When am I a true Hindu? What principles should I follow to be a true Hindu?
(continued from previous issue (Nov 2003) . . . . .)

In the previous issue, we saw how customs and manners form part of the Hindu culture. In this issue, we’ll see how Language constitutes a part of this and how it connects a true Hindu to his/her religion. Again, as we indicated in the past issues, even though it may not be possible to follow all the aspects of this culture in today’s environment, it is good to be aware of it and strive to reach the ideals.

LANGUAGE: Language whether written or spoken, is an expression of the religious culture to a true Hindu. Sanskrit (Samskritam) forms the basis of all Indian Languages. The Vedas, which are the Hindu scriptures, are in Sanskrit in the form of mantras. These mantras are chanted in worships, rituals, and prayers. So the Sanskrit language itself is considered sacred and is known as “devabhasha”, the language of the gods.

In addition to Vedas, there are many other manuscripts written on numerous disciplines which include Ayurveda (medicine), Dhanurveda (archery), Gandharva Veda (music), Vedangas ( supplements to Vedas ), Natya Shastra (dance), Artha Shastra (economics), Shilpa Shastra (architecture), Dharma Shastra (Values), Kavyas (poems, drama, fiction), and Puranas. All these are considered sacred works and are worshipped on special days. There are also devotional literature, poetry, and music in many other Indian languages. Some examples are Kamba Ramayana in tamil, Adhyatma ramayana in Malayalam, and Tulasi Ramayana in Hindi and all are considered sacred works.

Before a child starts reading and writing, a ritual known as “Aksharabhyasa” is performed. In this ritual, the guru holds the child’s hand and makes the child write on a plate of rice the letter “Om”, salutations to some deities and then the alphabets. The deities include Ganesha, Saraswathi, Narayana, Shiva, Brhaspathi, and Hayagreeva The child is also asked to pronounce the letters when writing. The child writes (with the guru) with a piece of turmeric root (or gold stick) in the hand. The plate is then placed on the altar and worshipped. The “akshara” (letter) is considered Goddess Saraswathi and this is why in a Hindu family people do not step on books, papers etc. which has letters in them. The very word “akshara” means that which is eternal. The special materials which are used to write with (gold, turmeric) have properties which cause auspiciousness in the body, mind and senses and help spiritual growth.

Sanskrit is a phonetic and a structural language. The very word “Samskritam” means a well engineered language. But to know the characteristics of Sanskrit and its religious connection, one has to turn to the vision of the sages. According to them language (“vak” or speech) originates in the symbol “Om” and has four states, namely “para”, “pashyanti”, “madhyama”, and “vaikhari” and it is the fourth state “vaikhari” which is a manifested state formed in the throat and is the one we use every day. The other three are unmanifest and are said to be understood only by the sages (“yogigamya”). So it can be said that language originates in “nada” (sound “Om”) and then takes different forms such as letter, word, sentence etc. It manifests along with the meaning and that meaning is its root, or breath or thought (“bhava”). Thus Sanskrit is considered a living language and is sacred. Because most if not all the Indian languages are based on Sanskrit, language is connected to religion to a true Hindu. Another way to look at this is that the entire creation has the “Om” as origin and language is no exception. Since creation is non-separate from the creator, the God, the language is also sacred and worthy of worship in the form of books and alphabets. The custom of giving God’s name to a child is also to remind oneself of God whenever the child is addressed. So for a true Hindu, language, written or spoken, is an expression of the Dharmic culture and serves to remind daily the presence of the Lord in one’s life.

. . . to be continued . . .