The Religion without a Name from Hindu Dharma 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.
# posted by devishakti_india @ 12:35 AM 
