Notice: Please Read the First Post in the Series to Better Understand and Appreciate the Purpose of These Posts “Hinduism – a Misnomer“
The Launching of Aurhor’s Book “The Hanuman Factor”- New-Delhi, 2011 | Anand Ashram, Ubud (Bali)
So, It is NOT Hindu-“ism” but Hindu Dharma….
And, Dharma refers to a set of Natural Laws, which have been there since time immemorial. And, if time is limitless, without beginning and without ending, then Dharma would be the same, with no beginning and no ending too.
Our ancient seers and sages – our secular and soul scientists of old – declared it a long, long time ago that this creation, this existence, this universe, or rather multiverses IS Anaadi and Ananta, without beginning and without ending.
The New Physicists are Beginning to Agree…
As i write these lines, and as you shall be reading them later – a series of bigbangs are still happening. New galaxies and new stellar and interstellar systems are being formed, new universes are taking shape.
If you look at a single episode of the creation of “our little tiny galactic system” – then yes, we started with “a” bigbang few billion years ago, Stephen Hawking is right. But, if you look at the bigger picture, then this one single episode, of which we are parts and parcels, actually does not mean much.
This creation, this existence is much much larger, bigger than our solar system, our galaxy, our universe as we know it.
The Hindu Dharma is Referred to as Sanatana or Eternal.
The initial word for Dharma used by the Vedic seers was Rta. Later, not to confuse with Riti, the social or wordly norms, another word – Dharma – was coined.
Riti changes with time, from time to time. The norms, which are good – in the sense they are still relevant – can be carried on, can be carried forward to the next generation. Some are not, and must be discarded.
Not so with Dharma.
Dharma is about Universal Natural Laws, which are not changing from time to time. Indeed, it is upholding the universe. This Universe, this existence depends upon Dharma. Dharma is the Upholder.
To Mention Just One of Such Laws…
– Newton’s Third Law of Motion tells us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton did not create this law, he only discovered it, understood it, and passed, or rather, shared his knowledge with us.
Hindus call this the Law of Karma, Cosequences – every Cause has an Effect. Now, this law does not change with the passage of time. It has been there, it is there, and will remain there as long as the universe is, or at least it is not going to change sometime soon.
If it has been there for the past 4-5 billion years or more since the “inception” of our solar system or the “birth of our planet”, then it is going to remain there for at least 4-5 billion years or more. That is, if we still endorse Hawking’s theory of expanding and shrinking universe. Even then, don’t worry, it is not going to happen for several billion years yet!
Once Again, for Us Hindus, Dharma is Sanatana – Eternal, Everlasting.
Very quickly, we must look at the first Law of Thermodynamics, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy that states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another.
The Hindu understanding of the Soul is the same. It doesnot die when the body is shed. It moves on to take up another body. Even the decaying, decomposing body under the ground or reduced to ashes – remain as atoms, and atoms are imperishable too.
Based on Such Universal Laws Binding Not Only Humankind,
but all life forms, both movable as we are, or apparently immovable and inert like the mountains – Hindu, or rather theSanatana Dharma cannot, but be, all inclusive by its very nature.
Once this point is understood, we realize, we become aware of the essence of life, of what the laws of life are. And, the suffix “ism” after the word Hindu will drop by itself….