10. Ethics in Christianity and Hinduism

Christianity lays great emphasis on ethics. The bases for ethics are mercy, justice, amity, forgiveness, humanity and self-sacrifice. These lead a person to go in for good qualities and keep away from bad ones. Lord Christ spoke of loving thy neighbour as thyself. He advised against facing evil with evil. His core teaching was compassion. Nothing like relieving pain of others. Hinduism too is equally emphatic about ethics. The very definition of dharma in it is nothing but an elaboration of ethical principles. The five characteristics of it which Manu has enumerated in his attempt to explain it (dharma) and which he enjoins on every member of society are: Non-injury to others, truthfulness, non-stealing, purity and self-control. In christianity man is considered an image of God. Yet he is free in his will and actions. If there are good thoughts in him he has in him evil thoughts too. He can become holy or a sinner as per his actions. Jesus warned his disciples not to become sinners by emphasizing upon them not to do evil deeds. Man can earn the mercy and grace of God by love, dedication and complete surrender to him and by following the path of self-less service. The same thing the Mahabharata propounds. There is no being superior to man: sarvesam eva bhutanam purusah srestha ucyate,' it declares. The complete surrender to God which is the cardinal principle of Christianity is also the cardinal principle of Hinduism. The Gita declares:

Ethics in Christianity and Hinduism yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juhosi dadasi yati yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva madarpanami 155 "O Arjuna! Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity and whatever you practise by way of austerities you surrender unto me." Prapatti which means saranagati, surrender to the will of God is what is emphasized time and again in Hindu scriptures. Great importance is given to charity in Christianity. To avoid ego creeping in, complete anonymity or confidentiality is emphasized in the act of giving. It is said that charity should be given in such a way that the left hand may not know what the right hand has given. One should not only give but give liberally even if he were to be your enemy. Unlike the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth Lord Jesus says 'if some one sues you in the court and takes away your coat give him your cloak also'. Hinduism is not behind Christianity in extolling the virtue of charity. There are countless references in ancient Sanskrit literature where this virtue is extolled. There is no better proof of the value attached to it than the trisyllabic Sanskrit word arati, 'the enemy', which literally means non-giver. One can easily appreciate the spirit behind the transformation of the original sense of the word of non-giving to the conventional one of that of an enemy. One who does not give: nasti ratir danam yasya so 'ratih is an enemy of society. The charity or dana was not actuated by the spirit of pity on the supplicant but by that of favour bestowed on the giver. In the Svapnavasavadatta of Bhasa when the Chamberlain announces the wish of the princess of Magadha to give something in charity he says that she is having this wish which could be a favour to her leading to, as she would think, her own upliftment: atmanugraham icchatiha nrpaja... kasyadya kim diyatam.³ Confidentiality in charity goes well with Hinduism too where it is said that the fame (of the giver) goes down by mention of it: kirtir hrasati kirtanat. The Christian morality centres round the concept of love. St. John says "God is Love" (First Epistle of St. John 4.8). In his

First Epistle he writes: we should love another because love is from God and whoever loves-he is born of God and known God. Who does not love does not know God because God is love....who remains in love, God remains in him. And his love is proven in us. There is no fear in love; rather, fulfilled love throws out fear because fear gives pain. And one who fears has not been fulfilled in love. If some one says that he loves God but bears animosity to his brother then he is a liar because he does not love his brother whom he has seen, then he cannot love God whom he has not seen. In the Bible the fundamental instruction about morality has been presented in the following words: Love your God with the whole heart, your whole soul, your whole intellect. There is deep kinship between the above Christian teaching and the Hindu teaching. Hinduism too enjoins upon its followers love and fellow-feeling. It does not restrict the same to thy neighbour only, not only to human beings only, but extends it to all beings, sarvabhutadaya. It is said who looks upon all beings as one's ownself and himself in all beings does not hate any body: yas tu sarvani bhutani atmany evanupasyati sarvabhutesu catmanam tato na vijugupsate 114 It clearly enunciates that one should not do to others what one feels harmful to oneself: atmanah pratikulani paresam na samacaret 15 As a matter of fact, the consideration of somebody being one's own and the other someone else, it considers a thinking of the lesser minds. For those with broader vision the whole earth is (one) family: ayam nijah paro veti ganana laghucetasam! udaracaritanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakami16 They would not stand the sight of some one in distress. A Hindu prays along with his own well-being, progress and prosperity for the well-being, progress and prosperity of all:

Ethics in Christianity and Hinduism sarve bhavantu sukhinah sarve santu niramayahi sarve bhadrani pasyantu ma kascid duhkhabhag bhavetii 157 "May all be happy, may all be free from disease, may all experience good things, may no one come to grief." When some one else is accepted as one's own self there is no propensity to deprive him of his possession. "Thou shall not steal' is the Christian commandment. Asteya, 'do not steal', is Manu's commandment. God is all merciful in Christianity. So is He in Hinduism. He is Karunavarunalaya, the ocean of compassion. There is great emphasis in Christianity on the concept of forgiveness, that which is conveyed by the word ksama in Hinduism. According to the Gospel of Luke, Christ while teaching his disciples about goodness said, "Love your enemies, whoever bears animosity towards you do good to him. Whoever curses you bless him. Whoever insults you pray for him..... and you, do to others as you want them to do to you (compare: atmanah pratikalani paresam na samacaret). If you do good to only those who are good to you then what is your goodness? Because sinners also do the same. Just as your Father is merciful, so also you be kind. Do not apportion blame if you forgive, you will also be forgiven." The same idea Hindu texts echo: upakarini yah sadhuh sadhutve tasya ko gunahi apakarini yah sadhuh sa sadhuh sadbhir ucyateir³ "One who does good to him who has done him good, what special is it about him? One who does good (even) to him who has done him harm, he really is proclaimed as good by the wise." As for not apportioning blame or speaking ill of others a wellknown Sanskrit Subhasita says: yadicchasi vase kartum jagad ekena karmanat parapavadasasyebhyo gam carantim nivarayal "Should you wish to bring the whole world round you in one stroke, restrain the cow, viz., your speech, in grazing the corn of others in the form of speaking ill of them".

There are numerous passages in old Indian literature where the virtues of forgiveness are eulogized. Not to punish when one is in a position to do so and to forgive is the highest form of selfrestraint which is spiritually elevating. Among the Jainas there is a special occasion called Ksamavaniparva when each member of the community asks forgiveness of others for offences he/she might have committed knowingly or unknowingly. Atonement prayascitta, the Hindu scriptures prescribe as an unfailing antidote for even some of the heinous crimes committed by a person except the one of ungratefulness: goghne caiva surape ca caure bhagnavrate tatha sarvasya niskrtih prokta krtaghne nasti niskrtihnlo "There is atonement for everybody-the killer of a cow, a drunkard, a thief and one who has broken the vow he had undertaken but not for one who is ungrateful." A look at the Ten Commandments reveals that most of them are in spirit the same as in Hinduism. The Fifth Commandment says 'Honour Your mother'. The Upanisad says: matrdevo bhava, pitrdevo bhava, 'revere your mother as a deity', 'revere your father as a deity'. The Sixth Commandment says: "You shall not murder'. This is intended to mean not only not murdering but also causing no injury; physical, mental or verbal to living beings. This is nothing but the Ahimsa of Hinduism, the supreme virtue as proclaimed by the Mahabharata: ahimsa paramo dharmah.11 'You shall not commit adultery' is the Seventh Commandment. This is what Manu means by indriyanigraha, the control of the senses. The Eighth Commandment is: 'You shall not steal'. This is what is asteya as pointed out earlier. The Ninth commandment is: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour'. This emphasizes the virtue of truthfulness in effect which is enunciated by the Mahabharata in three words satyam eva jayate, truth alone triumphs which have been adopted as national motto in India. There is great store laid by satya or truth in Hindu scriptures. The Padma-purana proclaiming it to be more important than even a thousand horse sacrifices, Asatiedued by S 3 Foundation USA CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri

Ethics in Christianity and Hinduism asvamedhasahasram ca satyam ca tulaya dhrtam! asvamedhasahasrad dhi satyam eva visisyatell¹² 159 "If a thousand Asvamedhas, horse sacrifices, were to be put in one scale and truth on the other, it will be truth which will weigh heavier than a thousand Asvamedhas." The Tenth and the last Commandment says: "You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour." The savasya Upanisad says in a strikingly similar tenor: ma grdhah kasyasvid dhanam.13 "Do not covet someone else's wealth.' " From what has been said above it should be clear that there is considerable and substantial similarity in ethical principles in the principal religions of the world, Christianity and Hinduism which underscores the necessity of the times to bring their adherents still closer to each other for the immense good of the humanity at large. 1. Santiparvan, 2.14.2 2. 9.27 3. I.8 4. Isopanisad, 6 REFERENCES 5. Vyasasubhasitasangraha, verse 17 6. Hitopadesa, Mitralabha, 70. 7. A popular stanza said to be composed by Madan Mohan Malaviya 8. Nitisastra, 214 9. A popular stanza. 10. Ramayana, IV 34.12 11. Mahabharata, Anusasanaparvan, 186.38 12. 5.18.403 13. Isopanisad. 1