WHAT IS INDIAN CULTURE

WHAT IS INDIAN CULTURE   by   D.N. Persaud written c1961
At the outset one is confronted with the question -- What is culture? Some people believe that dance, music and drama are the culture of a people, while others include among these, the spirit of nationalism.

But to my mind culture has a much more comprehensive meaning.

Culture may be regarded as the characteristic way of life lived by a people under the influence of certain fundamental values: forms of art, idiom and literature, institution and customs, refinement of conduct and the art of living, as a whole, are but the expression of such a way.

Culture is the very essence of the life of a people constituting as it does the deep roots and the sap of the tree that give them their stature and strength.

The persuasive power of culture can be seen in all aspects of a people’s life -- in its social forms, its economic organization, political institutions, religion, art and philosophy.

Nowadays it is considered progressive to scoff at conservatism as an obstacle to progress, but could anyone deny that the traditional culture of a people colours their entire outlook of life? Culture represents the accumulated wisdom of our ancestors flowing imperceptibly through the ages. To a race or people it is flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone.
 
To escape its subtle grip on the mind will be about as easy as to forswear one’s ancestry.
 
INDIAN CULTURE
"The human individual consists of body, mind and spirit. Each requires its proper nutriment. The body is kept trim by food and exercise, the mind is informed by science and criticism, and the spirit is illumined by art and literature, philosophy and religion."¹
The culture of a people, therefore, represents the progress or development in all these fields, of body, mind and spirit.

But whereas in the culture of the west the dominant influence is the mental category, in India, the Spiritual category predominates. So much so, that the history of Indian culture may very well be the history of its religious evolution. There is no aspect of life in the Indian scene in any period of its history which was not influenced by and harmonized with the religion of the day.

Such is the evidence of the great mass of literature handed down to us from very ancient times -- The Vedas, Upanishads, Sastras, the Smritis and Puranas and the two great epics -- the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. From these we learn that, "from the beginning of her history India has adored and idealized, not soldiers and statesmen, not men of science and leaders of industry, not even poets and philosophers, who influence the world by their deeds or by their words, but those rarer and more chastened spirits, whose greatness lies in what they are and not what they do; men who have stamped infinity on the thought and life of the country, men who have added to the invisible forces of goodness in the world. To a world given over to the pursuit of power and pleasure, wealth and glory, they declare reality of the unseen world and the call of the Spiritual life. Their self possession and self command, their strange deep wisdom, their exquisite courtesy, their humility and gentleness of soul, their humanity proclaim that the destiny of man is to know himself and thereby further the universal life of which he is an integral part."
Indian culture and civilization have survived the vicissitudes of thousands of years, when the cultures of its ancient contemporaries are now merely historical curiosities.

Surely this culture must possess some subtle power, which the others had not, which enabled it to maintain its essential characteristics through the ages. In our own times, we see that even the proselytizing creeds backed by political power, have been unable to make any remarkable inroads on its position in the hearts and minds of the people. Therefore let us investigate what is this power, this subtle force which is the soul of Indian Culture, which has made it as it were, immortal? What is responsible for its endurance, and constancy through the ages, under all conditions, in the ups and downs of its checkered history and still continues to influence the direction and content of progressive thought?

In carrying out this investigation we will find that every enduring aspect of Indian Culture stems from one central concept, namely, that "all this creation is an evolution of God, by Himself and of Himself, woven into an infinite variety of name and shape very much in the manner of a spider spreading its web; and that all of it is sustained by the same force: and that all of it involutes back and gets absorbed into that force at the end. The essential part of a living being is thus a spark that has become separate from the parent fire."³ This period of separation is conditioned by a veil of ignorance concerning the true and divine nature of the self, "as the flame is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, and the embryo by the amnion."⁴ This conditioned being, the Jiva or Ego, is born again and again, "taking on new bodies, like a person casting off old clothes and putting on new ones."⁵ Final release is the cessation of "this pain-filled, transient succession of births and deaths."⁶ Then the separated spark gets back to its home, in a condition of merger or as near to it as makes no difference. The finality is irrevocable, ungraspable by the mind of man, and is full of a positive and permanent bliss from which all fear is conspicuous by absence.

Several interesting consequences flow from this theory:
Firstly, it places the life of a person in the perspective of a long duration, in which it is but an incident, a link in a long chain. It takes a great deal of effort and several lives before this life chain is snapped and release is obtained. "After many lives the wise one attains to me"⁷ says Lord Krishna.

Secondly, since the aim of life is not to be born again, life itself is pain-filled, rather than pleasant. This is one point on which all the religions of India -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism -- are agreed. Thirdly, the objective to be attained by life is placed beyond the narrow compass of a single life, into a future which cannot be readily grasped by the mind and brain. Fourthly, life is but a preparation and an opportunity, and nothing of unalterable value is attained during its tenure.
 
There is a single minded devotion, in this doctrine, to an aim which is clear and pin-pointed towards a grand consummation. It unites all efforts into a single harmony. To the great men of India, there was no question of dividing knowledge into several parts. All knowledge had only one aim. This explains why religion and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, music and drama, came to mingle in a common stream. It also explains why knowing about truth was considered insufficient and it was compulsory for one to realize it in one’s own life. Philosophy thereby became a way of life and not merely a way of thought. Religion in turn, became a search for truth, for the reality behind appearance, and this knowledge was considered necessary for salvation. So much so, that truth became a reality to be experienced and not something to be merely known by logical processes, ignorance became sin, knowledge became bliss, and life became the laboratory to experiment and test the tenets of philosophy.

Religion, therefore, was a way of life. Its essential feature was practice of Sadhana. Lord Krishna himself, after explaining to Arjuna the paths of action without desire, renunciation and devotion, and even after showing him His divine form, says "thus has wisdom, more secret than secrecy itself, been declared unto thee by me. Reflect on it fully, and then act as you desire."⁸ The goal of life is, therefore, an individual realization by each person in his own way of the truth which is at once knowledge and bliss. There was no Dharma which was evolved out of all of this to facilitate the attainment of the aim of life, by the cultivation of body, mind and spirit.

I have already stated that the goal of living is final release from the bonds of births and deaths, which is called Moksha or salvation. But in the pursuit of this Spiritual goal the needs for the body and mind are not to be neglected; at the same time, the satisfaction of these needs must be in harmony with the pursuit of the ultimate goal. Therefore, the ancients prescribed that the acquisition of wealth and property called "Artha", and the enjoyment of sense-pleasure called "Kama", should be carried out according to certain rules or codes, which are comprehensively described as "Dharma." So the four main objectives of life became Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.

Dharma is a difficult word to define, or translate. It has a comprehensive import, and deals with practically the whole life of man in his relations with his fellow men, God and the animals, and claims to regulate the conduct of man in all these relations. It includes what may be called self-regarding duties, as duties to others, duties to the ancestors as well as deities to the living beings. While the origin of Dharma could be traced to the authority of the scriptures, in actual practice the validity of derivative literature such as the Smritis and Sutras, "the examples of the lives of virtuous people and the approval of an enlightened conscience are also admitted as Dharma"⁹ it will be seen that "practicing of one’s Dharma or duty is a way of attaining Salvation."¹⁰ Then what is one’s duty? It is the prescribed way for one’s caste like trade for the Vaishyas and religious sacrifices for Brahmins or the duty prescribed for one’s station in life, like advice for the master; or the duty of one’s stage in life like study for the youth and renunciation for the Sanyasi, all however subject to the flexible authorities, mentioned before.

"Every man must choose that walk of life which suits his own nature."¹¹ An important aspect of Dharma is the theory of Karma. The Karma theory from very ancient times exerted a profound influence on Indian Culture. This is a natural consequence of, and can only be understood in relation to, the belief in many lives and in making the cessation of living the aim of life. There is a mistaken idea that the theory of Karma stifles initiative and smothers all progress in a depressing blanket of fatalism. This is not true, either in doctrine or experience. The Karma theory makes a person himself solely responsible for the good and evil that befall him, thus making for self-improvement. "Destiny or Providence is only one of many factors which influence human life."¹² The Karma theory is consistent with the belief in a Just God, not withstanding the difference in distribution among people of faculties and talents, prosperities and misfortunes, which we see every day. The urges of life are powerful, and the theory of Karma only gives them a right direction by explaining evil and good in terms of one’s own conduct. So much for Dharma.

Artha and Karma, are mundane, and while their place in life is not neglected, they are not permanent; they distract the mind from the main pursuit and make man the servant of his senses.

We may summarize the ancient prescription of life by saying that the aim of life is not to be born again into this world of fleeting pleasure and enduring sorrows, and that while human effort should be directed towards learning and body conservation during boyhood, and next towards earning and spending during manhood, there does come a stage when a man has to retreat from society and practice a probationary period of withdrawal, finally ending it in the tranquillity of utter renunciation. It all accords with the growing bodily strength and mental adventurousness in the early part of life, and the deterioration of the body and the development of the inner faculties during the later years of man’s existence.

Many consequences, individual and social flow from the Indian way of life. Many problems relating to liberty of thought and action have to be explained in its context. On the surface it seems metaphysical, other-worldly, impractical and unconcerned with the mass of people, hidebound in orthodoxy; but in fact, it prompted the utmost freedom of thought and gave to the conception of freedom a noble meaning and significance.

To begin with, it gave to each individual a unique problem which he had to solve in his own way, notwithstanding all the codes and rules. It made the individual important and the society a service unit for him. This led to two important results.
The first was that it made thought free. No culture has welcomed new modes of thought, new religions, contradictions of tradition, opposing heresies with such avidity as Indian culture. The only method of conversion that has ever been employed in India is that of argument and persuasion. Sankara destroyed the vestiges of Buddhism overt a whole continent by this method. The sanctity that was attached to any dogma was subjected to an appeal to reason and to the demands of the mind. religious persecution has been unknown in India. She has never put forward any claims to a monopoly of truth. Indeed, she rejected the claim of the human mind to perceive anything more than a small aspect of truth. While, therefore, the ancients created a social structure and enforced conformity in matters of external conduct, thought has always been free. The persistence of old thought processes in modern minds like of those of Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi is not by compulsion or dogma but by the test of experience.

The second consequence was that the relation of man to man was of little importance in the face of the necessity of making a proper relation of man with God. The unique problem of salvation makes of each living being a microcosm which is self-complete. The paramount need is for solitude and the withdrawal from the noise of society as a preliminary to the practice of Yoga, which is a complete inhibition of one’s mind.
Enough has been said to establish beyond doubt that Indian culture has its roots in the eternal spiritual values and not in the transient material. This is the secret of its vitality. This is the reason why it contrives to endure when its ancient contemporaries are no more.

This does not mean that other cultures do not possess spiritual values. In fact all cultures including the Indian do possess both material and spiritual values, but the difference lies in which one is made subsidiary to the other.

Many cultures of the West particularly, have laid emphasis on material development, and spiritual values were subordinated to this. But in Indian culture the reverse is true. All material development had to be harmonized with the spiritual aim, and therefore, the whole of Indian life flows in a single stream towards one goal.

The aspects of culture in all sectors, which have survived are those which harmonized with this spiritual aim, in fact all those things which contribute to the spiritual uplift of man, are the ones which will endure for all time. Let us examine some of these important sectors:

Nationalism: "The love for the Motherland has always played an important part in Indian life from the very beginning. The Atharva Veda has one of the most powerful patriotic hymns in the literature of mankind. This sacred land where the ancestors lived and performed righteous deeds has attained sanctity from the earliest times.
This conception found concrete expression in pilgrimage to the various teerthas in the country and in prayers associated with the mountains, rivers, and the ancient cities of India -- prayers which are still chanted by millions. Manusmriti associated Dharma - the law of righteousness - with Aryavarta, a term which was progressively applied to the whole country in its ideal aspect. Vishnu Purana ecstatically praises the Land where the Gods themselves love to be born and Janmabhoomi -- the Motherland -- is declared higher than heaven. The Puravas deal with the different teerthas of the country with devotion. In this way the whole culture of India revolved around the worship of India as the Motherland, giving to the collective mind an emotional attitude towards not only the country as a land, but as a historical, cultural, social and spiritual unit."¹³

Politics: "Centuries before the beginning of the Christian era, our ancestors experimented successfully with diverse type of polity. Patriarchal society, tribal organization, aristocratic and republican forms of government, decentralization of power with villages as complete self-governing units -- all these were known to them."¹⁴ "Not only were different types of government tried in early times but political thought was keeping pace with constitutional evolution. The Institutes of Manu. Sukra Niti, Kautiliya’s Arthasastra contain valuable ideas about the elements of sovereignty, the limbs of the administration, tasks of government and so forth. In fact Kautilya spoke of the science of government -- Danda Niti -- as one of the four important sciences."¹⁵

"We are prone to wax enthusiastic over the welfare state as though it is a grand discovery of our own day, but the fact is that is the idea was quite familiar to our great rulers of the past. They fully realized that no government is worth its name which does not steadily pursue the ideals of social justice and the common good.

Describing in his ‘Rhagu Vansa’ the attitude of King Dilipa to his subjects, Kalidasa says ‘he collected taxes from the people for their benefit alone; does not the sun draw water from the earth only to return it to the earth a thousand-fold?"¹⁶

"The beneficent influence of Indian culture on secular activities is vividly illustrated by the history of Indian colonization overseas in the early Middle Ages. Colonization in the modern era has led invariably to political domination over the colony and to the exploitation of the natural wealth of the country. But the Indian colonization of South-East Asia was in the nature of a cultural penetration: Indian religion, philosophy, art and architecture were all eagerly received by the indigenous inhabitants of these regions. Though great kingdoms arose overseas they were autonomous and were not interfered with by the rulers of India. Vestiges of the old Indian civilization and culture are to be found in Siam, Malaya, Cambodia, Sumatra and Java, even to this day. Look at the very names of the empires that flourished in South-East Asia through a thousand years - Cambodia, Sri Vijaya, Sailendra, Majapahit. They are Sanskritic.
 
The story of Greater India is thus a story of cultural diffusion untainted by political domination, as such it exemplifies the ennobling impact of culture on the political scene."¹⁷ "How the political activities of New India are influenced by an age-long culture? It is interesting to recall the ideals of peace and toleration, of ‘live and let live’ are embedded in the Indian tradition.

An ancient Sanskrit hymn breathers this prayer:
‘Let us all be happy and free from disease. Let us wish well of one another. Let there be no misery or affliction for mankind.’ The life of the Buddha highlights this lofty vision of the goal of mankind.

In our own day the glory of our spiritual heritage has been worthily maintained in the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi - the great apostle of Ahimsa."¹⁸ It is generally accepted that the ordinary standards of ethics are not applied in the sphere of politics. "A line of conduct which could ordinarily be regarded as thoroughly reprehensible in the individual becomes praiseworthy when it is adopted for the country or nation. ‘The end justifies the means’ seems to be the main axiom of politics. Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, followed the maxim that ‘the means should justify the end’ holding that, even if the end were noble, it would become enriched should the wrong means be chosen for attaining it. He has done more to elevate the tone of public life in his day than any other national leader. And we shall do well to remember that he only turned the searchlight of our ancient spiritual culture on the rough and tumble of politics and tried to cleanse it of all its dross and filth. Sarvodaya the uplift of all was the vision that inspired him."¹⁹

Music
Music plays an important part in Indian culture. The oldest record of utterances of the human race are found in the Vedas, and these for the most part are hymns set to music which were chanted by the Rishis of old. The highest place of honor is given to Sama Veda, - the word Sama, means "Song of praise." "Of Vedas I am the Sama Veda" says Lord Krishna.²⁰ The musical quality of the Vedas, no less than their spiritual content, ensured their survival, for thousands of years before being converted into writing, and they are considered to be the rock of ages - of India’s culture to this day.
Music is rightly regarded as the language of the soul and the best medium for communion between man and God. To use the medium of music for rousing the baser or animal passions is something abhorrent to Indian culture. Even if such forms were encountered from time to time they were of temporary duration and in most instances could be traced to the influence of alien cultures: this form of musical expression serves no valid purpose and is used by the selfish to exploit the baser instincts of men for personal gain.

Drama:
Dramatic art has made no small contribution to Indian culture. The value of a dramatic work was assessed not only on the literary genius of the author, or the intricacy of the plot but principally on the contribution it made to spiritual growth. The most cherished of the ancient works are those which reflect a high spiritual growth. The most cherished of the ancient works are those which reflect a high spiritual content. Even in modern times the most popular works played on the stage or screen are those which portray high spiritual ideals - love (of the pure kind as opposed to lust) friendship, loyalty, devotion and other "divine qualities"²³ all placed in a setting which not only entertain and amuse but never fail to inspire patrons, with high spiritual ideals.

Poetry and Literature:
The spiritual emphasis in these need no elaboration. Almost all, if not all, of the surviving ancient poetry and literature have been built up around the idea of facilitating and encouraging spiritual growth. The Vedas and Upanishads reflect the genius of the ancients, and served as inspiration for later poetry and literature which are popular up to this day. These are the best represented by "the Ramayana and Mahabarata, which are regarded as the classics of the nation. The characters that figure in them have become one with the lives of the people. For thousands of years now the whole of Indian life has been as it were, consecrated by the heroes and heroines of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are regarded as the classics of the nation. The characters that figure in them have become one with the lives of the people. For thousands of years now the whole of Indian life has been as it were, consecrated by the heroes and heroines of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, like Rama, Sita Dharmaputra (Yudhisthira) Draupadi, Bhisma, Arjuna, Hanuman. The characters of ‘no other classics in the world have thus blended with the lives of the people."²⁴ Modern writers and poets continue to be inspired by these treatises which seem to possess an attraction for the human mind, which remains unaffected by the passage of time.

Tagore:
No paper on Indian culture can be considered complete without reference to the greatest poet of our time, Rabindranauth Tagore or "Rabi Babu" as he was fondly called by millions of his countrymen.

If the entire time at our disposal today was devoted to this one topic, it would be far from adequate to do justice to the subject. I would recommend that at a subsequent seminar, this be included as a special topic, and that someone steeped in the Tagore tradition be invited to present a paper on it. I shall ask you to be content with a small passage from what a great English poet had to say about his famous work, "Gitanjali."

"These verses will not lie in little well printed books upon ladies’ tables, who turn the pages with indolent hands that they may sigh over a life without meaning, which is yet all they can know of life, or be carried about by students at the university to be laid aside when the work of life begins, but as the generations pass, travellers will hum them on the highway and men rowing up the rivers. Lovers, while they await one another, shall find in murmuring them, this love of God a magic gulf wherein their own bitter passing may bathe and renew its youth. At every moment the hearth of this poet flows outward to these without derogation or condescension, for it has known that they will understand; and it has filled itself with the circumstances of their lives. The traveller in the red-brown clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed for the petals fallen from wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride awaiting the Master’s home-coming in the empty house, are images of the hearth turning to God. Flowers and rivers, the blowing of conch shells, the heavy rain of the Indian July, or the parching heat, are images of the moods of that heart in union and in separation; and a man sitting on a boat upon a river playing upon a flute, like one of those fully of mysterious meaning in a Chinese picture, is God himself. A whole people, a whole civilization, immeasurably strange to us, seems to have been taken up into this imagination and yet we are not moved because of its strangeness, but because we have met our image, as though we had walked in Rossetti’s willow wood, or heard, perhaps for the first time in literature, our voice in a dream."²⁵
 
Tyoharas:
(Occasions deemed worthy of celebration or commemoration). The Indian calendar is full of these some of which are more popular than others. This topic too, I think deserves to be treated as a special subject which will enable one to deal with it in great detail. Inasmuch as they form a concrete expression of culture of the people, mention must be made here.
 
One thing which is common to all, regardless of time, of origin or the occasion which gave rise to it, is that the main purpose for commemoration is the spiritual value. The material aspect is always subsidiary. Have you ever asked yourself the question, why is it that in every Indian Tyohara, one is enjoined to do some form of spiritual exercise or discipline. Either fasting, keeping awake or doing pujas and havan or perhaps doing all of them. The emphasis is always on the spiritual rather than the material.
This emphasizes two things, firstly that the real reason for these occasions is to provide opportunities for enhancement of Spiritual growth, and secondly the reason for their survival is because of this spiritual aspect. It also sounds the warning that if the spiritual aspect was disregarded to, then the extinction of this aspect of culture will surely follow.

It is the nature of things spiritual to be eternal and permanent and the nature of things material to be transitory and temporary.
 
References and Acknowledgments
 
1. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan - East and West in Religion, page 45
2. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan - Hibbert Journal, volume 35, page 26.
3. Brichadaranyakopanishad - Chapter II.1.20 also Bhagvata Purva VIII.3.3
4. Bhagvad Gita III: 38
5. Bhagvad Gita II: 22
6. Bhagvad Gita IX: 33
7. Bhagvad Gita VII: 19
8. Bhagvad Gita XVIII: 63
9. Mahabharata, Vana Parava, Chapter:312, Verse 115
10. Bhagvad Gita XVIII: 46
11. Bhagvad Gita XVIII: 47
12. Bhagvad Gita XVIII: 14
13. K.M. Munshi - Nationalism and Culture (Article)
14. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
15. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
16. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
17. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
18. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
19. S. Thotadri Iyengar - Cultural Roots of Indian Politics (Article)
20. Bhagvad Gita X
21. Bhagvad Gita X
22. Bhagvad Gita X
23. Bhagvad Gita XVI: 1 - 3
24. Talks on the Gita, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Page 1
25. W.B. Yeats - Introduction to the "Gitanjali"
Special acknowledgment to article, "Our Way of Life" by S.Y. Krishnaswami.

SANATAN DHARMA

This is a transcript of a talk given by DN Persaud over Radio Demerara, in Guyana in 1960

  FRIENDS,
 
I am grateful to the sponsors of this program and the management of Radio Demerara for the opportunity afforded me to say a few words to you on the Sanatan Dharma.
 
Now, what is Sanatan Dharma? You will appreciate that it would be impossible for anyone to tell you all about it in a short talk. The most that may be attempted is to deal with some aspect of it.

The word "Sanatan" means eternal, that is, without beginning and without end. It also means, all-pervading, that is, when we say something is Sanatan there is no place that it does not exist. These qualities of being eternal and all-pervading are those which are attributed to God.

Dharma is the essential nature of a thing, that is to say that if we took away the Dharma of something, it will cease to be what it is. For example, we say the Dharma of fire is to burn, but if we took away from it this quality of burning, it could not be called fire any more, it would be something else.
From these meanings of Sanatan and Dharma we say that Sanatan Dharma is that way of life which is in harmony with God's creation and purpose, and that it is all-pervading and eternal. It has no beginning and it will have no end and there is no place in the universe where its influence is not felt.
As the Sanatan Dharma is universal in its conception, it accepts all forms of worship as leading to the same goal. In the Bhagvad Gita, Lord Shri Krishna said to Arjuna,
" as men approach me so do I accept them. Men on all sides follow my path, O Partha."
 
There could be no doubt as to the meaning of this text. It is clear that God accepts any form of worship as long as it is done with sincerity. He grants the devotee his desires and He does not put out the hope or aspirations of any one. The Hindu thinkers are conscious of the amazing variety of ways in which we may approach the Supreme and of the close connection of all forms. The forms we worship are aids to help us to become conscious of our deepest selves. So long as the object of worship holds fast the attention of the soul, it enters our mind and heart and fashions them. The same God is worshipped by all.
Paramhansa Rama Krishna said to his disciples, "God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole. You may say there are many errors and superstitions in another religion. I should reply: suppose there are. Every religion has errors. Every one thinks that his watch alone gives the correct time. It is enough to have a yearning for God. It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to Him. Don't you know that God is the Inner Guide? He sees the beginning of our hearts and the yearning of our souls. Suppose a man has several sons. The older boys address him as 'Baba' or 'Papa' but the babies can at least say 'Ba' or 'Pa'. Now, will the father be angry with those who address him in this indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they cannot pronounce his name well. Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names. They call on one Person only. God is one but His names are many."
 
Another great teacher, Swami Sankaracharya prayed: "As streams flowing in different directions by diverse ways all reach the ocean, so all men, worshipping thee in different ways, ultimately reach thee."
 
Udayanacharya writes:-
 
"Whom the Saivas worship as Siva, the Vedantins as Brahman, the Buddhists as Buddha, the Naiyyayikas who specialize is the canons of knowledge as the chief agent, the followers of the Jain code as the ever free, the ritualists as the principle of law, may that Hari, the Lord of the three worlds grant our prayers."
 
If the writer were writing in this age he would add:-
 
"whom the Christian devotee worships as Christ and the Mohammedan as Allah."
God rewards all who diligently seek Him, regardless of whatever views of God they may hold.
 
People who are unwilling to recognize other ways of worship than their own are not sufficiently enlightened. Their attachment to their creed makes them blind to the unity of God. All religions preach against egotism (Ahamkara). It will be just as wrong to entertain egotism about our religious ideas.
 
The great Rishis and Munis of old never condemned any one else's way of worship but accepted and harmonized them with their own ideals. In the third chapter of the Bhagvad Gita, Lord Shri Krishna said,
"Let him (jnanin) not unsettle the minds of the ignorant. The enlightened man doing all works in a spirit of yoga should set others to act as well."
 
Sir S. Radhakrishnan's commentary on this text is as follows, "we should not weaken religious devotion of any kind. The elements of duty, sacrifice and love seem to be the foundation of every religion. In lower forms they may be barely discernible and may center round certain symbols which are accessories to the principles which they uphold. These symbols are vital to those who believe in them. They become intolerable only if they are imposed on those who cannot accept them and when they are suggested to be absolute and final forms of human thought. When the illiterate bow down to the forces of nature, we know they are bowing to the wrong thing and they are blind to the larger unity of God. And yet they bow to something which is not their own little self. Even crude views possess something by which men and women who want to live rightly are helped to do so. The quality of mind and not the object determines whether the source is religious or not. It is true that everyone should reach the highest level but this can be attained generally by slow steps and not by sudden jumps. Besides our view on religion are not chosen by us. They are determined by our ancestry, upbringing and general environment. We should not speak badly about them. We should not in trying to uplift people deprive them of their innocent joys, their songs and dances, their feasts and festivals. Whatever we do for them should be done with love and reverence. We must use their limited understanding as steps to higher vision."
 
Our Rishis of old adopted the view that we should not throw away dirty water until we get fresh and so have accommodated within this way of life divinities worshipped by the different groups, those of the sky and sea, the stream and the grove, the sacred figure of the distant past, the protected devis and devatas of villages and clans.
 
So you find in our pujas, invocations and worship is performed to the different devatas - Navagraha devata, Varuna devata, Gram devata, Kul devata and so on, but with the inner realization that all the ministering intelligences are varied manifestations of the one Supreme God.
 

Yajna

This is the transcript of  a talk given over Radio Demerara, in Georgetown Guyana, South America on Sunday 29 May, 1960, BY DEO NARAIN PERSAUD. (transcript prepared by his late son Bans Narain Persaud)

 
YAJNA (SACRIFICE)  
FRIENDS,
 
I am grateful to the sponsors of this program and the management of Radio Demerara for the opportunity to say a few words to you on the subject of YAJNA.
Now, YAJNA means sacrifice. The records of history show that all peoples at all times performed sacrifice of some form or another. Even the primitive man felt this urge to do sacrifice and often waged wars to obtain victims for this purpose. Some people sacrifice animals, some make burnt offerings of grain and in various ways. Mankind as a whole has given expression to this urge for propitiating some power greater than his own little self.
 
The question arises then: For what reason, all men, whether civilized or uncivilized, of whatever race or creed and in all countries and all conditions of living have from time immemorial to this day shown this irresistible urge to do sacrifice? The answer is found in the Rig Veda, Chapter 10, Hymn 90, which states that all creation is the result of an act of sacrifice by the creator himself. The allegory is that the one, Purusha, was offered as a sacrifice and his limbs were scattered to all the quarters of space. By this great sacrifice the world's pattern is kept up. As man is the product of sacrifice it is his nature to perform sacrifice and in that he finds satisfaction and great joy. It is for this reason also, that those who perform the greatest of all sacrifices - the sacrifice of their lives that others may live - are loved and revered as the records of history show.
In our own traditions, we find that the Vedas prescribed sacrifice of various kinds for various purposes, and some of these traditions survive to this day.

In the MANUSMRITI man is enjoined to perform sacrifice for his prosperity and this is repeated in the BHAGVAD GITA which says in Chapter 3, verse 10:-
 
" In ancient days the Lord of Creatures
" Created men along with sacrifice and
" said, 'By this shall ye bring forth and
" this shall be unto you that which yield
" the milk of your desires' ."
In the fourth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita, verses 23 to 33, the various forms of sacrifices are outlined, the sacrifice to the Devatas, the pouring of libations into the sacred fire, the sacrifice of self discipline and the acquisition of knowledge, the sacrifice of austerity, and severe vows, the sacrifice of material possession such as money, food and other objects, and the greatest of all, the sacrifice of knowledge.

In this country, at the present time, when we do our YAJNAS such as the Satya Narayan Puja and the Shri Mad Bhagvat, we combine several of these sacrifices. We do the sacrifices of wisdom or knowledge by inviting a learned pandit to expound the scriptures, we do the sacrifice to the Devatas, and pouring the libations into the sacred fire (HAVAN), we perform the sacrifice of austerity by fasting and the sacrifice of food and material possession by giving feasts and largesse (DAKSHNA) to Brahmins and donations of money etc. to the poor and needy.

Some people do these sacrifice to celebrate some success or achievement, others with a desire for a place in heaven, or for wealth, prosperity or children, and some do it for fear, but the very best way of doing any sacrifice is to do it without any self interest as an offering to God without any aspiration or hope for reward. In that we
will find the greatest joy.

We should always endeavour to make our whole life one of unalloyed joy by translating this spirit of sacrifice into all our actions. We could make every act an act of sacrifice. If whatever we do we do it without self interest and for the welfare of others it becomes an act of sacrifice. No matter how humble or how exalted our station may be, we could find, the opportunity of making this form of sacrifice. The student at school should consider that he is learning his lessons not for the purpose of self glorification, but as a means of qualifying himself/herself for greater services to the world. The farmer should consider that he is making a humble contribution to the relief of hunger and famine. The professional man, the man of wealth, the humble labourer, could all bring into their actions this spirit of sacrifice by dedicating them to the welfare of others.
 
Even the humble things in the lower order of creation have this form of sacrifice, for example the cow produces milk which is used by man and trees give fruit which is enjoyed by man. Sacrifice gives great joy.
As the holy verse says:-
" Save work done as and for sacrifice
" this world is in bondage to work
" Therefore O Son of Kunti, do thy work
" as a sacrifice, becoming free from all
attachment."

Janamashtmi

The following is the script of a talk given by D.N. Persaud over Radio Demerara, Guyana, South America, on August 14, 1960, on the occasion of JANAMASHTHMI: (script written by his late son Bans Narain Persaud)

FRIENDS,

I am grateful to the sponsors of this program and to the management of Radio Demerara for providing the means for me to say a few words to you on this day, when the whole Hindu world is celebrating JANAMASHTHMI, the anniversary of the incarnation of Bhagvan Shri Krishna.

No one is more conscious of my disabilities, than I am, but I pray Shri Krishna Bhagvan will be gracious to me and grant me the inspiration to say that which would be of benefit to you and to His honor and glory.

It is now over five thousand years ago, when on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of BHADRAPADA at the hour of midnight the incarnation of SHRI KRISHNA BHAGVAN occurred.

The records of his life and deeds are fully detailed in the MAHABHARATA, SHRI MAD BHAGVAT PURANA, VISHNU PURANA and other scriptures, and these establish that he was a personage without peer in all history.

Today, however, I invite you to let us think of HIM as the greatest of all teachers who handed down to us the greatest of all scriptures, comprehensive and universal in its aspects, a guide to all humanity regardless of race, creed or country. I refer to the SHRI MAD BHAGVAD GITA - the Lord's song - the song celestial - the song divine. Since it fell from the divine lips of SHRI KRISHNA BHAGVAN on the battle field of KURU KSHETRA and stilled the surging emotions of ARJUNA his friend and disciple, how many troubled hearts has it quieted and strengthened? How many souls has it led to HIM?

This friendship of ARJUNA and SHRI KRISHNA is symbolical of NARA and NARAYAN - the relationship of Man and God. In it we see the graciousness of God taking human form to assist and guide humanity.

This descent of God into man has a twofold purpose, one, to teach a way of life by following which, man may be able to remove the gross veil which covers his divinity and so be able to realize his true nature, and the other to provide a living example for all mankind to emulate.

The AVATAR sets the standard and bridges the gulf between Man and God, the transient and the eternal, the imperfections of the worldly and the perfections of the Divine, and the created and the Creator.

SHRI KRISHNA BHAGVAN taught that our objective in life should be perfect knowledge, perfect action, perfect peace, perfect happiness, perfect love, all united with perfect joy. We should convert ourselves from the narrow individual outlook to the broad universal outlook. By perfect self knowledge we should transcend the limitations of country, creed and race and fill our hearts with purity and love for all. He says to each one of us, "know thyself- realize your true nature, all while still engaged in performing your allotted duties in life.

When a man attains this self-realization, he becomes conscious of the oneness of humanity and he rises above the restrictions and limitations of selfishness. As a result he frees himself from bondage and unhappiness. He sees God in all beings and all beings in God. He hates no one, scorns no one and attains the greatest of all freedoms, the freedom from fear. He forgives those who wrong him and craves the forgiveness of the world for his own faults. He dwells in contentment and is firm in his resolves. He becomes conscious of his oneness with God and all creation. He realizes that this world is a joy of creation and rejoices therein. He sees sermons in stones, books in the running brooks and good in everything.

He becomes free from attachment, and while performing diligently and competently his various duties to his family, his community, his country and the world, he is not attached to anything. He regards the whole world as a stage on which all creatures are playing the various parts. He surrenders to the Lord his mind, his intellect, his all. He renounces all fruits of his actions dedicating them to the feet of the Lord and is therefore not affected by honour or dishonour, praise or blame, gain or loss, success or failure, victory and defeat and even life and death.

To attain this stage of perfection, the Lord prescribes a simple process. I will quote here from the revered BAPUJI'S<Gandhi> "Thoughts on the Gita," which are his interpretations of passages from the twelfth chapter. Quote: "Saith the Lord:- "Let thy mind be merged in my Universal Body which has form. Offer thy all at His feet. But if thou canst do this, practice the restraint of passions of thy mind. By observing YAMA and NIYAMA - that is the things to be done and to be avoided to lead a moral life - with the help of PRANAMAYA, ASAN, and other practices, bring the mind under control. If thou canst do thus, then perform all thy works with this in mind: that whatever thou undertakest, thou doest it all for My sake. Thus thy worldly infatuations and attachments will fade away and love will rise in thee. But if thou canst do even this, then renounce the fruit of all thy actions; yearn no more after the fruit of thy work. Always do work which falls to thy lot. Man cannot be master over the fruit of his work. The fruit of work appears only after causes have combined to form it. Therefore be thou only the instrument. Do not regard as superior or inferior any of the four methods I have shown to thee. Whatever in them is suitable for thee, that make use of in the practice of devotion." Unquote.

So friends, on this holy day whether in our homes with our families or with friends or congregated in our temples, when we join together in love and reverence to do worship and to commemorate this Divine descent of God into Man, let us reflect on this teaching which came from the Lord's own lips.

Let us resolve that we would anew reincarnate Him in our hearts and whatever may have been our past lives, we will from this day henceforth by His grace strive to pattern our lives in the manner so lovingly indicated, so that for us at least his coming and his teachings would not have been in vain.

Let us like ARJUNA completely surrender ourselves to His feet and like ARJUNA resolve to do his will, and verily like ARJUNA we would be partakers of the bliss which passeth all understanding.

Qualities of a Bhakta (Devotee)

[Lecture broadcast on radio in the then British Guiana (now Guyana) by DN Persaud

(You can scroll through the handwritten notes)

Friends,

In the two talks previously broadcast from this station on the 26th September and 10th October, I spoke of the twin aspects of Karma Yoga and Bhakti yoga., the ways of achieving God through action and through devotion.

These two ways really overlap and in the end merge into one that is, the Karma Yogi eventually becomes the Bhakta, the devotee.

Today I intend to tell you what are the qualities of a true Bhakta or devotee of God. I shall tell you in the Lord's own words, as outlined in the 12th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

Says the Lord :-

My devotee or Bhakta hates no one, he bears no grudge against anyone. All creatures are his friends, he is merciful to all.

To be able to to this, he puts away all personal attachments, and selfishness and regards himself as nothing For him, grief and happiness are one.

He forgets those who does him wrong or hurts him and as he prays for the forgiveness of the world for his faults.

He is always contented with whatever comes to him, and is firm in his desire to do good at all times.

He never causes trouble or fear in others and he himself knows no trouble of rear through others.

My devotee is free from joy or sorrow, pleasure or pain. He has no desires, but is pure , skilful and wise.

Whatever good he undertakes to do, he carries it out to the end regardless of what may happen to hinder or stop him and he gives up the fruit whether good or bad, always remaining unconcerned. He knows no enemies and does care whether he receives honour or disgrace.

In peace and silence, contented with whatever may come his way, he lives inwardly as if alone and always remains calm, no matter what may be going on around him.

One who lives in this manner, full of faith, he is my Beloved Devotee..

This is the pattern which the Lord has set us, this what we should ever try to be like. Let us resolve that we would become the Beloved Devotee of the Lord.

The first step in this direction is to become fearless. The other qualities will follow very quickly if we were to banish fear, for the path of Truth is the path of the brave and not the cowards. The brave are those who are armed with fearlessness. Only cowards resort to the sword and the rifle.

We must have any fear of disease or bodily injury or even death. We must not be afraid of losing our wealth or our property .

We must not be afraid of losing those who are nearest and dearest to us. We must not fear of offending anyone in the cause of truth, nor should we fear of losing our reputation if it is necessary to lose it in a good cause.

Some of us do not fear death, but yet run from the minor ills of life. Some are ready to die themselves, but cannot bear to lose their loved ones. Some will put up wall this, will part even with their lives, but not with their property.

Others will do any number of bad things to keep up what they call a good name some will swerve from the straight and narrow path which lies clear before them, simply because they are afraid of what people would say.

The Lord's devotee must conquer all these fears.

He should be ready to sacrifice everything for the truth and what is right.

It is true that perfect fearlessness can come only with the realisation of God. But we can always progress towards this goal by constantly trying with determination to reach it, and by increasing confidence in ourselves.

If were to analyse it , we would find that all our fears are due to the fact that we think we are the body and because of our attachment to the body, we would find that if were to get rid of this attachment to the body and subdue the enemies with in, the form of passion, anger, greed and so , all our fears will disappear like magic.

Fear will have no place in our hearts when we shake off the attachment for wealth, for family and for the body.

Wealth, the family and the body will be there just the same, we have only to change our attitude to them. All these are not ours, but belong to God.

Nothing whatsoever in the world is ours. Even we ourselves are His. Why then should we have any fear.

The Upanishads directs us to

give up attachment for things while we enjoy them.

That is to say, we must be interested in them not as proprietors, but as trustees. The Lord on whose behalf we hold them will give us the strength and all that is necessary to defend them.

When we cease to be masters and reduce ourselves to the rank of servants, humbler than the dust under our feet, all fear will go away. We shall then quickly and easily acquire all the other qualities of the Lords Beloved Devotee.

We shall then know what is really peace of mind, what is true happiness and shall see the Lord face to face.

Hindu Concept of God

Article written by DN Persaud, not dated, probably c1961

(You can scroll through the handwritten notes)
Hinduism teaches that there are two standpoints from which the divinity is viewed.

One is as the Absolute or Brahman and the other as Ishwara or God.

Ishwara is God in relation to the universe as viewed through the eyes of man, and Brahman is God as he is in Himself viewed independently . These are also spoken of as the Saguna or quality-full Brahman and Nirguna or quality-less Brahman.

The Nirguna or quality-less Brahman is beyond the reach of the senses, the mind and even the intellect of man. It can only be experienced by the Atman or Self.

“The eye does not go there, nor speech, nor mind. We do no know . We do not understand., how can we instruct one about it”

Kenopanisahd 1.1.3

The seers who have experienced this Brahman have tried to express their experience by comparing it with all that it is great and glorious in the universe that is perceptible by the senses, but find it impossible to do so, as it exceeds all these pitiful human comparisons.

They make the comparisons and then they say “Not this” “Not this?” for it is beyond all this. They exclaim

“Its hands and feet are everywhere, its eyes and heads are everywhere, its ears are everywhere. It stands encompassing all in the universe

Grasping without hands, hasting without feet, He sees without eyes and hears without ears. He knows whatever this is to be known, but of him, there is no one who knows. They call him the Primal, the Supreme Person”

Svetasvtara Upanishad

This Nirguna Brahma man finds difficult to worship as it is something beyond his imagination. So man conceives a personal God- Ishwara – for the purpose of worship and as a means of realising the Absolute or Nirguna Brahman.

Man's highest concept of things in the world is Personality, so God is conceived as a perfect or supreme Personality (Uttama Purusha).

On analysis this personality is found to include cognition, emotion and will and God is viewed as the Supreme knower, the great lover and the perfect will - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The seemingly different concepts of God are all related to one or the other of this trinity which is not three independent centres of consciousness but three sides of one complex personality.

This God can be worshipped and is worshipped in diverse ways according to the choice and spiritual level of the individual worshipper.

The Point and purpose of Worship

[Lecture written up by DN Persaud c1961 ]

(You can scroll through the handwritten notes)

If we are to ask any number of people we meet, one question – what is it you desire most , we would invariably get the same answer, regardless of the fact that these several people be drawn from different ways of life or of different status and differing from each other in every way possible, that answer – I desire most to be happy or the things which would make me happy. The words may not be the same, but an analysis of the answers would boil down to the fact that the desire is happiness.

This shows clearly that all human endeavour is with this one objective to obtain happiness and joy.

It is true that this search for happiness or joy may often be directed in the wrong direction , for instance the burglar who feels that robbing his neighbour of of his goods would bring him happiness, and so he robs him and so on.

Then there are those who feel the accumulation of wealth or worldly good would produce happiness and so they strive after these things. Some would climb mountains, others dive into the depths of the ocean.

First of all , what is worship

The definitions given in the dictionary are

1. adoration paid as to a God
2. religious service
3. profound admiration and affection, etc etc

Now what is the purpose of worship, this adoration to God, this love and reverence which is adoration?, What is the purpose?

In Hinduism, the highest and ultimate conception of the Supreme is that it is is Eternal.

It is indestructible. It is all pervading. It is infinite, absolute, untrammelled and possessed of its won unity and bliss.

In the cosmic process, dualities and oppositions which obscure the infinite undivided reality arise.

The cosmic process has assumed the five stages; matter, life, mind, intelligence and bliss.

The human being is at the fourth stage of Vigyana or intelligence. He is aware of the universal reality which is operating the whole scheme. He seems to know mater life and mind. He has mastered to a large extent the material world, the vital existence and even the workings of the mind, but has not yet become the completely illumined consciousness.

Even as matter is succeeded by life, life by mind and mind by intelligence, even so the intelligent man will grow into a higher and divine life.

God's purpose for the world or the cosmic destiny for man is the realisation of the immortal aspiration through this mortal frame, the achievement of the divine life in and through this physical frame and intellectual consciousness.

The Divine dwells in the inmost being of man and cannot be extinguished.

It is the inner light the concealed witness, that which endures and is imperishable from birth to birth, untouched by death, decay or corruption

It is the principle of the Jiva, the psychic presence which changes and which and grows from life to life and when the ego is completely harmonised by the Divine, it ascends into spiritual existence which is its destiny and until this happens it travels from birth to birth.

So the purpose of worship like that of all other endeavours is the attainment of this unity or harmony which is called self Realization.