Generally, Hinduism has two aspects within its paradigm, Ritualistic Hinduism and Spiritualistic Hinduism. First one is an institutionalized and organized religion with its holy books, rituals, priesthood, dogmas etc. The second one is a mystical outlook towards existence, a kind of spiritual humanism or freelance mysticism. This aspect of Hinduism is a continuation of the ancient wisdom traditions like Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. The ritualistic aspect has its traditions in the form of Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas. Spiritualistic Hinduism can take many things from these traditions, but it’s not strictly bound to their rules and regulations. The example of mystical Hinduism can be derived from the Upanishads, which are an amalgamation of philosophy and mysticism, and Yoga Sutras which are the general ethical and spiritual methods to reach to a state of equanimity and bliss. We can see Aurobindo Ghosh attesting Semitic prophets and including them in the broader spectrum of spirituality. We can observe Ramakrishna Paramhamsa worshipping in mosques and churches. We can know the essence of Bhakti movement with its inclusive and syncretistic philosophy and love. The ritualistic side is exclusivist and casteist and sometimes manifests itself in the form of dogmatism and exploitation. The common masses who follow the ritualistic side literally believe in thousands of gods and goddesses with their myriad stories and myths. But the Hindu philosophers like Professor Radhakrishnan know that all these mythological stories are just various metaphors for the One Absolute Reality known as Brahman in the Upanishads or Vedanta. I intend to highlight the spiritual, mystical and philosophical aspects of Hinduism or Vedanta.
| Published in | International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 9, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12 |
| Page(s) | 5-10 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Spiritualism, Mysticism, Vedanta, Yoga, Brahman
| [1] | Rig Veda 1.164.46. |
| [2] | Shri Aurobindo, (2005), The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department, p-29. |
| [3] | Sarvapelli Radhakrishnan, (1929), Indian Philosophy, V-1, Unwin Brothers, UK, p-42. |
| [4] | Sarvapelli Radhakrishnan, (1976), An Idealistic Way of Life, George Allen and Unwin (India), New Delhi, p-68. |
| [5] | Ibid, p-137-138. |
| [6] | K. Satchidananda Murty, (2007), Evolution of Indian Philosophy, D. K. Print world, New Delhi, p-200-201. |
| [7] | Munduka Upanishads, 1-1-6. |
| [8] | Kathopanishad, 2-6-9. |
| [9] | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore, (1957), A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, p-37. |
| [10] | David Gordon White, (2014), The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali – A Biography, Princeton University Press, UK, p-33. |
| [11] | https://www.yogapedia.com/2/8458/meditation/silence/yogas-chitta-vritti-nirodha. |
| [12] | Rene Guenon, (2000), Introduction to the Study of Hindu Doctrines, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi, p-265. |
| [13] | Swami Shivananda, (1999), Kundalini Yoga, Divine Life Society Publication, Uttar Pradesh, Preface, p-vi. |
| [14] | Gopi Krishna, (1990), Kundalini, The Secret of Yoga, Kundalini Research Foundation, USA, Introduction, p-ii. |
| [15] | Sircar, Mahendranath, (2018), Hindu Mysticism According to the Upanishads, Routledge, New York, p-175. |
APA Style
Abid Mushtaq Wani. (2021). Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras. International Journal of Philosophy, 9(1), 5-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12
ACS Style
Abid Mushtaq Wani. Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras. Int. J. Philos. 2021, 9(1), 5-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12
AMA Style
Abid Mushtaq Wani. Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras. Int J Philos. 2021;9(1):5-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12,
author = {Abid Mushtaq Wani},
title = {Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras},
journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {5-10},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20210901.12},
abstract = {Generally, Hinduism has two aspects within its paradigm, Ritualistic Hinduism and Spiritualistic Hinduism. First one is an institutionalized and organized religion with its holy books, rituals, priesthood, dogmas etc. The second one is a mystical outlook towards existence, a kind of spiritual humanism or freelance mysticism. This aspect of Hinduism is a continuation of the ancient wisdom traditions like Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. The ritualistic aspect has its traditions in the form of Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas. Spiritualistic Hinduism can take many things from these traditions, but it’s not strictly bound to their rules and regulations. The example of mystical Hinduism can be derived from the Upanishads, which are an amalgamation of philosophy and mysticism, and Yoga Sutras which are the general ethical and spiritual methods to reach to a state of equanimity and bliss. We can see Aurobindo Ghosh attesting Semitic prophets and including them in the broader spectrum of spirituality. We can observe Ramakrishna Paramhamsa worshipping in mosques and churches. We can know the essence of Bhakti movement with its inclusive and syncretistic philosophy and love. The ritualistic side is exclusivist and casteist and sometimes manifests itself in the form of dogmatism and exploitation. The common masses who follow the ritualistic side literally believe in thousands of gods and goddesses with their myriad stories and myths. But the Hindu philosophers like Professor Radhakrishnan know that all these mythological stories are just various metaphors for the One Absolute Reality known as Brahman in the Upanishads or Vedanta. I intend to highlight the spiritual, mystical and philosophical aspects of Hinduism or Vedanta.},
year = {2021}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras AU - Abid Mushtaq Wani Y1 - 2021/01/28 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12 T2 - International Journal of Philosophy JF - International Journal of Philosophy JO - International Journal of Philosophy SP - 5 EP - 10 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7455 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210901.12 AB - Generally, Hinduism has two aspects within its paradigm, Ritualistic Hinduism and Spiritualistic Hinduism. First one is an institutionalized and organized religion with its holy books, rituals, priesthood, dogmas etc. The second one is a mystical outlook towards existence, a kind of spiritual humanism or freelance mysticism. This aspect of Hinduism is a continuation of the ancient wisdom traditions like Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. The ritualistic aspect has its traditions in the form of Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas. Spiritualistic Hinduism can take many things from these traditions, but it’s not strictly bound to their rules and regulations. The example of mystical Hinduism can be derived from the Upanishads, which are an amalgamation of philosophy and mysticism, and Yoga Sutras which are the general ethical and spiritual methods to reach to a state of equanimity and bliss. We can see Aurobindo Ghosh attesting Semitic prophets and including them in the broader spectrum of spirituality. We can observe Ramakrishna Paramhamsa worshipping in mosques and churches. We can know the essence of Bhakti movement with its inclusive and syncretistic philosophy and love. The ritualistic side is exclusivist and casteist and sometimes manifests itself in the form of dogmatism and exploitation. The common masses who follow the ritualistic side literally believe in thousands of gods and goddesses with their myriad stories and myths. But the Hindu philosophers like Professor Radhakrishnan know that all these mythological stories are just various metaphors for the One Absolute Reality known as Brahman in the Upanishads or Vedanta. I intend to highlight the spiritual, mystical and philosophical aspects of Hinduism or Vedanta. VL - 9 IS - 1 ER -
Email: