I grew up in a traditional Brahmin household, one that proudly identified itself as the “upper caste” in the Hindu social order. My grandmothers would avoid touching the so-called śūdras or eating anything made by them.
I hated Hinduism for it.
Growing up further, I came to know that marriages outside the caste are unthinkable in our family. That women on their periods are considered “impure,” and although rituals are followed faithfully, when I asked why all these pujas and aaratis, the answers were “for God, for goodness.” And when I pressed more, it was “Our parents did the same.”
Finding no sense, and rather finding absurdity, this was the beginning of my rebellion against Hinduism.
I started calling myself a born Hindu, but I consider myself an atheist, but (yes, another but) I have to follow Hinduism as well since my parents do.
Well, my relationship with Hinduism was like a situationship. Confusing, complicated, and occasionally hilarious!
That question marked the beginning of my rebellion.
A Seeker Who Questioned and Found Answers
My mom would often go to an astrologer and would tell me what the astrologer had said about my future & my life. I never believed in astrology and the fact that the stars above our heads and their position can even tell what will happen to us.
However, it did.
And, ironically, my curiosity deepened after a few Vedic astrology predictions about my life came true exactly as foretold.
But life has its sense of humor. The same skeptical boy who mocked astrology (and even joked that I’d burn my birth chart, which, ironically, is done after death, for which I was thoroughly scolded) ended up studying Jyotiṣa to uncover its real purpose and depth.
Following the study of Vedic astrology, my interests drew me further to the scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ashtavakra Gita, the Puranas, and the Upanishads, to finally discover that the discriminatory caste hierarchy wasn’t a divine design but a human distortion and that I can profoundly be a Hindu without wanting to chant a single name of a Hindu deity.
My curiosity and discoveries made me proudly say I am a Hindu, and I forever started to carry my faith in the true spirit of Sanatana Dharma.
Ironically, the same boy who was fed up with all these aarati, puja, chanting, and bhajan kirtan started finding peace surrendering to Lord Vishnu.
And this happened because I read and I understood the meaning, the significance, the freedom, and the flexibility that I can choose not to engage in any of it if I don’t want to.
If I was told, “It’s for God, for good, and our parents did the same as well, and you should do it,” I would also probably be rebellious till now.
Why I Started HinduismSchool.com
The majority of the Hindu households I know are devoted to Bhakti Yoga, worship, prayer, and devotion to deities. Beautiful paths, yes, but they are not the only ones.
Sanātana Dharma is vast. It embraces multiple paths, such as the Jñāna Yoga (the path of wisdom), Dhyāna Yoga (the path of meditation), Karma Yoga (the path of action), and many others. Yet, most of us are never told this. We’re taught to pray, not to understand.
And even worse, if we engage in the path of wisdom or meditation and don’t follow the path of Bhakti yoga, god forbid, society will see you as someone who is an atheist, someone who doesn’t follow religion, unconventional, non-sin-fearing, and whatnot, just because we choose to engage in Bhakti.
This is my story and the story of countless Hindus who quietly feel the same.
When I said I preferred Dhyāna over Bhakti, I was labeled unconventional and told that I should learn my religion well. How ironic?
But truth doesn’t need approval, only understanding.
That’s why I created HinduismSchool.com. Not to preach, but to unfold.
To help the world rediscover Hinduism as it truly is: pure, logical, flexible, and profoundly inclusive.
I want young Hindus to know why they do what they do, not just because their parents or grandparents did it.
I want every seeker, regardless of birth or belief, to see that Sanātana Dharma was never meant to divide, but to integrate.
As I often remind my readers:
“Don’t inherit faith; understand it.”
My Vision
Through Hinduism School, my goal is simple yet radical: to teach Hinduism in its rawest, most undistorted form, free from social manipulation, caste prejudice, and blind ritualism.
We will seek and understand the true reasons, meaning, and purposes behind the things and encourage inquiry over imitation.
If a girl in her period can’t enter the kitchen, we’ll ask why and find that the scriptures never said so.
If a boy fears he’ll be “sinful” for questioning a ritual, we’ll teach him that the Gita itself encourages inquiry.
This is the purpose of the Hinduism School, and I want to invite you to this journey.
Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya.