Page 116 - Hinduism

satsanga. The āśrama is a spiritual community of the sādhus and as satsanga it provides an inspiring social ideal.
The atmosphere of the temple in the centre of civic life is a perpetual reminder to the Hindu that God is in the centre of all his activities and is the real actor. The family, the vidyāṣāla, the temple and the state offer facilities for mutual understanding and service. The family is the unit of social life spiritualised on the model of the Rāmāyaṇa. The temple affords every scope for the practice of the all-pervading presence of the Lord as Vāsudeva. Since rituals are only righteousness in details, they should be performed correctly in the interests of moral and spiritual discipline. Every righteous work is a worship of God; it is a dedication to Him in the spirit ‘Not I, but Thou oh Lord' or Brahmārpaṇa. There is really no barrier or compartment between one person and another as all are persons or spiritual entities in whose hearts God dwells as antaryāmin. A community of good souls or sātviks promotes the religious ideal of communion between God and man. Hinduism is known for its tolerance. Differences of opinion and even worship are tolerated. There is no compromise in the matter of conviction and purity of moral life. In addition to universality and tolerance, Hinduism is the only religion that recognises the immanence of Brahman in all Jīvas as their antaryāmin and the redemptive purpose of the avatāras, the similarity of
all Jīvas and the need for kaiṅkarya and the 116