Saturday, June 16, 2007

Why bash up Hinduism?

I am deemed guilty of a heinous crime- I end up bashing Hinduism- left and right, top and bottom. I am merciless in my attack on Hinduism. And therefore people see me as a Hindu-hater. I am seen as proponent of Islam, a defender of Marxism, a communist, a traitor, etc. Am I a Hindu hater? Do I suffer from inferiority complex that allows me to berate my own religion? Here I answer some of those questions.

Why bash up Hinduism?

Because I think Hinduism needs to be bashed up a little bit!

Sanctity has reigned for far too long. The attitude of 'Don't criticize, don't question, don't ask, don't insult, don't denigrate' has reigned for far too long. Hinduism has remained on the sacred pedestal for thousands of years and it needs to be brought down from that position to be questioned with reason and rationale. It has been peevish for far too long, getting hurt by every small infraction, and therefore it needs a dose of maturity to handle criticisms.

Some of us (like me) bash up Hinduism because we happen to born as Hindus. It's akin to criticizing our government and our leaders. If such institutions are revered for far too long, they become authoritarian which in turn will result in suppression of our freedoms. When a religion is not questioned for too long, it turns dogmatic which in turn will curb creativity and individual expression. We don't want that to happen.

Why do I publish something that hurts the sensibilities of people?

I ask, why not?

It's for each of you out there to read what I write or choose not to read it. I am not mailing this into your cozy castles (called homes) or telecasting it on prime time television. Frankly, I don’t want to convert Hinduism into a dogmatic, authoritarian and peevish religion where sensibilities are hurt by every little criticism and question.

I am told that I fail to understand the ‘greatness’ of Hinduism. According to these 'upholders of the faith', this greatness can be realized only if I read certain books in a certain way, certain slokas in a certain way, often interpreted by certain elite gurus. I am told that a common man fails to understand this 'elite and profound' religion and therefore tends to criticize it.

On the other hand, I am of the opinion that I belong to a different breed of proud Hindus who believe (very much) that we need to criticize this religion to ensure it is not hijacked by fundamentalists and peevish devotees. We don’t consider the so called ‘experts’ to be experts at all. We discard their elite version of Hinduism which requires a degree in theology followed by a six-year course in Upanishads, followed by meditative course under a Banyan tree in some remote village in Bihar to understand it or follow it.

I say, if this religion is not for a common man, then please pack it up and go to some resort to make it an elite cult. Don't let it stand as a mainstream religion for a common man!

Why do I support people’s right to convert?

Many Hindus feel really horrified when they get to know that certain churches and clergy men from foreign lands come to India with big monies to convert their innocent brethren Hindus into Christians.

My take on this is very simple. We have discriminated, punished, ostracized, and excommunicated certain Hindus for thousands of years, and when these wretched lot finally get a chance to go to a place of worship, send their kids to schools, and avail medical facilities, we actually protest the methods that give them this dignity?

If people want to convert, they have their right to convert. I don’t fear conversions, and I don’t fear the increase in populations of Christians and Muslims. And why should Hindus even fear? Their own ranks are being swelled by massive pouring of babies from BIMARU state Hindus to compensate for any loss elsewhere. The percentage of population of Hindus remains unchanged for many decades now.

Each of us has right to chose our religion. Any law or enactment that prohibits or stops an adult from choosing his/her religion is directly in contravention of our constitution and its principles. No logic or rationale can explain why such conversion should be stopped or controlled.

Why don’t we have laws that punish people who denigrate our religion just like some Islamic nations?

I would rather have NO punishment for criticizing or hurting any religion. Instead of applying that 'no punishment rule' to Islam and Islamic nations, some peevish Hindus want to include Hinduism into those retrograde laws. What I am fighting for is this- Don't make Hinduism dogmatic and authoritarian that suppresses individual expression (even when that expression includes downright criticism, ridicule and insult).

Some suggest that we should stop discussing religions on public forums. They do not understand that respect does not diminish with discussing, criticizing, ridiculing, and insulting the religion. On the other hand, such discussions, criticism, ridicules and insults allow people to vent their anger, express their feeling and allow the religion to accept diversified views. I would rather berate and bash up my religion to make sure it doesn't turn dogmatic.

26 comments:

  1. about conversions - lots of 'gurus' go abroad and convert firangs to hinduism and they start wearing orange clothes and behaving funny - so i suppose conversion exists everywhere

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  2. >>We discard their elite version of Hinduism which requires a degree in theology followed by a six-year course in Upanishads, followed by meditative course under a Banyan tree in some remote village in Bihar to understand it or follow it.

    Very well said. Exactly same problems exist among muslims and there are lots of muslims who do what you do (within the domain of Islam) and they get the same flak that you do.

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  3. My friend,
    I am not really sure why you hate Hinduism. But i can tell you one thing that is the only religion you get by birth every other religion on the planet you can convert to.
    As a matter of fact no where on the scriptures be it upanishads or Bhagwadgeeta any word of Hinduism is mentioned. What they found was with self introspection was well documented.
    As far as bashing is concern read Shankaracharya's translation of Bhagwadgeeta and you would understand what krishna said what people say and do at present.
    Hinduism never said in any one book do this and thats final, it is a open religion which embraces theist and atheist. It just gives some pointers to evaluate yourself in every walk of life and do the righteous things. When it comes to that i am sure every religion is similar. Did any of the religion you see good fighting with good. Once you reach yourself to that level all the bondages, love, hatred, religion, idol worshiping becomes useless.
    Also remember Hinduism is the only religion to explain singularity. and thats what our scientist say that the whole universe was created from a single entity. they have their string, M and other theories to prove it and we have our Upanishads to Prove it.
    Do little research before bashing left and right and see for yourself if it is worth your life.

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  4. i can say anything to counter your views on hinduism but certainly they are not with commending.
    your views about upanishads yoga and other scriptures are utterly confused and useless.
    I can tell if you live by this one shloka you would get salvation. Try living by it.
    "Sukha dukhkhe same kritva, labhalabhau jayajaha
    tato udhdhaya ujjasva naivam papa mavapsasi"
    Try living a life of a equipoised, do get excited for happiness or sadness, winning or loosing, love or hatred. Develop samatvam=equality towards the dualities of life and you would understand the true meaning of scriptures. no need to go through all the pain you talked about. Also remember this is just one verse of 700 bombastic verses of Geeta.
    dont try to get the literal meaning try to implement these teachings in your life.
    enjoy the pursuit of knowledge

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  5. Hinestly, it is very difficult to bash or put down or incinerate Hinduism,

    since

    1. It is not an organized religion like Islam or Christainity.

    2. It does not have any agenda like converting others to Hinduism. In fact, Hinduism a culture and there is no word conversion in any of the Hindu scriptures.

    3. It has no heirachy. Just a lot of scriptures.

    4. It beleives "salvation is for all" irrespective one is Hindu or not.

    5. According to Hindu scriptures, there is ONE AND ONLY GOD which appear in trillions of forms.

    6. Since God is nameless and formless, that God can be worshiped under any name or form you want.

    7. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem worshiping that God as Krishna or Jesus or Kali or Allah or Jehovah.

    So tell me, what do you get by bashing Hinduism. Best of luck.

    Even if, all Hindus are killed and all Hindu scriptures are destroyed Hinduism will come back to life again as Gnosticism or New Age or A Course in Miracles or under some other name, Since Hinduism means relentless search after truth.

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  6. The attitude of 'Don't criticize, don't question, don't ask, don't insult, don't denigrate' has reigned for far too long.

    Yet you have criticized BJP for doing exactly that to Congress/Communist parties and their "secular" vote bank policy.

    I agree that there are still negatives in Hinduism, but it has also undergone many reforms (Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayanand Sarasvati, Swami Vivekanand etc.). That tells me Hinduism is open to criticism and change as the world around it changes. Can you honestly say the same for Islam? Do you think it's merely coincidence that the incidents/violence in Western democracies (UK, Holland, Denmark) are caused only by Muslims? It's clear to me that some of them cannot grasp the concept of secularism and democracy, which Hindus (and other religions) have no problem with.

    We have discriminated, punished, ostracized, and excommunicated certain Hindus for thousands of years, and when these wretched lot finally get a chance to go to a place of worship, send their kids to schools, and avail medical facilities, we actually protest the methods that give them this dignity?

    Sure, everyone has a right to choose any religion they want, but doesn't that devalue a religion if it offers material gifts to someone for converting? Are those people not doing a disservice to their respective religions by offering money to convert? What does that prove other than increasing their numbers? I don't think there is anything in Islam or Christianity that says you can't help someone who is of a different faith. Or is there?

    I would rather have NO punishment for criticizing or hurting any religion. Instead of applying that 'no punishment rule' to Islam and Islamic nations, some peevish Hindus want to include Hinduism into those retrograde laws.

    Sure, fine, agreed. But then, the laws should apply equally to all religious groups. Why appease a certain section of population by making special laws while calling oneself "secular"?? Why ban Satanic Verses and Lajja??

    Some suggest that we should stop discussing religions on public forums. They do not understand that respect does not diminish with discussing, criticizing, ridiculing, and insulting the religion.
    I agree with you 100%. Now only if we can also have an honest discussion about Islam without "them" considering the discussion as lack of respect. ;)

    Sadly, the extremist elements - whether Hindu or Muslim or Christian - are all the same. I hope that you will hold the others to the same parameter/standards that you are using to hold extremist Hindu elements.

    I hope you keep publishing and keep the discussion alive. I, for one, have not been offended by any of your posts (and as you probably know, I've been reading a lot), though I do think that your posts and ideas are slanted in one direction and it would be nice if you measured all parties using the same standards.

    Peace,
    -Amit

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  7. Amit:
    Can you honestly say the same for Islam?

    Why this comparison with the most dogmatic religion on the planet whenever we ask for betterment of our religion?

    Whenever people criticize Indian roads, some of the peevish Indians allude to roads in some remote Kenya and say we are better off.

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  8. Amit:
    People ask me- Criticize Islam too.

    What I am doing here is correcting myself and what I represent instead of resorting too much into correcting 'others'. Talking negatively about how Pakistan treats its own people is of no interest to me. How India treats its own people is of interest to me and that's where I spend most of my time.

    Banning Satanic Verses is something that I don't agree at all, though I have not written about it as yet.

    Banning any kind of book is not up to the state (according to me).

    I see lot of Indians taking gleeful satisfaction in bashing up Islam (and these Indians happen to be Hindu). For once, I would love to see Muslims bashing their religion, and Hindus bashing their own religion. I bash up Hinduism because I am born a Hindu.

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  9. Why this comparison with the most dogmatic religion on the planet whenever we ask for betterment of our religion?
    Because there is a genuine need of reform in that dogmatic religion to learn how to live in secular democracies, which Hinduism doesn't need (while it needs other reforms). Because we don't live in a vacuum and what we do affects others, and vice versa. An honest and open debate is a good start.

    What I am doing here is correcting myself and what I represent instead of resorting too much into correcting 'others'.

    I was trying to think up an analogy and this may be not perfect, but I'll give it a shot. Let's say that a car has two problems - the gear is sticking and there is something wrong with the engine, and I'm not an expert on mechanics of a car, but let's assume that the two are connected, affect each other and have different people responsible for them. I can focus only on gear (which is my problem), but unless and until I see the engine guy focusing and working on engine problem, the car won't run smoothly. Now, if the engine guy is unaware or in denial of the problem, it is the duty of gear-guy to politely and constructively point out the problem, and both agree to fix their problems.

    I think I've answered this in another thread in a recent comment. So, I guess we can agree to disagree on it, and that's fine :)

    Cheers,
    -Amit

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  10. Hi Sujai...

    I agree with you when you say that people should'nt interfere with others' lives and belief systems. That's why the question : " Who the hell are you to tell me how to live ? "
    Same with me.
    I strongly believe that relegion is a matter of self-purification (whether Islam, Hinduism, Judaism etc) and is not a matter of propaganda.

    Regards,
    Badri

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  11. You left out the most important reason to bash up hinduism!

    Most bashings run the risk of a reaction by the bashed party -- except this one. By bashing up hinduism you can flaunt your intellectualism without ever having to worry about a fatwa. It is the easiest; but most importantly - the safest way to get noticed!

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  12. Sorry, looks like you are an anti-Hindu Christlamist Communist! That's why you're OK with the cunning Christians and Muslims who abuse Hinduism (just like you do),lie blatantly about Hindu Dharma, bribe and lure their poor "victims", and indulge in violence (all with one goal : to create hatred for Hinduism so that they can CONVERT). BTW, REAL charity is extended without any ulterior motives- certainly not with the sole aim of CONVERTING like the missionaries! Their faith is a mere numbers game.(read: political agenda).

    I will speak for myself : I am a staunch believing Hindu, I respect everyone because that's what my faith teaches me (read the Gita and find out for yourself)
    I suggest you gain a proper understanding of Hinduism by studying the Gita, which is a gist of the Vedas and Upanishads -- until then, kindly refrain from commenting on Hindu Dharma!

    BTW, the fact is that there are "dalits" in every community - whether it is Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or whatever. The unfortunate truth is that in every human society (everywhere on earth) one finds some sort of social inequalities and discrimination present. WE should all (regardless of our religious affiliations (atheists included)) work on treating each other with respect and dignity!

    The fact remains that "dalit converts" face extreme discrimination in their new faith.....get a load of this : more than 1.2 million Dalit Christians are dying to abandon Christianity and re-embrace Hinduism because of severe discrimination in the Church. Thousands of Dalit Christians have already reconverted to Hinduism so far in 2008 alone(and are quite content,according to reports)....many of these reconverts are 5th generation Christians!!

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  13. When one speaks of "Hinduism," which branch, specifically, are they speaking about? And if they mean ALL the branches taken as a whole, then that represents almost every opposing philosophical point of view conceivable.

    Every time someone generalizes what a "Hindu" is supposed to mean -- and this happens more so in India -- they confuse the (very obscure) term "Hindu" with the reality of the place where most of them live and its real history. And every time someone in the sub-continent associates himself with the term "Hindu," he is voluntarily suspending his own judgment of his own identity to a misconception which was used to colonize the sub-continent for literally thousands of years -- the Mughals before the British. Maybe that's why "Hindus" are so eager to embrace the term even today, because it finally gave them a collective identity where there was none before.

    Of course, I don't mean that Indians or "Hindus" are confused about their own identity, but many of them are willing to allow someone else to define it for them.

    My radical new definition for the word "Hindu" would read something like this ;)

    Hindu \'hin-,doo\
    Function:noun
    Etymology:Persian "Hindu" inhabitant of India, from "Hind" India

    : a confused native or inhabitant of India who adheres to a religion called "Hinduism" which doesn't exist.

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  14. for self - proclaimed atheist who does see some beauty in hinduism , while it seems ok to bash hinduism ,.... u r conspicuously "chicken" about calling the bluff of islam and evangelical christians ,,, the crap of hiding behind the " it is of no use to me" argument speaks volumes about ur *alls or their lack .... while u entitled to ur opinions jus as u r to ur a**hole, it is mine that u r shit-scared about criticising those two religions to the same extent u do hinduism ... may be u r scared they will shut ur opinion up ur a**hole?

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  15. Hi Sujai ji,

    I've posted on many of your columns, hopefully you could leave a message on my twitter page. Or just reply in the current post, I will definitely check back.

    As I said, I do think that in general, there are individuals working to eliminate Hinduism altogether. Some are just plain ignorant on the nature Hinduism, it's really a very sophisticated and scientific tradition. And people do feel the need to balance their lives with spirituality. As for ritualism, that too has a significance. For example, Surya Namaskar is being adopted by even doctors.

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/fitness/Surya-Namaskar-goes-global/articleshow/5491830.cms

    I did post some literature on your other articles on Hinduism, I have tons more.

    There's nothing wrong in healthy criticism of a practice that could be potentially harmful for people. But there's a very fine line between criticism and downright condemnation. I mean, if you were to call a Black person, a "negro", I'm sure he would get pretty upset.
    Really, nobody appreciates being attacked or abused.

    As I was elucidating earlier, I've come across some nefarious persons, who have a one point selfish agenda. To spread exclusivist beliefs, and thereby establish their own principles to gain political or social power. The ONLY way this can be achieved is by peeling people away from Hinduism. There seems to be a sinister design which fortunately is easily visible, and that is why it will not get traction with common people.

    So, these "smart" individuals don't identify themselves as "communists" because communism is a failed ideology. I hope you understand exactly what I'm referring to. I do appreciate your blog and your thoughtful insights. Again, no culture can thrive by it's own merit, a healthy mixture of ideologies is essential. This has been proven thus far. Finally, I always say one thing: don't pull people down to lift yourself up. History will not be kind.

    http://www.twitlonger.com/show/6ce5t

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  16. Sujai...

    All I would say is you are a coward.. Running away from cleaning your house. If you think, your culture (Hinduism is a culture) has some problem.. Try correcting it. People like you run away from homes, abandon parents and children when something happen in their houses. You will be the first person to abandon home and run away.

    It is so sad that people like you are around. please visit the site christianaggression.org..

    Also.. The current state of distress and despair in the country is because of the advent of the materialism based western and christian philosophies..

    God Save You.
    C

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  17. MR C.
    If western and christian philosophy and democracy had not come to india,what would happened imagine..
    Muslims where ruling india, they would slowly increased in numbers ,

    hindus would have difficulty practicing hindu culture,

    hindu culture and philosophy and
    give way to arab culture and

    you would have been wearing skull cap and stoning women to death.
    And eating beef fry everyday.
    which is better todays culture or
    Arab culture?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Muslim rulers destroyed themselves not by the Christians or democracy. Read NCERT history text books

      Delete
  18. One thing that makes India unique in discrimi-nation is the fact that most of the mainland India which is predominantly Pseudo-Hindu has been corrupted in discrimination for millenniums.

    It would not be wrong to say that we are the Leaders in discrimination.

    The caste system was designed to oppress and enslave weaker sections of the society so what do you expect from such a country, it’s in the blood.

    I have faced three types of discriminations in India, i think one more than could be anywhere. 1) Caste discrimination (oldest and unique), 2) Racial discrimination, 3) Economic discrimination.

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  19. Sujai K, although I too believe in Criticism & Rationalism – but you do’ve a credibility problem!

    I just want to quote Amit: “…I do think that your posts and ideas are slanted in one direction and it would be nice if you measured all parties using the same standards.”

    I fully agree with him!

    But your logic,
    “What I am doing here is correcting myself and what I represent instead of resorting too much into correcting 'others'.”,
    is hardly convincing. It’s a clever attempt to divert attention (but falls flat).

    >>” Why this comparison with the most dogmatic religion on the planet whenever we ask for betterment of our religion?”

    SUjai K. if you really believe Islam is “the most dogmatic religion on the planet” then bash up Islam too. Have you ever done that? No!

    Instead you happily published the rantings & ravings of a mad Islamist called Dr.Rhazes spewing hatred against Hindus – that too in an extremely Hypocritical manner (“Indians embrace Irrationality as a conscious choice”).

    Shockingly, there was never any attempt on your part to counter this mad Islamist’s barkings!

    WHY THIS HYPOCRITICAL SILENCE ON YOUR PART?

    It’s is for such reasons that you’ve “credibility problem”.

    Sujai K. are you a PSEUDO-SECULARIST?

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  20. nice article. if only there were more ppl who think like this !!!

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  21. Oops! I think I wrote a comment or two too soon. I see here the answers to whatever it is that I asked you in my previous comment on the Vande Matram blog. Yes, very agreeable. However, my point still remains, fundamentalists are present on both sides. The Hindu basher impression you give may be misconstrued by someone who's belief system is steeped in Islam. You know how it goes, don't you? "Here is a link you retards! Even atheists are supporting Islam now!". My point is, a balanced criticism of all the existent religions will keep such people at bay. I cannot agree more on your point that Hinduism needs some bashing. Especially, in a country where a mythological character, right out of a story, is touted as a God. Keep up the good work, Sujai!

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  22. Jai:

    You can also look up:

    Fighting fundamentalism with fundamentalism
    http://sujaiblog.blogspot.in/2009/04/fighting-fundamentalism-with.html

    It has some answers to the questions you ask.

    Another article -
    Where do I stand?
    http://sujaiblog.blogspot.in/2007/09/where-do-i-stand.html

    discusses some more points.

    Thanks.

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  23. Jai:

    Another article
    Science and Mythology: Ram Sethu
    http://sujaiblog.blogspot.in/2007/09/science-and-mythology-ram-sethu.html

    touches upon the questions you raise briefly towards the end.

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  24. Jai:

    I ask some questions myself and in the process give a picture on my current position at:

    Where are the Indian Scientists?
    http://sujaiblog.blogspot.in/2007/09/where-is-indian-scientific-community.html

    On the same topic:
    Why Hindus are so upset?
    http://sujaiblog.blogspot.in/2007/09/why-hindus-are-upset.html

    ReplyDelete

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