12. Secular Concepts in World Religions in the Light of Hinduism

Every world religion has its own set of rites and rituals. Behind these lies the basic objective of spiritual and moral upliftment of individuals and society. The rites and rituals aiming at purification of the self are but one means for achieving this objective. The other means are the renunciation of the ego and identification with other beings and meeting out the treatment to them that an individual would like to be meted out to him. An old Sanskrit stanza explains it in very simplistic terms: sruyatam dharmasarvasvam srutva caivavadharyatami atmanah pratikalani paresam na samacaret'i "Listen to the essence of dharma and after listening it keep it firmly in mind. Do not do to others what is offensive to you." That is Dharma, not the Hindu Dharma, the Buddhist Dharma or Islam or Christianity but just the dharma. Emperor Asoka in his Rock and Pillar Edicts exhorts his people repeatedly to take to dharma. He tells them that he has appointed Dharmamahamatras, the Ministers of Religious Affairs. He expresses his happiness that the sound of dharma is audible in his empire in the same manner as is the sound of a drum: bherighoso aho dhammaghoso². After having spoken so much about dharma, he proceeds in an edict to explain as to what this dharma is. He first puts the poser: kiyam cu dhammeti,³ What is dharma. He then proceeds to answer it by expounding it. CC-0. Prof. Satva Vrat Sala dane Pace cave madave Sadhave, According to him it Coll daya

Secular Concepts in World Religions.... 167 compassion, charity, truth, purity, goodness and politeness. Now, these concepts are not peculiar to Buddhism alone. Manu's definition of dharma also has them: dhrtih ksama damo 'steyam saucam indriyanigrahahi dhir vidya satyam akrodho dasakam dharmalaksanamir "Contentment, forgiveness or forbearance, self-control, abstention from unrighteously appropriating something, purity, control of senses, knowledge (of the Supreme Soul), truthfulness and abstention from anger are the ten marks of dharma." At another place he reduces these ten to four and adds to these one, ahimsa, non-voilence or non-injury to beings which he enjoins for the members of all the four castes: ahimsa satyam asteyam saucam indriyanigrahahi etam samasikam dharmam caturvarnye 'bravin manuh'n According ot the Agnipurana non-violence, sweet and agreeable speech, truth, purity, compassion and fortitude constitute the common dharma both for the recluse and the general public. up The welfare of all beings is the core principle of each religion. Hinduism is no exception to it. A Sanskrit prayer sums it beautifully: sarve bhavantu sukhinah sarve santu niramayahi sarve bhadrani pasyantu ma kascid duhkhabhag bhavetii "May all be happy, may they be free from disease, may they see (= come across) good things, may no one among them meet with unhappiness." Apart from the yajnas, the sacrifices performed for the fulfilment of certain individual desires, they were performed for the welfare and well-being of all living beings as also to ward off the possibility of any evil befalling them. The great Indian poet Kalidasa describes King Dilipa milking the earth for sacrifices and God Indra milking the heaven for crops (on the earth). Each one helped the other so that the worlds could be sustained:

dudoha gam sa yajnaya sasyaya maghava divami sampadvinimayenobhau dadhatur bhuvanadvayami "He drained the earth (= collected taxes from) the earth for performance of sacrifices while Indra drained the heaven (= brought forth rain from there) (for the growth) of crops; thus with the exchange of their wealths they sustained the two worlds". The same idea the poet expresses in another stanza where through King Dilipa he has the following tribute paid to sage Vasistha: havir avarjitam hotas tvaya vidhivad agnisul vrstir bhavati sasyanam avagrahavisosinam il "O sacrificer, the oblation duly offered by you in the holy fires turns itself into rain for nourishing the crops, which else would wither away due to drought." The yajnas or the sacrifices were, as would be clear from the above, meant for bringing the rains so necessary for good harvest, particularly in a country like India which is primarily devamatrka, dependent upon rainfall for a good crop. And good rain would come through yajnas as prescribed in the sacred texts. The yajnas or sacrifices having the motivation of the welfare of society and the whole country as such is noticeable in the Vedic prayer offered afer arranging the sacrificial firewood and igniting it: a brahman brahmano brahmavarcasi jayatam a rastre rajanyo sura isavyo 'tivyadhi maharatho jayatam dogdhri dhenur vodha 'nadvan asuh saptih...... nikame nikame nah parjanyo varsatu phalavatyo na osadhayah pacyantam yogaksemo nah kalpatam 10 "May there be in our land a Brahmin given to performing sacrifices and engaged in studies, may there be a Ksatriya who is maharatha (one who can engage a thousand adversaries in battle singlehandedly) and is a good archer, may there be a cow who is milch, a bull fit enough to carry load, a horse which is fast.... May clouds shower forth rain as and when needed, may

Secular Concepts in World Religions.... 169 our fruit-bearing herbs and plants ripen by themselves, may there be for us security of our possessions ." If all this is not secular, what else it is? A part of the Vedic ritual , it has nothing sectarian about it. It is central to social wellbeing and welfare without any distinction of distinction of any kind. REFERENCES 1. Vyasasubhasitasangraha, verse 17 2. Rock Edict No. 4, line 3 3. Delhi Topra Pillar Inscription No. 2, line 11 4. ibid. No. 7, line 18 5. Manusmrti, 6.92 6. ibid., 10.63 7. A popular stanza said to be composed by Madan Mohan Malaviya. 8. Raghuvansa, 1.26 9. ibid., I. 62 10. Vajasaneyisamhita, 22.22