A Catechism of Hinduism -II : Swami Krishnananda

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17/01/2019
II.

Q: 4. What are its basic principles?

A: Briefly, the principles of Hinduism may be stated as follows : -

• The ultimate reality of the universe is one and not more than one.

• The nature of this reality is spiritual in the sense of Intelligence or Consciousness.

• Therefore, this reality is Universal, Omnipresent, and hence at once Omniscient and Omnipotent.

• Creation is a veritable Body of this All-pervading Almighty Omnipresence. The relationship between this reality, which is called God, and the created universe is intrinsic, organic and vital, and not external or mechanistic.

• There are several planes in this creation, broadly classified into fourteen realms known as lokas, all which are inhabited by different categories of beings, right from the lowest level of the physical elements up to the region of the Creator Himself.

• In the sense stated above, the whole universe and all beings are vehicles of divinity and radiant with the immanent Godhead, all potentially having the birthright of attaining union with the Supreme Almighty through gradual evolution.

• The human being is one such created species among the many others which are said to run to 84 lakhs in number.

• Man, thus, occupies a stage in the process of a still higher ascent and he is not the end of creation or evolution.

• The human life is to be organised by the integrating principles of dharma (moral value), artha (material value), kama (vital value) and moksha (spiritual value), the last one mentioned being in fact the infinite value of existence.

• Society is also to be brought into a united force of hierarchy through mutual cooperation by the application of what is known as Varnashrama Dharma, which means the arrangement of society into classes of spiritual power, political power, economic power and man-power, known usually as Brahmans, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra, and the order of life into the levels of education, the performance of the duties of life, withdrawal from personal attachments, and attainment of spiritual illumination, which stages go by the names of Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa.

• Every faith, cult, creed, belief, religion or outlook represents a facet or phase of the evolving consciousness in the process of the universe, thus transforming life in the world, nay, life in the universe itself, into a wide family of internally related and mutually cooperating members who have all a system of obligations and duties, excluding nothing but including everything, finally with the purpose of universal spiritual realisation.

To be continued ..


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