| How I Became A Hindu - My Discovery Of Vedic Dharma |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| INDIA AND HINDUISM, THE SPIRITUAL TRADITION | |
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Vedas worship the Divine in all the forms of nature including human
(Gods like Indra), animal (vehicles of the gods like the bull and
the horse), plant (the sacred ashwattha tree and Soma plant),
elemental (like fire and water), and cosmic (like the sun). They
explain all attitudes of devotion honoring the Divine as the father,
mother, brother, sister, friend, son, daughter, child and master.
The whole Vedic concept of namas or surrender to the Gods is itself
the essence of Bhakti. The Rig Veda also frequently mentions the
sacred or secret Divine Names, showing that chanting the names of
God and meditation upon them was always central to the Vedic path.
This stream of Bhakti has kept Hinduism alive and flowering throughout the ages from the Rig Veda to the Mahabharata and the Puranas, from the Alvars and Nayanars in the south to Tulsidas and Mirabai in the north of the country. Bhakti is the real heart of Hinduism. It is a Divine love founded not on dogma or sin but on the very exuberance of life itself, which is ever seeking transcendence and greater awareness. From baby Krishna, to Rama with his bow, to Durga on her lion it has touched all the themes of life with great feeling, personal intimacy and poignancy. I learned to chant various stotras to the Gods and Goddesses, particularly those of Shankaracharya, who produced many wonderful ones, which became a regular practice for me. J. Jayaraman, the librarian at the Ramanashram and both a great sadhu and musician aided me in this pursuit. Without dipping into the waters of devotion, I find that my intellectual work is not fulfilling. Often I spend my evenings in devotional practices after days of more mental work. This devotion is mainly to the Goddess but includes the whole range of Vedic and Hindu deities, including Indra, Agni, Shiva, Rama, Hanuman and Ganesha. |
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