HINDUISM AND OTHER RELIGIONS

Is There a Final Judgement in Hinduism?

Hinduism is not a religion of judgement but of acceptance. It is not based upon the condemnation of anyone but upon the recognition of the sole reality of God. There is no final, absolute or irrevocable judgement about anything. As all actions are limited and relative, being bound to the realm of time and space, so must their results have an end. Can there be a final judgement about the sun, the wind or the rain? So too, human beings, who are replicas of the entire universe and its forces, can never be judged in any conclusive manner. In essence we are consciousness, which is one with God as the true Self. We can never be finally removed from it. However long we may appear to stay away from it, we must eventually return to it as our real home.

Actions have their specific results which we must experience as long as we are bound to the realm of action. However action itself does not bind the soul but only the concept "I-am-the-doer." The ego or doer-sense causes us to identify with action, to seek gain externally, and thereby leads us to do wrong, self-aggrandizing, actions. In reality there is no doer because consciousness transcends all material forms. If there is no doer, who is there to be judged? The soul is inherently free of action and its results. Once we realize this we go beyond cause and effect. But as long as we are attached to action owing to desire, seeking name and fame, we cannot experience this freedom and must suffer for what we have done.

God does not judge anyone, nor does a wise person judge others. The other person is God, who are we to judge God? Our actions speak for themselves and bring about their specific results. God does not punish a person for harming another. The very action of harm has its effect on the person who projects it. The only final judgement for all creatures is: "You are God, live according to your nature and be happy."

[ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]