Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas

by Goswami Mitali | 2018 | 68,171 words

This page relates ‘Classification of Religion’ of the study on the Vedic influence of Sun-worship in the Puranas, conducted by Goswami Mitali in 2018. The tradition of observing Agnihotra sacrifice and the Sandhya, etc., is frequently observed among the Hindus. Another important innovation of the Sun-worship in the Puranas is the installation of the images of the Sun in the temples.—This section belongs to the series “Vedic Concept of God and Religion”.

Part 6 - Classification of Religion

Galloway in his work has broadly divided the religion into three groups[1]

  1. Tribal Religion
  2. National Religion and
  3. Universal Religion

The tribal religion represents the religion of the tribe. All the members of the primitive group appear in this division. The ethical ideas have not developed in tribal religion, but it stands as the cause of spiritual religion.

Tylor has mentioned

“Savage animism is almost devoid of that ethical element which to the educated modern mind is the mainspring of practical religion.”[2]

The national religion is wider than that of the tribal religion. It involves a widening of man’s mental horizon and the rise of a larger and more complex social order brings about a distinct advance in the personal consciousness.[3] An individual achieves progress in individuality and knowledge through the interaction with other selves within a wider social system in national religion. It involves the ethical development and religious consciousness. In the national religion, the organized worship of the gods, the national spirit and ideals find expression. As a citizen the individual shares the worship in national religion. The universal religion is something peculiar than that of the earlier two. In this religion, appeals are made to men than the spirit, without distinction of class or race. The salvation or redemption that it offers is open to all. Again, the object of worship is one and the method of divine service everywhere the same.[4]

Besides these, taking consideration into different theories, dealing with its origin and evolution, religion can be categorized into the following groups—

  1. Primal Religion
  2. Naturalistic Religion
  3. Humanistic Religion
  4. Spiritual Religion

The primal religion is characterized by the theory of animism, spiritism, fetishism, manaism or ancestor worship and totemism. The belief of the primitive people influenced by their surrounding environment, that was full with superstition, magic, fear, illusion, etc., gave birth to the primal religion.

The naturalistic religion believes in worshipping the object of nature or the powers of nature. The mother nature occupies prominent place in this religion. Different objects of nature, i.e., the sun, the moon, wind, etc., occupy specific place in the nature worship. Though the primal religion and naturalistic religion look alike, but indeed they are different from each other. The naturalistic religion is the developed form of the primal religion. The objects of worship in the primal religion are vague and indistinct in character, but the objects of worship in naturalistic religion are endowed with names and varieties of attributes and activities. Both the worshipper and worshipped objects have maintained close relationship in the naturalistic religion. The gods in the naturalistic religion are endowed with the ethical principles with the development of human intelligence in a higher social order of a civilized life. Again, the natural elements have been elevated to a spiritual level in the naturalistic religion which in the primal religion was only the sources of reverential fear of dread. Galloway determines the possibility that due to the increasing complexity of human behaviour and activities in changed social atmosphere, developed the tendency to multiply the number of gods, each god with specific function to perform.[5] Thus, the polytheistic system developed from the practice of nature worship of primal society.

The humanistic religion believes in the worship of man having ethical values. The humanistic religion has two phases. According to one, god is believed to incarnate in human form, i.e. the avatāras. Again, in another, due to the good qualities, man is exalted to the position of god and worshipped. The divine qualities are attributed to the man. Gautama Buddha is the character, who was revered and worshipped like the god due to the extraordinary divine qualities.

The spiritual religion mainly comprises the belief of man in spirits and a world beyond. According to it, god is the greatest entity, who is self-born, universal, omnipresent, omnipotent and infinite. He is beyond this world. In this religion, belief in god becomes an inner quality of man and the insight becomes wider. The ritualistic belief of people ended with it. As a result, this religion becomes the universal one that has the power to bind all the people irrespective of their nationality, colour of the skin and all the other factors, those generally tend to division. The instances of spiritual religion are Islamic Religion, Christianity, etc. The spiritual organizations Ram Krishna Mission, Satsanga Vihar, Prajapita Brahmakumari Iswariya Viswavidyalaya, etc., also convey the messages of spiritualism in today’s society.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vide, Galloway, G., Op. cit., pp. 88-147

[2]:

Vide, Tylor, B. Edward, Op. cit, Vol. II, p.360

[3]:

Vide, Galloway, G. Op.cit. p. 109

[4]:

Vide, Ibid., p.138

[5]:

Vide, Ibid., p.117

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: