Rta: Cosmology, Ethics and Religion

One important feature of Hindu thought that relates cosmological concerns to that of ethics and religion is expressed in the notion of Ŗta. This is an ancient idea connected with the initial perception that there prevails a cosmic order. However, the Hindus think that this order is present not only in nature as expressed in the recurring rhythmic occurrences of natural events, but that there is also a moral order. ‘Nothing is reaped which has not been sown’ has this double connotation in the Hindu discourse.

It is also interesting to find that this idea is present in very early texts and that in some of the Vedic hymns, the deity is described not only as an upholder of the physical but also of the moral order. The idea that the universe is governed by laws that cannot be transgressed play a significant role in Indian thought. At a later period, one comes across renditions where the theistic premise is discarded as superfluous, no executor is seen as necessary for the operation of this law. Examples for this position can be found not only in the Buddhist and the Jaina traditions but also in the non-theistic Hindu schools of thought where the moral order functions just like the natural order - it is an impersonal law that governs it. This idea that the moral, as the natural, is by no means a chaotic situation is closely linked with the pan-Indian belief in Karma.

However, for a deeper understanding of the variations in Hindu cosmological ideas, it is necessary to go to that stage of conceptual growth that saw the rise of distinct schools of thought. It is relevant, in this connection, to note that the sanskrit word ‘Anădi’ is constituted by adding the negative prefix ‘An’ to the word ‘Ādi’. The word ‘Ādi’ can mean ‘beginning’ or ‘first’. This allows for interpreting the idea of a beginningless universe [Anădi Samsara], using two distinct cosmological models.

Contributed by: Dr. Anindita Balslev