Hinduism’s universality

THE EDITOR: During my recent visit to Trinidad I was fortunate to attend a few discourses with a unique focus on the Ramayan and the universality of Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma, which is the true name of the religion practised by millions across the world.

The presentation, by Pandit Vikram Maharaj of San Fernando at the home of Siew Nandlal of Princes Town, was entirely in Sanskrit and the pandit explained the messages in the Ramayan in everyday English.

Few people know and understand Sanskrit so the pandit was in uncharted territory and taking a risk by counting on people accepting this different style of presentation of the scripture that has been a fixture in the Hindu community in TT since 1845.

Maharaj’s impeccable Sanskrit resounded with the welcoming audience as he explored different versions of the Ramayan through which he ventured into varying aspects of the story of a prince banished from his kingdom so he could destroy the forces of evil.

In one of his discourses Maharaj did a thorough analysis of each character in the Ramayan, highlighting the symbolism of each. Ram, he noted, was the embodiment of all that was good and virtuous and his archenemy was Rawan, who represented everything evil.

The traditional story is the vanquishing of Rawan, followed by great rejoicing on Ram’s return to his kingdom of Ayodhya. Both men are seen for their specific mortal roles.

However, in his presentation of the Ramayan the pandit went beyond the literal narrative and explored the symbolism of each character in the holy book, noting that understanding the Ramayan requires an appreciation of what each character symbolised.

Through his discourse he was able to show that both Rawan and Ram continue to exist in contemporary society – one, the negativity and evil that’s always around us and the other the good and virtuous in a never ending struggle between good and evil.

In that context, the death of Rawan did not end the evil because Rawan continues to live wherever social decay and evil thrive. And Ram lives among the good.

Both forces are within us, he said, and in order to conquer evil, we must develop the godliness from within so we can defeat the Rawans represented as greed, lust, hate, selfishness, and sickness, and engage in spirituality and a submission to God.

In that context the practice of Hinduism is a universal way of life. To illustrate his point, he said that one character was presented as a vulture to show that race and physical appearance or one’s low station in life are of no significance and have no place in spirituality or religious practice.

The discourses were enlightening and very relevant to today’s society. You can catch all nine of them on ietv, beginning on Friday.

JAI PARASRAM

Toronto, Canada