PLURALITY OF HINDU SPIRITUALITY
PLURALITY
OF HINDU SPIRITUALITY
Another
characteristic of Hindu spirituality’ is its pluralistic character. This pluralistic character can be understood
from the manifold ways in which Hindus have attempted salvation and it is well
represented by two dynamic concepts in Hinduism.
The two concepts
are adhikāra[1]
and ishta-devata.[2] The first one is called the doctrine of the
spiritual competence and the second is the doctrine of chosen deity. The first implies that a seeker of religious
truth should choose a means of realization according to his/her ability. Otherwise he/she will meet spiritual
death. According to the second concept a
devotee can choose any deity of his/her own choice.
8.1 Karma-Jnana-Bhakti
Instead of the
usual pattern of presentation - karma,
jnana and bhakti marga, a bird’s
eye view of most of the Hindu spiritualities can be useful for the better
understanding of the pluralistic character of Hindu Spirituality.
Aryans of the
Vedic period believed that sacrificial karmas will take them to heaven.[3] This is called karma marga – the way of action.
In the Upanishads, importance is ‘meditation’[4]
and ‘observation of the laws’.[5] Meditation is focused upon the fact that
Brahman alone is real. This is called the
Jnana marga or the way of knowledge.
In spite of the
‘synthetic nature’ of Bhagavad Gita, it emphasizes the “grace”[6]
and ‘devotion of God’.[7] This is called bhakti marga or the way of devotion.
8.2 Devotion – Grace
The puranas are
committed to the spirituality of ‘istadevata’[8]
and ‘adhikara’[9] in the
Bhagavata purana.[10] God’s grace and devotion to him are suggested
for salvation. In the Vallabhacharya’s
system, ‘prapatti (surrender to the
will of God)[11] is the
only means and goal to be attained by a devotee. His method of spirituality was called ‘pushti-marga’.[12] It has two interpretations. One is the way of eating, drinking and
enjoying oneself, the other is that it is the way of grace.[13] The two interpretations are true. In general all bhakti movements insist upon the grace of God.[14] It is also true that the Vallabhas were known
for their excessive and uncommon practices. This can further be substantiated
from the fact that “Mira’s devotion to lord Krishna
is an epitome of intense emotional relationship that embodies the highest level
of conjugal love.”[15] Saivism[16]
stresses the importance of rituals along with devotion and grace in the process
of realization. In the Saiva Siddhanta
sect “however, a woman can rise up to Siva’s abode, through the merit of her
husband’s practice.”[17] The highly ritualistic Tantra too stresses the
need of ‘Kali’s grace’[18]
and ‘devotion’[19] for
salvation.
8.3 Philosophy – Grammar –
Siddha
For the Nyaya –
Vaiseshika, liberation is possible through the ‘right knowledge’[20]
of the reality. The Rajayoga advocates
concentration and the Katha yoga proposes physical exercises for
realization. According to Mimamsa ‘Self
can attain liberation by means of knowledge and the performance of obligatory
duties in the right spirit’.[21] The means of liberation, according to Sankara
is the study of the Vendanta under a teacher who has himself realized Brahman.[22] For the Grammarian “knowledge and correct use
of words brings about both spiritual merit (dharma) which leads to heaven
(svarga)”.[23] Quite differently, “the Siddhas are
antagonistic towards bhakti; they accept yoga as the only method of final
realization.”[24]
8.4 Significance of Hindu
Spirituality
It is obvious
from the above discussions that religious experience differs from person to
person and it cannot be expressed in a single form of worship. This is a challenge to the religions which
claim superiority.
The pluralistic
character of Hindu spirituality is again the solution to the mystery of
God. God is addressed by different
names. No one can claim that his/her
concept of God is the final one. God is a
mystery. This mystery cannot be
understood fully through any single stream of religious thought. The diverse approaches to spirituality found
in Hinduism testify to the manifold efforts of human beings to comprehend the
ultimate Reality. Unity in plurality is therefore
the salient feature of Hinduism.
It will be
contributive, if Hinduism, the majority religion in India India
[1] D.
S. Sarma, “The Nature and History of Hinduism”, Kenneth Morgan edited, Op.
Cit., p.5.
[2]
Giorgio Bonazzoli, “Puranic Spirituality”, K. R. Sundararajan and Bithika
Mukerji, edited, Op.
Cit., p.166.
[3]
Yakub Masih, op. cit., p. 35.
[4] Ibid.,
p. 75.
[5]
Swami Prabhavananda, op. cit., p. 64.
[6] S.
N. Dasgupta, “Classical Forms of Devotional Mysticism”, Hindu Mysticism, Republished,
(New York:
Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1959), p. 119.
[7] A.
L. Basham, The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism, ed. and
annotated by
Kenneth G.
Zysk (Delhi: Oxford University Press,
1992), p. 91.
[8]
Giorgio Bonazzoli, op.cit., p.166.
[9] Ibid.,
p. 176.
[10]
Swami Vikrant,” Spirituality of the Bhagavata Purana”, Jeevadhara, Vol.
XIII, No. 78, (November
1983), p.
415.
[11]
Sudhindra C. Chakravarti, “Bengal Vaisnavism”, K. R. Sundararajan and Bithika
Mukerji edited,
op.
cit., p.53.
[12]
Monier-Williams, Hinduism, op. cit., p.100.
P. 354.
[14]
Sudhindra C. Chakravari, “Bengal Vaisnavism,” K. R. Sundararajan and Bithika
Mukerji edited,
Op.
Cit., p.49.
[15]
Braj Sinha, “Mirabai: The Rebel Saint”,
K. R. Sundararajan and Bithika Mukerji edited, op. cit.,
p.141.
[16]
Satis Chandra Chatterjee, op. cit., p. 235.
[17]
Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, Op. Cit., p. 164.
[18]
Satis Chandra Chatterjee, op. cit., p. 215.
1975), p. 51.
[20]
Satis Chandra Chatterjee, op. cit., p. 215.
[21] Ibid.,
p. 212.
[22] Ibid.,
p. 241, 242.
[23]
Harold G. Coward, “The Reflective word: Spirituality in the Grammarian
Tradition of India,”
Krishna
Sivaraman edited, op. cit., p. 209.
[24]
T. N. Ganapathy, “The Way of the Siddhas”, K. R. Sundararajan and Bithika
Mukerji edited, op.
cit., p.
239.
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