Hinduism: What Really Happenned in India (PDF) - Oration

Hinduism: What Really Happened in India – M. M. Ninan
of ancient India. Since each one of them had their own unique
experience, each developed a different system. Because of this, it is
difficult to discuss Hinduism coherently, until we define what we mean
by the term. It is easy for the Hindu to slip away from the evil that is
hidden within by saying that it is not part of Hinduism as he practices.
By dissociating anything that is opposed by the critic, one can distill the
religion and isolate an idealistic part. At the same time, it can permit and
assist errors and evil when it profits the person. Everything can be
explained away. Anything can be justified under Hinduism. It is
anything and everything one wants it to be.
Hence, we are going to look at Hinduism at varying levels.
At the intellectual level, it is only a philosophy. It is entirely based on
intellectual enquiry and not based on God experience.
On the mystic level - on the other hand - it is based only on subjective
spiritual and mystical experience of people.
On the practical level, Hinduism is very different. It is not based on any
historically verifiable revelation of God. Thus, objective verification of
claims is out of place. On the practical level, it can be anything from
black magic, witchcraft to erotic orgy on one side, to bhakthi and
submission and asceticism on the other.
All systems of Indian philosophy have for their ultimate goal, the
spiritual freedom or Moksha, which terminates all sorrows and sufferings
and endows a state of enduring bliss. Nevertheless, this is only on the
ultimate level, which is not always discussed at the mundane level. At
this level, Hinduism reduces to a means of attaining temporal ends. For
this purpose, temporal lower gods are created and worshipped. These
temporal gains cover up and hide away the ultimate mukthi.
The ultimate bliss is defined differently by different system. To some it
is ceasing to exist - equivalent to total annihilation. Then we will not
have sorrow or sickness, but we will not have joy or happiness also. For
others it is not really annihilation, but being one with God (if God is a
2