Stories Conveying Logic and Spirit of Hinduism

When the history of Hinduism is viewed, we get to see that the Vedas and the Upanishads are the most ancient scriptures. These scriptures elaborated on many significant facets such as the nature of Bhagwan, prayers, rituals, rules of right conduct, and many religious injunctions. These ancient works communicated the paramount tenets of religion through shlokas and poems.

With time, that was replaced by the practice of conveying the essence of those scriptures in the form of stories. These stories, which mainly come under “Itihasas” and “Puranas”, aptly conveyed the logic and spirit of Hinduism. In this connection, the stories have been more popular than the ancient books. Here, it will be worthwhile to succinctly focus on a few important, corresponding points.

• The Puranas and itihasas were introduced to address a very crucial issue. The content of the Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures included slokas and poems in complex language, and it was thus beyond the understanding of common people. Only scholars benefited. At the same time, it was necessary to educate people about the principles and values present in those scriptures.

• Many great seers and sages decided that narrating stories carrying the gist of these scriptures would be a better alternative. Laymen would then be hassled in no way in rightly comprehending the message of the old books, and leading their lives accordingly.

• The stories of the Puranas and the itihasas came into being chiefly for the help of ordinary folks, and not the intellectuals. This is because reading and interpreting complicated philosophies is beyond the abilities of ordinary persons.

• We have eighteen major Puranas in Hinduism, and each of those speaks about various interesting stories of different deities. Every story makes sure that some core principles of the religion get communicated to people reading/ listening to them.

• For people with limited intellect, these stories are denoted as being the best way to instill devotion and faith in God.

• It is a practice in the majority of Hindu households that the tales from the itihasas and Puranas are told as bedtime stories to children. This makes certain that all the right ethical norms get instilled at a tender age. The child is much more likely to grow up into an individual driven by the core precepts of “Sanatana dharma.”

• We can make mention the story of Mahabharata, as an example. This is one of the two most important epics of India, with Ramayana being the other one. Mahabharata clearly explains why one needs to choose the good and discard the bad. The epic highlights the relevance of foregoing personal comfort and giving topmost importance to duty. The aspect of how a true leader should be is discussed in this story, as well.

• Likewise, it would be helpful for us to briefly discuss another epic, Ramayana. Obedience to elders, the victory of good over evil, sticking to dharma even in testing times, and devotion to God are a few salient things covered by this epic.

• In contemporary times, most of these stories from Hinduism have been translated into several languages of the world. As a result, people residing in diverse geographic zones of the globe can read and appreciate the Puranas, Itihasas, and other tales. They too are now knowledgeable about the core teachings of the Vedas and the Upanishads.

Here the key point is that itihasas are the history of ancient India and not mythology. Further, there are so many incidents that are described so vividly that you almost never forget them. Even more important is the morals or thing to learn from that incident. For example, take the story of Yayati which is told to inform/educate that indulging senses does not lead to satisfaction. Instead of preaching, it is told as a vivid story so it helps understand, relate, digest the reality and hopeful help a person to live in the right manner.

Read our Dharma Related Articles including Samanya Dharma, Apad Dharma, Vishesha Dharma and Sanathan Dharma.