Hinduism has not been founded by any particular individual. It is not the experience of one man, of one prophet or one saviour.The "vision" of one man may be an illusion but when that same experience has been verified in the lives of thousands of others as in Hinduism, it cannot be logically incorrect.So said Swami Nirliptananda in the Sevashram News published in Shepherds Bush, London.
He continued: "When we turn the pages of our scriptures, be it the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Gita, we always find a spirit of earnest enquiry followed by the most profound logic and reasoning.In fact, the Gita which expounds the essentials of Hinduism begins with Arjuna's refusal to follow tacitly the advice of Lord Krishna."
Basic to Hinduism is the scientific law of cause and effect (karma) ie a person is responsible for his own destiny. Hence there is incentive to live a pure and noble life.If, however, one fails in his life to reach the goal, he is then given another opportunity by being born again (reincarnation). Hindu scriptures are expressions of the soul. The Vedas (four in number) which are the oldest scriptures of the world, developed a system of life (varna ashram), which evolved the most civilised and tolerant society.
Macaulay introduced the English language in India so that the Hindus would hate their heritage. But Hinduism has transformed Macaulay's weapon into an important instrument for transporting Hindu culture to English speaking countries of the Western world.
The greatness of Hindu scriptures has been appreciated by prominent thinkers in different parts of the world. Schopenhauer wrote about the Upanishads: "From every sentence deep and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit...In the whole world there is no study so elevating as that of the Upanishads."
Aldous Huxley said, "... The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive expressions of the perennial philosophy ever to have been made. Hence its enduring value not only for Indians but for all mankind." The Gita has been translated in the important languages of the world without any missionary effort of the Hindus.According to Hindu Rishis the apex of civilisation was in a period called Satya Yuga when man lived by truth.
From then devolution started which continues to the present day (Kali Yuga) when man has lost all faith in truth.The whole world was startled by the discoveries of the ancient Hindu cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro which date back to 3000 BC or earlier.
According to Sir John Marshall, these were well-built cities with a relatively mature culture, a high standard of art and craftsmanship and a developed system of photographic writing. The deciphering of Mohenjodaro-Harappan script has now been done and it has been established that the Mohenjodaro/Harappan civilisations were Vedic.
The myth of the so-called Aryan invasion of India which was perpetuated by some scholars with vested interest, was responsible for fundamental distortions of Hindu history, has been destroyed.Without Hindu mathematics, in particular the invention of the numerals, and one to nine and the zero, we would still be living in caves.Above all these great achievements stands the great language of the Hindus.
Sanskrit (in Devanagri script) is the language of the Gods, the music of the soul, the vehicle of a great culture and the pride of the Hindus.Max Mueller and Taylor proclaimed it as more perfect than Greek and Latin.Whitney gives it the first place among the Indi-European languages.
Prof Basham said, "...there is no doubt that Panini's grammar is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of any ancient civilisation and the most detailed and scientific grammar composed before the 19th century in any part of the world."
The Hindus made other spectacular achievements in the field of astronomy, ship-building, classification of the animal kingdom, philosophy, sociology, politics, the science of warfare and in advancing the atomic theory and the theory of the creation of the universe which are supported by modern science.
Hindus have produced volumes of literary works full of wisdom–the four Vedas, the Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, law books and others. These works must have taken thousands of years to complete. Without a stable society, that would not have been possible.
To have a stable society there must have been law abiding and peaceful citizens and that requires, a justice system, and people who were satisfied with the economic and other conditions. India had been a prosperous and peaceful country for thousands of years before the advent of various invasions.Swami Vivekananda who preached in the USA more than one hundred years ago, said, "I am the proudest man.
I am not proud because of myself. I am proud because of my ancestors. The further back I go the prouder I am."