An introduction to religious and spiritual experience

4.
Experiences of the Founders/Messengers 
of the Major Religious Traditions
Religions are not neat compartments with clear demarcations; they are 
living, changing, adapting and often splintering movements of groups of 
people, linked by their perception of a vision which they share to a greater 
or lesser extent. This must be borne in mind when reading the accounts 
below. Labels have been used for convenience and to enable the possibil-
ity of forming a coherent, if somewhat generalized overview.
Let us look at the insights or revelations of some of the messengers or 
founders of the major religious traditions in so far as they are known. 
It is not easy to distinguish fact from fiction, particularly looking further 
back in time, where one has to contend with lengthy periods of oral 
tradition. Subsequent embellishment leads to history, myth and legend 
becoming inextricably interwoven. It is a matter of interpretation as to 
how far these biographies can be taken as factual accounts and how far 
they should be read as spiritual patterns. However, towards modern times 
more accurate reports of the lives of the founders become available, 
although again, leaders of spiritual movements are particularly suscepti-
ble to hagiography or vilification. The following accounts give the main 
spiritual experiences in the lives of these key figures as accurately as 
possible. What is important is that these people seem to have transcended 
everyday reality and seen the world from a new perspective which not 
only changed their own lives but also resonated with their contempo-
raries. It is an account of the origins of religious traditions from a 
personal, experiential standpoint. Much can be learned about spirituality 
by considering the experiences, lives and even the myths surrounding 
these unusual people.
Hinduism
The word ‘Hindu’ was originally used to refer to the people who 
lived beyond the Indus River, and later used by the British to designate 

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Hindustanis, who lived in North West India. Later still it was a term used 
by Indians in opposition to colonial rule and nowadays it is still a term of 
political identification. However, in religious terms, the Hindu tradition 
refers to a group of religious people with a vast array of beliefs and prac-
tices, many of whom would not see Hinduism as a religion at all, but a 
spiritual way of life, entailing an acceptance of many different religious 
paths. Many prefer the term 
sanatana dharma
, meaning the eternal truth.
In this tradition, there was no revelation to any particular individual. 
It was the rishis (seers) who composed the revelatory texts, known as the 
four
 Vedas
(the word means knowledge) in Sanskrit between 1500 and 
500 BCE. The oldest of these was the 
Rig Veda 
and the others the 
Sama, 
Yajur 
and 
Atharva. 
These were revealed directly (
shruti
) to the rishis, and 
the very words of these texts were revered as holy and often recited as 
mantras. The 
Vedas
comprise hymns, ritual, esoteric, mystical and philo-
sophical texts, which originally accompanied the fire sacrifices, performed 
by the Brahmins, the priestly caste. The 
Brahmanas
, 
Aranyakas 
and 
Upanishads 
(hidden teachings) were interpretations of these texts. 
Later texts were distinguished from these original Vedas, by being des-
ignated as 
smriti
, meaning ‘memory’. The principal teachings were that 
this eternally changing world is not reality itself, which is unchanging and 
eternal. The ground of all being, Brahman, is 
sat
, 
cit
, 
ananda –
being, con-
sciousness and bliss – and is identical with the individual soul, 
atman
. 
This whole world is the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest 
and the unmanifest joined together – and the Lord bears it, while the 
self (
atman
), who is not the Lord, remains bound because he is the 
enjoyer. When he comes to know God he is freed from all fetters. . . . 
The one God rules over both the perishable and the self (
atman
). By 
meditating on him, by striving towards him, and, further, in the end by 
becoming the same reality as him, all illusion disappears.
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Brahman is worshipped as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma and as the 
Goddess in the forms of Kali, Durga, Parvati or Lakshmi. Theistic move-
ments such as Vaishnavism developed for the worship of Vishnu, who 
protects the universe and is often depicted with four arms or being 
transported on a bird, his garuda. Shaivism is the adoration of Shiva. 
Often shown as a dancing figure, Shiva does not generally have avatars
 
or 
incarnations, although he can manifest himself at will. He is seen as the 
destroyer of the world but is also worshipped as an erect phallus and the 
consort of Parvati.
If there is one personality who is representative of Hinduism, it is 
Krishna. He is regarded as an avatar of Vishnu, traditionally thought to 

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Major Religious Traditions
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be the eighth. Although his actual existence is still disputed, it is said that 
he was born in the third century BCE in Mathura, between Delhi 
and Agra. Legend has it that he was born a Prince, but to avoid envy at 
court, was brought up by the daughter of a cowherd. There are tales of 
his mischievous youth and later dallying with milkmaids as well as of his 
skilful flute playing and miracles. His love of the maids or 
gopis
is inter-
preted as the love of God toward souls. 
In the 
Bhagavadgita
(
The Gita
) section of the 
Mahabharata
epic, 
Krishna joins Arjuna on the eve of battle between two related dynasties, 
the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Arjuna sees his own relatives on both 
opposing sides and is full of anxiety. Disguised as his charioteer, Krishna 
explains how one should follow one’s calling in life and for Arjuna this is 
as a warrior. Humans experience repeated lives and deaths and Krishna 
expounds upon the transmigration of souls. He also reassures Arjuna that 
the divine love ensures that God will manifest in any epoch when humans 
are in need of illumination. 
Arjuna asks Krishna to show himself in his divine manifestation. 
Krishna explains that Arjuna needs ‘mystic eyes’, in other words spiritual 
vision for this, and then reveals himself as the Lord of the universe, which 
is described by Arjuna in the text,
Your form is difficult to see because of its glaring effulgence, spreading 
on all sides, like blazing fire or the immeasurable radiance of the sun. 
Yet I see this glowing form everywhere, adorned with various crowns, 
clubs and discs.
You are the supreme primal objective. You are the ultimate resting 
place of all this universe. You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest. 
You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the Personality of God-
head. This is my opinion.
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Krishna shows himself in other manifestations and explains different 
spiritual paths such as action in Karma Yoga, and the meditation of 
Dhyana Yoga but the practice of devotion or bhakti is considered the 
highest. 
He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his 
mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the 
path, he, O Partha, is sure to reach me.
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Such devotion to Krishna continues, particularly in the International 
Society for Krishna Consciousness (the Hare Krishnas).

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