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Bharatvarsha derived its name from Emperor Bharat who ruled the vast region he had conquered. With passage of time because of the rich flora and fauna and the mineral wealth Hindustan possessed it was attacked by Muslim invaders hundreds of times from the east. These Muslim invaders pronounced H for I. The people living in the east of river Indus thus came to be known as Hindus and the religion Hinduism. Primarily the teachings of Vedas percolated from Aryans... the white skinned inhabitants who lived in upper regions of Himalayas mostly covered with snow. The Aryans were the first to invoke messages from God... what was termed Vedas finally. Vedas... the spoken word... something that percolated further down through the word of mouth as Lipi (the written script) had not yet evolved! About two to three centuries earlier to Jesus Christ when the Lipi (the written script) evolved... everything in the Vedas was reduced to writing. And finally mankind had written volumes of words of God. Hinduism primarily does not denote a religion... it is always considered a way of life! Hinduism primarily stands for truths of life... the essence of life! If one needs understanding God... if we seriously desire assimilating the wisdom contained in various sacred scriptures of different religions of the world... then Hinduism is the foremost of all religions!
Before India gained independence... for almost above two centuries British ruled India. Before the British... the Muslim invaders ruled India for about six to seven centuries. It was at the time of independence... Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel... then home Minister combined all the Independent States to form one Independent union... the sacred country India! All the Independent States... their rights and privileges were curtailed! India was now free of exploitation by Independent kings and queens. India after independence finally became an independent sovereign country... spiritual master of the world! In the field of spirituality... with existence of Bhagavad Gita, the doctrine given to mankind by Lord Krishna India reigns supreme!
Hinduism is one such religion; knowing the essentials of which one need not convert to Hinduism. Every single human being on Mother Earth even while remaining in one's religion can master the precepts of Hinduism... be it the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, the essence of different Vedas or the Upanishads. The teachings of Hinduism belong to one and all. At no stage of life Hinduism has ever claimed birthright over doctrines of Hinduism. The teachings of Hinduism have universal appeal. Any serious seeker of spirituality by fathoming the depth of wisdom contained in various sacred scriptures of Hinduism... the sacred Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads can reach the stage of enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha). The existence of Hinduism on Mother Earth is almost like the existence of soul atman in the body. In absence of each of the five senses the body can survive but in absence of a soul atman... the body simply cannot exist! It can rightly be said, in absence of the essence of wisdom contained in teachings of Hinduism... life on Mother Earth simply could not sustain!
Ever since Lord Krishna descended on Mother Earth like an Avatar (God manifest in human form) life became simpler to live. For commoners to digest the voluminous Vedas was next to impossible. With coming of Lord Krishna (a Messiah)... the essence of all the four Vedas (namely Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda) was reduced to Bhagavad Gita. The mankind further need not refer the Vedas. The essence of 700 shlokas (verses) contained in the sacred Bhagavad Gita were sufficient for mankind to gain enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha). Upanishads are independent treatises which at times help in understanding the wisdom contained in sacred Bhagavad Gita.
Primarily
Hinduism is ageless... it is not bound by the fragile boundaries of time and space.
Until existence of mankind...Hinduism would also exist. The existence of Hinduism
on Mother Earth is a grace of God Almighty bestowed on human beings. Bhagavad
Gita of Hinduism is available for $.40 (Rs 20/=) at most railway stations of India...
but how many understand the gist!
By:
Vijay
Kumar "Atma Jnani"
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