Table Of ContentWhat Is Hinduism?
What Is
Hinduism?
A Guide for the Global Mind
David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)
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Content
Foreword by Ram Sharma
Preface
PART I Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma and Religion: An Overview
The Search for a Universal Spiritual Tradition
Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Tradition
Organised Religion and Dharmic Spirituality
Religion or Dharma: Outer Belief or Inner Knowledge
The Vast Tradition of Hindu Dharma
Hindu Dharma and the Religions of the World
Idolatry and Dogmatism: The Veils of Maya
PART II What Is Hinduism? Questions and Answers
Questions on Hinduism 1: Hindu Dharma and the Spiritual Life
Questions on Hinduism 2: Hindu Dharma and the World Today
Questions on Hinduism 3: Explaining Hinduism to Others
Questions on Hinduism 4: Towards an Awakened Hinduism and Resurgent
Sanatana Dharma
Glossary
Index
About the Author
Foreword
I still remember the occasion when I first came across Dr Frawley’s book on
Hinduism, now expanded in a new edition called What Is Hinduism: A Guide for
the Global Mind.
It was 2004. I had just met my guru. Being a young seeker, my mind was full
of queries related to culture, religion and spirituality.
Like the majority of middle-class Hindus, my schooling was conducted in
English. In India, this means looking at the world through the Western
intellectual paradigm. Though it did broaden my understanding of the world
through science, there was nothing in my education which encouraged me to
explore the issues pertaining to my own culture and civilization.
One area of enquiry where my education left me with more questions than
answers was religion. Sometimes, religion was portrayed as a harbinger of
peace, love and freedom; as a force of harmony and cooperation. But more often,
it was depicted as a force of violence and pure evil, which led to the greatest,
bloodiest and cruelest wars that humanity has ever known.
If the portrayal of religion left me confused, the depiction of Hinduism left me
even more perplexed. Where does it stand on this spectrum of good and evil?
Does it have any place in the modern world of science and technology? Or, is it
just like any other religion?
In Western intellectual discourse, Hinduism is often associated with a belief in
something unseen, miraculous and supernatural; that it demands faith and scorns
reason and rational logic. Hinduism is portrayed as steeped in stultifying
ritualism and abstruse metaphysics. It is depicted as the most primitive form of
religion. Hindus are often depicted as worshippers of ghosts, goblins and a
whole array of supernatural creatures. Most commonly, Hinduism is identified
with the caste system which is alleged to have institutionalised the worst form of
slavery.
Paradigm Shift
This was my frame of mind when my guru gifted me David Frawley’s
monumental work on Hinduism. It was a life-changing experience for me. It
threw my confused worldview into a tailspin, ultimately organizing it, sifting the
wheat from the chaff. It cleansed me of many misconceptions and helped me
gain a deeper and truer understanding of Hinduism.
It was only later on that I realised that I was not alone in my quest. Millions of
young Hindus had similarly been trying to understand Hinduism. For such
seekers, Frawley’s grand exposition on Hinduism has become a standard guide.
In Frawley’s writings, Hinduism no longer remains a random collection of
cults, ridden with primitive rituals and superstitions. It becomes an organic
religion, unfolding and evolving in various branches on its own, without any
external imposition or commandment.
Hinduism turns out not as a religion propagating a set of beliefs. Nor is it a
matter of faith, demanding absolute surrender to an unquestioned dogma.
Hinduism is a system of inquiry leading to the universal tradition of inner
knowing. It is a quest for understanding the nature of things and how they really
work. In fact, it seems to be closer to science than religion.
It became quite clear to me that the very term ‘Hinduism’ is a misnomer. It is
no ‘ism’ or ideology. It is not a creation of the human mind. It is a complete way
of life, rooted in cosmic intelligence, leading us all to live in harmony with
nature and one’s own Self. It is a search for the eternal and immutable truth
which is beyond all thoughts, opinions and beliefs.
More importantly, I realised that Hinduism can be better understood only from
the perspective of Santana Dharma or dharma. The word ‘dharma’ unfolded
many layers of meaning and took me to the essence of Hinduism. The quest for
understanding dharma is a quest to explore the most sublime aspect of our
existence and life.
Unfortunately, this deeper understanding of Hinduism is not common, even
among Hindus. It might look strange to outsiders, but a majority of Hindus find
it hard to answer simple questions such as: What is Hinduism? What does it
actually stand for? What is its core principles?
This, as Frawley states, brings us to a paradox.
On one hand, Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world with a
literature larger than any other religion’s. It has a glorious heritage of the most
continuous, comprehensive and cumulative knowledge system in the world. It is
the largest of the non-Abrahamic religions and the third largest religion after
Christianity and Islam, with over a billion followers.
On the other hand, a majority of Hindus have lost the art of decoding their
own spiritual tradition. They can explain a few aspects of Hinduism like Yoga or
Ayurveda, but are unable to clearly articulate what Hinduism stands for.
Frawley resolves this paradox by tracing it back to its proper historical
context. Prior to the advent of British rule, India had one of the finest education
systems in the world. There was a decentralised network of institutions,
consisting of schools in every nook and corner of the country. However, colonial
education destroyed this traditional order and undermined the rights of Hindus to
define themselves and their tradition.
Moreover, in the name of secular education, India’s great gurus were
delegitimised in the newly institutionalised education system. Similarly,
ashramas (traditional schools), which had been successfully transmitting
traditional knowledge from one generation to another, were either ignored or
marginalised. This led to a complete disconnect of the saints from mainstream
academic scholarship. As a result, the original practitioners and inheritors of
Hinduism, who could provide an insider’s perspective, were completely replaced
in mainstream academia in the name of modernity, objectivity and rationality.
Even after India gained political independence, these distortions continued
under different guises in the name of Marxism, Modernism, Post-Modernism or
other such ideologies. Hinduism continues to be depicted as a culture of
darkness and oppression—a religion of heathens mired in idolatry, practising
absurd rituals and traditions. These ideologies have never bothered to study the
underlying unity beneath the multiplicity of traditions. There is practically no
place left for practitioners of Hinduism to define themselves. Their views and
interpretations are considered biased, prejudiced and too subjective.
This is in sharp contrast to the attitude one takes while studying other major
religions such as Christianity and Islam. These religions are invariably
represented by their followers. Their observations and assessments are accepted
