What has Hinduism given to the world?

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

This is what I wrote yesterday in response to a thread (Hindu Philosophy) with a question from Sadiyah. Some of the issues debated in this thread are relevant to my message. I am taking the liberty to copy and paste my message to Sadiyah.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadiyah
Also, if Hinduism is a way of life, then it should be covering all aspects of how to lead one's life. Is such the case? If it is, then shouldn't there be teachings telling you what to do in most situations. If it does, do people follow it and could you give examples of such teachings where it shows how to lead one's life..

There is no ONE book that lays out the rules of life. There are all kinds of scriptures, some of them tell parables with a moral. These scriptures were not revealed to ONE person and then put down on paper. They are an amalgamation of thousands of years of life experiences and they were added onto through the ages. This is why a lot of the scriptures are dynamic in thier flow.. a lot of them reflect the social and political situation at THAT PARTICULAR TIME OF WRITING. For example the Laws of Manu.. that are quoted with relish by western and non hindu people. The laws of Manu are harsh towards women and are totally reflective of the time they were written. Since then much else has been written that negates what Manu said. The laws of Manu have been eclipsed by change in time and circumstances. There are other scriptures you can look at or follow if you do not agree with what Manu says. Hinduism lays great emphasis on individual beings making decisions on morality by themselves. The books are just pointers. This is why Hinduism is so inclusive of many sects and subsects and has remained dynamic through the ages.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadiyah
I am a little confused because at one end some are saying it's mainly a philosophy; however, at the other end you're telling me that it's a way of life. I don't have a problem with either one. Given that this has confused me, could you please clarify the two and tell me how the two go together. Thank you. .

There is the freedom given (implicitly not explicitly) to Hindus to follow the religion as a philosophy or as a way of life. Those that wish to treat the scriptures as gospel and live thier lives ritually just as described in the scriptures can do that. Those that wish to just take the essence of the scriptures are also allowed to do that and use that as a philosophical touchstone may do that too. Hinduism is quite laise faire in its application and it seems to work well since people can tailor it to thier needs. It can sometimes lead to strife (acute casteism etc), but people are given the freedom to make the good and bad decisions by themselves.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadiyah
ssingh, I have a few convert friends who converted from Hinduism to Islam. Initially their families didn't take it well and were not very pleased with it. They weren't happy with the fact that they converted out of Hinduism. Could you please shed some light on it, as you said conversion is something Hindus don't care about? .

There is general concensus in the scriptures that Hindus are born and not made... in other words there is no ritualistic conversion. Anyone can live or think like a Hindu, but does not have to have a Hindu star pinned to his lapel to declare that he lives or thinks like a Hindu. If it makes someone happy to create a shiny star and create some sort of ritual to pin it on themselves they are free to do so. The more conservative Hindus will not consider it of any importance. They will appreciate that someone else appreciates thier philosphy or way of life but thats it.. no need to change themselves.

Apart from historic reasons of hindu/muslim strife, the families of your friends who converted may also be upset because conversion is so NOT a part of Hinduism, they do not know why anyone needed to or could convert.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadiyah
Also, in general, I'd appreciate if someone could explain the Hindu philosophy. I know Rahul made an attempt; however, it was way too concise for me to get the actual essence of the message. It doesn't have to be too long, but detailed enough that I can get a clear picture. Thank you..

Philosophy is simple.. there is some entity that created the world. Call it Eshwar or what have you. That is the BIG CHEESE. There are other dieties created to keep us all in place and upright moral citizens. These dieties live lives like us.. make war, have lovers, have fights, have children, hold jobs etc. These are called the Avatars (Krishna, Ganesh, Shiva etc). Indian Mythology is based on thier colorful lives. We learn from thier examples to lead our own lives. There is no... Krishna said to .. jump 3 times so we do it.... even the Gita is philosphical in nature. You do not have to do what it says in a literal sense. Idols of these Avatars are made and worshipped so that we always have an example close to us, something that reminds us to live good lives... something concrete to jog our conciense if we make wrong choices in life.

Reincarnation is a whole another kettle of fish. There is no concept of heaven (except as a place that gods build thier mansions) and hell or hell fire. If we make bad or immoral choices in this life we will come back to this earth as a less evolved being and will have to start from scratch to build up our good deed account all over again. There is always hope! The blameless ones slip out of the birth death cycle and attain nirvana. Not really sure where nirvana folks go... some nice carribean island perhaps.. that would be nice!

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

…:cb:

A constructive thread
A constructive thread
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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

:k:…cooool

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

in this age, things have changed. We have new definitions. We will have to defy old definitions. I am sure hindu scriptures have spoken both "for" and "against" sati. Frankly i dont know also since i have not read anything else other than bhagavad geetha . But,If it hasn't spoken against it then we will have to defy it. Our religion gives us the freedom to defy it. "Hinduism defies definition". Look at this sentence positively, you will find explanations for every aspect in life. whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, north or south, east or west...covering the whole universe.....in the mean time defying itself (perhaps the only religion or creed or what ever it is that does that). It will cover every viewpoint. Both pro's and cons of life. It's just a question of choice and reap karma's(good and bad) according to the choice you made. **Our gods or that some force or creator of universe will guide us...no matter what. They will help us to acheive the ultimate aim in life. By the way, **this was just meant only to hindus. I dont mean to hurt anyone. I dont want to know what others think about my faith.And i dont care about it. thanks...and take care
[/quote]

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

So? Tens / hundreds / Thousands women might be getting raped by Hindus, does it mean that Hinduism promotes raping? :stuck_out_tongue:

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

dude.....that's the same point which everyone was trying to proove.

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

The fact that you are inable to answer the questions relevant to the topic, and keep attempting to change the topic by bringing Islam into the discussion, I will asks you once to move your argument to another (new) topic. There, we shall see if you can backup all of these issues with proper references from the Quran and/or authentic Hadees (something which you haven’t done ONCE ever since you started), the way Lahore 981 backs up the relevant issues with proper references from the Hindu scriptures.

Read this post over a few times. I’m assuming you are a little slow:naraz:

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

If you guys want some answers that sooths your conscience, read my post 118. By the way i am not against cow worship and in fact I worship it. I dont see anything wrong in all the things you mentioned about cow worship.

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Lahore...you know what...when you mentioned hinduism is 'nothing'.....from Dr.Radhakrishnan's quote. I knew what he meant. But was not really very confident about it...you guys must relish when you say "hinduism is 'nothing'

I will tell what they all meant......hindu scriptures talks about every aspect, good or bad, right or wrong, it says there is god, but at one point it even says there is no god, it simply covers each and every topic that is out there in this universe. It keeps questioning itself. thereby defying itself. What conclusions can be drawn from it?....It tells you 'nothing'(means no conclusions). It is that 'nothing' Dr. radhakrishnan meant. it is left to the people to draw any conclusions about their observations. It's just a question of choice and reap karma's according to the choice you made.

You know what conclusion I have drawn from hindu philosophy "just throw a stone into a pond to some point, the waves that are created by it will come back to the same point from all directions".

It's sometimes also referred as "law of karma".

You also wanted us to answer what is "hinduism:a way of life"......i have an answer for that.

It simply means "not associating yourself with any religion, but still taking bhagavad geetha and the vedas as your guides of life". You know what... hinduism again can be questioned and defied "by adding other religious scriptures also along with bhagavad geetha and vedas". In this paragraph itself you might find contradictions. But thats a part of it. It all depends on what you choose. If you cant understand what i have said, i can understand.

My interest has been hinduism and it's philosophy...always. May be because by birth i am a hindu. I am kinda proud of it also. You know what.... if i present a paper on hinduism in some composium or symposium what ever..., i will not forget to mention these threads name as reference. But i will do that without associating myself with any religion but still keeping bhagavad geetha and vedas as guides. That's hindu "way of life". here itself there is a contradiction. I hope you can see that. If you are not able to .....remove the word 'hindu'. I think it's just a "way of life".

Regarding...sati. I have not read vedas. The meanings of verses "could be different". There could be many interpretations. Everyverse will tell you many meanings. That too...when it's sanskrit...things become even more difficult. Very few guys know sanskrit. Highly scholared people in sanskrit are very less. The problem becomes even more complicated when you translate from sanskrit to english. i hope i have explained. But no matter what...i have explained we defy it in this age. I have made this even more...in a way glorified sati in post 118. i have no regrets for this.But i am simply against sati...or whatever in this age. The vedas might have quoted some verse on sati. But you simply cant ignore what other things it has to say. As swami vivekananda said "you will have to see vedas through the eyes of evolution".

Regarding the cow worship you mentioned "what's wrong in it? if some people do it what's wrong in it? no matter what they do , they do it in the name of god...i am sure creator of this universe will not find fault with it. why?.....because he cannot be humiliated....these emotions are there only to humans. No matter how we pray...he will accept the prayers. That's my strong and sound belief.

Every 1111 th poster WINS.....
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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Where did you find me saying I was learning Hinduism from Lahore?

Can you concede from your post now?

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Again in RigVeda book 10 Hymn 28 verse 3 it says “0 Indra, Bulls they dress for thee, and of these (meat) thou eatest when Maghavan, with food thou art invited”.

In Rig veda Book 10 Hymn 86 verse 13 says “indra will eat thy bulls, thy dear oblation that effecteth much. Supreme is Indra over all"
These verses indicates that Indra, a god of vedic age, used to eat meat.

Atherva veda book 9 Hymn 4 verses 37-38-39 gives _expression that cow’s milk and cow’s meat are most tasty among all other foods. It says “The man should not eat before the guest who is Brahmin versed in holy lore When the guest hath eaten he should eat. Now the sweet est portion, the produce of cow, milk or flesh, that verily he should not eat (before the guest)”

http://jainfriends.tripod.com/articles/vedichindu.html

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Hum,

Sorry guys for replying late. I was busy somewhere :)

Yudhisthir,
I'll be back with the reply. I am in the middle of something. But this post is just an acknowledgement that I have read your post.

Lahore 981

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Na, Na mamoo na.
Don’t loose nerves. We are not comparing Pakistan with India or comparing Hinduism with Islam……. So please stick to Hinduism as the topic suggests.

Since you are constantly bragging that Manu Smariti is not a book of Hinduism, I have provided many website that DO WRITE Manu Samriti as a sacred book of Hinduism. I had simply quoted websites which claim Manu Smariti as a sacred book. Please do not pretend that “I” am considering Manu Samriti as a sacred book.

Please read my next post which brings out AUTHENTIC Hindu websites keeping Samritis among sacred books……

Then I should believe your inferiority in English vocabulary, or better say “this part of the world” i.e. India. You don’t see any difference between written and revealed. I wonder if you can convince “One” English speaking person on this claim.

Arey mamoo, English is not a language of Arabia. You are again comparing apples and oranges….. and reflecting the miscomprehension of “this part of the world” i.e. India on Arabia…..

Bhai, the topic is Hinduism. We are talking about Hinduism……

Again, we are talking about “sati” and statistics of Sati in Hinduism and India. We are not JUST talking about the Mughal period…….

Now would you mind elaborating on the “Sati” statistics in India I gave in this thread…..

Again, two of these are Epics. How do you compare the epics with Holy books.
Ramayana which is replete with sex and eroticism, how can you place Ramayana within the Holy Books? None of my hindu friends ever called Ramayana and Mahabharta as “Holy” books.

I can provide you many verses from Ramayana replete with criminal acts.

Stupid things you thought as a kid
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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

**Buddy, are you presenting “your” own version of Hinduism. **
Then why these wabsites rank Purans among the holy books of Hinduism?
Some of them also keep Samritis in the same ranks……

1) Website detailing Purans and even reading them
http://www.vedpuran.com/

2) SCRIPTURES:
Vedas, Upanishads, epics, Puran-as, and the Bhagavad Gita **explain the essence of Hinduism. **<---------- :naraz:
http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/hinduism.shtml

3) It is a general feature of all the Puranas that they fully explain the creation aspect and also the dissolution aspect of the universe, give the description of all the Manus and tell the history of the important families along with their family successions and the dynasties of kings etc. Whatever the Puranas describe, their main concentration is to introduce a feeling of [FONT=‘Trebuchet MS’]bhakti and dedication towards a personal form of God in the heart of the reader.
http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/authentic_hinduism/bhartiya_scriptures.htm

4) Smritis
These are the books of codes related to the social living. They describe what are the sins and the good deeds; define what penances, or what kind of fasting, or what kind of charity could redeem what sin, or what should be the punishment for a particular sin. They also describe what kind of rites and rituals a person is supposed to observe in the family, and what is the right conduct and right behavior for the people of various orders of life in the society and so on.
http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/authentic_hinduism/bhartiya_scriptures.htm

**5) **The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas (the Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc.). They have five characteristics (Pancha Lakshana), viz., history, cosmology (with various symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary creation, genealogy of kings, and of Manvantaras (the period of Manu’s rule consisting of 71 celestial Yugas or 308,448,000 years). All the Puranas belong to the class of Suhrit-Sammitas, or the Friendly Treatises, while the Vedas are called the *Prabhu-Sammitas *or the Commanding Treatises with great authority.
http://www.hinduism.8k.com/puranas.html

6) For Hindus who have interest in religion and devotion
Puranas -
These are 18. The almost festivals and worshipping systems of Hindu Worship is originated from here. A brief introduction of these are as follows –
http://www.vedic-india.com/gpage1.html

7) Various Sanskrit books like Linga Puran, Siva Puran, Brahmandya Puran, Skanda Puran etc., that have a narration as to how the worship of Siva was sponsored have been translated into Bengali in prose and poetry. Siva as a deity has a strange fascination for both men and women. The village elders recite Siva stories. In the Linga Puran there is a story that once there was a great quarrel between Brahma and Vishnu as to who is the overlord of the world and the quarrel was solved by Lord Siva who appeared in the shape of a lingam which was like a flash of a fire.
http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/ektesvara/page1.htm

8) Shrimad Bhagwad Puran is composed by Veda Vyasa after having written (narrated) Mahabharta. He wrote it to recover from the mental stress that was caused by writing Mahabarta. Srimad Bhagvad Puran can be seen as a collection of stories from ancient India history (or hindu mythology?) that reflect on importance of Bhakti Marg for attainment of Mukti.
http://www.dinkercharak.com/hindu/srimad_bhagwad.htm

9) Encyclopedia of Authentic Hinduism And Purans
http://encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/64_the_avatars_descensions.htm

So there is no question that Purans are the holy books of Hinduism. Can you deny these authentic hindu websites and prove your claim Yudhisthir?

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

So my question about "Sati" still remains. One thing that Hinduism had given to India (not to the world) of course.

Next is the caste system which has been derived from Manu Samriti, although Yudishthir calims that it is not a holy book of Hinduism. They declare it a "not sacred" book but do follow manymnay mnay rules in their society which are derived from Manu Samriti.....

Why do you make such statements that Manu is NOT a sacred book why your society follows what Manu Wrote for them.

I'll talk about caste system after you tell me about the "sati".... and I'll show how the Laws of Manu are still practiced whole heartedly in India.....

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

lahore you are wasting your time you could have red quran 100 times by now
prayed to alllah so many times .

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Lahore.. please read my message 121. That should give you information about what role Hindu scriptures play.

Do not get hung up about sacred books.. hindus and muslims have very different interpretations of "sacred" books and what role they should play. I understand that will be difficult for you to grasp simply because you are unused to any other interpretations of "sacred" books.

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

Lahore, please tell me if you have been to and lived in India for any meaningful lenght of time before you start lecturing about what books are sacred to Hindus and how society follows laws of Manu.

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

<>by mograkali

very practical answer

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Re: What has Hinduism given to the world?

So you wanna know from where did sati-pratha come from?

lemme answer it......sati-pratha came into existance in mughal invation of the sub-continent. Before mughal invation hinduism was known as vedicism, there were lot of liberties given to the people, total freedom just like domocracy can give.

Mughal invation resulted downfall of the liberty given to vedic people by the local admonistartions (panchyats and brahmans).
Mughal rulers dint considered vedic relegion and culture anymore. They used to invade small villages, rape the girls and women and kill the innocents. These people werent so powerful to fight with them as their philosophies dint match with the mughals either.

In contrast they introduced:

  1. Sati-Pratha : If a women husband (who is her care taker and preserver) is
    killed or died then there'll be no one left to protect her from
    inhuman mughals, she should burn herslf with her husband so
    as to protect her relegion been looted by them.

  2. Parda-Pratha : These people used to cover their girls and women so that
    mughals may not be able to see them so 'easily'. This
    practice however dint proved to be powerfull but it certainly
    helped people to save their girls for some extent.

  3. Child-Marriage: People used to marry their girl in her childhood so that she
    may get protected earlier from mughals by her husband and
    inlaws.

  4. Female foenticide: Poor or weak people who were unable to pretect their
    girls from radical mughals used to kill them and used to
    pray for sons coz they no longer want to suffer from
    'being non-muslim female child parent in mughal rule'.

nothing is baseless, all the evil practices exists and existed in hinduism was simply the reult of the mughal invation and their extreme behaviour towards non-muslims esp. girls.
thats why we hate these f*ing mughals so much.