Author: D. Sader

Avatars of Vishnu

According to Hindu belief, whenever the order of the world is threatened, Vishnu the Preserver appears on Earth. He is often considered to have ten forms, or avatars, on Earth.

First Vishnu appeared as a fish to rescue the world from a flood. Next, as a tortoise, he supported a mountain on his back. Third, as a boar, he killed a demon who had stolen the Vedas, or holy scriptures.

In his fourth avatar, as half man, half lion, he killed a demon king who could not be harmed by man or beast. Next, as a dwarf, he tricked a demon king who had seized the universe.

As a warrior Parashurama he destroyed a wicked king. As Rama, the perfect king, he killed the demon king Ravana. His eighth avatar was Krishna, the central character in the epic Mahabharata. Krishna’s advice to another character became the beloved text Bhagavad Gita. Next Vishnu appeared as Buddha in order to remove suffering from the world.

The tenth avatar of Vishnu, Kalki the Destroyer, has not yet appeared in the world. Kalki will wipe out the forces of evil.

Some people see a progression in the avatars of Vishnu. Look at these ten avatars. Describe any progression you see.

What People Want

According to Hinduism, the things we want change as we go through life. At first, we want pleasure and worldly success. There is nothing wrong with wanting these things, as long as we act morally in seeking them. For example, we should not lie or cheat in order to gain success. We must achieve it honestly.

Some people may spend years seeking pleasure or striving for worldly success. We may even think that these things make us happy. Eventually, though, we find ourselves wanting more, because each of these goals is too narrow to satisfy our total nature.

Choose one of these goals to examine. Do you think it is too narrow to satisfy all aspects of human nature?

Paths to Spirituality

One of the goals of Hinduism is to help people achieve their full spiritual potential. Since all people are different, Hinduism does not teach just one way to reach this goal. Instead it identifies four basic spiritual personality types and a path for each. These paths are known as yoga, which comes from the same root as the word yoke. It means, “to place under training.”

The first type includes people who seek spirituality through reflection. Their yoga is jnana, or knowledge.

The second type includes people who seek to understand things emotionally. Their yoga is bhakti, devotion and love.

The third type includes people who take an active approach to their goals. Their yoga is karma, or work.

The fourth spiritual type includes people who like a methodical approach to understanding spirituality. Their path is raja yoga, or royal yoga. This is the yoga that uses physical postures to achieve spiritual illumination.

Think about yourself and your approach to things. Which of these approaches to spirituality would be best for you: jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, or raja yoga?

Raja Yoga

Hinduism offers many paths to spirituality. One approach is called raja yoga. According to raja yoga, each of us has different layers of “self.” The first layer is the physical self – our bodies. The second layer is the conscious part of our minds – the things we are aware of and try to think about. The third layer is the subconscious. This layer is shaped by our experiences, but we are usually not aware of how it affects us. The fourth layer is even deeper than the subconscious. It is the layer of Being.

The aim of raja yoga is to reach the layer of Being. The first step in reaching it calls for being completely still. Sit for one minute without moving and without thinking. At the end of one minute, write your reactions to the first step of raja yoga.

Guru

In Hinduism, those who wish to develop spiritually will listen to teachings. They may find a mentor called a guru. The word guru comes from two Sanskrit words, gu and ru. Gu means “darkness” or “ignorance.” Ru means “remover” or “dispeller.”

Based on the original meanings of he words gu and ru, write your own definition of the word guru.

Yamas, Niyamas

Patanjali, an Indian sage who contributed to the development of Hinduism, lived around 200 B.C.E. Recognizing the need for a solid ethical foundation, Patanjali compiled an ethical code.

The code consists of five things people should do – the niyamas

Code also consists of five ways in which people should exercise restraint – the yamas.

Niyamas
Be pure in body, mind, and speech
Seek contentment
Cultivate devotion
Educate yourself
Be steadfast in hardship

Yamas
Practice nonviolence
Discipline sexual desire
Do not steal
Do not lie
Do not be greedy

Patanjali compiled these precepts more than 2,000 years ago. Do you think they are relevant today?

Rig-Veda

The Rig-Veda (“Praising Knowledge”), composed around 1500 B.C.E., is the oldest of the Hindu scriptures. It is also the oldest book in any Indo-European language. It marks an early stage in the development of Hinduism.

A central story in the Rig-Veda tells of the god Indra and the dragon Vritra. Vritra had stolen all the water of the world for himself. Indra fights the dragon in order to take back the life-giving waters. After a monumental struggle, Indra defeats the dragon, and the waters are freed, bringing life to the land.

Explanations of this story often show Indra as a symbol for wind, Vritra as standing for clouds, and the waters as meaning the monsoon rains. Given what you know about India, why would the monsoon rains be a matter of life or death? Why might early Indians have seen the monsoon-bringing winds as a source of life?

The Ramayana

The Ramayana is one of India’s national epics. It tells the story of Rama and his wife, Sita.

Rama was the eldest son of the king of Ayodha. One of the king’s wives wanted her son, Bharata, to be king. The king owed her two favors. She asked him to make Bharata his heir and to banish Rama for 14 years.

Rama agreed to go, saying, “I gladly obey my father’s command.” Rama’s wife, Sita, insisted she join her husband in exile. She said, “Is it not the wife’s duty to be at her husband’s side?”

Bharata tried to persuade Rama to return. Rama insisted on doing his duty, even after his father died. Bharata said he would rule in Rama’s name; when the 14 years were up, Rama should become king.

During their exile, Sita was kidnapped, and then rescued by Rama. After that, Rama and Sita returned to Ayodha, and Rama became king.

Rama, Sita, and Bharata are often held up as models of Hindu behavior. What did they do in this story that make them good role models? What does this tell you about Hindu ideals and behavior?

The Bhagavad Gita and Mohandas Gandhi

The Bhagavad Gita, or “Song of God,” is one of the most influential Hindu religious texts. It is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, which tells of a war between two sets of relatives. The Bhagavad Gita opens with Arjuna, the leader of one side, despairing at the thought of killing his kinsmen. His charioteer, Krishna – who later reveals himself as a god – urges him to do his duty as a noble by leading his men into battle. Krishna reassures Arjuna that our souls are immortal, so he cannot truly kill anyone. He then goes on to tell Arjuna of three ways that the soul can be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. The soul can be freed through karma yoga, doing one’s duty without self-interest in the consequences of one’s actions; through jnana yoga, or withdrawal and concentration that lead to knowledge; and through bhakti yoga, or devotion to God.

Mohandas Gandhi led India’s independence movement in the early twentieth century. He credited the Bhagavad Gita with helping him to cope with life’s tragedies. Based on what you know of Mohandas Gandhi, write about the influence of the Bhagavad gita on his life and work.

The Bhagavad Gita: The Eternal “This”

This is a quote from the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most influential Hindu religious texts.

Know that to be imperishable whereby all this is pervaded. No one can destroy that immutable being…. This is never born nor ever dies, nor having been will ever not be any more; unborn, eternal, everlasting, ancient, this is not slain when the body is slain…. As a man casts off worn-out garments and takes others that are new, even so the embodied one casts off worn-out bodies and passes on to others new. This no weapons wound, this no fire burns, this no waters wet, this no wind doth dry. Beyond all cutting, burning, wetting and drying is this – eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, everlasting. Perceivable neither by the senses nor by the mind, this is called unchangeable; therefore knowing this as such thou shouldst not grieve.

Use your knowledge of Hinduism to explain what the text is saying.