Religions of the Far East Heru Thutmose El Bey

Philosophy 353
Womack
Hinduisim Exam

(1) Artha, the 2nd legitamate aim in life according to the Hindu means “worldy success” in the form

of power, wealth, and fame, but why, postulates the sages, is artha satisfying but ultimately insufficient.

Let us first direct our attention to a quote by Huston Smith as follows; “1. Wealth, fame, and power are

exclusive, hence competitive, hence precarious. Unlike mental and spirtual values, they do not multiply

when shared; they cannot be distributed without diminishing one's own portion.”(W.R. pg.15) Again,

this concept is expounded by Arjuna in the opening discourse with Krishna, “ What do I want with

victory, empire, Or their enjoyment? O Govinda, How can I care for Power or pleasure, My own life,

even, When all these others, Teachers, fathers, Grandfathers, uncles, Sons and brothers, husbands of

sisters, Grandsons and cousins, For whose sake only I could enjoy them Stand here ready To risk

blood and wealth In war against us?” (B.G. pg. 32) Wise words spoken by one of great humanity,

for Arjuna knows of the ephemerality of our brief existence on this planet and the fruitless harvest of

calamity that befalls one who would pursue such a path. Artha in all it's form does not last and

is even , according to Smith is “hedonism”. It is too self centered and eventually leads one to the sense

of something else, a reality underlying what is immediately cognized by the seeker. Desires are

insatiable and only lead to the indulgence of more desires. Once one acts on their desires they give up

their divinty and become a slave to externals, there will,dashed against the rocks of their own folly.As

Smith demonstrates, nothing can be taken with us and leaves us with a sense of fear of loss, wondering

to ourselves “Is this all”. Now there is nothing wrong with artha. It is merely a stepping stone, if you

will, for when one realizes that there is more to life than these fleeting enjoyments, introspection can

begin, and the doors to the temple of knowledge can be approached.

 (2) Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman are two sides of the same coin if you will. The Creator

without attributes is Nirguna Brahman and with atrributes is Saguna Brahman. As Smith adroitly states,

“Nirguna Brahman is the ocean without a ripple; Saguna Brahaman is the same ocean alive with swells

and waves.” (W.R. pg. 61-2) In reality there is no difference between the two, as a single drop of water

is identical with the source from whence it came, but it can be contradictory at first glance, for our

limited capacities could never contemplate the divine. But let us consider the fact that the ultimate,

if not completely, can be ascertained using the principle “as above,so below” in the sense that we can

learn of Nirguna Brahman by studying Saguna Brahman within and Nature around us since the Creator

manifest in all beings and all things. “As the sun does not tremble, although its image trembles when

you shake the cup filled with water in which the sun's light is reflected: thus the Lord also is not

affected by pain, although pain be felt by that part of him which is called the individual soul.”(W.R. 62)

This paradox, says the Hindu, can be easily explained when you consider the different personality types

of it's adherants. “On the whole India has been content to encourage the devotee to concieve of

Brahman as either personel or transpersonal, depending on which carries the most exalted meaning

for the mind in question.”(W.R. 65) Renunciation is usually the condition for worship of Nirguna

Brahman since “ the devotees of the unmanifest have a much harder task, because the unmanifest is

very difficult for embodoed souls to realize.”(B.G.98) These beings have or must move past all

illusions and set themselves on the path of action which is direct and intuitive so this path suits them. It

takes a person of mettle to walk such a path.For others who cannot sufficiently provide the momentum

to overthrow such illusions and need something tangible, Saguna Brahman would suit them. This

concept is eluciadated by Smith as follows; “If one is struggling against a current it is comforting to

have a master swimmer by one's side. It is equally important that there be a shore, solid and serene, that

lies beyond the struggle as the terminus of all one's splashing.”(W.R. 63) So “to each his own” is

a main theme amongst spiritual aspirants of India for as the say “all roads lead to Rome”.