Hinduism has unfolded through stages!

When did Hinduism come up as a religion? What was the religion of our ancestors prior to Hinduism? (Prem Dayal Gupta)

Hinduism, on its own, has no origin but has unfolded through stages and is based largely on the Vedic scriptures. The primary scriptures of Hinduism, the Vedas, derive from the root word ‘Vid’ meaning knowledge and according to Hindu tradition, have existed in unwritten, eternal and perfect form from the beginning of time.

Although the Vedas contain a variety of literature within them, the Rig Veda primarily consists of knowledge, both physical and spiritual, the Yajur Veda talks of Karma, the commentary on action, duties and responsibilities, the Sam Veda contains prayers and commentary on fine arts, while the Atharva Veda contains sciences including arithmetic, geology, life sciences, physical sciences and medicine.

Our ancestors, by and large, have relied on their interpretation of these texts through ages.

Of the following two options, which one should I choose? Plan my career/life on a long term basis – have an end goal in mind and then take small steps towards it OR not have a long term/end goal in my mind but plan my career/life on a short term basis, say 23 years at a time, live life in moments, enjoy what I enjoy doing and then move forward again with short term landmarks. Confused soul

If I understand you correctly, you want me to make a choice between the two, which essentially is something only you can do for yourself! What I can do is explore and dissect both the options for you.

Option one requires you to have an end goal which is more philosophical and related to a profound aspiration. For instance, someone says that his end goal is to help the world become a more peaceful place. This gives him both direction and motivation. Having identified this terminal value, he can then choose how to reach it or at least walk towards it. One may do it through direct interventions in conflicts, making a lot of money and using it to promote peace, or any other of the myriad possibilities. Furthermore, in this case, career becomes a subset of life and not a distinct entity.

Option two, on the other hand, makes more sense if you treat career and life differently (though it is not necessary to do so). So, you live a life which has meaning and value insofar as instrumental values are concerned and not bother about a long term desirable state of affairs. On the career, once again, it is in line with your then and there inclinations and if (because it is not necessary), these happen to stay consistent in their direction, it may add to something of note (purely from a professional achievement perspective).

You got to now figure this out for yourself. Which of these lives appeals to you intuitively? Whatever decision you make, remember, you can always change it if you are not happy with subsequent outcomes/ process. However, do not experiment by randomly choosing one of the two. Reflect and decide.

Have any questions about life, management, philosophy, education, literature, yoga, mountaineering in India, or psychological issues or all of these? Ask Himanshu Rai. He is a Professor at IIM Lucknow, an author, mountaineer, yoga enthusiast and a Sanskrit scholar. Mail at askhimanshu@htlive.com Disclaimer: The responses in this column given by me are based on my learnings and experience. They should, by no means, be taken as a substitute for medical/professional help.

THE PRIMARY SCRIPTURES OF HINDUISM, THE VEDAS, DERIVE FROM THE ROOT WORD ‘VID’ MEANING KNOWLEDGE AND ACCORDING TO HINDU TRADITION, HAVE EXISTED IN UNWRITTEN, ETERNAL AND PERFECT FORM FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME.