Romanticism and Classicism in Hindu

ROMANTICISM AND CLASSICISM IN HINDU tc "ROMANTICISM AND CLASSICISM IN HINDU "
RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGYtc "RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY"

The concepts of Romanticism and Classicism are not confined to literature alone.  They can be applied to any field of human activity with an equal degree of relevance. The present attempt has been to examine them in the context of the Hindu Religion and Mythology for an insightful explication.

Romanticism in literature is essentially a revolt against the classical traditions, social authority and political tyranny.  It is a celebration of the unrestrained liberty of man, his dignity and even divinity.  It represents a spirit of inquiry and investigation into the new vistas of poetic experience.  It stands for the thrill of ecstacy “Felt in the blood and felt along the heart”, rather than an objective rendering of things into poetry.

Romanticism in Religion may also be a reaction against the priestly authority and the meaningless rituals advocated by it.  It may also be an outcome of man’s struggle against the endless turmoils of life and his desire to find a way out.  Or, it can be the result of his vexation with the jugglery of Creation and his curiosity to know the Reality beyond it. Thus, on the whole, it can be construed as an independent attitude of the human mind trying to grapple with the mystery of the Universe until the essential truth about it is revealed. In as the various expressions of the Divine Consciousness.  They even worship such inanimate things as trees, grass, sand, streams etc. as listed in the Rudradhyaya of the Yajur Veda.  What is most wonderful, they also worship themselves as exemplified in the famous verse “atmatvam, Girija matihi…” etc.  and as ordained in the more famous ritual of “atma pradakshina namaskara”.  It is all not because they are superstitious or stupid, but because they are traditionally conscious of the Divine Presence everywhere in the Universe, including themselves.

Then, Romanticism in literature speaks of “a certain colouring of the imagination whereby the ordinary things” appear strange and “unusual” by acquiring a new significance.  The idol-worship in Hinduism is nothing but such an exercise of the imagination, which invests the idol with all the attributes of the prayer, and makes it appear “unusual” and extraordinary in the process.  Even the Kusa grass, which is used in the Hindu rites and rituals, is made to appear in a mystic light by its association with the sacred hair of the Yagna Varaha.  Mother, father and the teacher appear in a divine aspect when they are addressed as “matru devobhava….” etc.  A physician is looked upon as God: “Vaidyo Naryana Harihi”.  Even the common and the familiar rivers like the Ganga and the Godavari are made to appear ‘uncommon’ and transcendental by their mystic association with the legends of Lord Shiva in the hoary antiquity. Even the modern machinery is not exempt from this colouring of divine imagination in India.  Many people are seen breaking coconuts before their new cars after worshipping them duly with vermillion etc.; this is because they imagine them as the visible representations of the Goddess of Wealth who rules over the vehicles.  Similarly, books and stationary are treated as holy because of their association with the Goddess of learning.  But all such imaginative activity of “idealising the real” as practised by the Hindus is not an end itself, but only a means to their end of “realising the ideal” at the final stage.

Romanticism is acclaimed as ‘liberalism in literature’ for its infinite variety of subject and treatment.  Hinduism too may be praised as ‘liberalism in Religion’ for its freedom in the choice of gods and manner of worship.  In fact, the Hindus enjoy such a great liberty in Religion that they not only worship a variety of gods already existing, but even create new gods and worship them in different ways.  Even an ordinary human being who is somehow regarded as extraordinary is at once deified and worshiped regularly.  But the Hindu does not feel anything strange about this because his concept of God is essentially monotheistic.  Traditionally he knows that there is only one God “na advitiyam Brahma” meaning the one without a second but he also knows “ekam sat vibudhana bahuda vadanti” meaning, that the truth is only one but the learned speak of it in many ways, and also that “sarvadeva namaskaraha kesavam pratigacchati” meaning, worship offered to the different gods only reaches the Supreme Being ultimately.

Classicism in literature is essentially a check against the abuse of liberty in writing.  It results from a dwindling of faith in the human impulse.  It believes that man is not perfect by birth.  Perfection is something to be acquired by a systematic training discipline and hard work. It is best attained by an imitation of the ancient models of excellence.  So, conformity with the time honoured standards is regarded as the highest virtue. Any deviation from them in the name of novelty or originality is discredited as mere lunacy or eccentricity.

Coming to classicism in Religion, we find that it is very much on the same lines classicism in literature.  To begin with, there is a suspicion of the human nature.  We have an express statement in the Manu Smriti “Sarve dandajito loke durlabhohi suchirnaraha” meaning, the entire world is controlled by the rod as a good natured person is not generally available, a statement which brings out the very core of classicism with a single stroke.  Man is not considered trust-worthy and dependable. So, it is thought he should be kept under religious authority, instructed and moulded until he improves himself.  Thus it turns out to be the sort of Religion propounded by the ‘Smriti’ part of Hinduism.  It is a process of becoming in which the lower nature of man is pitted against his higher nature to be won over and transformed by it in due course.  It involves a series of errors and corrections, promises and threats, rewards and punishments enroute its goal.

Thus classicism in Religion starts with the conception that man is spirit, no doubt, but sprit in clay.  He is flesh and as such subject to all such frailties as flesh is heir to.  Hence his activity should be fitted into an ethical or moral frame work and he should be made to live in accordance with certain rules, which are said to have a divine sanction.  He should abide by them at all costs.  Any deviation from them accrues sin and threatens with evil consequences, here or hereafter.  There are the ‘vidhi’ and ‘nishedha’ the do’s and don’ts to be observed and there is the ‘sampradaya’ or traditional which should be followed scrupulously.  Any person who deviates from the ‘sampradaya’ is viewed suspiciously and ousted or excommunicated as a ‘bhrasta’ ‘patita’ or ‘pashanda’

Thus classicism in Religion considers man as an imperfect being, fallen and sinful, and prescribes many rituals for him to get rid of his impurities and perfect himself.  For example, there is a short recital made by the Hindu after his daily worship which reads “papoham, pap karmaham…”etc., meaning “ I am a sinner doing sinful deeds’ etc., In fact this is a confession followed by the ritual of falling prostrate before the Almighty in a spirit of utter helplessness and total self-surrender. The Lord also assures in the Gita(18:65:66) that such a self-surrender on the part of His devotee will be in his best interest.  What is more, it views man as a ‘pasu’ or ‘beast’ as mentioned in the ‘Smriti’ statements, “Jantunam narajanam durlabham,” “kim japanmucchyate janturjanma samsara bandhanath” etc.  Man is considered a ‘pasu’ or ‘jantu’ because he is covered by ‘avidya’ or ignorance by birth which expresses itself through his ‘ahamkara’ or egotistic nature (which is responsible for his alienation from the Almighty), impurity of passions or the ‘arishadvarga’ and indulgence in sense-pleasures or ‘indriyaramatva’.  Classicism in Religion takes a golden opportunity of this concept of ‘pasu’ for prescribing its purification processes such as ‘Guru seva’ or service to the teacher, prayer and worship and ‘yagna’ or sacrifice as effective antidotes for removing the beastly instincts in man.  As a result of this ritualistic discipline, man gets washed off his dirt or ‘malina’ and becomes pure enough to pursue the highest goal of his life, which is his ultimate unification with the Supreme Being.
(to be concluded)