Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
Satti was/is the practice fo when a man dies, his wife is to be burned with him. Widows are suposedly treated very harshly, they shave hteir heads, wear only white sarees etc. Untouchables are hte lowest caste of society.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
so if the guy dies before the woman the girl has to die right away? 
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
This is good information.
I do want to ask about the 'Supreme Being': If all Hindus believe in a supreme being yet follow different pathways towards that being, what is the relationship between the followers of each pathway? Would they accept the other paths?
Also, how does hinduism vary across the regions of South Asia? My knowledge is limited to Kashmir, where Shiva believers are predominant. In Pakistan's Indus Valley Civilization, it appears that they were followers of the Mother Goddess and the bull, so would Hinduism be linked to the Aryans?
On Supreme Being, different pathways, acceptance etc:
Very few Hindu kids grow up reading Vedas or Upanishads. They only learn some 'slokhas' (prayers that sing praise of dieties and ask for favors) and that too mostly not understanding what the words mean. This can be attributed to nearly 1000 years of foreign rule and active destruction and suppression of Hinduism and Sanskrit studies. As a result, many kids, including me when I was a kid, grow up thinking there are these millions of different Gods and Devas flying around up above in the sky ....and then we all learn when we become curious and want to really learn.
Then we seek and read the great epics as more than mere stories....leading up to some of the Unpanishads, the Vedas etc....Then we realize and start understanding the difference between true thinking which is what Sanatha Dharma is all about, the role and context of rituals and dieties and how they entered etc. After some more thinking we understand how maya works, how dharma works how karma works etc...
Until then each of us in our lives repose the faith in the dieties and the gods and the rituals.
At that point when we learn to recognize our insides we start knowing the connections.
On various paths
The various paths are innumerable. Because the stress is not on worship or rituals. If anything, if we have to say what the most important concepts are, at this point my mind tells me it is recognition of our dharma, performance of our karma. That is a common thread, so even if there are multi-various paths, it is really not difficult to accept. Occasionally somebody takes a defensive path to criticise a different school that will lead to some confrontation. But then a great leader always emerges without fail to get the game back on track. Example - Sri Adi Shankara and the digvijay he took touring all parts of India and establishing the initially 4 and ultimately 5 mutts of the Advaita philosophy. Similarly there are others - the Vaishnava traditions, the Bhuddhist and Jainism schools etc.
BUT
soomer or later the Hindu realizes the Sanathana Dharma starts about the individual and his duties. God, religion, rituals, prayers...everything becomes means to acquiring the knowledge, turning it to wisdom and the ultimate surrender to such final purity ....
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
A majority of Hindus, especially in north India does not know that beaf is a common agenda in any restaurant menu in south india.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
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Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
**One Brahman friend used to eat beef................when I asked him is that allowed..............he replied only the* Cows of India are sacred!...:)*
also even though his marraige did not work................he would not get a divorce saying Hindu religion does not allow divorce........is that right?
Cows of India are sacred!...:) yes thats true because in west gersey cows are not real cows, hybrid between cow and bhains
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
**Cows of India are sacred!...
cow racism. hmm :)
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
What are the attributes of God in hinduism? Meaning is God Merciful, Sustainer, Judge, Punisher, Bestower of wealth etc etc?????
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
What are the attributes of God in hinduism? Meaning is God Merciful, Sustainer, Judge, Punisher, Bestower of wealth etc etc?????
all the other religion came into existence based on the priniciples of hinduism which no one from other religions accept, the God is the supreme
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
all the other religion came into existence based on the priniciples of hinduism which no one from other religions accept, the God is the supreme
If I agreed with Hindu spuremacy I woundn't have asked the question. Please do not taint this conversation.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
I think what he/she meant is that in Hinduism God is seen to be the one and only supreme reality and in terms of your question God is seen to be formless, timeless and undefinable. The concept is more pantheistic in nature where God is seen to be everywhere and it’s more “one God many names” so the God in Islam is the same God in Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and all other religions.
http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=15,44&Number=2224&Main=1824
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
Thnx denada for the info, and to all those direspectful ppl if u cnt respect other ppl's beliefs dont bother posting in the thread, its totally out of order!!!
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
who told you that!?
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
not all Brahmins and other Hindus are strict vegetarians and I know quite a few groups of brahmins that are non-veg. according to Hindu scholars “The true fact is that Hindu scriptures do allow non-veg food to be eaten. Even saints and sages used to eat non-veg according to the scriptures.”
http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=50641&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
of course there are quite a few Hindus that are strict vegetarians and being a vegetarian has a lot of benefits. It’s more a personal choice.
there is so much ignorance about Hinduism
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
I don't think any Hindu holy book bans non-veg.
Hindus and most of Indians became vegetarians due to the influence of Buddhism and Jainism, IMO.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
Hey dude whats up with your interest with elephants. :). You were aking the same question in the other thread as well. Is it just to get the number of posts high or what? LOL
Meaning what? that it is justified?
But that other people do not carry the label of the only best religion in the world. Isnt it?
Forget it, it was a cheap shot. He was referring to the age difference of hz aisha and the prophet.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
I don't know about mainland India...but in Kashmir the Pandits all eat meat, especially lamb/mutton/goat and fish. I'm pretty sure they don't eat beef or pork though (or garlic or onions for that matter).
The taboo there is in the actual act of killing the animals, so all the butchers have to be Muslim. But apparently there's nothing against eating the meat itself in their beliefs.
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
I also know that brahmins of Calcutta (now Kolkatta) eat fish - actually I was told they consider fish vegetarian!
Re: Common misconceptions about Hinduism
I also know that brahmins of Calcutta (now Kolkatta) eat fish - actually I was told they consider fish vegetarian!
kerala and bengali brahmins eat Non-Veg, rest of them no, some even don't eat garlic