Can Sanatana Dharma be eliminated?

Can the five elements – earth, water, air, fire and space be eliminated? Sun, moon, planets and stars be eliminated? The universe be eliminated? Consciousness be eliminated? Obviously, the answer is a vehement No! Elimination of these, amounts to elimination of one's own self! In that case, then Sanatana dharma also cannot be eliminated!

What is the connection? Well, Dharma is that which sustains. All these elements and entities in nature are sustaining us, by unconditionally offering themselves to us, by engaging in their respective duties according to their nature! We owe our existence to every entity in the universe, our mother, father, teacher/s, family, society and so on. When we become conscious of this truth of our absolute dependance on the universe around us, our duty towards every such entity automatically manifests as dharma.

To engage in unconditional selfless service to the society and the universe, according the innate nature, capability and capacity of our personality comprising of our body / mind / intellect, is dharma. Brahman/Ishwara or God who pervades and indwells in nature is teaching sanAtana dharma, through every element and entity in nature. We as humans only have to be in tune with Him. If not, we will end up as selfish demons who only exploit nature for sense gratification.

As atma / self is eternal / sanAtana, dharma as a duty that obtains between atma / embodied self and the ParamAtma / Universal Self is also sanAtana. In fact, the indubitable and universal Self that abides in all, goes by the name of Dharma as it sustains the body and the universe.

The body is made up of different parts and each part is engaging in its own dharma / duty in total harmony and unison with other parts so that the overall body can function normally, serving the indwelling self.

Likewise, the entire society / universe is the body of God / ParamAtma / universal Self and every embodied being is supposed to engage in their respective work / duty according to their nature / guna / varna, in total harmony and unison with all other beings, as a service to the universal Self / ParamAtma / God.     

In short, any selfless action performed with unconditional love, according to one’s guna / varna, as a service to God manifesting as the universe, for unconditionally sustaining us, is Dharma. Anything opposed to the above is adharma, which is like a disease that needs to be controlled / eliminated! That which is good for the universe, is good for the individual embodied being and not vice versa!

To give more than what we take from the world is Godly / dharma. Taking everything from the world without giving anything is demonic / adharma. 

It is interesting to note that in the overall scheme of the universe even adharma has its own place! It is not totally eliminated! Why? because adharma actually glorifies Dharma! While Dharma aims to serve God, manifesting as the universe, adharma is solely based on the body / ego, looking upon the universe as an object of sense enjoyment. Nevertheless, God, manifesting as this very universe is sustaining the bodies of adhArmic people also. The fight between dharma / suras and adharma / auras is always going to be there in the world but ultimately, Dharma alone wins, as there is perfect alignment of thoughts, words and deeds. 

Is Sanatana dharma same as varNAshrama dharma? 

SanAtana dharma is of two fold - Pravrutti (external) and Nivrutti (internal). VarNAshrama dharma comes under pravrutti as it pertains to the vocation one adopts to serve the universe.  It is only a division in labor or karma according to the nature of the body, mind and intellect which belongs to the material world. The indwelling spirit self or jiva is beyond any varna or gender. The Nivrutti aspect is to realize God who is within one's own self, through tapasya or withdrawl of the senses and mind. While pravrutti dharma differs based on the varna and ashrama, Nivrutti dharma is common for everybody. All sAdhus, sanyasis, saints, devotees, jnyAnIs and so on are also beyond any Varna as they predominantly practice Nivrutti dharma and therefore considered as manifestations of God only!   

Namaste

Suresh

Am I Brahman or God

In the following Video, Swami Sarvapriyananda, who is a well-known monk from the Ramakrishna order is explaining the “logical compulsion” of identifying oneself with God or Brahman!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QYrPLlshNWQ

Here the Swamy is saying - that Supreme reality – Call it Brahman, God or whatever, which is beyond death or immortal, is myself!! Otherwise, how do I go beyond death? 

It is true that in Advaita, the self that abides in all is Brahman. But this fervor to preach identification of the self with God is dangerous because it leads to the “I am God” mentality which is demonic and false. Advaitic Brahman is nirguna or attributeless but God or Ishwara is Saguna Brahman. Jiva/Atman/self cannot be identified with Saguna Brahman. Sri Acharya Shankara outrightly refutes this "I am God" mentality while commenting on the Bhagavadgita (16th Ch, verses 14, 15 and 16). First of all - Brahman is a Vedic word, and it is identified as the cause of the world. Is the individual self or atman or jiva, the cause/creator of the world? The Brahma sutra – JagadvyApAra varjyam – outrightly refutes this view!

If the embodied self is Brahman or God, then it can be easily attained by eliminating the body or committing suicide. Is anyone ready for it? Obviously not and that proves that the identity teaching is not literal! It is only indicative, in the sense that atman is a linga or indicator for Brahman that pervades and indwells in all. This also proves that the body which has a purpose (to engage in dharma) is a dependent reality on the indwelling Brahman and therefore not an illusion! 

That non-dual Brahman/Ishwara or God is identified as the cosmic person having the sun and moon as his eyes and the entire universe as his body. He is verily the kAla/time or mruthyu/death that has covered / swallowed the soul / atman as the body and also manifesting as this very universe. So there is no question of "going beyond" such a God who is himself death. Instead the atman has to BE (in tune) with Him. Birth and death is not a hindrance / limitation for a knowledgeable sanAtani Hindu who is serving Brahman/Ishwara manifesting as the universe through his swadharma. For everybody else it is! The same Brahman / God who has covered all ignorants in the form of death, will be a liberating ambrosia for a jnAni who is in tune with Him, through his selfless / dhArmic actions.

That non-dual, all pervading and indwelling Brahman/Ishwara, can be "attained" only through the path of Dharma and Bhakti / devotion which is rooted in duality. This "attaiment" is of the nature of realization only, which is an endless contemplation. That non-dual Brahman or God mysteriously divides itself through it's own inexplicable power of mAya to bring out the greatness of Dharma! Infact that non-dual Brahman in the form of cosmic person is an embodiment of Dharma and that is the law. No being can escape this eternal Law.

Brahman which is the cause of the world is indwelling in the Atman, supporting the atman as the body and the Atman can never know it – Atmano antaro yam Atma na veda, yasya atma shareeram – says Veda. So, all identity statements in the Veda are teaching or denoting the simultaneous identity or inseparable oneness of the self and everything with Brahman. There is no oneness in the attributes of the sentient self, insentient non-self (body) and the  Ishwara/Brahman who indwells in both and controls them. The embodied sentient self being a reflection of Brahman, is only indicative of Brahman, just like the body indicates the soul/self.

AchArya Shankara explicitly states in one of the prakarana grantha that this identification of the self with Brahman is not literal (vAchyArtha). It is only indicative! (LakshyArtha) . While essentially the oneness of atman and Brahman is accepted, the entire world is accepted as Brahma shareera – or body of God in traditional Advaita also and only then the avatAra of God and that of Acharya Shankara and all the many teachers in the unbroken chain of guru-shishya parampara can be explained.

Identifying the self alone as real and outrightly rejecting the body / dualistic world as illusion goes against Veda and Dharma and experience also. It leads to many misconceptions like – All religions are the same, there is no God or I am God, Hindu scriptures like Vedas, PuruAnas, Ramayana and MahabhArata are myths/unreal, Spirituality and religion are different and so on.

These modern-day "teachers" are simply teaching Buddhism only in the guise of Advaita VedAnta. They cannot protect Sanatana dharma as they also accept all religions are true! This goes against the spirit of the teaching of Sri Adi ShankarAchAra who vehemently argued in favor of Vedas and VarnAshrama dharma.

Also, in the following video, the “Swamy” is trying to pathetically reconcile Bhakti or devotion to God, which is based on duality, with Advaita:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNoBZx_DKyA&t=401s

Here, Sri Hanuman is quoted as saying – Identifying myself with the body - I am Rama’s servant, identifying as a jiva I am part of Rama and identifying with the soul I am Rama himself. Nothing can be as absurd as this because identification with the body is considered as ignorance in vedAnta. So, Hanuman, as a servant of Rama if he is identifying himself with his body, he would end up as an ignorant person! 

The climax here is that, from the point of view of the soul, Hanuman is identifying himself with Rama! Now, anybody can imagine the plight of Sita! This would be even worse than what Ravana did to Sita. Actually, pure devotion for God / Ishwara is from the point of view of the soul only irrespective of whatever body it takes. Advaitic Self is non-dual and so cannot be identified with any name/form/relation. So Hanuman identifying himself as Rama or God is totally wrong!

It should be noted that Hanuman who incarnated as MadhvAchArya, established the Dvaita philosophy which fundamentally refutes this misconception in Advaita – especially the non-traditional Advaita that simply teaches literal identification of the self with Brahman or God.

There is no problem with traditional Advaita – as duality/bhakti/varnashrama dharma is accepted as vyAvahArika satya! Even if the non-duality of Atman / Self is accepted the world of duality continues to remain as Brahman's body / dependent reality.

The attempts of these non-traditional Advaita gurus to reconcile bhakti and Advaita is pathetically incorrect as they are based on half-truths and very much misleading for sanAtani Hindus. They are confusing the masses by mixing parmartha with vyavahara. It is totally incompatible with the traditional Advaita as established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya.

One should not forget the fact that the same Veda is also teaching Sarvam khalvidam Brahma – Everything is Brahman! The identification is not literal here also. It is the identification of the Ishwara or Brahman established as the SarvAntaryAmi - the indwelling controlling spirit of all, supporting the entire universe as His body. This identification is called sAmAnAdhikaraNya where the identity of one thing culminates in the other, just like identification of the body culminates in the soul. In the Advaitic / non-dualistic identification all qualities (of the body / jiva and the Ishwara / universe) are dropped and only the essential concsiousness is identified. So in both cases the identification is indicative only and not literal. 

Hanuman exists in Rama and vice versa. Identification of one culminates in the other. This is how the Hanuman's statement of identity with Rama should be understood! In the Advaitic or non-dual identity, Atman or the Self alone is. There is no Hanuman or Rama or any relationship between them. So the only way to reconcile is to accept the dualistic world as the body of Brahman!

Identifying the entire universe as the body of Brahman is a total game changer. It makes every embodied being a dependent and servant of God manifesting as the universe and helps to identify and serve the Vedic Brahman/God manifesting through all names and forms, through one's own swa-dharma. Service to the God manifesting as this universe is service to the self. Dvaita and Advaita or Bhakti and jnAna can be reconciled only when we start realizing the entire universe as that Supreme being or Ishwara or Brahman!

This is true VedAnta and everything else is false!

Namaste

Suresh

Is God a delusion

Namaste,

 

In the following Video, Amish Tripati is trying to establish that God cannot be a delusion from the Hindu viewpoint.

Amish Tripathi argues that, according to Hinduism, Godcannot be a delusion (4/8)

He says that Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are dhArmic religions where the world view is fundamentally different from the Western Abrahamic religions.

Western Atheism that predominantly arose as a reaction to Abrahamic religions also has many of the features of abrahamic religions.

In the dhArmic view, the world is not seen in binaries - like good/evil, black and white and so on. Instead, everything is seen in shades of grey. From this perspective how do we answer the question that God is a delusion?!!

In Hindu view, anything that has a beginning and an end, is temporary and therefore a delusion. The word for it is mAya. But there is another definition that says anything that has a purpose and function is real.

For example our bodies are all made of five elements. If we throw the elements under a bus nothing will happen to them. But I cannot throw myself under a bus even though my body is made of same elements. Why? because there is something more than the elements, which is myself that has a purpose and function for now. So, I have to be real, at least for now.

Same way it is with God. If God has a purpose, then He is real.

In the West, many people have felt that there is no need for God. Probably this has to do with the tortured relationship between religion and science. Any scientific discovery that goes against religious views is blasphemy. 

In Hindu view point, there is no such conflict. Religion and Science can co-exist because they both have their purpose. This is because there is no doctrinal concept of blasphemy! In the dhArmic view, multiple paths are allowed to attain perfection.

In the Hindu view, God is not a strict father who either rewards or punishes for listening to him. God is beyond gender and is only a witness. In the abrahamic faiths, Adam and Eve fell because they voilated God's rules. But in Hindu context, they would be allowed to eat and infact would be told to go for the entire tree. But they will also be told to be prepared to handle the consequences. This is how karma and dharma operates allowing people to give freedom to grow and evolve and ultimately attain complete knowledge and become God himself!

 

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The above might appear convincing, but it does not fully reflect the truth. In the Vedic view, there is clear cut difference between dharma and adharma, samsara and moksha, atma and anAtma and so on. It is definitely not like shades of grey!

 The ideal of dharma, which is essentially varnashrama dharma, is unique to Veda. Simply put, it means performance of one's prescribed duty or vocation according to one's capacity and capability, as a worship of God who is manifesting in the form of the universe itself. Service to the society and universe is service to God. This is in essence, varnashrama dharma. This view is unique to Veda alone but it is also universal. Whatever action we do good or bad with respect to the universe will return results accordingly. This is in a nutshell the idea of dharma and any selfish action performed only for money and enjoyment is karma. Performance of dharma as a service to God and surrendering to a Guru and devotion to God alone will yield moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Every other view like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism do not explicitly teach this Varnashrama dharma, and at the same time they dont deny also. But Karma and Punarjanma or re-incarnation is common for all.

 God is not a delusion in Hindu view because He is the spirit Self of the universe, supporting the entire universe is His body. The absolute dependence on the universe, of all of us for our existence, can never be denied by anyone irrespective of whatever world view one subscribes to! Therefore, God manifesting as this universe that is sustaining all can never be a delusion! This universal Vedic view encompasses and transcends every other view, including atheistic view.

 There are no multiple paths for attainment of perfection or moksha. Through dharma or selfless action, one can burn the baggage of karma and through devotion to God and service to a Guru and tapasya (sense and mind control and renunciation), one can realize God who is Brahman, the indwelling absolute Self. "Na anya pantha ayanAya vidyate" - "There is no path other than this" declares Veda.

So, the false of idea of shades of grey and multiple paths for attainment of perfection is refuted. It is true that the world is temporary. But it always remains an abode of God who is the All-pervading and indwelling Self.

There is a need therefore for intelligent Hindus or truth seekers to be vigilent while listening to non-traditional intellectuals and self-styled gurus.

Namaste

Suresh

Is SanAtana dharma under threat

Namaste,

 

When we look at the current situation of Hindus in India as well as other countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and so on, there is no doubt that Hindu religion or sanAtana dharma is under threat.

India which is the motherland of Hindu religion or sanAtana dharma has never invaded any other country. But all other countries have invaded and plundered India.

Even after Independence when Pakistan which was carved out of India, identified itself as an Islamic state, while India chose to be democratic and secular. This is because Hindu religion is intrinsically democratic.

But other religions like Islam and Christian, are constantly working against Hindu culture and posing a major threat to the Hindu dharmic religion.

But still many Hindus themselves are under a delusion that the word sanAtana means eternal and therefore sanAtana Hindu dharma can never be threatened!!! This is just like a cat drinking poisoned milk, closing it’s eyes, thinking nobody is seeing it. You cannot put your own head under a train or drown or burn your body thinking that the soul is eternal!!  

We have to understand that the Supreme Self or Brahman or the absolute truth that is deeply established in all, always remains eternal and can never be threatened. Infact this eternal truth of Brahman/Atman, cuts accross all opposing viewpoints! But the body/mind/intellect that reveals the truth is perishable and can be threatened and killed. 

So it is very important for Hindus to protect their people, culture and civilization from the onslaught of adhArmic or demonic forces

The sun always remains as is. But it can get covered by the clouds. So, all adharma or non-Hindu religions are like the clouds that cover the Sun. They have to be removed in order for Truth to be revealed.

But it is interesting that Vedas, the sacred Hindu scripture, allows adharma to exist. In the Vaishwadeva procedure that devout Brahmanas perform every day, an offering is made in the name of adharma also, in addition to many divinities. This is because, adharma helps to bring out the greatness of Dharma!! Bad people who tread the path of adharma, help to absorb the bad karma of good of dharmic people. It acts like a garbage dump that help to keep other areas of dharma clean!

Adharma is not totally eliminated, but it will always be under the control of Dharma! But when adharma tries to takeover dharma, great personalities including Ishwara or God will incarnate to destroy adharma and protect Dharma!

 

Namaste

Suresh

ShAstrayOnitvAt AdhikaraNam - A clarification

In the following Video, Sri ManidrAvida Shastrigal, explains the SrikantabhAshyam on the ShAstrayonitvAt adhikaraNam from the Brhahmasutram:

Upanyasamon Srikanthabhäsye - Sastrayonitvāt - Adikaranam | Dr. Mani Dravid | 22 10 2024

One of the unique features of Sri Shakara bhAshyam is to give two kinds of meanings for this sutra.

One is to say that Brahman/Ishwara is known only through the vEdAdi ShAstra pramAna. It is not known through any other pramANa like pratyaksha or anumAna.

The second meaning is that Brahman or Ishwara is the source of shAstra also. By this the sarvagyatva or the omniscience of Ishwara is also proved. This is special to Shankara bhAshya as it is not mentioned by Sri Ramanuja or Sri Madhwa.

But a question arises; if Brahman / Ishwara is the source of shAstra then how come Veda/shAstra is apourusheya or that which has no author? For that the answer provided is that – At the time of creation, Ishwara brings out the shAstra which was already in Him. Ishwara also does not have any dosha or defects that is seen in all ordinary beings.

The above reason is not convincing enough as other avaidhika religions also can claim validity to their scriptures based on the same argument.

The correct reason would be to identify Ishwara or parmAtma as the all-pervading and indwelling Self, supporting and sustaining the entire universe as His body. This SarvavyApi, VishwAntaryAmi Ishwara/Brahman naturally becomes the source and destination of shAstra and all name/forms in the universe.

Other religions can never claim validity to their scriptures based on the above argument because their God is not paramAtmA – the all pervading and indwelling Self of the universe!

Here is another point that is discussed:

As Veda mantras are realized by Maharshis, they also would end up as equal to Ishwara knowing everything. For this the answer given is that – yes Maharshis know all that is taught in the Vedas, but Ishwara knows even that is not taught in the Vedas.

The above seems to limit Vedas. But Vedas themselves declare that it is infinite – anantAvai vedAh. So there should not be anything that is not taught in the Vedas. But still Vedas also acknowledge that it cannot describe Ishwara/Brahman completely as He is the source of everything. This proves that Brahman is the source of Vedas also and clearly establishes that Ishwara/Brahman is higher than the Vedas and Maharshis who revealed them.

Namaste

Suresh

Another look at the Vedic and non-Vedic World views

Namaste,

From the Vedic Hindu point of view - all other non-Vedic mata or religion or world views are nothing but reflections or watered down version of Hindu dharma only. Their existence have two-fold purpose. One to attract existing dumb followers who are not spiritually or intellectually evolved or matured enough to appreciate and practice the rigors of Vedic Hindu dharma and the other is to mislead asuras or haters of Vedic dharma.

Why should asuras or haters of Vedic religion be mislead? That is because they misuse the spiritual powers gained by meditating on the Vedic mantra to destroy the world. Asuras like Ravana, Hiranya kashipu and so on are blatant examples.

Either way, non-Vedic views provide a good purva paksha or challenges, for those who seriously follow Vedic dharma, thereby keeping them sharp and steadfast in establishing their Siddhanta / philosophical position and sadhana / practice of dharma, by overcoming or refuting all such challenges.

Of course, there are differences in the world views, within the followers of Vedic Hindu dharma also, but they are all different ways of seeing the same Non-dual Truth of SarvAntaryAmi Brahman or ParamAtma – established as the all-pervading and indwelling Self of all. Though the individual followers may disagree, all such Vedantic views overlap and complement each other. They are all aligned with the Vedic teaching that God/Brahman is established as the inner Self of all and the way to attain Him is through the path of dharma alone. Only Vedic view that accepts the entire universe as the body of God who is established as the inner Self of all, cannot have any self-contradiction.

On the other hand, all non-Vedic world views, that do not accept God or Brahman as the inner spirit Self of all, supporting and sustaining the universe as his body, will have self-contradictions and fall into the category of adharma or false religion.

Here is a high-level synopsis of all such major non-Vedic and Vedic views:

Bouddha (could also be called as nAsthika mohana shAstra):

As it helps to attract and spiritualize chAruvAkas or atheists who do not accept Veda or Ishwara or God. It also indirectly helps rajasic/tamasic humans to tone down and take to non-violence. But it has self-contradiction as it denies reality to everything which includes its own teaching. In-fact it indirectly supports Advaita Vedanta as the denier of everything cannot deny himself.

Jaina view also, falls into the same category as they do not accept Veda or Ishwara or God who perades and indwells in all. But they accept the existence of soul that indwells in every body which is actually a miniature Ishwara or ruler/owner/controller/sustainer of the body.

But both Bouddha and Jaina view accept dharma which is of the nature of truth, sacrifice and non-violence. Those who get attracted to such world views would at least practice truthfulness and non-violence that helps in their spiritual evolution and sustenance of the world.

(Non-traditional) Advaita could also be called asura mohana shAstra:

As it helps to attract and spiritualize those who mis-interpret or accept only the Self as real and deny any reality to dharma, yagya, devatas, brAhmanAs and varNAshrama dharma.

Such non-traditional advaitin’s have Self-contradiction as it is impossible to deny bheda / difference between atma/anAtma (self and non-self/body/universe) and the relationship of Dharma that obtains between them, in the transactional world. If the embodied self is considered as God, it leads to the - “I am God” mentality which is ignorance to the core and is nothing but Asuric / Atheistic view. 

But Traditional Advaitins are safe as they accept Veda/Ishwara as the inner Self of the universe and Varnashrama dharma as a service to Ishwara as valid in vyavahAra. They also accept, Dharma/Yagya/Ishwara bhakti as the only means to eliminate ignorance, leading to the attainment or realization of the Advaitic Brahman/Atman.

  

(Non-traditional) V.Advaita could also be called Nara mohana shAstra:

As it helps to attract all humans based on the teaching of spiritual equality thereby taking spirituality and religion to all downtrodden humans. 

But non-traditional or incorrect understanding of V.Advaitic equality might lead to the wrong understanding that jiva (soul) and Ishwara (God) are also equal in all respects. It can also lead to the false understanding that anybody can engage in any profession ignoring bodily differences, thereby eroding varnashrama dharma. 

In-fact the relationship of body and soul between the world and God helps to justify VarnAshrama dharma as every different part of the body has its own role or work to perform. But though the roles are different they are neither high or low as they all culminate in the service of the indwelling soul / God.

This wrong notion of material equality or outcome in the transactional world is the root of Communism which is another form of Asuric view, that tends to break all traditions, family and structures in human society. 

Other non-Brahmic (Abrahamic??) world views also subscribe to this wrong notion of equality in creation and so tend to collude with Communists as it helps their agenda of breaking traditional Vedic Hindu society.

 

(Non-traditional) Dvaita could also be called Sura mOhana shAstra:

As it helps to attract suras/devatas/satvikas based on the teaching of the supremacy of Ishwara/Vishnu as sarvottama, in the light of tAratamya or gradation that is materially seen in all sentient and insentient entities. The teaching of pancha bheda of Dvaita goes very well with pratyaksha or material reality. But taking this tAratamya to the core could lead to disunity due to non-cognition of the spiritual equality and unity due to the presence of the same Brahman or God in all. This would make suras's egoistic thereby making them fight among each other for supremacy making them vulnerable to attacks from asuras / adharmic views. Vedas and Puranas have many such stories of asuras defeating suras due they becoming weak due to infighting among themselves. 

But ultimately Suras always win over Asuras as they are intrinsically devotees of Vishnu, who will protect them. 

Ideally, spiritual and religious teaching, in addition to recognizing material differences and gradation, should help one to transcend worldly dualities like enjoyment and suffering, personified as suras and asuras and land us in equanimity due to the cognition of  Brahman/Ishwara in all and within oneself and everything.

Reconciliation of all Vedic views :

As no Vedantic darshana is perfect in itself, there is a need to integrate all of them, predominantly the idealistic and realistic views, by looking upon the entire world as the body/reflection/pratibimba of Brahman established as the essential Self of all. Acceptance of Brahman as the AntaryAmi Atma / Self and the world as God's body, which is explicitly taught in the Veda, seems to unite all the particular schools of vedanta.

The non-duality of the Universal Self and the spiritual equality of all beings due to the presence of the same Brahman in all and the absolute dependence of all the many different beings on God/Brahman established as the universal Self, cannot be denied by anyone accepting Veda as a valid pramANa. The absolute dependence on the universe for our existence cannot be denied by anyone, irresepective of their world view, as it is very much experiential.

As a consequence, all non-Vedic/adhArmic views/religions that do not accept the entire universe or cosmos as the body or personality of God – have self-contradiction and goes against the universal Vedic view which is very much experiencial.

 

Namaste

Suresh

Refutation of John Muir's view

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir_(indologist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matapar%C4%ABk%E1%B9%A3%C4%81

 

John Muir was a British Indologist who like many others studies Sanskrit to misinterpret and denigrate all that is Hindu and to propagate Christianity.

The book is written in the form of a dialogue between a student and a teacher. The following is a synopsis of 1839 edition of his work Matapariksha with my refutation inline:

 

Description of God's Attributes (Īśvara-guṇa-varṇana)

The student notes that various religions contradict each other, and therefore, not all of them can be true. The teacher explains that an intelligent person must analyze religions, accept the true one, and reject all others. He then describes the various attributes of the god.

The Necessity of Divine Guidance (Aiśanītyāvaśyakatā)

The student asks if all believers conceive the God as omniscient, creator of everything etc. The teacher explains that many people follow religions that blaspheme God and worship other spirits, claiming that their scripture is divine.

Description of the Characteristics of the True Religion (Satya-dharma-lakṣaṇa-varṇana)

The teacher describes the three characteristics of the true scriptures:

The founder of the true religion must have performed miracles such as giving life to the dead, and such miracles should have been recorded beyond doubt. The true scripture must show excellence: the texts containing shameful stories are not divine. The true scripture must be universal: a scripture good for only a certain group of people is not divine.

True scripture/religion is that which is not created or founded by any human, ever existing or sanAtana and that which unconditionally sustain the entire universe. Veda/dharma alone qualify as true scripture/religion as it is not created or founded by any human, eternal with no beginning or end and enshrines the ideal of dharma/yagya/sacrifice that unconditionally sustains the universe. Though propagation of Veda is restricted to a section of people, the results of the sacrifice performed is reaped by all. Also, the performance of dharma comprising of the ideals of yagya/sacrifice, daana/charity and Tapasya/self-control is applicable to all.

Everything else including Christianity and its siblings that do not have the idea of karma/dharma cannot explain the diversity in creation and so they all fall into the category of adharma/false religion. Intelligent people need to reject and take up Sanatana dharma. Miracles like giving life to the dead and so on are only for children and fools. Alternatively, what is not a miracle in the universe? everything including the sprouting of a plant, birth of a baby, working of the human body and the entire universe is a miracle and intelligent people can recognize God’s presence in all of them. What is needed for a true religion is not just a story or miracle but a solid philosophy that explains everything. Vedic view of looking upon the entire universe as the body of God sustaining everything alone can be considered as universal and real as it is experiential.

Presentation of Christianity (Khṛṣtīya-mata-pradarśana)

The teacher explains that only the scriptures of Christianity have the above-described characteristics, arguing that:

The miracles of Jesus were recorded before many witnesses, and even his adversaries admitted them. The commandments of Christianity are holy and pure. Christianity is universal and does not benefit only people from certain castes During this explanation, the teacher discusses various Christian doctrines such as the necessity of Jesus' incarnation, the Holy Spirit and the Heaven.

Christianity and other Abrahamic religions with eternal hell and heaven are applicable only for dogmatic humans and so cannot be universal. Their kindness is restricted to believers in their faith only. Vedic Hindu religion alone could be considered as universal as it locates God in all and consequently extending kindness and compassion to every living being including plants and animals. Even non-living entities are revered as sacred and humans are urged to reduce consumption and promote sustainable living.

Deliberation on the Indian Scriptures (Bhāratīya-śāstra-vicāra)

The teacher then explains that the Indian scriptures do not show the three characteristics of the true scriptures, arguing that:

Only the children and the fools, not intelligent people, believe in the miraculous stories about the daityas and the asuras. The origin of the Hindu texts such as the Vedas is obscure, as they were orally transmitted for a long period. Heroes such as Rama and Krishna were humans who have been glorified as divine figures by poets.

Asuras and Suras symbolically represent material and spiritual forces that influences humans. It is very well known that Rama and Krishna are avataras or incarnations of the supreme God Vishnu or Brahman who is the Universal Self. As already mentioned, Vedas alone are authentic as they are authorless and universal. Vedas look upon the entire universe as the One supreme being, God and as a consequence, dharma as a service to the universe, culminate in the service of God.

Bible also is filled with stories with fictitious characters like Satan and Angels and they are not symbolic either. All other non-Vedic texts are not universal as they divide the universe into believers and non-believers. Abrahamic god is arrogant, jealous and human like, as he damns a section of his own creation into eternal hell.

Hindu God on the other hand, is full of auspicious qualities and unconditional love as he keeps the entire world within himself. He resides in the heart of all including those who don’t believe in him. Instead of damning adharmic people, He gives infinite chance through multiple lives for them to correct themselves and come to the right path of dharma.

The Hindu texts are full of contradictions, "shameful stories", and erroneous claims such as the description of the earth as "lotus-shaped or resting on a turtle's back". The rituals described in these texts do not make sense: for example, if one's sufferings are a result of sins, why does bathing in the Ganges cleanses one's sins but doesn't remove one's sufferings? Moreover, the Hindu scriptures are contradictory: if one follows the Vedas (which worship Indra and Agni), they must reject the Puranas (which worship Shiva and Vishnu) and the Vedanta (which worship the God as atman or spirit). The various philosophical systems - such as mimamsa, nyaya and sankhya - are mutually contradictory.

Many such, seemingly “shameful” and “contradictory” stories in the Vedas, puranas, ithihasas and other Hindu scriptures are highly symbolic. They serve two important purpose – one to mislead ignorant, non-traditional and irreligious adharmic people or asuras and the other to encourage traditional devoted dharmic souls to investigate and contemplate further and reconcile based on the interpretations provided by traditional AchAryas or teachers.

In addition to Agni and Indra - Rama and Krishna who are avataras of Vishnu, are mentioned umpteen number of times in the Vedas. The name Vishnu etymologically means the all-pervading and indwelling Self. This Vedic idea of God as the inner controlling Self of all should reconcile all differences as the spirit Self alone is identified through every name/form in the universe. Rigveda itself reconciles by saying “Ekam sat viprah bahuda vadanti” - that God or reality is One even though learned people identify Him with many names like Indra, Mitra, Varuna and so on.

Bathing in Ganga removes past sins or sanchita karma, but the soul will still have to go thru the sufferings due to prarabdha karma that has started bearing fruits. Even this could be reduced based on the individual’s devotion and God’s grace.

The caste restrictions prescribed by the dharma-shastras deny the equality of men, thus proving that Hinduism is not universal.

In conclusion, the teacher states that he derives "no satisfaction from refuting other religions". He praises the "good qualities" of the Hindus (such as their poetry and grammatical sciences), but states that their religion is not true.

Not everything including humans in the world are created equal. So, Vedas recognizes differences and urges humans to engage in dharma or service to the society and universe according to one’s capability and capacity. More importantly, Vedas recognize the presence of the same God in all and this view leads to spiritual equality and unity in diversity. Good qualities of Hindus are based on this universal view of recognizing the presence of the divine God in all the diverse entities. All other religions including Christianity that locates God only in heaven are obviously short sighted and so not complete. They could at best be considered as a reflection or partial manifestation of the universal Hindu religion. Such human conceived religions may come and go in time, as opposed to Sanatana Hindu dharma that exists for ever.

The attempt of all non-Vedic / adhArmic scholars to refute Vedic Hindu religion, is similar to the darkness fighting the light. 

Many Hindus have written rebuttals to Muir’s work:

Mata-parīkṣā-śikṣā ("A Lesson for the [Author of the] Mataparīkṣā", 1839) by Somanātha, apparently a pseudonym for Subaji Bapu of Central India

Mataparīkṣottara ("An Answer to the Mataparīkṣā", 1840) by Harachandra Tarkapanchanan of Calcutta

Śāstra-tattva-vinirṇaya ("A Verdict on the Truth of the Shastra", 1844-1845) by Nilakantha Gore (or Goreh) of Benares

 

Namaste

Suresh

Answers to Riddles in Hinduism - 12

Namaste

Here is an attempt to answer Dr. Ambedkar’s objections in his book - "Riddles in Hinduism".

Riddle # 12:

Why did the brahmins dethrone the gods and enthrone the goddesses??

Ambedkar seems to borrow heavily from the Christian missionary, John Muir’s works:

He says - Christians had problems proving to Jews that Jesus is the son of God as God is unmarried. But Hindus have no qualms as most of their God’s are married.

Further he says - Hindu God can enter a married state and neither the God nor his worshipper need feel any embarrassment on account of the God acting as though he was no better than a common man. The second is that the God's wife automatically becomes a goddess worthy of worship by the followers of the God.

Explanation: According to Vedic Hindu view, God creates by using His mysterious energy or Sakti called “mAya/Prakriti”, which is primarily identified as the material nature. Thus, if God is masculine, His Sakti or the material nature is feminine and they form an inseparable whole. Creation is impossible without this play of Purusha/masculine and prakriti/feminine. The Feminine form of God’s energy in the form of Mother nature with God indwelling in it, is naturally worthy of worship as it unconditionally sustains all beings

Ambedkar segregates Vedic and Puranic goddesses. He says, Vedic Goddesses were worshipped merely based on courtesy as they were wives of Gods while Puranic Goddesses were worshipped based on their own right as they fought wars and killed demons. Vedic goddesses never went to the battle field and never performed any heroic deeds – This is not true. Many Vedic suktas, describe Goddesses as bearers of weapons and also as dreaded killers of Asuras.  

The Varaha purana explanation that Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are the names of one and the same divinity appears very odd for Ambedkar, as they are wives of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva who are different and fight each other.

According to Vedas, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are manifestations of the supreme God Narayana only. The identification of all gods culminating in Narayana should reconcile all differences.

Ambedkar also writes:

The difference is that while in the Vedic times the wars with the Asuras are left to be fought by the Gods, in the Puranic times they are left to be fought by the Goddess. Why is that Puranic Goddesses had to do what the Gods in Vedic times did? It cannot be that there were no Gods in Puranic times. There were Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva gods who ruled in the Puranic times. When they were there to fight the Asuras why were the Goddesses enrolled for this purpose. This is a riddle which requires explanation.

Explanation: It is wrong to understand that Puranas deal with only Goddesses. Each Purana is dedicated to particular deities, male or female. As expliained earlier,  Goddesses are the energy or Sakti of Gods. They form an inseparable whole like the Sun and its rays. In some places God’s are heralded and in other places their consorts play a major role. In both cases, the credit goes to both. The ultimate purpose is to protect devatas who are embodiments of dharma and defeat the asuras who are personifications of adharma.

Why then Saraswati and Lakshmi not take part in the battle with Asuras and it is always reserved for Shiva’s wives? Even then, it is only Durga who kills asuras and Parvati is always shown as a simple woman?

Explanation: It is said that Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati/Durga are said to control mind, speech and body respectively and so where ever there is physical fighting with the body is described, Durga’s role seems to be prominent. Parvati is the sattvic form of Durga only. The Vishnu purana states that all masculine forms are ultimately Vishnu and all feminine forms are Lakshmi. Lakshmi is the Sakti of Vishnu. This should settle all issues.

Further the Brahmins do not seem to have realized that by making Durga the heroine who alone was capable of destroying the Asuras, they were making their own Gods a set of miserable cowards. It seems that the Gods could not defend themselves against the Asuras and had to beg of their wives to come to their rescue.

Explanation: There is no problem here, as long as the Goddesses remain the Sakti of Gods. A true husband wins by losing to his wife and vice versa also.

 How can such cowardly Gods have any prowess? If they had none, how can they give it to their wives. To say that Goddesses must be worshipped because they have Sakti is not merely a riddle but an absurdity. It requires explanation why this doctrine of Sakti was invented. Was it to put it a new commodity on the market that the Brahmins started the worship of the Goddesses and degraded the Gods?

Explanation: Goddesses are worshipped not just because they “have Sakti” but because they “are Shakti” themselves and who form the inseparable attributes of Gods. That Sakti comes to the worshipper of Gods also. Gos nd their Sakti form one single whole. This is explicitly stated in the Veda mantra - "Ardho wa Atmana yat patnee". That is why in the Hindu culture the Wife is identified as "ardhAngi" (inseparable or better half) of the Husband. When God’s are praised their Sakti/Consorts are also praised and vice versa. There is no such thing as degrading anyone at the cost of the other. Ignorant and non-devotees will never be able to understand the Vedic and Puranic symbolism. Gods and Goddesses are the mothers and fathers who are worthy of worship on their own rights. Brahmins never invented them. Instead they recognized their values based the Vedic teaching.

Namaste

Suresh

 

 

DMK definition of Aryan and Dravidian

Mr. Stalin, the CM of Tamilnadu has given a statement recently that: If Aryan is to give different things to different people, Dravidian is to give everything to everyone.

Answer:

Mr. Stalin has totally changed the meaning of the Vedic words of Aryan and Dravidian. Aryan means noble and Dravidian means resourceful. The words complement each other.

Dravidian DMK has twisted it to mean racial. DMK is not giving anything to Hindus and brahmins, except pure hatred. It is only giving everything to non-Hindus and to its own leaders.

It is simply not possible to give everything to everyone. Are the DMK leaders ready to give away their entire bank balance to everyone? Can everybody become a top DMK leader? Can everybody fight the enemy and defend the border? Can everybody become business owners? Likewise, can everybody become laborers? Can a criminal and a law-abiding citizen be treated equally?

Do you think a CEO of a company will accept the same salary as a laborer? Are the DMK leaders taking the same salary as the janitors in their office? This is simply not possible in reality. These words are used by untruthful DMK to fool innocent people.

Not everybody is created equal. In every society people are rewarded according to the work they do. People can work only according to their capability and capacity which they naturally possess. Good work yields good results and bad yields bad. The reward always depends on the nature and the quality of job or service rendered. This is the universal immutable law of karma.  DMK is simply reiterating its communist idea of same wages/reward for all, irrespective of the nature and quality of job performed. This is simply unnatural and artificial.

Aryan or Vedic view is to recognize and nurture differences which is fundamental for the healthy functioning of any society or organization in addition to recognizing the one divine God in all. This Vedic Hindu view alone, of recognizing and nurturing differences and also seeing the same divine in all the different beings and entities, can sustain, integrate and establish unity in diversity. The entire universe is God and service to the universe in whatever way one is capable of rendering, is service to God. This is the Aryan or noble view and Vedas urge all sane humans to make the entire world Aryan.

Namaste

Suresh

Refutation of Suraj Yengde's Claims - 2

 Continued from Refutation of Suraj Yengde's Claims - 1

 

4. Isn't class the real differentiator today and not caste?

SY: Class alone was a differentiator then there would have been a revolution by now. But in India people are harassed by caste also and so there is a need to fight caste along with class. In India labor is exploited based on caste and after using it can be thrown as they are paying for the bad karma they have done. Yes, class-based exploitation of labor is there in all countries and that needs to be eliminated.

But in India caste based on karma provides a support or ground for the sapling of class and so both needs to be eliminated. In India there is a study that says 93% of asset is owned by brahmins and baniyas.

Answer:

Labor class consists of all castes and is not restricted to only dalits in India. In companies and factories there are many brahmins working as laborers. Yes, poor brahmins also work as domestic help. Everything cannot be attributed to bad karma. Anything can be corrected with our right karma / action on which everybody has control

Like in other countries, it is just the physical/mental/intellectual ability and poverty that makes people go for such labor-intensive jobs. As already said, class based on guna or characteristics can never be eliminated. More than half of brahmin population is much below poverty line in India and this would counter the statistics Mr. Yengde has provided.

As per Bhagavad gita, Varna is based on Guna (characteristics) and Karma (as in whatever work that one is capable of doing). This can always change based on one’s inclination. Not all Brahmins are engaged in priest/religious work. Likewise, not all dalits are doing cleaning work. Maybe it was so, many years in the past. But Hindu religion has changed and is changing too. So Mr. Yengde is simply harping upon old and obsolete ideas that is getting replaced.

5. The violence that Dalit’s face often comes from the OBC community. Yet caste activists only target brahmins. why is not OBC called out?

SY: When you take a group photo we always want to look at ourselves. We are fighting all upper castes that includes brahmins. If brahmins feel they alone are targeted then it is their problem. It is true that OBC are imposing violence. But they are doing it under a structure of varnashrama. Everybody is actually a human. But by caste one becomes brahmin, OBC or dalit. Brahmin community have to issue a fatwa saying that if any OBC commits violence against dalits/adivasis then they will be prohibited from entering temples, because this is against dharma. Brahmins are not doing it.

In fact, OBC's have been given "superficial" superiority that makes them engage in violence. They have been authorized by their superiors to engage in violence for which they are compensated spiritually, politically and what not.

 

Answer:

Brahmin is not a mullah to issue Fatwa. They don’t even own or manage the temples. Majority of the Hindu temples are owned by the Government who take all the income coming through donations and give it to minorities. So, Mr. Yengde should urge the government to issue the fatwa!

True Brahmins practice non-violence and vegetarianism. They don't even hurt an ant let alone humans. Brahmins are not responsible for OBCs violence. There are many cases where dalits also have engaged in unprovoked violence. Caste based violence is punishable under the law anyway. No Brahmin will approve violence against the weak and innocent. This is not supported by scriptures also.

Mr. Yengde is simply bashing Brahmins instead of directly taking on the OBCs. This is because he knows Brahmins are peaceful and passive and will never retaliate. If he directly takes on the OBCs they will surely hit back!

 

6. I treat my house help like family. Why do you accuse me as castiest.

SY: The help is a help because she comes from a particular caste and you have employed her because you are from a better caste which has granted you that ability. In other countries there has been slavery. But in India, slavery is tied to the caste which is hereditary. If someone wants to say he is caste free, the question needs to be asked - what have you done to eliminate this distinction of master and slave? In upper class house the servants are served food and drink in separate utensils and they are not allowed into the kitchen or sanctum sanctorum.

Good news is, younger generation of upper caste is noticing this and understanding that it is not right.

Answer:

The answer for this is same as #4 above. Domestic help is not slavery and it is not tied to any caste. Non-dalits including brahmins engage in domestic help also. What grants the privilege to keep domestic help is money, not caste. Even rich Dalits use domestic help. What are they doing to eliminate the Master-Slave distinction? Majority of Brahmins are actually very poor and so cannot afford to have help.  

 

7. Some progressives say, I don’t believe in caste and don’t even use my caste surname. How could I be among the oppressors?

SY: Just by giving up name does not make the slate clean. In Tamilnadu there is no surname, it is like in Iceland where children take the name of their father. But still one should not mock such people and welcome their motive to give up caste. But quite often they side with upper caste in their activities. But there are some genuine progressives who are not right wing and they are ready to change but they need guidance. But still, they have so much privileges that just giving up last name does not cut it. There last name is unnecessary for them to exercise their privileges with caste because in a cosmopolitan society what you need is your connections. so let us be critical with regard to what we need to do with anti casteism and how well we are going to engage in eliminating the divisions.

 

Answer:

It is Dalits who are reaping the birth-based caste privileges and not brahmins. There is reservation for Dalits and OBCs everywhere, so much so that Brahmins have no other option at all but to settle for low level schools/jobs. In spite of that Brahmins strive to obtain education and become successful. This is because they are naturally intelligent and hardworking. Others could learn from that.

Many rich dalit landlords in India always rent out their property to brahmins. This is because brahmins are peaceful, law-abiding , spiritual and pay their rent promptly without any complaints as opposed to other non-brahmins.

Genuine privilege or respect is available to anyone with good conduct. So the need of the hour is mutual respect between dalits and brahmins and not unwarranted mudslinging.

 

8. It is not about caste at all, but I have noticed that being from the same community often makes for an easier marriage. It is culture.

SY: It is ok for people to marry anyone they like. But culture is caste in India. British Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm has written a “Critique of tradition”. He says there is no such thing as tradition and it is something humans created to impose on others. Culture needs to have historical citation and caste provides that.

It is ok to marry within caste but if someone wants to marry from other caste, they should be allowed. But if a dalit marries an upper caste, the society is killing them.

Answer:

Actually, inter-caste marriages go against Dalit's interest. If a Dalit girl marries a brahmin boy then she may lose her dalit status and the child that is born to them could not be dalit and so will lose all the privileges given by the Indian government. Also, if it is argued that the Brahmin boy would become a dalit, it is also good for him as he gets to enjoy the benefits of reservation.

Birth based caste matters for dalits and not so much for "progressive" Brahmins!

Eric Hobsbawm’s theory may be true with respect to human created cultures/religions. But Hindu tradition is based on the eternal impersonal consciousness which is always going to be eternal.

 

9. How do you manage to connect every single thing with caste.

SY: We actually oppose many other forms of oppression but caste is the main thing. Man oppressing women, majority religion oppressing minority and so on, has its roots in the caste which has sanction from the Hindu scripture. In addition to perpetuating discrimination the caste provides power for upper caste. But still not every oppression is connected to caste and they need to be opposed also, but certainly there is an economy of cultural production that maintain the status co of the society and to challenge that we need to go to the roots. Long time ago we used to say population is the cause for all problems right, but now caste is the mother of all problems.

Answer:

All the above questions are essentially saying the same thing that all kinds of oppression has it's roots in varna/caste taught in the Hindu scripture. The philosophical basis of that has been already explained earlier. It is sheer stupidity to argue that one's own face/arms are oppressing one's own legs!

The Varnasrama dharma in simple terms is just a "division in labor". The division is essentially based on one's innate characteristics and capability (guna & karma) as taught in the Bhagavad gita.

The root of Hindu culture is the indubitable Absolute Self, that nobody can deny. Varnasrama dharma would then be a natural consequence of accepting the society and the universe in the form of body where all the parts are doing their respective dharma/duty. The relationship between the Self and the society/body is in the form of sustainer/sustained or protector/protected.  

Mr. Yengde's obsolete idea of oppressor and oppressed based on Marxism will never succeed.

 

10. If you want me to engage with caste you have to stop being so abrasive in your tone.

SY: Why does the principle of civility apply only to the oppressed. We dont live in a civilized society yet. We just learned civic education. We are living in a very intolerant, violent and obnoxious society. But still, I have the privilege of being nice and can tone down my language. But a poor dalit who is going through oppression need not be polite and you can expect him to be so.

Answer:

The same logic applies to poor/oppressed brahmins also but still Brahmins who are essentially peaceful and dharmic will not hit back.

Mr. Yengde should realize that other non-Brahmins may not keep quiet without any retaliation. Yes, like any other religion, there are cases of oppression of the weak are there in Hindu society and the root cause of that is ignorance and selfishness which is there in all humans belonging to any caste/gender.

So, the need of the hour is for all varna/caste to work collectively to support and uplift the downtrodden with mutual trust and co-operation.  

Here is a thought experiment:

Imagine a society where there is no caste OR where everybody is a dalit. In such a society someone has to be spiritual/intellectual, someone has to govern and fight the enemies, someone has to do business/trading and someone has to do the labor and clean the gutters. What else is this if not varnasrama dharma? In such a society could it be said that rich dalits would be oppressing poor dalits!!??

In other videos, Mr. Yengde is advising children to break away from their families as their parents are instilling caste ideas in their minds. What about dalit children? should they also have to break away as their parents are teaching birth-based identification of their dalit-hood and hatred for non-dalits?

So, the problem will not end with mutual mud-slinging. Based on the principle of VedAnta, we need to recognize God in each other and only then there can be mutual respect and prosperity.

Namaste

Suresh