Sunday, February 13, 2011

SANSKAR, PASSIVENESS IN HINDU SOCIETY

There is lot of confusion about what Sanskar is, and what it is not. Sanskar is often confused with the definition of character too. People often blame everything on “wrong Sanskar”. This may not be true. Sanskar is something which is NOT taught but is learnt by observation in your family and acceptance and following of that belief or practice is automatic.
SANSKAR is the most talked off thing in Hindu families. What exactly is Sanskar?

Sanskar can be values which each of us inherits from birth.

Sanskar essentially are of two types:

1. The one which one’s ATMA brings along with it. Hindus believe in the theory of rebirth. This is the only theory which completely and satisfactorily explain why two persons born in a same family, having been subjected to same environment, have different attitude. This one is extremely subtle and associates with all the interaction and help in shaping the future character of an individual. 

2. The other is what one inherits while living in the environment of the family in which a person is born.

The sum total of these two and the upbringing which includes education, external and internal interaction (this can be different for persons of a same family), determines the character of a person.

Some examples would help us understand this better:

A Hindu would invariably take out his shoes while visiting a temple while a Christian need not do this while visiting a Church. Similarly a Sikh or a Muslim would cover their head while going to a Gurudwara or Mosque, while a Hindu or Christian need NOT do this. Hindus perform the last rites of the dead by cremation and Muslim and Christian by burial. This once again becomes a Sanskar.

Now consuming rich non serial food on fasting days similarly gets into the Sanskar of Hindus. In today’s information Yug, youths understand that what they are being taught is CHEATING. What is good about this Sanskar? Remember all of us understand that Sanskar helps in SHAPING the character of a person.

Similarly linking the religion or Dharm (whatsoever one chooses to call it) with a person going to heaven or hell, when the Hindu society is so passive also builds in wrong Sanskar in an individual. An elderly person in the family construct a temple with the hope that this would provide him a ticket to heaven, because he believes this to be true and other youngsters would also start cultivating this belief. But the youth would also accept the way that person has earned his wealth as accepted Dharmic Sanskar. This elderly person had used his clout in the society to earn ill gotten wealth, ignored other members of the family, and used fair or unfair means to earn money.

Similar is the attitude towards Caste. 

Our Sanskar are definitely pro caste system, and no elder wants to tell this to youngsters in the family. Once again corruption, double standards, pro male attitude are all SANSKAR that Hindus are inheriting. Just visit any Hindu family; you may find very serious discussion on corruption, as if the elders are very much concerned. But there the matter ends. Everyone is satisfied after discussion, and no action on ground is ever contemplated. What is the result of all this? The modern day youth is better informed and he is MORE self centered.

Regarding PASSIVENESS in Hindus? 

YES, this too is Sanskaric thing that we have inherited from our families as value which we do NOT want to let go. The above post highlights some of them. And the biggest proof is that if one talk to any elder in any Hindu family, and you will be told that the present day youths are not getting the right Sanskar because of hostile external environment. This is far from truth. What more proof does one need that we our self are to be blamed for providing WRONG Sanskar to our youths.

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ABOUT ME:

A Consulting Engineer, operating from Mumbai, involved in financial and project consultancy; also involved in revival of sick establishments.

ABOUT MY BLOG: One has to accept that Hindus, though, highly religious, are not getting desired result as a society. Female feticide, lack of education for girls, dowry deaths, suicides among farmers, increase in court cases among relatives, corruption, mistrust and discontent, are all physical parameters to measure the effectiveness or success/failure of RELIGION, in a society. And all this, despite the fact, that spending on religion, by Hindus, has increased drastically after the advent of multiple TV channels. There is serious problem of attitude of every individual which need to be corrected. Revival of Hindu religion, perhaps, is the only way forward.

I am writing how problems, faced by Indian people can be sorted out by revival of Hindu Religion.