Upanishads-The Bedrock Of Indian Culture-(Upanishads And Indian Customs)

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The Vedanta Kesari, p. 583-587,

December 2007 The core philosophy of a civilization shapes its value systems; these value systems turn into cultural attitudes which in turn shape the customs, rituals and everyday life of the community. It is fascinating to study how the vision and philosophy of the Upanishads has percolated into the customs and practices of Indian cultural life.

Consider the funeral rites in India, for example. The Kathopanishad (2.18) declares: 'The knowing (Self) is not born, it dies not; it sprang from nothing, nothing sprang from it. The Ancient is unborn, eternal, and everlasting; he is not killed, though the body is killed."

This realisation of the Immortal Self gave our ancestors the strength to conquer even the fear of Death. The intense attachment to the perishable body was subdued with devotion to the imperishable self. Therefore, the Hindu practice of cremating the dead. And appropriate mantras from the Upanishads or the Bhagavad Gita, dealing with the impermanence of the physical body and the immortal nature of the Self are chanted during the cremation.

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Islam and Christianity consider it a sacrilege to burn their dead. The concept of Life after Death in these religions is very different from our understanding of life beyond death. Swami Vivekananda points this out in his interview given in England:

'In trying to sum up India"s contribution to the world, I am reminded of a Sanskrit and an English idiom. When you say a man dies, your phrase is, “He gave up the ghost", whereas we say, “He gave up the body". Similarly, you more than imply that the body is the chief part of man by saying it possesses a soul. Whereas we say a man is a soul and possesses a body. These are but small ripples on the surface, yet they show the current of your national thought."

This idea of 'giving up the body" is derived from the Upanishadic idea of immortality of the atman. Contrast this with the impact of the belief in an impending apocalypse which has driven the Christian world to frenzy time and again, as pointed above. This belief overflows very often even into Hollywood movies which often end in apocalyptic destruction and disorder! Many other cultural practices such as respect for the elders, teacher and guests also have their origin in the Upanishads. The Taittiriya Upanishad, for instance, tells 'Respect your mother as God, respect your father" and so on. All these cultural beliefs, and many more, are based on the teachings of the Upanishads.

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To Be Continued

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About the author

Pramod Kumar

His close association with the Ramakrishna Order (1997-2000) laid the foundation for his spiritual life. He has learnt Yoga, meditation and Vedanta systematically with the Vivekananda Study Circle IIT-Chennai. He has also done an introductory study of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a detailed study of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads under Swami Brahmeshananda, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna order...

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