Hindu nationalism versus Hindu universalism
The term ‘nation’ is defined differently by different sources. One definition is: “A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language.”Hindu nationalism can be defined as the tendency of Hindus to define themselves as a nation. It is often said that the late 1980’s and 90’s saw an upsurge of Hindu nationalism in India. Translated into the realm of politics, this resulted in an increased tendency for Hindus to define their political activity in terms of common Hindu interests.
October 24th, 2006 at 8:59 am
This article regarding Hindu Nationaliosm V/S Hindu Universalism is quite good. If we all understand and follow the universal principles of life for social and economic development for all on equal basis, it will help inhance the image of Hinduism.
Regards
Ram Lakha
Coventry
October 24th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Universal Hinduism was propogated by Swami Vivekananda or Sri Aurobindo or Rabindranath Tagore or Mahatma Gandhi, which can embrace all humanity in the name of Krishna. ISKON is the example where people of all nationalities can come together and express their love for Krishna. That is the ideal Hinduism.
Hindutva is not Hinduism, because immediately Hindutva excludes all of us, Hindus who live in countries outside India and may have other passports. It also excludes foreigners who have great respect and love for Krishna. Strangely Hindutva wants to include instead those who do not want to be included: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs of India.
The recent debate on Vande Mataram, when the Indian Sikh Prime Minister, Muslim President and the Christian leader of the Congress Party refused to sing the song in its centenary celebration shows that Christians, Muslims, Sikhs are not part of Indian nationalism, and thus Hindutva is a wrong political concept.
The politicalised Hindus of the BJP are also great supporters of the upper class, business community and the U.S-Israel axis. They have nothing in common with the majority of the Hindu people of India who are poor, suffer in the nands of Mahajan- money lenders and the business community.
From the experience of the BJP administration we know BJP is only using the Hindu sentiment, which was damaged heavily by the politicians who normally appease the Muslims & Christians at the expense of the Hindus. BJP did nothing for the Hindu refugees from Kashmir or Bangladesh, entertained Mussaraf twice like a long lost son, and were very corrupt in every way. They are the false propagator for the Hindus.
October 25th, 2006 at 12:06 am
On the basis of Spiritual Science,Hindu Soul can be defined as one ,who is a live vehicle on Earth for carrying the cosmic agenda of the real universe for all life ;and specially the Human Beings (as leaders of cosmic ethical,Integral evolutionary consciousness).His efforts are to be supported on this Earth bya corresponding and commensurate social,political,economic,educational and other structures.Hinduism means a suitable implementing movement on Earth, for this task .It is not a camoufledged materialistic ,political arm of the ‘religions ‘as in other religions.It is cosmic in its content ,not merely Earthly.This Hindu scheme is based on a sound and true ,’real stucture concept of the Universe’, and the real role of Life on it.Please, do not bring this supreme cosmic evolutionary movement of pure consciousness down to an earthly polemical cheap debates and disputes and wars.Thank you.Y.R.Sane 25-10-2006 ,Thane,India 400601.Tel:91-022-25368450
October 25th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Namaste!
Very ineresting and thought provoking article. I agree we need to revise practical Hinduism to meet the modern day challenges and that has to be done with a strong organisational base.
We need assertive, not agressive, Hindus to start the process and put in practice the relevant and best parts of modern practical Hinduism in an International context.
We need International Hindus. This concept avoids the perceived narrowness of National Hindus and at the same time puts a practical organisational strength to the very wide angled Universal Hindus.
If the concept is too narrow it excludes many nice people from coming in. If it is too wide the it looses its base (all religeons are equal, so why be a Hindu?).
This is one of the reasons why our medical body is called HIMM or Hindu International Medical Mission (with many National branches, and Universal non-discriminatory service for the mankind).
I hope and believe that all existing Hindu organisations, small or large, will start moving towards this concept with a view to make the world a better place through Hindu philosophy and way of life. A lot of our friends are committed to this and we need more committed people in various professions ( Lawyers, Politicians, Accountants, Teachers, Students, Workers etc.) to take such a lead internationally.
Dr Bhala, Co-ordinator HIMM.
October 25th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Hindu Universalism is simply another word for fundamentalism. It is worth to note that the word “universalist” is used to define “The doctrince (Christian and Jewish) in which all will eventually be saved.”
Those who view the Hindu religion as “The universal religion;” and/or their “God” (to misuse the word) Vishnu/Krishna or Siva to be “The universal Deity” from which all has come, are no different than a fundamentalist/universalist in any religion.
October 25th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
It is actually because of this “Hindu Universalism” (and one will find extreme Vaishnavaism at its core) that we have the ever-popular yoga non-sense;i.e., that yoga is anything anybody wants it to be (except, “of course” Hindu).
October 25th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Swami Param seems to see fundamentalism in everything but funny thing is he doesn’t know what fundamentalism means.
October 25th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Agreed Harish.
After reading ‘Swami’ Param’s posts for a few months, I have come to the conclusion that he should invest in a good quality dictionary, study it for a few months (especially study the meaning of the word fundamentalist), and only post here AFTER he has done that.
October 25th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
The media portrays us The Hindus as fundamentalists just because we ask to be treated the same way that people from others faiths are being treated. In this day and age it seems the world is against Hindu people. Well I think we should keep this revival up, we can only benefit from it, but at the same time we have to be weary of the so called Hindus who mingle with us but have the mind of a muslim-by that I mean do whatever they can to drag us down just because they want to be politically correct
October 26th, 2006 at 10:38 am
I put the FUN in Hindu fundementalism, even some of the MENTAL!
October 26th, 2006 at 11:30 am
fundamentalist Hindu means Hindus those who read Vedas, Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita and follow the messages. That automatically imply love for all creature, because according to Rig Veda, Love of Brahman is the beginning of all creations. As a result a fundamentalist Hindu should not differentiate between a Hindu and Christian, they are all created by the same Brahman. That is the reason Hindu religion is universal, as it accepts there are many ways one can approach The God, whereas other religion says there is only one way.
October 29th, 2006 at 4:39 am
The article reads well. However there is hardly anything new the author says. The arguement he offers that Hinduism is universalist in its charecter and the Hindutva forces are tainting it with their activities has been the strain of many secularists’ arguements in India. The attacks on the Hindu communitywhether directly like the attacks of the jihadis or indirectly like the governments both state and central have been on the increase after the Congress came to power. The international community and the press have preconceived notions about Hinduism or Hindutva which are exacerbated by the hostile Indian media with its exaggerated and distorted reports. So it is natural that Hindus with all their ahimsa are forced to become militant(not the like the Islamic militancy) for self- preservation.In Kashmir Hindu population is just wiped out. Those who have fled for their life are languishing on the streets of Delhi as refugees in their own country. Poor lot they do not even enjoy the priveleges extended to Bangldesh muslim refugees in West Bengal by the Marxist government there. The self proclaimed liberals in India plead for mercy for a Kashmiri terrorist. It is not surprising that people who have feeling for the Hindus predicament should speak in a language unpalatable to the liberal minds. So the need of the hour is not sympathy but empathy. In the Bhagvat Gita Krishna exhorted Arjuna to fight against the evil forces. The modern liberals like Arjuna mouthing eternal verities while their fellow men are ruthlessly killed in bomb blasts etc. A brahmin like Chanukya had to adopt ” Kshatram” to save his land from evil. It is difficult to imagine the plight of Hindus in Mumbai with out Shiva Sena.So an element of “Kshatram” is essential for Hindus in the present situation. ” Brahmyam”is idael during the times of peace.
October 30th, 2006 at 7:57 am
I agree that Hindus must stand up against false propaganda against Hinduism and the attacks on Hindus in Kashmir, Bangladesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, but one cannot call up Siva Sena. Siva Sena is a fanatic criminal infested organization that attacks everyother Indians, whether they are Tamils, or Biharis or Karnatakas, anyone who is not a Marathis. This is a racist organization of the Marathis, Hinduism should not have anything to do with it unless you say only Marathis are Hindus. .
October 30th, 2006 at 7:59 am
Politicalized Hindus like BJP-Hindutva-Siva Sena have done much harm, as they do not believe in true Hinduism. We also know when BJP was in power, they did absolute nothing for the Hindus in Kashmir or Bangladesh or Malaysia.
October 30th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
“Politicalized Hindus like BJP-Hindutva-Siva Sena have done much harm, as they do not believe in true Hinduism. We also know when BJP was in power, they did absolute nothing for the Hindus in Kashmir or Bangladesh or Malaysia.”
You mean they do not believe in your cultish definition of Hinduism, sorry to say many Hindus also don’t believe in that and think you are a nutter who escaped out of a mental asylum.
October 31st, 2006 at 1:45 am
In lighter notes Harishji, when you quote Dipak and comment that Dipak is a nutter who escaped from asylum etc….for a moment do you think of yourself? Think of a person who makes comments quoting the statement of a ” nutter”…
:-))
Now Harishji, would it not be better to focus on issues and make your views available for readers in clear crisp lines, so that the process of thinking develops better? what use is there by shifting focus towards indiviudals instead of issues?
What Dipakji said is right - as thought by hundreds of thousands of people. You have full freedom not to accept that statment and refute it and do refute it by explanations, reasonings.
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE
October 31st, 2006 at 1:10 pm
“Now Harishji, would it not be better to focus on issues and make your views available for readers in clear crisp lines, so that the process of thinking develops better? what use is there by shifting focus towards indiviudals instead of issues?”
Well modern day Bapuji, first go and read what kind of comments Dipak made about me in the other threads, that we all represent the backward primitive Hinduism while this loser is some kind of jet set progressive (at least he thinks so).
I don’t have a habit of giving respect to losers but you can do that.
October 31st, 2006 at 3:59 pm
very nice..
In a class, if there are 30 students and the same teacher teaches all the students at the same time and then gives a test…is there one instance when all the studetns get same marks?
why they are not able to get same marks ( assuming the teacher is totally impartial and not favouring one or the other).
That is the perception we all have. May be your level of understanding is better than mine. And if that is so, being a class mate, you will only try to help me to understand better…and after some time, you may decide to give up…there the matter ends.
You are not going to gain anything by following others’ footsteps ..except some momentary happiness, but along with that, you are contributing in creating some hatred. When the idot me develops a hatred - since already my thinking ability is less, it gets converted into violence. Does that help….any one?????????? in anyway??????
This communication site is meant to help us alot in bettering our understanding.
We Hindus say ” LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU”
what a meaningful sentence….But do we really mean that when we say that?
For many of us, our ‘LOKA’ ends at the boundary wall of our home…it it gets extended, may be a little more to our relatives…then to some of our friends…
It is high time we mean what we say….and we explain the meaning to others ..in lettter and spirit….by words and deeds
That includes our way of communication too..
I have no problem in your making fun of me…if it helps,
But if we can communicate and help others to communicate the same way, we can then see a real growth
and
we grow to MATURITY
October 31st, 2006 at 4:17 pm
I don’t say “LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU”, that is nuts, I wish that the anti Hindu jihadis and others die a horrible death for their atrocities and I have no wish that they live in peace.
I don’t have time to love my enemies and turning the other cheek.
November 1st, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Harishji,
That clearly shows that you are no Hindu…in terms of understanding of Hinduism…and that also shows that your understanding is exactly same as that of other theologicians…
In the process of understanding Hinduism, while you are free to have ignorance and ignorance born limitations, growth to maturity does not permit you to have any enemy. If your past Karma has helped you to have a birth as a Hindu in this birth, still unfructified Karmas of past birth and new accumulated Karma etc may give one a birth some time as a muslim and can also be some one like Bind Laden…and in that case, would u also wish to have a similar wish for yourself??
By being born to parents of Hinduism does not make one HINDU…one need to learn and grow to Maturity
One need to learn the SANATANA DHARMA
One need to learn and understand what is law of Karma..
if these things are known, then one will be able to face any stressful situation.
November 1st, 2006 at 10:33 pm
You guys are great! This is extremely entertaining sometimes.
As to the topic, one of the many powerful lessons of hinduism is that enemies can share the same faith or be of different faiths. But we are one in soul.
Thus we are allowed to be and expected to be partial in our behavior - Kuru v Pandava. But we are also to be universal in our outlook that our enemy is ourself - within us is the enemy and within our enemy is our own ego desires.
I agree also that sometimes these discussions become arguements but that too is the nature of discussion with passion, which is wonderful.
hariaum
November 1st, 2006 at 10:40 pm
pairamblr you are a nobody so don’t go around passing judgement on who is a Hindu or not.
Arjuna didn’t go around saying “LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU” when he went into battle, that would clearly be a contradiction, it would have been utter nonsense if Shivaji wished that Aurangzeb lived a long and comfortable nonsense.
I don’t need lectures from self righteous people like you who never stand up when Hindus get persecuted, instead you preach nonsense that we should wish the terrorists well, so why don’t you go and live in Kashmir?
Instead you live comfortably and expect Hindus who actually face the attack to turn the other cheek, tell the Kashmiri Pandit refugees your nonsense and see what kind of response you will get.
It’s people like you who had always handicapped Hindus and put us through years of slavery first under the Muslims and later under the British and now under the secular Indian gov’t.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Pairambir is just some self righteous and self glorified philosopher, that uses long preambles and words to confuse people into agreeing with him. To me he is a moron and wierdo that we Hindus surely can afford to lose!
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:29 pm
very nice that we have one more in Park X..
So Harishji and Parkji,
No doubt Pairam is a moron and no doubt that he is a wierdo ..
Fortunately that is why we have different section of people. Intelligent ones like you people and idiotic students like me..
By the way, Hinduism also teaches us about Duties …as a student, as teacher, as a soldier, as …..the list goes on and on…so Arjuna went to Kurukshetra to fight as what??? But the same Arjuna also had problems when he saw his own relatives at the battle field….and then if you have read GITA, then u know that Arjuna became a Sishya and Krishna a Guru and …that is what GITA is teaching us …
I am not still a Hindu,(in knowing Hinduism) but only a student of Hinduism…and like Navin said, enjoy these discussions and “taunts” (?)…
But, I like replies which give reasons, which sound logical, which sound practical and which brings people together and which make every one ENJOY THE DIVERSITY of this creation.
I have no problem with people belonging to Islam - i mean in debating and discussing - We find it very easy to disarm them by logic and reasoning…and we always insist that PRAYER IN ANY FORM IS VERY GOOD, …we do not try to convert any one, our intention is only discussion to understand better…
I can assure you that this creates no hatred, no ill feeling and gives the other person ” FOOD FOR THOUGHT ”
and finally my dear Harishji and Parkji…
How will you differentiate yourself as intelligent etc…unless there are morons like us …
enjoy
November 2nd, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Pairam…you missed the point…people like Harish and Parkx are, like me, and MANY other Hindus, sick of Hindus who go on this spiritual rant. You are advocating a weak and ultra tolerant Hinduism, when all WE are asking for is that Hindus fight for their religion and show solidarity, strength and resolve.
I personally do ont want Hindus to be recklessly violent or aggressive for no reason at all, but I think its human nature and only sensible to fight for what is right and to ask for what other religions are afforded without second consideration.
November 2nd, 2006 at 10:38 pm
No one is nothing. Everyone is everything and everything is nothing but Brahman.
There are hindus that are warriors, teachers, followers, explorers, spiritualists, homemakers. To be a hindu, htough it is not a graded quality, is not in how aggresively we claim to be hindu but how passionately we seek brahman.
Sometimes seeking brahman is to fight, sometimes it is to shelter. But it is always to love. From desire comes anger which is the fall of all. Thus we use war for justice (Arjuna), we use teaching for edification (Krishna), we use idols for dhyana….
The quetion before each person is when to use what tool.
One thing that I like about this site is that multiple views of hinduism are presented. If we bludgen everyone with a different view we will cut off discussion and thus promote avidya. If that is what you seek, then please do so. If unifying Hindus is what you seek - to create a unified Hindu global perspective - I ask all authors to consider this - open dialogue - a value for I am ignorant and I need the help.
hariaum
November 3rd, 2006 at 1:31 am
Proud Hinduji,
What you say is exactly stated by Navinji.
No one - i mean whom ever think Hindu - is not against defence. When you say reckless violence- may be there is a problem. Duty of soldier is defence and may be offence against defence - which is part of a strategy. Removal of certain part of body to combat spread of some disease is part of DUTY of the surgeon. Beating a thief ( if beating is permited ) is part of the DUTY of the police. So that is all part of DUTY which is Dharma. So also Arjuna as a warrior had to fight which was after the failure of their discussions. No one is against that.
But in all these, EDUCATION IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE. To know what is DHARMA, what is LAW OF KARMA, how law of KARMA affects us in our DAY TO DAY LIFE…all that is important and for one who understands these factors, LIFE BECOMES EASY, STRESS FREE, ENEMY FREE, etc. This is not philosophy…but truth.
Our problem is one of IGNORANCE…
we think the Doctor may not have attended the patient as he didnt get money from the patient’s people, so the patient died and then break out the hospital equipments.
Just a few weeks back, a new VOLVO bus went beserk , hit a three wheeler, two scooters etc near Hindustan Aeronautics killing may be 3 to 6 people ( i do not remember …sorry abt that ). The ” mob ” turned violent and burnt the bus. The driver of the bus escaped in the confusion and bus was so fully burnt that now the driver has said the breaks failed and there is no way to check his statment. On the other hand, VOLVO knows very well that the chances of breaks failure in their bus is very very remote as that is the latest technology, still they do not wish to reject the statement of driver as they need to investigate from the future point of view.
This is what we try to bring to the notice of people….Let not ANGER rule us, but objectivity, reasoning, logic etc be the guiding factors.
I wonder if you people have come across recent report on Muslims in India thru the daily Indian Express. As per that, “Jails ” are the only places where Muslims are represented more than the percentage ( proportionately) the should be. Is it not interesting? After 50 years of Independence, and rule by a party which is supposed to be in favour of helping minority etc, the plight of these poor people is still so bad…
This need to be brought to the notice of these poor people. The ones who understand this need to tell these poor people that they are given toffee and cakes are eater by their leaders. these poor people are happy with toffee and live in their huts, face all the floods and dengue and all that, while the CREAMY LAYER enjoy taking all the benefit that is meant for the poor. AT the same time when some one burn a book ( may be it a Qran in the prisoners camp in usa) poor people of islam go on violence and some of them die also.
All these is related to EDUCATION….removal of IGNORANCE.
The same apply to us. Once we get educated, one the COVER OF IGNORANCE gets removed, little by little, then OUR LIFE becomes more meaningful.
Like Navinji said, we start seeing ” I ” in every one including Hinduji, Harishji, Parkji ….every one…
we start understanding the meaning of
OM POORNAMATAH POORNAMIDAM ………
I can say all that is meaningless in my day to day life…..
But the sad part is that when I say that, I say that with the Ignorance as I dont even know what it means and then I reject it.
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE.
enjoy
November 3rd, 2006 at 9:57 am
There are two types of Hinduism: (a) Progessive Hinduism propagated by Sri Chaitanya, Ramanuj, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo and Raja Ram Mohan Roy; (b) Traditional Backward Hinduism propagated by BJP, SivaSena, Vishwa Hindu Parisad etc etc.
In the former there is only one God Brahman, there are three most important holy books Vedas, Upanisad and most important of all Bhagwat Gita. There is no caste system or any other social oppressions. It invites everyone and universal. This Hinduism is respected and certainly universal.
In the traditional Backward Hinduism, Puranic gods, millions of them are being worshipped by sacrificing children in front of Kali, encouraging open sex in the name of Tantra with majicians posing as Guru Maharaj taking Rolex watches from Arfo-Hair. They glorify widow burning in the name of Sati; encourage child marriage, they would not allow backward castes to read the holy books; they do not allow lower castes or women to enter the temple. They have no sympathy for the poor but spend millions to build temples. They do not read any holy books nor do they understand what is Hindu religion. In this version criminals can pose the Hindu hero( like Bal Thakare of Siva Sena or Pramod Mahajan or D.P.Yadav of BJP).
This type of Hinduism is the object of amusement and contempt for the rest of the world.
November 3rd, 2006 at 12:05 pm
“(a) Progessive Hinduism propagated by Sri Chaitanya, Ramanuj, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo and Raja Ram Mohan Roy; (b) Traditional Backward Hinduism propagated by BJP, SivaSena, Vishwa Hindu Parisad etc etc.”
hehe Vivekananda himself worshipped Hindus Gods/Goddesses, his Guru himself was a devotee of Kali, Aurobindo himself always spoke of Shakti/Devi and the early revolutionaries all took vows before Kali to sacrifice their lives for Indian freedom, none of them rejected Hindu Gods/Godesses just to appear progressive to your white masters.
But your fellow coconuts like Ram Mohan for sure did.
“In the traditional Backward Hinduism, Puranic gods, millions of them are being worshipped by sacrificing children in front of Kali”
Dipak this is a very serious charge, I would like you to prove that right now in India that there is rampant child sacrifice or else withdraw your slander.
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:27 pm
I dont care about shiv sena, bjp etc etc…all I say is as Hindus we shouldnt be inept, we should fight for what is right (as apposed to the gandhian philosophy of turn the other cheak). Im not here to propogate any organisations or agendas. My only agenda is to try and make pacifist Hindus who always seem to bend over backwards to seem ultra tolerant, ultra pacifist, ultra accomadating and innanely secular, see that this route doesnt work in modern society. In a perfect world perhaps. But we dont live in a perfect world. Slowly but surely Hindus are getting oppressed, disregarded and vilified by the world..and Hindus just sit and go on a spiritual rant. Less talk, more action.
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:32 pm
I’s still like to see Dipak Bose come out with some proof for
“In the traditional Backward Hinduism, Puranic gods, millions of them are being worshipped by sacrificing children in front of Kali”
He has parroted this line enough times now to warrant some basis. Man!! How many times has he seen Temple of Doom.
http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/7/Kali.htm
November 4th, 2006 at 5:57 am
Saturday November 4, 2006
The Guardian
“A spiritual group whose “living god” founder has been accused of sexually abusing young boys has become an accredited partner of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, the Guardian can reveal.
Last night pressure was mounting on the charity to break its links with the group whose followers are devoted to the preachings of 79-year-old holy man, Sai Baba.”
November 4th, 2006 at 6:06 am
Dan McDougall in Khurja, India
Sunday March 5, 2006
The Observer
It’s an intolerable life in the remote village of Barha, a squalid collection of mud-bricked farmers’ dwellings in the heart of the impoverished province of Khurja, Uttar Pradesh. This corner of rural India is a lawless place of superstitions and deep prejudice. The region, known for its sugarcane, is a tortuous eight-hour drive from Delhi and a lifetime away from the 21st century.
In Bulandshahr, the nearest town of any description, locals whispered darkly of happenings in Barha. Their advice was unanimous: ‘Don’t go. It is an evil place. The people there are cursed.’
Sumitra Bushan, 43, who lived in Barha for most of her life, certainly thought she was cursed. Her husband had long abandoned her, leaving her with debts and a life of servitude in the sugarcane fields. Her sons, Satbir, 27, and Sanjay, 23, were regarded as layabouts. Life was bad but then the nightmares and terrifying visions of Kali allegedly began, not just for Sumitra but her entire family.
She consulted a tantrik, a travelling ‘holy man’ who came to the village occasionally, dispensing advice and putrid medicines from the rusty amulets around his neck.
His guidance to Sumitra was to slaughter a chicken at the entrance to her home and offer the blood and remains to the goddess. She did so but the nightmares continued and she began waking up screaming in the heat of the night and returned to the priest. ‘For the sake of your family,’ he told her, ‘you must sacrifice another, a boy from your village.’
Ten days ago Sumitra and her two sons crept to their neighbour’s home and abducted three-year-old Aakash Singh as he slept. They dragged him into their home and the eldest son performed a puja ceremony, reciting a mantra and waving incense. Sumitra smeared sandalwood paste and globules of ghee over the terrified child’s body. The two men then used a knife to slice off the child’s nose, ears and hands before laying him, bleeding, in front of Kali’s image.
In the morning Sumitra told villagers she had found Aakash’s body outside her house. But they attacked and beat her sons who allegedly confessed. ‘I killed the boy so my mother could be safe,’ Sanjay screamed. All three are now in prison, having escaped lynch mob justice. The tantrik has yet to be found.
Police in Khurja say dozens of sacrifices have been made over the past six months. Last month, in a village near Barha, a woman hacked her neighbour’s three-year-old to death after a tantrik promised unlimited riches. In another case, a couple desperate for a son had a six-year-old kidnapped and then, as the tantrik chanted mantras, mutilated the child. The woman completed the ritual by washing in the child’s blood.
‘It’s because of blind superstitions and rampant illiteracy that this woman sacrificed this boy,’ said Khurja police officer AK Singh. ‘It’s happened before and will happen again but there is little we can do to stop it. In most situations it’s an open and shut case. It isn’t difficult to elicit confessions - normally the villagers or the families of the victims do that for us. This has been going on for centuries; these people are living in the dark ages.’
According to an unofficial tally by the local newspaper, there have been 28 human sacrifices in western Uttar Pradesh in the last four months. Four tantrik priests have been jailed and scores of others forced to flee.
November 4th, 2006 at 6:12 am
Siva Sena would not fight for the Hindus, but fight only against any non-Marathis coming to Bombay. They used to attack Tamil Hindus; two years ago they have attacked Bihari Hindus. They have forced the former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court to resign because he was a Bengali ( not a Marathi) hindu.
BJP would not fight for the Hindus either. 5 years ago when Begum Zia started her campaign to kill and expell Hindus from Bangladesh, Vajpayee sent Brajesh Mishra to congratulate Begum Zia and to offer tax free exports of Bangladesh to India. there was no official protests against the continuous killings of the Hindus in Bangladesh.
BJP has done nothing so that Hindus expelled from Kashmir can go back to their home.
November 4th, 2006 at 6:44 am
Indian temple revives ‘human sacrifice’
Human sacrifice was thought to have died out
By Rahul Karmakar
in Guwahati, north-eastern India
Followers of a Hindu cult in India’s north-eastern state of Assam have revived the ancient practice of human sacrifice.
A willing human being is difficult to find these days
Temple researcher Dr Pradeep Sharmah
But in the absence of human volunteers, devotees at the Kamakhya Temple near the state capital Guwahati are using six-foot effigies made of flour for the rite.
Steeped in secrecy, human sacrifices to the Mother Goddess Shakti were thought to have died out completely.
The revival of the “Nara bali” practice a few years ago would have remained under wraps had it not been for an academic researching the temple, one of India’s holiest pilgrimage sites.
The cult followers had apparently wanted live humans to revive the gory tradition, but opted for an effigy instead fearing a backlash.
Ancient worship
“A willing human being is difficult to find these days,” said Dr Pradeep Sharmah, director of the Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture (VKIC).
He said priests had already been heavily criticised by animal rights groups for their use of animals in ritual sacrifices, hence their decision to use human effigies instead of the real thing.
Dr Sharmah was inducted into the inner circle of a handful of “Shakta” priests after he won their trust.
“The sacrifice is made at midnight, on the day of Ashtami during the 10-day autumnal Durga Puja,” said Dr Sharmah.
But it can also be carried out on any day specified by divine forces.
“The ancient worshippers believed that the person to be sacrificed was sent by god, and as a rule a woman would never be put to the altar,” Dr Sharmah said.
The Kamakhya Temple attracts some 10,000 devotees per day, but certain aspects of the temple’s ceremonies - including sacrifices - have been kept closely-guarded secrets.
No witnesses
The administrator of the Kamakhya Trust, Bharati Prasad Sarma, said that no outsiders were ever allowed to witness a sacrifice.
Thousands of devotees worship at the temple
“It is believed that if anyone tries to see the act, evil is bestowed upon him by the Mother,” he said.
The administrator said the schoolboy son of a temple priest, or panda, fell blind last year when he tried secretly to watch a ceremony.
The pandas say that only a chosen few are eligible to conduct a sacrifice.
Research shows that human sacrifice at Kamakhya was first revived 75 years ago, but was discontinued a few years later.
A 1933 journal of the Assam Research Society says that living people were sacrificed until the reign of King Gaurinath Singha between 1780 and 1796.
Records of earlier periods at the Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies indicate that the practice was widespread in Assam.
November 4th, 2006 at 8:55 am
Here is another example of the FALSE HINDUISM. Puri’s Jaggannath is not a Hindu diety at all, it ( or they) is a god of the tribals of Orissa orginally. The Temple of Puri was built by a King of Orrisa after he has conquered Andhra Pradesh with the help of the tribal army of Orrissa. Later Hindus took over the temple by saying Jaggannath is a Hindu god. When Sankar came to Puri in 9th century he had denied that Jagganath is a Hindu god. :
At least 4 killed, 25 injured in Puri
Press Trust of India & Reuters
\Saturday, November 04, 2006 at 0926 hours IST
Puri, November 4: At least four people were killed and about 25 others injured, two of them seriously, in a stampede in the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri on Saturday morning.
The stampede occurred when a huge crowd, mostly old people, tried to enter the shrine for a ‘darshan’ of the deities on the occasion of ‘Badaosha’ festival in the month of Kartik.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Swami Agnivesh said, :
“There is no mention of temples in the Vedas, clearly indicting that in the Vedic vision God does not live in structures of stone and lime, but in the hearts and minds of people.
Saffron is a symbol of the spirit of renunciation. Hindutva has degraded saffron into the colour of murder and rape. Worse than pseudo-Gandhians who cheapened khadi, sadhus who sold themselves to the Hindutva camp have fouled saffron and destroyed its symbolic meaning and sanctity.
Yet another aspect of Hindutva’s hijacking strategy is the studied neglect of Hindu scriptures. The real proof that a person or group is genuinely interested in Hinduism is the eagerness to understand our scriptures and to uphold its spiritual mandate. The Hindutva camp is marked by its total indifference to Hindu scriptures. They do not respond to issues according to the light of the Vedas, Upanishads or the gentle teachings of the Puranas and Bhagavatam.
Corrupting the culture of Hinduism is a key element in Hindutva strategy. This is a serious thing, because more than any other religion, Hinduism is a way of life. It is a distinct culture, marked by politeness, hospitality, an intricate web of courtesies, values and relationships. The sound and fury of Hindutva are in stark contrast to all this.
Hinduism is a way of life and within that way of life there is no room for communal riots, rape and roguish behaviour. Mercifully, today there are growing signs that more and more Hindus are waking up to this grave danger.
Whatever else Hindutva is, it is not Hinduism. Communalism and religious fundamentalism are signs of sickness; they flourish when religions decay and fall into the lap of vested interests. Saving a religious tradition from the corrupting stranglehold of communalists is a greater and more urgent need than defending a religion from its alleged external enemies.
Hinduism stayed safe and steady despite every imaginable threat from outsiders. But this is the first time it is facing an organised and determined attack from within. When enemies put on the masks of saviours, there is need to wake up and resist them. “
Swami Agnivesh
November 4th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
hehe you show 3 incidents out of a population of billion and call this proof.
One of those incidents had nothing at all to do with child sacrifice but a stampede, you moron what does having a stampede have to do with the worship of Jagannath?
Retards like you who never do anything constructive in their lives have no right to talk on behalf of Hindus.
You quote that clown Agnivesh, that guy has been in regular company with anti Hindu commies and p-secs and has been expelled from the Arya Samaj, so no wonder you find him great because in the end you are just like that loser.
November 4th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
hehe you show 3 incidents out of a population of billion and call this proof.
One of those incidents had nothing at all to do with child sacrifice but a stampede, you moron what does having a stampede have to do with the worship of Jagannath?
Retards like you who never do anything constructive in their lives have no right to talk on behalf of Hindus.
You quote that clown Agnivesh, that guy has been in regular company with anti Hindu commies and p-secs and has been expelled from the Arya Samaj, so no wonder you find him great because in the end you are just like that loser.
November 4th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
Part of being Hindu is employing DANDANITI ie punishing those who need it.
I am Hinduvadi….
Nationalism is fine, jingoism(my country right or wrong) is the problem…
Narendra Modi doesn’t ask us to give up our thinking caps to believe in Ram Rajya!!!!
November 4th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
yep…out of a population of billions, your comments are hardly representative…and cults are exactly that..cults.
Besides, how does this link with being a proud and strong Hindu who fights for what is right?
and Sai Baba…not veeryone, including myself, believes in what he says and preaches.
November 5th, 2006 at 5:52 am
The evidences I gave are proof enough to show that human scarifice is being practiced even today for the Puranic false gods like Kali, or Chamunda or and various other Tantric idols, which are considered as godly by Sri Krishna or Upanisad or Rig Veda.
Raja Rammohan Roy had struggled to abolish Sati, to raise the minimum age of marriage to 15, to provide educatioinal rights for women, to give women right to have property. Before his time British had colleges( For William College Calcutta and Serampore College, West Bengal) just to teach Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian. Raja Rammohan Roy struggled to to establish Hindu College, which became the Calcutta University so that Indian students can learn European science and technology. Later he has pressured the British to establish fullscale Universities, as a result first Calcutta, then Madras and Bombay Universities were established.
Raja Rammohan Roy has tried to reform Hindu religion to get rid of perverted practices in the name of religion. He has established Bramho Samaj to propagate true Hinduism and give a strong reply to the missioneries who were determined to convert all Hindus to Christianity by pointing out Sati, human sacrifices, child marriages, torture and humuliations of the Dalits. Raja Rammohan Roy did his best to prove these are not true Hinduism and then went on to abolish these evil practices. Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo are direct deciples of Raja Rammohan Roy along with Rabindranath Tagore, Surendranath Banerjee and Umesh Chandra Banerjee, the later two were responsible for the establishment of the Indian National Congress.
Raja Rammohan Roy was the first in India to print newspapers in both Urdu and Bengali laguages to initiate political discussions. Political awareness
of the Indian people were initiated by him.
By all means he was the founding father for Indian rejuvination after the long nights of Muslim rule. So if you Hindutva people ignore him or insult him you are insulting the very core of Indian nationalism.
Hindutva is an evil doctrine put forward by the most corrupt, dreadful criminals of India, Siva Sena, BJP, and others.
November 5th, 2006 at 6:15 am
The incidents that DB brings our are important for the Hindu psyche. They are interpreted, if not actually, as signs of the primitiveness of Hindus. Even the recent threat of Dalits to convert if they are not allowed to enter a temple is a rea issue. They ought not to be issue because all of us in touch with the wider world can call them utter misrepresentations of Hinduism. But we must also protect those that are oppressed by “hindus.” The idea that Hinduism is a geogrpahic or historical identity implies who the human heros and enemies are. The understanding that Krishna is the actor on Krishna allows us to look at ourselves and find room to improve. Then (and simultaneously) we can look out and find room to improve the universe of sentient beings.
H is also correct that we should understand such occurrrences in a statistical understanding. In a billion people a few nuts must crack. The so called liberal west still sustains slavery, trade in arms, and economic banditry backed by post-colonial institutions of false justice. The oppression that is seen in hinduism is far less than what is seen in christianity, islam, communism, and the so called free economy. The ratio of broken nuts per population is the way we can understand a sytemic flaw in the systems of ideology. Then we can hypothesize why those differences occur - gauranteed admission into heaven desptie sins (akarma), false saviors, ego-glorification as the end goal (entry to heaven)…
With these both perspectives we can become responsible Hindus ready to make the state of mankind better (at least until Krishna decides really what happens next).
hariaum
November 5th, 2006 at 6:43 am
The evidences I gave are proof enough to show that human scarifice is being practiced even today for the Puranic false gods like Kali, or Chamunda or and various other Tantric idols, which are NOT considered as godly by Sri Krishna or Upanisad or Rig Veda.
It is upto the Hindus, to decide wther you follow the True Hinduism or False Hinduism of Siva Sena, BJP, Hindutva, or Fake Yogis who would allow you to touch their feet only if you can affrord $1000.
India is still backward because most of the people of India have never bothered to read their holy books of Hinduism, they do not follow Sri Krishna or Swami Vevakananda or Sri Aurobindo but false propagators like Bhagwan Rajnish or many other Guru Maharajs who for centuries practiced the False Hinduism.
If you follow False Hinduism, you are the worse enemy of Hinduism, because then the rest of the World would consider Hinduism as an object of amusement.
It is very unfortunate that Hindus in Britain are influenced so much by the False Hinduism.
November 5th, 2006 at 9:24 am
Well Dipak maybe u can go to the place where they do sacrifices and offer youself as one. WE HINDUS R betteer of without the likes of u.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:23 am
Dipakji knows ‘ A LOT OF THINGS’. But does Dipakji knows that his knowledge is very limited too? His postings are indeed very interesting and will be very useful when one tries to convert one from Hinduism to some other religion. But sadly, he has no data available with him. Several of the participants asked Dipakji to compare the bad things that is happening in Hindu community to the population, area, infrastructure, etc and then corelate these and he will find that it is absolutely negligible. Also, he need to understand that Hinduism being totally free ( as it gives the FREE WILL of an individual to do whatever one wants to do… to be a Mahatma Gandhi or Bin laden…along with the results and in results one has no choice but to accept ). This freedom along with the ignorance has resulted in so many different blind beliefs and actions related to that, but that is also now very very less as more and more education is imparted to these people.
However, Dipakji is having full freedom to believe what he thinks right and continue to believe that - but his believing will end one day when he gets the knowledge and like that, step by step he too will come to know more and more. So we have no complaints about his way of thinking.
Interestingly, if you notice, Hinduism has no conflict with any one on conversion - if one converts of his own - Hinduism complaints of conversion by inducement and coersion…
Law of Karma and Sanatana Dharma though has been talked by Hinduism and as of now we do not have any data available if the same was talked by any other set of people in any other part of the world, it will be IDIOTIC on our part to say that these two apply only to people who are born to Hindu Parentage. These are universal law and some know about that and many do not know about that. People who do not know about that will come to know about that some time- may be in this birth or in some later birth as every one need to one day resolve in to the totality.
( now do not ask me please to explain that last sentence with proof as I am only a student and i am trying to understand that…may be in this birth or may be in a later birth…lol)
November 5th, 2006 at 11:26 am
“Hinduism being totally free ( as it gives the FREE WILL of an individual to do whatever one wants to do… to be a Mahatma Gandhi or Bin laden…along with the results and in results one has no choice but to accept ). “:
You have no idea about Hinduism. Just go and read the holy books, it is a waste of time arguing with a bunch of people who never read anything, but just chating.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:35 am
“His postings are indeed very interesting and will be very useful when one tries to convert one from Hinduism to some other religion.”
I am trying to convert you from False Hinduism( Puran, Tantra Mantra, Gurumaharaj, fake Yogis) to True Hinduism ( as given in Bhagwat Gita, Upanisad and Rig Veda).
If you believe in False Hinduism, you are an enemy of Hinduism.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Dipak Boseji, fine, agree that I do not know anything about Hinduism and I am eager to learn. That is why from the first instance I have been saying that I am only a student. I may have real wrong ideas. But then a person like you who knows what is Hinduism , who write about upanishads etc need to write in here why you disagree. Take for eg CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD…WHAT DOES THAT TEACH US…Kindly let us know. else, take BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD…take any of them and let us know what does it teach us..
I am an Idiot and I wish some one help me to come out of that. And from what I read here, who else but Dipak Bose ji could be better since Dipak knows a lot on this subject??
waiting eagerly to hear and no offence meant at all
November 5th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
Dipak I don’t have time to go through your long rambling posts about your coconut idol Ram Mohan.
Actually as Park X said you should go and offer yourself as a sacrifice cuz we are better off without traitors like you among us.
And don’t try to take the name of Aurobindo and Vivekananda, Aurobindo wrote a book called “Bankim, Tilak and Dayananda” wherein he lavishes fullsome praise on Bankim and Bande Mataram, it may be shocking to your white washed brain but Bankim compares India to Durga Ma in Bande Mataram and this is the song Aurobindo and millions of other Hindus took as insipration for the freedom struggle.
Vivekananda’s own Guru was a devotee of