Three Important Gems Of Hinduism

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There are many important aspects which have been  highlighted in Hinduism but the same have been forgotten by many. Here is an opportunity to revisit them and renew the knowledge which has faded in the sands of time. For some this information may be totally new for others it may be that they may have heard some details about it and would like to know more about the same. Here is a chance to know more about the three gems of Hinduism  which is an ancient religion more than seven thousand years old and has survived onslaught from different sources during different period but has successfully stood  the test of time. Let us discuss about the three important gems of Hinduism in brief detail.

Chaugarhias – The auspicious period of time on a particular day are known as the Chaugarhias. Basically a day is divided into eight parts or portions of one hour and thirty minutes each. The same way every night consists of eight divisions of the same amount of duration or period.  These divisions or periods are also known as Chaugarhias. The best Chaugarhias are called Subha, Labha and Amrita and the worst Chaugarhias are the Roga, Kaala and the ones which are of medium nature are Uddavega and Chanchala. Thus there is a variation from the good to worst times and the medium ones in between.

Here the best time to start work on any day are the periods mentioned above as the Shubha, Labha and the Amrita. The calculation of the auspicious periods or hours is not a very difficult process. The correct or the right time of a Chaugarhia is arrived at by the by deducting or subtracting  the sunset hours time from the sunrise hours time and whatever the result of the calculation is then divided by the figure eight. The final result of the calculation or the answer shows the value of Chaugarhia in the correct hours and minutes. So this the method at which Chaugarhia is calculated and arrived at.

Char Dham – Char Dham  which means four holy places for the Hindus is the term used for the four most revered pilgrimage Sites of the Hindus. The Adi Shankaracharya who was instrumental in  reviving Hinduism in the eighth century grouped together the four most famous temples each in one cardinal direction as the most important pilgrimage sites.  The temples here are the Badrinath situated in the Himalayas that is on the north, Puri in the state of Odhisha to the east of India, Dwarka in the state of Gujarat situated on the west of India and finally Rameshwaram in the state of  Tamil Nadu in the south. This circuit always starts from the eastern side and goes to the southern side then to the western side and finally ends in the northern side of India.

Adi Shankaracharya’s Char Dham  is basically Vaishnavite(one who is devotee of God Maha Vishnu among the trinity). The temples situated in Dwarka, Badrinath, Puri and in the Rameshwaram are basically dedicated to God Maha Vishnu and His avatars. However the pilgrimage sites on the Himalayan sides have also grouped together to form what is called a mini Char Dham. These comprese of Bardinath which is a God Vishnu Temple, followed by Kedarnath which is a God Shiva temple then followed by Gangotri and finally the Yamunotri, in both these sites temples of Maha Devi are located. Gangotri happens to be the source of the river Ganga, Yamunotri happens to be the source of the river Yamuna. The Himalayan Char Dham has a combination of different temples which are dedicated to  God Shiva, God Vishnu and Goddess Maha Devi also called as Shakti.

Behavior – Various commentaries and treatises on the four Vedas that were compiled long after the oral tradition of passing knowledge of the Vedas from one generation to the next are all collectively known as the Vedangas and all these come under the Smritis.   The scriptures are further divided in Shruti which literally means what is heard and the smriti literally meaning what is remembered. Here Shruti considered a divine revelation and comprises of the Vedas. Whereas on the other hand Smritis are the records and the interpretations of the various revelations which have been made. While Shruti is the primary source of religion, it has to be deferred to by the Smritis.

The treatises on the moral and religious code of conduct have been further divided into basically three broad categories they are as follows.

Aachar Samhita – Basically it denotes the code of conduct to be followed. These treatises give information on the right conduct or behavior of a human being. While it is to be noted that the Code of conduct also undergoes changes with social and economic situation of a human being and has to be followed without any sort of digression.

Vyavhara Samhita – Here it denotes the code of behavior that is how one should behave . It also contains detailed descriptions about rules and regulations in force which govern the social behavior of the Hindus. Here great stress is laid on proper social behavior to ensure the longevity of the social fabric of the Hindu society, it also contains the duties and rights of the citizens and rulers and how they have to be followed and implemented by them too.

Prayaschita or Danda Samhita – This is a procedure which has details about the code of atonement or punishment to be meted out to the one committing the mistake. It realizes and recognizes that humans are bound to and will commit mistakes. This particular set of treatises stresses about the details for atonement to be followed by the one committing the mistake. In extreme cases if the mistake is big on punishment in case of transgressing any set of rules.

There are many things which need to be studied and understood well by the student who is trying to understand the gems of knowledge which have been provided in Hinduism. It is better the person going through these also follows the given code of conduct to the best of ones ability as per the current times and age we live in. The attitude of the individual who is understanding, learning, imbibing and practicing the same should be humble  and receptive to knowledge, information and wisdom.