Tag Archives: Indian Culture and Tradition

The Bhagavad Gita on Love

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In the Bhagavad Gita (the Song of the Lord) Krishna comforts and advises his troubled disciple Arjuna by telling him about three paths. Each, he says, is a kind of yoga—a way to live in the world and at the same time maintain inner peace. They are the path of action, the path of devotion, and the path of knowledge.

The Gita opens as Krishna champions the yoga of action, or the path of karma yoga. Krishna is persuasive, setting out guidelines that are as true for gardening as they are for waging war. Karma yoga, he says, is the ability to conscientiously evaluate one’s motivation, to act with skill and determination, and yet not be attached to the outcome of the action.

On the path of bhakti yoga, help is proffered and spirits are healed through love—through the soul’s love for that which is eternal, and through the love of the eternal for each soul.

But Krishna does not stop there. In Chapters 7–12 of the Gita he teaches the path of devotion and love, bhakti yoga. This path is commonly associated with those who express themselves through music, poetry, dance, and other fine arts, and it is synonymous with a life of service, prayer, and meditation—a life devoted to God. But you do not need to be an artist or a member of a religious order to find joy on the path of devotion. Ultimately, this path is about uplifting human hearts. On the path of bhakti yoga, help is proffered and spirits are healed through love—through the soul’s love for that which is eternal, and through the love of the eternal for each soul.

The path of bhakti yoga unfolds spontaneously. For some, its appeal stems from an inherent attraction to God. For others, gratitude toward yoga matures into love and respect for a teacher, for a system of practice, or for the natural universe.

A false sense of devotion, however, may lead us in the wrong direction. Most of us know of persons whose fanatical faith in a teacher or dogma has resulted in disappointment or worse in the end. We can avoid this by asking questions about bhakti yoga at the outset. For example, as practitioners, are we expected to devote ourselves to a certain person, god, or tradition? What is the nature of devotion in yoga? And how is it given voice? Let’s see what the Gita says in response.

Krishna’s Voice

The path of devotion begins with a shift in our perspective—a shift that Krishna himself initiates in the Gita. It is signaled by a change in language: when Krishna talks about the path of devotion, he is no longer speaking in the third person.

I am the same to all beings, and my love is ever the same; but those who worship me with devotion, they are in me and I am in them. 

For if even one who does evil were to worship me with all his soul, he must be considered righteous, because of his righteous will.

He will soon become pure and reach everlasting peace. For be aware, Arjuna, that he who loves me shall not perish. (9:29–31)

Verses like these resound throughout the middle chapters of the Gita. They are virtually identical to the words of Jesus and other great teachers who also inspired followers on the path of bhakti. They speak with the voice of Light that is aimed at every human heart.

But who is Krishna? And what is his spiritual authority? His name gives us an important clue. The name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit verb root krsh, a word that means “to draw or pull in, to draw to one’s self.” Krishna is not merely an embodied teacher. He is also the indwelling force that is constantly calling to us, drawing us to our self. Like a flower whose form and color attracts wandering bees, Krishna is the voice of beauty and truth within us—drawing us inward to drink from our own being.

The name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit verb root krsh, a word that means “to draw or pull in, to draw to one’s self.”

Although I am unmanifest, the unwise think that I am that form of my lower nature which is seen by mortal eyes: they know not my higher nature, imperishable and unsurpassed. (7:24)

When we are summoned by Krishna’s voice, however, we are not expected to join a new religion or develop a sentimental dependence upon a teacher. And if some of us find ourselves drawn to Krishna’s stories and teachings, we are not compelled in yoga to accept Krishna’s tradition. The call of the self is to know the Self. It is a call issued by one’s heart—a call that clears away fears and past faults. In yogic terms, Krishna’s voice is the voice of love, truth, and self-acceptance, flowing through one’s own soul.

Finding the Heart

Yogis depict the heart as the seat of human feeling—the seat of the Self. Krishna himself says:

I am the Self, dwelling in the heart of all beings, and the beginning, the middle, and the end of all that lives as well. (10:20)

Thus, in many areas of India people greet one another by bowing their heads and bringing the palms of their hands together at their heart. Similarly, in the West a sign of prayer is to lower the head and join the palms at the chest. These gestures reflect the belief that it is the heart, not the mind or ego, in which we see ourselves most truly.

Meditators find, however, that the mind and heart are not really so opposed as they might seem. A silent dimension of the mind exists, called the buddhi, that brings the energy of the heart to awareness. In fact, in a sense, the buddhi consists of heart energy. When we have awakened it by quieting our senses and lower mind through prayer or meditation, we feel the various forces of life, including our own desires and emotions, moving within. And if we are very still, we will sense the presence of that which is eternal among those forces.

The Way of Love

When we love someone, we want to be near them—to give gifts, share experiences, and receive the other’s love. Out of love, we offer support during periods of illness, and encouragement during challenging times. We do not hurt or harm those we love. Love unites us.

But why does love compel us to behave like this? What is it about love that is so transforming? There is no answer to these questions. It is simply love’s nature. Giving, receiving, sharing, and uniting are love’s way. They are blossoms that bloom wherever love grows.

Krishna appeals to us to love Love. Still speaking in the first person, he asks that we behave as one who is in love. Unseen and unheard except in the quietness of the soul, he calls:

Give me your mind and give me your heart, give me your offerings and your adoration; and thus with your soul in harmony, and making me your goal supreme, you will in truth come to me. (9:34)

But how do we do this? What change in life announces that we have discovered Love and worship it in the midst of life’s busy affairs?

He who offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even a little water, that offering of devotion I accept from him whose self is pure.

He who offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even a little water, that offering of devotion I accept from him whose self is pure.

This is the core of the bhakti path: with hands and mind we pursue life, but with our heart we pursue God.

Universal Love

Krishna asks us to give, but he is also the giver, the Lord of life. We feel his hidden presence in the splendor of nature, in the beauty of human life, and in acts of personal sacrifice. But we are so often consumed by our daily lives that we lose sight of the significance of these gifts. Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize-winning poet of India, reminds us of their importance:

Love spontaneously gives itself in endless gifts. But those gifts lose their fullest significance if through them we do not reach that love, which is the giver.

The question is, in what manner do we accept this world, which is a perfect gift of joy? Have we been able to receive it in our heart where we keep enshrined things that are of deathless value to us? 

As Krishna lists the many ways in which his presence is made visible in the world, his words ignite a deep passion in Arjuna. He longs to see Krishna, to reach him not as he is in his human form but in his universal form. And in the eleventh chapter of the Gita Krishna gives Arjuna that vision. Arjuna is engulfed in the wonder of the moment:

In every direction I behold your infinite form: innumerable arms, innumerable eyes, innumerable mouths, and innumerable bellies. Nowhere do I see a beginning or middle or end of you, O Lord of all, whose form is the entire universe!

Crowned, armed with a club, bearing a discus, illumining the whole universe, I see you: as blazing fire, as the sun, as immeasurable radiance, beyond seeing or knowing. (11:16–17)

Indian Culture & Tradition – The Basis Behind Its Elements

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Indian Culture & Tradition – The Basis Behind Its Elements

 

 

 

Yogi and mystic, Sadhguru, looks at the basis behind the various elements of Indian culture and customs, and explains how every detail in this tradition was geared towards a human being’s immediate and ultimate wellbeing.

Often, many practices in Indian culture that we label today as blind superstition have very logical explanations behind them. This post lists various articles by yogi and mystic, Sadhguru, as he explains how Bharat has always been a magnet for spiritual seekers, and looks at the basis behind the various elements of Indian culture and customs.

Sadhguru: Every culture is valuable to that particular population largely for emotional and territorial reasons. But the significance of Indian culture is that it is a scientific process towards human liberation and well-being. No other culture has looked at a human being with as much depth and understanding as this culture has. No other culture has looked at it as a science and created methods to evolve a person into his ultimate nature. We know if you do certain things, this will happen to a human being. To put it very bluntly, I would say we have technologies as to how to manufacture an enlightened being.

Indian Culture: A Tool for Wellbeing

This spiritual ethos is not about belief systems. It is about systematic practices which sharpened the mind and body in a certain way. Wherever I travel, whatever kinds of groups of people I meet, I have spoken to top-level scientists, academics and students at very prestigious universities, and various other kinds of people, but I always find that the groups I meet in India are far sharper and smarter than most people anywhere in the world. The country is so effortlessly going ahead in the information technology age while everyone else is struggling essentially because the spiritual ethos in the culture has sharpened the intellect in a certain way. This ethos was so magnificently and intelligently presented in the past, but because of over two centuries of extreme poverty, it has gotten twisted out of shape over a period of time. Every generation has to twist it back into shape where it can be an effective tool for one’s liberation and wellbeing.

Western societies talk about freedom and liberation in political systems. But liberation is the core value of who we are. The significance of this culture is that in every way, we created support for a human being to nurture himself towards his liberation because the only goal in this country was mukti. In the West, they may talk about freedom in physical and social atmospheres, but in terms of real life, there is no freedom because God will decide. Here, God does not decide anything. Here we say whatever is happening to you is your karma. That means it is your making. You are the maker of your life. This is constantly present in everything we do. Somewhere along the way because we lost battle after battle and were conquered, the same karma came to be perceived in a fatalistic negative way. Otherwise, when you say, “Your life is your karma,” we are saying your life is your making. No God is influencing you. And the ultimate goal, the core value of your life is freedom – freedom from prejudice, fear, death – everything.

If you want a family and work towards your liberation, you work that way. If you don’t need it, you work directly. But the only value once you are born in this culture is your mukti. That is how every aspect of this culture – even the simplest thing – was arranged. How should you be if you want to move towards your ultimate freedom?

Indian Culture: Strategically Designed

For example, people who come to our Isha Vidhya schools for the first time notice the children sit on the floor. This is not to save furniture. Sitting cross-legged has immense benefits for your physiology and the development of your mind. Like this, every aspect of life was thought of very strategically.

This is the reason this culture must be nurtured – not because we are emotional about it but because it is a scientific process. It would take thousands of years to set up such a complex scientific mechanism that constantly drives you towards your liberation. Whether you sit, stand, or do anything else, it leads to your wellbeing. Music, dance – everything – is oriented towards making you free. People who get deeply involved in classical music or dance naturally turn spiritual. There is no other way to be.

If we look at ourselves as a nation, the way people look, their language, food, way of dressing, music and dance, everything is different every 50 or 100 kilometers in the country. Everything about people who live in this country is different, but a cultural thread has held us together. This culture of what India has been, which cannot be quantified, is simply there. Wherever you go in the world, if you see an Indian, the very way he sits and walks, you know he is an Indian! It is extremely important that we strengthen this cultural thread because if you destroy this culture, there will be no spiritual process on the planet. There may be individual people in the rest of the world but culturally, there will be no spiritual process on the planet because this is not a culture that accidentally happened for convenience. This is a culture that was engineered by realized beings where every human being is working towards his ultimate liberation.

Indian Culture: Engineered with Gentleness

A certain gentleness was engineered into this culture by the enlightened ones of the past to ensure that its basic skeleton can never be misused in the name of the divine. Individual people may misuse so many things but it will never be empowered by divine sanction. Because of this, a certain gentleness flowered, but when this gentleness was treated as weakness by outside forces, the culture has paid a price and they were exploited.

Now that the world has moved on from military power to economic power, this is the time for this culture to manifest itself. A time has come to reinstate these cultural strengths. If the fundamental focus of this culture, which is to work towards liberating yourself from everything, is reinstated, and everyone strives for that, physically and intellectually, people can function effortlessly. Reestablishing that focus is most important today because every human being tends to get encumbered hugely by these things. But once a person is seeking his liberation and nothing else is important for him, he is greatly empowered.

 

Indian Culture and Tradition

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Indian culture and tradition are famous all over the world. As we all know that India’s culture and traditions are very diverse, colorful and unique due to which these are celebrated every year in the same ways or trends. Because of these traditions, many tourists love to come and visit India. Below this, there are some amazing Indian customs and traditions which are celebrated across the place.

 

1. The Namaste

Namaste is a well-known gesture in India tradition to welcome guests. Namaste, namaskar, or ‘namaskaara’ are one of the five forms of ancient salutation mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures, The Vedas. It means “I bow to you”, and greeting each other, is a way of saying “Meet our minds”, indicates the fold palms placed before the chest. The word namaha cab be translated as ‘na ma’ (not mine), which denote the reductions of ego in the presence of the other one.

2. Always a Festive Season

India has lot of festivals because diverse number of religions and groups like, Muslims celebrate Eid, Christians celebrate Christmas and Good Friday, Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi famous for harvesting of crop, and in Sikhisim, Sikhs celebrates the birthdays of their Gurus and the Hindus have Diwali, Holi, Makar Sakranti,Jains have Mahavir Jayanti, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday on Buddha Poornima and many more. All these religions and festivals have their own values and we usually celebrate by giving holiday in our book.

3. Joint Families

In India, the concept of combined family or joint family is universal. Families used to live together and they still live. This is because of the tackiness behavior of the Indian society, and it is also said to be helpful in managing standards and stress.

4. Fasting

Fasting is an important part of Hindu culture. In Hindi language, Fast is known as Vrats or Upvas. People usually take fast to show their sincerity or giving thanks to the Gods and Goddesses. They observe fast on various religious occasions and also some people like to observe fast on different days of a week in favour of special God or Goddess connected with that particular day. The idea behind this is to strengthen the body and punishing yourself for cleansing the sins by taking fast.

5. Holy Cow

In Indian culture, Cow worshiped as a Holy animal.Its worshiped as a symbol of mother. God Lord Krishna, who grew up as a calf is often described as playing between the cows and the Gopis(milkmaids) dancing to his music. Lord Krishna is also known by the name of ‘Govinda’ or ‘Gopala’ which means “friend and protected of cow”. That’s why, cows play an important role in Indian culture and religion. Even Lord Shiva’s vehicle was Nandi- The Holi cow. So, raising a cow or making contributions for cow shelters is an important belief in Indians. Cows are a source of livelihood. Although cow dung is a major factor and fuel consumption, especially in rural India. Killing the cow or consuming cow meet is considered as a crime and many states in India some laws regarding cows just to save them.

6. The Science Behind Temples

Most of the temples are located along with the magnetic wave lines of the earth which usually help to boost energy efficiency. Temple is a place where anyone can get good wives, peaceful mind and increase the physical strength which will improve the performance of human being. Also, while entering to the temple, it will practice to remove footwear before entering religious places as they bring the mud to a clean and dedicated environment.

 7. Arrange Marriage System

The idea of arranged marriage in India starts from the early Vedic age. For royal families, an event called ‘Swayambar’ will be organized for the bride. Competitions from all over the state were called to compete to win the bride or the bride choose her best. Even today, the concept of arranged marriages is a favorite among Indians, a definite part of ‘Indian Culture’.

8. Religious Symbols

Indian traditions and scriptures have many signs and symbols that have many meanings. For example, the use of the Swastika, in the Indian context, does not refer to Adolf Hitler or Nazism. The sign is Lord Ganesha, the removal of curtains. The Swastika’s hands have a variety of techniques. These represent the four Vedas, the four groups, or the four themes that people pursue.

9. Atithi Devo Bhavah

In India, the term ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ is also included. It means ‘the guest is like a God’. A Sanskrit verse taken from Hindu scriptures later became part of the ‘Methodology for Hindu’ groups because the visitor is very important in Indian culture.

10. Indian Ethnic Wear

Indian women are most commonly seen in ‘saris’ sport. The sari is a single piece of fabric that does not need to be stitch; it is easy to wear, and it adheres to religious traditions. At first it started out as a Hindu but very beautiful tradition that has spread throughout all religions. This is similar to the ‘Kurta-Pajama’ and the ‘Sherwani’ religious attire for Indian men of all religions.

11. Indian Dances

India is a country of ‘unity in diversity’. There are many types of forms in dance which classified as folk or classical which come from different parts of country, and they represent the cultural background. Basically there are eight dance forms, referred to as Indian dance music and the Hindu Sanskrit word ‘Natyashashtra’:

 10. Indian Food

Indian food and cuisine are not only part of Indian culture, but they are also one of the main factors in the popularity of India worldwide. The style of cooking varies from region to region, although Indian cuisine is very popular for its extensive use of spices and herbs. Just like dances, religious activities, language and clothing, people may find a variety of foods throughout the country. Every region is known for its signature dish. Although, vegetarian food is an integral part of Gujarati South Indian and Rajasthani cuisine whereas non-vegetarian dishes are a central part of the Mughlai, Bengali, North Indian and Punjabi cuisines. Even the McDonald in India has more vegetarian menu than non vegetarian.