2006 - The Muslim Sunrise

HinduismThe Concept of God in HinduismBy Bilal RanaOur behavior and relationship with the world around us is a reflectionof the nature we believe God to possess. All teachings are intertwinedwith and emerge from a religion’s concept of God. It is reflected in theway its adherents pray, in their sacrifices, rituals and all that ultimatelycan be described as the ‘texture’ of a religion.Of all major world religions, Hinduism as it is practiced today isarguably the most challenging to define in terms of this concept in that itranges from one extreme to the other – that is, from absolute monotheismto belief in an infinite number of gods.What is Hinduism?Hinduism is the world’s oldest major religion which is still in existencetoday. It is a worldwide religious tradition largely followed by the peopleof India. There is no mention of ‘Hinduism’ as a religion in its sacred texts.Classical dictionaries define ‘Hindu’ as the name of a people who considerthe area from the River Indus down to the sea-shore as their fatherland andsacred territory.Therefore, Hinduism is a name that has been coined in modern literature.The name Sanatan Dharma, or ‘original religion’, is the name used in itsholy scriptures. Adi Deb Narayan Rishi was the pioneer teacher (BishnoBhagobat Puran 7/11/5, 6). Some scholars think that Adi Deb and Adamwere one and the same person. The word sanatan means what was, whatis, and what will remain permanent, and that which describes ‘eternalreligion’ is known as the Sanatan Dharma. Krishna also believed ineverlasting religion (Mahabharat 5/83/12). The term Sanatan Dharma canbe translated into Arabic as ‘Dinul Qaim’, a term also used in the HolyQuran which means ‘eternal religion in conformity with nature’.The Hindu TriadThere are three fundamental gods in the Hindu tradition, which are:1. Brahma, the Creator2. Vishnu, the Sustainer3. Shiva, the DestroyerThese are manifestations of the One Supreme Spirit, Brahman. He isthe Absolute Authority, the eldest of their gods, and occupies the higheststation among them all.AvatarsAccording to Hindu belief there are ten avatars, or incarnations ofVishnu, which represent the Divine and whose mission is to revivespirituality in mankind:1. Matsya, the fish2. Kurma, the tortoise3. Varaha, the boar4. Nara Simha, the man lion5. Vamana, the dwarf6. Parusha Rama, Rama with an axe7. Rama Chandra, the hero of the Ramayana epic8. Krishna, the main character in the Bhagavad-Gita9. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism10. Kalki, the tenth avatar who is yet to come(list taken from Book of Religious Knowledge, by Waheed Ahmad)Deification of ManA glance at religious history reveals that man repeatedly deifies himself.The worship of temporal beings, including prophets or saints, raises manyprovocative questions. Driven by fear or by love, mankind has‘worshipped’ monarchs, powerful bullies, prophets, sages, martyrs, carvedimages, objects and coins of monetary value – the awe of which begin todictate one’s sense of ‘wrong and right’. When you examine the ultimatecause of social, moral and political turmoil in society, we find that thismisguided worship or zeal destroys the peace in the hearts and minds ofindividuals and as a result the values of society begin to slide. This is themomentous influence the concept of God has on the scheme and fate ofcivilization.A warning regarding this very point has been given by the SupremeGod to Krishna in the following words, after Krishna had beencommissioned to reform mankind:“Unintelligent men who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the22 MuslimSunrise