Polytheism in Sanatana Dharma? contd

Followers of Sanatana Dharma worship only one God (Lord Vishnu) but they worship different forms of the same God. He is also known by many names and he exists in different forms . Lord Vishnu's incarnations are worshiped by people. Everyone is free to choose the form or incarnation of their choice for worship and meditation. Paramatma, Lord Vishnu exists as the soul of all jeeva atmas. At the same time he also exists in all non-living things and he exists in a beautiful form with auspicious qualities so that it is easier for jeeva atmas to meditate on him & reach his divine feet.

Paramatma has five forms or five types of incarnations. Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryami and Arcavatara are the five forms or modes of the Lord Vishnu. To explain the difference between the forms let us take the example of a person who is feeling thirsty and is in search of water.  Para form of the Lord can be compared to the waters which surround the cosmos. It is not easily reached and cannot be used to quench thirst immediately. The presence of cosmic water is beyond our imagination. This is the transcendental form of Lord Vishnu; Undifferentiated Unity. This form is absolute, unlimited and unconditioned. He is omnipresent and self-existent. It is not even possible to describe this form. He exists in his supreme abode of parama-pada. This location transcends both space and time. He has six attributes which are knowledge, energy, power, creative potency and splendour.

Vyuha is compered to the milky ocean which cannot be reached easily to quench thirst either. Paramatma emanates into four beings; Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. They are not separate from one another. They are one and the same. They are just different forms assumed by Paramatma to project, maintain & withdraw the universe. It is hard to meditate on this form as well. The cosmic creation is cyclic in  nature. The universe is projected, maintained and then withdrawn by Paramatma. The term “vyuha” means splitting and describes the division of paramatma’s six attributes into three pairs for the purpose of creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe.

Vibhava forms are like flash floods. Floods appear suddenly and then disappears completely. The water in a flash flood is available only if the person is present at the location and at the time when floods occur. Lord Vishnu incarnates in this world due to his compassion for all creatures. He incarnates to uphold dharma, show everyone the path to liberation, to protect the righteous and to destroy wicked. The ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu – Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Nirsimha, Vamana, Parasu Rama, Rama, Balarama & Kalki are examples of vibhava avatar. Krishna incarnated during the Dwapara yuga. Only people who lived during the time period of the incarnation experienced Krishna avatara.

Antaryami is like the subsoil water It is not easy to access water that is below the soil surface. In this form he exists as the soul of all jeevatamas. He cannot be easily experienced and it is very difficult to meditate on this form.

Archa form is like the rivers, ponds, wells, lakes, etc. It is very easy to obtain water from these water bodies when one is thirsty. This is the iconic embodiment of paramatma. He exists as idols in temples. It is very easy to see this form and to meditate on this form. The idol has to be consecrated properly per all the sacred scriptures and the temple has to be constructed properly per the agamas; only then is the idol empowered with the divine presence of paramatma. His unlimited compassion for all human beings causes him to exist in the archa form. He bestows his grace on his devotees and accepts their devotion and worship. The 106 Vishnu Temples in India which are part of the 108 Divya Desams are examples of archa avataras. People can easily see Lord Vishnu at these temples and they can experience and feel his power as well as grace. It is very easy to meditate on his beautiful form at the temples. Again, everyone is free to choose the deity of their choice. They can select the form that is easy to meditate or the form that appeals to them.

Polytheism in Sanatana Dharma? contd

Lord Vishnu also known as Narayana is the supreme personality. He is our master. He bears the entire universe including all  the living & non-living things. From the outside he supports them while at the same time he pervades inside every jiva atma as well as non-living matter; he is the super soul and all the non-living things and all the jiva atmas including ourselves form his body. He is omnipotent and he is the place of residence for all auspicious attributes. Even though people worship many different deities, he is the object of  their worship since he is the soul of all the devas and other deities. He loves each one of us. When our “punyas” (good deeds from current and previous births) mature, through his grace we develop love for him which enables us to break the cycle of re-birth and reach his divine feet.

People get confused with the fact that there are 33 billion devas. Most of the names of devas like “Indra” & “Kubera” refer to posts. These posts are occupied by different jeeva atmas who have been selected based on their qualifications. These posts are similar  to posts in a company such as manager, managing director, CEO etc.  Even “Brahma” refers to a post. The person who occupies this post is assigned the task of creation. Lord Vishnu is the only constant who oversees all & appoints various jeeva atmas to these posts so that they may serve him.

Polytheism in Sanatana Dharma?

There is only one true God as per Sanatana Dharma. It does not promote polytheism as  claimed by followers of other faiths. There is only one true God Vishnu. He has many names and he exists as Brahman, the one supreme universal spirit which is the origin of the universe. Brahman supports the universe and is the absolute reality. The Mundaka Upanishad says that Brahman is infinite and is the absolute truth. The “Devas” mentioned in Hinduism are thought of as “Gods” by followers of other faiths and hence they are confused and conclude that Sanatana Dharma is polytheistic in nature. The “devas” are living beings; they can be thought of as  “angels” or “spirits”. They go through the cycles of birth, death & rebirth as well. They are not the supreme being but they do have some powers when compared to human beings. If prayed properly, the devas can full fill some of our materialistic wishes. They not only grant our wishes but  they add fuel to our materialistic nature and submerge us further in this vast ocean of samsara (birth, death & rebirth) from which there is no escape. Those people who want to reach Brahman and break the cycles of rebirth worship Vishnu alone.

To be continued

Women in Vedic Society- post script

A widower cannot perform fire sacrifices as such rites can only be performed if the wife is present. Both the mother & father of a girl give her away in marriage. It is not just the father who gives his daughter away. Similarly both the mother & father perform the “Upanayana” ceremony to initiate their son in to higher learning. A widower is not allowed to perform the ceremony; the ceremony is performed by some other couple. A man loses his identity as a householder along with his rights when his wife passes away.

Conclusion of women in Vedic society

In every Hindu family women of the house are formally worshiped before celebrating major events like wedding.  They especially worship female children. Women of the house light the lamp in the prayer room every day; this act is a symbol of the power women have to chase ignorance from society. They bring enlightenment and prosperity to their family. A family that has no female children is considered to be unfortunate. It is said that a house without female presence looks dull and sad like a graveyard. Many families pray to be blessed with female children. To give an example, my great great grandparents went on many pilgrimages and specifically prayed for a girl child and were blessed with my great grandma. My grandma was the favourite child of my great grandparents. They doted on her. My grandma when she was pregnant with my mother arranged for someone to come home and chant “Lalita Sahasranamam”on goddess Durga. My mom is considered to be a blessing of the Goddess. Similarly when my mom was pregnant with me, my grandma had a dream in which goddess Durga turned in to a girl and went home with my grandma. As a result of this dream everyone in my family considers me to be the blessing of the goddess as well.  Almost everyone in my family has prayed specifically to get a female child. There are many rituals and festivals to celebrate women. The Navarathiri festival is a time for everyone to worship and celebrate women. Women get gifts, they spend time with their friends and enjoy singing or listening to music. There are also many rituals in which sisters and daughters are worshiped so that the entire family can be blessed by these living human goddesses.

To conclude women held a high position in society and were respected by everyone. As a result of the position they held in society they had certain responsibilities and protocol to follow. They had to live with dignity. They followed proper dress code. Even in modern day society people holding responsible position in society follow proper dress code at all times. Most probably we will not see a judge, doctor, teacher or professors in a bikini or in skimpy clothing. They wear clothes that represent their position in society; clothes to represent professionalism. They also maintain professional behaviour at all times. Similarly, the women following Sanatana Dharma strictly followed the code of conduct expected of them. They were put on the pedestal by society and were worshiped by everyone in return the women made sure that their behaviour showed traits of divine quality at all times.  Good character and moral behaviour were essential for women. To the women, good character was an ornament that just enhanced their divine qualities.  It can be seen that Sanatana Dharma is the only major religion centered around goddess worship. The only major religion which celebrates women and gives them the respect and importance they duly deserve.

Female Children are a Blessing

Selective infanticide where parents kill female children was and is not a part of the teachings of Sanatana Dharma. Every parent who is a true follower wishes to be blessed with a female child. There are even proverbs which states that only sinners are not blessed with female children. The people of the Vedic Age knew about genetics. They knew that 50% of a baby’s genes comes from it’s mother & the other 50 from the father. Hence, they knew that their family line & name could be carried by their daughters as well. To give an example, my great great grandparents went on many pilgrimages and specifically prayed for a girl child and were blessed with my great grandma. My grandma was the favourite child of my great grandparents. They doted on her. My grandma when she was pregnant with my mother arranged for someone to come home and  chant “Lalita Sahasranamam”on goddess Durga. My mom is considered to be a blessing of the Goddess. Similarly when my mom was pregnant with me, my grandma had a dream in which goddess Durga turned in to a girl and went home with my grandma. As a result of this dream everyone in my family considers me to be the blessing of the goddess as well.  Almost everyone in my family has prayed specifically to get a female child.

 Parents under stressful conditions often murder their children. Infanticide was very high in 19^th century England. In 1966 there were 10,920 children who were murdered and one out of every 22 of those children were murdered by their parents. The major risk factors for committing infanticide especially of female children include young maternal age, poverty lack of education, low level of employment, and signs of psychopathology, such as alcoholism, drug abuse or other criminal behaviour. Female infanticide in India is carried out in regions where the population suffers from alcoholism, poverty and high level of illiteracy. People from these communities consider children to be an economic commodity; they could send their male children to work as a hard labourer but the female children would not be able to earn sufficient wages. The people from these regions are not only illiterate; they are not educated in theology either. They cannot grasp any religious concepts and dwell in other tribal superstitions. Statistics from these tribal regions cannot be used to represent the outlook of Indians in general and especially not Hindus. It is often forgotten that India has a large Multi-Cultural society with people following numerous cultures and religions. Not all Indians are Hindus who are true followers of Sanatana Dharma; it is erroneous to blame female infanticide on Sanatana Dharma. Majority of the present day population is not religious as well; they suffer from materialistic attitudes and surviving poverty on a daily basis is their major goal. Having said this, infanticide is not present just in India. It is a major problem in almost every country in the world. Even today, the United States ranks high on the list of countries where children are murdered. The following are the infanticide statistics for the U.S.A, ranks 1^st for ages 1 through 4, Ranks fourth for ages 5 through 14. Most children under the age of 5 were killed by their parent. Some more statistics for the U.S.A are given below. Of the children murdered between 1976 & 2005, 31% were killed by their fathers and 29% by their mothers. (Ref: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/tables/kidsreltab.cfm )

Given the above statistics, why is it that negative media attention is only given to India? It is not fair to blame infanticides on Hinduism; the murder of any living thing is prohibited by Sanatana Dharma; many Hindus are vegetarians because they believe in the equality of all living creatures. No religion for the matter would promote infanticides; If infanticide in India is blamed on Hinduism since it is the major religion in India wouldn’t it be logical to blame infanticides in U.S.A on Christianity?

If a female child visits someone on a Tue or a Fri, the host considers her visit to be a blessing and offers flowers & sometimes dress material or bangles as gift.

Motherhood in Sanatana Dharma

A mother is considered to be the first guru of a child. She has a bigger responsibility in guiding the child to follow the right path. It was quite common to address a child using the child’s mother’s name. for example Arjuna in Mahabharata was often called as “Partha” which means Pritha’s son (Kunti’s other name was Pritha). He was also called as Kaunteya which referred to Pritha’s other name Kunti. It is mentioned in the Mahabharata that a person is protected by his or her mother. The absence of mother deprives a person of protection.  Even if a mother is disabled, she still protects her children. She is called “dhatri” because she carries her children in her womb, “Janani” because she is the chief cause for the birth of her children, “amma” because she nurses her children’s young limbs, “sura” because she looks after her children. Sanatana Dharma trains all men to consider women to be a form of the Divine Mother. The Manu Smriti mentions that mothers are superior to fathers and that they deserve more respect . A mother's words have to be obeyed. She has the highest authority in the house and she corrects and guides her family with great affection. She wishes for her children to succeed in life and takes an interest in their education and upbringing. She gets full credit when her children are successful  and turn out to be good citizens. To this day mothers are worshiped not just by her children but by the entire community. Celebrating motherhood is not a one day event like the "Mother's Day" celebration but the celebration and worship goes on for a lifetime. Unlike in N.America where women had no right over their children, women in the Vedic Culture had more rights compared to their husbands. Women had no right over their children in N.America almost till the middle of 20^th century; Children were viewed as the property of their father in N.America and the women were expected to be subservient and  were not considered to be equal to their husbands. 

The following question from the Yaksha Prashnam chapter of the Mahabharata illustrates the importance given to a mother in the Vedic culture.

The Yakshan asked Yudhishtirar, 'Name that which is heavier than Earth?'

Yudhishtirar answered that a person’s mother is heavier than Earth.

 The word guruthara is used in Sanskrit for heaviness. This word also refers to respect. Hence, Yudhishtirar answered that a person’s mother is greater than Earth. She has to be worshiped in the same manner in which a person worships the Devas. Sage Apasthamba mentioned that mothers are greater than fathers. The Vedas give permission to people to abandon their father if their father is immoral, gambles, is an alcoholic and is a nuisance to the family. The same Vedas however mention that even if a person’s mother does not have good character, she must be protected and worshiped. During the Gaya Shradham, 1 pindam is offered to a father whereas 16 Pindams are offered to a mother praising every sacrifice she made to raise her children. A mother readily forgives her children. Like the Earth, she is very patient and tolerates the mistakes of her children. Hence a mother is greater than Earth.
The following question & answer from the Yaksha Prashnam episode also establish the superior position assigned to mothers.

What is the soul of a man?

 
A man’s son is his soul.  The word atma means that which attains everything it wishes for in Sanskrit. A man’s child is his soul as the father expects his children to achieve the things which he never achieved. The gestation period of human beings is considered to be 12 months by the Vedas. This is because the child resides in the heart of its father for 2 months before residing in its mother’s womb for ten months. A wife is called as “jaaya” in Sanskrit which means that the husband takes birth through her as their son. Immediately after a child is born the wife should be treated with respect as a mother by the husband.