Hinduism and Thatha

All I have learnt about Hinduism and being a Hindu came from my thatha (my grandpa for the non tam folks). He was the sole guiding factor while I was growing up. Surprisingly I don’t think I ever asked my parents (my mum really) anything about god, religion or any such questionable stuff kids are inquisitive about. It’s always been thatha. But that could also be due to the fact that we lived with them for a big part of my childhood and he seemed to know a lot :)

Anyways, before I go any further would like to paint a picture of my family's religious tendencies. We have been considered to be an orthodox brahmin family. (And this is quote unquote believe me! When my F-I-L called up for the first time to speak with the elder of the family this is how my thatha introduced our family to him :p). And in case you are wondering why I said we 'have been considered' - This is really due to the fact that the connotation of being orthodox brahmin really differs from family to family. Despite what he claims, I personally think that my grandpa is really far from orthodox, he is probably the most advanced, open and liberal person in my family. The only one who is really tolerant and open to ideas. I am yet to meet someone from the Subramaniam family tree who takes after him in a true sense. Most of us kids have only been able to get the reading bug from him. And I guess I have a certain apathy for fanatics which we share. Beyond that its really disappointing to see how little we have really emulated from him.

So anyways, back when I was a kid, I was really dumb. (Yes, that would indicate that I am not quite so now :p) And as most kids go, I was quite inquisitive and wanted to know the why's of everything we did and believed in. My granny hated that coz it meant questioning stuff I am not meant to and the fact that being a girl I dare to question (yes she was quite ignorant of the whole women's liberation movement:)). My mum hated it, well I guess she got annoyed is more like it coz it meant more questions for her to answer and she didnt quite have the time for it..My grandpa loved questions.. He still does for that matter. You can go with him with any question under the sun and I am not kidding you, anything at all, he will give you the most apt and polite response you have ever heard. Even if he doesnt know anything about it he will most graciously apologize for the lack of knowledge and you will come off respecting him even more. He doesnt ever talk fluff, now with old age he does tend to talk a lot but I guess thats because with everybody so busy with their own lives he hardly gets to talk to anyone.

Anyways, I digress. So I used to go to him with all my questions about god, why and why nots.. I remember the questions that I have asked him about god and religion all thru these years and these were his answers for the same.

What is god - God is a supreme power that is everywhere. (That is the only truth that I still stand by after all those years. )

Why do we worship different gods - When you bow down to the supreme power and accept that there is something bigger than your realization that exists, you develop faith. And even though you can live and sustain yourself with just that faith, sometimes you need manifestations of that faith in different forms. One of the forms of that is through idol worship. They are all manifestations of your faith. Also according to Hindu mythology they are modeled after characters we have found to be reverent and fit to be emulated/idolized.

What is Hindu mythology - The Hindu mythology is a collection or representation of Indian scriptures from ancient times which talk about lives and learnings of legendary characters, deities and incarnations. The mythology is fiction but not necessarily a myth as you would think of any story told or written. You will find that the fiction literatures themselves are based on learnings from ancient Vedas and the Hindu philosophy of life.

So are the stories true - There is no evidence really but nobody can debate whether they could have taken place or not as you will find many a reference quite based in reality. Mention of places and certain way of life is deeply rooted in ancient life and the dwelling pattern.

Who is a Hindu - Anybody who follows Hinduism is a Hindu. We are Hindus. Hinduism is a way of leading your life towards the eternal search for truth and as a path that leads to god, the supreme power.

Is Hinduism the only way to bring us closer to god (ok i really said go to god :p but we all know kids are dumb) - No, every religion has its own interpretation of the same. They all provide the path we should lead to bring us closer to god.

So, is Hinduism a religion - Yes, it is a religion in terms of how you understand and revere god and it is a way of life as the religion teaches us how we should as Hindus lead life which will help us attain our goals

What are our goals - The basic goal is the search for the eternal truth, ekam satya. There is only one truth. The interpretation of that could also be to find god at the end of your life by leading a certain life. So you could say living a life which leads you to god is the basic objective. This is also very similar to the concept of heaven that Christianity has. Even though we use that term very loosely now a days, it all means the same. Which also goes to say how similiar these religions are to each other. Whether its Islam, Christianity, Taoism or kabbalah, they all preach the same concept of self realization.

Why do we have temples - Its again a question of manifesting your faith in something tangible. We all need that special time where we feel directly connected to the almighty. Which is really how the first temples came into being. As a house for the idols that were worshipped and as a sacred/sanctum where a person directly feels connected to the supreme power.

Do I have to go to the temple (This was one of my favorite questions!) - No dear, you don't have to if you don't want to. Its a question of personal belief and your interpretation of your faith. But a lot of people use the concept of omnipresent in a convenient manner and that is something you should not do. There would only be 2 reasons you should go to a temple. 1 is when you want to be vocal or demonstrative of your gratitude towards god and this is very important to do so as it means that you acknowledge the fact that there is a greater being or power above you. The 2nd reason is when you find yourself lost in your daily activities and feel the need to reaffirm your faith. Of course you can also go there when you want to ask for higher marks :)) (Yes he actually said that with a twinkle in his eyes. I have gone to the temple with a multitude of requests and thank you offerings for quite selfish reasons of my own but I have always maintained the 2 philosophies he laid out. Even today, I do not go to a temple to pray to god. I sincerely believe that god is everywhere and within me. I do go to temples at times to please my mum and granny coz it means a lot to them. I respect people who like to go to temples everyday, my family does that, but no one has ever till date forced me to go with them. There are times when I have gone to a temple on my own accord but such times have been rare. I do not pray to god every morning , mum and hubby do that every single day, I simply believe that I can talk to god whenever I want to and of course the fact that I am sure I am included in all their blessings :p)

Do I have to believe in idol worship (idolatry) - Again, you don't have to if you do not want to. In fact let me tell you how Hinduism really started. It all started with Vedas which are the most ancient scripts of texts that exist. They were written by ancient rishis who passed them to other rishis. The Vedas are poetic in nature and are subject to an individuals interpretation even though the same and the learnings have been passed down by generations. The Vedas also have interpretations of them called the Upanishads and derivatives like Upavedas. The Vedas contained the ancient wisdom and knowledge which rishis and saints learnt through severe penance. They are also believed to be ancient wisdom and the foundation stone for hinduism. Now as the Vedas reached one rishi generation to the other, they felt that the knowledge should not be contained within just rishis but also spread to the other people. Since the Vedas and Upanishad's are really in the ancient language Sanskrit, the simples way to spread the learnings were through preaching’s and stories which imbibe this wisdom. And hence the Hindu mythology was born. Its a collection of fiction which contain the essence of Hinduism and ancient wisdom.

So, the gods are not part of Hinduism at all - Well, in a way they are but honestly Hinduism did not start with Rama and Krishna. Hinduism at its very inception did not have gods at all! The gods as we know them today are mythological characters born out of the epics written to bring the ancient wisdom to a simpler language anybody can understand. These are characters who by the virtue of their life and integrity have been idolized by Hindus.

What does Hinduism stand for apart from the whole quest for truth and god abiding ways - Hinduism stands for non violence (ahimsa) and respect for fellow beings.

What is culture and why does it tie up with religion - Culture is our way of life. It is loosely based on religion but is not necessarily defined by it. Culture is very tightly coupled with the demography and geography a person belongs to. Its a collection of our food habits, clothing, language, rituals, manners and our beliefs (the last 2 where religion comes to play). On a higher plane, a culture comprises of social structures, value system and norms or customs. People do tend to mix religion with custom but they are not to be confused with each other.

Am I a hindu and will there ever be a time I will stop being a Hindu - Fortunately for you, you will not be allowed to follow any other religion (haha). But for most youngsters like you, as long as you follow the basic principles in life like belief in the supreme being, practice non violence and follow all Hindu customs like ceremonies needless to say, you will not ever stop being a Hindu.

These are things that I have learnt from thatha last 20 odd years and I believe in every single thing he taught me. I have never felt the need to questions him about any of his answers as even when he is talking to you, you just know he is right, it is right.

For this and a lot more that I have never thanked you for, thatha... Thank you..