanding the Three Schools: The Cat and Rat Analogy

Now, very briefly to tell you, it looks confusing, but there is no confusion. I can make it very, very clear.

Dvaita—dualism, Viśiṣṭādvaita—qualified non-dualism, and Advaita—non-dualism. How to understand? Very easy.

Imagine there is a room and a rat was moving about, foraging for food. Do you know what is philosophy? Have you ever heard what is the definition of philosophy? Philosophy is searching in a dark room for a black cat which is not there.

Philosophy is to find out answers for certain things which are beyond our human ken.

The Illustration

These three schools of philosophy. Imagine a room, a dark room, and a rat is foraging for food, and then a cat saw it and jumped into the room through the window. Right?

So how many are there in the room? The cat and the rat. Two are there. That is called dualism (Dvaita).

After some time, the cat caught hold of the rat and swallowed it. Where is the rat now? Inside the cat. That is called qualified non-dualism (Viśiṣṭādvaita).

After a few hours, there is only cat. That is called non-dualism (Advaita). Cat alone is there now.

Do you understand that? You understood all the three schools of Indian philosophy!

The Great Teachers

There were great teachers who propagated these. They are not the founders of this. All these ideas have been taken from the Upaniṣads and they have been elaborated.

Which School Is Right?

Which is right? This question is not right because it is not the question of which is right, which is wrong. Which is most suitable for our development?

• When we are in the initial stages, what is reality for us? I am different, you are different.
• When we have grown morally and spiritually, then we are both united and also separated. As humanity, we are one. As individuals, we are different.
• But when we realize the truth that what is our real nature—we are the Ātman—then there is no "I" or "you" or anybody. There is only the Ātman. There is only God.

This is the simple truth.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Teaching

This most marvelous teaching has been taught by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, by Swami Vivekananda. And there is one famous teaching of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Through an illustration, he illustrates the viewpoint of these three schools of philosophy.

Hanumān's Answer

Once somebody asked Hanumān, a great devotee of Rāma, "What is your attitude towards God?" And he replied:

"When I think I am the body, You are my master, I am Your servant. When I think I am the individual self, then You are the whole, I am the part. But when I think that I am the Ātman, there is no difference between You and me."

This is the essence.

So this dualism, qualified non-dualism, and non-dualism are not three conflicting types of philosophy vying with each other, but they are three stages, of which non-dualism is the final stage of realization. This is the truth about it.

Philosophical Literature and Spiritual Practice

So there is a vast amount of literature that has come to defend, to explain, to elaborate these three points of view. And no ordinary devotee would ever bother his head about this philosophical point of view.

But what is good—all these three schools of philosophy have evolved a system of spiritual practice, how they can attain the goal through that particular discipline. So that is most important.

Those who are dualists, those who are qualified non-dualists—they have a way. Of these three schools of philosophy again, only very few really follow the system of non-dualism.

Most of us are dualists. That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said that the best path suited for us is the path of devotion combined with selfless service.

So these are the most important parts.

6. Lives of Saints and Their Teachings

The first—all the Hindu scriptures are divided into, as I said, two parts. The primary part is called Śruti. The secondary part is called Smṛti. This is Smṛti. It is completely dependent. That is why it is called "secondary"—it means not additional. Secondary means dependent scripture. And it is only an elaboration in accessible human language to most of us in the form of stories, code of conduct, and all those things—elaboration of these things.

And these are divided into:

• Dharmaśāstras (codes of conduct)
• Itihāsas (historical epics)
• Purāṇas (mythologies)
• Āgamas or Tantras (Tantric scriptures)
• Darśanas (schools of philosophy)

And there is one last. What is that? Most important: Lives of saints.

The Influence of Saints on Hinduism

Hinduism has spread and is influenced and will be influenced by this particular thing. What is that? Lives of saints.

Every corner of India has produced its own particular saints. And that particular saint is the person who becomes the most important instrument in interpreting the teachings of Gītā or Upaniṣads and puts it in his own words or her own words and propagates it.

Contemporary Religious Leaders

Just to mention to you—for the moment, you know, there are a few very important, what are called charismatic religious leaders in India. Can you recollect in your mind? Who is the first one?

Modern Saints

The greatest: Sai Baba. Millions and millions all over the world who are influenced are influenced by him. Even now he is a very, very powerful figure. What opinions you have about him—that's a different issue. But he is holding millions of devotees.

The second is recently one saint, the hugging saint, Amṛtānandamayī. She is the most popular.

Then occasionally they will come. I see Mahesh Yogi who propagated Transcendental Meditation. Then Rajneesh or Osho—he also had influenced a lot of people. So these are very influential people.

And there is another, substantially—not so much but less—Śrī Ravi Śaṅkar from Bangalore.

How Hindus Learn Hinduism

What I am trying to tell you is: Hindus learn of Hinduism, not directly through the books but through the teachings of these saints and their teachings.

And probably in every religion, it is the saints who influence more than the books themselves.

The Authority of Saints

And the books get their authority from where? From these saints.

Why do we revere Bhagavad Gītā and Upaniṣads? Because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa praised Bhagavad Gītā so much. Why do we revere Upaniṣads so much? Because Swami Vivekananda said, "I taught nothing but the Upaniṣads." There must be something. Because we revere these great people, whatever they recommend, that becomes most wonderful.

The Story of Swami Ranganathananda

There was one of our Swamis who was a very, very powerful orator—Swami Ranganathananda. So he was a marvelous speaker. He could mesmerize, hypnotize. When he speaks, one hour seems to have gone like one minute.

So once he was talking about Upaniṣads. And every Upaniṣad has its own peace chant. For one of the Upaniṣads, the peace chant was Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam—"That is also infinite, perfect; this is also perfect."

So he talked for one hour about how "that is full and this is full." And one man who was listening to this was highly impressed. So he couldn't contain himself. He went out and met his friends and said, "What a marvelous speech I have heard in my life! The best speech I have heard."

His friend asked him, "What did the speaker talk about?" "Oh, he was talking about this and that..."

The Accessibility of Teachings

You know, these people, they don't know anything about Bhagavad Gītā or Upaniṣads. Even if they know, the books are not that easily understood.

But you take up the Gospel of Rāmakṛṣṇa—very easy to understand. Or take the teachings of Holy Mother or Swami Vivekananda.

How Saints Present the Scriptures

So what did they do? First of all, they established that living connection, relationship with us, so that we can adore them. And then through that adoration, they have, as it were, extracted the juice.

Like, you know, scriptures are sometimes compared to sugarcane. So you put it in the machine, extract the juice, and when it is given, with a pinch of salt, a tiny bit of lemon drops added.

So what these people do—they extract, as it were, the essence of the scriptures and present it to us in a most wonderful way. So that is why we are all influenced by them.

No scripture really inspires persons directly. It is through these intermediaries—the sages, the saints. If you look into your own mind, some great saint, a sage has influenced you. And through him, you revere the scriptures, try to understand from his own viewpoint.

India's Continued Production of Saints

So that is how these saints and sages—and India is very, very fortunate to produce saints and sages throughout history, non-stop. Even now it is producing.

Who are the great real saints—not bogus, you know, internet CV: "I myself realize it is so. Visa, MasterCard accepted"—not that type. Real, real saints—it is through them the religion is very much propagated.

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The Essence of All Scriptures

What I have spoken about—this scriptural background of Hinduism—in the briefest. I could go on for many months elaborating, but there is no need.

What do all these scriptures really teach?

I have already told you, but I am telling you that I have already told you, and I will repeat it.

Śaṅkarācārya's Summary

What is that? Once a man asked Śaṅkarācārya, "What is the essence of what you want to convey to us? You have written cartloads of books."

Śaṅkarācārya said, "If you don't have time, and I also don't have time to explain it to you, in half a sentence I will tell you the essence of all the scriptures, past, present, and future:

"God alone is real. Realize you are God and realize your true nature."

So we will take up a little bit of elaboration on certain subjects like:

• What these scriptures really teach
• What is dharma
• What are the four stages of life
• What are the sacraments

And so on, in our future classes.

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Closing Prayer

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

Om Śānti, Śānti, Śāntih.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.