Pravachan on Shree Shuktam at Salisbury, MD
By: Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya
Report By : Monica Sharma
On: July 10 to 13, 2003

The Salisbury community once again welcomed Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji this year as he presented his deep knowledge on Shree Shuktam. From July 10-13, the residents of this little town gathered together and listened with energy and interest to Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji's wonderful words of wisdom. As in the past four years that he has come to Salisbury, attendance was great and flourished each day. His amazing pravachan attracted and called people from all over the eastern shore of Maryland and beyond.

On July 12, Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji specifically held a youth seminar on what it means to be Hindu and to follow Hinduism. Although the seminar was directed to the younger generation, many adults attended the session as Hinduism is such an intricate and complex religion to everyone. Yet, it is also a religion that creates passion and peace in the minds of those who understand and believe in its value. Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji captivated each and every individual's attention as he explained the nine qualities of a true Hindu in such a way that all age groups could relate to and understand what it truly means to have faith in Hinduism, the "oldest consistently surviving religion" in the world.

First and foremost, a Hindu is one who has Nishtha or belief in the Varna and Ashram systems. The Varna system was created as a way to govern society and as a way to divide duties among everyone. It is common for this system to be mistaken as a hierarchial social caste when in reality, "in a family of Hindu society, everyone is equal." The first group consists of the Brahmins whose main focus is the quest for knowledge. The next group, known as the warriors or Kshatriyas, has the job of protecting society from any problems that occur. The Vaishya group includes the farmers and traders, while the Shudra group is one that can not see the sufferings of others. These are the people that make things, such as clothes and shoes so others can carry on with their daily lives with ease. The Shudra group is the richest at heart because "it satisfies the basic needs of society."

On a different note, the Ashram system describes the four phases of society. In ancient times, the rishis assumed the life span of a human being to be 100 years. Therefore, the first phase, Brahmacharya, starts at birth and ends at age 25. In this span of time, an individual studies and/or masters his profession, creating the foundation of his life. The Grahasth phase (age 25-50) is the time that a person enjoys life and establishes his household. From age 51-75, a person enters the Vanprasth phase, where he spends half of his time caring for his family and himself and the other half caring for society. In the final stage of life or Sanyasth phase (age 76-death), an individual looks for personal spiritual development and liberation.

Besides being a believer of these systems, a Hindu must also worship the cow. Because India is an agricultural society, the cow is a very important source for the economy. It provides milk products, is used in farming, and its dung is an important component of many fertilizers and medicines. Most importantly, though, Hindus should feel a sense of gratitude toward the cow, as it feeds us for life. As Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji said, the cow is respected like a mother because it provides society with so much just like a mother provides her children with each and every need.

A Hindu believes in the Vedas, which are the "most ancient knowledge procured and preserved." At the same time, a Hindu never denounces any idol or any deity of the Hindu religion. Even though Hinduism may be criticized for being polytheistic, it is actually good because it is a sign that so many individuals have experienced and realized God in their own way. Moreover, just like each human has specific personality traits, each God symbolizes a quality or characteristic that is part of one God. This one God is divided into three forms, known as Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva), where Brahma acts as the creative energy, Vishnu acts as the sustaining energy, and Mahesh as the re-creative energy. Besides revering all of its deities, Hinduism respects all other religions. It holds all religions equal in standard to its own as all religions do believe in a common path to become one with God. Because Hinduism is so liberal, a Hindu can never be a fanatic or be considered a fanatic.

In addition to treating other religions equally, Hinduism has faith in the cycle of birth and rebirth. According to Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji, rebirth is a "law of nature." Going hand in hand with this idea, is the fact that Hindus also believe in liberation from the cycle of rebirth when they have become one with God

A Hindu "behaves favorably with all forms of life." They have certain sensitivity to all creatures. Since a human can not create any creature, then he should not kill those creatures which he can not create. As a result, most Hindus are vegetarian. The final characteristic of a true Hindu, which is just as important as the other eight qualities, is one "whose heart pains with the idea of violence." Hinduism believes in peace in all respects, including peace within and peace in the surrounding environment.

Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji touched the hearts of everyone who heard his beautiful and meaningful words. The children and adults of Salisbury were left mesmerized, but with a new sense of meaning in their lives. We thank Pujya Shree Bhupendrabhai Pandya Ji yet again, and will be waiting until he graces us with his divine presence again in the near future.