Hinduism is learnt at home. It is experienced at the shrine
at home. The puranic stories such as of the Ramayan, bhagvatam and Shiva-Puran
are narrated to kids and beamed on TV- their various versions with all sorts of
creative liberties. They instill a
unsaid moral code, say the sacrifice of the Ramayan. There is a tacit understanding
of maya and the underlying unity of all, something that is felt in the puranas
as well. However, an organized understanding of the Hindu philosophy, the
Vedanta of the Upanishads or the karma theory of the Gita is missing! All
hindus need to be exposed to this – with the freedom to consider, accept,
reject or enjoy them.
A teenaged Ram learning Vedanta
This is needed for more than one reason. These theories
provide a reason for why we, the world and everything exists and what is the purpose.
They are not objectively substantiated, but their self-consistency and fit to
the world we see, is staggering. Subjectivity is their hallmark. As people are
exposed to other ideas, in the realm of science, so should they be exposed to
these. They could be rejected but could have deep impact on lives. Second, they have the potential to
clear so many misunderstandings about religion, the differences and the
disagreements. The beautiful eastern philosophical tradition gives a way to
reconcile it all. It helps become more tolerant, if not graduating to seeing
the truth in the many different expressions. The very multiplicity of the views
within the tradition is the first great learning. Lastly, but very importantly,
there is great beauty in these theories, like the beauty of the math... How can
we keep such beauty hidden and not available for the rasiks…
There can be two ways to do it. Inculcate it into school
curriculum and let everyone be able to choose which religious tradition s/he
wants to study. Long, hard and full of controversies! The other through mass
media, comics, stories of Vashishtha Yoga and a Munnabhai Lage Raho equivalent for
Vedanta. It could also be an independent organization providing Hindu Philosophy courses for kids -- the Jains have done this for very long.
Pros: Exposure to knowledge, clear misunderstandings, enjoy
knowledge!
Cons: Impurity of sectarianism in this knowledge.
Challenges: With so many views, how to teach without bias; what to include/exclude
To reflect: How much of it do you know? The Keval Advait,
Vishisht Advait, Achintya Bheda Abheda…
