Upanishads-The Bedrock of Indian Culture

(The Vedanta Kesary, p. 583-587, December 2007)

A curious phenomenon occurred in the year 2000. Known as the Y2K Bug, it caused widespread panic that industries and government services worldwide supported by computer systems would cease operating at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999, when the '97, 98, 99, ??" numbering order suddenly became invalid. Companies and organizations world-wide checked and upgraded their computer systems. The preparation for Y2K had a significant effect on the computer industry. However, no significant computer failures occurred when the clocks rolled over into 2000. The debate continues on whether the problem had been overstated, thanks to the media hype and doomsday predictions which filled the air as the deadline drew closer.

In this context, let us consider the religious and theological groundwork of this apparently technical bug. Christians world-wide had been oppressed and terrorised by their belief in apocalypse (an event resulting in great destruction and change) by many missionaries who predicted the return of Jesus Christ in year 2000. A part of the pain, if not the whole of it, had its origin in this unfounded belief. In other words, a religious belief and a modern computer program design are not found to be living in two different worlds!

We often forget that every culture has an underlying vision or philosophy which strongly influences its value systems, customs and practice—from attitudes, beliefs and cultural sensitivities at the psychological level to the gross physical expressions such as dress codes, food habits and body language.

Many young Indians ask: 'Why do we say “Namaste" when we greet someone? Why is vegetarianism such an important cultural value for a large majority of Indians? Why do we cremate a dead body while people of other religions prefer a burial? Is idol worship sanctioned by the scriptures or is it a later aberration which crept into Hindu religion?"

Indeed, the modern Indian finds himself in a dilemma while trying to answer such questions because the underlying Vedantic vision is not clearly understood. Let us examine some key concepts which we come across in the Upanishads and how these ideas have influenced the fabric of Indian culture.

To be continued..