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16. A Diasporic Hindu Creed

Some Basic Features of Hinduism

sitansu s. chakravarti

This essay was previously published as “Some Basic Features of Hinduism,” in Hinduism: A Way
of Life(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1991), 23–28.

GOD: THE ONE IN MANY

Hinduism is a monotheistic religion in which God is believed to manifest Himself
or Herself in several forms.^1 One is supposed to worship the form that one finds
most appealing without being disrespectful to other forms of worship. The reli-
gion has evolved over thousands of years with a spirit of tolerance toward differ-
ent ways of spiritual fulfillment.^2 This explains why Hinduism does not lend itself
to conversion to or from other religions, for it holds that religions are alternate
ways of worshipping the same divine principle and thus should not claim monop-
oly of spiritual wisdom. Hinduism believes in a continuity, on a graded scale, of
religious practices, in conformity with the pace of the aspirant ’s spiritual progress.
It does not hold any point on the scale as having an absolute position in isolation,
nor are all the practices suitable to the needs of everyone, given the variations in
personal temperaments and constitutions. Hindu rituals have embedded layers of
meaning, from gross to refined, viewed according to the participant ’s station in
spiritual life.