Jainism Some Essays

Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 56

Hindu Religion and Jaina Religion
Period of Synthesis
The form of Hindu religion which was prevalent in the aforesaid transitional period was the originating force of the Hindu religion of today. This outcome was not sudden; but during the last one thousand years, the cauldron of ferment boiled at top speed and intensity yielding ultimately the elixir of Hindu religion as we have today. The first glimpses of this elixir are seen in the Gita. Because of this, Gita has been acknowledged by every section of Hindu religion. The speciality of this renewed form of Hindu religion consists in its synthetical approach. This approach continued to be adopted for about thousand years and the outcome of it is seen in the current Hindu religion. The feature of this synthetical outlook and attitude ruled till the fourth or fifth century A. D.
(5) Synthesis-The ultimate resultant of the Hindu religion which can be named as the synthetical attitude as embodied and evolved in the Gita continues till today. Depite several rises and falls of this attitude, the central original concept of synthesis has not only never suffered a set back but on the contrary has always been progressing further and further with the run of time.
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Characteristics of the Hindu religion as shaped by the Gitā
Let us now think about those characteristics of that form of Hindu religion which is visible today and which was shaped by the Gitā.
(1) Devotion to Kṛṣṇa and the element of his all powerful nature---
The dignity of devotion to Kṛṣṇa which was the very centre of the new form of the Hindu religion is there on the run even today unabated. Basically, Sri Krṣṇa was the object of worship for the yadavas but he gradually penetrated into and pervaded the whole Hindu religion to such an extent that he was later identified with the Vedic Vişņu. This established the unity of a human being with the Vedic divine being and it resulted into the introduction of a new element of Incarnation in the Hindu religion. On account of this, a lofty and grand emotional tendency was firmly rooted into the minds of the religious people that any person of dignity deserves respectful worship and attention as an Incarnation of God. We see that the saints and sages of medieval times in whom majesty and divinity were evident were wor shipped like the Incarnations of God. Even at present, there are not a few persons taking Gandhiji also as a symbol of Godhood. Thus God is not a distant invisible reality but a belief arose that one who was most powerful and dignified amongst people was considered God and was worshipped also as such. This created an occasion for the people to experience daily the presence of God amongst themselves.