Hinduism and Enlightenment: Hinduism and the paths of liberation

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Hinduism and Enlightenment: Hinduism and the paths of liberation

Verily in the beginning this was Brahman, that Brahman knew (its) Self only, saying, 'I am Brahman.' From it all this sprang. Thus, whatever Deva was awakened (so as to know Brahman), he indeed became that (Brahman); and the same with Rishis and men. The Rishivamadeva saw and understood it, singing,' I was Manu (moon), I was the sun.' Therefore now also he who thus knows that he is Brahman, becomes all this, and even the Devas cannot prevent it, for he himself is their Self. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)

According to Hinduism, liberation does not mean dying and going to heaven. Heavenly life is as desirable or undesirable as earthly life because in the ultimate sense, heavenly life is also limited and transient, thought compared to earthly life it may be longer and more intense. True liberation means liberation of the individual soul from the cycle of births and deaths, from the sense of duality and separation, and union with Brahman, the Supreme Soul. 

Hinduism does not prescribe a particular way to achieve this. It is goal specific, but not path specific. This way it differs radically and fundamentally from all the other major religions of the world. It specifies the primary and the most important objective of human life as self realization, but leaves the specifics of the manner and the method in which it is to be attained to the wisdom of the scholars and philosophers and to the individuals themselves. Since God is omniscient and since innumerable are His forms, innumerable are also the paths and the methods by which one can find Him. To limit the paths by which one can reach God or to declare a path as the one and the only super highway to the kingdom of God, is to attempt to measure the infinite or define the indefinable. The responsibility of showing the path is that of the Divine and He shows different paths to his different children in the manner He deems to fit. 

While this is the basic approach, Hindu scriptures mention three broad categories of paths or approaches to the problem of self realization. In some respects these three approaches are different because by treading them alone one can attain Brahman while in some respects they are complimentary, as the study of the Bhagavad gita reveals, because by combining the best of aspects of the three paths salvation can be attained in a much faster and more effective way. 

The three paths to which we find reference in the Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad gita are the path of knowledge (jnana marg), the path of renunciation of action (karma'sanyasa-marg) and the path of devotion (bhakti marg). Of these the first path is said to be ideal for those who are intellectually curious and want to pursue God in an intellectual, intuitive and scholarly way, through the study scriptures, practice meditation and contemplation and discipline of the mind and the body. The people who follow this path are called Jnanayogis or jnanamargis.

The second path is the path of renunciation of action, which is said to be ideal for those who would like to turn to God without ignoring their duties towards their families, and without escaping from the burdens of life. They are expected to accomplish this difficult and almost paradoxical situation, by performing desireless works, with a sense of detachment and sacrifice, surrendering themselves completely to God and offering the fruit of their actions to God, with the firm belief that God is the doer of all and men are but his instruments. These people are freed from the ill effects of karma, because they believe that God is the real doer who is performing all their actions through them using them as His instruments. Those who follow this path are called karmayogis.

The third path is the path of devotion, which is said to be ideal for those who have neither the inclination to study the scriptures and pursue God in an intellectual and scholarly way, through the observation of austerities and practice of spiritual disciplines, nor the disposition and the ability to indulge in desireless works through detachment and sense of sacrifice, but want to live a life of freedom in the care of God, loving Him with intense and almost insane devotion and receiving His love in return. Those who pursue this path are expected to surrender to God and live with complete trust in Him, remembering and chanting His name all the time and without concerning themselves excessively or obsessively with the intricacies of theology or with the dreariness of a mechanical life characterized by selfless action. It is for them who prefer to live like true children of God surrendering themselves to Him completely and giving full expression to their feelings of love and devotion to the extent possible. This is the bhaktimarg, the path of devotion. In the Bhagavad gita Sri Vasudeva Krishna declares that of all the paths, the path of devotion is the best and the easiest for practice.

The Bhagavad gita combines the best elements of these paths in a masterly manner and presents to us a very unique and holistic way of achieving self realization through thought, through action and through love. 

Courtesy to www. hinduwebsite.com

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