What is Hinduism? A Personal View

Hai, hai, it's bloody bad enough that we argue about Kashmir and Partition and what not, but now we're arguing about the Indus Valley Civilization?! What's next?

ana, nobody is arguing about Indus Valley Civilization (or "chattisgarh civilization" that mahmood mahmood bhai has dug up, or "Punjab Civlization" that some others have discovered in their respective backyards). Those are strictly Pakistani obsessions, and Pakistanis do have a sovereign right to keep discovering civilizations till they find one they can all be comfortable with.

Re: # 144

"It's a tragedy that we did not lean the distinctions that became necessary later on. What was our greatest strength also imposed upon the largest possible cost."

Eklavya,

Proly, we are not able to cognize or appreciate the
returns we have had on the cost. Or they are all intangibles?

Perhaps the distinctions were too difficult to observe or our elders' didn't have much faith in reductionism.

Its better to let uncertainty prevail.

DM

I don't know what's sanskrit for Mazhab or whatever bedouin word you have come up with... I am sure there are words and concepts in sanskrit and hinduism which has no direct equivalent in other languages and religions...

It doesn't matter... like I said - religion is an universal phenomenon, it's NOT confined to a arabic or latin definition... hinduism serves the same purpose for hindus as Islam does for muslims, christianism for christians, buddhism for buddhists... so on and so forth...

It's all mumbo-jumbo anyway - a bunch of rituals promising a pie from a man living in the sky... and here you are, splitting hairs on "comparative religions"... at best, this is just academic... at worst, it unncessarily incites religious passions - the eternal "my bullsh@t is better than yours" fight that has gone too long already...

get over it...

ana

kashmir is dead, for now atleast... so we are back to hinud-muslim religions... I mean - one is a religion, the other is something else that DostMitter is still trying to figure out... :)

...and ekanth...has anyone read a book published a long time ago..like 10 years ago or soemthing called, "India Treasures"?

Like most religions Hinduism hobbles ambition and progress. I believe at one time it really degenerated into rituals and stigmas until reformers came along, it is much easier to reform than islam. The big challenge now is the political hindus, separate Hinduism from nationalism.

Re: # 151

true... nationalism was separate from hinduism from a long time, until '90s... then pendulum swung to the right... it will swing again... that's the nature of politics...

we have seen such swings happening in US too...

aslam bhai, Hindus don't see themselves as a 'nation.' So there can't be any such thing as Hindu nationalism.

mohar, speaking of this article, I too didn't like DM's clear attempt to prove that Hinduism is/was a better religion than others, or that Hinduism was the only true/first/last religion/way to God.

Such religious bigotry would be unbecoming of any Indian/Indian nationalist.

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vengatramanan

Undoubetedly, the returns are huge. It's not for nothing that despite paying all those costs historically, we still maintain some strengths.

At the end of the day, vengat, one has to agree with you, and with others who assert that one can't define Hinduism (positively) without killing it. Very much as the Indian belief that if you have to limit/define 'God' then you aren't really speaking of 'God' at all....

Re: # 111 Dost Mittar:

I am glad you said ,"..Personal View..".
As far I am concerned, let me quote a well known author whose name I do not recall at this time,He said,that Hinduism is a religious Super Bazar!. It has everything in it. Profound, esoteric, intellectual,spiritual, exortation to followers to live an ethical and moral life and so on etc. and also plenty of ugly things like caste system, anything you want!

Take whaterver you want and don't bother with the rest.."
That is enough about Hinduism. Time to have cup of Tea!

Kamath

Dost Mittar:

I for one like Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan's explanation of Hinduism.
Kamath

Was Aurengzeb as bad as they say he was???
He is a very controversial figure when it comes to the Mughal History and the relationship between the Muslims and the Hindus ... check this out:
http://dilsenomad.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/re-revisiting-aurangzeb/

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Nazar Saheb:

Thanks for reading and commenting on the article.
"Modernity has automatically killed some distateful ancient cultural or ritualistic aspects assciated with Hinduism - like sati, caste system etc."

The caste system is firmly entrenched; while its original rigid association with occupations has been somewhat diluted, it is now part of political identity and every party plays caste card or cards in electoral politics.

Sati is gone but its place has been taken by dowry burning and female infanticide; they may not have the religious sanction that sati had, but they are no less injurious to the society.

nkg#136:

"Karachi is the dirtiest city on earth..."

Have you been to Karachi? It's not the cleanest city in Pakistan but it is certainly no dirtier than most Indian cities. You can take my word for it.