The Hindu way of life is a garden with all sorts of eco-systems; you can opt for any or all, according to your temperament and taste. You may make friends with its owner (God), and you become a Bhakta. You extol the owner (God) and gardeners (Devatas) to enjoy the fruits from their orchards, and you become a poorv-mimaska. You till the gardens, sow seeds for trees and plants—without expecting anything in return, and you become a karma-yogi. You practice austerities, perform physical postures, stand in the hot sun to take spiritual supplements, and you become a hatha-yogi. You may simply eat fruits without caring for anything else, and you become a Charvaka. You may perform anything, or everything, or stay distant from any of these; and still, you are an integral part of this Hindu eco-system. The ultimate destination of all these paths is to realize your own oneness with the owner and with the garden itself; to realize Advaita—non-duality with the truth-consciousness-bliss. You may join a group of people performing these tasks and become part of organized sects within the garden; or you can sit under a tree, in silence and solace, and enjoy your private experience. The Hindu Garden assimilates everyone.
Globally, religion is often synonymized with faith, albeit ‘faith’ is just one of many tracks within this Hindu Garden. The track of Bhakti, undoubtedly, leads you to divinity; but tracks of Karma—selfless and unattached work, of Jnana—the path of realizing unity with divinity, and Yoga—the path of meditation and psychic control, also lead to the same destination—either alone or in combination. Should this Garden limit itself to some geographical boundaries or only some people be allowed to experience this? We shall be selfish of the highest order if we don’t let ourselves and our brethren experience this eco-system of Hindu Garden; if there is depravity from this inexpressible freedom and we are made to remain in our own unimpressible small wells. Once a frog of a ground-well received a guest; he asked his guest frog—have you seen a place as beautiful and grand as this well? The guest, who had come from the ocean, tried to explain to him about the vastness of the ocean; albeit the angry-baffled host refused to believe it and kicked the guest out of the well. Swami Vivekananda asks, are we all not this frog of the well—happy in our dingy wells of selfish pleasures, name-fame, parties, sects, and money-minting; and refusing to experience the vastness of the ocean?
A place like Oxford University serves as an amplifier of thoughts, a catalyst for crystallizing ideas into actions. It is the Takshshila and Nalanda of modern times, where the global scholarship representation is present. Getting an opportunity to be at this
place and be in a position to serve the Hindu vision and global brethren is an unparalleled privilege for the Hindu Society of Oxford University (HumSoc)– a society that strives to make this a meaningful endeavours through:
Firstly, Seva- selfless service to all—irrespective of the religion, nationality, gender, or any other characteristic of the beneficiary, the HumSoc carries and must continue to carry out the seva activities. Serving food packets to the covid-patients was just a starting point in December 2021, and other initiatives were planned and carried out after this. It is the Lord whom we serve when we serve his creation. Jiv seva is Shiv seva, as they call it in Bharat (India). When we serve, we in fact help our own selves to become a better person.
Secondly, through giving a reflection on Hindu spiritual paths to a wider student community here. Learning the depth of Vedanta, the practicality of the Bhagwat Gita, and the holistic nurturing of Yoga. It is the duty of HumSoc that the University members may know these Dharmic treasures in an unadulterated yet comprehensible manner. HumSoc started with endeavours like ‘Hindu stories from Indic cradle’ and talks by spiritual masters on its YouTube channel, and Gita chanting on the Gita Jayanti.
Thirdly, through authentic-cultural initiatives and activities. Be it music, art, dance or intricate cultural practices, Hindu eco-system has a unique perspective that should be conveyed to the global platform like this, in an authentic form. The Hindu cultural perspective of worshiping the divine as femininity during Navratri is just one such example that the globe would like to assimilate, only if we—the children of the divine mother—are able to practice it ourselves. Implementing this thought, we celebrated Saraswati Pooja at the Hertford College Chapel in February 2022, and Navratri Havan at L.M.H grounds in April 2022, to celebrate and worship the goddess of knowledge and feminity. Further, weekly Bhajans and Aarti continue at OCHS on every Tuesday during the term time. Activities like Garba and Dandiya dance, Deepwali Pooja, Holi, Makarsankranti, Vasant-Panchmi, Ganesh-Chaturthi, Onam, Baisakhi, Durga Pooja celebration, etc are to be conducted in the coming terms. This would not only provide a home-like environment for Hindu-students but would also provide a window to the global scholarship at the University to have a glance of Hindu cultural eco-system.
Fourthly, through research and publication, HumSoc plans to bring authentic values of the Hindu-eco-system in a comprehensible language and format. There are umpteen Hindu practices and rituals which have deep philosophical meaning to them, albeit we have lost the meaning in the struggles of history. While we now sit at the scholarly capital of the west, the HumSoc will attempt to dig into these long-lost treasures and translate them into fathomable form. In terms of social aspects of the Hindu eco-system as well, there are voids that need to be filled by research. The weaknesses which seeped into this eco-system—which made a cleavage between the brothers, in the name of caste, sect, etc.—need to be cured and these deadly tumours need to be removed from the body of Hindu eco-system; and authentic work of unadulterated order would help us achieve this. Further, the practitioners of Hindu way of life are present in several state-jurisdictions where they are unable to practice their ways of life due to political-structural-fanatic pressures. Policy research and recommendations from HumSoc would help these state-jurisdictions to extend a conducive environment for these brethren of ours.
With all these, and several other initiatives, the HumSoc is, and will work to meaningfully utilize of our privileges of being here. Work, work and work.. for it is better to burn out for a cause rather than rust away in the complacency of ephemeral pleasures. HumSoc invites the members of the University, freshers and the present, be those squirrels who give humble—yet meaningful—contribution in the Ram-setu of the Hindu eco-system, and serve the humanity. Nachiketa of Kathopanishad is our ideal, who gave-in not the temptations of pleasures and persisted his tread for truth, highest-knowledge and grandest truth. May the light and strength be yours, is the prayer of—-
Parivrrajaka
Yours in Unity