CASTE SYSTEM - Blessing or Curse??!!

CASTE SYSTEM

Blessing or Curse??!!

Since childhood, I am always tormented by the word CASTE and caste system. CASTE is a throbbing question in me. Why a culture so tolerant, so beautiful, so appealing, backing a very deplorable division of the society. With hundreds of thousands of DALITS [refer to INDIA WEST November 9,2001__page A22] converting to Buddhism in November and millions of Hindus in India converting to Islam and Christianity, we have to ask this proverbial question,

IS A CASTE A BLESSING OR CURSE??

Is Caste System helping us or destroying us as a society and culture????

SLAVERY IN THE HOLY BIBLE---

Jews and Christians gave up on slavery, even though SLAVERY IS AN ACCEPTED FACT [Col. 4:11, Exodus 21:21; 1: Lev. XXV:44_ 55; Thessalonians 3:22 ] in the Holy Bible.

"TREAT YOUR SLAVES JUSTLY AND FAIRLY, KNOWING THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A MASTER IN HEAVEN [Col. 4:11]. "THE SLAVE IS HIS MONEY" [Exodus 21:21]. St. Paul urged one slave ONESIMUS to return to his master. . Columbus a very devout Christian was indeed a missionary who did NOT feel any remorse in taking slaves from America. Spanish did have no problem in making American Indians and Mayans slaves since they were literally following the Holy Bible. Christians gave upon slavery, even though Biblical passages were used by over 200 preachers to justify slavery before the Civil War..

Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America said: "[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts."

In 1999, Southern Baptist Convention apologize to African Americans for slavery. Like wise we have to give up on caste system.

Coming back to Caste System, once upon a time, it have helped smooth functioning of society, but today it has to be dropped from Hinduism for ever. True, some one can quote different verses from scriptures [Rig Veda & Manu smriti] and defend it, but as far as I am concerned, CASTE SYSTEM HAS CREATED MULTITUDES OF PROBLEMS IN HINDU SOCIETY.

Some state that , according to the Vedas themselves caste is not based on birth. But I have not seen those scriptural statements in the Vedas. I have also not seen any kind of ritual to transform a Shudra to a Brahmin either in any Hindu scriptures. Born as Shurda, die as Shudra..that is the name of the game.

It has destroyed the beautiful fabric of Hinduism. It created demonic things like "BRAHMINISM" and DEVADASI SYSTEM" . Amazing that , in the name of caste, our society STILL forbids [socially] Namboodiris [Kerala Brahmins] marrying any lower castes; Wariers marrying Nairs and Nairs marrying Theyas etc. In the name of age old caste system, society ill-treated and still ill-treating millions in North India. May be once upon a time, Caste system may be helpful for the proper function of the society, but today it should be abolished from the MIND OF THE MAN for ever.

Let me boldly state that, if I WAS BORN AS AN UNTOUCHABLE, I will have no LOVE AFFAIR with Hinduism and will put down Hinduism, when ever I get a chance and will become a Buddhist or a Christian. Why should I stay in a religion or a culture or in a society, WHERE I AM TREATED AS A SECOND CLASS DEVOTEE??????

Caste system is creating a very big barrier for RE-CONVERSION OF HINDUS WHO LEFT HINDUISM FOR GENERATIONS back into Hindu fold. Many Christians have openly expressed their desire to convert to Hinduism in their e-mails to me....

MY QUESTION IS----Why should a Christian or a Moslem want to convert into a culture or religion where he/she will be ill-treated as a lower caste???

We are at the dawn of the 21st century and we have to seriously think about these issues. I agree THERE IS NO SCRIPTURAL STATEMENT WHICH STATES THAT A PART OF THE POPULATION SHOULD BE HUMILIATED AND ILL-TREATED...Still CASTE SYSTEM INDEED BECAME A CURSE ON HINDUISM--- A DISGRACE TO HINDUISM.

UNTOUCHABILITY IS A CURSE ON HINDUISM.

One great untouchable who became a prominent leader of modern India, Mr. Ambedker wrote: TO THE UNTOUCHABLES, HINDUISM IS A VERITABLE CHAMBER OF HORRORS. Mahathma Gandhi said: UNTOUCHABILITY IS A CRIME AGAINST GOD AND MEN. Mahatma Gandhi called UNTOUCHABLES by the name HARIJANS meaning CHILDREN OF GOD. He fought for their emancipation and in 1949, soon after independence from Britain, Govt. of India made it a criminal offense to practice UNTOUCHABILITY. Still in many parts of India, you can come across the ugly relics of caste system. I am so happy, today Govt. of India provides quota system for Untouchables, in all professional colleges, and in Government jobs.

There is nothing in Hinduism as complex as CASTE SYSTEM.

It emerged as a part of division of labor among people...THERE IS NO STATEMENT IN THE ENTIRE HINDU SCRIPTURES TO ILL-TREAT LOWER CASTES----THERE IS NO WORD UNTOUCHABLE IN THE ENTIRE HINDU SCRIPTURES. Still caste system degenerated in India. It is indeed the GREATEST CURSE on Hinduism.

Once upon a time, India had 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes.

Even there were 1,800 Brahmin castes in India. What a shame!! Even different Brahmin castes did not mingle themselves socially or otherwise, in ancient times. Last of all, ancient India, persecuted a large group of people called UNTOUCHABLES. Mahatma Gandhi said: UNTOUCHABILITY IS A CRIME AGAINST GOD AND MEN. Ambedkar once wrote out of his own experience, TO THE UNTOUCHABLES, HINDUISM IS A VERITABLE CHAMBER OF HORRORS".

LET US STUDY HINDU CASTE SYSTEM in its entirety.

According to scriptures, Hindu caste system came as DIVISION OF LABOR, but later it degenerated to ugly COLOR SYSTEM based on the color of human skin. I feel so sorry that it happened in India, which is supposed to be toler-ant and humane. All ancient religions talk about slavery.

1 BRAHMANAS: PRIESTLY CLASS to work in temples and to study/propagate religion

2. KSHATRIYAS: ROYAL & FIGHTER CLASS to rule

3. VAISHYAS: businessmen

4. SHUDRAS: to help all three above classes of people

5 then UNTOUCHABLES -many believe it is SHUDRAS who became untouchables

The actual origin of caste system started in Rig Vedic period.

The Rig Vedic Hymn, known as PURUSHA_SUKTA (Mandala_x, 19th hymn, 12th verse) states: THE BRAHMIN WAS PURUSHA'S (cosmic man _ the first principle of SANKYA PHILOSOPHY in Hinduism) MOUTH, THE KSHATRIYA HIS ARMS, THE VAISYA HIS THIGHS, AND SHUDRA HIS FEET.

SAGE MANU-THE APOSTLE OF CASTE RULES AND REGULATIONS----

The greatest apostle of CASTE SYSTEM, Manu himself repeated Rig Vedic lines in Manu_Smriti. He laid down all provisions governing caste system. Many Brahmin scholars regard MANU SMRITI as important as Vedas.

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR MANU TO STRESS SO MUCH ON CASTE SYSTEM.............

DID HE DO THAT FOR THE PROPER DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG THE NOMAD TRIBES JUST SETTLED DOWN ON THE BANKS OF INDUS AND GANGES ?........OR DID HE DO THAT TO CONTROL AND HUMILIATE THE DARK_COLORED DRAVIDIANS OF SOUTH INDIA????? NOBODY CAN SPECULATE???? May be the chief ingredient in the caste division is the notion of purity, with Brahmins the purest and Shudras the least pure. Surprisingly, the word CASTE came from a Portuguese word "CASTA" meaning "PURE RACE" and VARNA means COLOR.

Manu codified all the rules governing the conduct and inter_ relations between castes.

The caste_system Manu formulated is known as CHATHUR_VARNA. The first three castes BRAHMINS, KSHATRIYAS, and VAISYAS were known as DWIJA (TWICE_BORN). Of course, later BRAHMINS alone were called DWIJA in India. All members of upper classes were individually addressed ARYA and all members of Shudra class were individually addressed DASA (slave).

BRAHMINS undertook the work of taking care of priestly duties, KSHATRIYAS undertook the work of taking care of ruling the country and VAISYAS undertook the work of taking care of business.

SHUDRAS undertook the work of helping all the three upper castes in their day to day duties. According to Manu, only the first three upper castes were allowed to study Vedas and other holy scriptures. SHUDRAS were strictly forbidden from studying VEDAS and performing sacrifices. Intermarriages between castes were forbidden and under no circumstances SHUDRAS were allowed to even dream of marrying other castes. ONLY WAY A SHUDRA CAN BE ELEVATED TO A HIGHER CASTE IS TO DIE AND REINCARNATE AGAIN AMONG THE UPPER CLASSES.

Manu might have propagated it, but almost all Hindu saints supported caste system.

Even one of the greatest philosophers of Hinduism, ADI SANKARA of Kerala supported caste system. In fact, legends say that SANKARA angrily asked an untouchable to move out his way and that untouchable talked back. DEAR SIR! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MOVE ? BODY OR SOUL? To which Sankara said: THE UNTOUCHABLE WHO SPEAKS LIKE THAT CAN BE NOBODY ELSE, BUT MY GURU, VEDA VYASA and prostrated in front of him.The legend might have written as an episode in Sankara's life, but we have to treat it as a revelation that even Sankara supported caste system. If he was against caste system, then he would not have asked the untouchable to move away from his path. Even Sage Pathanjali declared that blonde hair was one of the essential attributes of a Brahmin.

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR MANU TO STRESS SO MUCH ON CASTE SYSTEM.............

DID HE DO THAT FOR THE PROPER DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG THE NOMAD TRIBES JUST SETTLED DOWN ON THE BANKS OF INDUS AND GANGES ?........OR DID HE DO THAT TO CONTROL AND HUMILIATE THE DARK_COLORED DRAVIDIANS OF SOUTH INDIA????? NOBODY CAN SPECULATE???? May be the chief ingredient in the caste division is the notion of purity, with Brahmins the purest and Shudras the least pure. Surprisingly, the word CASTE came from a portuguese word "CASTA" meaning "PURE RACE" and VARNA means COLOR

BHAGAVAD GITA AND CASTE SYSTEM

--In Chapter_4, verse_13, Lord Krishna said: ACCORDING TO THREE GUNAS (SATTWIC, RAJASTIC AND TAMASIC) AND PROPER DIVISION OF LABOR, THE `CHATHUR_VARNA' OR `FOUR_COLORED' OR `FOUR_DIVISION' SOCIETY WAS CREATED BY ME. ALTHOUGH I AM THE CREATOR OF THIS SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD KNOW ME AS THE `NON_CREATOR OF THE SYSTEM' AND I AM ENDLESS. The Bhagavad Gita also proclaims that WOMEN, VAISYAS and SHUDRAS ARE SINFUL BIRTHS in an indirect manner.(Gita Chapter 9_32)

It is true that RISHIS CAME FROM ALL CLASSES OF PEOPLE:

Of course, there are many great saints in India, who came from lower castes. VEDA VYASA is the son of SATHYAVATHI, who is a fisher_woman. Of course, his father is sage Parasara. VALMIKI was a robber, who was transformed by sage NARADA and as such we have no idea to which caste Valmiki belonged. South Indian saint THIRUVALLUVAR who wrote THIRUKURAL was only a weaver.

Anyway, after Manu formulated caste system, it grew by leaps and bounds all over India. Numerous castes have their own theories of their own origin. Caste System in India, even effected the converts to Christianity and Islam, for even they practiced some form of Caste System, after conversion among themselves.

CASTE BY THE COLOR OF THE SKIN:

Color of the skin was an important part of Hindu caste system. VARNA means color and color was associated with even determining the character of the person. It may sound paradoxical to state that at least in south India, BLACK was considered good, thus Lord Krishna is seen in blue_ black color. But I am not sure, whether people judged black people as better people in south India. May be the reverse was true.

Believe it or not, WHITE color was associated with BRAHMINS, RED with KSHATRIYAS, YELLOW with VAISYAS and BLACK with SHUDRAS. It is said this color system initially was introduced to identify the moral virtue associated with each caste!

CASTES DIVISION BY RACIAL & TRIBAL SURROUNDINGS:

The word JATI which denotes subclasses originated from word JATA or race. It is said that when ARYANS invaded India, they divided themselves into many clans as soon as they settled down on the river banks.

CASTES BY ASSOCIATION WITH MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES:

For example, KUMBI caste of Gujaret had its origins from the perspiration that formed at the waist of goddess Parvati. Another caste POKUNATIVARU originated from the menstrual cloth discarded by Parvati.

CASTES BY PROFESSION:

SONAR (goldsmith), SUTAR (carpenter), GOALA (milkman), TELI (oil merchant), LOHAR (iron smith), MALI (gardener), DHOBI (laundryman), MUCHI (cobbler) etc are popular tribes in north India. Even among Brahmins, there are subcastes as per professions. Like POOJARI (priests who conduct Poojas), OJHA (occultists), JOYTISHI (astrologers), GANGA_PATRA (who guides pilgrims), MAHA_PATRA (who presides over funeral rites). It may be surprising to note both POOJARI and MAHA_PATRA are inferior tribes among Brahmins.

CASTES BASED ON DIFFERENT PRACTICES, CULTS AND EVEN EATING HABITS: Hundreds of castes have originated in these manner also through out India.

CASTES OF VICTORS AND LOSERS:

The history shows caste system also originated from the distinction between victors and losers in the battles. Instead victors killing the losers, victors turned losers into lower castes and allowed them to live. Dr. S. Radha Krishnan said: "Caste enabled the Vedic Indian to preserve integrity and independence of the conquering as well as the conquered races and promote mutual confidence and harmony"

UNTOUCHABLES:

Many state that UNTOUCHABLES are the members of Shudra caste, who were treated as slaves by upper classes. Some say UNTOUCHABLES are the fifth class originated in the caste system.Any way GANDHI called them HARIJANS (children of God) and worked for the emancipation from the tyranny of the upper Classes of India. After independence GOVT. OF INDIA, ABOLISHED THE PRACTICE OF UNTOUCHABILITY IN INDIA.

BRAHMINS CASTES:

Even though Manu has formulated one type of BRAHMIN caste, later India saw 1,800 subdivisions in the BRAHMIN CASTE alone. BRAHMIN subcastes do not intermingle and some of them hate each other.

BRAHMIN CASTES ACCORDING TO GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS:

In India, Brahmins are classified by the Geographical locations. In the major division they are divided into PANCHA_GOUDA and PANCHA_DRAVIDA.

PANCHA_GOUDA are Brahmins living in North India, or those live north of Vindhya Mountains. PANCHA_DRAVIDA are Brahmins of Dravidian civilization, usually dark_skinned. Each of these major division, is further divided as follows.

PANCHA GOUDA:

They are further divided to 1. KANYA_KUJA _ Brahmins from Kanauj; 2. SARAVATA _ Brahmins who reside near the river Saraswati 3. GOUDA _ Brahmins of Bengal and New Delhi 4. MITHILA _ Brahmins of North Bihar 5. UTKALA _ Brahmins of Orissa

PANCHA_DRAVIDA:

They are further divided into: 1. MAHARASTRA _ Brahmins of Maratha county 2. TELINGA _ Brahmins of Telinga county 3. DRAVIDA _ Brahmins of Tamil Nadu 4. KARNATA _ Brahmins of Mysore and other Kanerese speaking areas. 5. MALABAR _ Brahmins of Malabar, Kerala.
DRAVIDA or Tamil Nadu Brahmins are further divided into AIYAR and AYYANGHAR.

MALABAR BRAHMINS are called NAMBOODIRIS. Some say that NAIRS are also Brahmins, but I feel NAIRS by their profession under kings of Kerala, are KSHATRIYAS or fighters and they are not vegetarians, whereas South Indian Brahmins are strict vegetarians.

BRAHMIN CASTES ACCORDING TO "GOTRAS":

GOTRA the word meaning is COWSHEAD, depicting the use of a cow by many people, under one house_hold, usually by the members of the family. It could also be, a GURU and several disciples coming from different families.

AllBrahmin families are descended of about 15 RISHIS, who established the GOTRA system among Brahmins. Normally, GOTRAS are named after the name of the RISHIS. The Rishis who started the GOTRAS are:

1. AGASTYA

2. ANGIRAS

3. ATRI

4. BHARADWAJA

5 BHRIGHU

6. GAUTAMA

7. JAMADAGNI

8. KANVA

9. KASYAPA

10. KRATU

11 MARICHI

12. PULAHA

13. PULASTYA

14. VASISHTA

15. VISWAMITRA.

Most of these RISHIS were from South India and as such one will come across GOTRA SYSTEM more in South India than in North India. By the by, VISWAMITRA was born as KSHATRIYA and became a BRAHMIN after bitter fights with sage VASISHTA. It is also said that GOTRAS originated from PULAHA and PULATHYA are impure Brahmins. Later after a lot of sub divisions, Hinduism witnessed 42 GOTRAS among Brahmins. It is also said that both LUNAR & SOLAR dynasties of India originated from the GOTRA system. Even Kshatriyas finally started making their own GOTRA system. Anyway, in Hinduism,a thorough study of GOTRA system is impossible, due to inconsistent and contradictory literature available in the market.

There was a time in Hinduism, those who have crossed high_seas going to U.K. were excommunicated from the caste. Some castes were debased since they failed to observe the caste system. Some castes lost their prestige since they were very close to British and other foreigners. Some lower castes even elevated themselves to upper class like KSHATRIYAS slowly and methodically.

All these show that CASTE SYSTEM in Hinduism, is the most complex system in the world and it has absolutely, no spiritual value at all. CASTE SYSTEM IS A DISGRACE. If VEDA VYASA and VALMIKI can be adored through out India, then given proper education and proper healthy surroundings, any Hindu can reach the status of those great masters of Hinduism. A leech in the dirt, will always like to go back to dirt, unless it is shown and taught other ways to survive. The same ideology goes for human beings, wherever they are in the world. Whether they are the blacks in U.S.A. or untouchables in India or the native tribes of Australia.

Caste System is a disgrace and it should be eradicated for the good of India

In Depth Study of Karma Reincarnation Concepts

In Depth Study of

KARMA & REINCARNATION

Concepts

WHAT IS KARMA?

The word KARMA has many meanings in Hinduism such as 1. Action 2. Duty 3. Result of an action 4. Destiny 5. Effect 6. Result 7. Product are some of them. Details about KARMA was first described in the SATAPATHA BRAHMANA. When you act or when you think, you create an impression in the Chitta or in the subconcious mind . That impression or vasana or tendancy is known as Samsara. You and I are filled with impressions or vasanas or Samasaras. Thes SAMSARAS [subliminal tendencies] is the root cause of reincarnation as per the Upananishads.

FROM WHERE DOES THE CONCEPT OF KARMA ORIGINATE ?

Believe it or not, the concept of KARMA originated from the Hindu belief that there is a PERFECT UNIVERSAL ORDER named RTA or RITA in the world. Rig Veda discusses about RTA or RITA and god Varuna is the guardian of RTA. Nothing happens at random, but things happen under a universal order. Gods associated with RTA are Varuna and Mitra in the Rig Veda. It is the RTA or RITA later became DHARMA in Hindu scriptures. That is the reason why it is very difficult to define the word DHARMA. Of course DHARMA is more complex than RTA or RITA. It is the same DHARMA became the belief system known as SANATHANA DHRAMA...which finally became HINDUISM.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LAW OF KARMA?

Hindus believe in life after death. They also believe in the concept, "WHATEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP" [GAL 6:7]. This is the basis of Karmic law. Every action has a result. There is no such thing that an action without a result.

Law Karma states: For every action and every thought there is a reaction or result. There is no such thing as an action or thought with out result. Every action and every thought is weighed on the scales of eternal justice. Nobody can get away from the claws of karma. Action is unavoidable even for the incarnation of God according to Lord Krishna in the Gita.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE DIE?

According to Hindu scriptures, body alone dies. The IMMORTAL soul [ATMAN] within the body never dies. But the path that soul takes is decided by the PAST ACTIONS & THOUGHTS of the body, which are collectively called KARMAS. Departed soul search and find out a body, where it can continue doing what ever it left off in last life. It is not necessary that a depart soul takes the body of a human being. It can take the body of an animal or a creature. There are many stories in the vast Hindu mythology about that. Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita, that Atman [immortal soul within the body] go on changing bodies like body changes clothes, until Atman attains realization.

IS THERE A WORD "IMMORTAL SOUL" IN THE HOLY BIBLE?

Of course not. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS IMMORTAL SOUL in the 66 books of the Holy Bible. That is why Jews, Christians and Moslems have a very hard time to digest the concept of ATMAN - the immortal soul. I had discussed with many Christian theologians about KARMA & REINCARNATION and I found that their lack of knowledge about IMMORTAL SOUL makes discussions out right futile. IMMORTAL SOUL concept is part of the belief of the Eastern religions as well as in Greek philosophy.

Only place the word IMMORTAL SOUL is seen in the Holy Bible is at I Timothy 1:17 where it is used as reference to Almighty God. And as far as I can see, lack of existence of IMMORTAL SOUL makes the Holy Bible somewhat confusing. Of course, you will see existence of soul mentioned at many places in the Bible. But you will never see anywhere that the SOUL IS IMMORTAL. Jesus Christ himself had said that soul can be destroyed!

NO IMMORTAL SOUL MENTIONED IN THE HOLY BIBLE---

The Bible never ever states that about a soul after death. Ecclesiastic 9:5 states: FOR THE LIVING KNOW THAT THEY WILL DIE; BUT THE DEAD KNOWS NOTHING. That statement shows that the Bible does not shed light on after death, through existence of an IMMORTAL SOUL.Ezekiel 18:20 states THE SOUL WHO SINS SHALL DIE.

In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says: THE SOUL WHO DWELLS WITHIN THE BODY CAN NEVER BE SLAIN [Gita 2:30]. If you read Genesis 2:7, there the soul is used as a reference to the mortal man.The Hebrew word NEPHESH which is used in reference to soul in the Genesis actually means A BREATHING CREATURE. Sometimes the word NEPHESH is also used in reference to animals. In King James Version, soul is used as a translation of the Greek word PSUCHE meaning BREATH or LIFE.

ARE YOU SAYING THAT EACH PERSON GETS A BODY HE/SHE DESERVES IN THE NEXTLIFE?

If you were a pious person in your last life, you will end up a home, where both husband and wife are very pious. Reverse is equally true. Hinduism state that people can even go down in the ladder of evolution; a criminal may take up the body of a tiger etc.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THOUGHTS?

Every thought, however insignificant may be is counted. A thought never dies. It may lose its strength in time, but never dies completely. Knowing the power of thoughts, Christ said: LOVE YOUR ENEMY [ Luke 6:27]. You can punish your enemy BUT DO NOT HATE YOUR ENEMY.If you harbor hatred thoughts, the person you are destroying is you yourself.

Remember the words of Christ: EVERY..WORD THAT MEN SHALL SPEAK, THEY SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT THEREOF IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. In Hinduism, we have instant judgments rather than one final judgement after death. Our life is an OPEN BOOK and so we are judged every second of our lives. There are volumes of literature in Hinduism about power of thoughts. THINK AND GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill is a repetition of many Hindu ideas.

HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT LAW OF KARMA IS TRUE?

You are right. There are no clear cut scientific answers out there. But look around you, and you will see inequalities around us. A BABY IS BORN IN THE DRY DESERTS OF ETHIOPIA AND ANOTHER BABY IS BORN IN LUXURY OF BEVERLY HILLS. BOTH ARE INNOCENT BABIES. ONE DIES OF MALNUTRITION AND DISEASES. OTHER LIVES IN LUXURY. Without the help of Karmic theory, we cannot explain that.

IS GOD BOUND BY KARMIC LAW?

Yes, when God or IT [ I am using the word IT to address God, since God is neither man nor woman] takes a form and come to earth then we call that an avatar. When God came as Lord Rama, he killed a Monkey king by trick way, and when God came back as Krishna he was killed by the same monkey, in the body of a hunter.

Jesus Christ himself gave up his life on the cross, TO TAKE CARE OF THE KARMIC DEBT OF ALL THOSE APOSTLES SURROUNDED HIM. Each time he cured diseases, he time he saved someone from death, he was voluntarily accepting KARMIC DEBT of others. Many departed saints in India, like Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa, had accepted the KARMIC DEBT of his disciples. Ramakrishna died a painful death by cancer.

CAN KARMIC DEBT BE TRANSFERRED?

YES I think so. You can transfer Karmic debt of someone else to yourself willfully like Jesus Christ and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa did. You can also transfer karmic debt of someone else on to you, by ATTACKING HIM/HER IN A VERY SELF-FISH MANNER.

Believe me when Christ said: JUDGE NOT, YE BE NOT JUDGED, he was repeating what was written in many Hindu scriptures. To discuss mistakes or BAD KARMAS done by someone with the intention of correcting them is NOT JUDGING. But maliciously attacking someone again and again for their BAD KARMAS, with some SELFISH MOTIVES can in fact transfer, THAT PERSON'S KARMIC DEBT ON TO YOU.

DO YOU IMPLY THAT REINCARNATION THEORY IS SUPERIOR TO RESURRECTION THEORY?

No, I will never say that. I will only say that both are theories, but reincarnation theory sounds more logical and possible. Reincarnation theory on its part has some flaws like, it does not explain FIRST BIRTH.On other side RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ is part and parcel of Christian faith, written by believers for believers.

No historian [ Jewish, Roman, Greek, Egyptian] has documented the resurrection of Jesus Christ in his/her writings. When writing about the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, world historian H.G. WELLS wrote " --It is rumored---"Christians believe ultimate destiny of a man is either joyful life with God or eternal pain in hell. Reincarnation theory states" SALVATION IS FOR ALL. THE BEST AMONG US WILL ACHIEVE BY ONE LIFE, THE WORST AMONG US MANY LIVES.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE THOUGHTS AT THE TIME OF DEATH?

Hindu scriptures say that "WHATEVER ONE THINKS AT THE TIME OF DEATH, ONE WILL ATTAIN THAT FORM AND THE SOUL WILL TAKE A BODY FAST ACCORDING TO DESIRE TO COME BACK TO LIFE." That is why saints will take a long time to take a body, but people who die of accidents take a bodies very fast.

A Person who had beastly thoughts thru out his life, will have beastly thoughts at the last minute of his life. Similarly, a person who had pious thoughts thru out his life, will have pious thoughts at the time of his death.

IF I SURRENDER MY WILL 100% TO THE WILL OF JESUS CHRIST, WILL I HAVE TO UNDERGO REINCARNATION?

Well, you said the magic word - 100%. Please show me anyone you know who has surrendered his will to the will of Jesus Christ 100%. It is very difficult to find even one. Remember even Peter did not trust Jesus Christ, and refused to obey the order to walk on the water & disowned Christ at the end. There are instances in the Bible, where Christ rebuked his apostles for want of enough faith. They did not mean to be disrespectful to Christ at all.

Lord Krishna said in the Gita, "ONE IN A MILLION PRAY FOR ME; ONE IN A MILLION PEOPLE WHO PRAY ME, MAY REALIZE ME". Even Arjuna, his warrior disciple could not follow the words of Krishna and at the end sage Veda yasa has to teach Arjuna, Gita all over again. So, to say to surrender one's will to Christ is very easy.

To practice ABSOLUTE SURRENDER TO THE WILL OF GOD - that is very difficult.

Trust me, fallen evanjelists like Jim Baker nor Jimmy Swaggart are NOT bad or evil people. They were very sincere when they started, but they fell prey to their sensul desires and forgot thier search after TRUTH. As a Hindu, I sympathize with them and pray for them.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A MAN WHO LIVED VERY GOOD THROUGH OUT HIS LIFE, BECAME BAD DURING LAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE?

Well, when a man dies, his soul takes the SUM TOTAL of good and bad karmas. If the sum total of karmas are good he will take a better life form. If sum total are bad he will take a bad life form. One or two alone does not decide soul's final destination [Gita 6:40-43]

CAN WE CONCLUDE THAT IF A SICK OR RETARDED CHILD IS BORN, THE PARENTS ANDTHE CHILD ARE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE?

I know a similar question was asked to Jesus Christ. I feel someone altered the answer of Christ. I think Christ would have said AS PER LAW OF KARMA, DUE TO PAST ACTIONS, PARENTS ARE DESTINED TO HAVE A CHILD TO WORRY ABOUT AND THE CHILD IS DESTINED TO BE BORN WITH SICKNESS. Of course, both parents and the child can make life better by new positive actions. Karma theory does not condemn anyone, it gives hope always.

DOES REINCARNATION THEORY TALLY WITH DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION?

It only agrees, but also state that soul of the man can even go back on the ladder of evolution and take the body of a minute creature. All religious scriptures of all religions are written by men for men. So too Darwin's theory of evolution. ALL ARE JUST THEORIES. As I wrote before, we have no conclusive evidence one way or another.

WHY DID A LOVING, KIND GOD MAKE US UNDERGO REINCARNATION?

Good question. Just like we have no answer for WHY GOD PUT A FORBIDDEN FRUIT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN IN THE FIRST PLACE??" Hindu Upanishads look at God as THAT WHICH CANNOT BE EXPLAINED and those scriptures do not describe GOD with metaphors like LOVING, CARING etc. Krishna states everything is his LEELABCHILD LIKE EXPRESSION OF GOD. All the creation come from God in the beginning of every kalpa and end of the Kalpa, the creation merges with God. This is an never ending cycle of events and nobody can comprehend it. Nobody can control it.....

Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita, Man's problem is that he is trying to identify himself as the perishable body. The memonet he realizes that he is the IMMORTAL SOUL WITHIN he will have any more problem.

The concept of "LOVING, CARING GOD". Hindu books say that such attributes about God is "MAN-MADE.". God has no attributes. Man gave God attributes, so that he can relate to God. In early books, such as in Christian Bible, you see God appearing as A FATHER FIGURE. That happened because man wrote the Bible. If women have written the Bible, you would have seen MOTHER GODDESS APPEARING AS GOD IN THE BIBLE.

Apart from that. As I said before, in Hindu scriptures, FIRST BIRTH or FIRST KARMA is not discussed.

In fact, CREATION IS EXPLAINED AS "LEELA" OR CHILD PLAY FOR THE GOD. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states, IN THE BEGINNING OF KALPA [ START OF TIME ] I CREATE ALL CREATION; AND AT THE END OF KALPA, I ABSORB CREATION BACK TO MYSELF.

In Hinduism, CREATION & ANNIHILATION are cyclic and perpetual, never ending. Our problem according to Hinduism is that WE ARE DELUDED MY MAYA OR ILLUSION. THAT ILLUSION MAKES US TO FORGET OUR TRUE NATURE - THAT WE ARE INDEED SOULS. The answer for our problems is THE
REALIZATION OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE.

IS THERE A JUDGMENT IN HINDUISM?

Hinduism believes in instant judgments. Whenever we act, a judgment is made according to the type of action we do. So, good and bad actions are judged and computed in their total essence. Hinduism does look at BAD & GOOD LIFE FORMS as ACTIONS AND REACTIONS. If someone put his hand get burnt, fire is not judging the person; Instead person got burnt since it is the NATURE OF FIRE TO BURN.

WHAT SHOULD A PERSON DO?

SEARCH WITHIN....Most of the things I am discussing are above mind. Only by process of meditation one can realize the truth. So, by all means meditate and let that meditation lead you to final answer. Krishna could not teach everything. Buddha could not teach everything. Christ could not teach everything. WHY???? WHY??? Since subtle truths are above mind. No language on earth can convey them.

LAO TSE SAID IT VERY WELL:
HE WHO KNOWS NEVER TELL;
HE WHO TELLS NEVER KNEW!!!!

NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON KARMA & REINCARNATION

1. REINCARNATION IS ONE OF THE OLDEST PAGAN SUPERSTITIONS.

PAGAN, give me a break! Show me one religion in the world which has no pagan connection and I will give you my hat. Passover, Christmas, Easter and even the "YEAR OF THE LORD" are pagan origin. With all due respect and regard, Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. It was Roman emperor Constantine who was instrumental in making December 25th BIRTHDAY OF SUN or SUN GOING NORTH to be the birthday of Christ. [Constantine's legisla-tion of 321 spoke of "DIES SOLIS" of Sun going North.] It is speculated that his mother HELENA built a church on the presumed site of Christ's birth place in Bethlehem and she might have been the influence of starting the celebration of Christ's birth as a replacement of celebration of SUN GOING NORTH. The great temple to Sun was erected in Roman empire in 276. By 336 A.D. Christians in Rome started celebrating Christmas.

All popular religions now existing in the world came from two religions. One is JUDAISM another is HINDUISM. There was NO word HEBREW 3000 years before Christ. HEBREW means "wanderers" and they were nomads. They were originally Canaanite. So, Hebrew civilization is a mixture of Canaanite, Babylonian, Egyptian civilizations. Hinduism is a mixture of DRAVIDIAN, ARYAN, CELTIC, MAYAN, GREEK civilizations. What you mean by superstition? To that my answer is SHOW ME, ANY BELIEF THAT IS PROVED BEYOND SHADOW OF A DOUBT. The words BELIEF and FAITH themselves tell us loud and clear, THAT THERE ARE NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF AS MODERN SCIENCE SEES IT.Well, I can give a perfect definition for superstition."MY GOD IS THE ONLY TRUE GOD,NEIGHBORS' GOD IS A DEMONMY BELIEF IS THE TRUE AND ONLY BELIEFNEIGHBOR'S BELIEF IS FALSE, SUPERSTITION AND HEARSAYWHO SAID SO? I SAID SO....

2. THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM KARMA: TRUE OR FALSE?

FALSE. When most religions say that, some WILL GO TO HELL FOR ETERNITY AFTER ONE LIFE, Karma and reincarnation concept say, SALVATION IS FOR ALL. FINALLY ALL WILL HAVE SALVATION. That is mandatory in Hinduism. THERE ARE NO LOSERS BUT ONLY WINNERS in Hinduism . The best among us will attain that with one life and the worst among us will attain that with many lives. Once again, EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE IN "KARMA & REINCARNATION." PHILOSOPHY Whereas religions who question the theory of Karma and reincarnation, HAS ONLY ONE CH ANCE. IF YOU DO NOT MAKE IT BY ONE CHANCE, YOU ARE DOOMED FOREVER.

3. THEORIES OF KARMA & REINCARNATION DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF EVIL:

Well, KARMA & REINCARNATION concept does not recognize EVIL as Christianity does. In KARMA, people's problem is IGNORANCE OF THEIR TRUE DIVINE NATURE. As soon as people REALIZE THAT FACT, people automatically attain salvation. In fact, in the discussion of ORIGINAL SIN in the Bible, no word EVIL was ever used. The only reason why ADAM & EVE lost everything is by symbolicallyeating the FRUIT of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH TAUGHT THEM CONCEPT OFDUALITY...."RIGHT & WRONG", "GOOD AND BAD"ETC God said to Adam: OF THE TREEOF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL YOU SHOULD NOT EAT, FOR THE DAY THAT YOU EATOF IT YOU SHALL DIE [ GEN 2:17].Adam disobeyed and by eating that forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve came to KNOW RIGHT& WRONG and GOOD & EVIL and their own nakedness.. ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE THAT CAUSED THE FALL OF MAN.

4. IF LAW OF KARMA IS RIGHT, WE SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH ANOTHER'S KARMIC SUFFERING: TRUE OR FALSE...

FALSE. Each individual takes a body guided by the KARMAS of the past life. That is true. But at the same time, by helping the poor and sick, we are actually taking care of our own karmas. Only a fool will say to look down upon some one's suffering. I have to admit there are people in India who do just that. But that is not Hindu scriptures teaches. With all honesty, I wanted to saytheir conclusion is AGAINST every concept of Hinduism.

5. REINCARNATIONALISTS FROM NON-CHRISTIAN CULTURES, HAVE NEGLECTED HUMAN SUFFERING:

NO, not at all. Hindu mythology is full of stories of compassion for poor, sick and animals of all kind. Hindu kings took care of poor and sick through out history. Buddha is the true FATHER OF COMPASSION TO ALL, INCLUDING TO ANIMALS AND PLANTS. Buddha taught AHIMSA - NON-VIOLENCE to the world. Emperor Asoka [300 B. C. ] who converted from Hinduism to Buddhism had even VEGETARIAN hospitals

6. THEN HOW COME THERE ARE MORE CHRISTIAN HOSPITALS IN THE WORLD?

TRUE. Reason. Hinduism is not an organized religion. HINDUISM IS THE CULTURE OF INDIA. It is practiced as a personal religion. People pray in their house. Even praying together started only after Christianity came to India. CHARITY is one of the Hindu Dharmas or Duties. But each according to theirown way, do charity. The Hindu code says that GUEST SHOULD BE TREATED EQUAL TO GOD. So, Hinduism or any other eastern religion has the ORGANIZED way of attacking problems of sick and poor. Now Hindus are learning that from Christianity. Right now, India has one of the very best CHARITY hospitals in Puttaperty, run under Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I am thankful to Catholics in India, teaching Hindus how to put their resources together and help people. ISKCON, RAMAKRISHNA MISSIONS etc take their lesson from Catholic charities inhelping people in a collective manner.

7. HOW CAN JUSTICE BE SERVED IF PEOPLE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHY THEY ARE BEING PUNISHED?

Karma and reincarnation theory does not say that SOME ONE IS PUNISHED. The word PUNISHMENT is not part of the KARMA & REINCARNATION concept. If a child put his hand in fire and get burnt, will you say that FIRE punished the child. No. We will say that child DUE TO HIS IGNORANCE ABOUT THE FIRE'S BURNING POWER GOT BURNT. Similarly, Hindu scriptures say that WE ARE TAKING BIRTH AGAIN AND AGAIN, DUE TO OUR IGNORANCE OF THE TRUE DIVINE NATURE. I agree that concept is little difficult to grasp. But that is the only ANSWER

8. IT HAS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT IT?

Experiments by Dr. Banarjee, writings of Edgar Caysee etc provide very good evidence. I agree we have no concrete evidence. At the same time there are no concrete evidence for "resurrection" theory either. In the his World History Book, H. G. Wells wrote about resurrection of Christ starting with a statement, "IT is rumored.."

9. IT IS INFINITE CYCLES WITH NO FINAL MEANING:

Well, I admit it works on infinite cycles. THERE ARE MANY SHORT CUTS AS I EXPLAINED BEFORE... At the same it says that try to analyze in a very logical manner will not an answer, since what we trying to analyze is illusion.

10. IT DOES NOT SATISFY MAN'S MORAL SENSITIVITY OR SENSE OF JUSTICE.

That is absolutely wrong. Those who believe in KARMA & REINCARNATION are more sensitive to morality and ethics. I have no idea what make anyone think that people who believe in KARMA & REINCARNATION are less sensitive to morality than others.

1. Hindu scriptures state: MAN'S PROBLEM IS HIS IGNORANCE OF HIS TRUE NATURE.

2. Man believes that he is the body, without realizing the fact that he is the immortal soul [Atman] with in.

3. As long as man believes he is the perishable body, he will never attain ultimate peace or salavation or Nirvana or SELF-REALIZATION.

4. As long as man believes that he is the body, he will go from one illusion to another. He will be constantly under MAYA [illusion] and that will result in countless reincarnations. Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita: " EVEN IF YOU ARE THE GREAT SINNER IN THE WORLD, YOU CAN CROSS THE OCEAN OF SIN, BY A BARK OF WISDOM."

5. HOW TO STOP THESE COUNTLESS REINCARNATIONS???

HOW TO STOP SOUL TAKINGBODY AFTER BODY??? ANSWER: Come out of the illusion that I AM THE BODY and realize that I AM THE IMMORTAL SOUL through one or all of the four methods taught in Hindu scriptures. The four methods or paths are Jnana Yoga [ path of knowledge]; Karma Yoga [path of action]; Bhakti Yoga [ path of devotion]; Raja Yoga [path of Pranayama and breath control]

6. WHAT DOES THE GENESIS STORY OF ADAM & EVE TEACH US? Once again, it tells that ADAM AND EVE BY EATING THE SYMBOLICAL FRUIT OF TREE OF RIGHT AND WRONG [DUALITY ERCEPTION], ATTAINED FALSE KNOWLEDGE.

7. Adam & Eve attained the false knowledge of DUALITY such as "HOT & COLD", "RIGHT & WRONG" by eating the forbiden fruit from the tree of TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. [ GEN 2:17]. After eating that fruit Adam & Eve attained "false knowledge" that they are the imperishable body, even though they are the MIRROR IMAGE OF GOD.

8. That fasle knowldge made them to run away from God, become aware of their nakedness and cover themselves under a tree.

9. HOW CAN ONE REALIZE THAT HE IS THE SOUL AND THE BODY? Hinduism states 4 methods. JNANA YOGA [path of knowledge], BHAKTI YOGA [path of devotion], KARMA YOGA [path of unattached and unmotivated actions], RAJA YOGA [path of meditation, Prana yama, breath control, yoga etc]

10. All above methods are equally good and there are no barriers among them.All of them are interconnected.

11. A Born-again Christian who pray to Christ, or a Hare Krishna devotee who prays to Lord Krishna, or a Moslem who prays to Allah, or a Buddhist who prays to Buddha or Jain who prays to Thirthankara, or Witch who prays to natural mother earth ARE ALL IN THE RIGHT TRACK OF BHAKTI YOGA OF DEVOTION.

12. Only thing one has to be concerned in their search after truth, is FALSE EGO. The Ego that one's God or one's method is superior to neighbor's method of God-realization. Fanaticism in whatever format is outright counter productive and dangerous. Only a fool will FIGHT IN THE NAME OF GOD. Allthose frustrations and fights on the superiority of religions can only destroy one's own spiritual quest.

13. The God that answer of the prayer of the Pope or Billy Graham, is the same God who answers the prayer of an American Indian who prays to the Buffalo God or a Hindu who prays to BRAHMAN -one and only God. ONE GOD MANY NAMES----THAT IS ALL.

14. There is no such thing as FALSE GOD. To say like that is like saying there is a FALSE SUN or FALSE MOON. There is only ONE SUN AND ONE MOON. There is ONE & ONLY GOD.

15. The path TO SELF-REALIZATION IS SLOW AND STEADY. THERE IS NO EASY SHORT-CUTS. Out of four paths, [Jnana Yoga; Karma Yoga; Bhakti Yoga; Raja Yoga] follow THE PATH YOU LIKE. That is all

WHAT IS HINDUISM?

WHAT IS HINDUISM?

It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it A WAY OF LIFE. It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the HISTORY AND CULTURE OF INDIA, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the CULTURE AND HISTORY OF JEWS.

HINDUISM AND JUDAISM are the mothers of all modern religions in the world. BUDDHISM, SIKHISM, to some extent JAINISM & ZOROASTRIANISM came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came Judaism. ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have ABRAHAM as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran.

Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first [Hinduism] will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from every where and later [Christianity] will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true.

HINDUISM CANNOT BE DESTROYED, EVEN IF WE BURN EVERY HINDU SCRIPTURE ON EARTH AND KILL EVERY HINDU THEOLOGIAN ON EARTH. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. How does it do that? That is a billion dollar question.

WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF HINDUISM?

No body in particular. It is the research output of countless learned men called RISHIS who were Christ like masters, through centuries.

WHO IS A HINDU?

I believe anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is ONE AND ONLY GOD and ONE TRUTH. The very first book of Hindus named RIG-VEDA proclaim, EKAM SAT, VIPRAH BAHUDHA VADANTI (There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Jew or a Christian or a Moslem who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu. . There are about 800 million Hindus in the world. There are more than 800,000 Hindus in the U.S., and about 160,000 in Canada.

WHAT ATTRACTS ONE TO HINDUISM?

The concepts of UTMOST FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS And ACTIONS. That what attracts many to Hinduism. Hinduism never forbids any one to question its fundamentals. One side, in Hinduism, you may come across people worshiping pests like rats, and still on other side you will come across concepts parallel to Quantum Physics and Neil's Bohr Theory of nuclear structure and reactions. On one side ADVAIDA [There is ONLY one ] philosophy is discussed and promoted, still on other side DWAITA [ two--duality] philosophy is discussed and promoted. Hinduism never ever banished any one, since he or she wrote a wrong scripture or did not observe a particular ritual.

There was never a SALMAN RUSHDIE [author of Satanic Verses] in Hinduism and never will be there one. Mahathma Gandhi wrote, even atheists can call themselves as Hindus. That is very true. In fact the CHARVAKA philosophy or NASTIKA philosophy, [existed during the Vedic period] founded by CHARVAKA rejected the existence of God and considered religion as an aberration. Voltaire in Essay on Tolerance wrote: I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it. Hinduism is the symbolic representation of what Voltaire wrote.

WHEN DID HINDUISM TAKE BIRTH?

Nobody knows. If you go by Hindu mythological stories, Hinduism is trillions of years old. If you go by Max Muller, the German philosopher, it is at least 8000 to 9000 years old. Hinduism might have started as Dravidian civilization and later merged with Aryan civilization. Of course, my friend David Frawley has written a wonderful book, explaining that ARYAN INVASION OF INDIA never happened and it is a myth.

How ever studying the relics of Mohenjadaro and Harappa excavations, I conclude, relics of the Indus civilization shows merging of many cultures and concepts. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Harappa & Mohenjodaro were cities in the Indus Valley civilization that flourished around 2,500 B.C. in the western part of South Asia. The roots of Hinduism can be traced to this civilization. The language spoken here is believed to be from Dravidian family, which includes Tamil.

Hinduism has the strange capability to ABSORB AND GROW FROM ALL QUARTERS and that is why in it you can see relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc. To me it does not matter the exact date it was born, since nobody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF HINDUISM?

SANATHANA DHARMA or RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVER was the original name of Hinduism. It was Persians who invaded India during 6th century B.C. who gave the name HINDUISM meaning the RELIGION OF PEOPLE LIVING NEAR RIVER INDUS. In Persian the letter H and S are pronounced almost the same so they mistook the word SIND [ Sanskrit name for Indus] to H and then started calling HINDUS and HINDUISM.

WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE HINDU SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN?

SANSKRIT older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit. The word MOTHER came from SANSKRIT word MATA and FATHER came from SANSKRIT word PITA as per the PBS video THE STORY OF ENGLISH. Believe it or not the word GEOMETRY came from a SANSKRIT word named GYAAMITI meaning MEASURING THE EARTH. The word TRIGONOMETRY came from the word TRIKONAMITI meaning MEASURING TRIANGULAR FORMS. Sanskrit, which literally means "cultured or refined" was the classical language of India and is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world. Forbes Magazine, (July, 1987) wrote: Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages and is the most suitable language for the computer software.

HOW WAS HINDUISM STARTED?

According to Hindu scriptures it started as SRUTI---THAT WHICH IS HEARD. The great seers of ancient times called RISHIS who had perfected themselves have heard in their hearts, eternal truths and they taught those truths to disciples by telepathy and later they wrote them in books. VEDAS and UPANISHADS are known as SRUTI literature rest is called SMRITI- THAT WHAT IS REMEMBERED literature.

All Hindu scriptures were considered as revealed truths of God. In fact Hindu scriptures say that ALL HINDU SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN BY GOD. According Christian theologians Holy Bible is considered to be HOLY SPIRIT INSPIRED BOOK. According to Mimamsa school of thought, all sruti literature existed all through eternity in the form of sounds. Therefore those sounds of words of Vedas and Upanishads are very important to Hindus.

WHAT ARE THE SACRED BOOKS OF HINDUISM?

The very first sacred books of Hinduism is called VEDAS. VEDAS means KNOWLEDGE. There are four VEDAS and they claim to teach men the highest aspects of truths which can lead them to God. Vedas and Upanishads are SRUTI scriptures. The word VEDA came from the root word "vid" meaning "to know". Vedas are the very first scriptures of Hinduism. Vedas as per scriptures was written by God. Vedas state "SELF REALIZATION" is one and the goal of human life. Vedas also discuss in detail rituals and ceremonies to attain self-realization. There are 4 Vedas. The first Vedas are known as the TRIPLE VEDAS.

They are:

RIG VEDA--------------- KNOWLEDGE OF HYMNS --10589 verses

The Hindu Rig Veda is the foremost book of Hindus. It is the oldest book in the world. Nobody knows when Rig Veda was written. According to B.G. Tilak it was written in 5000 BC. German philosopher Max Muller dates 1500 BC. According some it took centuries to write this book from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rig Veda is older than GILGAMESH [2500 B.C] and the Old Testament.

The very first Veda, Rig Veda very clearly shows that it was written, when nomad man first settled down on the banks of rivers like Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus etc. That is the reason why, in Rig Veda, you see, people are worshiping natural powers like lighting, rain, Sun, fire [Agni]; water; air, that effects cultivation It consists of 1028 hymns, comprising of 10,589 verses in 10 chapters known as MANDALAS. 33 gods are worshiped in Rig Veda. There are 100 hymns addressed to Soma; 250 addressed to Indra; 200 hymns addressed to Agni; Many addressed to Surya. Few addressed to USHAS, ADITI, SARASWATHI, VARUNA and ASVINS. Lord Vishnu is a minor god in Rig Veda.

One of the most important statement came from the Rig Veda is "EKAM SAT, VIPRAH BAHUDHA VADANTI ---meaning "Truth is one but men describe it differently". Lord Vishnu has minor importance in Rig Veda. Name of Lord Siva is mentioned as RUDRA. SOMA in Rig Veda is intoxicating drink to gods. The word SURA came those who drink an intoxicating drink which I think is SOMA. The word ASURA came from those who does not drink that drink. Another word that caught my attention in RIG VEDA is the word RTA which means some kind of cosmic order. I think the word DHARMA originated from the word RTA.

One of the most prominent hymns of Rig Veda "Purusa-Sukta ----Purusha [man] and the Primordial sacrifice of Purusha for the betterment of man and the world". Another one is "CREATION HYMN".

Caste system started in Rig Vedic period. The Rig Vedic Hymn, known as PURUSHA-SUKTA (Mandala-x, 19th hymn, 12th verse) states: THE BRAHMIN WAS PURUSHA'S (cosmic man - the first principle of SANKYA PHILOSOPHY in Hinduism) MOUTH, THE KSHATRIYA HIS ARMS, THE VAISYA HIS THIGHS, AND SHUDRA HIS FEET.

YAJUR VEDA----------- KNOWLEDGE OF LITURGY --3988 verses

deals with KNOWLEDGE OF RITES. This Veda is based on Rig Veda. It contains rules and regulations explaining how to conduct rituals. It consists of prose as well verse. Sacrifice is one of the most important aspect of this Veda.

SAMA VEDA------------ KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC ---1549 verses

deals with the knowledge of chants. Sama means "melody". The classical Indian music originated from this Veda. This Veda is also based on Rig Veda. Verses from this Veda is sung when "Soma Sacrifice" is performed. Sama Veda is similar to Psalms in Christianity.

ATHARVA VEDAC ---KNOWLEDGE GIVEN BY SAGE ATHARVAC6000 verses ---731 hymns

contains the knowledge given by sage Athrvana. Some state that sage Athrvana did not formulate this Veda but was the chief priest in the ceremonies associated with it. Atharvana who is mentioned in the Rig Veda was considered as the eldest son of Lord Brahma [God of creation]. ATHARVA VEDA was non-existent when other 3 Vedas were composed.

AUYRVEDA

THE HINDU MEDICINE SCRIPTURE consists of more than 100,000 verses initially. Still it is considered as a UPA VEDA of ATHARVA VEDA.

A---SAMHITAS----basic texts for hymns to deities, formulas and chants. The Sankrit word SAMHITA means "put togther".

B---BRAHMANAS--description as well as directions for performance of rituals. The word originated from the word Brahmins. Brahmins are the original Hindu priests and they follow Brahmans to conduct rituals.

C---ARYANAKAS contain Mantras and interpretations of rituals--This book also known as "the forest books" since book is used by saints who meditate in the forests.

D---UPANISHADS--texts revealing ultimate truths by different saints. Upanishads teach men that there is ONE AND ONLY thing and that is BRAHMAN. You and I just reflections of Brahman. Or we are indeed God... Upanishads teach us "Tat tvam Asi" CC THAT THOU ART. In fact, the word UPANISHAD can be broken down as UPA [near] NI [down] SHAD [sit] meaning that teachings of Upanishads were conveyed from masters to students when students sat very next to masters and nobody overheard those teachings.

TOTAL 108 UPANISHADS .

Principle ones 13. Some of the Upanishads are named after the sages who answered all questions. Some as per the first word in the Upanishad. [ I shall write details separately]
1. ISA UPANISHAD- 2. KENA UPANISHAD 3. KATHA UPANISHAD 4. PRASNA UPANISHAD 5. MUNDAKA UPANISHAD 6. MANDUKYA UPANISHAD 7. AITAREYA UPANISHAD 8. TAITTIRYA UPANISHAD 9. CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD 10. BRIHAD-ARANYAKA UPANISHAD 11 KAUSHITAKI UPANISHAD 12. SHVETASHVATARA UPANISHAD 13 MAITRI UPANISHAD SMRITI LITERATURE CONSISTS OF LARGE NUMBER OF BOOKS.

A. VEDANGAS: scriptures attached to Vedas.

1. DHARMA SUTRAS- [Codes of Manu, Yatnyavalkya etc]
2. JYOTHISHA [ astrology and astronomy ]
3. KALPA [rituals and legal matters]
4. SIKSHA [phonetics ]
5. CHHANDAS [measurements]
6. NIRUKTA [Etymology]
7. VYAKARANA [ Sanskrit grammar ]

B-----UPAVEDAS

1. AYURVEDA---Hindu science of health and longevity
2 DHARNUR VEDA---Hindu science of archery & war
3 GANDHARVA VEDA--Hindu science of Music
4 ARTHASHASTRA---Hindu science of governing by Kings

C----- DARSANAS [HINDU JNANA YOGA - PATH OF KNOWLEDGE]: 6 of them

1. NYASA: by sage Gautama wrote Nyaya sutras
2. VAISHESHIKA: by sage Kanada wrote Vaisheshika sutra
3. SAMKHYA: by sage Kapila- Gita starts with this philosophy
4. YOGA: by Pathanjali who wrote PATHANJALI YOGASUTRA
5. MIMAMSA: by sage Jaimini who wrote MIMAMSA SUTRA
6. VEDANTA: by sage Veda Vyasa VEDANTA [AT THE END OF VEDAS] meaning it started at the end of Vedic age] has two parts.

1. ADVAIDA PHILOSOPHY- ONE ONLY - great exponent ADI SANKARA 2. DWITA PHILOSOPHY - TWO - almost all Vaishnava saints

D------ ITHIHASAS or EPICS : MYTHOLOGICAL SCRIPTURES

1. RAMAYANA - story of Rama, written by Valmiki. RAMAYANA is the story of Rama and princess Sita. Valmiki wrote the whole Ramayana as the narration of a crying dove [who just lost her lover to a hunter's wicked arrow] to him. This beautiful poem consists of 24,000 couplets. Lord Rama is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu and RAMAYANA is a story which projects HINDU IDEALS OF LIFE. There are many versions of Ramayana. The Hindi version was written by sage TULASI DAS. The Malayalam version [Kerala state] was written by Thuncheth Ezuthachan. The original text was written in very stylish Sanskrit language

2. MAHABHARATA - story of Pandvas & Kauravas 220,000 verses, 18 chapters BHAGAVAD GITA is part of this scripture. It is lengthier than Homer's ODYSSEY. It consists of episodes, dialogues, stories, discourses and sermons. It contains 110,000 couplets or 220,000 lines in 18 PARVAS or sections or chapters.

They are 1--ADI PARVA 2--SABHA PARVA 3--VANA PARVA 4--VIRATA PARVA 5--UDYOGA PARVA 6--BHISHMA PARVA 7--DRONA PARVA 8--KARNA PARVA 9--SALYA PARVA 10-SAUPTIKA PARVA 11-STRI PARVA 12-SHANTI OR SANTI PARVA 13-ANUSASANA PARVA 14-ASVAMEDHIKA PARVA 15-ASHRAMA PARVA 16-MAUSALA PARVA 17-MAHAPRASTHANIKA PARVA 18-SVARGAROHANA PARVA

Apart from 18 PARVAS there is a section of poems in the form of an appendix with 16,375 verses which is known as HARIVAMSA PARVA. So in total there are 19 Parvas, even though many saints do not consider the last Parva as an important PARVA. The BHAGAVAD GITA is part and parcel of MAHABHARATA

IS BHAGAVAD GITA the HINDU HOLY BIBLE?

Bhagavad Gita is a part of the epic Mahabharta, appearing in the middle of the great epic. Hindus do not any such thing as a HOLY BIBLE. Many consider BHAGAVAD GITA as the most important scripture of Hindus. IF THE ENTIRE UPANISHADS CAN BE CONSIDERED AS COWS, THEN THE BHAGAVAD GITA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS MILK. it is the essense of the Vedas.

Bhagavad Gita consists of 18 chapters and 700 verses. It deals with all type of Yogas, means of self-realization. It is in the form of a very lively conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer Lord Krishna, at the outset of the great MAHABHARTA WAR, in the middle of the battle field. Just before the beginning of the war, Arjuna refused to fight, when he found he had to kill thousands of his own kinsmen to be victorious in the war. Lord Krishna advised him on a very large variety of subjects in a QUESTION AND ANSWER format. At the end, Arjuna took Lord Krishna's advice and fought and won a very fierce war. Gita has an answer to every problem a man face in his life. It never commands anyone what to do; Instead it discusses pros and cons of every action and thought. Through out Gita you will not come across any line starting or ending with THOU SHALT NOT. That is the reason why Gita is the DARLING OF MILLIONS OF SEEKERS AFTER TRUTH THROUGH OUT THE WORLD

VERSIONS OF GITA

The very first English translation of Gita was done by CHARLES WILKINS in 1785, with an introduction by Warren Hastings, the British Governor General of India. One of the most popular translation was done by Sir Edwin Arnold, under the title THE SONG CELESTIAL. There are many translations of the Gita and one of most descriptive translation on Gita was done by Swami Sri Prapupada of International Krishna consciousness. Almost all saints in India have published their versions of the Bhagavad Gita. Recently the Self Realization Fellowship, California have published an excellent translation of the Bhagavad Gita. Most intellectuals in the world go through Gita at least once in their life time. Aldous Huxley wrote: The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most systematic scriptural statement of the perennial philosophy" in his introduction of the THE SONG OF THE GOD by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. Gita won the interest and admiration of great intellectuals such as VON HUMBOLDT of Germany and EMERSON of America. It has influenced thinkers like HAGEL and SCHOPENHAUER.

ROBERT OPPENHEIMER--FATHER OF ATOM BOMB & Bhagavad Gita

Robert Oppenheimer, the very first Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and father of Atom bomb was a great admirer of the Bhagavad Gita. He learnt Sanskrit during MANHATTAN PROJECT to understand the true meaning of Gita. He really shocked the world, when he quoted a couplet from Gita [Chapter 11:12] after witnessing the first Atomic Explosion in the state of New Mexico. Later when he addressed congress regarding ATOM BOMB he said Atom Bomb remind him of Lord Krishna who said in the Bhagavad Gita, I AM DEATH DEVOURER OF ALL.

E-----PURANAS –

18 are most important MAHABHAGAVATAM - is the most read important scripture of ISKCON[HAREKRISHNA ]Puranas are RELIGIOUS STORIES which expound truths. Just like the parables told by Jesus Christ, these stories are told to common folk to make them understand the higher truths of life. According to Jesus Christ MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE ARE REVEALED TO THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY AWAKE, BUT TO OTHERS THOSE MYSTERIES HAVE TO BE EXPLAINED IN PARABLES. On that Puranas are called the VEDAS of the Common folk, for they present the mysteries through myth and legend.

SIX puranas addressed to Lord Vishnu are 1-Vishnu Purana 2-Narada Purana 3-Srimad Bhavata Purana 4-Garuda Purna 5-Padma Purana 6-Varaha Purana

Six Puranas --addressed to Lord Siva are 1-Matsya Purana 2-Kurma Purana 3-Linga Purana 4-Vayu Purana 5-Skanda Purana 6-Agni Purana

SIX Puranas addressed to Lord Brahma are 1-Brahma Purana 2-Brahanda Purana 3-Brahma-Vaivasvata Puranaor Brahma-Vaivarta Purana 4-Markandeya Purana 5-Bhavishya Purana 6-Vamana Purana

Apart from that we have 22 minor Puranas They are ADITYA, ASCHARYA, AUSANSA, BHASKARA, DEVI, SAIVA, DURVASA, KALIKA, KALKI, KAPILA, MAHESVARA, MANAVA, MARICHI, NANDIKESVARA, NARADA, NARASIMHA, PARASARA, SAMBA, SANATHAKUMARA, SIVADHARMA, SURYA, SUTA-SAMHITA, USANAS, VARUNA, YUGA, VAYU, VRIHAN

F---AGAMAS ---SECTARIAN SCRIPTURES

They are a group scriptures worshipping God in particular form and they describe detailed courses of disciple for the devotee. Like Upanishads there are many AGAMAS. They can be broadly divided into three sets of AGAMAS.

A----VAISHNAVA AGAMAS--worship God as LORD VISHNU
B----SAIVA AGAMAS------worship God as Lord Siva
C----SAKTI AGAMAS------worship God as Mother Goddess

Believe it or not there is no AGAMAS for Lord Brahma [God of creation]. Saivates have 28 Agamas and 108 Upa Agamas [minor agamas]. Saktiates recoganizes 77 agamas. I am not sure about the actual number of the Vaishna Agamas. Vaishanavates consider PANCHA RATRA AGAMAS as one of the most important agamas.

Each Agama consists of A--Philosophy B--mental discipline C--Rules for constructing temples D--Religious practices.

G-- TANTRAS

Started during Vedic age. consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to EXPAND. Tantrism researched into ASTRONOMY, ASTROLOGY, PALMISTRY, COSMOLOGY. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states SALVATION THROUGH SEX. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible!! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.

H--CHARVAKA ---HINDU MATERIALISM

Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was BRIHASPATI SUTRA. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware copies of this book is available in India. According to this world, MATERIAL WORLD ALONE EXISTS AND OUR KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM SENSE PERCEPTION. This philosophy openly propagated THERE IS NO GOD...THE LAW OF KARMA HAS NO BASIS...THE VEDAS WERE WRITTEN BY CLOWNS..It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....

WHAT IS THE HINDU CONCEPT OF GOD?

Hindus believe in ONE AND ONLY GOD-- BRAHMAN which expresses itself in trillions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form [nama-roopa], since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form. In fact, in the Sruti scriptures of Hinduism, God or BRAHMAN has been described as SAGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-Brahman with attributes]; as well as NIRGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-without attributes]. In the Upanishads, God is described as NETI-NETI [not this-not that] method. So first Hindus worshiped 33 natural gods in the Rig Veda. Then Hinduism came to the realization that THERE IS ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Just like ONE AND ONLY SUN shines over the mountains of Afghanistan, dry deserts of Saudi Arabia; Penthouse of New York, there is ONE AND ONLY GOD which present in the Hindu temple, Christian church, Moslem Mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddha Vihars, Sikh Gurudwara.

IF THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, WHY HINDUS WORSHIP MANY GODS?

During the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis [scientists of that day] said THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, BRAHMAN they found out that laymen could not understand that concept. So they wrote ITHIHASAS [epics] and Puranas [mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that WHEN YOU WORSHIP ANY GOD, YOU ARE ACTUALLY WORSHIPING ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, " Call me by what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any God, he is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. In Christianity ONE GOD EXPRESSES HIMSELF IN THREE FORMS; FATHER; SON AND THE HOLY GHOST.

In Hinduism ONE GOD EXPRESSES ITSELF IN TRILLIONS OF FORMS. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem in calling Jesus and Buddha avatars [ incarnations] of God, even though Buddha did not reorganize the authority of Vedas or belief in Brahman.

Believe it or not there is no word TRINITY in the entire Holy Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian. He did that to fuse PAGAN ROME to CHRISTIANITY. Only mention of TRINITY concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, GO THEREFORE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF FATHER, AND THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [MAT 28:19] According to SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA, TRINITY doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that TRINITY is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.

WHY HINDUS WORSHIP IDOLS?

Show me any person [except may be Jews], who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact.

The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints, are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China.

I RESPECT ALL THOSE PICTURES. Believe it or not, ALL OF THEM ARE IDOL WORSHIPS. Once again, God is spirit...NO WORD OR IMAGE CAN DESCRIBE OR DEPICT GOD OR CAN ENCOMPASS THE GREATNESS OF GOD. God is neither the father nor the mother.
Since man cannot conceive anything without NAME AND FORM, man has the right to worship God with a form. At the same time, every worship leads to a GOD without any name and form in course of the development of the seeker in spirituality.

WHAT ARE THE HINDU MORAL CODES?

Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called DHARMA SUTRAS. Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called DHARMA. it is very difficult to translate the word DHARMA.. Some of the codes are AHIMSA [NON-KILLING], SATHYA [TRUTH], DHARMA[DUTY], KARUNA [COMPASSION], VIRYA[FORTITUDE] , DAMA[SELF-RESTRAINT], SAUCHA[PURITY]

WHAT IS THE NAME OF HINDU HOLY BIBLE?

Hindus actually do not have a Holy Bible like Christians. Hindus have many scriptures and all of them are equally important. But many consider the Bhagavad Gita to be the Holy Bible of Hindus. It appears in the middle of the epic poem MAHABHRATA. Bhagavad Gita has 700 verses in 18 chapters. It is in the form of a conversation between warrior king Arjuna and Lord Krishna, in the middle of the battle field at the outset of Mahabharata war
.
WHAT IS AN AVATAR?
An AVATAR is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an AVATAR. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an AVATAR, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.

WHAT IS SALVATION ACCORDING TO HINDUISM?

Hindu salvation concept is different from Christian salvation concept. Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION.

In Hindu salvation a person realizes that HE IS NOT THE BODY, BUT THE IMMORTAL SOUL [ATMAN] WITHIN. That is the reason why Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION or "Realizing that he is the IMMORTAL SELF and NOT THE PERISHABLE BODY.

In Hindu salvation THE IDENTITY OF THE SOUL IS LOST when it attains salvation. Hindu salvation can be compared to a pinch of salt trying to find the bottom of the ocean. The moment the pinch of salt touches the surface of the mighty ocean, it becomes part and parcel of the Ocean. Similarly, when a person seeks after God according to Hinduism, becomes ONE WITH GOD when he attains salvation. Hinduism never ever boasts monopoly on salvation. In fact, as per Hinduism, any one even an atheist can attain salvation. A Jew, Christian and Moslem can attain salvation, irrespective of whether they read any Hindu scriptural book.

WHAT IS THE LAW OF KARMA?

Hindus believe in LIFE AFTER DEATH. They also believe in the Biblical concept WHATEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE REAP. That is the basis of karmic law. Every action and every thought has a result. Hindus believe that every thought and every action is weighed on the scale of eternal justice. The law of karma is one of CAUSE AND EFFECT. Nobody can escape from the KARMIC DEBT. I believe Christ took care of the KARMIC DEBT of all the apostles so that he can make them FISHERMEN OF MEN.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE DIE?

According to Hinduism, the body alone dies. the soul within the body never dies, But the path the soul takes is decided upon the past actions which are known as karmas. So the actions of former body does not die with the body. past actions are attached to the body and they decide WHAT KIND OF BODY THE SOUL TAKES IN THE NEXT LIFE. WHAT IS SALVATION IN HINDUISM? When an individual soul exhausts all its karmas and merges with GOD then Hindus say that soul has attained salvation.

DOES THAT MEAN ONE HAS TO TAKE MILLIONS OF LIVES TO ACHIEVE SALVATION?

NO, absolutely not. That question is the question many ask. Hindu scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita very clearly says that one can attain salvation in one life, provided one surrender his will to the will of God 100%. Lord Krishna said: THOSE WHO SURRENDER ALL ACTIONS TO ME AND REGARD ME AS THE SUPREME GOAL AND WORSHIP ME WITH WHOLE HEARTED DEVOTION WILL BE SAVED BY ME FROM REPEATED BIRTHS AND DEATHS."

In another verse, Lord Krishna said: GIVE UP ALL YOUR RIGHTEOUS AND NON-RIGHTEOUS ACTIONS AND COME TO ME; TAKE REFUGE IN ME. THEN I SHALL FREE YOU FROM ALL SINS; GRIEVE NOT. That ME who is mentioned is not the Lord Krishna but the ABSOLUTE SOUL or GOD. Krishna is one of the representations of that God. That GOD can appear in another form like Christ or without any form or name at all.

HOW CAN ONE ATTAIN SALVATION?

Through four paths
1 JNANA YOGA----- PATH OF KNOWLEDGE
2 KARMA YOGA----- PATH OF SELFLESS ACTIONS
3 BHAKTI YOGA---- PATH OF DEVOTION
4 RAJA YOGA------PATH OF BREATH CONTROL AND PRANAYAMA

Most of all religious devotees of all religions are BHAKTI YOGIES whether they believe in Hinduism or not. Very good Christians go to church everyday and surrender themselves to the deity of Christ are SHAKTI YOGIS. So too Moslems. Hinduism is the only religion explains the FOUR PATHS very well

WHAT IS AUM [OM]?

It is the HINDU WORD. It is a syllable that stands for ABSOLUTE. It is uttered in the beginning as well as at the end of all Hindu prayers. To some extent it is the LOGOS of the Holy Bible.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JOHN 1:1 CAME FROM HINDU SCRIPTURES?

YES, I think so. Long before JOHN 1:1 [70 AD] was written, Hindu Vedas [ at least 5000 BC] wrote the same thing "prajapathi vai agre asset" IN THE BEGINNING WAS PRAJAPTHI, THE BRAHMAN-THE GOD, "Tasya Vag dvitiya Aseet" WITH WHOM WAS THE WORD; "Vag vai parama Brahman" AND THE WORD WAS VERILY THE SUPREME BRAHMAN - THE GOD John 1:1 states: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD.

WHY DO WOMEN WEAR A DOT ON THEIR FOREHEAD?

That dot is supposed to be the meeting point of eye brows. That important point is called ANGINA CHARA or spiritual eye. Everyone is supposed to protect that. In fact all saints protect that point with sandalwood paste..But later women alone started protecting that area.

WHAT IS NAMASTHE?

It is the popular Hindu greeting performed by pressing two hands together and holding them near the heart. the whole act communicate to the world ' YOU AND I ARE ONE...I SALUTE AND WORSHIP THE GOD WITHIN YOU, WHICH IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF MYSELF'

DO HINDUS PRACTICE MONOGAMY?

Hindus practice monogamy and Hindus have stopped "child marriages in India by SAADA ACT [1929] under the British. It is the Moslems in India who are allowed to marry four wives and Moslem Sariyath law allows child marriages for Moslems in India.

DO HINDU SCRIPTURES FORBID ABORTION?

Yes they do. Hindu scriptures forbid abortion. From time immemorial, Hindus consider children as gifts from God. In the code of Manu, Manu forbids abortion. One of the worst acts described in the scriptures is SIS-HATYA meaning destruction of the unborn fetus. There are prayers in the Rig Veda to guard a growing embryo. Only time abortion is allowed is when the fetus is known to be defective as per SUSRUTA SAMHITA, the Hindu Aurvedic book.

WHAT IS CASTE SYSTEM?

There is nothing in Hinduism as complex as CASTE SYSTEM. It emerged as a part of division of labor among people during the days of Rig Veda..The Rig Vedic Hymn, known as PURUSHA-SUKTA (Mandala-x, 19th hymn, 12th verse) states: THE BRAHMIN WAS PURUSHA'S (cosmic man - the first principle of SANKYA PHILOSOPHY in Hinduism) MOUTH, THE KSHATRIYA HIS ARMS, THE VAISYA HIS THIGHS, AND SHUDRA HIS FEET...The greatest apostle of CASTE SYSTEM, was Sage Manu. He laid down all provisions governing caste system in Manu-Smriti.

BRAHMINS -- Priests
KSHATRIYAS-- Fighters and warriors
VAISYA--- Business men
SHUDRAS -- helpers of every one

Unlike in the Holy Bible, where Slavery is discussed & accepted even by St. Paul [ [Holy Bible verses Col. 4:11; Exodus 21:21 1: Lev. XXV:44- 55 Thessalonians 3:22], THERE IS NO STATEMENT IN THE ENTIRE HINDU SCRIPTURES TO ILL-TREAT LOWER CASTES, except Sage Manu's Code, where punishements of lower castes are severe comparing to punishments for the higher castes for the same offense.----THERE IS NO WORD UNTOUCHABLE IN THE ENTIRE HINDU SCRIPTURES.

Still caste system degenerated in India. It is indeed the GREATEST CURSE on Hinduism. It attacks the core of Hinduism. It resulted in large scale conversion of Hindus to other religions. I sincerely pray and hope, caste system eventually will go away, making a relic of the history.

Hindus should do what Christians did. Even though slavery is mentioned and accepted as a practice in the Holy Bible, even though during Civil war many such as Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America quoted from the Bible to support slavery, Christians took it upon their chin and eliminated slavery completely.

Once upon a time, India had 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes. Even there were 1,800 Brahmin castes in India. Even different Brahmin castes did not mingle themselves socially or otherwise, in ancient times. Last of all, ancient India, persecuted a large group of people called UNTOUCHABLES. Mahatma Gandhi said: UNTOUCHABILITY IS A CRIME AGAINST GOD AND MEN. Ambedkar once wrote out of his own experience, TO THE UNTOUCHABLES, HINDUISM IS A VERITABLE CHAMBER OF HORRORS".

WHY HINDUS PRACTICE SUTTEE [ SATI]?

None of the Hindu scriptures mention about Sati. Suicide of the consort of Lord Siva, Sati, has nothing to do with Sati or Suttee. Suicide of queen Madri in the epic Mahabharata has nothing to do with Sati. Sucide of 16000 wives of Lord Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavatam has nothing to do with Sati. At the same time Suttee is the most horrendous way of widows jumping into the funeral pyre of their fallen husbands. It is an ancient ritual practiced by a warrior race of India called Rajputs. Nobody else in India, practiced Suttee. Once again, Suttee is never mentioned in any Hindu religious scripture. There is not even ONE episode of Suttee in the vast Hindu mythology.

MANY STATE HINDUISM IS VERY COMPLEX AND CONTRADICTORY!

All religions are the result of the works of thousands of thinkers. Hinduism and Judaism are cultures and they are the mothers of all religions. New religions like Christianity and Islam took the best aspects of Judaism and made part of them. So too Buddhism and Jainism took the best aspects of Hinduism and made part of them. In Christianity, there were several housecleanings in its 2000 years of history. Hinduism on its part, NEVER had any HOUSE CLEANING in its history. Since Hinduism never tossed anything away, in it you will see in it primitive religion as well as very advanced thoughts. There was never a SALMAN RUSHDIE [author of Satanic Verses] in Hinduism and never will be there one.

I have repeatedly state that Hinduism has the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY aspects in it like any other culture or religion in the world. WE have to boldly face facts and eradicate the BAD & the UGLY aspects, to better the lives of millions of Hindus, years to come.

NOBODY EVER WAS EXCOMMUNICATED FROM HINDUISM. NOT EVEN ONE HINDU DIED BECAUSE HE/SHE WROTE A WRONG SCRIPTURE. .The greatness of Hinduism can be summerised in few words. "FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS." That what Hinduism stands for.

Ed Viswanathan
edvis9@hotmail.com edvis9@yahoo.com
AM I A HINDU? [ www.amazon.com]
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879904063/u/002-9144287-3121453
one of the most popular book on Hinduism as per THE AMAZON BOOK DISTRIBUTORS