The Concept of Religion in Hinduism

by Sri Ajit Halder

Two words in the title, ‘Religion’ and ‘Hinduism’ need explanation - Religion consists of all that is concerned with God or something sacred and has also been considered as a system of beliefs that is held on to with ardor and faith. Hinduism helps a person to lead a religious life and attain salvation, Moksha, meaning liberation from worldly bondage and suffering.

The essential link between Hinduism and Religion becomes evident when it is realized that Hinduism is a religious philosophy and because its teachings are fundamental with a universal appeal; it is as true and relevant today as it was many thousands of years ago.

Every major faith has its own interpretation of the concept of religion and one finds a degree of commonality in these views. Yet because of doctrinal differences, an element of diversity is noticeable in the interpretations of religion as given by different faiths. It will be of immense benefit if a unique definition of religion, proposed and approved by major faiths, is offered enabling us to make a meaningful study of the subject. Luckily for us, an interpretation of religion in the form of a set of beliefs agreed by the leaders of major faiths is available. At a
seminar on faith, belief and religion held in Cambridge, UK in 1990, the faith leaders of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism spelt out a set of four common beliefs which will be quoted below and alongside each statement, the Hindu view on each belief will be presented.

1) Belief in Transcendental Reality, God, who is worthy of worship: The Hindus believe in and worship one creator God, Iswara: Ekam Eva Advitiyam; Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti - One Supreme divinity without a second, wise men associate a godly figure to each of His many attributes.
2) Belief in the existence of a spiritual dimension in every human being: Hinduism asserts every human being is divine: Tat Tvam Asi, Thou art That (Divine).
3) Belief in innate love for eternal values such as Truth, Justice, Righteousness, Love, compassion and care towards all creation, which the spiritual self of each individual is innately endowed with by God:
Satyam Shivam Sundaram – Truth, Godliness and Beauty is the watch word of the Hindus;
Satyameva Jayate- ‘Truth only triumphs’ guides a Hindu life.
4) Belief in need for Transcendental Guidance: To a Hindu the scriptures- The Vedas (God’s words revealed to the enlightened sages), the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana naratives guide and inspire righteous living of the Hindus.

It is clear that Hinduism includes the above-mentioned four beliefs and more are to be found in the practice of Hindu religion which adds a social dimension to Hinduism as a faith practice. The celebration of Durga Puja as a religious cum social and community celebration will be mentioned here to emphasise the fact that Hindu religious celebrations are God-worship in which the human element is also focused.

The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from individual belief in that it has a public aspect: congregations of the devotees for the purpose of veneration of a deity (worship of a chosen god) or for prayer and pilgrimage to holy places. The practice of Hinduism also includes worship of an image of a god or goddess (pratima) with offerings, singing devotional music, dance, art, social gatherings and cultural activities. Hinduism as a religion includes all these as ritual practices and puts more stress on spi-ritual acts. We should note that the word ritual is embedded in the expression spiritual, meaning thereby that any act to gain spiritual improvement is indeed a ritual act.

If the author of this article is asked: ‘What is your religion?', his reply will be ‘Hinduism’. If he is asked: ’What is your faith?’ most likely he will repeat, ‘It is Hinduism’. If on another occasion, he is asked: ‘What is your belief?’ his answer would again be ‘Hinduism’. In common usage the words ‘religion’, ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ are used interchangeably although subtle differences do exist and broadly speaking, there is much commonality in the religious principles conveyed through the three words.
Hindus believe that they are followers of a common religion. The shared basis for a world-view and the shared concept of sacred in Hinduism is well reflected in the Hindu mythology and philosophy. Hindu Religious belief usually relates to the existence, nature and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and human life. Hinduism is a religion essentially founded on the multiplicity of deities, worshipped by different sects in a variety of systems of worship and even codes of conduct. In this sense, Hinduism is very liberal and
accepts and respects views of different sects within its fold. This plurality of sects and the fact that all sects are thriving within Hinduism is a proof that Hinduism allows freedom of thought, free will of its followers. Hinduism accommodates the philosophies of Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and related groups in the Indian subcontinent. Concepts most of them share in common include dharma, karma, reincarnation, mantras, and darśana. Hinduism is not a monolithic religion but a religious category containing dozens of separate philosophies amalgamated as Sanātana Dharma. Hinduism consists of “a cosmogony - creation story, mythology, theology; doctrines - ethics, laws, and teachings; customs - rituals, symbols, and worship." The Sanskrit word dharma, sometimes translated as "religion" is used to mean "reverence for God or the gods, careful pondering of divine things, obedience to God and also means religious behavior prescribed in the Vedas”. Dharma literally means ‘the Sustainer’ ( Yo Dharayati So Dharman).

Usually the word religion is applied to systems of ritual, creed and myth; the rituals take an important role in Hindu life. The Hindu calendar reminds us that every month there is at least one religious festival or a special ’tithi’ .to be observed by worshipping a deity. The various pujas performed during the course of a year demonstrate the make-up of the Hindu mind. . To the Bengalis the major religious celebration is the Durga Puja, an annual event in the autumn, the festivity lasting for over a fortnight as the ‘Devipaksha’ and is celebrated usually during late
September to mid-October.. Durga Puja provides an opportunity to worship Durga Mata with devotion and to stage cultural shows with music, songs, dance and entertainments to delight the worshippers at the puja pandal, Durga Puja is a religious celebration and a social gathering of family and community; it is an event for artistic and cultural reckoning of the Bengalis who appreciate the art works exhibited during the puja. All these activities participated by the members become integral components in the community-led puja and add a social dimension
to the religious event. On a social level Durga Puja is a happy occasion for a get-together of Bengali families and reminds one of the mythology of Devi Durga coming down to earth with her four children from her mountain abode to spend the puja days among her devotees, thus establishing a link between Ma Durga’s Divine Family with the extended human family. Then on the Vijaya Dasami night, the worshippers bid Ma Durga a sad farewell wishing to welcome her again the following year. On this day, Bengalis greet friends and relatives which is a unique,
warm gesture that emphasizes the harmonious social interaction with a Hindu religious act. Further, Hinduism is a collection of cultural systems and world views that relates humanity to spirituality and moral values. Hinduism is rich in having many narratives (stories from the Puranas), symbols (OM), mythology (The Ramayana, the Mahabharata), traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life to any human or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws, a preferred lifestyle from their
ideas about the cosmos and Mother Nature.

The basic principles of Hindu Religion are summarized below:
(a) Hindus believe in one and only one God, and each of God’s many attributes is given a form and an image.
This leads to popular belief that Hindus worship many Gods representing His numerous manifestations.
(b) For a Hindu all the beings in the Universe are divine manifestations of the Supreme Being, the Supreme Soul, The Reality or Brahman.
(c) Taittreya Upanishad describes Him as the form whom all objects have come into existence and by whom, after being born they subsist, and whom they merge into at the end of the cosmic cycle, that is Brahman.
(d) OM (or AUM), also known as Pranav, is the Hindu symbol of Brahman. It is said to be the essence of all Mantras, the divine syllable, Shavda opr Naad Brahman i.e. the sound of Brahman itself. is the name of the creator Brahman.
(e) The creator in Hinduism is called Brahma, the sustaining agent, Vishnu and Maheswara is the annihilator who destroys the universe to recreate it.
(f) The doctrine of Karma states that good or evil character of action will lead to joy or sorrow.. The doctrine of Karma keeps the Hindus off the path of wrongdoing.
(g) Punarjanma- (Rebirth)- Hindus believe only the human body dies but the soul is born again in a new baby.
A Hindu can escape from the cycle of births and rebirths and attain salvation through ethical conduct, a methodical religious effort, and righteous living.

We conclude: Hinduism with its liberal attitude of respecting the diversity of views professed by faiths, has added a new dimension to the definition of religion which promotes tolerance, harmony and mutual understanding among faith followers. Hinduism may well be "a way of life" or "philosophy" or "culture" or "tradition", but that is in addition to its humane features as a religion.

The concept of religion in Hinduism therefore is that: Offering service to humanity is an act of worship of Divinity.