[Advaita-l] How to become a Hindu

[Ramesh Nagarajan]

Dear All,

First of all Sadananda’s effort to help someone to become a Hindu is highly
commendable.

Sometimes the response can be carefully edited or misconstrued to distort
the contents of the response.  Quoting my previous response – “If some
religious institutions are trying to convert people to other religions by
bribing or adopting cheap tactics without TRUE CONSENT of those people is
not acceptable.  Unfortunately, this has happened to Hinduism compared to
any other major religions in the world.”

Obviously, in this case the person is volunteering or willing to convert to
be a Hindu.  Nobody should be against it and one should help the cause if
the person can.  Sadananda is kind enough to do the same.

Secondly, my response on this topic and other topics in this forum are truly
based on Vedantic principles and not related to Shastras.  Vedanta is simple
and straight forward – There exists only one reality and the goal is to
reach and experience the single reality.

Vedanta priniciple is:  Any form of identification and association WITHOUT
the vision of Single Reality (Universalism) will lead only to mental
accumulations including Spiritual and Religious accumulations.  Some may or
may not agree to it, and it is just the fact to experience the Truth.  These
accumulations can only lead to attachments and aversions.  Attachments and
aversions hold us to ground and don’t help us to realize the Truth and
ultimately the Liberation.

In Bhakthi Yoga, we see that the devotee “accepts only one reality and
totally surrender to HIM”.  In Raja Yoga, quoting Patanjali “eka tattva
abhyasah”.  “Make the mind one-pointed, to focus on a single principle or
object.”  In Jnaana Yoga, the person leaves out everything and questions
himself to find “Who am I”, until he finds there is only one Reality.

In all of the above margas all the identification and associations has to go
except holding on to one single entity.

We can cite an example the very purpose of writing Bhagavatam itself. In
spite of all his great works, Sage Veda Vyasa was depressed.  He explained
the dharmas in the puranas but he had felt something was missing and wasn’t
satisfied.  Vyasa says to Narada in Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 4 verse 28
through 30.  (28-29) 'With strict discipline I sincerely was of proper
worship in my according to the tradition of the Vedic hymns doing the
sacrifices in respect of the masters. Even for women, the working class and
others I, by compiling the Mahabharata, have properly explained what
according to the disciplic succession should be stated about the path of
religion. http://vedabase.net/sb/1/4/28-29/en  (30) Despite of answering, so
it appears, sufficiently to the demands of the vedantists in my discussing
the Supreme Soul as situated in the body and even my own self, I feel
something is missing. http://vedabase.net/sb/1/4/30/en.


CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST…..