Date: March 18, 2025
Part 1
Introduction: The Language of Symbolism
Those who are born outside the tradition of Hinduism generally feel completely at a loss to understand the spectacle that unfolds before their eyes whenever they are confronted with any outward signs of it. Lacking a single authority like Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, Hinduism is so diffuse, so wide-ranging and complex, so wildly free in its different manifestations, that for those outside its fold, it’s often overwhelming and even maddening. They can’t make any sense of it.
Understanding Hinduism is quite a challenge. And this is true not only for the non-Hindus but also for the Hindus themselves! I have been forced to conclude that a vast majority of the Hindus themselves do not know what Hinduism actually is, or struggle to articulate what it is. Yes, they repeat platitudes like Hinduism is a way of life; Hinduism is the eternal religion – Sanatana Dharma, etc., but these cultural bromides do not bring any clarity as to what Hinduism is and what it teaches.
Yes, Hindus indulge in image worship, perform rituals and know their mythology to some extent, but they do not know that these are symbols which contain a wealth of meaning in them. And that meaning is hidden. The symbols have to be decoded. Without the code, the outward symbols are devoid of content and meaning.
At its core, Hinduism is highly metaphysical and abstract and is not concerned with simple dos and don’ts and commandments that are so prominent in other religions. The culture of this land has produced the highest metaphysics and literature that sings paeans to the Formless, Infinite, Eternal and the Ineffable. But that higher dimension is difficult to convey in words. That is why Hinduism uses the language of Symbolism – in image worship, in rituals and in mythology to convey that which is not obvious to the senses and to the mind. If we understand this language of symbolism, then Hinduism would prove to be highly enlightening; if not, Hinduism would appear chaotic and bewildering.
The symbols of Hinduism – images, rituals and mythology – are the vessels which contain the fundamental truths of Sanatana Dharma. But the knowledge of the symbols is a specialised one and it is tragic that these truths have been forgotten and we are holding on to empty symbolism devoid of content; with mechanical worship of images and performance of rituals without knowing what they mean. Ask a Hindu why he performs Pradakshina (circumambulation) in a temple and what it means, he won’t be able to tell you – though he religiously performs the ritual!
At the other end, we are used to treating mythology as mere fantasy. We do not really know what purpose mythology actually serves. The inner meaning of the myth is of primary importance. To truly understand Sanatana Dharma, we have to relearn the language of symbolism. We have to refill the vessels of symbolism with the content of meaning.
When we utter the word “God” or the “Divine” we should understand that we are not talking about a name or a form. The reality of God is Unity, Infinity, Eternity, Namelessness and Formlessness. But mind cannot understand these five words. These words are beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Because the human mind dwells in exactly the opposite terms – in Duality, in the Finite, in Time, and amidst the Names and Forms of this world. Different religions have called God using terms such as Father in Heaven, Allah, Tao and Shunya (Zero or Nihil). But nobody knows what or who the Father in Heaven or Allah or Tao or Shunya is. Because these are abstract concepts – they don’t have a name and form.
The wise men of Bharat understood that the comprehension of the abstract Divine beyond the names and forms cannot be for the general masses of people. It could be a way only for the select few because the average human mind dwells in the world of names and forms. The world as Mithya or Maya or Shunya or Tao is not the common experience but reserved only for the initiate who is spiritually advanced. Hence, the sages devised the art of symbolism which uses forms to convey that which is formless; to convey the unknown in terms of the known.
Symbolism is like a map that defines a certain territory. For someone who has no idea about a country, the map is an extremely helpful device. But the cartographers know that the map is not the territory. Sri Aurobindo writes,
“At first he [the individual] needs lower supports and stages of ascent; he asks for some scaffolding of dogma, worship, image, sign, form, symbol….. on which he can stand while he builds up in him the temple of the spirit. Only when the temple is completed, can the supports be removed, the scaffolding disappear.”
So, forms are necessary in the initial stages of our growth.
The problem with the human mind is that it objectifies everything. Even when thinking about abstract things, our thoughts create pictures in our minds. That is the very nature of the mind. We cannot have any idea of the Infinite, Eternal and that which is Nameless and Formless.
But in the names and forms, in the objects of the world, we can catch the glimpses of the Infinite and the Eternal; we can feel the presence of the One who is beyond all names and forms. There is a connection between that Transcendental dimension and this world where the Divine is Immanent, because the Divine pervades everything. Only we need to have the vision to catch this connection. The mystic poet William Blake has expressed this relationship between the Transcendant and the Immanent in these immortal lines:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower;
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour…~ William Blake, ‘Auguries of Innocence’
In these lines the poet has used symbols. He has pointed out to the higher in terms of the lower. A grain of sand, a wild flower, the palm of the hand and an hour – these are all symbols of our physical world but they act as fingers pointing to the transcendental plane. This is the language of symbolism.
But we should not remain stuck in the symbols, in the forms. Because our goal is to go beyond these symbols and ultimately move into the abstract dimension of the spirit. This tendency of the human mind to remain enamoured by the symbols instead of breaking free from them has been beautifully expressed by Sankara in this manner:
“O Lord! Pardon my three sins. I have in contemplation clothed Thee in form. Thee that art formless; I have in praise described Thee; who are ineffable; and in visiting temples, I have often ignored Thy Omnipresence.”
Sanatana Dharma, though it uses symbols profusely – in its images, in its rituals and mythology – it also urges us to go beyond them so that we obtain that heavenly amrita of the Divine experience. This is the lofty aim and vision of Hinduism.
Through this blog series we shall explore the language of symbolism and we shall learn to see the Transcendental in the Immanent; the Macrocosm in the Microcosm; a World in a Grain of Sand.
To be continued…