Yana Popkostova

Abstract
Today there are thousands of different religions and worships. The modern and developed world does not impede the individual’s freedom to choose the religion that best fits his/her spiritual needs. In the ocean of various worships, striking is the fact that only few are truly “experienced” religions. Under “experienced” the author means religions that have clear historical foundations, and that have overcome the tests of the time and continue to serve their followers. The most interesting example is the Hinduism. Probably it is the most diverse, complex, open-ended, and ambiguous religion known to men . It is a religion which lays in the souls of the Indian society. It is a religion which is not hold by powerful religious organizations and ardent missionaries, but which grows together with the society like a living organism. Hinduism is internally heterogeneous, composed of thousands of different doctrines, moral norms, cults, and attitudes toward life. There are more than 330 million deities within the Hindu umbrella - one for every single human need and desire, and every man should choose which deity will be central within his life. It is an all-inclusive religion, giving everything to everyone, and presenting various paths to salvation and happiness. Hinduism is easily adaptable to the changing environment but at the same time is jealously keeping its peculiarity. Exactly this unusual relationship between tradition and modernization is of central interest to the author. Respectively, this paper will try to explain the impact of the Hinduism on the Indian society. The analysis will be separated in three basic parts. The first one will investigate the India’s complexity as a precondition for the rise and development of such a multifaceted religion. India has rich and varied history. The relationships with a variety of foreign people made through travel, combined with the existence of many contributing tribes and peoples in the broad geographic expanse of India also constitutes a factor in the development of Hinduism. The second part will provide with a brief historical and analytical overview of Hinduism which will try to imply the continuity and change within its beliefs. The last part will be a comparative study of religion and society: how Hinduism influences the eternal goals within individual’s life, how Hinduism influences the social system of the society, and how Hinduism influences the everyday life of its followers by ritualism and spiritualism. The conclusion of the paper will try to exemplify the Hindu movement today and its continuous relevance to the life of its followers in today’s industrialized and modern world.

The birthplace of a great religion

In order to be able to explain the extreme complexity of the Hindu religion the author will try to find some arguments for it within the environment where it was born. India is an exotic place, a place that has always been able to preserve its peculiarity and authenticity. A place mystic and secretive as it is, which was a topic of research for not one anthropologist and religious follower. India is too complex, geographically, ethnically, linguistically, and religiously to allow any definite statements to be made about it . From what was said above the author makes the conclusion that exactly in this complexity embedded within the Indian continent itself, within the culture and beliefs of its society is hidden the basic explanation of the complexity and all-inclusiveness of the Hindu religion. In a place where there are thousands of Gods, languages, castes and mentalities it is more than natural that a homogeneous religion will not be able to sustain. Thus, the Hinduism with its variousness serves all the different aspects of the Indian society, helping its followers being united in diversity and strong in complexity.
Hinduism lacks something which is of central importance for the other great living religions, and namely monotheism. It will be impossible even for the most stubborn researcher to find the sole founder of the religion, nor the church or the religious leader. Nor is there one holy book or one doctrine, one religious symbol or one holy center. As a result no binding authority could emerge . As complex as the Indian state itself, the basic religion there worships animals and trees together with Gods, allows spiritualism, mysticism, and sacrifices. The observer can find the commitment not to harm animals along with the bloody animal sacrifices. Nothing seems to be generally accepted (except maybe the doctrine of Karma which according to Max Weber is perhaps the only dogma of Hinduism but this will be the theme of the next part). All of these mutually contradicting practices strikingly live peaceful coexistence. In that respect one might almost say that religious postmodernism is realized in India . Here is the place to ask ourselves (away from the central topic of the paper) whether this tolerance can serve as an example for the western multi-cultural and multi-religious problems, whether the polytheism is the key to peaceful coexistence among different cultures in the developed world?
Along with the eternal tolerance enshrined in the Indian culture and Hindu religion the researcher can find a strictly hierarchical society for which the ideals of the French revolution – Equality, Liberty, Fraternity does not mean anything and does not serve the happiness of the society. In this respect India is different. Hinduism is different. The society is different. Thus, the response to the global forces that transformed the western societies completely, and led to the total isolation of religion within individual’s everyday life is different. The western religions do not serve the new needs and desires of the modern men. Their inability to adapt and to transform their rigid doctrines led to the total isolation of the religiousness of the everyday life of the materialist men. Here arises the question what is the force behind the Hinduism which makes it so powerful and eternal? How come that the Hindu religion continues to serve, and to give something to its followers across time?

Continuity and change in the belief system of the Indian society

This paper is not going to concentrate on the specific historical development of Hinduism according to different epochs and specific periods of time. The basic concentration in this part will be on the general trends in the Hindu developments which were and still are affecting its followers. Hinduism is indispensably connected to the India’s history, and it has been a subject of constant reform and revitalization in order to maintain its relevancy and cogency. As it is known Hinduism is among the oldest, and the most populous world’s living religions and it manages to hold its followers united. What is truly interesting for the Hindu religion is its ability to adapt and transform to the changing environment. New conceptions of life and the world, new gods, goals of salvation, forms of worship are developed according to the needs of the society in different periods of time. At the same time the religion stays the same and provides some niche of tranquility and stability into human’s life. Thus, the Mircia Eliade’s “fear of history” is softened and the Hindu followers can always find stability and cradle of hope into their life.
There are no specific dates and chronologies in the Hindu religion, rather there is the concept of timelessness and ancientness – sanatva. Hindus have great respect for the antiquity of their religion. The old is good, and the good is above reproach . The social codes, rituals, beliefs, and associations of Hindus are considered to comprise a sacred way of life; they are the sanatana dharma, or eternal law of the faith. There are numerous impacts on the Hindu religion throughout the years from another religious movements, tribal cults and belief movements. It is not a static religion with identifiable theology and dogmas, rather it is constantly changing and modernizing factor, it is a living organism, which grows and evolves with its followers and continue giving them hope, balance, and faith. It has been able to withstand reactions against it and to absorb influences upon it with ease and openness.
Hinduism is not a religion bound in its origins to a fixed point of time or to a personality . It was a variety of growing and grouping beliefs. Naturally enough it became not only a way of life but also a view of life . Religion is the manifestation of the most primitive of all human relationships – coming together and being together (latin:religare-“to bind together”), make the universe more understandable and reach a balance in life. Except this there is no guiding principle in Hinduism. As a religion Hinduism is remarkably flexible, permissive and inclusive in its outlook and nature. A short comparative study with the other great religions gives the important evidence of the Hinduism’s unparallel complexity. Most religions have taken the viewpoint that they and they alone are the final and autonomous norms of religiosity; they are conservative toward outside influence, variety and difference. The believers should be totally devoted to the religion and obedient to its basic principles. Contrary, the Hinduism historically stands in great contrast to the imperial claims of other religions. It has always maintained a most conspicuous attitude of tolerance and appreciation of other religions . Hinduism has expressed repeatedly its attitude toward other religions as one of complete acceptance. Most probably Hinduism is the only one world’s religion which does not have a missionary aim. It has not sought to convert non-Hindus to Hinduism.
The attitude of flexibility, permissiveness and inclusiveness which Hinduism has held regarding other religions is obvious within its own ranges as well . Different movements within the Hinduism tend to interpret the Hindu faith differently and to put emphasis on different doctrines but these distinctive movements are not in dead opposition to each other. They are tolerant and understandable. Nevertheless, there are five basic elements which bind all of these diverse beliefs. These elements constitute the essence of Hinduism and they are:
1. Belief in God.
Hindus believe in a power beyond themselves which is controlling in their lives, but they are far from agreement as to the nature of that being
2. Reverence for the Vedas
Vedas-scriptures are so diverse and comprehensive, so ambiguous and suggestive that almost every belief can refer to them.
3. The practice of rituals
Rituals are indispensable part of the everyday life of the Indian citizen. There are meals devoted to gods, sacraments, and parts of the day devoted to God. Rituals inspire people to become one with the spirit. Through rituals people achieve self-purification and deity. The most well-known ritual is the practice of Yoga (or meditation) through which the Hindu believe will reach unity with the divine, physical discipline, and liberation from the material.

4. Certain ideas that govern life
Belief in Karma (the wheel of life) – every human action or intention makes its own imprint upon the personality. A person is what he thinks and does. Karma signifies a causally moral, cosmically based law of retribution.
5. Caste
The social system in India, following the Hindu belief is caste-based. There are four basic caste: Brahmin-priestly, Kshatriyas-warriors, Vaishyas – engaged in commerce, agriculture, and Sudras – serve the other three
Moreover, all of the diverse religious movements under the umbrella of Hinduism believe in the four stages in life: student, householder, forest dweller, homeless wonderer, and in the four eternal aims n life: arthas – material gain or worldly success; kama – sensory pleasure, dharma – aims of life can only be pursued if one stays in his/her social caste; moksha – almsgiving. Thus, it is easily assumed that even in their difference the various movements have something that unites them, and prevents them from outrageous opposition. Moreover, these uniting elements serve for the harmonious social order within the Indian political system.
It is assumed that every man has the right to believe as he wishes, and respectively there should be mutual respect, acceptance and understanding. The various individuals and sects within Hinduism are each striving to apprehend the truth; each has need of the other . The most interesting facet of the Hindu religion for the author was the fact that there is no formal doctrine of heresy within the Hindu religion. Contrary to the Christianity, for example, where heresy is a central theme which has played a significant role in the determination of faith, and in the maintenance of the autonomy of religious bodies, the Hinduism is a religion which historically and presently permits nonconformity. No Inquisition has ever marked Hinduism’s history . Thus, Hinduism is not a single religion but rather a set of different religions, therefore its chief characteristic is an internal diversity . But there are some facets of the religion which are identifiable in every internal movement, namely nature worship - an effort on the part of the human beings to enlist the aid of the deities to secure happy homes, long life, success over enemies, and other worldly gains; and ceremonial exercise with sacrifices (even bloody ones). Each movement values worship as a private communication between the individual and God. Each movement strives for reaching the divine reality - liberation from the wheel of life: Karma.
More emphasis on these parts of the religion and their impact on human life will be given in the next section together with the investigation of the caste system and the karma doctrine.

Hindu religion and the everyday life of its followers: constant presence and influence

The absolutely unique value of the Hindu religion is its ability to stay constantly into the everyday life of its followers. Religiousness is the degree to which a man puts into practice the ideals which he believes in. Hinduism is a sacred and loved religion. Its presence is evident in the everyday life of its followers. The basic tenets of the Hindu religion: Truth, Tolerance, Salvation are the basic motivators in the life of the Indian society. According to these tenets the Indian individual is living his/her life and is widely rejecting opposite influences. Hindu religion law does not see all human beings as having the same value, not as being subject to the same code of law. Individual freedom is sacrificed for harmony and for society’s ultimate and eventual collective liberation . Respectively this belief is deeply embedded into the citizens’ culture and social practices and into the Indian law.
Hinduism is the comprehension of a Truth which excludes nothing and nobody; its conception of Truth includes theists as well as atheists. Hinduism is based on the “know yourself” conception. In its conception of vastness of Truth, Hinduism recognizes that there is no one road by which the human mind can reach it; therefore, its conception of the unity of religion is through its recognition of the diversity of religions .
A central value in the Hindu religion is the spirit of tolerance. Hinduism does not claim that it is the only true religion. It is tolerant to all the diverse religions and beliefs. If intolerance begins in religion, it spreads to other spheres of human life and this threatens the peace of the world . While Hinduism does not persecute anyone as an “unbeliever”, its social system has allowed and “tolerated” the practice of “untouchability.” The distinction between caste and caste, the superiority of one over the other, is a phenomena now extending to race, to the domination of one race over the other. Mahatma Gandhi stood against this division of man from man, or man against man within Hinduism and outside it in the civilized world. The Hindu attitude is that religion is a matter of personal realization. Everything else, creeds, dogmas, symbols, all these are only instrumental.
A central belief within the Hindu doctrine, respectively within the belief system of the Indian society is the concept of Karma. Behind the karma belief lays the conviction that no one can escape his/her destiny. The belief in predestination is also a decisive factor in explaining the Hindu tolerance toward other religions and worships. It has never claimed to possess the final truth and to know the true way to salvation and eternal life. Thus, the Hindu takes the position toward life that there is a principle regulating individual, physical, and moral matters in which a binding and purposeful causality is controlling . The Hindus believe in the human limitation to truth. Man must be content to know only limited reality, because the final truth is not accessible to men . Moreover the Karma concept is connected to the belief that people get what they deserve, although not necessarily in this life. Thus, the religion (Hinduism) impacts its followers (the Indian society) in their understanding of life, and helps them establish social practices to keep the Hindu society in balance – and the world in order. In the Hindu society everyone has his/her own place, and a basic responsibility for the Hindu follower is to live his/her life according to the practices appropriate for his/her social status. Thus, the balance will be preserved and there will not be any crisis in the political and social development of the state. For the Hindu followers the birth location is indicative. People born in family with higher social status are concerned to be with higher spiritual nature, which reflects one’s good karma past . Indian society is strongly hierarchical and is separated in castes (again following the Hindu faith prescriptions). There are five basic castes (as already mentoned) which are the caste of the Brahmins – master the Vedic and ritual practice; kshatriyas – rule justly and protect the Aryan Society, Vaishyas – master artisanship and trade, multiplying the wealth of the society, and shudras – the manual workers. A person is obliged to remarry into his/her own caste in order to preserve the social balance. Under each varna (class) there are thousand of subgroups, and each of these subgroups has its central duty in life called Dharma.
The Brahmins caste is very important as the holders of the special key to the deities from whom human desires are satisfied. The central philosophy within the life of the Brahmins is gaining knowledge regarding ultimate reality . Their life is dedicated to constant search of the underlying connections between god and man. The Brahmins are extremely important for the life of the Indian society since they give legal prescriptions as to how one Hindu should live his/her life so that effective social functioning will eventually be reached. These legal prescriptions include advices how to rear children, prescriptions to be obedient to one’s parents, as well as norms one should follow in order to keep the appropriate relations among the castes. The devotional exercise and attitudes is also an important part of the Hindu everyday life according to these legal prescriptions. The Brahmins central goal in life is guiding the other caste’s life and reaching Brahma – the ultimate reality. In today’s life of India they are extremely powerful since people obey political doctrines less than the Brahmins prescriptions.

Conclusions: Hindu Responses to the Challenges of the Modern World

Unquestionably the Hindu religion has been a target not only by other world’s religions seeking dominance but also by politicians wanting to control the Indian society according to political laws rather than following the religions paths. As already mentioned Hinduism is a powerful religion that appeals to a lot of people. This power comes from its surprising elasticity of form. This remarkable ability to stretch and mould according to the specific time frame is best exemplified by the Hindu reaction toward Christianity. Christianity challenges to Hinduism were numerous with the most essential and convincing one: Colonialism as God’s justification against the untrue religion. The Christian missionaries were renouncing the wrong practices and morality of the Hindu people explaining the plight of the Indian society with the wrong faith. No matter how convincing were the arguments and charisma of the Christian priests the Hindu reaction was Rejection. The Indian people did not accept the new religion but the validative response was attempts to reform the Hinduism itself. Some Hindu reformers, in their defense of the faith against the aggressive Christianity, proclaimed monotheism of the faith, which was supposed to strengthen it. Some wanted to abolish the caste system. At the end all were united by the powerful conviction that God is one only, and not two. Different people call on him by different names: some as Allah, some as God, others as Krishna, Shiva, and Brahmin. But it is one and the same thing. Opinions are paths. Each religion is only a path leading to God, as rivers come from different directions and ultimately become one in the ocean . Gandhi the most influential reformer: wanted to remove the caste system and unify the Hindus against the colonial faith and practices. Through merging the European ideas with the reformist Hindu teachings India managed to reach independence. The role of the religion in the achievement of India’s freedom was enormous and the Hinduism’s involvement within the consecutive social reform was welcomed and appraised.
India has been rapidly modernizing and responding positively to the global challenges. In this rapid development observable is the persistence of religious beliefs and practices in post-colonial India. The Indian people, deeply influenced by the Hindu religion are convinced that there is “something more” in this world than satisfaction of basic human desires. In Hindu society God is watching all of the time, respectively one should live according to his preaching in order to reach balance and happiness. That is why even today a basic place within the everyday life of the Indian citizen is the communication with God, no matter which one. Rituals (mainly those associated with pleasing the four senses of the deities: flowers – for the sense of smell and sight, goods gratifying the taste, mantras and music pleasing the hearing, and cloth pleasing the deity’s tactile sense) are performed on a daily bases, and people pray in front of the icons (geometrical figures designed to give tranquility and meditation) which are channeling the divine presence.
The belief that no one can possibly possess the highest truth and the spirit of tolerance are still essential within for the modern Indian society. Hindu gurus continue directing one’s life and practices and way of sacrificing. The classical doctrines associated with Hindu belief: karma, reincarnation, salvation are still the focus in Hindu life. Fatalism or karma causality is still the most powerful force in one’s life and influences the way one lives.
The morality is central for the live of the Hindu. Contrary to the spoiled morale and ethics in the developed world, the influence of technology, medicine, European and American lifestyles are not detrimental for the Indian civilization and its basic Hindu morale. The Indian society is adopting what may be beneficial for it, and is rejecting the totally inappropriate and different. For example, Hindu priests proclaim the connection between science and Hinduism. Thus, they have been easily adapting to the changed environment, and quick to find scientific explanations and arguments for the Hindu faith. They use video for spreading the Hindu rituals and use the new technology to proclaim or propagate the growing linkage of the religion with politics. The Hinduism has been constantly developing religion. It has always been in deep connection with its followers being present in their everyday life and thoughts. The Hinduism is also a constantly growing religion. Thanks to the Internet, the television broadcasts, the easily publishable books, and before all thanks to the enhanced interests of western societies toward the ancient wisdom of Hinduism it has been reaching mass audience and becoming more and more popular even outside the Indian continent. Reformist practices are intensified in order to keep the faith “up-to-date” and this has proved to be the most successful religious campaign in the modern world.
Hindus believe that in the current era (Kali Yuga) human life moves from bad to much worse: Brahmins become unworthy, the Vedas are forgotten, castes mix unlawfully, and life spans decrease due to famine, war, and hunger . This can only be changed by the devotional practices of true believers. The complete abandonment of the ego is required in order for the Indian society to confront the global catastrophe of morality and ethics.

Epilogue

This paper was devoted to the aim of presenting the indispensable part of Hinduism within the development of the Indian society and state. Moreover, it made an attempt to exemplify the powerful role religion can play for the transformation of a society towards a higher, modernized level of establishment while preserving the moral order and social practices. Hinduism helped the Indian society combine modernization and traditionalism and presented a striking cultural continuity with the past. Contrary to the highly developed western society, the Indian one has something that is far more valuable than the material success, and namely – spiritual balance. The devotion to something which is higher than our earthy life gives the Indian people some spiritual satisfaction and harmony, which is so needed within the secular western societies. Maybe this is the right formula for success – both material and spiritual, maybe this is the explanation for the growing interest within the western societies towards the Asian wisdom, and maybe exactly this wisdom will help the western societies overcome their material fanaticism and spiritual emptiness. Time will show the answers to these questions, and time will show whether tolerance towards the different can find its place in the world’s politics.

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