?Who is a Hindu? Vedic seers refer to Bharat (India) as "Sapta Sindhu Bhoomi." The seven rivers the Vedic seers were referring to are Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, and Kaveri. There could be many definitions and versions of what is Hinduism. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad defines a Hindu as:
"One who accepts and practises the ancient philosophies and preachings of Bharatiya (Indian) rishis, munis, and gurus for the attainment of material as well as eternal happiness; one who respects and practises the traditions established over time by great seers of Bharata; one with good character and liberal practices; one who practises Dharma, as prescribed by shastras of Bharata; such a person, whatever s/he may be by birth and wherever s/he may be born, is a Hindu."
This definition of who is a Hindu includes the concept of Dharma. Hindu Dharma says for any ordinary individual there are four goals of life: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
These four goals (caturvarga) are known as the Purusharthas. On the surface, it seems that these goals are equivalent. But they are, in fact, accorded different values by Hindu culture. Dharma is the pursuit of righteous living and helping others to follow a similar path. Artha is the acquisition of wealth and property by legitimate means for one's own happiness and the happiness of others. Karma is the enjoyment of life's pleasures and Moksha is finding enlightenment and salvation.
Hinduism contains the greatest diversity and freedom in the spiritual life that can be found in any of the religions on the planet. It allows the divine to be worshipped in any name or form, or beyond form. It allows us to see God as father, mother, brother, sister, friend or master and ultimately requires that we see God as everything.
If we look at the religions of the ancient world–before the advent of creedal, dogmatic and convert-seeking cults–we find that they resemble Hinduism. The religion of the ancient Greeks and Romans had similar temples and image worship as that found in Hinduism today. So did the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians and the Taoists of China, as well as Native Americans like the Mayas and Incas.
The indigenous religions of Africa and of the Pacific Islands are of a similar nature. Even Judaism has much in common with the Hindu view. For this reason a redefinition and new understanding of Hinduism are most important matters in religious thought. Hinduism alone of the world's predominant religions has yet to really define itself. It has not yet articulated itself clearly to the modern mind.
Even Hindus with a modern western education usually do not understand their own tradition. Its teachings have been set forth by many great teachers, but there is a vastness and diversity of its teachings. Christian R Fabre is a 63-year-old Frenchman who has lived in India for more than three decades. He is chief executive of Fashions International, which supplies clothes and home furnishings to foreign retailers.
The garments are made in factories across India, where Fashions International employees supervise production, quality and deadlines. The company exports 3.5 million pieces of apparel a year. Mr Fabre takes a modest monthly salary of $200, in keeping with his Hindu faith, which requires him not just to go without clothes but also to renounce all material attachment. His employees earn varying percentages of the company's revenue. For every ten days he works, he retires to his ashram for two weeks.
It is an eight-hour drive to the 32-acre ashram in the remote Kolli hills southwest of Chennai, where he meditates and, through a satellite-enabled Internet connection, tracks business deals while discussing spiritual matters with his followers in online chat rooms. His initiation into business and spirituality came after a deep personal setback. Fabre lost his job; his wife divorced him and left with their young son in the early 1980s. "I lost everything," he recalled. "It was a traumatic time." His neighbours subsequently introduced him to yoga and Hinduism.
Later, he was deeply influenced by a leper who seemed content even though he had lost his toes and fingers. "He became my guru in my quest for happiness," Fabre says. His guru urged him to return to his profession. So he set up a garment exporting company and then he and his associates founded Fashions International.
A New York Times article by Saritha Rai reported how Fabre set up a garment exporting company, and then founded Fashions International, which supplies clothes and home furnishings to foreign retailers like Kenzo, Catimini, and Haggar.
His work attire is a saffron robe, beads, ash and vermillion on his forehead. He calls himself Swami Pranavananda Brahmedra Avadhuta, but at work they just call him Swami-Ji or guru as he pursues the Hindu goals of life.
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�2 Satnarayan Maharaj is the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha
