Hinduism and Modernity

 by Sri Ajit Halder

‘Hinduism’ and ‘Modernity’, the two words appearing in the title, need to be elaborated on to help the reader understand better the theme of this article.  It is acknowledged universally that Hinduism is another name for Sanatan Dharma, the eternal religion still functioning as the Hindu way of life led according to the principles of the Vedas and other major Hindu scriptures.  The ritual performed by a devout Hindu and the daily pujas offered in temples with the chanting of Vedic hymns and mantra are age old Hindu traditions that have continued to the present day. Of course, like every thing else in the world, the principle and practice of Hinduism have undergone subtle, gradual changes with time.
 
The title’s second word ‘Modernity’ has been the subject of various interpretations. This article however will be guided by the meaning of the term given in the Oxford English Dictionary.  This dictionary meaning states: ‘Modernity is departure from or repudiation of traditional ideas, doctrines and cultural values in favor of contemporary or radical values or beliefs’. This definition implies a process of an ongoing transformation that is taking place in an existing social order, practice or belief and is continuously introducing innovation into the system.  This interpretation of Modernity is relevant to Hinduism today because the Hindu faith has always been absorbing fresh ideas, thereby widening its appeal amongst its followers.
 
It is true that religious reformers through the centuries have variously interpreted the sacred doctrines of Hinduism with steady introduction of new ideas.  This means that while the Hindu faith has been absorbing new doctrines, it has never done so at the cost of losing its core – i.e. the fundamental concepts of Hinduism.   This line of reasoning will be expanded in the following paragraphs emphasizing that ‘modernity’ has transformed Hinduism in a pattern which is not new, but recurrent throughout the history of the religion. In more recent times, Hindu society has been overtly incorporating technological devices as aids to facilitate worship in homes and in temples; however the ideas of change reaches back into the tradition of the eternal faith.
 
The first major change in Hindu religious ideas was experienced by the Indian masses when Lord Buddha started preaching His gospel in a colloquial language (Pali) that was easily understood by the commoners.  His message of Peace and how to gain release from suffering (dukh) struck a chord with his followers.  This new doctrine caused a departure from the authoritarian Brahminical stronghold on Hindu religious practices, until then, carried out through the medium of Sanskrit as the Deva Bhasa (the language of the Gods).  It was Adi Shakaracharyya who rescued Hinduism from an apparent decline by promoting the principle of Advaita Vedanta - the view that Brahman, the Universal Spirit, is non-dual.  It is believed that He consolidated Hinduism over the whole of India by sanctifying the Chatur Dhama (four sacred places for worship): one in the North called Badrikashram (in the Himalayas) the second in the South called Rameswaram, the third in the East called Jagannathdham, and the fourth in the West called Dwarka. Another important transformation initiated by Sri Chaitanya in the Fifteenth Century and His successors in North and East India was the expression of a new Bhakti movement.  Sri Chaitanya refined the popular Bhakti cult of Sri Radha-Krishna through an intricate study of emotions (rasa).  Bhakti as a personalized path of development and spirituality has remained one of the theological areas of exploration of the Vaishnava school.  Within that broad religious field, Bengali Vaishnavism has produced new theoretical, cultural and social movements during the last two centuries. This trend has continued with the new Vaishnava religious movement ISKCON, popularly known as the Hare Krishna Movement started by Sri Pravupada A.C. Bhaktivedanta which has now become a global phenomenon to spread the message of Krishna consciousness.
 
Swami Vivekananda is to be credited for bringing Hinduism to the attention of the western audience through His famous speech delivered at the World Congress of Religions held in September 1893 and His other speeches on Vedanta made to audiences within the USA and UK.  Swamiji gave an added interpretation to Vedanta Philosophy in the form of Practical Vedanta.  His message is: Serving humanity with devotion is indeed the noble act of worshipping Divinity.  With this approach, Swamiji promoted the practice of religion as a kind of social welfare action, in essence adding a social dimension to the practice of Hinduism.   Swami Vivekananda gave a concrete shape to His motto by establishing the Ramakrishna Mission, a philanthropic organization engaged in community care, to perpetuate the holy name of His Guru, Sri Ramakrishna.
 
Other religious reformers appeared on the Indian scene during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The great religious, social and educational reformer, Ram Mohan Roy ought to be remembered for the challenges he posed to traditional Hindu culture and practices in the early nineteenth century.  He founded the Brahmo Samaj that served to influence the socio-religious reform movement all over India.  He deserves to be called The Maker of Modern India.’  Mention may be made of Dayananda Saraswati who established the Arya Samaj professing liberal Hindu views.  The Arya Samaj established institutes to spread education not only amongst men, but more notably, amongst women as well.  Mention should also be made of Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur and His satsanga discourses delivered to His devotees during a period spanning over five decades.  Lucid interpretation of the essence of spiritual knowledge offered by Sri Sri Babathakur through Saccidananda Society's many publications like ‘Knowledge of Knowledge’, ‘Nectar of Wisdom’ and other books are spiritually elevating.  Sri Sri Babathakur’s divine message is easy to comprehend, and two of His sayings are quoted here: (1) ‘Nectar of wisdom which is the essence of bliss, is Self Realization/God Realization’, and (2) ‘Swanubhuti characterizes supra-intuitional awareness – Self Realization’.  As we can see, Sri Sri Babathakur’s insights follow in a long tradition of innovation and refinement in the process of conveying the divine message of Sanatan Dharma.
 
The socio-religious group, Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP), with branches in India, UK and other countries, presents itself as the spokesman and guardian of the Hindu faith.  This group has a social agenda to involve young Indians in club sports activities; however its main purpose is to indoctrinate the youth into Hinduism through the various instruction sessions held at its centers.  Another group, the Sangha Parivar, preaches the concept of Hindutva ( i.e. ‘Hindu’ness) with its program to establish a predominantly Hindu Rajya (state) in India.  This organization makes political noises from time to time, but the majority of the Indian populace is loyal to the principle of secularism as enshrined in the Indian constitution.  Secularism in India does not favor any particular religion or faith community but ensures freedom to every faith group to conduct religious life in its own way.  Secularism presents its own challenges and opportunities to the traditional practices of Hinduism.
 
In the area of Women Power, Hinduism does glorify the concept of Devi, the great Goddess.  Devi Durga is the possessor of the divine power, Shakti and is called Durga Mata, the Mother Goddess.  In modern times this notion of motherhood has been assigned to ‘motherland India’.  Devotion to a mother Goddess as described in Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath elevates Hindu religiosity to a nationalist political cause and may be termed “spiritual nationalism” asserting a moral relationship to Bharat Mata.  Anandamath gave the nation the famous song Bande Mataram (a song in adoration of the motherland) which inspired freedom fighters and enjoys the status of a ‘national song’ in independent India.
 
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Lord Macaulay introduced a system of education through the medium of English with the purpose of training Indians to serve as clerks in the administration of the British Raj.  This opened up a window of opportunities for the youth of India to absorb liberal western views including those associated with social equality and the principle of democracy.   Their minds were kindled with the dream to liberate India from foreign domination.  Many first-ranking leaders of India’s freedom movement were trained in western liberalism, receiving education both within India and overseas.  Indians made good use of the culture of Modernity by embracing the new opportunities made available through western-style education. The educational policy of Lord Macualay proved to be a contributory factor towards India achieving independence.
 
Hinduism is not a casualty of technological developments - rather the practice of Hinduism has benefited from the use of devices that are products of modern technology.  Many Hindu homes have installed speaking clocks that recite the Gayatri Mantra at daybreak so that residents can wake up to the recitation of Vedic hymns.  One can not expect a better way to commence daily chores than to wake up to the soothing utterance of the holy Gayatri Mantra.  Ultra modern electrical lighting devices have entered the arena of worship.  Most temples and religious shrines are decorated with multi-colored lamps and attractive displays of notices showing times of worship and information to help devotees plan their visit and make it a success.  Often video displays covering the puja activities are not only entertaining, but also making the visit a memorable experience.  The artistic decorations and holographic spectaculars that mark the puja pandals (venues of community worship) during Durga Puja are indeed crowd pullers.  True, most visitors are fun-loving sightseers; however the fact that they come to a place of worship, brings them spiritual gain.
 
Many temples use modern facilities for improved sanitation and to protect public health.  The use of clean plastic containers to distribute Prasad (offerings blessed by the temple deity) is a practice welcomed by temple visitors.  There have been changes to temple administration making it functioning more transparent to devotees and finding favor amongst religious aspirants.
 
The internet plays its part in facilitating a righteous Hindu life.  An eager Hindu can read scriptures on the internet and listen to devotional songs and recitation of verses from the holy Gita.  One can also visit Hindu places of pilgrimage virtually courtesy of the internet, and feel spiritually uplifted in the process of doing so. If a devotee for some reason cannot visit an Indian temple to make offerings to his chosen deity, he may not feel disheartened.  Provisions to offer puja at his favorite temple remotely often exist.  If that temple has a dedicated webpage, the devotee can file an online request the temple priest to perform religious sacraments on his behalf.  The devotee thus feels content about being able to discharge his/her religious duties, thanks to the universal availability of the Internet facility.
 
It is a popular belief that Modernity has led to awareness about environmental protection and animal rights, and that this is a recent happening.  Not so.  One must not forget that Hindu culture has always promoted the worship of Mother Nature and consideration of rivers as mothers, cow as mother, and trees as divine for their support of human life on earth.  Modernity in championing the cause of ecology is an acknowledgment and an assertion of the age old Hindu reverence shown towards nature and natural objects. It deserves to be recognized that Modernity through widespread publicity has made the task to improve ecology a global issue.  It is worth mentioning here that the management of the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh has installed solar panels to generate 7.5 Megawatts of electricity and successfully reduced carbon emission.  Hinduism and Modernity are helping each other by making use of modern facilities, thus reaping the benefit of changes that each is undergoing.
 
In conclusion, it may be said that Hindu thought is not entrenched in tradition, but continues to responds to the conditions of social modernization which are taking place all over India and abroad today.