Intellectual integrity and truth are obviously unwanted in our times. These have been displaced by political correctness. Why this happened is a mystery, but mainstream media and other agencies vehemently enforce the politically correct opinion. They drum into us powerfully what we should think even if it goes against common sense.
Let me give an example:
When in 1999, the Pope declared in India that the Church will plant the cross in Asia in the 21st century, media portrayed it as ok. After all, the Church has the duty to spread Christianity all over the world, so the Pope is just doing his duty.
When people like Zakir Naik conduct mass conversion of Hindus to Islam, media ignores it or tells us that it is ok. After all, Islam also needs to spread till all of humanity has become Muslims.
When, however, a Hindu group brings back some of those who had converted out of Hindu Dharma, the media goes hyper: those Hindu groups are communal and divisive forces who want to disturb the plural fabric of our society and establish an intolerant Hindu rashtra. The ranting goes on for days on TV channels.
Why do media get it so wrong? Clearly, the truth is the opposite. Of the three religions, only Hindu or Sanatana Dharma is not divisive and not communal. Only this eternal Dharma considers all as family – Vasudaivam kutumbakam – without any precondition.
In contrast, Christianity and Islam, which are sort of newcomers in the religious field, divide humanity into believers and unbelievers. The believers are right and the unbelievers wrong. The believers are loved by the Supreme and can go to heaven and the unbelievers, even if they lived a virtuous life, are thrown into hell by the Supreme personally. And all those claims are made without any proof.
Are these unsubstantiated claims not intolerant, communal and divisive, apart from not being true?
So in all fairness, the term “divisive forces” must be applied to Christianity and Islam and not to Hindu Dharma. Yet even suggesting this is likely to get the ‘liberal’ elite into fits. They are dead sure that only Hindu Dharma is divisive and needs to be stopped from spreading. But WHY are they so sure?
To explain it, let’s go back to the 18th and 19th century, when the ancient knowledge of the Vedas first reached western universities. The intellectual elite there were deeply impressed and wanted more of it. Prominent personalities like Voltaire, Mark Twain, Schopenhauer, the Schlegel brothers, Paul Deussen and many others spoke in glowing terms about India’s heritage. In the early 20th century scientists like Heisenberg, Schroedinger, Pauli, Oppenheimer, Einstein or Tesla were in their research inspired by Vedanta and acknowledged it.
So what changed? How did Hindu tradition lose the esteem of people worldwide – so much so that now it is considered even by western academics as the worst of all religions?
The reason dawned on me when I recently read that Voltaire, too, had praised the Vedas as the greatest gift for humanity.
Voltaire was in the forefront of fighting the Church. He went to prison for it. Clearly the Church was not amused that western intellectuals praised Indian wisdom as much superior to Christianity. There was real danger that the Church would lose her sheep as it had already lost the power to punish those who dared to disagree with the Church.
The Christian view of the ‘true’ God, who sits in heaven, is jealous of other gods and sends all those who are not baptized into eternal hellfire, was no match for the Indian concept of Brahman which is the one conscious essence in all the different forms, like the one ocean is the essence in all the different waves.
“Brahman is not what the eyes can see but That whereby the eyes can see. Brahman is not what the mind can think but That whereby the mind can think” (Kena Upanishad).
Such profound insights severely challenged the simplistic view of a personal God who cruelly punishes all those who worshipped him under another name or form. The Church must have been genuinely worried that the ‘Christian’ God would be seen as an invention by the Church to keep its members under control and submissive – which in all likelihood comes close to the truth but of course must never be known to the common people.
So it would make sense that the Church – in collaboration with state powers which also had an interest to keep the myth of western superiority intact – developed a strategy to put an end to this praise of India’s great civilization. And the strategy was simple and time-tested:
Teach children all over the world negative aspects about Hinduism (all Indian traditions got an “ism”- ending in the English language which made them look dogmatic) and after some 15 years, the new generation will not even want to know anything about Hinduism. They will be convinced that it is worthless because their teachers said so.
And what were these negative aspects they wanted students to associate with Hinduism? Obviously first and foremost an “oppressive caste system” and next “idol-worship”.
The most unfortunate part was that this strategy was implemented in India, the source of this ancient knowledge, as well. Thomas Macauley correctly analyzed that the Sanskrit culture is India’s backbone. It needed to be broken if the British wanted to subdue the ‘natives’. Macauley’s advice was followed and the Sanskrit education system was replaced with the English one. And even more unfortunate – this English education system continued even after Independence till now.
The strategy worked.
Already in primary school in a small Bavarian town, I knew that India had a terrible caste system and untouchables. We saw pictures of poor, miserable Indians and it left a bad, lasting impression. At that age, I knew nothing about the Holocaust of Jews and gypsies in Germany. It was left to the initiative of our Latin teacher in High School to impress on us what happened in the concentration camps by showing us a documentary.
Neither were we told in school that all societies have a caste or class system and that the Vedic analogy of a society being like a human body was actually ingenious. Caste as such is not bad. Every society needs to be structured. Looking down on lower castes is bad. Yet this is a human weakness all over the world and not advocated by sacred texts.
Since the claim “India has the most terrible caste system” was, and still is, a strategy to put Hinduism and Hindus down, fairness was not to be expected. Otherwise it would become quickly clear that the sins against humanity by the Whites and Arabs were far greater than those by Indians. Slavery, colonialism, the Christianization of the Americas, the Muslim invasions, and even today discrimination against women, racism especially against Jews and Blacks, cruel oppression and terrorism in the name of religion took the lives of many millions of human beings.
Indians come nowhere near their horrific record and have no need to go on the defensive. Yet unfortunately Hindus fall into the trap and become defensive. They enact more laws in favour of backward castes or women, but they of course cannot satisfy those who do not want to be satisfied.
Virulent attacks on Hindus and their tradition continue in Indian and foreign media, often from persons with Hindu names – Macauley’s children. These attacks have the same purpose as the indoctrination of kids with distorted, insincere info on Hinduism: nobody should discover the depth and profundity of the Indian tradition, least of all Hindus.
Fortunately for India and the world, there are still highly knowledgeable Sanskrit pandits, yet the mainstream, especially the youth, tends to look west for inspiration which will make them feel lost and without direction in the long run.
Isn’t it time to set things right, turn around and ask uncomfortable questions for example during the next Interfaith Dialogue? Ask on what basis Christianity and Islam claim that the Supreme Being, the creator of us all, is so cruel and unfair that he throws billions of humans, including all Hindus, for all eternity into hell after one single life, that might have lasted only a few days or may have been lived virtuously and with greatest integrity for 100 years?
If they say that the Highest himself has revealed this truth, tell them that the Vedas also have been revealed by the Highest (as well as other scriptures) and the Vedas claim that the Supreme Being is present in all as blissful awareness and nobody is damned forever. All get chance after chance to realize their divine essence.
So since there are divergent views, there needs to be an intelligent debate about which view is more likely to be true and which can possibly even be proven to be true. However, Christian and Muslim delegates may not be interested in truth as this would endanger the basis on which their whole religious system is built – blind belief in unverifiable dogmas.
Therefore, to bring truthfulness to the discourse is the sole responsibility of the Hindu delegates. That they fulfill their responsibility is in the interest of all humanity, including Christians and Muslims, except maybe of those who earn their livelihood by peddling religion.
Many Christians turned atheists, because they lost faith in ‘God’, but didn’t realize that there is a very different perspective of ‘God’ possible which makes far more sense than atheism – the perspective of the Indian Rishis.
If Hindu Dharma were better known – and it needs to spread for the benefit of humanity – it will become clear that it was portrayed as the worst option for humanity, because nobody should know that it is actually the BEST option.
By Maria Wirth
107 Comments
Well written, Maria !
Absolutely spot on Maria! I have been reading your blog as well as following you on FB and Twitter. These issues have been bothering me too and as a Hindu I have also been afraid to be politically “incorrect” so as to to not hurt people who believe in the prevalent convoluted definition of secularism. Sadder still is to note how we Hindus are ourselves brainwashed and serve to destroy the tenets of this great religion. Even the word “religion” dilutes the real essence of it. Thanks for voicing these issues. People like you will go a long way to help us reaffirm our faith and one day the world will know the truth. This is my wish and prayer. God bless you.
So, what you are saying is, we should have a marketing department for Hinduism. 🙂 Doesn’t this makes us same as the others?
I have always knew that if I wasn’t a Hindu then I would have been an atheist.
You are right in your assessment but the Abrahamic marketing department has told lies in order to spread it’s doctrine. Hinduism is about ones self discovery in spirituality and not the conversation.
Also as a Hindu, I think it’s waste of time to explain western person the truth, when they already come with pre conceived idea of God from church . One thing I am glad, that you know what truth is. They will find this out hard way just like you.
To make a mark and maintain identity, you have to exist. That is threatened at present. Hinduism (read Sanatan Dharma) is closest to the intent of the Almighty as it espouses peace, happiness and health for the whole humanity, and not only for a sect. Unless truth is told even those having desire to understand will seek different ways, and that has been the history of religions of mankind.
Harry I have two responses for you for the questions above. First is you cannot play the game of polo without getting into water. No matter how much you want to you cannot do it from the shore. So if westerners understand marketing then of course THAT is the coin they should be dealt in at the time of need. Now there is a distinction here between the west and Hindu systems. When you are dealing with the west like a savvy marketeer you do not see marketing as YOUR goal rather the role you play when you are required to do it. The internal fixation always has to be on the higher planes but external roles can be any which suit the current scenario.
Secondly it will be great if you also go through Rajiv Malhotra’s concept of mutual respect and there are lots of videos on the net especially on youtube. Search for keywords Rajiv Malhotra and mutual respect. When I explain something to abrahamics I don’t give a damn personally if they understand it or not. That is their prerogative. What I do consider important though is presenting a cogent argument that I can present and that mutual respect ( MUTUAL the word being important) is being given no matter what they think internally. I have no qualms whether they convert to my way of thinking or not. What I have to work for is providing cogent and good rebuttals to points placed before me in the interest of interaction. If that pisses them off or scurries them away then so be it. Not my problem. I believe Maria ji probably would agree with this too. 🙂
Fully justified. I am glad an open minded Christian has written this. Maria you are a better Indian than many of us native Indians. Proud of u.
Excellent message. We should be grateful to you. Sadly there are many Resident Non-Indians in our country. They are born and brought up here but know nothing about the great heritage of our country.
Maria ji, well written. It’s always a pleasure to read your thoughts. They so very passionately describe what goes in the mind of a Hindu. I hope that this world realise that the Hindu way of being is most natural which does not have any stress on morality. It just makes you responsible to your Karma. I feel every Hindu has a responsibility of taking this truth to the whole of humanity. The world needs Hindu ethos. I am thankful to you and numerous such Hindus all across the world who are helping spread the genuine knowledge.
thank you Sharmila. i feel we have to sort out the confusion about “religion” and “religious freedom”. hope to write about it, but will take my time…
Reblogged this on Hindu Internet Defence Force.
Maria Wirth (your words are ‘Worth’, Platinum, as if from माँ सरस्वती). You have a way of putting difficult and ambiguous concepts in smooth flowing narratives. You have blessings of Saraswsti, and fortunate that you chose to awaken the Hindu living self indulged. Hindu has a responsibility to ‘know thyself’ and spread the good, noble way of living in multiplicity of vivid world. Its a mission and a basic duty to humanity. Informing people of good thoughts and understandings of our Hindu Sanatan thoughts.is also part of duty, Karma, that we should perform.
Maria Wirth you are doing the real Karma.
thank u
Very Well anaylysed and written. thank you.
Thank you maria,
For echoeing the minds of many hindus like me in India. Once, an enlightened guru has told me that the very existance of mankind is because of the presence of the vedas. Humanity cannot exist without that. “TRUTH NEVER FAILS”, According to the mundaka upanishad, Therefore, days are going to come when the whole world will acknowledge the philosophy of sanadhana Dharma..
Sanatana Dharma is certainly the best option – for India. It’s a specifically Indian form of universal Consciousness of the Divine. Here in the West it’s not traditional and never was. And it would be even more problematic to spread it in parts of the world which not even have Indo-European roots.
I guess a revived “pagan” Neoplatonism would be a more appropriate spiritual path for the West. It’s similar to Hindu Spirituality but was once widespread in the ancient Western World and is also of ancient Western origin.
Maria, great article. I agree that the future of the worlds peace lies in harmony between all religions and acceptance and mutual respect. This ‘non believer’ nonsense of the supramacists has to stop.Thanks.
I am posting the The Vedic Philosophy as comprehended by venerable Adi Shankaracharya @
http://www.facebook.com/mahaparivrajaka
It is essential for everyone who claims oneself to be an Indian to know about Adi Shankaracharya. In that page I have posted His biography which may be pursued to have a glimpse of Him.
It may very well turn out that what is being consigned to the bottom of the toilet is an unimaginable evil being done to the greatest good, Evil Forces what complete control of this world and India and her ancient culture stand in their way, There most certainly a connection between the Sanatana Dharma and Western pre-Christian Culture, And I guess this is what they are most frightened of, That While India remains Aryan Culture there is a good chance India may Ignite the old pre-Christian Culture of the West,
Even though this article is a splendid thought of a Westerner and indeed it is a better path to peace and harmony, we must keep in mind that even Hinduism stands opposed to the Vedas. It’s continued propagation is of no benefit to the human soul as idol-worship is a grave sin.
The author of the above article lends much credibility to it’s practice as a religion of virtue, which is indeed true, but virtue practised in ignorance is still ignorance.
It is not the world outside of Hinduism needs fixing, it is Hinduism and do to this we must answer the call of Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati – back to the Vedas beginning with his Light of Truth (Satyartha Prakasha – http://www.vjsingh.info/books.html)
Get outta here. There is nothing ‘sin’ful about idol-worship. This “idol-worship is sinful” is nothing but a hot-air balloon that has no substance in it except hot-air (For those who don’t know, farts are also called hot-air 😛 )
BTW Hindus do not do any idol-worship! What we do is murti-worship. The only reason why it looks like ‘idol-worship’ is because people (including most Hindus, unfortunately) are ignorant of exactly what a ‘murthy’ is.
Even YOU do murti-worship though you may be unaware of it. Read this article and then tell me that you don’t-
https://plus.google.com/117948605050831567900/posts/dugUDebe2R1
Wow!!!
[Your comment is directed at Maria, but since this is a public forum and since the topic being discussed is important, forgive me for butting in and giving my two cents.]
Yes, we need to market Hinduism. The determination of anti-Hindu forces combined with Hindus’ own apathy, is causing Dharma to lose. If this continues, Hinduism will either disappear within 1-2 generations or will be hopelessly corrupted. People will end up being deprived of a very good worldview and a way of life that is available via Hinduism. Hence marketing Hinduism is the righteous (dharmic) thing for us to do.
“Doesn’t this makes us same as the others?”
When we market Hinduism, we need to differentiate ourselves from others. Muslims outright lie and deceive when they do their dawah. Christians use other tactics (I do not have any personal experience with Christian missionaries, but I have heard that many of them bribe people or promise them free education or ‘miracles’, etc.)
Our marketing otoh, must be firmly based on truth and dharma! No deception, no half-truths, and no violence! This means that we will have to do a fairly deep study not only of Hinduism, but also of human nature. Only then will we be able to market Hinduism truthfully and still be effective. In addition we will have to actually live by what we preach.
Thanks for butting in, as I feel a bit overstretched…
Still, for Harry, if there is a malicious agenda to impose falsehood on humanity, we need to stand up for truth. India needs to take responsibility of being vishwa guru. Blind faith in unverifiable, harmful dogmas cannot help one to live a better life. Many Christians and Muslims realize this, too. After all, their forefathers were 99% under pressure to convert or expected material benefits. Nothing to do with spiritual upliftment.
‘@Varun Vikram frankly, the “mutual respect” concept was one of the points I disagreed with Rajiv Malhotra, as it makes us into beggars .the dogmatic religions, which have as the basis the dogma that they alone are true and the whole humanity needs to follow it otherwise eternal hell, simply CANNOT respect Hindu Dharma as they are called upon to eradicate it.
They surely won’t change their dogma only because we ask for mutual respect when so far it served them well… they might verbally give in (like at UN once) if cornered, but turn right around and pass an even more virulent dogma (Dominus Dei, if I remember right) to justify conversion.
We need to expose their weak basis, ask uncomfortable questions, challenge them for genuine debates on what they mean by God or Allah and how they dare to claim without any proof that Hindus for example go summarily to hell.
ALL HINDU PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVES IF MAJORITY HINDU IN INDIAWORK TO DECLARE INDIA A HINDU NATION. PHYCHE OSF ONE BILLIONS HINDUS WILL WAKE UP WORLD WILL HAVE NEW DIRECTION
JUST DECLARE INDIA A HINDU NATION 90 % POBLEM SOLVED .
What is God?
Everyone knows the meaning of inertia. The definition is identical both in science and in Shruti. According to Shruti an inert body is one which is activated only by an external force and never by itself. In Science, the definition is that an inert body is one which continues to stay in a state of rest or of a uniform motion along a straight line, unless impressed upon by an external force. It cannot change its direction or speed without the application of an external force. For example, a stone remains immovable as long as a boy using some force doesn’t throw it. Hence we say that the stone is inert. Further, even the force is also inert because either its point of application or its direction or magnitude is not determined by itself. It is determined by an animated body. That is the reason why science measures forces in terms of horsepower. The animation in the boy, which is responsible for the movement of a stone, has features which are very much opposite to the features of the stone. Like the inert body it doesn’t depend upon something else for its motivation. That is why the boy applies the force out of his free will. There is no second motivating force for his desire. This doesn’t mean, however, that the boy’s body is itself animate. That too, is of course inert. But the animate soul within the body can move the body. make it run and make it rotate by its own will. This implies that the source of all activity in an inert body is an animate free will. Similarly, behind every activity see in inert, nature, lies a soul with free will and this is God. It certainly exists. though one may not see it. There is no rule that everything that exists has to be seen. The intelligence of a scientist is invisible. Also we cannot say that whatever is seen should exist. We may see water at a distance in the hot Sun, but there would be no water. It could be just a mirage. Therefore, we have to accept the existence of Intelligent God without the condition that we should be able to see Him. For example, inert air moves from one place to another and cause for it maybe the pressure difference between the two places. There could be another cause for this pressure difference, and the ultimate cause for the blowing of wind cannot be inert. It has to be Intelligence with free will. This Intelligence is Vayu Devata. He is invisible, but has to be there. Similarly, for the rotation of the inert earth the root cause will have to be an intelligence. It is Vasundhara. She is not seen but certainly exists. We may say that air is the body of Vayudevata and earth is the body of Vasundhara. Therefore, Gods have existence, which can be proved scientifically. They are not imaginations of uncivilized human beings.
In the way the relation between inert bodies and animated intelligence is clear. One should not show obstinacy in recognizing this relationship. In fact, to deny this relationship would be unscientific. Therefore, it is possible to give a definition of God as follows: GOD IS HE, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THOSE THINGS FOR WHICH NONE OF US IS RESPONSIBLE. For example, when someone asks how you are able to get water in your house through taps, you pat yourself on the chest and say, “I have built an overhead tank”. So, you are responsible for this upward flow of water to the overhead tank. But when rivers flow from high hills, why don’t you recognize that the hills are overhead tanks? Who is responsible for this ‘overhead tank’? Take another example. The scientist does cloud-seeding and causes rain. No one else without this intelligence can cause rain like that way. It means, that to cause rains from clouds, there is a need for a specific intelligence. When it rains naturally, how can one deny that a similar role is played by a much bigger intelligence? Therefore, behind every activity in an inert system, there should certainly be an invisible animate intelligence. But one can see the scientist causing the rain during cloud seeding. How is it that you don’t see anyone when it is raining naturally? What you see in cloud-seeding is the scientist’s inert body – that is not responsible for raining, because, the same person before acquiring this intelligence could not have caused the rain. So, obviously, the intelligence that is ultimately responsible for causing the rain is invisible. Moreover, if you deny this intelligence for the reason it is invisible and you attribute it to an inert force, the force is also not visible. In fact, however much one may symbolize it and make calculations with it, the concept of force is mysteriously complicated. In the words of the famous scientist Laplace: “The nature of that singular modification by means of which a body is transferred from one place to another is now, and always will be, unknown. It is denoted by the name Force.” It does not mean that the concept of force itself has to be denied for that reason. It only means that you have to posit an intelligence for operating this force which is also inert in the sense that it’s three parameters viz., the point of application, the direction and the magnitude are not decided by itself. That is why the Shastra attributes an invisible Devata for every activity. Indeed! It is this Devata, which is the mystery behind the force.
An interesting anecdote in the life of Isaac Newton illustrates this point clearly. He had a friend who did not believe in God. He always asserted that the universe and its activities do not imply any God. Once Newton sat by the side of a marvelous mode of the Solar System in his laboratory and was absorbed in the thought of the planetary motion. At that time, his friend entered and started gazing at the model with great curiosity. After sometime he asked Newton, “Who made this?” Even without lifting his head, Newton replied, “Nobody!” The friend was peeved at the reply. Raising his voice, he asked, “Are you kidding? Such a wonderful model that is working fine and you say that no one has made it?” To this Newton said, “My dear friend, if no one is necessary to create the original solar system, do you mean to say that someone is necessary to build a trivial model of it?”
‘@Arish Sahani,
When one of us becomes a dictator of India, we will declare the country a Hindu Nation. But until then, we will have to solve things the hard way- by dedicating ourselves to truth and Dharma (as I explained above), and by marketing Hinduism to everyone (both to Hindus and non-Hindus). There is no other [easier] way. Either Hindus DO IT, or they lose! It is that simple.
Dear Maria,
Your Article reminded me of a story I heard in my childhood from my grand mother, The story goes something like this :
Once a very powerful King came to know about Lord Buddha and wanted to see him to know what was so great about him. The King had heard that whatever you ask from Lord Buddha, he generously bestows upon the requestor. So, the King decided to meet Him and ask for all the Knowledge of the World. The King visits the Lord and stands upright as a King should, and asks for all the Knowledge of the World. Lord Buddha smiles and says “O King! before I give you what you ask for, let me first give you a small present”. Saying so, Lord Buddha asked the King to extend his hand to receive the mysterious gift. The Kind outstretched his hand, palms flat, all set to “receive”. Lord Buddha simply poured some water on his hand, which naturally dripped away from his palm. Lord Buddha requested the King again “O King! I am going to give you the gift again, “receive” it”. The King repeated his gesture with the same result as before. After this was done for about 7-8 times, the King angry and flabergasted was about to turn away from Buddha. When the Lord smiled gently and said “O King, let me help you to “receive”. Lord Buddha stood up, placed his arms around the King and made him sit beside him. Next, he asked him to extend his arm as before and as the Kind did so, He placed both the plams together and made them to curve just enough to hold any liquid. Then He poured the “Water” on his palm. The water stayed still and tranquil. Lord Buddha asked him to look into the water. When the King did so. Lord Buddha said “O King! Now you have the knowledge of this world, for now you sit in a resting position, your body is bent with humility, you – the mighty King have opened your palm as a beggar does and you look into your Self”
This Story has a multifaceted message and is macrocosmically and microcosmically insightful. For now, it reflects the social and personal trend of Hindus – especially the educated and affluent ones.
Many educated and affluent Hindus across the World have the mind set as that of the King. They “Ask” for “IT” but is not “ready” to “Receive” – In other words, their sole purpose of existence starts and ends with “Material Pleasure” much like the “Mighty” King in our story. These are the very Hindus who are in a position to make a mark or change the perceptive on a Global level about Hinduism. It has been my personal experience, not once but thrice, that as the discussion slowly moves towards Hinduism, these Hindus either shy away or refuse to discuss any further on the topic, out of pure disdain or disinterest. Another category of Hindus, thrive on half- knowledge, they would “fashionably” worship Lord Krishna ( expect pictures of some women with turmeric tika combined with flashy ethnic sari and lasagne for “prasad” to be spread across social sites on a competition of who gets more “Likes”) and in their very forum slander Caste System without understanding the underlying concept of it. Superficiality at its best! Or should I say Hypocricy!
The other category of Hindus, simple minded, devout but not so economically affluent or educated. They only understand the “ceremonial” or more precisely “Aupcharik” part of Hinduism. They simply cannot devote time to Spiritual study when they have to struggle so hard to survive. And this is where our Islam and Christian brothers come in.
Before we look towards the fault of others, we need to correct ourselves. Hindus should be first and foremost made to understand their own folly.
I remember some Muslim group issued “Fatwa” against Baba Ramdev for selling “Patanjali” products. Now, why is that?
This is the Kali Yuga, they say Money is the Most Powerful mode in the Yuga. People will do anything for money. We have enough evidence of this “prophecy”. So, when, lets roughly say, 1.2 billion Muslims does “Zakat” of 2.5% of their total incomer towards customary Charity to a common fund, imagine the “Power”. When Christian Missionaries through ages of brain-washing receive some billions of Dollars/Euros/Pounds/ etc etc from Stooges with Blinkers. Imagine the Power!.
Hinduism will spread only and only if
A. We use the iron rod of “hellfire” combined with “economical contribution” for those highly educated and affluent Hindus across the world. A sincerely believe a ceratin amount of “Christian” Styled spanking might knock some senses into them. Sounding Fanatic?! Well, what do you do to your children when they don’t listen to you?
B. Declaring India a Hindu Nation will be against our very Essence of “Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava”. We need to be proper Hindus first, to ensure Hinduism lives on. Secondly, such a step will create unrest, bloodshed, economic turmoil and the intervention of “Nations” we really do not want and more importantly Negative Karma.
C. Conversion through Coercion or by dangling the “carrot” will have to stop. If Woman can be allowed in Haji Ali Dargah by verdict of Supreme Court, then such conversions can be made illegal and punishable by the same body. Whoever does that kind of conversion, His or Her online or social media identity along with sites, blogs, twitter, FB, Instagram, Whatsapp, Instachat accounts etc etc will have to be erased out of Internet.
D. All Hindus must do charity and who ever is in charge of that charity should be honest enough to spread the common fund for the betterment of down trodden so that they are not “hooked” by other Religions. More importantly, do that charity to your Islam friends as well and spread the message of Hindu generousity not only for lower castes, down trodden and poor but for other Religions too – Make sure its loud, wide and clear.
The first visionary of United and POwerful India, Chanakya said : “If there is something to learn from your Enenmy, that will help you to reach your goals, then by all means learn from them.”
Sanatana Dharma is a way of life which is all-embracing, humane and based on scientific temper, reasoning and containing high spiritual values. People all over the world following different faiths like Christianity, Islam and Judaism and also atheists and agnostics can adapt Sanatana Dharma which preaches Universal Brotherhood. As Hindus we have a moral obligation to spread this message and to convince people all over the world to adapt Sanatana Dharma. Please share this link. http://sanatanaparishad.blogspot.in/
Well said, Maria: clear; concise yet complete; factual; and logical, flowing structure.
It is always a pleasure to read your articles. Keep it up!
What can I do to help?
Yours is a very insightful post, though I think introducing “iron rods of hellfire” is learning the wrong thing from the enemy. Also, Gita already has a sort of iron-rod for Hindus in its teachings. It says, “यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।….” (“Whenever there is decay of Dharma, O Bharata, and there is exaltation of Adharma, then I Myself come forth; For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil (or evil-doers), for the sake of firmly establishing Dharma, I am born from age to age.”)
Everyone has heard of this shloka, but few care to study who the Gita means when it says “evil” or “evil-doers”. Not living by dharma is “evil”. Those who do not live by dharma and give a pass to adharma, they ARE the “evil-doers”. (“Now if you do not [do what needs to be done], then having given up your personal dharma and reputation, you shall incur sin.” (Bg. 2.33))
In other words, majority of today’s Hindus! it does not matter how much piety we have and how many rituals we have performed. Failure to live by truth and dharma makes us “evil-doers”. We are the ones, and our children/grand-children, who will get our collective asses thrashed with an iron-rod as Gita says will happen to evil-doers.
In a comment on another post, you wrote about the need for Hindus to “grow a spine”. I think we need to give a higher priority to that one instead of introducing Islam-like “iron rods” into Hinduism.
if you can help to spread those thoughts… feel free to put up the posts on other platforms…
Kudos Maria Ji! No wonder in seeing such in-depth articles from you once again.
Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma does need a marketing or propagation just to spread? No I don’t agree the point. Sanatana Dharma preaches the truth; differentiates Vidya and Avidya; make you aware the value of your birth called Janma; explains power of Veda and it’s usages; If one undergo all these, well enough to emerge as ‘Punya Sloka’. That’s the ultimate goal for this Janma. We don’t need to ‘prachar’ but to ‘vichar’ the Sanatana Dharma. Those in search of truth will find this Dharma and practice it. That’s what I feel.
Having mentioned about Sanskrit in your article which was broken as teaching tool to replace English as an alternate, was fully correct and I second with that. Any culture or language is easily broken if base is shattered. Sanskrit is our BASE. Obviously we face the music now by replacing it as teaching tool. Here are few facts of Sanskrit got it from known source:
• Sanskrit has the highest number of vocabularies than any other language in the world.
• 102 arab 78 crore 50 lakh words have been used till now in Sanskrit. If it will be used in computers & technology, then more these number of words will be used in next 100 years.
• Sanskrit has the power to say a sentence in a minimum number of words than any other language.
• America has a University dedicated to Sanskrit and the NASA too has a department in it to research on Sanskrit manuscripts.
• Sanskrit is the best computer friendly language.(Ref: Forbes Magazine July 1987).
• Sanskrit is a highly regularized language. In fact, NASA declared it to be the “only unambiguous spoken language on the planet” – and very suitable for computer comprehension.
• Sanskrit is an official language of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
• There is a report by a NASA scientist that America is creating 6th and 7th generation super computers based on Sanskrit language. Project deadline is 2025 for 6th generation and 2034 for 7th generation computer. After this there will be a revolution all over the world to learn Sanskrit.
• The language is rich in most advanced science, contained in their books called Vedas, Upanishads, Shruti, Smriti, Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana etc. (Ref: Russian State University, NASA etc. NASA possesses 60,000 palm leaf manuscripts, which they are studying.)
• Learning of Sanskrit improves brain functioning. Students start getting better marks in other subjects like Mathematics, Science etc., which some people find difficult. It enhances the memory power. James Junior School, London, has made Sanskrit compulsory. Students of this school are among the toppers year after year. This has been followed by some schools in Ireland also.
• Research has shown that the phonetics of this language has roots in various energy points of the body and reading, speaking or reciting Sanskrit stimulates these points and raises the energy levels, whereby resistance against illnesses, relaxation to mind and reduction of stress are achieved.
• Sanskrit is the only language, which uses all the nerves of the tongue. By its pronunciation, energy points in the body are activated that causes the blood circulation to improve. This, coupled with the enhanced brain functioning and higher energy levels, ensures better health. Blood Pressure, diabetes, cholesterol etc. are controlled. (Ref: American Hindu University after constant study)
• There are reports that Russians, Germans and Americans are actively doing research on Hindu’s sacred books and are producing them back to the world in their name. Seventeen countries around the world have a University or two to study Sanskrit to gain technological advantages.
• Surprisingly, it is not just a language. Sanskrit is the primordial conduit between Human Thought and the Soul; Physics and Metaphysics; Subtle and Gross; Culture and Art; Nature and its Author; Created and the Creator.
• Sanskrit is the scholarly language of 3 major World religions – Hinduism, Buddhism (along with Pali) and Jainism (second to Prakrit).
• Today, there are a handful of Indian villages (in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh) where Sanskrit is still spoken as the main language. For example in the village of Mathur in Karnataka, more than 90% of the population knows Sanskrit. Mathur/Mattur is a village 10 kms from Shimoga speaks Sanskrit on daily basis (day-to-day communication).
• Even a Sanskrit daily newspaper exists! Sudharma, published out of Mysore, has been running since 1970 and is now available online as an e-paper (sudharma.epapertoday.com)!
• The best type of calendar being used is hindu calendar(as the new year starts with the geological change of the solar system)
ref: german state university
• The UK is presently researching on a defence system based on Hindu’s shri chakra.
• Another interesting fact about Sanskrit language was that the process of introducing new words into the language continued for a long period until it was stopped by the great grammarian Panini who wrote an entire grammar for the language laying down rules for the derivation of each and every word in Sanskrit and disallowed the introducing of new words by giving a full list of Roots and Nouns. Even after Panini, some changes occur which were regularised by Vararuchi and finally by Patanjali. Any infringement of the rules as laid down by Patanjali was regarded as a grammatical error and hence the Sanskrit Language has remained in same without any change from the date of Patanjali (about 250 B.C.) up to this day.
• संस्कृत is the only language in the world that exists since millions of years. Millions of languages that emerged from Sanskrit are dead and millions will come but Sanskrit will remain eternal. It is truly language of Bhagwan. Wealth of information on Sanskrit language. Shows how India lags behind the Americans in this matter. We Indians are reading sacred texts, performing pujas for various religious festivals throughout the year. So we will not be lying if we say Sanskrit as also one of the languages in the next Census excercise without forgetting, thus help save our own language from disappearing & doing our bit for the language.
Thank you Maria ji for all your effort stand us tall! Krushnaarpanam!
sorry for approving late. it had slipped down and i missed it.
thanks for all this info. in the 1980s i met a German on a 2- years research project from some German university to study ancient Indian texts for clues on science.
however, when i met him, he was in India since 3 months and said he has to go back, as he can’t take the climate and food….
this is a comment by Anupama. i had pressed some wrong key and it had disappeard not to be found again… luckily @accidental34 helped me to retrieve it.
Absolutely spot on Maria! I have been reading your blog as well as following you on FB and Twitter. These issues have been bothering me too and as a Hindu I have also been afraid to be politically “incorrect” so as to to not hurt people who believe in the prevalent convoluted definition of secularism. Sadder still is to note how we Hindus are ourselves brainwashed and serve to destroy the tenets of this great religion. Even the word “religion” dilutes the real essence of it. Thanks for voicing these issues. People like you will go a long way to help us reaffirm our faith and one day the world will know the truth. This is my wish and prayer. God bless you.
Hi Maria, before Hindu Dharma can spread, it needs to do two things- 1) It needs to come alive, and 2) Hindus need to grow a spine. (Thanks to babylon for this suggestion)
Come alive
This means that Hinduism (and its followers) need to display a lively persona. When we go to a party or are present in some other social gathering, the lively people stand out. Everyone knows they are there. People like to go up to these lively and confident ones and chat with them, even become friends. When they leave the place, everyone can feel that someone is missing (It is the lively person that is missing). Hope you got the idea.
So how can Hinduism be made alive? For any belief system to come alive, it needs active display of morals, wisdom, spirituality, and for the younger people, memes, and beliefs, etc. And just as live creatures pass on things to the next generation, Hindus too need to set up a good system to pass these memes and beliefs to the next generation (and to other interested people).
Grow a spine
Grow a spine means not to fear to display our Hinduism, but it also means that we need to sincerely believe in what we display. It should not be something superficial. There should be no decadence and no gluttony. This also means that we will need to keep an open mind and discuss things with others. Hence this is another thing that we need to do as part of growing a spine- We should actively participate in group talks and discussions with the aim of better understanding everything related to the belief and practice of Hinduism. We should not be afraid or shy to ask questions. Because if we don’t know, we cannot be confident about what we display. Without knowledge and confidence the spine will be weak. Lack of confidence will cause us to hesitate and become timid rather than have lively persona.
Growing a spine also means that we need to have a meaning and purpose to life. We also need to know our purpose as members of society. When we know these things, the spine grows by itself with minimal effort.
Once Hindus grow a spine and come alive, then the next part, spreading Dharma, will become much easier because as I said, people naturally get attracted to those who are confident and lively and pay attention to everything they say. When they find out that it is Dharma that is making them so lively, then they automatically get interested in Dharma, and Dharma spreads.
September 9th is Sri Ganesh Chaturthi. I highly recommend that we take a collective pledge to dedicate ourselves towards making Hinduism stronger (as described above). We also need to pledge to keep our eyes and minds open to any other tricks and tactics that will help towards this aim (and share those with other Hindus).
If you have any thoughts regarding this, or if you know of anything that can add to this effort, please mention.
Namaste
Maria I got the chance to read your blog today. Your articles are throught provoking and at the same time interesting to know so many new facts from you.
Keep the good work maria!
Thanks
Sriram
Anupama Ji.You are spot on with ur rply!
Brother balaji690, the ‘vichar’ that you have presented in your comment is exactly what we need to ‘prachar’! 🙂 People are not going to find out these things just out of the blue. Someone needs to tell them!
“Those in search of truth will find this Dharma and practice it.”
Balaji, there are different types of people in the world. There are those who actively search for the truth, and if they are lucky they find it. When we selflessly do ‘prachar’ we only improve their ‘luckiness’, if you know what I mean! If Maria had never started this blog, we would have been unlucky and would never have come across her in-depth articles, right?
Then there are those who are not actively looking but who have an open mind. When we do ‘prachar’, we help introduce them to the truth of Dharma. If otoh we are lazy and do not do prachar, they never find out that there is also something called ‘Dharma’ in this world. But guess what? Other religions who actively preach, snare these open minds and lock them out of anything else that is available. (Think falling into a well). Would you not be concerned if such an ‘ashubh’ thing happened to your kith and kin? Of course you would. We instead want ‘shubh’ happen to as many people as possible in the world (but especially in India) and that is why we should do prachar.
Then there are the lazy ones, the animals, the donkeys who never look for anything nor do they have an open mind. If something seems interesting, they dabble into it, otherwise TV is more than enough for them. The problem is that the Abrahamic missionaries are out to trap these people, including on TV. This type of people are easiest to trap, and so through hook and crook these Abrahamics trap them, and they know how to use tactics of fear, hope, and reward to keep them trapped in their wells.
What I am trying to point out is that once these poor souls are trapped in the Abrahamic wells, they no longer search for the truth. They cannot! The Abrahamics tell them that the well is paradise and that everything outside of it is from Satan. These poor souls remain devoid of the good and the truth that is available in Dharma.
And never rule out the possibility that our own kith and kin can get trapped in these wells and end up permanently cut off from Dharma (or anything else that is better than the well they get stuck in).
Also, it is the nature of many people that once they try something out (even reluctantly), they actually start taking interest in it. But if they never try it out, there is no chance of anyone taking interest in the subject.
This is why we should do prachar.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
The rise of Swami Dayanand Saraswati was in response to the agressive propagation of Abrahmic religions,the ideas of monoithisim and opposition to idol worship were copied by Swami Dayanand Saraswati from the very Abrahimic religions that he was opposing.
As every Hindus knows that before pran prathistha no murty becomes worthy of worship therefore murty is the symbol of divine presence and every Hindu knows that the divine is formless and idol worship enables every devotee to have his personal God to worship hence only ignorent will look down upon idol worship as practised in Hinduism.
I understand what you are saying, but the Dharmic way is not to over step the boundaries of the human nature. If people are blissfully happy not knowing the truth then leave them to it, as long as you are a good person then you don’t need a label, because of that you will be part of the great divin.
As far as Hinduism disappearing, I don’t think that will happen any time soon. Like you said we need to have a awareness of what we should and what we shouldn’t be doing when it comes to standing up for Hinduism. This would be best way forward, rather than using aggressive methods.
Dear Accidental34
I still stand on my words of not doing ‘Prachar’ of our Dharma. You don’t have to spread our Dharma or you don’t have to defend our Dharma. If somebody says badly about this Dharma, I don’t have to get angry or fight. A true Hindu believes that Dharma protects us; we need to protect Dharma by correctly practising it. A true Hindu cannot get hurt in the name of God or religion.
At this juncture let me quote what Annie Besant (1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933), a famous writer, socialist, one of Indian freedom fighters from Whites. She said,
“after doing research for the last forty years, No other religion in this World has given me a full of truth of birth in philosophical and scientific way. Only Hindu Dharma fulfils all doubts religiously”.
The so called Hinduism does not require any vehicle of propagation to propel further but need a self ignition of exist Hindus to practise precisely what is said in Vedas. We do follow a lot of practices without knowing the very purpose of it. For example, we immerse Ganesh Idol in water, how many of us know why we do this? Why other festival Gods are not done a ceremony of immersion? Have ever (may be you know, I bet a lot do not know) we asked our elders? Do our elders know these? Have ever they clarified our doubts? Are we not bending religious activities according our convenience? We ( a lot of Hindus in this country) just remain Hindus only for name sake. We do not follow what is preached in Vedas and Upanishads. Even the preachers like Brahmins do bend Vedic rules according to convenience, is the sad part. Being in Guru Shtan, they should not violate Vedic Anustanams and setting wrong examples to other communities. Whom you blame? Let us correct our selves first, put our mind in following our rich Dharma’s Vedic rules and then we shall start propagating.
Kindly correct me (I am open minded) if I am wrong anywhere! Hope Maria ji would also support my above points, don’t you Maria ji?
i feel the proclaimed “truth” of the unbelievable dogmas needs to be challenged with the truth of the Rishis. the dogmatic religions are not bona-fide. they had an agenda right from the start. so we need to have a strategy to counter their attempts to finish us off… just think about half of the world Muslim population (maybe even more) followed Indian tradition earlier. now they don’t believe anymore that Divinity is within them…. question is, is the cause of creation inside creation or not? can one find out? yes, there are ways…
Thanks for the reply, balaji.
First of all, let’s make sure we mean the same thing when we use the term ‘prachar’. To me ‘prachar’ does not mean proselytization. To me it means making quality material [regarding Hinduism] available plentiful. It also means displaying one’s belief in Hinduism and Hindu ideas. (This display should not be aggressive but soft.) If someone asks questions, we must know the answer and should provide them.
You mentioned the quote by Annie Besant where she praises Hindu Dharma. But notice carefully what she said. She said “after doing research for the last forty years…”. How many people do you know who dedicate themselves to researching a subject for that long? Today’s generation has trouble dedicating for 40 seconds let alone 40 years. (Hence the explosive rise of all those memes that people post on facebook that don’t any more than 10 seconds to see and read. And Twitter.)
Annie was an exception in another way. She was open minded enough to look what else is out there besides the religion that she followed at young age. The situation today is very different. The leaders of other religions (and even political ideologies) actually preach stuff that makes followers fearful of see what else is out there. They tell followers that everything besides their own beliefs is from Satan. You and I think of Satan as someone fictional, but those followers actually believe in his existence and are extremely fearful of ending up under his influence. They will not check out Hinduism.
These religions also use psychological tactics to keep followers chained to their respective religions. For example they tell followers that Hindus do ‘idol worship’ and are inferior, and that they themselves are superior. Our psychology is such that when we feel superior to someone else, we cannot see value in anything that the ‘inferior ones’ have. Result: Those controlling ideologies and their preachers maintain control and continue to expand. (Islam for example has only expanded in the last 1400 years. India has lost half of its population and land to Islam. In fact there has been no time in history when Muslims left Islam for something better. This is because Islam’s evil tools of control DO work.) Their propaganda has been so successful that even Hindus have been feeling inferior and/or hesitate to publicly express their Hinduness.
In addition, as Maria pointed out, those ideologies have explicit agendas to finish us off. And they will succeed because the tactics that they use DO work! We really have no option but to counter them.
——————-
In the rest of your comment, you have pointed out how Hindus are ignorant of the meanings behind their beliefs and rituals, and how elders and priests bend rules for convenience. Well that is where prachar comes in. Prachar IS the solution to fixing all that! You said “Let us correct our selves first,….” Well, let’s say I have decided to correct myself and “put my mind in following our rich Dharma’s Vedic rules”, how do I do that? Where is the educational and instructional material available? When I search online, I mostly come across childish posts. Anything that is not childish is too hard to understand and/or conflicts with other posts. How do I find out which one is correct?
Let’s say I want to find out why we immerse Ganesh murti in water. Where do I look? None of my facebook friends posted anything about why we do that. They only posted about how Twitter has come out with a cool looking emoji when one types #GaneshChaturthi . So how am I going to even know that there is a meaning behind the Ganesh idol immersion?
So yes, I agree that we need to correct ourselves first, but we also need to help others correct themselves. That is where prachar comes in. If I become your friend on Facebook, would I find posts on your page where you have explained Hindu ideas? Would I find a post on why we immerse Ganesh idol? If no, then how am I going to learn and how am I going to correct myself? Chances are I would not even be aware that I am ignorant of something. I will learn only if you post something. Right?
Up until a few years ago, I was only parroting the propaganda that anti-Dharma forces have spread so successfully. I did not even know that I do not know! Can you imagine that state of ignorance? Chances are that 95% of the Hindus are in that state of ignorance. Prachar is meant to overcome THAT!
Sorry for the long winded post but I believe it is important to discuss these things.
Namaste
Dear accidental34 (can’t change to your original name? Feeling embarrassing to address)
You seem to be young man ageing below 35; I guess this by the way you wrote the comments and the words you used. Words do show the maturity of the person. When comes to that point I am still immature however, mature enough to understand other’s emotions and feelings. Blazing fire at your house and you are trying to douse at neighbours’. If my guess of your age is correct, then they way you think about our religion and other’s is not wrong but time will teach later.
There is something called introspection of truth. The TRUTH is BRAHMAN (or Brahama Gyan – in the recent years, Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are the best example for this Gyan achievement). If you want to know very precisely about Brahman (don’t confuse with Brahmin), you need to read more from Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. It’s a tough task but achievable. Let’s not discuss much on this subject now as it is far behind for your reach now, in terms of mentality and maturity. Pl. don’t consider anything I say as abusive manner. I always consider all fellow humans as my brothers and sisters and you are not exceptional. Being a little older than you, I believe I have the liberty to say these.
The point is, why should we waste our time in countering other religion, when there is huge responsibility of awaking task of our own brotherhoods of Hindus? Think of this first.
Secondly, learning is the process done in step by step. Also, one needs inclination to learn the subject. No subject is taught without the interest of the pupil or person. Do you agree? Why you and I here in this Blog? We are in the process of seeking collective knowledge of Hinduism with the helping platform of this Blog maintained by Maria Ji (Thanks a ton for her extraordinary stuff).
In one place you mentioned that you were seeking meanings of our rituals and others in FB and Twitter, etc. How you will get Thor Dal in Pharmacy? Will you get? Get into the correct place to get your knowledge enriched, enlightened and enlarged. If you can’t get in touch with those areas… let know you email ID I will help in this regard.
Again, I don’t believe in FB, Twitters and other social networks where people or fond on self propagation and showoff their own small achievements rather than using it as vital tool for public awareness. Yes, there are a few like this one available, but you have to search for it patiently. Have you that patient?
Aggressiveness in terms of learning is productive but in terms of counterpoise will result destructive. I believe I convinced you, did I?
Let’s start educating our people from jumping into other religion first and the values of our own religion and then will think of countering. What is your contribution in this regard Bro?
well put… thanks
Thanks for the reply balaji690.
I use accidental34 as my username simply because I have a Google+ page by this same name. It’s a long story behind how I ended up with this name but it is just a name, so don’t be embarrassed. It is not like we are some 15 year olds who must have the coolest sounding name or else we will be laughed at.
But how old am I? A person is only as old as his mind so if you think I my mentality is that of someone below 35 then THAT is how old I am, though this body I am stuck in is somewhat older 🙂
“The point is, why should we waste our time in countering other religion, when there is huge responsibility of awaking task of our own brotherhoods of Hindus? Think of this first.”
It seems that I have failed to communicate my ideas and intentions properly so far. Awakening people, including our brotherhood of Hindus, is precisely the aim behind this post and my comments. The countering of other religions will happen automatically. It is like when someone turns on the light, the darkness is removed automatically.
“Also, one needs inclination to learn the subject. No subject is taught without the interest of the pupil or person. Do you agree?”
Yes, I agree. But before I expand on this, I want to mention that years ago I thought of Hinduism as nothing more than fairytales. Then I read something online that kindled my interest in Hinduism, and even though I am an amateur and still learning, by now I have learnt plenty.
So a simple incident kindled my interest in learning about Hinduism though no one knew ahead of time which particular incident it would be. This is where Facebook and Instagram etc, come in. These social media sites are only a tool. They can be used by narcissists for self propagation and showoff, or they can be used by us to post small nuggets that will kindle people’s interest so that they want to learn more. We don’t know which nuggets those would be. The only thing we know is that “All it takes is a spark to start the fire!”
“In one place you mentioned that you were seeking meanings of our rituals and others in FB and Twitter, etc. How you will get Thor Dal in Pharmacy?”
No I cannot get Thor Dal in pharmacy. But what if the pharmacy owner puts a poster in there with a pretty picture of Thor Dal bowl with some brief explanation about how nice it smells and how great it tastes. Chances are that a few percentage of people might check out the Thor dal recipe on their smartphone, then stop at the grocery store before going home to have Thor dal for dinner. Do you agree?
What if instead of putting a poster in the pharmacy, someone puts that poster on Facebook? Facebook too does not sell Thor dal but chances are that a few percentage of people would take a trip to the grocery store simply because they got interested in having Thor dal for dinner because of that poster.
Now what if instead of Thor dal poster, you put a poster with an interesting nugget about Hinduism? Out of all the people who see that poster, chances are that a few will get interested in learning more. It all starts with those small posters and memes on social media. For this reason do not underestimate the power of social media. Yes we can only post small things there, but all it takes is a spark to start the fire.
“What is your contribution in this regard Bro?”
I mostly post comments on youtube and news sites etc with the intention of kindling fires of interest [towards Hinduism] among people. I also had a Facebook account that was dedicated towards discussing religious stuff with people with the aim that they will go to their temples and ask questions. That FB account is no longer active. Now I only have a Google+ page where I occasionally post things. If interested, you can check it out at the link below. [Note: The profile picture on that page is not my picture.]
You will see on my Google page that I have a ‘collection’ of three articles dedicated to Sri Ganesha, one article on Goddess Lakshmi, and many others. Further down the page, you will also find an article where I defined ‘Dharma’.
I have had very few likes or shares on my page despite having nearly 40,000 views. No, I’m not crying about not getting ‘likes’, I’m simply curious about the reason. Maybe it is because all those visitors know Hinduism much more than I do, and know that I am wrong. Yet no one posts a comment telling me where I am wrong. Maybe the posts are too long? Maybe I should practice what I preach and put a poster of Thor Dal on my page. That will certainly get me a few ‘likes’ 🙂
Please note that I have not yet rejected your offer to learn from you. I feel that we need to kindle the interest of many people so as to start a movement of learning and awakening. The rising tide will lift all boats.
Here is the link to my Google+ page-
https://plus.google.com/117948605050831567900
“If people are blissfully happy not knowing the truth then leave them to it,….”
Harry, please watch the first 13 and half minutes of this Hindi movie (the rest of the movie is not important for our discussion. Also you can skip the first 5 and half minutes if you want.)
As you can see, Shanidev was blissfully happy not knowing that people worshiped him only out of fear. Then Narad muni stopped by to torment him with truth and facts. Now my question to you is-
Do you believe Narad was wrong to take Shanidev out of his blissfully happy state?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nN7Pdhcwp4
‘@accidental34 : Your info is well taken. Meanwhile check this Blog: https://floodoutyourview.wordpress.com/ and let me know your comments (check ‘About’ page too)
You are right about the “iron rods”. And yes! not only does the law of Karma but also the law of “Dharma shall protect the Dharmic”. Sanatan Dharma is all about self-discipline or more appropriately self-restrospection. But someone need to introduce that “concept” for it spread. With passing time, this Dharma and its ethos are not being handed down. People are simply not ready to receive. I think the only they can be bestowed upon is “Pity”.
Thanks for the reply Babylon. The reason why people are not receiving is because they have drowned themselves in materialism and selfishness. When a person is hungry (not referring to food-hunger) and afraid, s/he thinks that satisfying the material self is all that matters. and when achieved s/he calls it ‘success’. (This includes believing Hindus.) However, those who have lived in materialism and selfishness for some length, can feel that there is something missing, something still empty within them. What they have is spiritual emptiness. They are the ones ready to receive and fill that emptiness within them. Fortunately their numbers are growing, however slowly.
In business and sales, there is a concept that there are two types of demands. One type is the one that both consumers and merchants are fully aware of. For example, groceries. The second type is where the merchant is aware but the consumer demands it only after the merchant shows it to them. For example, chocolate bars or iphones. There was a time when consumers did not demand chocolate bars or iphones because they did not even know that such things existed. It was only after the merchants did marketing for these items that consumers came to know of them and wanted them.
Why do I mention this? Because all those spiritually empty people that I mentioned above will receive the knowledge of Dharma ONLY when someone offers it to them (as you yourself noted). Unfortunately, other religions and ideologies already know these things and have been doing everything, including unethical and immoral things, to trap people. Once trapped these people effectively get cut off from all other available ideas. This is particularly the case with Hindus who convert out. (Just listen to all those women who marry Muslim men. Many of them actually start doing propaganda for Islam, and their children do the same; and never again take interest in their previous religion.)
But our question remains: Who is this “someone” who needs to introduce Hindu concepts to the spiritually empty? My answer: We are that ‘someone’! (You, I, Maria, and everyone else here who understands that people need to be made aware of the good available in Hinduism.) Do not be startled. What we have to do is very simple and slow. All that is needed is steady dedication and spending on average half an hour online every day.
Gita says “Karm Karo.” So no, do not pity anyone. Make information available to them. We never know who might be eager to receive it. The same person who we pity today might one day become a staunch follower of Dharma, a role-model. Therefore, do not leave anyone out.
Now you must be saying “Ok fine, slow and steady wins the race, but what do we do, and how do we get started?” As you yourself said “learn from the enemy”. After watching Muslims and others (who are not enemy), and separating the good techniques from the unethical, immoral ones, I have realized that starting a social-media campaign is the most effective thing to do. It is the nature of humans to be attracted to pictures and other artful stuff (like memes), hence such artful material that people already share on social media is exactly what we should use to attract people and then gradually guide them towards Dharma proper.
We have to team up on Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc, collect memes, existing videos, and other small interesting things regarding Hinduism, share them with each other, and then share them with the world. During special occasions (e.g. festivals, national holidays, 9/11’s fifteenth anniversary, etc) we share posts that are somewhat larger. In addition, we share ideas with each other regarding what works and what does not. Also, different members of the team are going to have different skills, so we must collaborate accordingly.
This is how we get started. Over time our community will grow and we will expand our work, e.g. create our own memes and infographics, etc. The quality of our work too would need to improve over time.
To do all this is our Dharma (among other things), and as you yourself said “Dharma shall protect the Dharmic.”
I mentioned in another comment here that we need to take a collective pledge to make Hinduism stronger so that we can team up and do the above mentioned things. No one responded to that comment. I wonder if it is because people think it would take a lot of work. But the truth is that this will only take a small amount of time and effort (as I mentioned, about half an hour every day. As for effort, how much effort does it take to keep one’s eyes open to something interesting and showing it to team members “Hey look team, I found this, what do you guys think? Should we share it?” 🙂 )
So do not hesitate to pledge. It will be fun. Ok, I’ll start- “ॐ I pledge- 1) to do whatever it is in my capability to do to make Dharma stronger, and 2) to keep my eyes and my mind open to any ideas, tricks, tactics, and techniques, that I feel will help towards this aim, and will share those with others. I pledge that this will be my Nishkam Seva (selfless service) to Dharma. I will not look for any personal (selfish) benefit out of this. ॐ”
If four more of the readers here take this pledge, I will talk to Maria about starting a Google Communities page. That page is where we will team up. Others are welcome to start a Facebook group, or whatever other social-media groups are out there. The different teams will network with each other and share whatever we find. Of course people are free to join multiple platforms if they so choose (e.g. join both a Google community and a Facebook group).
Hoping for the best.
Namaste
yes, we all have to do our bit. yesterday i asked an 11th class student whether he knows what Vedanta is. No… never heard this word…
however, i am not at all computersavvy and even resist learning more (maybe an age thing and also connected with strain on my eyes).
everybody who wants to use my articles, please feel free to do so (unchanged of course or if change is needed, ask me beforehand)
‘@MW Ok, it is no big problem if you want to limit computer use. As I said everyone has their own strengths, and so you can participate in the team in other ways. Maybe you can compile a running list of sayings and quotes from scriptures and religious personalities, that others can use to create memes and image macros for social-media. Another example is to keep encouraging your readers to join our team (or do their own bit). Or simply give us your thoughts on how to interact with people so that they actually listen. Needless to say, any little input would help.
I don’t know whether narad muni was right or wrong.
The only thing I can say is, when you read Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna clearly says that, even if you don’t know me and you are unware of the truth but your ahtma is shudh, then that jiva ahtma will makes it to my abode and will be part of me.
Hinduism doesn’t convert people to it’s religious way, and we are not supposed to either, but if they turn up seeking for truth, than that is the time you should advise them of the truth otherwise your steps are not Dharmic.
This concept is same as, one should not prescribe medicine to the one that is not seeking the cure.
You should only engage in this act once you know that is what they are seeking and wanting.
Slow clapping. 🙂
Why tell someone of gold when they don’t understand the value of it?
I do understand your concept but I think it’s fruitless activities. Like I said, I would have been an atheist if it wasn’t for the choice of Hinduism and one should seek it’s own spirituality. It should never be opposed on to you.
If they are not seeking the truth, then don’t tell them, let them find it hard way . 🙂
‘@ Harry
“This concept is same as, one should not prescribe medicine to the one that is not seeking the cure.”
Ok but what if the poor person does not even know that a medicine or treatment is available? Should the pharmacies not even tell people that something IS available if they ever need it?
In your response to Varun Vikram you said that if they are not seeking to truth then don’t tell them. Taking the example of medicine again, if someone has a minor ailment, but pharmacies and hospitals do not even advertise vitamins and dietary supplements, how would the patient even know that something is available and that s/he does not even have to suffer minor ailments?
Also, we cannot correctly compare marketing religions and medicine. The thing with medicine is that even if people do not know about minor things like vitamins, everyone knows that they can go to a doctor who can let them know about the vitamins. The doctor is like a consultant who gives advice based on his knowledge and experience. He does not have loyalty to any one drug company or pharmacy.
But there are no such consultants when it comes to religion and spirituality. Whatever consultants there are out there, have loyalty to one or other religion. If I go to a church and tell them my life problems, they are not going to say “Ok, based on your problems, you should follow Hinduism”!
On top of that, the nature of people, when it comes to religion, is such that they do not actively seek anything, they simply keep an open mind. If religions like Islam reach them first (via advertising) and convince them to become Muslim, not only they themselves are stuck, but once brainwashed, they start their effort to undermine other religions including Hinduism. And yes, they CAN seriously harm Dharma. Never underestimate their determination to destroy Hinduism. I know this because I have seen what they teach, what they do, and what they are capable of.
If on the other hand, Hinduism finds them first, then not only there is one less person trying to undermine our religion, there is one more person making the most out of the world!
Excellent article. Having lived in Europe for many years, I was shocked to learn that when you got really up close and personal with the Europeans, they were incredibly fanatical in their Christian beliefs- much more than any Hindu I have ever known to be. And ironically, in India we are fed stories about how tolerant and close to human values the French etc are and how many of them are turning away from organised religion because that’s how evolved they are. So not true. Majority are deep Catholic believers and many are rascists who won’t even think of marrying a non- Christian. Oh and they are fed so much rubbish about India that they literally turn up their nose when they hear the word. None of the people I became friends with had ever visited India (only the hippie types do) because they were ‘scared’ (of poverty etc). Truly saddened by all the lies of the world.
No doubt, Hinduism must develop strength in its spine. We are accomodative but it should have a limit, more so when our own existence is at stake. Hindu religion and culture must be made stronger as this is the religion that aims at wellness for all, regardless of ethnicity, and religion. Hindu patriarchs must work to remove weaknesses, such as caste consideration etc., and politicians in India must stop playing vote bank politics. We, as a nation of Hindus must market Hinduism and encourage people to join for universal emancipation, that is the crux of Hindu religion. As the mankind has progressed on the road to development it has traveled far and lost the basic religion of mankind. Many religions have developed over the period, and many sects in any religion because mankind remains confused as to what is the best and most appropriate path to emancipation. In this context it is best to posit religious thoughts, and belief on religion of mankind, which cannot be separate for one to another. Hindu religion is not only one of the oldest but also nearest to this concept. That is why it is necessary to preserve and nurture Indian culture and Hindu (Indic) religion/s. I sincerely hope custodians of faith do change their mindset, arrogance, belief, and dogma to veer the mankind away from divisive religious philosophy. After all, religion binds people but divides societies. Despite adverse effects of materialism Hindu society has been able to preserve spiritual identity, the basic ethos of praying for wellness for all, and universal emancipation.
You are right about their FEARS which are sure to come true one day
Dear Maria,
Another Jewel of an article churned out by you in your mental cauldron. For your age, you are a persistent warrior for the Hindu cause or to put it right, for the Ultimate Truth or Brahma Gyan. Pray you get all the strength to carry on for so many more years to come.
thank u
On strengthening the spine I would suggest all to come and place comments with their real name, and not pseudonym. Realize yourself, realize the divinity in you, and realize the truth. That way one may be able to get closer to understanding the Almighty. Vedic Rishis realized it and practiced, later developing to ‘sanatan dharma’. It is most important to follow dharma. Dharma is understood to be synonymous with religion but is much more. An atheist may also have a concept of djarma and follow it, despite he may not belong to any religious order.
Namaskar lkv1941,
There are always going to be some people who for one reason or another do not want to use their real name. In my opinion, using the real name is not important. What is important is doing nishkam karma, as the Gita has taught. As you probably know, ‘Nishkam’ means selfless. No self and no name is supposed to get credit when one does nishkam karma. So if no one gets credit, why does it matter whether the karta is using real name or pseudonym?
Now if the pseudonym becomes super popular and then the karta reveals his/her real name to personally benefit from the publicity, only then it would be a problem. But it would be a problem only for the karta, since it would mean that s/he is still trapped in maya.
BTW, when I mentioned strengthening the spine in my comment, what I meant was that we should fearlessly (and honestly) display our Hinduism to our friends, co-workers, on Facebook, and to the world. What I also meant was-
– we should sincerely believe in what we display. The display should not be just for show or to make oneself look good. Because if someone gets impressed with our show, s/he is going to ask questions, and we better know the answers. If we don’t we will look like fools. And of course we will know the answers only if we study, or read quality material online. Our nishkam karma is to provide that quality material.
– we need to have some beliefs that we hold very dear. So dear that we are willing to fight for them and lose money for them. A friend of my friend went for a job to an Arab country. At the airport the customs employee searched his bag, took out an idol and smashed it on the floor with his full force. The friend did not even protest much because he knew he would be detained, and if his employer finds out, he would lose his job. You would think that when this friend came back he would refuse to go there ever again (and tell everyone what happened) but nope, he went there again because it was a well paying job. Shows how much self-respect some people have!
– we need to have a meaning and purpose to life. We also need to know our purpose as members of society. Whatever meaning and purpose we come up with, we need to sincerely believe it and live by it!
These are the things that are going to strengthen our spine, as individual Hindus and as community/nation.
Regards.
Very nice understanding Maria… I respect ur rationality for accepting Hinduism as most rational religion even after u being to other religion… Hats off to u…
I want to specifically give feedback to ur thought of insisting on religious debate…
I believe and you to agreed that Christians and Muslims are downgrading Hinduism purposly just to depict their religion more powerful… And the one who know the truth, you can’t expect an unbiased and healthy debate… First we must work on improving their mentality… Their blind faith for their religious thought… We should teach them not Hinduism but rationality… After all Hinduism too is very rational, isn’t it?? Let’s be spiritual… Let’s be philosophical… Let’s be rational… And not just enter into ism’s…
Once again all the best Maria and many congratulations for doing such a wonderful work… And would like to support you in any manner I can… Plz do let me know…
Tejas Chotai
It is true that many want and use pseudonym. There is no problem there. I do agree it is one of the ways to express yourself. My only point is that using a name makes one more responsive and responsible in his or her comments and views. That is all.
Religion is nothing more than a thought. Power of thoughts determine actions and propensity. Religions that teaches parochial approach cannot be a true religion. The Almighty was there even before human existence. In other words ‘Allah’ and God were there before Islam and Christianity came into being. That is because religious doctrines in Islam and Christianity do say that Allah or God created the world and created mankind in due course. Then how the earlier civilization and culture, including Hindus become infidels. If Allah or God has been since the beginning of creation then even the older civilizations were created by Him; and allowed to flourish for tens of thousand years. This concept that ‘my religion is superior to yours’ is the ugliest expression of ego. All religious scriptures are full of intent of the Almighty that one should discard ego and be egalitarian. But custodians of faith always try to veer people to follow one way and curse other ways. In fact, in my opinion religion is an industry where the custodians of faith are the manufacturers and public is the market.
fully agree with you. problem is how to reach those brainwashed who are convinced that their book alone contains the truth. they may be suspicious even towards rational arguments and consider it a “test” to lose faith in the ‘only truth revealed by the Highest himself’…
regarding support, if you can spread those thoughts in your circles it will help. i am not very internet savvy.
[…] recent piece on the various lies out there including the stupid Ghar Wapasi among others propagated mainly to […]
Accidental34, Count me in and let us all know what needs to be done. I am only active in FB. Don’t worry about Nishkam service. This is my gratitude to the Almighty for choosing me to be born in India in the cradle of Sanatan Dharma. I appreciate your optimism on these “lost” “materialistic” people. But you must encounter such people to know how “blind” “deaf” and deeply immersed in Avidya Maya these are 🙂 But we will do our duty! We will spread what is Sanatan Dharma all about and not expect anything in return.
I am addressing this to all who believe that Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) must be strengthened. We must have seminaries like in Islam and Christianity. People of faith must go out of their way to teach the finer aspects of Sanatan Dharma. It has to take a form of people’s movement. RSS and non-virulent Hindu organisations have a role to play here. Hearts have to won. People have to be convinced that parochialism in religion does not lead anybody anywhere. As I have said earlier the Almighty existed before Hinduism,Islam, and Christianity; or for that matter any sect came to be known. Those who think that there is someone sitting in the heaven is directing all that is happening on the terrestrial world are highly mistaken. Heaven and hell are no two big halls or big cities outside the terrestrial envelop but are in our mind. These are not halls where students are collected to suffer or enjoy results of their worldly life. These are feelings in our mind. If the Almighty was there before creation then any sect or any religion is just man made. It has no godly sanctity; it cannot have. Iconic worship developed due to fear and lack of confidence over happenings on which man had no control. But that does not mean that icons and symbols are of no value. Those who criticize Hindu icons must realise that icons and symbols are only representatives, these are not the Almighty, and worshipping is through these, not of these.Symbolism and icons are prevalent in Islam as well as in Christianity, as well. If that was not so what is the importance of 786 in Islam, and what may be the importance of canonisation in Christianity? As the mankind has progressed on the time avenue more and more religion and sects have developed, and will continue to develop, because man does know the force behind the creation. And, in that confused state keeps finding ways that may take him to the truth. But the truth is in the heart and mind, not in sects and religion. What is a temple, Church, or Masjid? It is an iconic representation. If that was not so there may not be any need to go on a pilgrimage. It is said that it is to cleanse the heart, but if humans refuse to clean their heart where all may be considered Almighty’s creation. there will be no addition to the virtuous elements in a human being. No vrat, penance, or pilgrimage is going to of any benefit unless there is change of heart; and that change has to be to appreciate that the whole humanity, and whole creation is a marvel of the esoteric force that may have created the universe. To my mind, Almighty is nothing but a boundless sea of energy that needs to manifest, and what we are, and what we experience is the result of that manifestation.
Visit my website
‘@Babylon
That is awesome. It is great to have you on. What we have to do is not hard but we must plan our work properly in order for it to be most effective. For now we have to do only a few things:
1) Keep our eyes open for more like minded people who not only agree that the world (including Hindus) need to be informed of what is available in Hinduism, but who also are willing to make their own effort to be involved. Do not push anyone to get involved. Simply invite them (as I have done in the comments here). I have learnt the hard way that pushing does not work. When we push people, they pretend to be involved but are not sincere. Without sincerity things simply fail sooner or later. Also make it clear that there is going to be nothing in it for them. The only people who will benefit is other people. If they are not interested, do not bring them to our team. (Though there is a chance that their children and grandchildren will benefit since a rising tide lifts all boats.)
If we find one more like minded person to join our team, we will start a Google Communities page where we will organize everything and share ideas and material. Do not worry about it being something complicated. Everything will be fairly easy and I volunteer to manage that page.
2) Hinduism is a very different kind of belief-system compared to other religions. For this reason we need to introduce Dharma to people in stages/phases. In the early phases, we will share simple and easy to understand material with people. Share how? Via Facebook memes and image macros (image macros are pictures with text written on them). Those with Google accounts, or Instagram etc can also share material on those sites.
Then if some reader shows interest, we will bring them to phase two where we will expand briefly on Hindu ideas, philosophy, arts, practices, and rituals, etc. I am confident that people who get exposed to material on this stage will become highly curious and will want to learn more. Then they enter the next stage and chances are that by this time they themselves will become fairly good at finding quality material.
So for now, we will simply scour Facebook for Hinduism related memes, posts, image macros, and videos. We either download them, bookmark them, or simply save them in Facebook itself. Also bookmark the name of the site (or FB page) where you found this material because that page might have more such material available. This should take no more than half hour of work online every day.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, the second thing that we need to do is to keep our eyes open for more like minded people and invite them to join us. When you find one, post a comment here. I too will keep my eyes open and will inform you here
For now, these two things are sufficient. Good luck.
Reblogged this on Spiritual Consciousness.
Excellent article! The true God is – “Brahman is not what the eyes can see but That whereby the eyes can see. Brahman is not what the mind can think but That whereby the mind can think” (Kena Upanishad).
No religion is true. All religions are created by us to hold control on our fellow beings. None of the religion has clearly depicted the GOD/CREATOR/ ISHWAR….. Every religion has its own drawbacks pros and cons. Every religion wants its supermacy on one another, there indeed is a supernatural unseen power yet to be materialised . But one thing is true whatever religion it may be but it is governed administered by the powerful humans only.if really there is only one super religion governing the whole universe then how come so many religions have mushroomed?
Sanatana Dharma is not a religion like Christianity and Islam which demand blind belief. it isa n enquiry into what is true. Pls see “difference between Hinduism and Christianity/Islam on this bog
What amazes me is that if one worships another way, or another shape, or another deity, how does the importance of the Almighty, another group may know by another name, gets
Concept of the Almighty, whatever name one may assign, and the creation, both are intertwined; it cannot be dissociated. Prayer and worship of the created is also prayer and worship to the creator. When a painting is appreciated, the painter is automatically appreciated. Just by offering prayers to the Almighty, and not appreciate the creation suffers on two counts; one, that it may not reach the creator, as He is considered without earthly attributes, and two, the focus concentrates only on the creator, and not on creation. A painter cannot be recognised if there is no painting worth appreciating. Similarly, the Almighty may never be seen, even in abstract thoughts, unless one appreciates the creation. Just as we reach the painter through his paintings, we reach the Almighty through appreciating His creation. That would be worshipping the Almighty through his creation. Scientists feel universe, and everything contained therein is the living example of the magnificence of the Almighty as an entity. In the words of scientists Carolyn C.Porco:
“We scientists have the drama, the plot, the icons, the spectacles, the “miracles”, the magnificence, and even the special effects. We inspire awe. We evoke wonder. And, we do not have one god, we have many. We find gods in the nucleus of every atom, in the structure of space time, in the counterintuitive mechanism of electromagnetism. What richness! What consummate beauty!”
Though the above quote may be in purport that it is science that holds secrets of universe, not religion. But for a polytheist, the same argument may support the philosophy, as one may see the Almighty in every speck of universe. Hindus believe in the presence of the Almighty in every speck, inanimate and animate; in a grain of sand, as well as in the most developed living species, that is the human beings. That may explain why Hindus pray all that is on earth, and the cosmos and universe. That is how Hindu (Indic) religion offers plurality, tolerance, and acceptance. One may be an agnostic, still remain a Hindu. In the words of John Peter Jones:
“The Hindu mind, like the Hindu faith has a fatal facility for accepting, semi-assimilating, and finally absorbing, all religious belief and conviction that may come into contact with it. And, this never necessarily involves the abandoning of the old beliefs.”
dear maria i have been following you and respect you for your lovely articles. i salute you ..hope one day the Hindus will wake up or feel proud to spread the message of Vedas…we are still a hypnotized people …helpless onlookers…Hindus are their own enemies..too many jaipals who bring doom …
thank u. nice to know
That “chance after chance” is the best part – no one is ever permanently split from their inherent goodness!
Its said that when the Pupil is ready, The Teacher will appear.
The Truth needs no marketing, so powerful & refulgent it is.
God has his own ways to help & assist to teach the conscious entities, & helps others not so conscious.
Be firm as you approach Godhead, as you will receive mercy & understanding
I fully agree with Mariaji if she is referring to the enlightened Hinduism of ancient India, as explained by Swami Vivekanand. There is another version of orthodox Hinduism claimed by hardliners who forcibly impose their idea of Hinduism on everyone. They take law in their hands to demolish Babri Mosque, attack people suspected of eating beef, kill rationalists for questioning orthodox Hinduism… They make Hinduism look no different than other religions. Ignorant Hindus still practice birth based caste system, notwithstanding examples like Valmiki, Parshuram & no Shankaracharya denounces it. They blindly believe in rituals using cow urine.
I respectfully disagree. What happens in the real world is that when the pupil is ready, charlatans show up way sooner than The Guru. Other philosophies, e.g. Leftism and consumerism too reach people way sooner and misguide them. Only a rare few lucky ones find The Teacher.
It is for this reason that Hinduism needs to be marketed. Pupils need to be at least aware that this option (Hinduism) too is available, so that when they are ready they can do their homework and choose their path.
An example of Hinduism being marketed, to other Hindus, is Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s talks and discourses. His disciples don’t do any elaborate marketing. They simply put short videos of his talks on Youtube. That simple effort does the trick, and millions including myself have learnt things that we never knew before.
Sadhguru (and the philosophy that he preaches) is not the only one in Hinduism. There are dozens more. But how would the world, including other Hindus, come to know about this knowledge if no one even mentions that it exists.
I say it is our act of NOT marketing Hinduism that is causing far more harm, keeping people in the dark, and keeping them from reaching their full potential. Probably ninety percent of the Hindus do not even know that there are different denominations within Hinduism, let alone what they teach.
This is why marketing is important.
[…] आवश्यक : यह लेख Maria Wirth के मूल आलेख ‘Hindu Dharma needs to spread‘ का अनुवाद है। मूल आलेख यहाँ देखा जा […]
[…] आवश्यक : यह लेख Maria Wirth के मूल आलेख ‘Hindu Dharma needs to spread‘ का अनुवाद है। मूल आलेख यहाँ देखा जा […]
[…] This is the Hindi translation of https://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/02/hindu-dharma-needs-to-spread/ […]
Pranam maria ji,
I am working on rediscovery of the ancient Indian philosophy from scratch on the light of modern logic. I feel it’s the only way to reinstate the respect for our past in the minds of the modern youth.
Of course authors like Amish & Krishna Udayshankar are doing their part to bring us out of the funny arrows meeting mid air special effects shown in serials.
I just yesterday met the swamiji at ramkrishna math regarding the same. Talking to him made me realise that Indian philosophy is nothing of not good & in the hands of right people. I felt like my work could lead to the same fate as the one by Einstein with atomic bomb.
Now i am not that sure about what to do…
[…] Source: Hindu Dharma needs to spread […]
[…] (Note: this article was originally posted Here ) […]
Respected Madam, Your writing is excellent. I am an Independent Researcher in Psychology and my findings are at naturalmind.org
[…] Source: Hindu Dharma needs to spread […]
Beautifully and clearly depicts the religions in their true light.
https://www.quora.com/Can-Hinduism-be-explained-graphically/answer/Pras-Anna-3?srid=oMDW
or
medium.com/@sifybird/Hinuism:a graphic description
You can feel like I’m touching your foot and telling you thank you very much for your insight in Hinduism!!
Ms. Wirth,
I’m speechless. Your study on Sanatan Dharma is commendable than most people in Bharatvarsh. I regularly read your blog and they reveal more knowledge every time.
Thank you so much.
Kind regards,
Makarand Malekar
Thank you. Glad to know that the posts are helpful.
I am grateful to India and her rishis for her wisdom
[…] article was originally published on mariawirthblog . It is being reproduced with the author’s […]
Ms.Wirth Mam,
Excellent writing about “The Way Of Life” which is nothing but Hindu(ism). As depicted in Sri.Bhagavat, by Sage Vyasa, as Kaliyuga starts Adharma begins & as it progresses Adharma Progresses, till The Supreme takes an Avataara.
The base of Hindu is Robust & based on Truth, nothing can shake it.But with this a Conscience Hindu can’t & must not keep silent. It’s hi time to react and defend the truth.
Thank you very much once again for the “Writing on the Wall” warning the Hindus for impending danger from the Untrue,Uncouth, Barbaric “Isms” Of world.
Thanks & Respectful Regards,
Pradeepkumar Kathavi
https://medium.com/@sifybird/hinduism-a-graphic-description-63ac00c821d2
Very well explained. Enlightening. Many thanks and “Charan Sparsh” Maria ji for this illuminating blog. This has helped in further reinforcing our faith in our religion or our way of life. As suggested it will be my endeavour at every given opportunity to spread this awareness. Many thanks once again.
Please if you can compile all the articles in one pdf and upload it some where on the internet! I really need a copy, or give me the permission to do it.
sorry for being late. was busy with my book. just saw your tweet, too. what is the advantage of a pdf, and where would it be put up. is my blog not good enough? posts can be downloaded, too, can’t they?
Although I started following the writer’s column only recently, I realize that she speaks true sense, having knowledge of all religions. It is therefore important for people like me to understand the depth of Hinduism from such learned writers.
[…] Hindu Dharma Needs to Spread More. […]