Conclusion

This lecture shows that Hinduism has positive as well as negative contributions to individual happiness and social development. In social issues it is not easy to answer the questions: Considering both positive and negative roles of religion, what is the net worth of Hinduism for happiness and social development? Should it be encouraged or discouraged? Should it become more liberal and secular? Moreover, the need for spiritual and psychological support cannot be overestimated. Even the conceivably perfect economic and political society cannot satisfy the individual’s need for meaning. Lastly, if some change has to brought about in Hinduism, it is not clear who will do it. There is no one central authority that can engineer Hinduism. There is no one person or text which on behalf of Hindus can decide whether religion should be made more rational and egalitarian, or how should religion respond to modernization, and yet Hinduism is responding to modernization in complex ways. While certain forms of Hindu religion are making an important contribution in reforming or building a better society, certain other forms are helping the obscurantist, the orthodox and the dominant.