Spirituality in Everyday Hindu Life

    In the Upanishads lies the key to unlock the spiritual wisdom of ancient Hinduism. The Brahman represents the essence of all cosmos, and the soul or atman projects the individual being. This teaching is punctuated with the refrain tat tvam asi, or “You are That.” In this equation, “you” means atman, and “That” means Brahman. The most intimate connection between the individual and the Divine has been pointed out.

      The twin mantra Aham Brahmasmin, or “I am the Brahman,” conveys nearly the same meaning in another manner.
      A Hindu is extolled to identify himself with the infinite cosmos, rather than with the mortal and vulnerable physical body.43
      In Prashna Upanishad: “May our ears hear the good. May our eyes see the good. May we serve Him with whole strength.”
      The body and the senses are tools. Service is the purpose of life. We may not be able to fulfill our purpose if the tools are not in good shape. In the following stanza, there is a clear call for maintaining body and organs in proper order:
      Taittireeya Upanishad:
 Truth shall always be on my lips, and truth shall be in my thoughts.
 May truth protect my teacher and me.
 Make my body strong, my tongue sweet, my ears keen.
 May I never lack clothes, cows, food, drink, that I may serve you the  better.
 May pupils come, may pupils listen, and so I may serve you the better.
May I become famous, may I become richer than the richest, so I
can serve you the better.
     All material aspects of life and the senses are invoked with the clear urpose of serving the Self—the Divine—and not for selfish, egoistic purposes. Hindu sages discovered early that body and senses are important. More important, however, is that these should be used for spiritual purpose, not for selfish or egoistical purpose. Lower animals are not known to help and nurture others. God has made man in a different way. His fulfillment lies in the service of other beings.
     Taittireeya Upanishad is also well known for the teacher/pupil relationship. The following is the convocation address to the student at the time of graduation:
Do your duty. Speak the truth. Learn and teach. Control senses. Be
hospitable. Be humane. Serve the family. Procreate. Educate your
children. Austerity is necessary. Neither neglect your spiritual, nor
your worldly welfare.

Always learn and teach. Forget neither God, nor ancestor. Treat
your mother as God. Treat your father as God. Treat your guest
as God. Treat your teacher as God. Look for men greater than
yourself, and welcome them. Give with faith. Give in proportion
to your means. Give with courtesy. Give to the deserving.

     After five millennia, this address has not been bettered. Respect of elders, parents, guests, and teachers is noteworthy. They have been elevated to the status of God. So great has been the cultural impact of these teachings that in many homes even today, a person will not sit down in the presence of his or her parents or gurus until asked by them to do so.
     Also in the Taittireeya Upanishad, this is written about food:
“From food are born all creatures. They live upon food and in the end they become dissolved in food. Food is all things. Food is the medicine.”
     Food is highly respected in Hindu society. No one would put his foot over the food grains; it would be considered most disrespectful.
     About breath: “Gods, men, beasts, live by breath (prana).”
    As long as man lives, he breathes. Hindus devised very special techniques for correct breathing. These techniques have been referred to in the Yoga Sutra as pranayama.

     About knowledge:
     “Gods worship knowledge as the highest expression of spirit.”
     Knowledge is accorded the highest importance. One can gauge the advancement of civilization by this one parameter.
     About hospitality:
    “Never turn anyone from your door; gather enough food, and
say to the stranger Sir, the dinner is served.”
     Even today, Indian hospitality is famous, despite the poverty and hardship of the present times.
     From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:
Lead me from the unreal to the real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality.
     This famous stanza of the Upanishads once again emphasizes the value of knowledge.
     In the Taittireeya Upanishad are also the most famous dialogues of  the two women seekers of the spiritual truth, Maitreyi and Gargi, who asked very searching questions.
     Maitreyi asked her husband, seer Yajnavalkya, “My venerable Lord! If this whole world and all its wealth belongs to me, can I attain immortality with that?”
     Replied the sage, “No. There is no hope of attaining immortality with material wealth.”
     Maitryi asked again, “How can I attain immortality?”
     Yajnavalkya replied,
     “Verily, not indeed for the husband’s sake; the husband is dear, but for the sake of self the husband is dear. Verily, not for the wife's sake, the wife is dear, but for the sake of self the wife is dear.”
     “O, Maitreyi, when there is duality, one sees the other, one tastes the other.… But when the Self, or Atman, is all this, how could one see the other?”
     There has been deep discussion in Hindu philosophy regarding the concept of duality. The sage explains that even among the closest of relationships, the factor of selfishness always prevails as long as we consider others as outsiders. When we elevate ourselves spiritually, however, and accept them as our own, belonging to the same immanent Divine Soul, there is no more any conflict and quarrel. We become filled with peace and joy.

     Swami Muktananda, a leading spiritual master of the twentieth century, who established many well-known centers in India as well as the United States, always emphasized that as human beings; we may attain the spirituality only through the body and senses. The body and senses thus need to be cared for and preserved. We need to use these in the right way to achieve union with God. If man becomes too old or too sick, his body and senses become dysfunctional, and he may no longer be able to contemplate, pray, and meditate.

NOTE: All quotes of the Slokas are from: Max F. Muller. The Upanishads. New York: Dover Publications, 1984.

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