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Man wants to be free from suffering and needs to attain peace and joy. The nature of man is to believe in the existence of a supernatural being who is omniscient and omnipotent. Hinduism believes that He (God) is both Nir-Aakaar and Nir-Gun as well as Sa-Aakaar and Sa-Gun. He can assume any form or even incarnate in human form. We may compare this to water which exists in three forms- ice, water and steam. hus, though the material is the same, the nomenclature and form are different.

There are four well known paths of spiritual disciplines - Gyaan Yog, Bhakti Yog, Raaj Yog and Karm Yog. he path of Bhakti - devotion to God in His Sa-Aakaar and Sa-Gun Roop is comparatively easier. Herein comes the role of rituals.

Rituals are certain religious observances, such as Poojaa, Sandhyaa Upaasanaa, Hom, Upavaas and Jaagaran - are some of the usual rituals. An incisive intellect, purity of mind, sinless life - all these are necessary to comprehend the philosophical truths contained in the Ved  and Upanishad. To perform rituals is an easier means to achieve the purity of mind as they prepare the mind to accept God. However, it is essential to understand the spirit behind these rituals.

Worshipping God can be either and internal or external process -
Internal Poojaa or Maanas Poojaa consists of meditation or Jaap etc on the form of the deity. Sometimes, it is possible to do all the ritualistic worship with all the ingredients, but done mentally.
External worship is to worship the deity through an image or symbol with all the required ingredients.
This type of worship when performed in the right spirit leads to greater introversion.
The result is that later, the external worship drops off by itself, and only meditation can be continued.

Scientific Spirit of Sanaatan Dharm
The secret of the survival instinct of Hinduism is the scientific spirit exhibited throughout history. Whenever there was an upheaval, it has responded vigorously, intelligently and prudently. It is this vitality that gave birth to the various reform movements.

The Upanishadik sages were the first reformers. When the Rigvedik religion deteriorated to a maze of sacrifices, the sages rejected them and advised meditation and knowledge of the Aatmaa. Lord Krishn was the second reformer. He brought out a balance and harmony among the Gyaan, Bhakti and Karm disciplines. His declaration of the Nish-Kaam Karm concept was His greatest contribution. The third in this line was by Mahaaveer and Buddha. They substituted dry logic with simple moral and ethical principles in order to achieve peace and joy here and now. However, these were misunderstood and so resulted in the desertion of Vaidik religion.

Shankaraachaarya took birth at this stage to resuscitate and reestablish Sanaatan Dharm. Next stage was a series of invasions by outside invaders. There was a lot of change because of this in the social and religious fields. In this critical period, several spiritual leaders came up and protected our religion by bringing in several new concepts like Bhakti movement etc. This is the fifth reform movement.

With the advent of the British, there was a planned import of the cultural and religious ideas from the west. Then, the sixth reform movement became necessary. Raja Raam Mohan Roy, Swami Dayaanand Saraswati, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Ramakrishn Paramahans, Swami Vivekaanand were some of the important leaders. So, Sanaatan Dharm regained balance. This effort continued under Ramana Maharshi, Aurobindo Ghosh and a few institutions like Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission, Divine Life society etc.

The Present Problem
During the recent past, Hindu society has not been capable of raising to the required levels. Caste animosities including the practice of un-touchability are rampant. The rise of Indian Nationalism is not up to the mark. Infatuation with the glamour of western nations has resulted in aping their customs and manners at the cost of old and time tested values. Family bonds are getting loosened. There is damage to the psyche of children and the aged are being neglected. There has been an aggressive posture by Semitic religions. Proselytization is uprooting the cultural and national moorings. Hindu society has become a soft target for aggressive propagators of these religions. There is an urgent need to provide a new look to the Hindu society. Hindu have to be Hindu. It is also necessary to remove the irrelevant aberrations.

Dharm is not a Stagnant Concept
One may observe that the social laws, customs and manners have been constantly changed depending on the needs of the times.  Manu goes to the extent of saying that when a Dharm is hated or disliked by people it must be given up. (Manu 4.176.) We may see that over the years, the rules and regulations have changed to suit the tastes and needs of the people keeping the central spiritual principles in tact. Criticism of Vaidik ritualism in the Upanishad, changes in the Anulom marriages and foods, Kali Varjya principles (like animal sacrifice etc) indicate that Hindu society was always dynamic and not stagnant. The sages were endowed with a lot of common sense.

Thus, we see that Dharm has always been dynamic and a real force to reckon with in our national life. If this fact is kept in mind all  could live in peace and happiness. Then, the Vyaas' saying, "Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah" would be true.

So it is necessary to keep an open mind and assess the situation objectively and modify any practice which is absolutely necessary, without sacrificing the basic cultural values. if there are any meaningless restrictions which are outdated they should be modified without sticking to them just because they were the older ones.

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