How to Become a Hindu

Does Hinduism Accept Newcomers?

UR DISCUSSION OF BECOMING A HINDU naturally gives rise to the question of how Hinduism historically has looked at the matter. Here we answer that query and the related question: “What makes a person a Hindu?”§

What Is Hinduism?
Hinduism is India’s indigenous religious and cultural system, followed today by over one billion adherents, mostly in India but with large populations in many other countries. Also called Sanātana Dharma, “eternal religion,” and Vaidika Dharma, “religion of the Vedas,” Hinduism encompasses a broad spectrum of philosophies ranging from pluralistic theism to absolute monism. It is a family of myriad faiths with four primary denominations: Śaivism, Vaishṇavism, Śāktism and Smārtism. These four hold such divergent beliefs that each is a complete and independent religion. Yet they share a vast heritage of culture and belief: karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity, temple worship, sacraments, manifold Deities, the many yogas, the guru-śishya tradition and a reliance on the Vedas as scriptural authority. §

From the rich soil of Hinduism long ago sprang various other traditions. Among these were Jainism, Buddhism, Vīraśaivism and Sikhism, all of which rejected the Vedas and thus emerged as completely distinct religions, dissociated from Hinduism, while still sharing many philosophical insights and cultural values with their parent faith. §

Not unlike all the other major religions of the world, Hinduism has no central headquarters. Nor do the Christians, Jews, Muslims or Buddhists. They all have many who represent and function as secretariates for their various denominations. Hinduism is no different in today’s world. It has had many exemplars in the past and will in the future of its denominations and the teaching lineages within them, each headed by a pontiff. §

Critics have pointed out that Hinduism is not an organized religion. In truth, they are correct. For 1,200 years Islamic and Christian rule in India, Hinduism’s central citadel, eroded greatly upon its perpetuation. Yet it survived. In today’s world it may be accused of being a poorly organized religion, but it’s getting better daily, as a few minutes on the World Wide Web will prove (see our listing at the end of this book). Its temples and active organizations encircle the world. Whatever its faults, it has kept the fires of sādhana and renunciation, of unabashed spiritual life and yoga disciplines alive. No other faith has done that to the same extent. No other major ancient faith has survived the assaults and the insults of the Abrahamic faiths. Hinduism’s nearly three million swāmīs, gurus and sādhus work tirelessly within, upon and among themselves and then, when ready, serve others, leading them from darkness into light, from death to immortality. §

What Makes One a Hindu?
Those who follow the Hindu way of life are Hindus. In the Mahābhārata the great King Yudhishṭhira was asked, “What makes a brahmin—birth, learning or conduct?” He replied, “It is conduct that makes a brahmin.” Similarly, the modern Hindu may well state that it is conduct, based upon deep, practical understanding of dharma, karma and reincarnation, that makes a Hindu. After all, he might muse, is not a true devotee whose heart is filled with faith in and love for his Ishṭa Devatā and who lives the Hindu Dharma as much a Hindu as his agnostic neighbor, though the first was born in Indonesia or North America and the second in Andhra Pradesh?§

Śrī K. Navaratnam of Sri Lanka, a devotee for some forty years of Satguru Śiva Yogaswāmī, in his Studies in Hinduism quotes from the book, Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines: “Hindus are those who adhere to the Hindu tradition, on the understanding that they are duly qualified to do so really effectively, and not simply in an exterior and illusory way; non-Hindus, on the contrary, are those who, for any reason whatsoever, do not participate in the tradition in question.” Śrī K. Navaratnam enumerates a set of basic beliefs held by Hindus:§

1. A belief in the existence of God.
2. A belief in the existence of a soul separate from the body.
3. A belief in the existence of the finitizing principle known as avidyā (lack of knowledge) or māyā (limiting principle of matter).
4. A belief in the principle of matter—prakṛiti or māyā.
5. A belief in the theory of karma and reincarnation.
6. A belief in the indispensable guidance of a guru to guide the spiritual aspirant towards God Realization.
7. A belief in moksha, liberation, as the goal of human existence.
8. A belief in the indispensable necessity of temple worship in religious life.
9. A belief in graded forms of religious practices, both internal and external, until one realizes God.
10. A belief in ahiṁsā as the greatest dharma or virtue.
11. A belief in mental and physical purity as indispensable factors for spiritual progress.

Śrī Śrī Śrī Jayendra Sarasvatī, 69th Śaṅkarāchārya of the Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram, India, defines in one of his writings the basic features of Hinduism as follows:§

1. The concept of idol worship and the worship of God in his Nirguṇa as well as Saguṇa form.
2. The wearing of sacred marks on the forehead.
3. Belief in the theory of past and future births in accordance with the theory of karma.
4. Cremation of ordinary men and burial of great men.

The periodical Hindu Vishva (Jan./Feb., 1986) cites the following definitions: “He who has perfect faith in the law of karma, the law of reincarnation, avatāra [divine incarnations], ancestor worship, varṇāśrama dharma [social duty], Vedas and existence of God; he who practices the instructions given in the Vedas with faith and earnestness; he who does snāna [ritual bathing], sṛāddha [death memorial], pitṛi-tarpaṇa [offerings to ancestors] and the pañcha mahāyajñas [five great sacrifices: to ṛishis, ancestors, Gods, creatures and men], he who follows the varṇāśrama dharmas, he who worships the avatāras and studies the Vedas is a Hindu.’ ”§

The Vishva Hindu Parishad’s official definition from its Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulation (1966) states: “Hindu means a person believing in, following or respecting the eternal values of life, ethical and spiritual, which have sprung up in Bhāratkhand [India] and includes any person calling himself a Hindu.”§

In all definitions, the three pivotal beliefs for Hindus are karma, reincarnation and the belief in all-pervasive Divinity—forming as they do the crux of day-to-day religion, explaining our past existence, guiding our present life and determining our future union with God. It is apparent from the pervasiveness of these beliefs today that a large number of non-Hindus qualify as self-declared Hindus already, for many believe in karma, dharma and reincarnation, strive to see God everywhere, have some concept of māyā, recognize someone as their guru, respect temple worship and believe in the evolution of the soul. Many of these beliefs are heretical to most other religions, especially Christianity and the Jewish faith. Those who do believe in karma, reincarnation and union with the Divine have, indeed, evolved beyond the boundaries of Western religion. §

The Indian Supreme Court, in 1966, formalized a judicial definition of Hindu beliefs to legally distinguish Hindu denominations from other religions in India. This seven-point list was affirmed by the Court in 1995 in judging cases regarding religious identity: §

1. Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence as the highest authority in religious and philosophic matters and acceptance with reverence of Vedas by Hindu thinkers and philosophers as the sole foundation of Hindu philosophy.
2. Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand and appreciate the opponent’s point of view based on the realization that truth is many sided.
3. Acceptance of great world rhythm by all six systems of Hindu philosophy: vast periods of creation, maintenance and dissolution follow each other in endless succession;
4. Acceptance by all systems of Hindu philosophy of the belief in rebirth and pre-existence.
5. Recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are many.
6. Realization of the truth that numbers of Gods to be worshiped may be large, yet there being Hindus who do not believe in the worshiping of idols.
7. Unlike other religions, or religious creeds, Hindu religion’s not being tied down to any definite set of philosophic concepts, as such.

A Summary of What Most Hindus Believe
Three decades ago we crafted a simple summary of Hindu beliefs and distributed it in hundreds of thousands of pamphlets around the world. On August, 1995, these nine belief were published by the Religious News Service in Washington, DC, for hundreds of American newspapers. On February 8, 1993, the Christianity Today magazine printed them side by side with their Christian counterparts so Christians could better comprehend Hindus (See p. 248-250). §

NINE BELIEFS OF HINDUISM

1. Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Āgamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanātana Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither beginning nor end.
2. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.
6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals and sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
7. Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.
8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahiṁsā, “noninjury.”
9. Hindus believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God’s Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

FIVE OBLIGATIONS OF ALL HINDUS

1. WORSHIP, UPĀSANĀ: Young Hindus are taught daily worship in the family shrine room—rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study. They learn to be secure through devotion in home and temple, wearing traditional dress, bringing forth love of the Divine and preparing the mind for serene meditation.
2. HOLY DAYS, UTSAVA: Young Hindus are taught to participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and temple. They learn to be happy through sweet communion with God at such auspicious celebrations. Utsava includes fasting and attending the temple on Monday or Friday and other holy days.
3. VIRTUOUS LIVING, DHARMA: Young Hindus are taught to live a life of duty and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others first, being respectful of parents, elders and swāmīs, following divine law, especially āhiṁsā, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all beings. Thus they resolve karmas.
4. PILGRIMAGE, TĪRTHAYĀTRĀ: Young Hindus are taught the value of pilgrimage and are taken at least once a year for darśana of holy persons, temples and places, near or far. They learn to be detached by setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life’s singular focus during these journeys.
5. RITES OF PASSAGE, SAṂSKĀRA: Young Hindus are taught to observe the many sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites of birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of age, marriage and death.

Hinduism Has Always Accepted Adoptives and Converts
It is sometimes claimed that one must be born in a Hindu family to be a Hindu, that one cannot adopt it or convert from another faith. This is simply not true. The acceptance of outsiders into the Hindu fold has occurred for thousands of years. Groups as diverse as local aborigines and the invading Greeks of Alexander the Great have been brought in. Entering Hinduism has traditionally required little more than accepting and living the beliefs and codes of Hindus. This remains the basic factor in the process, although there are and always have been formal ceremonies recognizing entrance into the religion—particularly the nāmakaraṇa saṁskāra, or naming rite in the case of adoptives and converts, and the vrātyastoma, vow-taking rite, in the case of those returning to one sect or another of the Hindu religion. §

The most compelling testimony to Hinduism’s acceptance of non-Hindus into its fold is history. Possibly the most often quoted exposition of the subject appears in the Complete Works of Swāmī Vivekānanda (Vol. 5, p. 233), in an interview called “On the bounds of Hinduism,” which first appeared in the Prabuddha Bhārata in April, 1899: “Having been directed by the Editor, writes our representative, to interview Swāmī Vivekānanda on the question of converts to Hinduism, I found an opportunity one evening on the roof of a Ganges houseboat. It was after nightfall, and we had stopped at the embankment of the Rāmakṛishṇa Maṭh, and there the swāmī came down to speak with me. Time and place were alike delightful. Overhead the stars, and around, the rolling Gaṅgā; and on one side stood the dimly lighted building, with its background of palms and lofty shade-trees. ‘I want to see you, Swāmī,’ I began, ‘on this matter of receiving back into Hinduism those who have been perverted from it. Is it your opinion that they should be received?’§

‘Certainly,’ said the swāmī, ‘they can and ought to be taken.’ He sat gravely for a moment, thinking, and then resumed. ‘The vast majority of Hindu perverts to Islam and Christianity are perverts by the sword, or the descendants of these. It would be obviously unfair to subject these to disabilities of any kind. As to the case of born aliens, did you say? Why, born aliens have been converted in the past by crowds, and the process is still going on.’§

‘In my own opinion, this statement not only applies to aboriginal tribes, to outlying nations, and to almost all our conquerors before the Mohammedan conquest, but also to all those castes who find a special origin in the Purāṇas. I hold that they have been aliens thus adopted.’§

‘Ceremonies of expiation are no doubt suitable in the case of willing converts, returning to their Mother-Church, as it were; but on those who were alienated by conquest—as in Kashmir and Nepal—or on strangers wishing to join us, no penance should be imposed.’§

‘But of what caste would these people be, Swāmijī?’ I ventured to ask. ‘They must have some, or they can never be assimilated into the great body of Hindus. Where shall we look for their rightful place?’§

‘Returning converts,’ said the swāmī quietly, ‘will gain their own castes, of course. And new people will make theirs. You will remember,’ he added, ‘that this has already been done in the case of Vaishṇavism. Converts from different castes and aliens were all able to combine under that flag and form a caste by themselves—and a very respectable one, too. From Rāmānuja down to Chaitanya of Bengal, all great Vaishṇava teachers have done the same.’§

‘Then as to names,’ I enquired, ‘I suppose aliens and perverts who have adopted non-Hindu names should be named newly. Would you give them caste names, or what?’ ‘Certainly,’ said the swāmī thoughtfully, ‘there is a great deal in a name!’ and on this question he would say no more.”§

Dr. S. Rādhākṛishṇan, eminent philosopher and former president of India, confirmed Swāmī Vivekānanda’s views in his well-known book, The Hindu View of Life (p. 28-29): “In a sense, Hinduism may be regarded as the first example in the world of a missionary religion. Only its missionary spirit is different from that associated with the proselytizing creeds. It did not regard it as its mission to convert humanity to any one opinion. For what counts is conduct and not belief. Worshipers of different Gods and followers of different rites were taken into the Hindu fold. The ancient practice of vrātyastoma, described fully in the Taṇḍya Brāhmaṇa, shows that not only individuals but whole tribes were absorbed into Hinduism. Many modern sects accept outsiders. Devala Smṛiti lays down rules for the simple purification of people forcibly converted to other faiths, or of womenfolk defiled and confined for years, and even of people who, for worldly advantage, embrace other faiths.” §

In a recent article, writer Shreeram Tyambak Godbole of Bombay observes, “Hinduism . . . has been assimilating into itself all those who have been willing, without offending anybody. Whoever from other religions adopted even outwardly the customs and manners of the Hindus could, in course of time, hope to get his progeny easily assimilated in the Hindu society. This process has been going on for the last two or two and a half millenniums. The beginnings of this process can be seen in the sixty-fifth chapter of Mahābhārata, Śantiparva, where Indra is described to have ordered Mandhatru to give all access to all foreigners, like the Yavanas, into the Vedic religion.”§

He gives a historical example, “[The] Bactrian Greeks had soon to run down to India as refugees, driven headlong by U-echis, when they were all admitted to the Hindu fold. The same fate the U-echis, the Sakas, the Kushans and the Huns had to face. The Kushan emperor, Kadphasis II, took to Śiva worship so devoutly that on his coins he inscribed the image of the Lord Śiva and had himself mentioned as the devotee of Śiva. Huvishka and Vasudeva and their descendants also inscribed Lord Śiva and his Nandi on their coins.…While the Abhirs became Vaishṇavas, the Scythians and U-echis became Śaivas.…Huns again became Śaivas. The Hun King Mihirkula had inscribed on his silver coins ‘Jayatu Vrshadhvajah’ and ‘Jayatu Vrshah’ along with Śiva’s Triśula and his Nandi and his umbrella.…All the Bactrian Greeks, the U-echis, the Sakas, the Kushans, and the Huns are now so well assimilated into the Hindu society that their separate identity cannot at all be traced.”§

Our friend and compatriate in promoting Sanātana Dharma, Sri Ram Swarup (1920-1998), had this to say about the power of those who have converted to or adopted the Hindu faith. “Hitherto, Hindus knew only two categories: Hindus born in India and Hindu emigrants who went overseas during the last few centuries, often under very adverse conditions. But now we have also a new, fast-growing third category of those who adopt Hinduism by free choice. This is an important category, and traditional Hinduism should become aware of them. Their contribution to Hinduism is notable. Hindu thought is changing the intellectual-religious contour of Europe and America and attracting their best minds. In this thought, they also find the principle of their own self-discovery and recovery. The new religion of these countries is now really the ‘New Age,’ which is greatly worrying the Christian establishment. The Pope sees ‘Eastern influences’ in this new development. Pat Robertson, an influential American evangelist, finds that ‘the New Age and Hinduism—it is the same thing.’ He complains, ‘We are importing Hinduism into America.’ ” §

Must One Be Born in India to Be a Hindu?
At this time certain deeply ingrained misconceptions must also be erased, such as the mistaken notion—postulated primarily by brahmin pandits and a few of the Śaṅkarāchāryas and parroted by Western academics—that one must be born in India to be a Hindu. Of course, the Hindus of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Hindus born in Bali and Malaysia, the Mauritian-born and Bangladesh-born Hindus would find such a concept very strange indeed, and few in the world would question their Hinduness. But the issue is often raised in America and Europe. Italian-born Swāmī Yogānandagiri bravely tackled this issue in his nation, as reported in our international magazine, HINDUISM TODAY.§

Swāmī explained, “We have to overcome a misunderstanding asserted by Italian scholars that one has to be born in India to be a Hindu. Our saṅga also hopes to spread the authentic Hindu culture among Italians who take yoga as just a sweet gymnastic.” §

His invitation to HINDUISM TODAY outlined plans for a June, 1997, international conference in Milan on the controversial subject of conversion to Hinduism, among other subjects. The problem is serious in Italy, for Hinduism is not officially recognized by the government. An individual’s conversion and name change cannot be legalized. Tax-deductible status is not granted to Hindu organizations. HINDUISM TODAY accepted the invitation and sent representatives Āchārya Ceyonswāmī and Sannyāsin Skandanāthaswāmī to the conference. §

It was in 1985 that Swāmī Yogānandagiri established the Gitānanda Āshram in Savona, perched in the hills a few miles from the Mediterranean Ligurian Sea above Corsica. He became a yogī in his teens and was trained in India by the late Swāmī Gitānanda of Pondicherry, among others. He learned Sanskrit, absorbed the South Indian Āgamic tradition, received sacraments making him a Hindu and was ultimately initiated as a renunciate monk. §

Malaysian-born Skandanāthaswāmī reported later, “I couldn’t believe my eyes when we reached Savona. Swāmī Yogānandagiri and a small band of dedicated Italian Hindus have established full, traditional Hinduism at his āśrama. Stepping into his Śri Chakra temple was like being in India. Other swāmīs teach yoga but often remain at a distance from Hinduism. But Yogānandagiri boldly declares his Hindu heritage, and that in Italy!” §

The conference was the first organized by Swāmī’s newly created Unione Induista Italiana (Italian Hindu Union), as an attempt to unify under a Hindu banner those Italians already immersed in Indian culture. The three days included workshops on Indian dance, yoga, āyurveda and astrology, all presented by leading Hindus. §

But a pivotal debate was taking place at meetings that pitted Italian professors of religion against Hindu swāmīs and delegates on the issue of converting to Hinduism. Chief adversary Professor Mario Piantelli opined that conversion to Hinduism is impossible for those not born in India. He was unanimously countered by all the Hindu delegates, who cited Indian Supreme Court decisions and statements by Swāmī Vivekānanda and Dr. S. Rādhākṛishṇan, former president of India (See p. 160). §

That might have been the end of the issue, but the day after the conference ended, a national Italian daily, L’Unità of Rome, published Piantelli’s opinions in a major article. Swāmī Yogānandagiri flew to Rome to issue a rebuttal, and the debate entered the national forum. §

Swāmī Yogānandagiri wrote in his rebuttal: “Contrary to Professor Piantelli’s statements, the Italian Hindu Union comprises people who not only love India, but have received a religious formation in India with all sacraments and who identify themselves deeply and seriously with the Hindu faith. The statement that Hinduism is a neologism referring only to those born in India is a wrong interpretation. The word Hindu has evolved. Today in modern India Hindus are those following the principles of Sanātana Dharma. Its main characteristic is its universality. There are no decrees or scriptures which say only those born in India can be Hindu. What about the children of the Hindus born in America, Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Europe? They call themselves Hindu just like we Italian Hindus. So how can it be an exclusive religion only for those born in India? On the contrary, the Supreme Indian Court in 1966 codified the definition of Hinduism and in 1995 confirmed that: ‘Hindus are those who accept the Vedas (sacred text) as the highest religious and philosophical authority and are tolerant and accept that truth can have many facets, who believe in cosmic cycles, rebirth and pre-existence and recognize that many paths lead to salvation.’ Italian Hindus, among which there are also Indian citizens living in Italy, already exist and are recognized by Indian Hindus and Buddhists. Many governments have legally recognized Hinduism.” §

Swāmī had many allies. Dr. R. Gopalakṛishṇan, the Director of Rādhākṛishṇan Institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy, University of Madras said, “As an Indian and as a Hindu, I find there is no truth in this statement that those who are born in India alone are eligible to become Hindus.” Dr. Atulchandra S. Thombare from Pune, India, noted, “A man can change his nationality, and even his sex, why not his religion?” Indian Ambassador to Italy, Mr. Fabian, a Catholic, said, “Faith is a matter of the heart and personal choice. If someone practices Hinduism and is accepted by Hindus, then he is one.” §

Swāmī is allying himself with the Buddhists, who are also pressing for official recognition in Italy. They are, according to Swāmī, two years ahead of the Hindus in the decade-long process of changing the complex Italian laws relating to conversion. §

The Ceremony of Welcoming Back
The vrātyastoma ceremony (“vow pronouncement”), dating back to the Taṇḍya Brāhmaṇa of the Ṛig Veda, is performed for Hindus returning to India from abroad and for those who have embraced other faiths. One finds a wide range of converts in India, from communities such as the Syrian Malabar Christians, who adopted Christianity shortly after that religion’s founding, to the Muslim converts of a thousand years ago, to Indians converted in the last few generations. Especially in the case of many recent converts, the conversion is often superficial, and the return to Hinduism is a simple matter of ceremonial recognition. In other cases, complete reeducation is required.§

There are many organizations in India active in reconversion, some motivated by fears of non-Hindu dominance in regions once all Hindu. The Masurāśrama in Mumbai specializes in reconversions through the śuddhi śraddha, purification ceremony, bringing dozens of converts back into the Sanātana Dharma each month. Masurāśrama founder, Dharma Bhaskar Masurkar Maharāj, set a strong precedent in 1928 when he organized the purification rite for 1,150 devotees in Goa who had previously converted to Christianity. About the same time, Swāmī Āgamānandajī of the Rāmakṛishṇa Mission in Kerala reconverted hundreds to Hinduism, as did Nārāyaṇa Guru. More recently, two South Indian āśramas—Madurai Aadheenam and Kundrakuddi Aadheenam—have brought thousands of Indians back into Hinduism in mass conversion rites. Since the early 1960s, the Vishva Hindu Parishad has reportedly reconverted a half-million individuals through śuddhi ceremonies all over India. The VHP activities are extremely distressing to Christian missionaries who, according to an analysis published in HINDUISM TODAY (Feb. 1989), spent an average of $6,000 to win over each convert.§

Above is a vrātyastoma certificate that can be photocopied (enlarged) to document the śuddhi ceremony held at a temple. This sacrament marks the formal reentrance into a particular sect of Hinduism, through the acceptance of established members and the blessings of Gods and devas invoked through rites performed by an authorized priest.§

When such souls do return, it is the duty of established followers to shepherd them, blend them in and assist at every opportunity to make them successful members of the international extended family of our venerable faith. It is vital that reconversion campaigns are followed up with continuing education, social improvement, community temple building and priest training to create fully self-sustaining groups. It is one of the duties of the Hindu priesthood to stand guard at the gates of Sanātana Dharma and perform the sacred ceremonies for worthy souls to allow them entrance for the first time or reentrance into the Hindu fold in case they strayed into an alien faith and now desire to return. The priesthoods of all four major denominations of Sanātana Dharma—Śaivism, Vaishṇavism, Smārtism and Śaktism—are performing the duty, empowered by the Gods, of bringing devotees back into the Hindu fold through a congregation of devotees. §

Swāmī Tilak aptly noted the present trend in Hinduism: “Multitudes of serious and sincere seekers of Truth are knocking at our doors. We cannot disappoint them, keeping our doors closed. We will have to open our doors and accord a hearty welcome to our new visitors. Whoever comes to us is ours, and we have a duty to make him feel quite at home with us. We must not suffer from superiority complex. Nor should fear or suspicion mar our magnanimity. While in Indonesia, we were pleased to see that the local Hindus had started taking non-Hindus in. We shall have to do the same all over. … Marriages of mixed nature are unavoidable. Whether we like it or not, we will have to make room for them. We cannot lose a person only because he or she has got married to a non-Hindu. We should rather try to bring a Hindu’s non-Hindu spouse into our fold. In Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica, the pandits wisely do not perform the marriage of a mix-couple until the non-Hindu partner agrees to embrace Hinduism as his or her religion” (Hindu Vishva, July/August, 1985).§