Save India From Pseudo Secularism

Revive Hinduism To Save India

2008-07-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

1. What is Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma)?
2. Golden age of Islam and how it was influenced wholly by Indian thoughts.
3. Why Sanatana Dharma is undergoing a crisis today?
4. How this crisis is going to affect India?
5. Why Indians should own their culture?

1. What is Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) ?

I was a not serious about Hinduism even though I was born a Hindu. In the last 6 years I have spent time understanding it. It is actually Sanatana Dharma not Hinduism. It’s goal is simple: to understand the simple yet powerful truths that defy time and space. Let me explain.

The root of Hindu belief stems from Creation (Brahma), Sustenance (Vishu) and Destruction (Shiva). The trimurti or the Triumvirate. Everything in this Universe has to undergo this cycle. Nothing escapes.

Everything in this world is to be respected. To be born a Human being is a boon and hence life on Earth is considered to heaven. Killing animals is not considered a noble deed. That is why it promotes vegetarianism and to a large extent the Indian pacifism stems from this belief.

Now people would consider this to contradict with Castesism. It is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented concepts in our history. Let me extend the idea of tolerance and explain it before I discuss castesism.

Even whent it comes to religious ideas or dogmas Sanatana Dharma is defined by the following idealogy.

Anyone who holds a view about God and rituals would fit into the following categories:

Theist - Believer in God : Ishwara Vadhin
Atheist- Non Believer in God : Anishwara Vadhin

Because of the binary nature of the western philosophies they misunderstood most things Indian. They could only see as black or white,true or false because of Socratian philosophy. We have two other forms

Believer in Vedas : Aasthik
Non believer in Vedas : Naasthik

So you could be any of the following

Believer in God and Believer in Vedas
Ishwara Vadhin and Aasthik

Believer in God but Non believer of Vedas
Ishwara Vadhin and Naasthik

Non believer in God but believer of Vedas
Anishwara Vadhi and Aasthik

Non believer in God and Non beliver of Vedas
Anishwara Vadhin and Naasthik

If anyone wonders why Indians are tolerant and were/are able to absorb every external influence(violent and non violent) with equanimity it is because of this inherant ability to tolerate differnt views on God and rituals. Would you guys believe Cavarkas were the first atheists(Anishwara Vadhin and Naasthik). They lived in 300 BC.

But unfortunately semitic and western religions have a problem with apostacy or blasphemy because in order to be called a muslim/christian you have to both accept Quran/Bible and Allah/Christ. At an intellectual plane this is very rigid. However this observation is not meant to attack their beliefs but to put forward the origin of tolerant nature of Indians.

Now let me come to the point on caste. Caste was never ordained in Sanatana Dharma because it runs contrary to the very principle of Vasudheva Kutumbakam(The world is one family). However the distinction of every human society will be based on the very roots of caste. Let me give you a perspective but never miss my point I am neither endorsing nor condoning castesism by birth or its associated disrimination.

And we all know it is based on the work we do. But there is a bigger truth behind it. Hinduism doesn’t endorse caste by birth even though many would cite Manu Smriti. Manu talks of Varna(meaning colour, not colour of skin but representation of each category like good health is pink and danger as red etc). So a Brahman(white), a Kshatriyan(Red), Vysyan(Yellow) and a Sudran(Black). But how can a religion that talks of truth perpetuate anything so badly discriminatory. Think about this: take any modern, advanced, developed country like UK for instance.

A. There are people who apply their brains and pursue reasearch, advancement of new technology, teaching etc. They are responsible for the forward movement of any human society. In effect they continually learn and apply. Foundation of this education is mostly while we are brahmacharis. Brahmachariam is essential to focus on education and that is why mostly we finish our education before we get into matrimonial relationships. This is how traditional gurukul used to work : Brahmans. Everyone who wishes to apply their brains should strive for excellence and should remain clean at heart and mind. White is the color that represents this state of mind. Purity…

B. People who bear arms to enforce law and order or defend the country’s borders : Kshatriyas
They are represented by color Red. State of flux with extreme emotions.

C. People who run the economy for providing jobs for masses and ensuring the circulation of money. They have a passion for trade, commerce and industry : Vyasyas. Slightly off color Red and it is Yellow.

D. There are people who do not fit into any of the above owing to the fact that they do not pursue education, do not have the courage to bear arms and do not possess the drive to earn money. There are about 15% of UK’s population that lives on benefits and other doles from the government. They neither possess the relevant skils nor are willing to acquire them : Sudras. This is primarily those who allow their mind to get corrupted or do not possess the discipline required to represent any of the above categories. I am sure all of you would accpet that fact that to achieve academically, militarily, or economically(financially) one needs enormous discipline. IMpurity is Black.

A human society will be composed of these four groups of people and this is a truth. This will defy time and space. Any competing thoughts about this fact are welcome. No one is born into this they end up becoming one of the above. No one can escape this phenomenon.

Like I said earlier this is how a human society will work even 3000 years from now. However this has nothing to do with one’s birth.

Just as everything got corrupted in its use and understanding even varnas(castes) were miunderstood and applied. It is sad that many Hindus do not know this because after repeated invasions and pludering the many institutions that existed in ancient India were destroyed. Hence people lost touch with their ethos and culture. That is all.

Every ritual and practise I have come across so far in my research has a purpose and meaning.

Take the concept of Dhristi(Understood as removing evil eye). People use a handful of salt and ask you stand facing East. They then move their arm in both clokwise and anti-clockwise in circular motion. And then point to your mounth and you then spit on it. The salt is then burnt. I thought this was utter nonsense and stupid thing to do unitl I realised its true scientific meaning. Salt is a natural anti-oxidant. Oxidants gathered on your epidermis is extremely toxic. So people asked you to align yourself not in the earth’s magnetic pole but across it facing East. By circular motion the salt in the palm absorbs all the oxidants and this make the oxidants reach the tip of our tounges. The remnant oxidants are then obsorbed and then burnt. Now I do not have a problem doing this to my daughter everday.

The concept of Aarthi also has a profound scientific meaning. When people come into your house you invite them with aarthi. What does the aarthi plate contain? It has kumkum(predominantly turmeric), beetle leaf(contains Mint), turmeric and camphor(remember the vicks vapourub it has 90% camphor in it). It is also very good for immunity. So they burn the camphor and use these ingredients to essentially sterilize the person so that he/she is immunised and thereby do not bring disease into the homes. Isn’t it a lovely concept based purely on scientific basis?

Also camphor is used in temples while poojas. And what do we do when we are shown the deepa-aradhnai? We take our palms and touch the flame. That is not what we should do. We should use the palms and take in the fumes of camphor and inhale them. This improves immunity. In olden days camphor was mostly imported and hence common man went to temples to benefit from these poojas.

The more I understand the reasons behind our rituals the more clearer and harmonious I become with my way of life and culture. It is essential not to discard or dismiss anything as religious or superstitious. It is definitely worth understanding the meaning of it.

As I mentioned earlier everything is symbolic in Hinduism. Swastika represents all the eight directions. Likewise 108 respresents another profound aspect. 108 is an important number and is no of times people chant Gayathri mantra or provide offerings to God. It represents the mean distance between the heavenly bodies. The mean distance between the Earth and the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun while the mean distance between the Earth and the Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Moon. The message is: just as heavenly bodies are in harmony with each other human beings should also endeavor to be in harmony with each other. One of the most civilized things that emerged out of this harmony is vegetarianism.

Can you name any culture or religion in the world that worships work(by-product of which is money) and education? Would any Hindu trample or step on a book or money? We wouldn’t. Believer or non believer in Hinduism Indians wouldn’t do this. Why? Because we value these things like God because without which you are nothing in this world and can do nothing worthy in this world: in one word Karma. Your work. And your work is determined by what you learn and apply. This aspect will defy time and space. This is true 4000 years ago and will be true 4000 years hence.

Matha Pitha Guru Devo. First is Mother who gives us life, next is Father who provides for us, Guru who enlightens us and makes us worthy and then comes God. Isn’t that a wonderful truth in human society. Would you ever worship and respect a parent is doesn’t do his/her duty?

2. Golden age of Islam and how it was influenced wholly by Indian thoughts.

I wouldn't want to get into the atrocities inflicted on the then Indians by the invading Arabs and subsequently the Mugals(Mongols). However one should also remember that the interaction between Arabs and Indians took place even before their invasion and plunder. A very good article by Arif Mohamed Khan (former minister) would help get an idea.

http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20080617&fname=arif&sid=1

But major work on translations started after the arrival of Mohamed Ghazni (wrongly fabled as 17 attempts but rather were invasions). Al Beruni came along with him in 1024 AD. He is credited with understanding and translating works of art, science and music from Sanskrit to Arabic. Infact Al Beruni accounts the destruction inflicted by Ghazni on temples at Somnath, Mathura etc in his book. And how the destruction was purely aimed at enforcing opposition to Idol worship followed by Indians and propagation of Islam.

The problems associated with Islam today are not with the type of Islam India follows. it is purely with Wahabism. India largely follows sufi traditions which is an amalgamation of Indian and part Quranic thoughts(not wholly).

Wahabis abhor music and picturisation but Sufis in India have composed music using Indian music system (sa, re, ga, ma...) and painted several iconic works of art.

3. Why Sanatana Dharma is undergoing a crisis today?

It is purely due to the onslaught of Wahabism and Missionary driven propaganda. The missionaries have always wanted to convert Indians to Christianity by hook or crook. Sonia Gandhi (who was a Christian missionary in England) is pretty useful in many ways for them. Affidavit in Supreme Court against the existence of Lord Ram, destruction of Sethu Samudran, Amarnath controversy, aiding and abetting conversion are not going unnoticed. Christian onslaught is not a new phenomenon. I wish to quote Pope Gregory of 1604: Tolerate Castesism amongst hindu converts. Although it is an effective hurdle to the destruction of Hinduism.

That is why today we are all made to feel apologetic about caste but have been prevented from understanding the real meaning of it.

There is no voice today for those who wish to express their desire to talk about Hinduism. Declaring oneself as Hindus is considered to be derisive and their problems are largely ignored.

a. Kashimiri Pandits are one of the worst off in India. No one wants to talk about them. In Kearala Hindus are being murdered by NDF and Commies but the secular media wouldn't write about it.

b. In South Tamil Nadu I have seen many temples being destroyed by Christians.

c. Recently they declared Thiruvalluvar to be a Christian saint(couldn't get worse than this).

d. Tamil New Year has been banned in Tamil Nadu by DMK government and GO's were passed this year to prevent temples from celebrating it. They have instead moved the date to coincide with the Christian calendar. DMK cited that Tamil new year is a tamil festival but Tamil Muslims and Christians do not celebrate Tamil New year anyway.

e. All Hindu temples are controlled by Governments in India unlike other religions. Tamil nadu government banned Chidambaram temple from singing Sanskrit hymns. Great way to promote Tamil in temples but mosques and churches were spared of this law.

4. How this crisis is going to affect India?

Hindus will begin to feel the pinch sooner rather than later. To me Hindu mobilisation will be viewed by minorities as a danger. But how else would they prevent destruction of their timeless culture? This will affect peace and stability. Already NE india is fully Christian and they are fighting for separate Christian land. Media has completely blacked this out. Kashmir is slipping out. Recent Amarnath controversy was hailed as secular victory. While Haj pilgrimage is considered the duty of Secular India.

I believe patriotic and nationalistic Indians should see through the machinations of Congress and Commie parties. In the name of minority appeasement they are not only destroying minorities they are also antagonising Hindus. Recently I heard a High Court say that muslim girls although less than 18 years could get married after they attain puberty. This is not special treatment to muslims but encouraging women suppression and encouraging backwardness. Tax payers money to the tune of 6 lakh crore rupees are going to spent on Muslim development in the next five year plan. This will worsen the situation in India. Congress is destroying the fabric of this nation.
$150 billion dollars on a religious group is perhaps the first of its kind in the world where a majority does enjoy such privileges. If minorities are to be taken care of then Kashmiri Hindus should have got such treatment long time ago. And the same way in NE states.

5. Why Indians should own their culture?

The only answer to all these problems is to understand that all Indian regardless of their religious denomination accept the fact that their ancestors were also once Hindus and therefore extend the due respect and appreciation for their own history. That will solve most problems. It is the lack of respect and misplaced loyalties that contribute to suspicion. Also deliberate attempts to deny due recognition to INdian achievement have hurt many people including your truly.

For instance many still think the number system is Arabic. They say vedas were written by Muslims. Chrisitians claiming Vedas were written by Jews. And claiming great saints like Thiruvalluvar to be Chrisitian. These and many more such falsehoods will not only enrage Hindus it will push them to a corner.

Secularism: Denying The Rightful Place of Hinduism

2008-04-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am not a religious person but have become extremely interested in comparing religions of this world. Not because I am an Indian or Hindu by birth I find Hinduism to be taller than other religions but its exhortation of the pursuit of truth all your life (one of the basis of Hinduism) attracts me. Everything is symbolic and not literal. Everything conveys a profound meaning and thereby establishes truth.

I feel Secularism in India as practised by Communists/Dravidian Parties and Congress have denied our right to know about our ethos and culture.

Take a look at the following observations

1. Holy Trinity : Brahma(Creator), Vishu(Sustainer) and Shiva(Destroyer). This is true of anything in this universe. Anything will have to be created, sustained and destroyed. Nothing can escape this phenomenon.

2. Planets exist and orbit around Sun and there is no mention of Earth being the centre-of-the-universe-and-also-flat nonsense unlike like the semitic religions. Old Testament, New Testament and Quran hold a view that Earth is the centre of the Universe and it is flat. Remember what happened to Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo in particular. And that alone shows they do not represent truth. In fact Hinduism talks about 7 Oceans,7 continents, 7 days in a week, 7 musical notes,7 seasons, 7 phases of life, 7 heavenly bodies(Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were excluded as they were not visible to the naked eye 3000 years ago. Of course Pluto is officially not a planet) etc.

3. The universe and hence Earth are 6000 years old according to Christians and their Bible. 23 October 4004 BC(there are conflicting dates but all point to 6000 years ago)is supposed to be the day( at 9 AM in the morning ) God began with Genesis.This is also not representative of truth because these books never mention dinosaurs(for obvious reasons) and they are definitely not 6000 years old.Hinduism never puts any date but only says that everything is a cycle conforming to creation, sustenance and destruction. However it says that whole universe was created 5 billion years ago and that tallys with Big Bang Theory.

4. Adam and Eve were supposed to be the first human beings created by God according to all three semitic religions. Now that again is not representative of truth. If incest and adultery are sins, according to these religions, then Adam and Eve give birth to Cain and Abel and human race should have stopped there!!!!. It didn't and how? The only woman was Eve and mother of two boys. I do not want to dwell on how procreation took place thereafter. How can God do something like this?

5. As I mentioned earlier everything is symbolic in Hinduism. Swastika represents all the eight directions. Likewise 108 respresents another profound aspect. 108 is an important number and is no of times people chant Gayathri mantra or provide offerings to God. It represents the mean distance between the heavenly bodies. The mean distance between the Earth and the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun while the mean distance between the Earth and the Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.The message is: just as heavenly bodies are in harmony with each other human beings should also endeavor to be in harmony with each other. One of the most civilized things that emerged out of this harmony is vegetarianism.

6. Can you name any culture or religion in the world that worships work(by-product of which is money) and education? Would any of us trample or step on a book or money? I see many westeners and middle eastern guys do that. We wouldn't. Why? Because we value these things like God because without which you are nothing in this world and can do nothing worthy in this world: in one word Karma. This aspect will defy time and space. This is true 4000 years ago and will be true 4000 years hence.

7. Matha Pitha Guru Devo. First is Mother who gives us life, next is Father who provides for us, Guru who enlightens us and makes us worthy and then comes God. Isn't that a wonderful truth in human society. Would you ever worship and respect a parent is doesn't do his/her duty?

8. Now let me come to the contentious aspect of Hinduism( I oppose castesism tooth and nail). And we all know it is based on the work we do. But there is a bigger truth behind it. Hinduism doesn't endorse caste by birth even though many would cite Manu Smriti. Manu is not representative of Hinduism and Hinduism doesn't ordain castesism. But how can a religion that talks of truth perpetuate anything so badly discriminatory. Think about this: take any modern, advanced, developed country like UK for instance.

A. There are people who apply their brains and pursue reasearch, advancement of new technology, teaching etc. They are responsible for the forward movement of any human society. In effect they continually learn and apply. Foundation of this education is mostly while we are brahmacharis. Brahmachariam is essential to focus on education and that is why mostly we finish our education before we get into matrimonial relationships. This is how traditional gurukul used to work.

B. People who bear arms to enforce law and order or defend the country's borders

C. People who run the economy for providing jobs for masses and ensuring the circulation of money. They have a passion for trade, commerce and industry.

D. There are people who do not fit into any of the above owing to the fact that they do not pursue education, do not have the courage to bear arms and do not possess the drive to earn money. There are about 15% of UK's population that lives on benefits and other doles from government. They neither possess the relevant skils nor are willing to acquire them.

A human society will be composed of these four groups of people and this is a truth. This will defy time and space. Any competing thoughts about this fact are welcome.
Hence there is no hard and fast rules on how Hindus should see/feel God. That is why you have many forms of Gods. They are all symbolic and eventually represent the Holy Trinity. As always there are facts and those require revision(like the nine planets although Rahu and Kethu might have meant Uranus and Neptune. I do not know) with new ideas but fundamental truth remains the same.

Jazzia in Modern India: Are Hindus paying Tax for being Hindus in India today?

2008-03-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

It is known widely that Hindus were made to pay Jazzia(Religious Tax) during the Mughal days for being Hindus. I believe the tradition is being sustained in modern India thanks to Congress and Communists. Most tax paying Indians are Hindus if classified according to their religious denominations. In return Hindus do not get even basic ameneties like roads, power, education and health care. But Congress and Communists heap special treatement to minorities. How can one justify Haj pligrimage subsidy? Why would a secular government pick and choose among religions? Now YSR Rajasekhar Reddy(a Christian who converted from Hinduism) announced a similar package for Christians in Andhra Pradesh. They can now undertake pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Israel fully funded by Andhra Pradesh Government.

So in effect Hindus pay tax and do not get anything in return but are only being abused for being Hindus and law abiding citizens. They have to bear the one-sided Pseudo Secular assault on their religious beliefs. Communists and Congress will to defend the religious feelings of Muslims( be it Danish Cartoons or Taslima Nasreen) and Christians(Kandhamal incident) but would instigate an affidavit in Supreme Court against the existence of Lord Ram and of course go ahead with the destruction of Ram Sethu. They do get support from Karunanidhi and Buddhadeb from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively. They have the backing of the Communists lead Indian Media.

How are we going to put an end to this atrocity?

What does Hindutva mean to me?

2008-01-06T02:25:00.000-08:00

Personally I had to cross the Rubicon of secular mindset to jump into the realm of Hindutva(whatever it means). Recent elections in Gujarat had alarmed and shaken my core belief system. The way Indian media behaved was extremely deplorable.

I had no opinion about Modi before the elections and whatever I knew of him was what the media portrayed: a mass-murderer. But I am not a poor judge of character. Two aspects of Modi made me think a lot:

i. His older brother's daughter is unemployed after having secured a B.Ed degree. Can this ever happen in other states? Can you find any other Chief Minister's kith or kin uemployed? A mere cursory comparision with DMK in Tamil Nadu is enough to assure that Modi is honest.

ii. When his party men wanted to give amnesty to 2 lakh farmers for power-theft charges he refused it flatly. Now common Indian media, other politicians would have thought 2 lakh farmers, at least 3 votes from each family so you could buy 6 lakh votes and their loyalty by announcing amnesty in party manifesto. I can't think of any contemporary politician who has done this?

I learnt more about this man in the last 4 weeks. I felt the people of India deserve a good deal better than what our media can offer. They have a pathological hatred for him and accuse him of perpetuating hatred. Hatred of any kind is hatred. Media perpetuates hatred against Hindus in many ways. NDTV is the best example. I had been an avid fan Prannoy Roy since "World this week" days. He was, in some ways, an idol to me. But recent behaviour of this channel has made me puke. His analysis of Gujarat elections is nothing short of cronyism towards his ideological moorings. And hence he should not claim himself neutral. NDTV's caption "Truth First" is one dimensional.

Take for instance on Diwali day there was a question in their Verdict segment :
Has diwali become more about money and extravagance? or something like that
And then people would send in their comments and there was an overwhelming vote in favor of the question. But would these guys every question the celebrations if Id or Christmas.
I have never seen them do that.

During the Sabarimala season they had another question: Is the makar jyothi for real or stage managed? I do not know why they cut-short the program half way through. I have never seen these guys question the miracles of many sufi shrines, lame people being able to walk and blind being able to see at Christian evangelical congregations or the appearance of blood on Virgin Mary's statues all over the world. Look progressiveness/rationalism should apply to all religions and not be applied selectively to denigrate particular people. I do not believe in superstitions and hence question the relevance of blind faith in all religions.

The first time I felt let down by NDTV was when they covered the riots in Bangalore on 21 Jan 2007. Howeve they did not mention the trouble that began on a proverbial Friday i.e. on 19 January 2007. It was a Congress lead protest against Saddam Hussein's hanging. A sample of Secularism (http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2402/stories/20070209002802900.htm). Neither NDTV nor other media houses questioned the rationale behind these protests. Why would India bother about Saddam's hanging? Is he anyway related to our problems. Other than being an Arab with an Arab sounding name he has no business with India. NDTV was quiet on 19 Jan when the real trouble started and there was Section 144 in certain areas of Bangalore. On 21 Jan there was a congregation of Hindus to celebrate birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader M.S. Golwalkar. Now that is a strict no no in so far as the secular media is concerned. Give me a break! Loses were suffered only by the minority community and they were being victimised. It was on all TV channels for over a week. Where does this pathological hatred towards Hindus stem from?

I have slowly been gravitating towards questioning the validity of Secularism as practised and preached by people in India.

The official media in India have written reams about Babri Masjid demolition. However no one has ever ventured to question why we should have Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Or a Aurangazeb's masjid in Mathura (Varanasi, Somnath and list is endless). We all know that these cities are sacred places of Hinduism of ages and have been much older than the ages of Islam and Christianity put together.

My understanding of Hindutva and my taking to it is to save Hinduism from internal and external onslaught. The sole reason being that the establishment (read Congress and Communists and Secularist) had had a craftily designed program to eliminate self-pride by making Hindus feel guilty for every historical accident our country had faced. This strategy of shifting of blame, though not explicitly, along with deliberate attempt to shield any achievement and contribution of Hindus to this country and the world has been very successful in softening concerted opposition to Congress and Communists alike. Between them they tacitly agree to be each other's political enemies but wouldn't want others to oppose them. Hindus, as a vote bank, are the real threat to these people and hence would go to any length to consolidate anti-hindu votes and ensure the sustenance of division amongst Hindus. Arjun Singh wasn't concerned about OBC's plight for the last 55 years of Congress rule. His focuss was to divide Hindus in Madhya Pradesh and buy the loyalty of the majority OBC community there to help his son win elections and become Chief Minister. At the same time he wanted reservation for Muslims in the Army. Then they instituted Sachhar committee after a Muslim in America wrote a book on how police force behaves during communal riots in India. This is a clear act of subversion and perfidy to weaken any opposition. To me all this affects Hinduism and its followers. People often say Hinduism is stronger and can withstand onslaught but for one who has a modicum of understanding of international politics would realise that 40% of our population is poor and are really vulnerable to these soul harvesters. Only a determined government with a long term view on unity and integrity of this country can tackle this organised crime. To me this conversion business is social engineering and we have seen all through history that any social engineering is bound to fail catastrophically. Look at Soviet Union(communism), Pakistan, Bangladesh(West Pakistan), Srilanka(ethnic cleansing), Burma, China(a looming danger always awaits this country) and so on.

India will remain as one as long as Hindus are in majority because they have shown the tolerance it takes to coexist with others but any other religion becoming dominant will tear this country apart.And for that reason I want Hindus to unite to save this country. A majority of Muslims and Christians in India, at some point in history, have been Hindus themselves. Also as a Hindu I have the right to protect my people and its culture too.That to me is Hindutva.