Shraddha
Shraddha ( Sanskrit श्रद्धा Sraddha ) is a term of Indian philosophy, with faith or loyalty can be translated.
As a name designation
In India, Shraddha is a very common first name for girls, which is derived from the goddess of the same name. The goddess Shraddha was married to Dharma and had Kamadeva as a son with him .
meaning
The philosophical term Shraddha occupies an important position in the scriptures and teachings of Hinduism , Jainism and Buddhism . In the philosophy of Vedanta, for example, it forms part of the six desirable virtues ( Shat-sampat ).
Explanation
Shraddha should be associated with loving belief, devotion , trust , confidence and loyalty . The spiritual teacher Ammachi describes Shraddha as incessant attention born of love. As a translation, it gives the English awareness , which can be expressed in German as awareness. Other authors have described the concept of Shraddha as the intersection between faith and vigilance, and translations as diligence also go in the same direction.
Sri Aurobindo sees Shraddha as the belief of the individual soul in a divine existence , in wisdom, in power, in love and in grace. Sri Aurobindo's concept of faith clearly differs from Western scholars, who are shaped by a purely materialistic ideology of science and view human history only as the result of a purely evolutionary process without any spiritual dimension. Sri Aurobindo's deep conviction that spirituality permeates humanity explains his unshakable belief in God - a prerequisite on the path to discovering cosmic mysteries that can only be fathomed through spiritual awareness and not through rational thought . Only through spiritual awareness can mankind become aware of how its existence is to be classified in the greater plan of creation, which remains hidden from ordinary rationality.
Shraddha in Hinduism
Bhagavad Gita
In the Bhagavad Gita (Gitopanishad) the term Shraddha appears in nine verses: 3,31; 4.39; 6.47; 12.2; 12.20; 17.3; 17.13; 17.17; 18.71. In verse 12:20 Krishna remarks to Arjuna :
"Ye tu dharmāmŗtam idam - yathoktaṁ paryupāsate
Śraddhadhānā mat-paramā - bhaktās te tīva me priyāḥ"
"But he who follows the nectar of Dharma and is completely absorbed in faith in making
Me the highest goal, (such a devotee) is very close to my heart."
In this verse, Krishna emphasizes the importance of Shraddhadhana (bearing faith) for the spiritual path.
Katha Upanishad
The principle of belief also appears in the Katha Upanishad (verses 1, 2 and 1, 13). Nachiketas, cursed by his father, does not despair even when he is sent to the dwelling of Yama , the god of death, and there confidently receives his spiritual instructions.
Shraddha in Buddhism
Shraddha ( Pali : saddhā) in Buddhism means to recognize the Buddha's teachings as true before their truthfulness can be confirmed by one's own experience. This concept of belief is an important part of all Buddhist traditions, even if this belief can then be expressed differently in individual schools .
The term is also often translated with confidence and trust. Traditional Buddhist traditions in Pali testify that after the Buddha chose to teach the way of dharma , he spoke the following words:
“If you have ears, you will hear: the gate is wide open for immortals. Let them send belief (saddhā) ahead to get it. "