niranjan
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Puri Temple Priests Purify Temple Following Non-Hindu's Entrance
niranjan replied to a topic in World Review
I agree with this. Arya Samaj temples, Iskcon temples, and the temples affiliated to Sree Narayana Guru, the Chinmaya Mission , the Sai baba Mission, the Amritanandamayi Mission, the Ramakrishna Mission too are open to all regardless of religion, creed, race or nationality. Also the famous shabarimala temple is open to all people regardless of religion, creed and nationality . I remember reading in the newspaper about polish devotees taking the spiritual vows associated with going to Shabarimala, and going there. Many muslims and christians too have gone there. The fact that some Hindu temples bar those of other religions , is highly ironical considering the fact that both Advaita and Vishistadvaita , the most important philosophies of Hinduism, considers each and every human being to be a manifestation of God himself . So when these temples are preventing people of other religions or nationality to enter, they are actually preventing the Lord himself. Also it is a fact that in these temples a sattvic atmosphere exists,and if people ( hindus or non-hindus) with a rajasic or tamasic mind comes over there, there is a chance that the purity of the surroundings would be violated. It is for this reason that there are strict rules among HIndus that they should not eat non-vegetarian food on the day of entering a temple and that they should also take a bath. I think what should be done is that those foreigners who wish to enter these temples in true love and reverence should get a certificate from Iskcon or the Arya Samaj or other Hindu institutions showing that they are true devotees, and ready to abide by the rules of these temples(as I have stated above). And these foreign or non-hindu devotees should be allowed inside the temples. In this way the temples sattvic vibrations would not be violated, and at the same time earnest devotees can worship the Lord to their hearts content. I think this is already in practice. I remember reading in the newspaper about a white American devotee , who visited the famous Guruvayur temple in Kerala and worshipped there, after getting a certificate from the Arya Samaj , in the company of the famous yogi Sunil Das of Palakkad . Also , I don't think Hindu temples are the only religious institutions who bar people of other religions. The Zoroastrian temples bar people of other religions from entering them. Similarly too with Islamic mosques. And I think Jewish temples too bars people of other religions from entering them. (correct me if I am wrong). -
Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
India also has a 300 million strong middle class which in itself is 20 times that of the entire Israeli population. So please shed your paranoia about India being a economic colony of Israel. Also please get rid of your Israeli -Jewish phobia, considering the fact that as a people, they have suffered very much because of it. -
Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
Israel has recently become the second largest supplier of miltary hardware to India after Russia. This is the only relationship that Israel shares with India and this should not be interpreted as Israels economic domination of India. Israel itself is just a strong economy , but not in the top or a world class economic power , as Japan or Germany. I don't think Israel, with its tiny size, and a population which is less than 20 million, is in any position to economically colonize India, which itself has a strong economy that is growing at 8% per annum, and is considered as the next Asian tiger and rival to China . Already India has pipped Japan, as the home to the most number of billionaires in Asia, and in this regard , she is second only to the U.S. in the world. -
Wearing a tilak is not at all a qualification for being a hindu. I and many of my co-hindus do not wear tilaks at all and I am sure we are Hindus. The most important teaching of Hinduism is to get enlightenment or moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. And since Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are valid paths too for attaining enlightenment , one does not cease to be a Hindu by following these paths for attaining enlightenment. Again I wish to repeat these quotes by Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Govind Singh.... Tin te sun Siri Tegh Bahadur Dharam nibaahan bikhe Bahadur Uttar bhaniyo, dharam hum Hindu Atipriya ko kin karen nikandu Lok parlok ubhaya sukhani Aan napahant yahi samani Mat mileen murakh mat loi Ise tayage pramar soi Hindu dharam rakhe jag mahin Tumre kare bin se it nahin - Guru Tegh Bahadur's reply to Aurangzeb's ordering him to embrace Islam.(In response, Shri Tegh Bahadur says, My religion is Hindu and how can I abandon what is so dear to me? This religion helps you in this world and that, and only a fool would abandon it. God himself is the protector of this religion and no one can destroy it.) Sakal jagat main Khalsa Panth gaje Jage dharam Hindu sakal bhand bhaje - Guru Govind Singh (The Khalsa sect will roar around the world. Hinduism will awaken, its enemies will flee.) <!-- / message -->From these words of the gurus, let us understand the words of Swami Vivekananda in their true light.
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Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
After reading this crazy stuff too , I don't know about the other guys, but I have already decided to label this as utmost nonsense and hyperbole. I have read a lot of crazy stuff in posts by other people , but this beats them all. -
Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
Well, I think I have a right to be curious, especially about the source of all this information. And I am sure it is not only me , but everyone else over here. Otherwise we would be compelled to term all that you have said as sheer nonsense and idiocy. -
Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
Well, this is the first time in my life I have ever read such stuff, and I think I am considerably well-read. Nehru , a heir of the Theosophical movement!!!!! The man was a staunch atheist , and was not at all interested in Hinduism. ***Realising that Indian National Congress leaders were phoney in every respect, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a British educated lawyer managed to get a mandate for an all Muslim Pakistan without shedding a drop of blood or going to jail. *** You seem to have forgotten Direct Action Day proclaimed by Jinnah , for the creation of Pakistan, which led to Muslims going berserk and creating the Calcutta riots which led to the deaths of thousands of people. <<<<<....e last Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten is considered to be associated with the Rothschilds. He realised the threat Pakistan would pose to the about to be created Soviet proxy India. He assured that independent India got more than its share of landmass, including islands in the Indian Ocean, many border districts initially marked for Pakistan (which resulted in the Muslims being massacred), 95% Muslim Kashmir which should have gone to Pakistan, The Muslim princely states of Junagadh and Hyderabad, the latter of whom was expecting independent status for its traitorous role in 1857 and North-Eastern territories consisting of Orientals>>>>>>>>>> Again, I wonder the source of all this information. Just curious........ As I have said before , never ever heard about it. As for Kashmir going to India, it is because the Hindu ruler of Kashmir opted for India. And all of Kashmir is not in India's hands too.,, The Pathan raiders captured a major portion of Kashmir in a quick raid of slaughter and rapine, until they were stopped by the Indian armed forces. You speak of the Muslims being massacred. I have never heard of this. Why didn't you mention the thousands of Hindus and Sikhs who were massacred by Muslim mobs during the partition riots? ' -
Have the Jewish People and Hindus ever fought each other?
niranjan replied to darkangel's topic in World Review
Nothing of the sort. Nazis cannot be termed as Hindus in any manner. They never adhered in any way to the hindu teachings of non-violence and righteousness and peace. All they did was to borrow the Swastika and conveniently made it a perverted and hated symbol. Also during World War 2, it is a fact that Gandhi gave his complete backing and support to the British government and the Allied cause for the defeat of the Nazis. This is a historic fact. -
Hi Guesto. You can rectify the faults of your ancestors by extending a brotherly hand to your hindu brothers from the lower castes, and ending discrimination against them by the upper castes. I understand this is because of ignorance of the true import of HInduism. You must educate the upper castes of the true teachings of HInduism and permanently end all forms of discrimination. "Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another." -Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads
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For your information, I am not a Brahmin or member of any upper caste myself. I belong to a lower caste. I am well aware of the abuses Brahmins have committed on my people. However at the same time , to generalize all Brahmins as evil is also foolishness and not right. I have quoted the examples of Ramanuja and Dayananda Saraswati. And your information that the Vedas are created by Brahmins are dead wrong. As I have stated before , 70% of the Rishis belonged to the lower economic groups. And I have scholarly sources to prove this fact. If you want to prove that the Vedas are created exclusively by the Brahmnins , why don't you prove that by proofs and facts of your own, backed by scholarly sources. Even Ambedkar was very much helped by his Brahmin teachers, and it is a fact that the name 'Ambedkar' itself was given by his Brahmin teacher Ambedkar , as he feared that his pupil might not get the opportunities he deserve if he kept his dalit name. Sri Sri RAvi Shankar , born in the Brahmin caste himself, has opened a lot of schools and colleges, and 80% of the students in his educational institutions are Dalits. Similarly a teacher of Ravi Shankar, a Brahmin himself, has taken up the responsibility of educating 8 poor dalits, and all of them have risen to the ranks of Ias/ Ips officers. What I am trying to say is to generalize all Brahmins as evil is a complete mistake. And hatred for them is also not justified in the sense that hate is detrimental to spiritual progress. And as I stated before, Hinduism is not completely Brahminism. Mata Amritanandamayi, a female enlightened master from the Shudra Dalit caste, is disseminating the teachings of Hinduism in India and world wide. It is a regular feature to see upper caste hindus falling at her feet and seeking her blessings. And she definetely have no hatred but unconditional love for them. We should work to propagate the true teachings of Hinduism among the masses of India, whether upper caste or lower caste, and help them to become better human beings.
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And where exactly in my posts is there Brahmin propaganda. I myself has said that the 70% of the Rishis were belonging to the lower castes or economic groups. And they were the creators of the Vedas. The Vedas do not belong to the Brahmins. It belongs to all of mankind. You are right when you say that the Brahmins did not allow the sudras to study the Vedas. But this is in no way the fault of the Vedas, considering the fact that the Vedas in no way condones the caste system and make any distinction between people. And if you are a proponent of the Aryan invasion theory , I have got news for you. Indian scholars and archaeaologists led by N.S. RAja ram, has presented facts and proofs in America , declaring that the Aryan invasion theory is a myth. Even Witzel, the foremost scholar and proponent of the Aryan invasion theory , in the light of these findings admitted that he and his colleagues no longer to the Aryan invasion theory. I respect the fact that you revere Krishna and the Buddha and the Upanishads . The most important teaching in Hinduism is to lead a dharmic life and attain moksha or nirvana or enlightenment and become a krishna or a Buddha yourself.
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From my earlier posts, you can easily see that the Vedas do not condone the caste system . The present caste system was created and perpetuated by power hungry Brahmins , without any sanction from the Vedas. However this doesn't mean that all brahmins were equally corrupt. Ramanuja, who was a Brahmin, enabled Dalits to enter the temples and vested the sacred thread on them and made them Brahmins as well. Similarly , the Arya Samaj too, created by Dayananda Saraswati, who was a Brahmin, also opened the study of the Vedas to Dalits as well, and he appointed many Dalits as priests. Brahminism should not be the sole representative of Hinduism, and the Brahmins do not represent the lower castes as well, from whom many Hindu enlightened masters like Sri Narayana Guru, Thiruvalluvar, Ravi Das and others have emerged. The Hinduism as represented by these great saints did not condone the caste system and at the same time presented to the masses the fundamental teachings of Hinduism. The need of the hour is not to lament on what the power hungry Brahmins have done, but to disseminate the true teachings of HInduism to the masses regardless of caste, creed , religion or nationality. And this is what the Arya Samaj, the Brahmo Samaj, the Ramakrishna Mision, the Amritanandamayi Mission, the Sai Baba mission, the Kalki Mission, the Sivananda Mission, the Chinmaya Mission , Iskcon , the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, the Ramana Mission and others are doing.
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Vedas, the proud possession of mankind, are the foundation of Hinduism. Vedas are all-embracing, and treat the entire humanity with the same respect and dignity. Vedas speak of nobility of entire humanity (krinvanto vishvam aryam), and do not sanction any caste system or birth-based caste system. Mantra, numbered 10-13-1 in Rig Veda, addresses the entire humanity as divine children (shrunvantu vishve amrutsya putraha). Innumerable mantras in Vedas emphasise oneness, universal brotherhood, harmony, happiness, affection, unity and commonality of entire humanity. A few illustrations are given here. Vide Mantra numbered 5-60-5 in Rig Veda, the divine poet declares, “All men are brothers; no one is big, no one is small. All are equal.” Mantra numbered 16.15 in Yajur Veda reiterates that all men are brothers; no one is superior or inferior. Mantra numbered 10-191-2 in Rig Veda calls upon humanity to be united to have a common speech and a common mind. Mantra numbered 3-30-1 in Atharva Veda enjoins upon all humans to be affectionate and to love one another as the cow loves her newly-born calf. Underlining unity and harmony still further, Mantra numbered 3-30-6 in Atharva Veda commands humankind to dine together, and be as firmly united as the spokes attached to the hub of a chariot wheel. <!-- / message -->
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In the manu smriti , when it comes to stance of hereditary caste system, the verse below is believed to sanction support for vocational non-hereditary caste system. "As the son of Shudra can attain the rank of a Brahmin, the son of Brahmin can attain rank of a shudra. Even so with him who is born of a Vaishya or a Kshatriya" (X: 65) Paramahansa Yogananda also opposed what he called to the un-Vedic caste system as we know it today. He taught that the caste system originated in a higher age, but became degraded through ignorance and self-interest. Yogananda said: "These were (originally) symbolic designations of the stages of spiritual refinement. They were not intended as social categories. And they were not intended to be hereditary. Things changed as the yugas [cycles of time] descended toward mental darkness. People in the higher castes wanted to make sure their children were accepted as members of their own caste. Thus, ego-identification caused them to freeze the ancient classifications into what is called the ‘caste system.’ Such was not the original intention. In obvious fact, however, the offspring of a brahmin may be a sudra by nature. And a peasant, sometimes, is a real saint.”" —from Conversations with Yogananda, Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2003.
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It is a fact that more than 70 per cent of the ancient Hindu Rishis, or enlightened masters of India, belonged to the lower castes. Valmiki and Vyasa , who wrote the epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha respectively, belonged to the lower castes. In ancient times , one's caste was determined by one's temperament, talents and inclinations. Caste was not a barrier to the lower caste people, who rose to the level of the upper castes through their talents. This was the reason why Kshatriyas like the Buddha and Vishwamitra , became Brahmins or men of spiritual nature and why a Brahmin like Parashurama became a Kshatriya. This is also the reason why shudras or low caste people like Valmiki , Vyasa, Vasishtha, Narada, Drona, Karna ,Thiruvalluvar were raised to the position of a Brahmin or Kshatriya , in virtue or their superior learning or valour. Much more of this information can be found in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's book "Heritage of the dalits". Shankaracharya and others , were the great caste-makers. They would sometimes get hordes of Baluchis and at once make them Kshatriyas, and also get hordes of fishermen and make them Brahmins forthwith. It was with the advent of the foreign invasions in India, that the caste system became rigid, and migration of people to different castes were stopped. Even then, enlightened masters from the lower castes such as Kabir, Ravi Das, Sri Narayana guru were revered by the upper castes as well. When India gained independence due to the efforts of Hindus like Gandhi, perfect equality was thrust upon the masses of India , no matter to what caste one belonged to, thus reestablishing and continuing the ancient tradition of India. Even the constitution of independent India , was created by a Dalit called B.R.Ambedkar. It will take some time for the deadweight of tradition of the rigid caste system to be removed from India. But as enlightened Hinduism and Buddhism, as preached by Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and others are reaching the masses, slowly these shackles are being dissolved . <!-- / message -->
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Hinduism has never been an organized religion like the Abrahamic faiths , but is more of a way of life. And though there are many sects in Hinduism, all of them have fundamental common teachings in the form of reverence to Om or Omkar, belief in the theories of rebirth, karma, and moksha or enlightenment or salvation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Of these all sects agree that moksha or enlightenment is the most important thing and any hindu can choose the way to it through whichever sect he wants. He has complete freedom to do so. Brahminism too is just a sect of Hinduism. The Brahmins are a minority in India and they should not be seen as the sole representatives of Hinduism. The success of the Arya Samaj, Iskcon, the Ramakrishna Mission, the Chinmaya Mission, the Sivananda Mission, the Amritanandamayi Mission, the Sai Baba Mission, the Art of Living Foundation, the Kalki Mission and other missions all prove that Hinduism is alive and kicking and expanding all over the world. As for India, she is fast emerging as a power to be reckoned with, both militarily and economically . The Punjab militancy has died out, and only the Kashmir and Assam and Nagaland militancy remains. And in all these states, the security forces have gained the upper hand in their battles with the militants and these states are in no position whatsoever to secede from India. India is getting stronger by the day, and if we all strain our nerves and work hard , she will soon become a developed nation by 2020 , as predicted by our technocrat president Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
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reproduced from Hindu Voice uk :: EDITORIAL & ANALYSIS :: A Call for the Intellectual Kshatriya David Frawley The Challenge of the Information Age We live in the age of the information revolution, which has taken a quantum leap since the introduction of computers and the opening up of the Internet. The new information flood is changing the nature of the society in ways that we have yet to know and for which there is no precedent. This information revolution is in many respects an information war, with different groups vying to put their views out to the general public as the truth. It is often a disinformation war as well, with groups trying to discredit those who have different views, using the media as their weapon. In this contest whoever puts out information first usually gains credibility by defining the field. Whoever puts out information in the most sophisticated and high tech manner has the best audience in the long run and generally the best success in promoting their agenda. In the media realm packaging is more important than content and strong assertion takes the role of real proof. People tend to believe what is well presented in the media, even if it is otherwise biased or limited. For this reason various vested interest groups pour billions of dollars into this information war, with religious and political groups making great efforts to promote themselves in the new global arena. Advertisement agencies, public relations firms, and lobbyists are hard at work, often to the highest bidder, to give a good image and strong media presence to their clients, simply if the price is right. Even terrorist groups like Hamas have used the media to their advantage, as have fundamentalist dictatorships like Saudi Arabia. The issue is not one of truth but of business. We live in a mass media dominated society, with daily exposure to some sort of radio, television, computer, newspaper or magazine for almost everyone alive. It has been said that the media is the message, that the media has made itself into the focus of our lives. The media has, we might say, become our mind and influences, if not dominates, our thinking. Many of us spend more time taking in media information that interacting with other people or with the world of nature. These media images serve to color our minds down to a subconscious level. They program our behavior, a fact that advertising has long known and sought to benefit from. Now this Western information and media culture is spreading all over the planet, including the Third World, with the globalization of the economy. Even villages are getting television and the other trappings of Western modernity. India, China, and Asia in general are being brought under the influence of the media moguls. Unfortunately, this Western media and commercial culture has largely the same agenda as previous colonial forces, which only fifty years ago lost hold in Asia. This commercial culture seeks to supplant traditional cultures with a Western model, not only in terms of practical conveniences but also in terms of thought and belief. It attempts to Westernize, Americanize or Europeanize the world. Western religious groups, particularly Christian Evangelical groups, are learning to use the media for their advantage as well, preaching and proselytizing on the screen, and broadcasting their mass rallies through the media. Yet all Christian groups use the media in Asia to promote their agenda over native Asian religions, which the media stereotypes as primitive or inhumane. Islamic groups have similarly realized the power of the media and spend large sums to influence public opinion in the Western world, stressing the humanistic side of Islam. The Islamic lobby in the United States is one of the largest lobbies in the country pouring billions into the political and media arenas. In Islamic countries the power of the media is recognized both for good and ill. The media is strictly controlled by the state to project an Islamic image, and portray Islam only in a positive light, while striving to keep the Western media and its views out. The media is a tool of Islamic propaganda with religious shows and prayers as the dominant themes. Hindus and the Information Age Therefore the question arises particularly in the context of India: where are Hindus in this information war? The answer is that, with a few notable exceptions, Hindus generally are only feebly present, apologetic or half-hearted in their self-presentation in the information field. The image of Hinduism that prevails in the information age is created by non-Hindus and anti-Hindu forces, not only by intention but also by default because Hindus themselves seldom challenge wrong views or provide an alternative. In this way Hinduism is being eroded, particularly in the minds of young Hindus, who seldom find their religion represented, or who find it denigrated in the media world around them that is rapidly becoming their reality. In fact one must ask: Is there any real Hindu intelligentsia in the world? Is there any group of thinkers dedicated to Hindu values and causes and making themselves known in the media realm? Certainly all religious groups have their great intellectuals and thinkers in the world area. Hindus, among all religious groups, seem to have the least of these. It is certainly not a case of lack of intelligence in Hindus. They have excelled in all the fields of the mind and culture. They have done well in modern fields of science, medicine, computers and engineering, as well as their own traditional cultural fields. Hence there is no reason why the media realm should be beyond their capacity. Certainly Hindus have succeeded in articulating the views of their particular religious groups. There are great Vedantic thinkers, great Vaishnava thinkers and great yogis active today. Almost every great Hindu guru has his intellectual exponents. But when it comes to the field of the religion and spiritual tradition as a whole, particularly its social and political concerns, we find little thought or regard. A Hindu thinker can write a great book on Yoga or Vedanta, but will write only a short article on Hinduism, generally stating how broad and tolerant the religion is, making sure not to offend any other religious beliefs in the process. Hinduism has produced many extraordinary minds in modern times. Excellent Hindu critiques of the West and of the modern world can be found in the writings of great Hindu gurus like Aurobindo, Vivekananda, Shivananda or Chinmayananda. The problem is that their works get placed in the religious or spiritual field and do not enter into the intellectual realm. Their teachings are often confined to their disciples, who personalize them rather than promote them for their global relevance. Much of the work of creating a new Hindu intelligentsia should consist of taking the works of these great gurus and reformulating them for a broader and more intellectual audience. Hindu intellectuals have generally failed in the modern information revolution. They have not articulated their views in a clear way. They have produced little by way of books, and almost nothing by way of magazines and newspapers to express what they hold to be true, even in India. While other religions have given clear views on various social and political topics, Hinduism is often without a voice. The most notable exception to this trend is the magazine Hinduism Today coming out of Hawaii (USA), organized and written mainly by Western Swamis. Yet such a magazine has no real counterpart in India or its different dialects. Even pro-Hindu political parties like the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) have failed to produce any important or widely circulated newspaper or magazine to promote their views. The result is that distorted views of Hinduism prevail and are often promoted without question. When Hindus have taken to defending their tradition, which is the exception, they often do it in an uncritical way, using blind faith or rhetoric rather than clear thinking, writing books and articles mainly for a Hindu audience that already accepts such views. This is no way to influence intellectuals of a non-Hindu persuasion. The language of modern discourse, perhaps unfortunately, is English. This should be of some advantage to Hindus as English is often their second language. However Hindus seldom learn to write good English. They often emulate nineteenth century British English with its long sentences, redundancy and antiquated words. To gain a place in this media dialogue they must sharpen their media skills and learn to use the English language to their benefit. Clearly there needs to be a new Hindu intelligentsia to deal with this current challenge. Hindus must set forth their ideas in a modern and rational way that appeals to people, just as the great Rishis did of yore. They have much ground for doing so and many good arguments to present. It may be difficult for India to really change unless there first is an intellectual revolution in the country. Of course there must be a spiritual urge behind this intellectual change for it to be effective. It is not just a modification of ideas that is required but of the intellect following a greater spiritual urge and insight. This is what a true Hindu intelligentsia can offer a world in which intellectuals are usually in the service of dogmas and ideology, not Dharma. Since independence Marxist and socialist thinking has dominated India, which has viewed Hinduism, with its spiritual and religious values, as its main enemy. Now gradually a more commercial influence is arising along with economic liberalization, but it is similarly trying to undermine and replace Hindu culture, which with its self-sufficiency and spirituality does not make for an easy commercial target. Hindu culture, which managed to survive as the predominant model in India even through a thousand years of domination by first Islamic and then Christian influences, finds itself under a new threat, less overt but perhaps for that very reason more dangerous. The intelligentsia of India since independence has been self-righteously anti-Hindu and naively accepting of Western ideologies, often merely echoing or imitating the old colonial and missionary propaganda against their own venerable religion that appears alien to these disenfranchised souls. The result is that the ruling political parties of India have done little to protect the dominant culture of the country from media distortions but have in fact often encouraged these. They have used anti-Hindu propaganda projected through the media both in the West and in India to try to keep Hindus suppressed and afraid of asserting themselves, so that there is no Hindu challenge to their power. Hinduism continues under siege and with little defense, particularly in this new battleground. Even Hindu religious groups and leaders are often more concerned about their own particular faction and seldom willing to come to the defense of the culture as a whole. Clearly unless this situation is corrected the future of Hinduism is threatened or at least severely diminished. While several Hindu groups have noticed this problem, it still has yet to be faced and addressed in a complete manner. Hindu society is becoming aware of this difficulty but it has yet to really awaken and deal with it in the real world. The front line of the battle in the world today is no longer on any particular battlefield with the exchange of bullets or bombs. It lies now in the media and in the information field, which can be quite as deadly and poisoning in its results as any battlefield. Even the battles that are fought with weapons gain much more importance if the media is there. A few people killed in Israel can become world news and shape global strategies because of the media. Hundreds of people killed in Sudan or China, where there is no media, will have no effect. An Intellectual Kshatriya In this information war a different kind of warrior is necessary and a different strategy is required. This is not an entirely new issue because there has always been something of an information war in the clash of cultures, nations and religions that has occurred throughout history. But today it has much more importance in the information age and has become the central issue. Each culture has its intellectual defenders. These are its great thinkers who articulate its cultural values. These intellectual defenders serve to challenge negative views. They also serve to present a favorable image of the culture and define its future. Hindus traditionally had their Kshatriya or warrior class to defend them. There has always been an intellectual Kshatriya as well, those who defend the culture from attack in the realm of ideas, which usually precedes or accompanies physical attack. However, Hindus today have failed perhaps more than any other group to create a defense for their culture in the media world. Hindus are routinely portrayed through stereotypes of caste, dowry deaths, widow burning, strange cults, poverty and superstition. The worship of Shiva appears in the New York times as the phallic cult of the Hindu God of destruction. Krishna is portrayed in Western universities as an erotic God with questionable morals. Brahmins appear in the Western media as rich landowners oppressing their poor slave Shudras, right out of communist propaganda stories. The world mass media seldom considers any Hindu point of view. The Hindu sense of animal protection is not looked at in ecological or animal rights terms but as a primitive worship of cows. Though Hindus are the third largest religion in the world, and the largest non-biblical tradition, in many presentations of world religions Hindus are left out or denigrated as polytheists, idolaters and animists. Some universities in the West teach that Hinduism is not a religion at all but a collection of cults mainly of a primitive nature. Such schools teach that India as a nation was created by the British and was otherwise just a collection of warring states with little in common. Though India is the largest democracy in the world and the second most populated country, it has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council. In events of global importance neither an Indian nor a Hindu point of view are given consideration. In Bangladesh Hindus are under siege and frequently have their property taken from them. In Pakistan Hindus have been almost entirely eliminated. In neither country has there ever been any prominent Hindu leaders or government officials. In Fiji Hindus are routinely oppressed. In Malaysia they have to accept an inferior position, where Hindus can be converted to Islam but no Muslims can become Hindus. When Hindus work in Islamic Gulf countries Hindus have to hide their religion. Saudi Arabia requires that India send only a Muslim ambassador and India has always meekly complied, bowing down to a nation with 1/20 its population! In India itself foreign missionary activity is perhaps at its highest point in history, particularly targeting tribal groups, to the extent of encouraging them to secede from the nation and form Christian states. In South India Catholic priests routinely dress up like Hindu Swamis and go to the villages speaking of Yoga and Vedanta in order to convert Hindus to Christianity. Yet Hindus seldom raise a voice and the world hardly knows of these facts. And, most strangely, it is the media of India that works probably the hardest to suppress the knowledge of these goings on. In America large Islamic lobbies works to promote a positive image of Islam and do not hesitate to denigrate Hindus or India along the way. In England Pakistanis organize to create a political influence and bend their politicians to criticize India on Kashmir, while Hindus in the same country, in larger numbers and affluence, do little to counter this. There are many examples of the same phenomenon, a Hindu indifference to the media that puts Hindus at a disadvantage even in their own country. What Hindus need today, in fact what the whole world needs is an intellectual Kshatriya or intellectual warrior class (Bauddhika Kshatriya). It needs a group of dedicated workers and activists who uphold the Dharma against this media and information onslaught. Such individuals must be above commercial manipulation and self-promotion, working tirelessly to counter this disinformation flood. Yet this movement must start in India and in the Hindu community itself to be really credible. For example, when Hindus in America complained against media distortions of Hindu groups in India to the New York Times they were told that the information came from Delhi itself. Clearly the change must start in India to have any real effect, but this can be aided by the activities of Hindus all over the world. In India the English language media is generally anti-Hindu and often pro-Marxist. The universities in India are frequently dominated by professors whose heart is not in the Dharma of their country but in Western materialism. Kerala and Bengal today remain under the yoke of communist governments. In Kerala Hindu workers are being killed. In Bengal Hindu sadhus are commonly attacked. It is no wonder that Hindus outside of India are subject to oppression, when Hindus in India itself are not safe or secure. Hindu groups in India often state that the media does not matter, that they prefer grassroots activity and would rather go directly to the people, that the media applies only to the Western educated elite which does not represent the real masses of the country and so is really not that important. Certainly this grassroots activity is important, but the realities of the modern age must be faced as well. We are all compelled to use cars and airplanes for travel. So too we cannot ignore the power of the media. The media more over is not a closed field. Hindus have the affluence, the numbers, and the intelligence to change it, just as Muslims, holding a more negative image in the West, have been able to do so. But little will occur if no effort is made. In this regard Hindus should not blame the media if they are unwilling to work with it. In abandoning the media field Hindus make their other activities more vulnerable. In projecting a stronger media influence they will give support to all their other projects. Hindus should remember how effectively Mahatma Gandhi used the media. Other Hindus can do the same. Code for an Intellectual Kshatriya Many modern Hindus, taking up an excessive view of non-violence, have rejected the idea of any Hindu Kshatriya altogether. This attitude has naturally led to the idea that Hindus should not challenge media distortions of their religion either. However in the Vedic view a country cannot exist without a Kshatriya order, which is the pillar of the society. The Mahabharata states that if there is not a righteous Kshatriya rulership that employs the danda or is willing to punish adharma, then the people will end up eating each other. In the information age we could say that if Hindus do not create an intellectual Kshatriya then the people will end up destroying themselves with false beliefs and propaganda. The Vedas declare that Brahma or spiritual power and Kshatra or political power must always go together. When Brahma or spiritual power develops it creates an appropriate Kshatra or social power to extend its influence into society. It provides a Dharmic order to human relations, both individual and collective. If Brahma or spiritual power fails to impact the social order and cannot raise the social Dharma, then it is a sign that this Brahma or spiritual power itself has failed, that it is not legitimate or real. This true combination of Brahma and Kshatra creates an intellectual Kshatriya. For the true Brahmin his weapon is his speech. Many such Kshatriya Brahmanas existed in the past. In fact the Puranas relate that the Angirasa Rishis, the oldest Vedic seer family, was one of Kshatriya Brahmanas. This movement of a new spiritual Kshatriya of modern Hindus needs to be completed today, not only for the generation of Hindu society but for the revival of Sanatana Dharma or the universal tradition of truth throughout the world. The main Kshatriya that can carry the day today is the intellectual Kshatriya. Hindus must create a new intelligentsia that has the power to overcome and absorb the alienated and Western dominated intellectuals of India, projecting an intellectual view that is articulate and compelling. They must turn Sanatana Dharma into a world cultural force, not merely a religious curiosity. For a culture that has produced such thinkers as the Vedic seers, Upanishadic sages, Kapila, Buddha, Patanjali and Shankara, and in the modern times Sri Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi, this is certainly possible. In fact such great modern figures of India as Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda are good models of intellectual Kshatriyas as well as spiritual masters. Clearly the success of Hindus in such intellectual fields as science and medicine shows that they have the capacity. What is lacking is the motivation, the guidance, and perhaps the inspiration. Another mistake Hindus have made is being too accommodating under the guise of synthesis, which erodes clear thinking. Under the guise that all religions are one Hindus hesitate to develop a proper criticism, however justified, of the exclusivist creeds working to convert them, and of other adharmic actions done in the name of religion in the world. There is also the danger that in trying to attract minorities into their fold Hindu groups in India will seek to appease minorities rather than to help them in a Dharmic way. The true Kshatriya will help and lead, giving a positive direction for others to follow, not merely flatter and accommodate in order to gain popularity. A true Kshatriya is devoted to Dharma and cannot be won over by name, fame, influence or money. He is not seeking office, to create a vote bank, or to gain followers, but to uphold Dharma without compromise or inflexibility. The youth in particular must be awakened to this call for an intellectual Kshatriya. They have the idealism and the vision of the future, as well as the vitality, but this needs to be directed not only by a spiritual urge but one that addresses the problems of society. To be truly relevant, particularly to the youth, this intellectual voice must address not only the social issues of today but environmental problems, the role of science, and the future evolution of humanity. An intellectual Kshatriya must not merely be defensive but creative and expansive. Otherwise it will get caught in the past. It must project a positive view of Hindu Dharma, and give it a futuristic vision. Its purpose is not merely to adjust present or historical wrongs but to chart out a new direction for all to follow. In this regards Hindu intellectuals must go to the universal roots of their tradition and find a compelling vision that can gather people of all backgrounds, helping them break through limited and unspiritual beliefs toward a yogic vision of humanity. This new Kshatriya must be willing to spread Hindu Dharma in a dynamic way along the lines of the old Vedic impulse, krinvanto vishwam aryam, make all the world noble. Such an intellectual Kshatriya must be based upon deep thought and careful analysis. It cannot be developed through mere rhetoric, character assassination, or slogans. It requires not only a well structured critique of opposing forces but a positive program of action. It requires not only a Hindu examination of religion, science and politics, but also the creation of a Hindu alternative to existing systems. It requires a model for revitalizing Hindu society itself. For those who wish to take up the role of intellectual Kshatriya there is much that can be done. An intellectual Kshatriya must challenge media distortions, whether in schools, books, newspapers, or in the media or the Internet. It must also produce genuine information expressing the truth of Sanatana Dharma, whether relative to history, art, politics, religion or philosophy. This means a new revival in the field of Hindu education, which is perhaps the key factor. This Hindu intelligentsia must be willing to debate with other groups, including exposing their distortions and wrongs beliefs, even if someone might get offended by this. It must resurrect the tradition of tarka or intellectual debate that makes the darshanas or philosophies of Hinduism so significant. It must create a forum in which everything is critically examined so only truth remains. In short, it must wield the sword of viveka or discrimination, discerning the true from the false, and not bowing down to ignorance anywhere. The new intellectual Kshatriya must throw up an ethical challenge, which is the challenge of Dharma, exposing the danger of exclusivist religious cults, materialistic political philosophies, and unchecked commercialism. The West throws its ethical challenge to the world, criticizing other countries, including India, for a lack of human rights. This requires a Hindu response, which is to expose the West's promotion of arms sales, environmental depredation, and projection of sensate materialism all over the world. Clearly the Western voice of human rights is not truly Dharmic but motivated by commercial and nationalistic interests. Hindus need to create an ethical alternative to such questionable Western humanitarianism and one that can absorb what is genuine in it as well. To truly develop Hindu groups must cultivate and honor their intellectual Kshatriya, which not only includes listening to them but promoting their views and funding their work. They must stop hiding in the veil of spirituality and allowing the forces of adharma to rule the world and even pontificate over their religion, telling them what it is and what it is worth. In Western intellectual circles the talk today is of a "clash of civilizations." This is mainly spoken of as a clash between the West and Islam, or a clash between the West and Chinese culture. In this clash of world civilizations the Hindu has been recognized as one of the players but has already been written off as minor. Why is this the case? Because the Hindu voice has only a small place in the world sphere whether politically, economically or intellectually. Clearly without an intellectual Kshatriya Hindus will not likely be part of this churning out of a new world order. Now these may not be pleasant items for Hindus to hear. Should we rather not speak of Rama and Krishna and forget this turmoil of Kali Yuga, some might say? True spirituality is not an escape but a transcendence. A truly spiritual person can face the facts of the world, however unpleasant, without having to turn away or without losing inner composure. This is also the message of Rama and Krishna, if we really look at their lives and actions, which, in both cases, included the battlefield. There are those who may fear that an intellectual Hindu Kshatriya may promote a new Hindu fundamentalism and result in an oppression of minorities in India. The Hindu Kshatriya tradition is not one of aggression but of protection, not of forcing conversion to a religion but upholding the Dharma. It is a tradition of holding to truth and promoting a culture in which freedom to pursue truth, not only in the outer world, but also in the religious realm, is preserved. Is this not what the global age really requires? It is time for that Kshatriya to arise again. The extent that it does will be the measure of the future of India and perhaps of any Dharmic revival in this adharmic world. Let us hope that this call is heeded! Who is there to answer it? Let them stand forth. This article is taken from the book 'Awaken Bharata: a Call for India's Rebirth', by David Frawley. The full text of the book can be accessed on line. David Frawley is currently the director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, which runs numerous study courses of various branches of Vedic systems of knowledge. More information can be found at the institution's website .
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The object of my posts is to foster Hindu-Buddhist-Jain-Sikh brotherhood and unity , based on the commonality of our religions teachings while at the same time maintaining our distinct identity. I believe that a Hindu should study not only the teachings of Hinduism, but also that of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism as it is his heritage. Just as Judaism, Christianity and Islam are grouped together as the Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism are grouped together as the Dharmic faiths.
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Here are quotes that show the relationship between Hinduism and Sikhism. This establishes the fact that Sikhism is a sect of Hinduism. Ram katha jug jug atal Sab koi bhakhat net Suragbas Raghuver kara Sagri puri samet Jo en Katha sune aur gaave Dukh pap tah nikat na aave - Guru Govind Singh (The story of Ram is immortal and everyone should read it. Ram went to heaven along with the whole city. Whoever listens to or sings His story, will be free of sin and sorrow.) Kahaiya Hinduan daro na ab tum Im likho pathon dil sain Guru Nanak ki gadi par Ab hain Tegh Bahadur Unko jo Muhummadi kar lihoon To ham hain sab sadar Arya Dharma rakhak pragatiyo hain - Guru Tegh Bahadur (Hindus, do not fear, Guru Tegh Bahadur is Guru Nanak's successor. If Muslims bother you, I'll take care of them. For I am the protector of Hinduism.) Tin te sun Siri Tegh Bahadur Dharam nibaahan bikhe Bahadur Uttar bhaniyo, dharam hum Hindu Atipriya ko kin karen nikandu Lok parlok ubhaya sukhani Aan napahant yahi samani Mat mileen murakh mat loi Ise tayage pramar soi Hindu dharam rakhe jag mahin Tumre kare bin se it nahin - Guru Tegh Bahadur's reply to Aurangzeb's ordering him to embrace Islam.(In response, Shri Tegh Bahadur says, My religion is Hindu and how can I abandon what is so dear to me? This religion helps you in this world and that, and only a fool would abandon it. God himself is the protector of this religion and no one can destroy it.) Sakal jagat main Khalsa Panth gaje Jage dharam Hindu sakal bhand bhaje - Guru Govind Singh (The Khalsa sect will roar around the world. Hinduism will awaken, its enemies will flee.)
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This is no world. It is God Himself. In delusion we call it world. Understanding human nature is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing it can we know God. It is also a fact that the knowledge of God is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing God can we understand human nature. This is the great lesson that we are here to learn through myriads of births and heavens and hells—that there is nothing to be asked for, desired for, beyond one’s spiritual Self (atman). Perfection does not come from belief or faith. Talk does not count for anything. Parrots can do that. Perfection comes through selfless work. Strength is the sign of vigor, the sign of life, the sign of hope, the sign of health, and the sign of everything that is good. As long as the body lives, there must be strength in the body, strength in the mind, strength in the hand. Impurity is a mere superimposition under which your real nature has become hidden. But the real you is already perfect, already strong. If you want to have life, you have to die every moment for it. Life and death are only different expressions of the same thing looked at from different standpoints; they are the falling and the rising of the same wave, and the two form one whole. Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak mind; therefore as soon as they are becoming prominent in our minds, we should see a physician, take good food, and rest. Religion as a science, as a study, is the greatest and healthiest exercise that the human mind can have. The varieties of religious belief are an advantage, since all faiths are good, so far as they encourage us to lead a religious life. The more sects there are, the more opportunities there are for making a successful appeal to the divine instinct in all of us. Be perfectly resigned, perfectly unconcerned; then alone can you do any true work. No eyes can see the real forces; we can only see the results. Put out self, forget it; just let God work, it is His business. Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege. Are you unselfish? That is the question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religious book, without going into a single church or temple. Nature, body, mind go to death, not we. We neither go nor come. The man Vivekananda is in nature, is born and dies; but the Self we see as Vivekananda is never born and never dies. It is the eternal and unchangeable Reality. The less passion there is, the better we work. The calmer we are the better for us and the more the amount of work we can do. When we let loose our feelings, we waste so much energy, shatter our nerves, disturb our minds, and accomplish very little work. Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. There is no help for you outside of yourself; you are the creator of the universe. Like the silkworm you have built a cocoon around yourself…. Burst your own cocoon and come out aw the beautiful butterfly, as the free soul. Then alone you will see Truth. Have you got the will to surmount mountain-high obstructions? If the whole world stands against you sword in hand, would you still dare to do what you think is right? Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success and, above all, love. Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advance we must have faith in ourselves first and then in God. Those who have no faith in themselves can never have faith in God. Every individual is a center for the manifestation of a certain force. This force has been stored up as the resultant of our previous works, and each one of us is born with this force at our back. Why are people so afraid? The answer is that they have made themselves helpless and dependent on others. We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a Personal God, a Savior or a Prophet to do everything for us. I fervently wish no misery ever came near anyone; yet it is that alone that gives us an insight into the depths of our lives, does it not? In our moments of anguish, gates barred forever seem to open and let in many a flood of light. Religion has no business to formulate social laws and insist on the difference between beings, because its aim and end is to obliterate all such fictions and monstrosities. Is there any sex-distinction in the Atman (Self)? Out with the differentiation between man and woman—all is Atman! Give up the identification with the body, and stand up! He whom the sages have been seeking in all these places is in our own hearts; the voice that you heard was right, says Vedanta, but the direction you gave to the voice was wrong.
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First, believe in the world—that there is meaning behind everything. Don't look back—forward, infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience—then alone can great deeds be accomplished. This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon anyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true. Get hold of yourself. Tell the truth boldly, whether it hurts or not. Never pander to weakness. If truth is too much for intelligent people and sweeps them away, let them go; the sooner the better. This life is a hard fact; work your way through it boldly, though it may be adamantine; no matter, the soul is stronger. This I have seen in life—those who are overcautious about themselves fall into dangers at every step; those who are afraid of losing honor and respect, get only disgrace; and those who are always afraid of loss, always lose. . Those who work at a thing heart and soul not only achieve success in it but through their absorption in that they also realize the supreme truth—Brahman. Those who work at a thing with their whole heart receive help from God. I, for one, thoroughly believe that no power in the universe can withhold from anyone anything they really deserve. The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you free. Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear. Why are people so afraid? The answer is that they have made themselves helpless and dependent on others. We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a Personal God, a Savior or a Prophet to do everything for us. As long as we believe ourselves to be even the least different from God, fear remains with us; but when we know ourselves to be the One, fear goes; of what can we be afraid? There is one thing to be remembered: that the assertion—I am God—cannot be made with regard to the sense-world. All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I. The gulf between God and me is thus bridged. Thus by knowing God, we find that the kingdom of heaven is within us. First get rid of the delusion “I am the body”, then only will we want real knowledge. What the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt. God is merciful to those whom He sees struggling heart and soul for realization. But remain idle, without any struggle, and you will see that His grace will never come. We have to go back to philosophy to treat things as they are. We are suffering from our own karma. It is not the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else. Why should God be blamed? Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work. Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves. We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark. Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage. We must have friendship for all; we must be merciful toward those that are in misery; when people are happy, we ought to be happy; and to the wicked we must be indifferent. These attitudes will make the mind peaceful. Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil. We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise. Are great things ever done smoothly? Time, patience, and indomitable will must show. Great work requires great and persistent effort for a long time. … Character has to be established through a thousand stumbles. Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it were after his or her heart. But the intelligent ones are those who can convert every work into one that suits their taste. Those who grumble at the little thing that has fallen to their lot to do will grumble at everything. Always grumbling they will lead a miserable life…. But those who do their duty putting their shoulder to the wheel will see the light, and higher and higher duties will fall to their share. Learning and wisdom are superfluities, the surface glitter merely, but it is the heart that is the seat of all power. Each work has to pass through these stages—ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood. Watch people do their most common actions; these are indeed the things that will tell you the real character of a great person. “Comfort” is no test of truth; on the contrary, truth is often far from being “comfortable”. Whenever we attain a higher vision, the lower vision disappears of itself. We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life. We are ever free if we would only believe it, only have faith enough. You are the soul, free and eternal, ever free, ever blessed. Have faith enough and you will be free in a minute. A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century. Stand as a rock; you are indestructible. You are the Self (atman), the God of the universe. Stand upon the Self, only then can we truly love the world. Take a very high stand; knowing our universal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world. "I am the thread that runs through all these pearls," and each pearl is a religion or even a sect thereof. Such are the different pearls, and God is the thread that runs through all of them; most people, however, are entirely unconscious of it. Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore, make your own future. It is the patient building of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity. If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon masses of ignorance, it is the word “fearlessness.” Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.” Tell this to everyone—“Have no fear.” The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration. Work and worship are necessary to take away the veil, to lift off the bondage and illusion. The powers of the mind should be concentrated and the mind turned back upon itself; as the darkest places reveal their secrets before the penetrating rays of the sun, so will the concentrated mind penetrate its own innermost secrets. It is the cheerful mind that is persevering. It is the strong mind that hews its way through a thousand difficulties. The mind is but the subtle part of the body. You must retain great strength in your mind and words. All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind. Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is never injured. We are that Infinite. Perfection is always infinite. We are the Infinite already. You and I, and all beings, are trying to manifest that infinity. Blows are what awaken us and help to break the dream. They show us the insufficiency of this world and make us long to escape, to have freedom. So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannot have any desire. The more you think of yourself as shining immortal spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free of matter, body, and senses. This is the intense desire to be free. The Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this little universe—the body—is the soul. As body, mind, or soul, you are a dream; you really are Being, Consciousness, Bliss (satchidananda). You are the God of this universe. The essence of Vedanta is that there is but one Being and that every soul is that Being in full, not a part of that Being. As soon as I think that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate. Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. If superstition enters, the brain is gone. Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse. A tremendous stream is flowing toward the ocean, carrying us all along with it; and though like straws and scraps of paper we may at times float aimlessly about, in the long run we are sure to join the Ocean of Life and Bliss. God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and the Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not. As soon as you know the voice and understand what it is, the whole scene changes. The same world which was the ghastly battlefield of maya is now changed into something good and beautiful. Delusion will vanish as the light becomes more and more effulgent, load after load of ignorance will vanish, and then will come a time when all else has disappeared and the sun alone shines. Come out into the broad light of day, come out from the little narrow paths, for how can the infinite soul rest content to live and die in small ruts? Come out into the universe of Light. Everything in the universe is yours, stretch out your arms and embrace it with love. If you every felt you wanted to do that, you have felt God.
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'Neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning it is character that can cleave through adamantine walls of difficulties' 'Ask nothing, want nothing in return. Give what you have to give: it will come back to you, but do not think of that now, it will come back multiplied by thousand fold: but the attention must not be on that. Yet the power to give, give and there it ends. Ask, therefore, nothing in return: but the more you give, the more will come to you' 'Whenever there is conflict between the heart and the mind, let the heart be followed' 'Reserve unto yourself the power of detaching yourself from everything, how much the soul might yearn for it: however great the pangs of misery you feel if you were going to leave it, still reserve the power of leaving it whenever you want' 'Practise truthfulness. Twelve years of absolute truthfulness in thought, word and deed gives a man what he wills' 'The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness, to an opponent tolerance, to a friend your heart, to your child a good, to a father difference, to your mother conduct that will make her proud of you, to yourself respect and to all men charity' 'Help if you can. If you can not, fold your hands and stand by and see things go on. Do not injure, if you can not render help'. 'Stand up, Be Bold, Be Strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny'. 'Do not be frightened. Awake, be up and doing. Do not stop till you have reached the goal'. 'Your country requires Heroes; Be Heroes! Your duty is to go on working, and then every thing will follow of itself'. 'Arise, Awake and Stop Not till the Goal is reached'. Brave, bold men, these are what we want. What we want is vigour in blood, strength in the nerves, iron muscles and nerves of steel, not softening namby-pamby ideas. Avoid all mystery. There is no mystery in religion. Mystery mongering and superstition are always signs of weakness. Blessed are they whose bodies get destroyed in the service of others. Three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great: 1). Conviction of the power of goodness 2). Absence of jealousy and suspicion 3). Helping all who are trying to be and do good. Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man. 'Any attempt to modernize our women, if it tries to take our women away from that ideal of Sita, is immediate failure, as we see everyday. The women of India must grow and develop in the footprints of Sita, and that is the only way.' 'Along with other things, our women should acquire the spirit of valour and heroism. In the present day, it has become necessary for them also to learn self defence. See, how grand was the Queen of Jhansi!' 'Religions of the world have become lifeless mockeries. What the world wants is character'. Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment. Therefore, 'Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached'. What makes you weep my friend? In you is all power. Summon up your all-powerful nature. O mighty one, and this is whole universe will lie at your feet. It is the self alone that predominates and not matter. Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God - this is the secret of greatness. If you have faith in all the three hundred and thirty millions of your mythological gods, and in all the gods which foreigners have now and again introduced into your midst, and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. This life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive. Are you unselfish? That is the question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religious book, without going into a single church or temple. 'My children, the secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and to do good - that is the whole of religion.' All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; Stand up and express the divinity within you.
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The real cause of Islamic terrorism according to Swami Vivekananda
niranjan replied to niranjan's topic in The Hinduism Forum
These prophets were not unique; they were men as you or I. They were great Yogis. They had gained this superconsciousness, and you and I can get the same. They were not peculiar people. The very fact that one man ever reached that state proves that it is possible for every man to do so. Not only is it possible, but every man must, eventually, get to that state, and that is religion. --Swami Vivekananda -
The real cause of Islamic terrorism according to Swami Vivekananda
niranjan replied to niranjan's topic in The Hinduism Forum
Here is an another excerpt from Swami Vivekananda's 'Raja Yoga' dealing with the subject of superconsciousness or enlightenment. "When I eat food, I do it consciously; when I assimilate it, I do it unconsciously. When the food is manufactured into blood, it is done unconsciously.When out of the blood all the different parts of my body are strengthened , it is done unconsciously. And yet it is I who am doing all this; there cannot be twenty people in this one body. How do I know that I do it, and nobody else?It may be urged that my business is only in eating and assimilating the food, and that strengthening the body by the food is done for me by somebody else. That cannot be, because it can be demonstrated that almost every action of which we are now unconscious can be brought up to the plane of consciousness. The heart is beating apparently without our control. None of us here can control the heart; it goes on its own way. But by practice men can bring even the heart under control, until it will beat at will, slowly, or quickly, or almost stop. Nearly every part of the body can be brought under control. What does this show? That the functions which are beneath consciousness are also performed by us, only we are doing it unconsciously. We have, then,two planes in which the human mind works. First is the conscious plane , in which all work is always accompanied with the feeling of egoism. Next comes the unconscious plane, where all work is unaccompanied by the feeling of egoism. That part of mind-work which is unaccompanied with the feeling of egoism is unconscious work, and that part which is accompanied with the feeling of egoism is conscious work. In the lower animals this unconscious work is called instinct. In higher animals, and in the highest of all animals, man, what is called conscious work prevails. But it does not end here. There is a still higher plane upon which the mind can work. It can go beyond consciousness. Just as, unconscious work is beneath consciousnes, so there is another work which is above consciousness and which also is not accompanied with the feeling of egoism. The feeling of egoism is only on the middle plane. When the mind is above or below that plane, there is no feeling of "I", and yet the mind works. When the mind goes beyond this line of self-consciousness, it is called Samadhi, or superconsciousness. How , for instance, do we know that a man in Samadhi has not gone below consciousness, has not degenerated instead of going higher?In both cases the works are unaccompanied with egoism. The answer is, by the effects, by the results of the work, we know that which is below, and that which is above. When a man goes into deep sleep, he enters a plane beneath consciousness. He works the body all the time, he breathes , he moves the body, perhaps , in his sleep, without any unaccompanying feeling of ego; he is unconscious, and when he returns from his sleep, he is the same man who went into it. The sum total of the knowledge which he had before he went into the sleep remains the same; it does not increase at all. No enlightenment comes. But when a man goes into Samadhi, if he goes into it a fool, he comes out a sage. What makes the difference? From one state a man comes out the very same man that he went in , and from another state the man comes out enlightened, a sage, a prophet, a saint, his whole character changed, his life changed, illumined. These are the two effects. Now the effects being different, the causes must be different. As this illumination with which a man comes back from Samadhi is much higher than can be got by reasoning in a conscious state, it must , therefore, be superconsciousness, and Samadhi is called the superconscious state." -
Here is an excerpt from the Indian spiritual genius and savant Swami Vivekananda’s (1863-1902) book ‘ Raja Yoga’. " We find , in studying history, one fact held in common by all the great teachers of religion the world ever had . They all claim to have got their truths from beyond, only many of them did not know where they got them from. For instance, one would say that an angel came down in the form of a human being, with wings, and said to him, “Hear, O man, this is the message”.Another says that a Deva, a bright being, appeared to him. A third says he dreamed that his ancestor came and told him certain things. He did not know anything beyond that .But this is common that all claim that this knowledge has come to them from beyond, not through their reasoning power. What does the science of Yoga teach? It teaches that they were right in claiming that all this knowledge came to them from beyond reasoning, but that it came from within themselves. The Yogi teaches that the mind itself has a higher state of existence, beyond reason, a superconscious state, and when the mind gets to that higher state,then this knowledge, beyond reasoning, comes to man . Metaphysical and transcendental knowledge comes to that man .This state of going beyond reason, transcending ordinary human nature, may sometimes come by chance to a man who does not understand its science; he , as it were, stumbles upon it. When he stumbles upon it, he generally interprets it as coming from outside. So this explains why an inspiration, or transcendental knowledge, may be the same in different countries, but in one country it will seem to come through an angel, and in another through a Deva, and in a third through God. What does it mean? It means that the mind brought the knowledge by its own nature, and that the finding of the knowledge was interpreted according to the belief and education of the person through whom it came. The real fact is that these various men, as it were, stumbled upon this superconscious state. The Yogi says there is a great danger in stumbling upon this state. In a good many cases there is the danger of the brain being deranged, and , as a rule, you will find that all those men, however great they were, who had stumbled upon this superconscious state, without understanding it, groped in the dark, and generally had, along with their knowledge, some quaint superstition. They opened themselves to hallucinations. Mohammed claimed that the Angel Gabriel came to him in a cave one day and took him on the heavenly horse, Harak, and he visited the heavens. But with all that , Mohammed spoke some wonderful truths. If you read the Koran, you find the most wonderful truths mixed with superstitions. How will you explain it? That man was inspired, no doubt, but that inspiration was, as it were, stumbled upon. He was not a trained Yogi, and did not know the reason of what he was doing. Think of the good Mohammed did to the world, and think of the great evil that has been done through his fanaticism! Think of the millions massacred through his teachings, mothers bereft of their children, children made orphans, whole countries destroyed, millions upon millions of people killed! So we see this danger by studying the lives of great teachers like Mohammed and others. Yet we find, at the same time , that they were all inspired. Whenever a prophet got into the superconscious state by heightening his emotional nature, he brought away from it not only some truths, but some fanaticism also, some superstition which injured the world as much as the greatness of the teaching helped. To get any reason out of the mass of incongruity we call human life, we have to transcend our reason, but we must do it scientifically , slowly, by regular practice, and we must cast off all superstition .We must take up the study of the superconscious state just as any other science. On reason we must have to lay our foundation, we must follow reason as far as it leads, and when reason fails, reason itself will show us the way to the highest plane. When you hear a man say, “I am inspired” , and then talk irrationally, reject it. Why? Because these three states-instinct, reason, and superconsciousness , or the unconscious, conscious, and superconscious states-belong to one and the same mind. There are not three minds in one man, but one state of it develops into the others. Instinct develops into reason, and reason into the transcendental consciousness; therefore, not one of the states contradicts the others. Real inspiration never contradicts reason, but fulfils it. Just as you find the great prophets saying, “ I come not to destroy but to fulfil” , so inspiration always comes to fulfil reason, and is in harmony with it."