Is Hinduism a Religion?

Many a times, we get hit by friends from other faiths with the question ''Is Hinduism a religion? if yes, then why don't you have one prophet, one God and one holy book?" If we draw comparison between Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, etc, then this question is valid. However, one has well read will reckon that, in Sanskrit, religion is called as मत (mata) which is defined as Thoughts. Thoughts as in the noun form.

What I think differs from what you think. Our think process, actions and belief system varies based on what we think. Hence, the various school of thoughts, various scholars, various scriptures, and various Bhasyas (explanations) to one scripture.So, before we ask which is right and which is wrong, we should first appreciate the fact that we don't belong to a religion which has 1 name, 1 God, 1 scripture sort of a system. This fact makes us unique, gives us the flexibility to adapt and acclimatize based on our ability to comprehend, interest and likes. At the end of spiritual consciousness is Sat chid ananda (सच्चिदानन्द). Sat means Existence or Truth. Chid is the expression, knowledge, of it. Ananda is the Bliss you get out of it. So Truth, Knowledge, Bliss is what we mean by the word Satchidananda.

So, what is right and what is wrong? by now, you should be able to apprehend the fact that, there's no one right or wrong paths to spiritual enhancement. However, there are certain limitations to certain paths taken. 

Example, if you would climb a bumpy road, you can't ride a bicycle. You would need to get a 4WD with greater cc. However, you need to determine if you can afford to buy a 4WD. If a bicycle is all you can afford, then don't try to ride on the bumpy road, you might end up falling down and injuring yourself real bad! Similarly, meditation, awakening of Kundalini Shakti are spiritual practices which our great saints have left behind. However, these can only be practiced by someone with a still mind, with some greater levels of spiritual advancement. Today, we have many preachers who conduct classes in name of Kundalini Shakti awakening for a fee and as a source of income for themselves. 

Trust me, this is a truly a Kaliyuga effect. Do you think you can actually get enlightened by paying a fee? My friend, it doesn't work that way! For all you know, attending these classes will only bring you sorrow, misery and even affect your good damn mental health. It's like loading a 60GB gaming software into your 100GB laptop. Yes, either your PC will start acting crazy, slowing down or it will just crash all your other applications. Imagine this happening to your brains. Hence, one needs to know one's capacity and limitations and if one challenges that, then it is definitely going wrong.

There are various school of thoughts, namely 
Advaita Vedanta, 
Vishishtadvaita, 
Dvaita Vedanta, 
Dvaitadvaita (Bhedabheda), 
Achintya Bheda Abheda, 
Shuddhadvaita, etc...
I will talk more about these school of thoughts and the philosophies in a separate post. 

Fundamentally, the philosophies and concepts differ from one school of thought to the other. There is no one right or wrong philosophy. it is how you would like to relate or decide to relate yourself (soul) to the One God (Supreme Being). Based on that, you determine the Bhakti Margha ( path of devotion) you would like to take. Based on your own worldly requirements and commitments, age and desires, form of the God you easily relate to, you decide which suits you best. However, the
love we have for each other, all living beings, and the love for God,
is the language we all speak in unison. Despite taking different paths, the experiences are the same, the ultimate destination is the same. Satchidananda.....

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