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I am a Hindu. Up to the age of 15 I was living without any set of questions. But now (27) I have started looking for facts behind religious sayings/texts. I do not believe so much in Hinduism nor in any other religion (Buddhism, Sikhism etc.) but I do follow a few things from many of them and that comprises my one god. Overall I am trying to become a good person. Every religion is like a teacher to me. Some have said and set so many things (way of living), some of them have said it in brief. I like 'briefs' (summaries, being a modern cultural person) but after getting the brief I try to find the basis behind that saying/textual information. Given that, I want to know:

  • Is it an ultimate way the Hinduism has adopted to tell the truth of life to us?
  • Am I totally free to do what I want to do (while staying under the shadow of Hinduism)?
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    Hinduism is not really a religion. It is a hybrid. Hinduism is kind of like a mix of various different (sometimes conflicting) religions. Even within Hinduism, some sects believe that the other sects will not attain Moksha!! This is all the play of God. All religions are actually just different ways of understanding God. God is One, the road to God is many. Not everyone likes to eat Biriyani isn't it? Similarly not everyone likes the same aspects in God, thus they all observe different aspects in Him. In reality God is sarvaguna (all attributes) as well as nirguna (no attributes). All the best
    – Sai
    Commented Apr 17, 2015 at 15:11
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    Are you totally free to do what you want to do? Yes of course. All rivers meet at the ocean, similarly whatever path is taken, all of them attain the same goal. Some paths are longer, some paths are shorter. The only thing that needs to be remembered is that one does not have the right to harm others. Swami Vivekananda says: "Be Good And Do Good, That is the whole of Religion." Sathya Sai Baba says "Be Good, Do Good, See Good. That is the way to God". Sri Swami Sivananda's teaching: "Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise; Be good, Do good, Be kind, Be compassionate." ALl the best sir
    – Sai
    Commented Apr 17, 2015 at 15:16
  • You haven't heard of Loka Samastha Sukhino bavantu in all these years? Related question, hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/111/….. The accepted answer may give you the answer.
    – user11
    Commented Apr 17, 2015 at 18:53
  • No other religion were there when hinduism began, how can it say about other religions??!
    – OM-ॐ
    Commented Oct 26, 2017 at 9:23

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You say "...staying under the shadow of Hinduism" means that you accept the Vedas as the revealed word of God. If you do not accept the Vedas as such, you are not under the shadow of Hinduism.

There is no harm in reading other religious texts or other religions. Krishna says in the Gita (VII. 7.) "...All is strung on Me as a row of gems on a thread." There is only one Religion - God. What you call religions are just sects of the one Religion. All religions belong to God; God does not belong to one religion. Swami Vivekananda said that as a result of understanding Advaita, he understood other religions better.

Again Krishna says in the Gita (VII. 21.) "Whatever may be the form a devotee seeks to worship with faith--in that form alone I make his faith unwavering." Swami Vivekananda said that every man is his own sect, meaning that every person sees God in a different way.

You also ask if you are totally free to do what you want to do. What do you mean by freedom? If you mean freedom of the senses, no. My guru used to say that what we want is freedom from the senses, not freedom of the senses. Again, Krishna says in the Gita (XVI. 23-24.):

He who discards the injunctions of the scriptures and acts upon the impulse of desire attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the Supreme Goal. Therefore let the scriptures be your authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Having learnt the injunctions of the scriptures, you should do your work in the world.

The scriptures, the Vedas, are a guide as to how to live. So you are not free to do whatever you want under the shadow of Hinduism.

Ramakishna Paramahamsa said to go out and mix with others, say yea to all, but in the evening go to your own room. In other words, mingle with others, read about other religions, but in your heart worship your own Ishta and follow the guide of the scriptures.

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You are free to do whatever you want provided you are willing to pay the karmic consequences. You can also learn about other religious systems but you should remember Vyasa's advice:

Vyasa says, '..The rejection of one's own creed, the practice of other people's creed, ......- these all have been pronounced by persons conversant with duties to be acts that no one should do.’

Mahabharata Santi Parva, Section XXXIV-XXXV

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