sdmsh@tstt.net.tt

Revival in Hinduism

• Hinduism is no longer a religion confined to the people of the sub-continent of India.
• Some of the best books written on Hinduism come from “white” converts to Hinduism.
• Revival in Hindu consciousness is now occurring.

Hinduism is no longer a religion confined to the people of the sub-continent of India. There are more than six million Hindus in Bali and other areas of Indonesia and tens of millions more in Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma and other Asian countries.

In Western Europe, North and South America Hinduism is also been embraced by millions of devotees. Some of the best books written on the philosophy and history of Hinduism come from these “white” converts to Hinduism.

Dr David Frawley (Pandit Vanadeva Shastri) is of Caucasian descent recognised in India as a Vedacharya or teacher of the ancient Vedic wisdom. His field of study includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta and the greater Hindu and Vedic tradition.

He is regarded as an important expert commentator on Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) and its contemporary challenges. Frawley has also done an extensive examination of the Vedas, including a revision of ancient history in light of new archaeological finds and a more spiritual approach to Vedic texts.

This former Roman Catholic has written more than 20 books on Hinduism and numerous articles over the last 25 years, published both in India and the west. He also lectures throughout India on a yearly basis and is director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

In his book titled Hinduism, the Eternal Tradition, published in 1996, he answers some common questions about Hinduism:

The Hindu religion has been going on for more than five thousands years, long before the other world religions came into being. In this respect perhaps more people have been Hindus through the course of history than have belonged to any other religion.

All of us, during the course of our many births, have been Hindus during one life or another, particularly those of us who have had lives on the spiritual path, which has generally been a greater concern in India than in other countries.

The Hindu Dharma is therefore ingrained within our samskaras, the deeper impressions of our souls, which we can all access if we look within.

There now exists a significant Hindu minority in the Western world, particularly the United States, Canada and Great Britain, but also such peripheral areas as Trinidad and Guyana. This Hindu minority consists both of immigrants from India, many from the past few decades, and Westerners who have adopted Hindu teachings.

A Hindu in the West is often confronted with simplistic and derogatory ideas about Hinduism—that it is pagan, polytheistic, idolatrous, unscientific, socially backward or merely no more than a cult.

As Hindus are generally tolerant and retiring they may say nothing or even apologise for their religion rather than try to correct wrong ideas about it. The thoughtful among them have sought to communicate their tradition better, particularly seeing the popularity of Hindu practices in the West, like Yoga and meditation.

Instead of telling others what Hinduism is in its own right, they use Hinduism, to give credit to other religions, whose beliefs and practices may not be regarded as the highest by the great Hindus sages of history.

Hindus in India—under the domination of western culture in education and communication—may have encounters with missionaries or with Christian and Muslim minorities in India, similar to those that Indo-Americans have with Christian religious groups in America. They tend to feel that their culture is inferior to that of the West, which is more modern and affluent, and therefore their religion must be inferior.

Young Hindus trying to answer questions put to them about their tradition face these problem more keenly as they are as yet unsure as how to communicate what they think and are more under the influence of Western culture than their parents.

However, a revival in Hindu consciousness is now occurring throughout the world. Hindus are no longer willing to stand silent when faced with misrepresentations of their venerable traditions. A pride in being Hindu is arising, not as religious arrogance, but as recognition of the value of this vast and ancient spiritual heritage for the whole world.

Such new Hindus are willing not only to affirm their tradition but also to express its teachings, even when it may call into question other beliefs systems. They are willing to give a Hindu point of view on religious and social issues, which is not simply to agree with everyone but to point out deeper wisdom that the Hindu sages have gathered through millennia of yogic practices.

Along similar lines, a number of westerners are beginning to recognise that there is a greater spiritual tradition—including such teachings as Ayurveda, Vedic astrology, and Sanskrit—behind the yogic and meditational practices they have adapted and that the entire system has relevance.

n Satnarayan Maharaj is the

secretary general of the

Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha