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 Kali.
I can understand your attraction for Ram Mohan because he was a coconut like you.
As for true Hinduism and fake Hinduism, well we all know which Hinduism most Hindus follow and it’s certainly not your cult of 3 Holy books and worship of white masters.
November 5th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Here is Aurobindo describing his experience at a Kali Mandir:
Once Sri Aurobindo visited a Kali Temple on the bank of the Narmada. He said:
“With my Europeanised mind I had no faith in image-worship and I hardly believed in the presence of God.”
But he was compelled to do so when he looked at the image and saw a living Divine Presence. As he wrote afterwards:
“You stand before a temple of Kali beside a sacred river and see what? - a sculpture, a gracious piece of architecture, but in a moment mysteriously, unexpectedly there is instead a Presence, a Power, a Face that looks into yours, an inner sight in you has regarded the World-Mother.”
http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/sriauro/aurolife.htm
So enuf said and stop distorting the messages of great personalities like him to suit your cultish ideas.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:56 am
I was in the Belur Math founded by Swami Vivekananda for about three months. There is no temple of Kali or any other deities. the main prayer hall is just a prayer hall, without any idols.
Swami Vivekananda’s guru Ramkrishna Param Hansa was a devotee of Kali, but he was also converted into both Islam and Chrisianity.
Sri Aurobindo had different phases in his life. In the beginning he was a revolutionary and as a result just like most revolutionaries of Bengal he used to worship Kali. At that time he was Aurobindo Ghosh. His final phase when he became Sri Aurobindo he has , just like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and most other important personalities of India, became a follower of Raja Rammohan Roy.
November 6th, 2006 at 2:23 am
Pairambir: I never said that you are an idiot, I am not from the Siva Sena or BJP or VHP.
I said that you canot say Hinduism gives you complete freedom to think anything in the name of Hinduism, so that even Ben Laden, as you said, can be a Hindu. Hinduism has its discipline, its own doctrine, philosophy, ideas expressed very clearly in Rig Veda, Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita. You have to read to know these. It is absurd to ask any one to describe these, as both Rig Veda and Upanisads are huge books. Bhagwat Gita has summerized all knowledges, and it is not a big book, so you should start from Gita, the most important book for the Hindus( excluding the supporters of Siva Sena, BJP and VHP).
The Chandogya Upanisad has ten chapters. It stresses, unlike that of Rig Veda, the internal sacrifice, the one in the mind and the soul, rather than external ritual ( Sri Krishna said the samein Bhagwat Gita). Then it explains the concept of Brahman as the foundation of man. The concept of reincarnations are explained in the chapters called Five Fires.
Brhadaranyaka Upanisad deals with the concepts of Brahman and Atman. Brahman is explained in terms of two forms: Sat and Tya. Sat is the material body. Tya is immortal being. It reflects tendencies towards both objective and subjective idealism and towards materialism. The connections between senses and reasonings were discussed in detail.
However, there is no Kali, or Chamunda or Jagannath here. These Puranic gods and godesses are not recognized by Rig Veda, Upanisad or Bhagwat Gita. For detailsd you need to read the original books.
November 6th, 2006 at 8:57 am
many thanks Dipakji,
Now what u have explained about the Chandogya and Bruhadaranyaka ..can u kindly tell me from where u got this? is it translation or u read it in Sanskrit and then this is the way u understand it?
What u say, is it available on any website?
I am asking all these because, what i have heard of Brahman is that it is the absolute and with out any form etc… I also heard that in one of the stories stated there in the father asking the son when he returns from his school after 12 years of study and ( when the son tells his father that he now has studied everything) if he has that knowledge, knowing of which makes him know everything..( or something like that)
Also in Gita I have heard people telling that Krishna talks about Saguna , Nirguna etc…
What does that mean?
I do not know anything about VEDA, but what i am told is that VEDA is meant for getting the desired results…and these VEDAs specify various yajnas and then these yajnas are performed, the GOD helps to get the desired results etc… From your reading VEDAs how do u differ from those statements above??
November 6th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Shri Aurobindo’s famous ‘Uttarpara Speech’ delivered on 30 May 1909: “I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatan Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma, with it it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatan Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatan Dharma it would perish.The Sanatan Dharma, that is nationalism. This is the message that I have to speak to you”.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Sanatan Dharma indeed declined since the beginning of the koli Yuga, after the destruction of Dwarka, and the decline of India had started since then as people forgot their true religion and started worshipping various gods and goddessess from Puran and involved into various rituals, not pure sacrifice of pure work, which are described in the Vedas, Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita. From time to time we had Mahavir, Buddha, Sankar, Sri Chaitanya, Nanak, to drive us back to the true religion. From middle of 18th century we had Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo who more or less said the same that India remains backward unless it would follow true Sanatan Dharma.
There are many different translations of Vedas, Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita are there. According to my opinion, the translation of Vedas by Grifith, translations of Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita by Mascaro are the best.
However, Vedas are too big, and most verses are written as adorations but the inner meanings are difficult to understand. There is a very good book by Sri Aurobindo which explains the real meaning of the Vedas.
There are four Vedas; each vedas can be divided into four parts:
(1) Samhita - explanations of the world;
(2) Brahamans- methods of various rituals;
(3) Aronakya - life of the sages in the forests;
(4) Upanisad - explanations of Samhita in easy terms.
Thus, Upanisads are not different from the Vedas, but they provide easy explanations.
The four Vedas are Rig, Sam, Yajur and Atharva.
Rig Veda is philosophical songs for the adorations of Brahman and the principal forces Agni( fire), Indra( Thunder), Barun ( Water) , Usha (morning), Mithra( Sun), Pawan( Wind) created by the Brahman. It also describe the theory of the origin of the creation and the society.
Sam and Yajur are mainly descriptions of various rituals and their methods.
Atharva Veda is also philosophy, both about the spiritual world and about the material world. What we call Indian medicine( AurVeda), Enginerring( Vastu), Mathematics( Sankhya) have their origin in different verses in Arthva Veda.
Combining the philosophy of the Vedas, there is another set of books called Satapatha Brahmana describing the philosophy of the Vedas.
Aitareya Brahamana describes the social system and the role of Philosophy.
Upanisads are further explanations of the Philosophy of the Vedas in easy terms in terms of stories with deep philosophical meanings.
All these were there before Ram and Krishna came. Krishna has summerised everything in the Bhagwat Gita in easy terms.
Krishna said, ” Brahman is the Supreme, the Eternal. Atman is his Spirit in man. Karma is the force of creation, where from all things have their life.
Matter is the kingdom of this world, which in time pases away. Spirit is the Kingdom of Light.” (ch 8, Verse 3-4, Bghawat Gita)
“Sattva( light), Rajas( fire), and Tamas( darkness) are three Guna( characteristics). These are clouds of matter darkening the Sun of the spirit.
Sattva is pure light. Rajas is desire. Tamas is delusions
He who with never-failing love adores me and works for me, he passes beyond the three powers of Gunas and can be one with Brahman , the One.
Because I am the Abode of Brahman, the never failing fountain of everlasting life. The law of righteousness is my law and my joy is infinite joy. ”
( Ch 14, verses 6-27); Bhagwat Gita).
November 6th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
Dipakji,
So nice that u hv written so much. Indeed you have read a lot.
While I am not going to be judgemental about who’s Gita is the best etc…
that very statement of yours reveals one thing…that Gita has been explained by so many and like you have your opinion, they too would have had their way of explaining. In such a situation, is it not better for us to listen to, think over etc when any one expresses his / her view? You could be right not to believe in temples, gods etc…But that freedom is only yours and it ends with you. Another person’s freedom is also exactly similar and THAT IS THE BEAUTY of HINDUISM.
There is a very nice speech By Sw Vivekanandaji delivered in London on 5th Nov 1896 on FREEDOM OF THE SOUL. I do not know if you have been lucky to have read that. That tells us the stage by stage growth of human thinking. And after reading this may be one will understand why there are so many many different sections in the community which follow different traditions. But none of them really affect Hinduism because every section is like in class 1, class 2, class 3…it is a path of GROWTH. Now may be u have the capability to understand what is said in one go. But there are many - eg like me - who does not understand a thing that easily. For such people like me, we need examples, we need stories, we need tutiions, we need guidance….
And how that is possible …there are no schools or colleges teaching all these….( or may be it is there, but if we go there, then our education that is needed for the transactional life…like getting a job needs a degree or professional qualification etc…may not be possible)
And then people like me get an opportunity to interact with people who know more than us and less than us and similar to us…every interaction has some result..which affect me as well as the person who interacts with me.
This is what is happening here.
In your last post you hv stated that SANATANA DHARMA has declined. May be you are right, but an Indian I am and living in this country, I can say that India is India today, not because of the politicians, but because a good majority of people follow SANATANA DHARMA. This fact is not known to many as they only read and listen to biased newspapers and TV channels. If you want to know this then u need to travel to the interior parts of India.
And also, if you see the statistics of our police force etc, then u will be shocked to see that may be India is a country which has least very least policemen per 1000 people in the world. Our traffic moves with virutally no rules and no police. When there is some problem, most of the problems get sorted out between the two without any police etc.
These may look silly, but go deeper into this and then you will realise the beauty. Many laugh at the way vehicles are driven in India…and then they say that they are afraid to drive. Yes, but also look at the figuers…India may have least of the traffic incidents per km per 1000 poplulation . This is my assumption..but i think i am likely to be right .
Anyway, last point i wanted to express here is
Shri Aurobindo expressed his views in 1909…ans that is not 18th century. Also, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa lived as per the Islam or Christianity does not mean he converted to that religion or thinking, he tested that. that is all. But it goes without any doubt that he was a Kali Bhakta until the last.
My feeling is that we need to continue the discussions, debates, without any reservation, without a feeling that one type of Hinduism is better - modern- primitive etc
We are all learnin and help us to learn more…
that helps growth
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE
November 6th, 2006 at 8:30 pm
are shaivites hindus?
November 7th, 2006 at 11:14 am
Shaivites are Hindu, as they say in the earliets version that Shiva is another name of the Brahman.
November 7th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
But I know may shaivites who don’t consider the Gita as significant.
How about Buddhists, Kali puja, Devi puja are these Hindus?
How about those that worship the adviatic reality beyond name?
November 7th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Dipak Bose is a commie by default. Man these commie losers use so many big words to confuse Hindus but in the end we can see thru these morons. May the cannibals catch them!
November 8th, 2006 at 1:13 am
And Park Xji,
what is the difference between you, me, Dipakji, Navinji etc? we are all having similar features, we all know same language, we all eat somewhat similar food, read similar items, etc… there are so many similarities.. But still each one of us is different. WHY ?
When we try to simplify things - WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING - then we complicate the matters and then WE TAKE MORE TIME IN UNDERSTANDING ….that too when we come across situations thru which we need to go thru and we do not like them at all. It is like a kid given to assemble a few items and the kid does that leaving some nuts and bolts …only to realise that what has been assembled is not going to stand the test even for short duration. ( it is not only the kids….some of our technicians too do such things…LOL )
There is a lot to learn….a lot to understand….
and this can take place only thru COMMUNICATION….
and communication takes place thru ‘ SHRAVANAM, ….which is listening to people and questioning them.
Let us express our views, ask questions on any thing….let us try to get replies…
one thing that is stated in Hinduism that WE SHOULD NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING BLINDLY…. i was told by some one that it seems VEDANTA tells its students that EVEN IF VEDANTA TELLS U THAT FIRE IS COLD, DO NOT ACCEPT….but also do not reject it outright? see why it is said like that and if you are not convinced DO NOT ACCEPT…continue the enquiry..
THAT IS LIFE AND THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF HINDUISM
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE
November 8th, 2006 at 6:30 am
Navin Said, ” But I know may shaivites who don’t consider the Gita as significant. How about Buddhists, Kali puja, Devi puja are these Hindus?
How about those that worship the adviatic reality beyond name?”
If they are real Shaivites, they should read Bhagavatam or Shiva Puran etc; in the earliest version of Shivaites Shiva is just one of three principal manifestation of Brahman; in the later more violent version ( when Shiavism became the state religion in some parts of India) they refused to accept Vishnu and say Shiva is the Brahman which is also true because Brahman is one and many.
These violent version of Shaivaites had caused a lot of killings and destructions. Pushya Mitra , king of Magadh in 2nd century killed thousands of Buddhists and Vaishnavites( followers of Vishnu). Sasanka, king of Gaur, central Bengal, burned down Buddha Gaya and the temple of Puri in 6th century. However, ultimately Vaishnavites, through Ramanuj and Sri Chaitanya won the hearts of the majority of the Hindus.
If someone rejects Bhagwat Gita, he rejects Upanisad and Vedas as well, because Bhagwat Gita is the essence of the Vedas and Upanisad. In that case he is not a Hindu.
Buddhists are Buddhists, they do not consider themselves as Hindus, although Hindus consider Buddha as one of the reincarnation of Vishnu, another name of Brahman.
Buddhism is another interpretation of Upanisad and Bhagwat Gita, the only difference is that Buddhism is an athiest religion, there is no God in Buddhism, whereas Hinduism has one God Brahman.
November 8th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
“THAT IS LIFE AND THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF HINDUISM
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE ”
There is a disease worse then poverty and ignorance. Its called betrayal and the penalty for betrayal is pretty much the same anywhere. Don’t worry ur Karma will catch up with u.
November 9th, 2006 at 1:26 am
Park Xji,
The aim of these discussions is not to curse you or to find fault with you not to teach you anything. It is for me to learn something…that includes understanding my misunderstanding, understanding my ignorance, understanding what else i never knew etc. That is why Hinduism thru VEDA tells that we should never learn VEDA to teach others …. and that is why during the earlier days, the teacher used to teach VEDA only to a student who is very keen in studying …and that too the student had to pursue the teacher and the teacher used to test the student if he is serious on study etc…
Now re Karma….there is nothing to catch up with….it is the TOTALITY and one has to go with it . By the way, the LAW OF KARMA is such an interesting and beautiful LAW that it does not discriminate at all. Often we will find ourselves in confusion because we see contradictions….in sense, we will be wanting to do certain action in one way, but we will think we are forced by some one or something not to perform that way- forgetting that IT IS “I” who perform it and it is fully my own decision to act that way. And I have no choice but to accept the result of that action - when that result will fructify is not known to us as some results are immediate, some in near future and some after long long time.
This is one explanation given to - when one prepare well for some action, takes all necessary steps to make sure that the action is performed well etc and finally when the performing of the action is complete one still finds that the result is not as wanted. This is also one way the fructification of results.
By the way, what is ” betrayal ” ? whom does one betray?
And what is the penalty?
come out with your thoughts in details so that the discussions become very interesting and meaningful..
and kindly do not get upset with that statment of
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE
November 9th, 2006 at 8:03 am
DB seems to be able to know what we have read and what we have in our hearts, as well as what is the truth of all court cases in India. He must be a great rishi and all knowing since he knows so much. But then the upanishads says that one who says he knows he knos not. Then we must conclude that either DB has not read the upanisads or simply is unaware that he knows not.
We must conclude that either we worship DB or simply enjoy his challenges as part of our prarabdha karma to encounter book and guru worshippers even in the tradition that finally says neti neti.
But then I suppose that Gandhi was not a hindu because he experimented with truth. Perhaps Vivekananda was not hindu because he did not know all the vedas before he met RamaKrishna. Janak, Sita, Lakshman were not hindus because they preceded the Gita and therefore could not have worshiped it. Parvati is not Hindu because she did not read the vedas.
But wait, is DB using the puranas to justify his belief about Shiva?
Any way, to put it blunlty: to be hindu is to seek the eternal truths of being and non-being. Anyone who embraces this is an active Hindu. Anyone who does not is simply too ego centered with rationalizations, etc. that they will not see until Karma kicks them in the pants. But they are Hindu - perhaps dormant, but still Hindu because they, somehow or the other, express the eternal truth. I believe from perfection comes perfection. Some only want to use it as a prayer (In case DB doesn’t realize this, this comes from the Upanisads) .
May we all study together at our gurus feet to know the breath of the divine.
hariaum
November 11th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
Parambir ur such a wierdo along with all that dipak bhos. I don’t even read ur full columns, cuz they r so boring and u bring no points. As a pragmatic hindu I know who the betrayers r and u r one of them. The penalty for treason is pretty servere.
November 12th, 2006 at 1:19 am
Park Xji,
May be that is the way the PRARABDA gets fructified in my case and some one adding the SANCHITA to his kitty… LOL
enjoy “your” life the way you like it
November 12th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Park Xji,
would u be able to explain what u actually you mean by ” treason” ? Asking this only to understand.
November 13th, 2006 at 7:07 am
The discussion has deviated too much because I suppose you are from India and as a result immune to the worldview on Hinduism.
Those of us, who live in the UK or USA, cannot have that luxury.
The Hindutva- and Backward Hinduism bring shame and dishonour to both Hinduism and India in the world at large.
Progressive Hinduism of Sri Chaitanya-Raja Rammohan Roy-Swami Vivekananda-Sri Aurobindo - Bhaktivendanta Pravupad of ISKON brings pride for the Hindus who live in foreign countries because it is universal.
It is ISKON recently, not HINDUTVA, that has converted thousands of non-Hindus into Hinduism, by propagating this Progressive Hinduism while
HINDUTVA drove away a lot of non-Hindus ( those who live outside India) and Hindus( those who live in India) from Hinduism, because HINDUTVA is both anti-Hindu and anti-people.
Here is an example how the Progressive Hinduism of Raja Rammohan Roy has affected the great minds of USA long before Swami Vivekananda went there:(From Your Guide to Hinduism by Subhamoy Das)
Hinduism and American Literature
Officially Hinduism entered America in 1893 when Swami Vivekananda’s first words of address, “sisters and brothers of America”, won thunderous applause at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. His mission of spreading the tenets of Hindu philosophy worldwide coupled with the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy brought about the cross-cultural syntheses of Indo-American spiritual bonding. This had its genesis in the ancient Hindu scriptures - the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita - and went on to blossom in the minds of some of the greatest American writers of the 19th century - Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau and many others.
Great minds, such as these, were relentlessly tortured by the differences between two seemingly disparate areas of human endeavour, namely, the spiritual consciousness (Purush) and the reality of existence (Prakrit). Unable to resolve the rift they eventually turned to Hinduism and found the answer in Chapter XIII verse 24 of the Gita:
“Dhyaanaynaatmani pashyanti kaychidaatmaanama atmanaa”
which means that meditation refines the intellect and expands it to realize the supreme spirit that dwells in every being. It is meditation which can lift us from the mundane existence (Prakrit) to attain one’s true self (Purush) or the inner consciousness which is nothing but the manifestation of the Divine self.
Emerson called this Divine self the ‘oversoul’. In his transcendental theory the oversoul, like Brahma in Indian philosophy, is all pervading and that every human soul partakes of this oversoul. Therefore, to reach this point of trance where one can perceive the god-head within, Emerson emphasizes the necessity of revering one’s own self -
“Be true to thyself. Because every man has within him somewhat really divine”.
Excerpt from his poem ‘Brahma’, too reflect the Upanishadic concept that the dark and the illumined all emanate from and merge into Brahma:
“Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished Gods to me appear…”
Like his friend Emerson, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was well read in the Vedic scriptures. Indophilia permeates his book Walden where he offers an example of one possible approach to realizing one’s divinity, to fulfilling one’s potential for ideal existence in the real world. He advises his readers to exercise their minds and create an idea of themselves as they might ideally be, and then find the means of making that idea, come true:
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;/ that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them”.
In his Transcendental thoughts the world at large conglomerate into one big divine family. He finds beside his Walden pond “the servant of the Brahmin, priest of Brahma and Vishnu and Indra, who still sits in his temple on the Ganges reading the Vedas…” their buckets “grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges”.
The great American novelist Herman Melville, in his magnum opus Moby Dick, refers to the incarnation of Vishnu in the form of a whale, which sounded down to the utmost depths of the sea to rescue the sacred books. And in a later chapter, Melville returns to the same theme:
“When Brahma, or the God of Gods, resolved to recreate the world after one of its periodical dissolusions, he gave birth to Vishnu, to preside over the work: but the Vedas, or mystical books, whose perusal would seem to have been indispensable to Vishnu before beginni ng the creation…were lying at the bottom of the waters.”
The American poet laureate Walt Whitman, in Leaves of Grass, freed American verse from the shackles of European conventions. Turning away from Europe, he turned toward Asia and wrote these lines in his famous poem ‘Passage to India’:
“Passage to India!
…Are thy wings plumed indeed for such far flights?/ O soul, voyagest thou indeed on voyages like those?/ Disportest thou on waters such as those?
Soundest below the Sanscrit and the Vedas?
Then have thy bent unleash’d…”
November 13th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Dipak Bose, stop trying to confuse people with your masked Marxism garbage. Communism along with commies is a disease. It is a 2nd rate attempt at intellectualism.
Anyway just like my earlier rants, U r a commie loser and parambir is a weirdo. I hope the likes of u to r wiped out from the Hindu community. Akin to flushing the toilet after one disposes of their waste.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Park Xji,
:-))
very nice. But the problem is that after one flush, it never ends…you need to go to flush every day, may be more than once , and if you are infected, god knows how many times…
So that too is a never ending situation.
by the way, if you like go to
www.vedantavidyarthisangha.org
and listen to some interesting talks..
The way you react, you may write in here that you do not like the hear that also as that too is boring and brand again now some new term ..
THERE IS NO DISEASE WORSE THAN POVERTY
THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN IGNORANCE
November 13th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
ISKON do not consider themselves as Hindu. They dont convert non Hindus to Hindus…they convert Non Hindus into Hare Krishnas.
I agree with Park X…a few people here just rant on and on…why cant we have non airy fairy discussions?…why cant we have discussions with pragmatic solutions?…oh wait, its becuase we are Hindus and as such we are supposed to be all spiritual and make benevolent speaches and cliched sayings.
Park X..I know you are frustrated at their comments just like me, but try and deal with it in a more positive way. Saying that, my patience is wearing thin too. On the other message board, we have a Khalistani saying vile things about Hindus..and you have a HINDU saying “I hope you are enjoying using the message boards” to him!
Now there is progressive Hinduism..and their is backwards Hinduism?..what is backwards Hinduism?…I dont see ISKON as being progressive Hinduism (as I pointed out, they dont even want to be affilitated with Hindus).
You need to be a strong, vocal and proud people to get anywhere in todays society. We don not live in a vedic society in India where we can sit and chant Gods name and everything will be alright. Too many people (Hindus) have this ultra benevelont, nicey nice, peace and love for all mankind even when they rape your sisters kind of attitude. With an attitude like that, we WILL be no more in the future.
Please Hindus…rise and fight…grown some balls (if youre a man).
November 14th, 2006 at 1:24 am
Proud Hinduji,
Nice to see your views and “FRUSTRATION”. But did you ever think why the FRUSTRATION set in?? It is stated even in GITA.
” You need to be strong, vocal and proud people to get anywhere in todays society.” very nice.
Strength ….physically ??? Mentally ??
Vocal……….means Shouting at top of your voice???
Proud………this can happen only once the above two terms are understood. But how that is possible when one has no patience to read, listen and then get bored by the others views….
VEDA is not asking any one to sit and chant GODS name and it never say that everything will be alright. If that were the case then one need to explain what does BHAKTHI YOGA, JNANA YOGA, KARMA YOGA etc mean.
One need to try to understand what is SANATANA DHARMA. One need to understand what is LAW OF KARMA. Once one is a student of these two topics, then you be a BIN LADEN or MOTHER THERESA…it does not matter because, what is in store for you is result of what actions you have performed.
Now you can go an burn a train, demolish a church or temple or mosque, kidnap a child, do all sorts of things…..
BUT THEN BE READY FOR THE IMMEDIATE RESULTS (TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT ) and the long term results …accumulation of SANCHITA KARMA and its FRUCTIFICATION ( prarabda)..
All prayers etc only help the mind to become a little stronger step by step to accept these results (when one realises that the results are of own action) with difficulty but also with some grace - as prasada.
THIS DOES NOT LEAVE US FROM NOT TAKING ACTION - NOT PERFORMING OUR DUTY etc…
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR ROLE and WE NEED to perform our action as needed by the ROLE.
and then enjoy the FRUIT OF OUR ACTION….whatever that be..
November 14th, 2006 at 10:25 am
According to HINDUTVA people Sri Chaitanya- Raja Rammohan Roy-Swami Vivekananda-Sri Aurobindo are all Commies.
Vedas-Upanisad-Bhagwat Gita were written by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Fidel Castro.
Hari and Krishna are two names of two Commies.
Rajputs who gave their sisters and daughters to the Muslim Harems are great Hindus. Their new reincarnations as Marwaris are even greater Hindus.
Marathas who have looted, raped, murdered, bringing death and destruction from Surat to Bengal, then became hired soldiers for the Mughals and the British are great Hindu warriors.
Savarkar who had apologized to the British and promise to be a loyal servant of the British Empire is a great Hindu Saint.
Mahajan, Jaswant Sinha, Arun Saourie, who may have stolen millions and taken millions as bribes are great Hindu reformers.
Bal Thakery who used to a contract killers for the Bombay industrialists and landlords is the reincarnated Hindu God so that one should write another PURAN for him.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Ohh—- I forgot the New Siva-Parvati, the greatest Hindus of all : George Fernandez and Jaya Jetley.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Ohh—- I forgot the New Siva-Parvati, the greatest Hindus of all : George Fernandez and Jaya Jetley.
They are building a New Himalaya with the piles of money they got as bribes from the International Arms Dealers.
And Don’t forget Advani, lover of Jinnah, as the new JAGANNATH with his RATH.
November 14th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Thanks a lot for your these postings Dipak Boasji. This has revealed your VERY TRUE SELF….
You read some news items, and then not only form your views but also become party to that.
I am no defender of any political party in India since all of them without exception are rogues. You have no choice and so you have to vote either Gawli or Sadhu yadav. This one can understand. But becoming a party to that by talking ill of others - that too with no data available as of now is the sadest part of DHARMA any HINDU can have…be it primitive or modern.
One can understand criticism of GUJRAT MASSACRE- BE IT INSIDE THE TRAIN OR THE AFTERMATH, but bringing politics is sadest situation.
Today Hinduism is having problems - if it is having any problems - is just because of the POLITICS of India and no party is exception to that. One may support RSS AND BJP, one may support or oppose CONGRESS AND several other parties, but the fact remains that every one of them is only interested in POWER AND NOTHING ELSE.
So it is better we keep politics out of this arena if we want to grow to maturity.
yes, you can criticise every one with data, with details….
but not the political system of character assassination ..
be it YETCHURY, KARAT, GEORGE, MULAYAM OR SONIA OR ANY ONE ELSE.
November 14th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
I don’t support the Advani type BJPer traitors either. I do like Narendra Modi cuz he knows how to send fear into the spines of the traitors. Anyway all the advani types can become just as good cannon fodder as the commie types. Dipak and parambir, I would send you to the 1st lines and behind u I would have the advani types.
November 14th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I kind of agree with DB. What the heck is everybody talking about? There seems to be a free for all.
We do need action, not just talk. We of course must see Hindu as universal not just ethnic.
I don’t know the answer to this but perhaps you all do: Are all college societies of students Indian student associations or are some Hindu Student Associations? It would be interesting to see how many indians run from a Hindus society and how many non-indo origins run to a hindu society. There are clearly Muslim, Jewish, Catholic… student associations. Perhaps here is something those of you still i school can look at.
hariaum
November 16th, 2006 at 10:34 am
I am not India, I am European, married to a Hindu. I have read all the comments. It seems to me that there are lots of crazy people in India( I guess most of you are not from the UK). You do not know the reality.
I know a lot of Hindus here in Britain. I have been to the Hindu temple in Neasden, it is so beautiful. I have been to ISKCON as well. They have very good vegetarian restaurant. I have been a Durga Puja recently in London; it is very interesting too.
If I want to teach my daughter about Hinduism, what type of Hinduism should I teach her?
I have to say that if you want to make Hinduism universal, you should promote a very peaceful version, just like Buddhism, which is very attractive to the non-Hindus like me.
If you promote a violent version, everyone here in Britain will go against you, as they are against the Muslims.
It is not true that violent people are brave and peaceful people are cowards. Muslims have taken the violent path, as a result nobody likes them. Is that what you also want for the Hindus?
Situation is very bad for the Indians in Britain or USA now because of the Muslims. It is impossible to know who is a Muslim and who is not. A lot of Indians particularly the Sikhs came under violent attacks from the white people in Britain and in USA, because people in Britain and USA just don’t like Muslims.
So, my advice is “Do Not Try To Be Like Muslims”
They have gained nothing, but hostility from the rest of the world, by being violent.
November 17th, 2006 at 1:16 am
Theres a difference between reckless violence…and fighting back against oppression and injustice..just as there is a difference between being peaceful and being apathetic. I am British…and as far as I am concerned, Hindus here have been far too apathetic and docile for far too long and it has got us nowhere. It is high time we faught against injustices that we face each and every day….nowhere have I advocated reckless violence and aggresion..merely I am saying that we should exercise our God given right to stand up for ourselves, whether that be peacefully (when this is the best option), or aggresively (if this is the best and only option).
Viki…I appreciate what you are trying to say, but your logic is flawed. I for one as a Hindu do not want to relenquish the right as a Hindu to defend (with force if must) my religion, my people and even people of other faiths…I simply dont care if that makes me a “fundamentalist” and in turn dissuades westerners/non Hindus like yourself. Why?…becuase Hinduism is a MAJOR faith…one that has existed for millenia…one that has faced and still faces an onslaught of aggression and vilification. Sure, by projecting a “peaceful” Hinduism, we may “impress” non Hindus, but at what expense?..we have already seen on this forum and through the various people who post on this website that all this “peaceful” image does is make us STRIVE as hard as we can to uphold this image even when it borders on the suicidal.
To make a point, I refer to the Sikh/khalistani on the “confrontation at freshers fare” disscusion who, upon making disgusting remarks about Hindus, was greeted with “I hope you are enjoying airing your views on this forum”…etc etc. Now if thats not apathy, I dont know what is.
You say that Islam is hated because of its aggresive attitude…and that Hinduism should be portrayed like Buddhism - peaceful - in order to attract no Hindus..yet this “peaceful” image is EXACTLY what non Hindus think that Hinduism represents. Infact non Hindus regard Hinduism as ULTRA peaceful and often are surprised to learn that we have a strong and illustrious warrior tradition…Despite this perseption by non Hindus around the world of Hinduism as being innanely peaceful, where do I see the flocks of non Hindus embracing Hinduism?..on the other hand, ultra violent Islam is the fastest growing religion attracting non Muslims in their droves…. go figure…
November 20th, 2006 at 12:31 am
If moderators permit me i would like to copy some information that appeared in recent edition of HK newsdigest. Why i would like to copy is that IT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, quoting the www alone will not help many see this. Hope moderators will pardon me for this.
Dr.N.Gopalakrishnan &IISH:”In quest of our Heritage”
11/19/2006 9:44:35 AM
LimeLight : Science and not fiction
by Manjula Ramakrishnan
He is a senior scientist working in CSIR, Trivandrum and Honorary Director for Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage. He has amassed a host of academic qualifications that ranges from Masters in pharmaceutical chemistry, industrial sociology and journalism, all the way up to a D Lit in Sanskrit. He has earned these accolades for
studying Indian Scientific Heritage, for this is his area of passion.
Meet Dr N Gopalakrishnan, who travels the hither to yon of the world spreading the message that there is a distinct link between Indian heritage and science and there are indisputable scientific explanations to what we practise as our heritage.
“Working as a senior scientist and also having studied the Indian scientific heritage in-depth, I wanted to contribute something original to the society. After nearly two decades of research I found that there is very deep scientific knowledge that existed in Indian heritage. My mission is to bring this back with the help of ultra modern science and instruments and ensure this is accepted by the more modern Indians world over, some of whom are losing touch with their own roots and heritage.
“The overwhelming response that I have received in this love’s labour from the audience globally, constantly motivates me to probe and find out further about this mesmerising subject and also to spread the message far and wide,” says Dr Gopalakrishnan.
Explaining with a small example he says, the most sensitive part of the body is the forehead.
“A section of Indians apply sandalwood paste on the forehead as it cools and activates the brain. The red vermilion applied on the forehead by married women again absorbs and radiates mild UV rays. The most sensitive skin area in an entire body is that of the ear, particularly the area behind the ear and when people tuck ‘Thulasi’ leaves behind the ears it enhances blood circulation.
“Sitting on a plank or mat while praying is being practised by several religions and this is because squatting on the ground should not diffuse the bioelectrical radiation and this happens when the body is in contact with the floor. It has been scientifically
established that the cadaver when cremated is reduced to a mere 58 grammes of ash — however obese the person might have been during his lifetime — all that is left of him is this and such findings often have a bearing on the psychology of an individual prompting him to lead a sin free life. Thus every act of Indian heritage has
strong scientific connotation,” declares the scientist.
The Surya Namaskaram or the salutation to the sun that is considered spiritual also involves the use of 186 movable joints of the body that work in perfect harmony with one another. It is also a remarkable combination of seven yogas and hence this salutation is considered scientifically as the king of exercises..
“Indian heritage has very deep biological, psychological, scientific and spiritual meaning. When practised it leads to social, family and national integration. And travelling within the borders of India and outside it, I was alarmed at the level of ignorance of people about their own heritage. At the same time what was uplifting was their extreme level of interest to know more. I often have as part of my audience, people from various walks of life, from many ethnic groups and what is the core concept of my speech is that I address them not to exhibit my knowledge, but to ensure I talk in a manner that they are able to comprehend, such that their interest does not waver or wane and thus my purpose is achieved.
“A few months back when I visited 17 universities in the USA and another seven universities in Canada, I found youngsters willing to sit for close to five hours to listen and grasp the nuances of our Indian scientific heritage. As long as I could link our various practices to science, it appealed to their contemporary thinking and
what they had been rebelling against is authority flaunted by seniors saying, ‘this is what has been practiced by generations. Don’t question it, just learn to abide by it,’ and blind acceptance is something they are not ready for.”
The fact that he has been successful with spreading scientific Indian heritage is evident from the fact that various demographics respond to him in different ways. The youngsters ask a variety of probing questions, refuse to accept unless fully convinced, make notes diligently, “and if I am able to create an impression in their
youthful, vibrant minds, I can draw strength from such modest success,” says Dr Gopalakrishnan.
“When I am lecturing, I ensure that at no point am I caught droning on endlessly unmindful of audience participation or response. I always keep three people sitting in various corners of the auditorium as my reference point. I note with care, changes in their facial expressions, just one yawn will quickly make me introduce a joke, somebody glancing at their watch will prompt me to narrate an event from real life and thus as much as my audience has learnt from me, each lecture demonstration is a learning experience for me too,” he smiles.
He derives strength from the fact that every single practice of our Indian heritage can be scientifically explained leading to information dissemination in the wavelength of the present day generation. And this is also precisely why students — both Indian
and non-Indian — from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge have invited him year after year to address them.
In 18 years of lecturing, Dr Gopalakrishnan has given over 5,500 lectures. He is still a student for he would like to acquire an academic degree once every five years, studying something new and facing the viva voce, for this is an experience that keeps the brain constantly in alert mode.
Besides it is important for a teacher to be continuously learning in order to impart the best to the taught he observes.
“My message to Indians around the world is that unmindful of your political, religious or other leaning, learn about India, for it is your country. Even if you wish to criticise India, first learn comprehensively about it in order to help you highlight its flaws. Do not criticise with superficial knowledge. My studies have reaffirmed my faith in people and none can be categorised as bad”
“Every individual is a manifestation of the divine. With the right approach, hard to dispute logic and sound reasoning, up to 60 per cent of negatives in any individual can be corrected. And when I say this I do not want to sound like a sanyasin for I am at all times a scientist. I want to fulfill my promise to Indian President Dr Abdul
Kalam that by Aug.15, 2007, when India will celebrate the 60th anniversary — Shashtiapthipoorthy — as it is called, at least 100 million people would have got my message of Indian scientific heritage. This target is my constant motivation, as I move from one lecture demonstration to another, looking at the eager faces in
front of me, thirsty for knowledge and hungry to know more about their own heritage”
if the above info is of interest and if any one would like to have more info on these including vedic mathematics etc, all that one need to do is to visit the website www.iishglobal.org
thanks