Vedantism or The Religion of the More Intelligent of the Community- WJ Wilkins

To speak correctly, this is rather a system of philosophy than of religion; and whilst there are some Vedantists in philosophy who are really and truly polytheists and idolaters, still in the case of many it is their form of religion, and, as said above, may be taken as perhaps the form nearest to orthodox Hinduism from which the teaching of the sects has more or less departed.

What polytheism and the popular forms of Hinduism in their grosser forms are to the mass of the Hindus, Vedantism is to the educated and more intelligent and thoughtful. This system is generally ascribed at Vyasa, the great compiler of the Hindu scriptures, but was probably put into form about 5000 B.C. The Mahabharata gives an account of the way in which it was taught by Krishna to his friend Arjuna. Its main doctrines are as follows:

The nature and attributes of the Divine Being: The Vedanta teaches the unity of God. It speaks of Him as light, and declares that He is eternal, self-existent, immutable, perfect, incomprehensible, omniscient, almighty, formless, supremely happy, and the sustainer of all things. It is most curious to notice how the Hindus can hold these ideas respecting God, and yet at the same time entertain such directly opposite views respecting the various incarnations. Often have I heard men who were worshipping some of the gross representations of Deity declare Him to be formless, perfect, and pure. This string of the attributes of God is often on the lips of the Hindus, even the very ignorant, though their practice shows conclusively that they cannot realize their true meaning. Vedantism never speaks God as possessing power except when united to matter. It teaches that He is "within and without everything." The words of Vyasa are, "The Supreme Being is the material as well as the efficient cause of the universe"; and further, "an effect is not other than its cause." In showing that the supreme Brahma is at once cause-and-effect, he uses the following amongst other illustrations: "Hair, and nails which are insensible grow from a sensible animal body." "The sea and its waters are one, yet waves, foam, froth, & c., differ from each other." "As milk changes to curd, and water to ice, so is Brahma variously transformed and diversified."

© "Modern Hinduism" by WJ Wilkins, published (1999) by Book Faith India, 414-416 Express Tower, Azadpur Commercial Complex, New Delhi.

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