Hinduism: the universal self in a class society

Abstract

Human dignity in the Indian tradition is an immense topic; in this chapter, I will discuss some aspects of human dignity in the Hindu tradition. As a rough definition, I take Hinduism to refer to those traditions that accept the Vedic heritage ( śruti , ‘heard from the gods’) as the source of truth. I will employ three main sources for our inquiry into human dignity in the Hindu tradition: the Upaniṣads , the Laws of Manu and the Bhagavadgītā . I will discuss each of these in turn, and suggest that human dignity in Hinduism is an ambiguous and perhaps even paradoxical concept: on the one hand, all living beings (not solely human beings) are thought to possess inherent dignity, but on the other hand we find that in the social realm dignity appears in degrees . The Upanisads The Upanisads are dialogues in Sanskrit which were handed down orally as part of the Veda, articulating the essentials of Vedic wisdom. These dialogues, stemming from approximately the sixth century BC, contain two central doctrines: the teachings of atman and brahman – explaining the identity of Self and UniversalWhole – and the doctrine of reincarnation or metempsychosis.

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