West and
Hinduism
After pursuing bluff of Aryan invasion of India in 1500BC, a
theory now totally discarded both historically and scientifically west has now
come with new idea that Sanskrit is European language and Vedas are what India
got from West. In history books of world, India’s position is in foot notes, what
a tragedy? Western scholars have even come up with idea that Swami Vivekananda
took western ideas and came up with neohinduism.
West wants us to believe that they are real Aryans and
Sanskrit is their mother tongue. They migrated to India and are precursors to
present day Hinduism. Why they do this is simply to tell us that they gave us
civilization. It is interesting here to note that West borrowed ideas from
Greece and Greece was highly influenced by Vedic civilization. This fact is
totally ignored by western scholars.
In their mission to denigrate India they were highly
influenced by Christian missionary spirit. They tried to explain pantheism of
Vedas by telling, this is due to pollution done by Brahmins. Pantheism of Vedas
was contradicting Monistic Christianity. These so called indologists even said
Samkhya was a original system of foreign Aryans. They liked Advaita to some
extent as it did not threaten Christianity. Different philosophical schools
were labelled divisive. West attacked by saying Hinduism is divisive. West
attacked Hinduism not being cohesive and without social consciousness. Hinduism
they labelled other worldly. Maya concept is treated as nondevolpmental, noncompassionate.
West is explaining new religious movements of nonwestern world as reactions to
deprivation and helplessness. Christian charity is praised. Church in fact use
charity as a tool of proselytizing. That is their social ethic and
interpretation of charity. On contrary Mahabharata and Smriti’s we see are full
of social ethics which west is ignoring? Indians believe man is microcosm of
GOD hence service to humans is service to God. Seva, Karma and Bhakti are
variants of social action. God in the form of poor is meant to serve poor which
in turn serves one spiritually. Should n”t this answer critics who say Hindus
lack social ethics. Western scholars bracketed “ Asat”,[unreal] and” Mithya”
together when in Sanskrit both words are different . In fact there is no proper
word for “Mithya” in English dictionary. Mithya really means Existence-nonexistence
[dependent existence].
Christian salvation
means freedom in heavens after death. Christianity believes GOD and humans are
separated by Sin hence separated from one another, Universe is nothing but
congregation of Atoms. Prophetic utterances tie humans to past, dogmas are
there. There is a biblical belief that creation is just 4004BC old. On the
contrary Vedic cosmology is close to scientific version. Hinduism is not only nondogmatic but wants
each individual to know Truth by self-experience. Hindus believe Karma binds
man hence sufferings. To get away from this Moksha is goal of life. Salvation
to a Hindu means to have knowledge of God [Brahman]. Shruti’s serve source of
knowledge but one has to experience Truth thyself so say Vedas. Bhagvad Gita by
itself suffices as a valid means of knowledge about Brahman [God]. Hindus
believe in one real self,” Brahman” and this world is just projection of that
reality. This existence is dependent on” Brahman” , has no separate identity
hence labelled Mithya which west calls
illusion. So Maya [Mithya] is false perception, not false world.
Judeo Christian religions unlike Hinduism are close ended.
They do not stress for knowing the Truth but rely on historical revelations
through Prophets. In Hinduism on contrary there is total openness and stress
for knowing Truth by self-introspection.Christainity discouraged mystics who
were seen as threats and even persecuted. There are no Commandments in
Hinduism, instead there is flexibility to allow different answers to same
metaphysical questions. Hinduism does not demand blind faith but pursuit of
Truth through dharmic traditions. Meditation is used as a tool for exploration.
Hinduism believes reality has two faces, one which is manifest can be perceived
by senses and other is unmanifest which is beyond senses, needs exploration
through Yoga and meditation. Holy Gita says that there are four major paths to
Truth---- Janana, Karma, Dhyana and Bhakti yoga.
Heisenberg and Schrodinger acknowledged Upanishad wisdom and
its closeness to Quantum mechanics. Quantum physics says matter exists only if observed,
when not observed it is in Quantum soup. This impression is akin to Upanishad
thought when it says this world we see is Mithya [Hologram].There is increased
recognition in west to see Reality through Vedic knowledge. In Christianity
Prophets hear from external God but in Hinduism there is no external voice but
internal voice [Iam Brahman] .Rishi’s did not compose Vedas but experienced
them, hence called Shruti. Upanishads demonstrate diversity and evolution of
Hinduism.
West has already copied some Hindu ideas. They now talk of
Christian yoga but at the same do not acknowledge its source. West projects
India fragmented and incoherent yet absorbs its ideas. On one hand they reject
Indian thought but at the same time espouse same ideas clothed in western
vocabulary. While taking ideas from India they dilute source so that in time to
come original source is lost and what remains repacked idea with western
implication. This negligence of Indian history is going to stop advancement of
ideas to the detriment of mankind. Hinduism not only is diverse but evolving too.
West projects Hinduism in vague fashion, labels it incoherent. Plagiarism of
west needs to be stopped and world given true picture of India.
We Hindus need to assert and stop compromising on everything.
Let us be more vocal. We should tell
world that Karma and Incarnation are not negotiable and church needs to be
decentralized. There should be interfaith debates to decrease tensions created
by religious peers. BY relying on books and Prophets individual spiritual
exploration gets marginalized. Christianity believes in divine profoundly
separate from world. To Christian doctrine, Jesus has come to save from Sin,
Hindus say all are divine and there is no original Sin. Christianity is closed,
centralized, history centric and Dualistic. Hinduism is open, not centralized
and nondualistic.
If we have to save Hinduism from western plagiarism we have
to teach core principles of Hinduism:
[Karma, Incarnation, rebirth and law of cycles
[evolution/devolution of Universe] without compromise to world. Moksha of
Hinduism is based on notion that essential nature of all humans is— Divine,
while salvation of Christianity is based on original Sin. West is trying to
defeat Hinduism by propaganda coupling it with so called charity, Jobs, human
rights and so on. It is true that Hinduism has no single founder, no linear
history and no one canon to follow but at the same time its freedom of thought
and expression , its metaphysical wisdom and its solutions to earthly problems
and pluralism is far superior to Abrahamic thoughts on creation and Creator.
A question comes to mind, “How does person evaluate benefits
offered by religions that await one after death”? Does Christianity have
answer?
“-We were never a nation until British invented
India”------This image needs to be challenged forcibly
Indian nationalists suffered an inferiority complex, hence
copied western formulations of Hinduism. Hindu scholars should shrug off this
complex, peruse original Vedic literature and convey to world wisdom of Vedas.
CONCLUSION
West invented imaginary Aryan invasion theory to discredit
India and its civilization. This theory now stands totally discredited. In fact
India is seen now as cradle of human civilization. Hinduism is oldest religion
of world. Its philosophy is not other worldly as projected by West but a
philosophy telling mankind that man is microcosm of God. There is no role of
proselytization as everyone is divine. Goal of life is Moksha. It is birth
right of every one to know inner self. This right is not exclusive to a few
only as claimed by other religions. Service to man in fact is service to God.
Hindu cosmology is
more closer to science than Christian theology. Science and math originated in
India.
Some quotes will substantiate above statements:-
Grant Duff [British historian], “Many of the advances in science
that we consider today to have been made in Europe were in fact made in India
centuries ago.”
Mark Twain:--“India is cradle of the human race, birth place
of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and great grandmother
of tradition. Our most valuable and most constructive materials in the history
of man are treasured up in India only”.
No comments:
Post a Comment