"It
is a human tragedy that most Hindus know so little about the beauty and
depth of Hinduism. They do not read or learn directly from their
Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas and Subhashitas, even though decent
translations are available for some key texts in various Indian
languages, German and English. Instead, they read so-called "experts"
who distort, mock and push propaganda of their own or their sponsors.
Thus "caste" and "cultural problems" becomes 90% of Hindu-serving publications and discussion obsession, when the fact is that non-Hindus have had a stronger sense of "caste" [1], committed 1000 fold bigger genocide from "racism", beheaded more men and women, burnt more women at stake in their history, than Hindus ever did. Two wrongs do not make a right, of course. Yet, obsessing about what went wrong centuries ago, and overlooking the strengths and achievements, is a prescription for inferiority complex and dysfunctional personality. Relentless introspection combined with zero extrospection is a disease.
Thus "caste" and "cultural problems" becomes 90% of Hindu-serving publications and discussion obsession, when the fact is that non-Hindus have had a stronger sense of "caste" [1], committed 1000 fold bigger genocide from "racism", beheaded more men and women, burnt more women at stake in their history, than Hindus ever did. Two wrongs do not make a right, of course. Yet, obsessing about what went wrong centuries ago, and overlooking the strengths and achievements, is a prescription for inferiority complex and dysfunctional personality. Relentless introspection combined with zero extrospection is a disease.
Hindus need to learn their history, not by reading the books written by
non-Hindus, but by reading the books written by ancient Hindus. From
virtues to vices to ethics to morals to freedom to ahimsa to "Know Your
Self" to karma to dharma to kama to artha to moksha to sutras to suktis
to music to math to trade to shilpas to innovation to epistemology -
pagan Hindus have had an immensely rich foundation paralleling those of
pagan Greeks. And Hindus can only discover this by self discovery, by
exploring their heritage's immense literature with scholarship. Neither
the writers of British colonial heritage nor the modern era non-Hindu
writers can do that for them.
Yet, we must also not forget last 1000 years and the trauma Hindus have suffered for centuries. The genocide, cultural destruction and slavery of Hindus under Islamic colonialism had a lasting, cross generational effect. Then came the Christian saviors, who stopped the Islamic colonial abuse and its episodes of genocide, but replaced it with 'grow opium for our profit', segregation by skin color, racist supremacy, the continued cultural destruction of pagan Hindus, and the indentured version of slavery for another 200 years. Hindus are still emerging from the long shadow of those 1000 years."
Yet, we must also not forget last 1000 years and the trauma Hindus have suffered for centuries. The genocide, cultural destruction and slavery of Hindus under Islamic colonialism had a lasting, cross generational effect. Then came the Christian saviors, who stopped the Islamic colonial abuse and its episodes of genocide, but replaced it with 'grow opium for our profit', segregation by skin color, racist supremacy, the continued cultural destruction of pagan Hindus, and the indentured version of slavery for another 200 years. Hindus are still emerging from the long shadow of those 1000 years."
Gokul Kenath Well said.
Borra Srinivas the same arguments are propagated by the rss groups i guess
Aparna Krishnan i distance myself
completely from the RSS, but then i cannot treat as untouchable all that
they claim. My heritage is my own - even to defend from them.
Borra Srinivas I
will give u a different perspective.. The dark ages for the hindu
culture that you were talking about I would call it the golden age for
the oppressed (shudras and the untouchables). That is when they got to
know that there are other religions existing
in this world that treat their followers equally. These people might
have converted to other religions voluntarily(which you ppl call
destruction of hindu culture), like many of them do even today. So
please stop this propaganda that somebody came and destroyed the grear
hindu culture which only existed for the bramhins..This has been
vindicated by the statements coming from some of the bjp minister who
are saying bramhins are the sole custodians of indian values. And for
your kind information there was nothing called India and all the aryans
are also outsiders.
Aparna Krishnan we respect all religions. and we curse untouchability. we are on the same platform.
Borra Srinivas A
recent survey report showed even today evry one in four people still
practice untouchability. It is a shame that still manual scavenging is
practiced. Yes I agree that we all feel bad about it, but my only
concern is that by invoking hindu culture again and again you are
pushing these communities to the margins.
Aparna Krishnan that of our culture which is damaged
and damaging has to be junked. that which is true has to be held onto.
because a civiliation can only stand when it values that which is best
in its heritage. and its heritage includes budhism and the sufi saints
as much as the vedanta.
Rashmie Jaaju I understand your point Borra Srinivas
- about the shudras and untouchables discovering there's another kind
of world/society that exists for them, something that will respect them
as humans.
But, there's another story that I can't stop reflecting on last few days. I live in Goa where majority of the population is Christians. Today is the feast of the Saint Francis Xavier - the much reverred saint/priest who went about the systamatic, brutal, violent, abominable conversion of the Hindus here in Goa - more than 500 years back.
It wasn't "voluntary" conversion, you may know that. Families were tortured, dismembered in front of each other. The orphan children were brainwashed so much so that they would start hating their traditions, and the faith of their parents.
The Hindus who refused to convert or converts who secretly practised their old/original faith were dug out and beef was smeared on their faces/mouth so that they would be discarded and treated as untouchables in their prior (Hindu) community and ultimately they would have no other choice but to surrender completely to their new faith.
This was done by the so-called saint. Temples were destroyed, statues were beheaded. And his hatred for the Hindu faith and tradations was stark.
The Inquisition in Goa
Historian Paul Roberts describes what went on in the Iquisition’s Goa court that had been housed in the Sultan’s old palace and had a huge plaster image of Christ overlooking the scene:
“Children were flogged and slowly dismembered in front of their parents, whose eyelids had been sliced off to make sure they missed nothing. Extremities were amputated carefully, so that a person could remain conscious even when all that remained was a torso and head. Male genitals were removed and burned in front of wives, breasts hacked off and vaginas penetrated by swords while husbands were forced to watch…. And it went on for two hundred years.” — Paul Williams Roberts, The Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India, New York, 1997.
In his letters to the Jesuits in Rome, Xavier wrote:
“Following the baptisms, the new Christians return to their homes and come back with their wives and families to be in their turn also prepared for baptism. After all have been baptised, I order that everywhere the temples of the false gods be pulled down and idols broken. I know not how to describe in words the joy I feel before the spectacle of pulling down and destroying the idols by the very people who formerly worshipped them.” Xavier did this after the Hindu raja of Quilon had given him a large grant to build churches!
But, there's another story that I can't stop reflecting on last few days. I live in Goa where majority of the population is Christians. Today is the feast of the Saint Francis Xavier - the much reverred saint/priest who went about the systamatic, brutal, violent, abominable conversion of the Hindus here in Goa - more than 500 years back.
It wasn't "voluntary" conversion, you may know that. Families were tortured, dismembered in front of each other. The orphan children were brainwashed so much so that they would start hating their traditions, and the faith of their parents.
The Hindus who refused to convert or converts who secretly practised their old/original faith were dug out and beef was smeared on their faces/mouth so that they would be discarded and treated as untouchables in their prior (Hindu) community and ultimately they would have no other choice but to surrender completely to their new faith.
This was done by the so-called saint. Temples were destroyed, statues were beheaded. And his hatred for the Hindu faith and tradations was stark.
The Inquisition in Goa
Historian Paul Roberts describes what went on in the Iquisition’s Goa court that had been housed in the Sultan’s old palace and had a huge plaster image of Christ overlooking the scene:
“Children were flogged and slowly dismembered in front of their parents, whose eyelids had been sliced off to make sure they missed nothing. Extremities were amputated carefully, so that a person could remain conscious even when all that remained was a torso and head. Male genitals were removed and burned in front of wives, breasts hacked off and vaginas penetrated by swords while husbands were forced to watch…. And it went on for two hundred years.” — Paul Williams Roberts, The Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India, New York, 1997.
In his letters to the Jesuits in Rome, Xavier wrote:
“Following the baptisms, the new Christians return to their homes and come back with their wives and families to be in their turn also prepared for baptism. After all have been baptised, I order that everywhere the temples of the false gods be pulled down and idols broken. I know not how to describe in words the joy I feel before the spectacle of pulling down and destroying the idols by the very people who formerly worshipped them.” Xavier did this after the Hindu raja of Quilon had given him a large grant to build churches!
Rashmie Jaaju And, if you read up about the Goa Inquisition in detail, you'll see what I'm talking about. It's there on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Inquisition
And many blogs and books. This one: https://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/.../st-francis.../
And many blogs and books. This one: https://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/.../st-francis.../
Gutta Rohith I
request the torchbearers of Hinduism to explain what is this 'Culture'
is all about. Demanding Ekalavya to cut off his thumb? Asking wife to
undergo 'SeelaPariksha'? Encouraging brothers to fight among themselves?
Dividing people based on their birth?
Distorting the actual heroes and promoting the people who are blood
thirsty and are the torch bearers of Imperialism? My another question
is- Do we have anything like 'Culture' in the first place?
Yugandhar Syrigapu Sorry
to interrupt, which I usually refrain from doing, Borra Srinivas. "..
That is when they got to know that there are other religions existing in
this world that treat their followers equally .." - Big joke. ".. These
people might have converted to other religions voluntarily .." -
Another big joke. And finally your belief in the aryan invasion theory
(which lately had been debunked).
Gutta Rohith Can you please prove that all those are 'Jokes' Mr.Yugandhar?
Yugandhar Syrigapu I
knew this was coming. Please do it yourself Rohit ji. I have done it
for myself. And not from any secret sources. These have come from very
widely read news papers and other sources which are publicly available
and corroborated.
Gutta Rohith I
am uneducated Yugandhar ji.Please educate me. I am sure you will be
having all the documents/books authored by Golvalkar and his heirs.
Please do so.
Yugandhar Syrigapu Being
uneducated is much better than being educated(in the modern sense). I
do not know who Golvalkar is. And this is why I don't want to poke my
nose into something on the highway called FB, where people start talking
to strangers in strange manners. You can contniue. I stop here. Thanks.
Gutta Rohith Talk some completely strange issues, and when people ask to prove that, just retreat. It works, as it worked with our P.M.
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