Hinduism

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Saint Paul’s Publications released The New Community Bible (Catholic Edition) in India on June 28, 2008. The objective was to make it easier for the Indians Christian community to understand the Bible. The cultural background of the Christians in India is very different from those in the West and therefore it was felt that this Indianisation was needed.



The Indianised Bible is illustrated and the Biblical characters are shown in traditional Indian clothing. This is one aspect of Indianisation. The other is to juxtapose relevant Hindu concepts in the commentary. This has been done only in a positive way without denigrating Hinduism, a welcome departure from the stand the Catholic Church in India usually takes. An example is the explanation of the Vedic interpretation of light when discussing the Christian concept as in the Genesis.



Several members have called this Indianisation a sacrilege against Christianity. They particularly resent Hindu concepts given in the Bible. The radical Hindus have also not taken to this very kindly. They see this as an attempt to step up the conversions of Hindus to Christianity. They state that the cultural differences cited by the editor of the Bible. Fr. Augustine Kanachikizhy, always existed. The rate of conversions among the educated classes has died down because Christianity is believed to be an alien concept incongruous with Indian culture. The Hindus claim that the Indianised Bible will break this cultural barrier and result in increased conversions.



Fortunately the Catholic leadership is firmly backing the Indianised Bible. Fr. Anthony Charanghat, spokesperson for the Archbishop of Bombay, says, “The narrow-minded will misunderstand but we shouldn’t fear explaining our religion using other (non-Christian) concepts”.



The Indianised Bible comes close on the heels of the Indianisation of the Churches.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

I have recently encountered two different arguments concerning the wagering of Draupadi by Yuddhishthir, her husband and the eldest of the Pandavas.



The anti-Hindu argued that the Pandavas were righteous therefore everything they did had to be praiseworthy. They wagered their wife in a dice game. Therefore in Hinduism wagering of wives is a praiseworthy practice.



The pro-Hindu replied that the wagering of Draupadi was not a willful act. The Pandavas were invited to the dice game by their King and uncle, Dhritarashtra. Being obedient nephews they had no choice but to agree. Everything that took place thereafter was given tacit agreement by Dhritarashtra. And the Pandavas were helpless because they were bound by duty to obey their elder. Therefore in Hinduism obedience of elders is the praiseworthy practice. Dhritarashtra was on the side of the evil. And therefore compelling someone to wager his wife is an evil practice.



The assumption by the anti-Hindu that the personages in Hindu scriptures are either totally good or totally evil is flawed. All human beings have a combination of good and evil. When the good dominates we say that they are good and vice versa. Yuddhishthir was basically a righteous person, with one flaw. He loved gambling. The conclusion cannot be that gambling is good. The conclusion has to be that a good person can have flaws.



The pro-Hindu person argued that Yuddhishthir wagered his wife out of compulsion and not out of choice and therefore was not accountable for it. This is blind rationalization. If Yuddhishthir could not refuse the game of dice he could definitely refuse to wager his wife because she was not his property. Yuddhishthir’s act was at best one of misplaced righteousness and at worst the desire to win back his losses of the earlier wagers.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

I had mentioned in my last blog that too many people are visiting Amarnath and this will spell doom for the shrine. I was referring to the ecology but even the logistics are becoming unmanageable. There are two routes for the shrine – one from Baltal and the other from Pahalgam. Each route can cater to a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day. Some news channels reported that there were over 36,000 devotees on the opening day itself. When the army, which manages the logistics, tried to release only 6,000 persons from the camp at Baltal the assembled pilgrims almost twice that number created a furor and forced their way to Amarnath. There are reports of over 25,000 pilgrims assembling at the shrine daily. The living and food arrangements have been made for a throughput of 6,000 and there have been reports of pilgrims going hungry. There have also been reports of some of the pilgrims being physically unfit for the arduous journey. After the stampede the army has been able to halt the Yatra at the various camps in order to ensure that only 6,000 pilgrims leave from Pahalgam and Baltal.



Meanwhile the Shrine Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) that manages the shrine has denied that there has been a stampede. They have stated that only one person has died and that too of cardiac arrest. It is difficult to believe that over half a dozen news channels have got it wrong, unless they are cutting and pasting news from each other’s web sites.



Let us not forget that this Yatra is extremely sensitive to terrorist attack as well. And above all let us hope that sense will prevail before a major untoward incident takes place.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The first batch of pilgrims is on their way to the Amarnath cave. I wish this was not so. There are certain sites in the Himalayan regions that are suffering extensive ecological damage. One of the reasons is that these sites cannot absorb the increasing influx of pilgrims. Amarnath, Gangotri and Kailash Mansarovar are some of them. The ice Shiva ling at Amarnath has been naturally made for centuries. In 2006 the priests patched up the Shiva ling with ice because the naturally made Shiva ling was found to be much smaller in size that year. This created a furor, but for the priests it had been a damned if you do and damned if you don’t choice. Nothing was reported last year but this does not mean nothing untoward happened. Lessons have to be learnt and pilgrimages to Amarnath have to be stopped otherwise we fill find that the natural Shiva ling will become smaller and smaller in successive years.



There are those who disagree and their argument needs to be stated for the purpose of fairness. They believe that the major cause of the damage is the universal global warming over which India has no control. The contribution of the pilgrims to the local warming of these areas is insignificant. Hence they feel that the pilgrims cannot be deprived of their right to worship at these places.



How significant or insignificant is the contribution of the pilgrims cannot be easily assessed. But no chances should be taken. I suggest that the pilgrimages be stopped for 5 years. If the damage continues unabated then the situation may be reviewed. In this context the Chinese stopping the pilgrimage to Mansarovar over the issue of Tibet may be viewed as a blessing in disguise.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The third quarter issue of Hinduism Today is out and as ever the content and presentation are excellent. I would like to react to some of the content. This is by no means a judgment on the views expressed by the learned writers; it is simply a statement of my experiences.

The first concerns the article from the Publisher’s Desk “Who is the Greatest God?” The article outlines four views on who is greater Vishnu or Shiva. Historically and academically this has been a pertinent question as explained by Satguru Veylanswamy. But in my interaction with Hindus (most of whom do not profess any academic or sectarian leanings) this question is non-existent. While each of them has their favorite deity, or ishta deva, they are not preoccupied with the position of prominence of their ishta deva. Whether they believe that all deities are manifestations of the same Supreme Being or they have equal respect for other viewpoints I do not know, because the issue has not come up. The issue has, however, been raised in several of the cyberspace forums I participate in and the threads have soon turned bitter, dogmatic and even abusive. It is very unfortunate that today vested interests are using religion to divide humanity. In such circumstances issues that divide are best ignored.

The long article on Madhavacharya “Difference Is Real” by Jeffrey Armstrong is a masterpiece. It details Madhavacharya’s argument that the difference between the jiv atma and the param atma is real as opposed to Shankaracharya’s argument that the difference is illusionary. (Advaita, Vishishta Advaita, Dvaita) As my writings demonstrate, I look for similarities and not differences. Therefore the best line in the article for me was “…Madhav and Shankar agree that liberating the soul from matter is the goal of Vedanta.”

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Last week a new Hindu temple was consecrated in New York’s Staten Island amid much celebration. Outside India, the Hindu diaspora have to work hard to build a temple. The organization of the permissions and the funds take years. In the absence of a proper temple worship is conducted privately at homes or in makeshift meeting halls, which are much less satisfying.



The opening of the temple in Staten Island illustrated a very important aspect of Hindu worship. That is the need to consecrate a place of worship according to the methods laid out in the scriptures. This act of consecration breathes life into the idols. Just before the consecration ceremony Mr. Ram Nair, a trustee of the temple, said, “The power isn’t invoked in them yet. In a couple of hours, it will be.”



In the ritual of consecration 108 golden vessels, filled with water and each containing a coconut, were tied with red threads. The other end of many of these threads went to the mini-shrines called mandaps, which housed statues of gods. The prayers of the devotees travel through the threads and into the idols, breathing life into them. The water represents the infinite element of God and the idols are the visible manifestations. This process transfers the divine power of the infinite God to the idols. When Hindus stand in front of idols to pray, it is this divine power that has been received by the idols in the consecration ceremony that blesses them. Durga, Saraswati and Hanuman were some of the deities represented in the temple.



This temple will cater to the 500 odd Hindu families from different parts of India who live on Staten Island. Earlier they had to travel to Queens or Edison to worship in a temple.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The Ramayana: Love and Valor in India’s Great Epic is the title of the exhibition put up by the British Library in London. The exhibition portrays the retelling of the Ramayana across centuries and cultures.This is one of my favorite themes (Refer to Different Versions of the Ramayana) and I wish I could be there. The exhibition opened on the 16th of May at the Library and will run till the 14th of September.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the 120 rare, lavishly illustrated, 17th century Ramayana paintings from the collection of Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar. These grand paintings with vivid, bright colors are replete with narrative detail and dramatic imagery and cover all major episodes of the Ramayana. Two of the volumes have been painted by Sahib Din. The other volumes have been presumably painted by his assistants. All except one volume is in the Mewar style. The exception is the volume depicting episodes set in the kingdom of Kishkindha, which has been influenced by paintings from the Deccan. These exhibits have been designed by Tara Arts Theatre Company and have been patronized by K. K. Birla, British Library Patrons and the Friends of the British Library. Some of the paintings, in a digitized format, can be seen at the website of the British Library.

The exhibition also displays paintings, textiles and sculptures from other collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum and the Ashmolean Museum. A unique display consists of shadow puppets and dance costumes from the Horniman Museum. The exhibition also features recordings of readings various versions of the Ramayana, the singing of related devotional hymns and dramatic and dance music from India and South-East Asia. A must see is the event featuring shadow-puppetry from Bali and Java.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

By the end of May 2008 the monarchy in Nepal will be dissolved. The present monarchy is the only surviving Hindu monarchy. Nepal was a Hindu state till 2006, when it was declared secular.



The monarchy begins with Dravya Shah who founded the Gorkha Kingdom in the 16th century. In the 18th century Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal. In the reign of Rajendra Shah the conflict between the royal family and the prime minister escalated and the king was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, who became a puppet of the prime minister. Thereafter for a hundred years the power rested with the Rana family who provided the prime ministers on a hereditary basis. The position of the monarch became titular.



In the mid 20th century, the people of Nepal began to rally against the despotic rule of the Rana family. The then monarch, Tribhuvan Shah supported this movement, but was forced to flee to India with most of his family. The Ranas placed the king’s infant grandson, Gyanendra, on the throne but the population reacted strongly. Tribhuvan was called back and the rule of the Ranas ended. Tribhuvan then initiated the democratization process in Nepal. However his son Mahendra was against democracy and undid the good work his father had begun.



Mahendra’ son, Birendra was pro-democracy and is considered the best king Nepal had. The king and most of the members of his family were massacred allegedly by his son Dipendra, who also shot himself. However conspiracy theories abound. Dipendra was crowned while in coma but died without recovering consciousness. He was succeeded by Birendra’s brother Gyanendra, the same person who had earlier ruled for a few months. Soon King Gyanendra will be known as the last Hindu monarch of Nepal.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

A gentleman, Pita brought this news item to our notice at a social networking site. The item was posted under the heading “Slokas on the Mount” in India View.

The article says that the Vatican has sanction the ‘inculturation’ of churches meaning the indigenisation of churches through “assimilating local culture and symbols in construction, layout, interior design, …”. This should not have come as a surprise but it did.

It should not have come as a surprise because Christianity itself took roots in an indigenisation process. All major festivals of Christianity coincide with the pagan festivals that were being celebrated by the early Roman society. It did surprise me because after that initial step of ‘inculturation’ Christianity for the last 2000 years has taken a rigid stand in even making minor adjustments to its set beliefs.

The article states that the process will be implemented in the 168 Catholic dioceses in India, and is already under way in 45 churches. One of the obstacles in the spread of Christianity has been its identification as a part of “Western” culture and therefore alien to Oriental indigenous cultures. Hence this move of the Christian Church is welcome. Many Indian Christians have a sense of belonging neither here nor there, and hopefully future generations of Indian Christians will not face this dilemma. The ‘inculturation’ also involves performing aarti in churches and this should go a long way in bridging the artificially created current religious divides.

The article quotes Nitya Chaitanya Guru as saying, “It is not totally baseless if Hindu leaders fear that ‘Indianisation of Christianity’ is meant to bring about ‘Christianisation of India’. I could not disagree with Nitya Chaitanya Guru more. Not only is this statement totally unfounded but it is meant to increase the existing religious divides.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Mixing politics with religion is undesirable but it inevitably happens. Religion affects an overwhelmingly large number of people and politicians cannot resist the temptation to manipulate the masses or to score brownie points using religion. The latest case is China’s refusal to issue visas to Hindus who wanted to visit Kailash Mansarovar this summer.

Mount Kailash is where Shiva resides. This mountain lies on the shore of the equally holy Mansarovar Lake. Since these sites lie high in the Himalayas they can be visited only in summer. Every year 12,000 Hindus make this pilgrimage in batches. Kailash and Mansarovar lie in Tibet, which was annexed by China in the 1960s and subsequently has been recognized by the international community as a part of China. Therefore China has to issue visas to the Hindu pilgrims, which it has been doing in the first week of April for many years. This year. However, it has refused to issue visas.

The official reason is that the Chinese office that processes the visas is situated in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Due to the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa in April the office had to be closed and then came the scheduled holiday time. So visas could not be processed. But the real reason is that China feels that India is sympathetic to the Tibetan cause and is retaliating in a show of strength. China has always had an axe to grind because India offered sanctuary to the Dalai Lama, the head of the Tibetan Buddhists. Now it is accusing India of severely curtailing the Olympic torch relay and not giving it the media publicity that China desired. It is also accusing India of not being severe enough with the Tibetans who organized peaceful protests against the Chinese government.