From
The Religion without a Name
(HinduDharma: The Vedic Religion: Introductory)
(HinduDharma: The Vedic Religion: Introductory)
We speak of the "Hindu religion", but the
religion denoted by the term did not in fact have such
a name originally. According to some, the word "Hindu" means
"love"; according to some others a Hindu is one who disapproves of
himsa or violence. This may be an ingenious way of explaining the word.
In none of our ancient sastras does the term
"Hindu religion" occur. The name
"Hindu" was given to us by foreigners. People from the West
came to our land across the Sindhu river which they called "Indus" or
"Hind" and the land adjacent to it by the name "India". The
religion of this land came to be called "Hindu". The name of a
neighbouring country is sometimes applied to the land adjacent to it. Let me
tell you an interesting story in this connection.
In the North people readily give alms to anybody
calling himself a bairagi. The bairagis
have a grievance against Southerners because they do not follow the same
practice. "iIlai po po kahe Telungi" is one of their ditties.
"Telugus do not say "po, po" but "vellu" for "go,
go". "Po" is a Tamil word. Then how would you explain the
line quoted above? During their journey to the South, the bairagis had first to
pass through the Telugu country (Andhra); so they thought that the land further
south also belonged to the Telugus.
There is the same logic behind the Telugus
themselves referring to Tamil Nadu as "Arava
Nadu" from the fact that a small area south of Andhra Pradesh is
called "Arva". Similarly, foreigners who came to the land of the Sindhu called all Bharata beyond
also by the same name.
However it be, "Hinduism" was not the name
of our religion in the distant past. Nor was it known as "Vaidika
Mata" (Vedic religion or as "sanatana dharma" ( the ancient or
timeless religion). Our basic texts do not refer to our faith by any name. When
I thought about it I felt that there was something deficient about our
religion.
One day, many years ago, someone came and said to
me: "Ramu is here. " At once I asked somewhat absent-mindedly:
"Which Ramu? " Immediately came the reply : " Are there many
Ramus? " Only then did it occur to me that my question, "Which Ramu?
", had sprung from my memory of the past. There were four people in my
place bearing the name of "Ramu". So, to tell them apart, we called
them "Dark Ramu". When there is only one Ramu around there is no need
to give him a distinguishing label.
It dawned on me at once why our religion
had no name. When there are
a number of religions they have to be identified by different names. But
when there is only one, where is the problem of identifying it?
All religions barring our own were established by
single individuals. "Buddhism" means the religion founded by Gautama
Buddha. Jainism was founded by the Jina called Mahavira. So has Christianity
its origin in Jesus Christ. Our religion predating all these had spread all
over the world. Since there was no other religion to speak about then it was
not necessary to give it a name. When I recognised this fact I felt at once that there was no need to be
ashamed of the fact that our religion had no name in the past. On the contrary,
I felt proud about it.
If ours is primeval religion, the question arises as
to who established it. All inquiries into this question have failed to yield an
answer. Was it Vyasa, who composed the Brahmasutra, the founder of our
religion? Or was it Krsna Paramatman who gave us the Bhagavad-Gita? But both
Vyasa and Krsna state that the Vedas existed before them. If that be the case,
are we to point to the rsis, the seers who gave us the Vedic mantras, as the
founders of our religion? But they themselves declare: " We did not create
the Vedas. " When we chant a mantra we touch our head with our hand
mentioning the name of one seer or another. But the sages themselves say:
"It is true that the mantras became manifest to the world through us. That
is why we are mentioned as the 'mantra rsis'. But the mantras were not
composed by us but revealed to us. When we sat meditating with our minds under
control, the mantras were perceived by us in space. Indeed we saw them (hence the
term mantra-drastas). We did not compose them. "[the seers are not
"mantra-kartas". ]
All sounds originate in space. From them arose
creation. According to science, the cosmos was produced from the vibrations in
space. By virtue of their austerities the sages had the gift of seeing the
mantras in space, the mantras that liberate men from this creation. The Vedas
are apauruseya (not the work of any human author) and are the very breath of
the Paramatman in his form as space. The sages saw them and made a gift of them
to the world.
If we know this truth, we have reason to
be proud of the fact that we do not know who founded our religion. In fact we must feel happy that we
have the great good fortune to be heirs to a religion that is eternal,
a religion containing the Vedas which are the very breath of the Paramatman.
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