Essay on Important Religious Groups Found in India.
There are four religious groups in India:-
The Math, Marg and Sampradaya:
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In the Indian perspective, a religious group primarily originates in a math. In the given context, it would mean opinion/viewpoint of a charismatic person and/or of a group about the existence/ non-existence of God and meaning of man’s social existence. In this perspective even the atheistic Buddhism in a math, the Buddha math.
A marg is essentially defined by the rituals of worship relation to its math. The marg also defines the relationship between the preceptor and his successor and followers in relation to God/Dharma and in relation to themselves. It defines the social circle of the math.
When the complex of a math-marg grows into a tradition of dogmatic knowledge, handed down both in time and space through an organised body of believers and expounders, it takes the form of a sampradaya. Reaction against dogma and/or its interpretation precipitates a new math. Hinaya, Mahayan and Virayan are referred to as Sampradayas and as Buddha Math.
As a hypothesis, it may be propounded that religious groups arise out of the dynamics of matha, marg and sampradaya. Out of this dynamics, in different periods of India’s social history, have arisen religious groups, the main ideal types of which are the Sangh, the Mat and the Panth and the Samaj. Sangh Parivar refers to the family of organisations that have been started by the volunteers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or are inspired by its ideals.
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The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and several dozen smaller organizations, whose members’ expressed opinions have been diverse over a range of topics.
The different organizations within the Sangh Parivar run independently and peruse different policies and activities, but the stated mission of these activities has been “attaining the ‘Saravangeena Unnati’ (all-round development)” of India.
Putting it in the words of Shri M S Golwalkar “in order to be able to contribute our unique knowledge to mankind, in order to be able to live and strive for the unity and welfare of the world, we stand before the world as a self-confident, resurgent and mighty nation.
Maths; The Math was founded in the eight century A.D. by Adi Shankaracharya, popularly known as Shankara. He also founded adwaita philosophy. It combines both Jyana (knowledge) and bhakti (devotion). It seeks to unite divergent beliefs at a higher level of thought. The word Math means the dwelling place of sanyasins who preach the doctrine of adwait based on nirguna i.e. formless/ Saguna i.e. having a human form Math.
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The Math is also the place where students reside while seeking the highest meaning of life and knowledge for the goodness of others. Thus, the Math is a technologically oriented educational institution, devoted to the cultivation and preaching of the theistic doctrine of its fonder.
(i) Shri Chaitanay Math preaches Krishna Bahkti of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
(ii) Ramakrishna Math teaches the unidirectio-nality mainly of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
It is said that the Math has its ancestry in the Sangh. In organization it shares much with the Sangh though in doctrine, it differs. The Sangh is atheistic. Rooted in Vedanta, the Math is theistic. Shankara established four Maths at the four corners of India (i) Badrinath, (ii) Puri, (iii) Dwarka and (iv) Sringeri, to emphasise the growing consciousness about the geographical unity of India”. The Math is also viewed as a product of Hindu reformation in the eighteen century.
The Math was founded to organize and train selfless spiritual preachers to preach adwaita Math oneness of belief.
Shri Chaitanya Gaudiya, ‘Math aims to build national character’ and ‘to help people to visualize the underlying thread of unity amongst people in spite of diversity’ Math combines the sacred with secular (parlaukik and ihlaukik), the tradition with modernity and theism with charitable social work. Socially, Math is an upper-caste-middle-class phenomenon. Its lay members are mostly drawn from amongst the professionals and businessmen, from the new rich.
Objectives:
The Math has three-objectives:
(1) First, is theistic – to define, maintain and preach the theism it upholds. For this purpose it crates institutional means to train and appoint preachers of its theism.
(2) Secondly, it strives for inculcation of ethical-moral values, the main aim is to rehabilitate the individual in family, polity and society.
(3) Third purpose is to organize charitable social work. It includes running of dispensaries and hospitals, educational institutions and Sanskrit pathshalas (schools). The Math often maintains a printing press to publish books and journals. It may also maintain a library for education and research. Now-a-days, the Math mostly functions as a registered society organized under a constitutionally regulated Trust. The tendency to convert the Math (and also Ashram) into a Trust is increasing. The reason is it is the best available institutional safeguard for the property of the Math. The customary rule of inheritance by a nominated/initiated disciple creates conflict and misuse. It also facilitates raising of funds because a certain percentage of one’s income is exempted from income tax if given as a donation to a registered charitable institution.
The Organizational Structure of Chaitanya Math:
(i) The Math has a seat and head Office which are not located at one place.
(ii) It has two-tier membership – ordinary and special.
(iii) Election and nomination is confined to special members who are selected by the Governing Body subject to the ratification of President-Acharya. Those who pay a donation of Rs. 1000/- or more are its patrons. However, they do not play any role in its governance.
At the apex, the Governing Body is presided over by the Founder President Acharya and by his deputy. The Executive President is Acharya. There are three categories of secretaries:
(i) The Secretary,
(ii) The Joint-Secretaries and
(iii) The Assistant Secretaries.
The local Math a branch is headed by the Math Rakshak, who is appointed by the Governing Body and the president Acharya. Below him are the Math Sewaks. They undertake cooking, cleaning and other menial jobs of the Math. For them, it is sewa service of God. The local Math consists of Bramacharis (the student-sewaks), Vanaprasthis and Sanyasins.
The saffron-robed functionaries of the Math are Prabhus/Maharajas. They are knitted into a hierarchy which is based on the following:
(i) Seniority,
(ii) Recognition of spiritual attainment,
(iii) Learning in the religious lore of the Math and
(iv) Meritorious services rendered towards the cause of the Mission.
The title of Vishupad indicates the highest position and that of Prabhupad of the next position in the hierarchy.
Panth:
The Panth meaning path is a distinct type though it draws much from the traditions of the Sangh and the Math. The Panth took its origin from the protest and religio-social reform and reorganization that was generated in India under the politico-religious domination of Islam. The Panth-tradition continues since then.
Panth is also a product of Nirgun School of Bhakti Panth, also called the Nirgun Panth. Though monistic, it does not accept the concept of eternal moksha. It is more this-worldly than the adwait of Shankar. Socially, it hinges on the Bhagat (the initiated) and the Guru (the initiator). The Bhagat is attached to a guru and his path. He is expected to lead a simple and austers life.
The Panth protests against varnashrama i.e. the birth-based inequality of caste, Ritual formalism and rigidity of both Hinduism and Islam. It lays emphasis on the piousness of means and Karma-based mobility and equality of all before of God.
The Panth is a religious brotherhood bound by the panth shown by the Adiguru i.e. the original preceptor. Examples are Kabir Panth, Dadu Fanth etc. The successor in line may symbolize the charisma of the Adiguru. The religious lore of the Panth contain, the poetic compositions of the original Guru or his successor(s).
Besides Guru, the following bind the panthie brotherhood and endow it with a touch of exclusiveness:
(i) Common theistic precept,
(ii) The Cultic Ritual and Ritual marks,
(iii) Insignia of identity,
(iv) Personal paraphernalia of the followers.
The nature of Panthie political structure is oligarchic. The charismatic gurudom of Adiguru passes either through inheritance or nomination. Under the Adiguru or his successor, there is a hierarchy of gurus and mahant(s). The Panth, also is associated with a seat i.e. the Gaddi.
Due to the importance of the Guru, in the panthie organization, gurudwara has a significant social-communal importance. With gurudwara, the jhanda (flag) cult occupies an important place in the total cultic structure of the panth. However, Gurudwara is the place of daily, occasional and festive congregations. It strengthens brotherhood. It is a medium of religious-social communication.
The Panthic grouping is also subject to protest, schism and fission. The fission is caused by doctrinal issues besides internal differentiation and intra- group competition for power, both sacred and secular. The brotherhood is dichotomized between the sant (saint) and the commoner (the laity).
The sant is the theologian of the Panth. Sant expounds the doctrine of the Panth, He is its preacher, a touring missionary.
Dress of the Sant:
Sant may be dressed in the saffron robe. His robes may be of a prescribed style of colour. He may be ordinarily dressed in case he were a householder-saint (grihastha sadhu). However, he must carry the insignia of the Panth.
The Panth is an exclusive-sectarian brotherhood. To be initiated into the Panth implies to owe allegiance to the Guru or to its ordained successor. In a Panth the Guru and the Mahant may be combined; In some other Panth they may be different. Mahant, in fact, is not a guru; he is head of a Math or of a group of saints.
It is significant, that the followers of the Panth and mostly drawn from lower levels of caste-structure. It is only occasionally that they are from the middle level. Opposing varnashrama, the Panth stimulated a strong popular version of sanskritisation.
Panth, by protesting against varnashrama, tended to protest against the power- structure entitled therein. In some cases, it received political patronage from the political power while in other cases it came into conflict with it. In the present time like the Math, a panth may be constitutionally regulated and functioning as a Trust. At certain levels, there has been a shift in panthic allegiance. In the Ravidas panth, in Bijnore, they moved towards Sikkism. At Dehradun, the migrants from Bijnore moved towards Arya Samaj. Now, neo- Buddhism seems to make a greater religio-reformist appeal.