Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST)[OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Nude picture of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United States. The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to Hindu belief or faith." A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their displeasure. According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our traditional beliefs and practices." PTI courtesy: http://www.sify.com Get better spam protection with Mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Thats odd that someone would go through that much trouble to insult lord Ganesh. As for him being nude, Im sure that his original dipictions are nude. Why would a god be ashamed or even need clothing for warmth. I dlove to know what was said that was so disturbing because the nudity isnt a big deal to me. Peace,JamesAum Ganesh <aumganesh .au> wrote: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST)[OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Nude picture of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United States. The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to Hindu belief or faith." A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their displeasure. According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our traditional beliefs and practices." PTI courtesy: http://www.sify.com Get better spam protection with Mail http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Get better spam protection with Mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">I agree. I have an earlier edition of the book and it has been interesting. It is an academic exercise, not a spiritual discipline, but it is very well done and worth reading for its particular point of view. 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">The objection to nudity by Hindus is, I believe, a relatively recent phenomena. After the Mogul invasions of color:navy">India, Hindus became more modest in their dress and customs. 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">As for a book which I found to be wonderful and I plan to re read, try Ganapati: Song of the Self, by John Grimes. Published by SUNY press. 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy">Henry 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"> james richard [nhraddude71 ] Saturday, February 28, 2004 9:03 AM Re: Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Namaste, Thats odd that someone would go through that much trouble to insult lord Ganesh. As for him being nude, Im sure that his original dipictions are nude. Why would a god be ashamed or even need clothing for warmth. I dlove to know what was said that was so disturbing because the nudity isnt a big deal to me. Peace,James Aum Ganesh <aumganesh .au> wrote: margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> ..5in"> ..5in">Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST) [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> Nude picture of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United States. The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to Hindu belief or faith." A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their displeasure. According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our traditional beliefs and practices." PTI courtesy: http://www.sify.com ..5in">Do you ? Get better spam protection with Mail http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Get better spam protection with Mail http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 i have read this book.. and if traditional hindus are offended by the picture of naked ganesha on the cover, just wait till they find out what was written in the book.. Courtright is an expert in oriental or asian religions, but he used a lot of classical greek and anglo- protestant methods to argue his point about various topic in the book.. he spoke about the oedipal complex between ganapati and parvathy ... the competition between Lord Shiva and Lord ganapati for Goddess Parvathy's affections . so it is truly a cross-cultural thesis.. and not a theological one.. i personally think that the book is very interesting read.. but once again.. when it comes to religion .. and the not so smooth and perfect historical and current relationship between christians and non-christians, such work can be interpreted in many ways.. ciao , james richard <nhraddude71> wrote: > Namaste, > Thats odd that someone would go through that much trouble to insult lord Ganesh. As for him being nude, Im sure that his original dipictions are nude. Why would > a god be ashamed or even need clothing for warmth. I dlove to know what was said that was so disturbing because the nudity isnt a big deal to me. > Peace,James > > Aum Ganesh <aumganesh> wrote: > > > Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST) > [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus > > Nude picture of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus > > > > Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United States. > > The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to Hindu belief or faith." > > A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their displeasure. > > According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our traditional beliefs and practices." PTI > > courtesy: http://www.sify.com > > > > > > > > Get better spam protection with Mail > > http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ > > > > > Links > > > / > > > > > Terms of Service. > > > > > > Get better spam protection with Mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 If the accompanying picture shows the book cover, the statue photographed is obviously of Bala Ganapati -- Ganesha as a crawling infant. It is common enough for people to think pictures of naked babies are cute, not prurient! In the Tantric tradition, the deities are frequently shown naked. There are better things to get upset about! I read another article somewhere (maybe this list?) which quoted author Courtright as saying something like: "Ganesha's flaccid trunk is a poor substitute for Lord Shiva's ever-hard lingam." It's nice that Professor Courtright prefers Shiva over Ganesha. We all have different <ishtadevatas> (chosen divinities). But, first of all, an elephant's trunk is hardly "flaccid." It's immensely strong and muscular. (It's also not the elephamt's reproductive organ.) Second, judging the validity of one's deity by whether his weinie is stiffer than another's is just too gay for serious comment. Ironically, both Ganesha and Shiva have aspects that appear heterosexual, homosexual, and completely celibate. They're deities, for goodness' sakes! They partake of all of creation. -- Len/ Kalipadma On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:12:44 -0800 (PST) Aum Ganesh <aumganesh writes: > > > Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST) > [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus > > Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book > and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United > States. > > The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of > Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul > Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say > several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to > Hindu belief or faith." > > A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest > against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from > circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far > about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their > displeasure. > > According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and > insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful > material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our > traditional beliefs and practices." PTI > > courtesy: http://www.sify.com > ______________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 I couldn't agree more, getting upset over this picture is silly, infact there are those in india and nepal that have unatached themselves from all material possesions including clothing and wander naked. It is considered very auspicious and not indecent or immoral Lord Siva himself is often written about as being unnatached and naked and without clothing the same with the divine goddess Kali she is often depicted without clothing in many images throughout India, so im curious as to what is written in the book that has offended so many, the picture alone could most certainly not have sparked such a controversy. and the picture of Ganesha is most deffinatly that of Balaganapati the child, and i think those that look at that as indecent should look within themselves and ask why. Aum Shanti Ardan kalipadma (AT) juno (DOT) com wrote: If the accompanying picture shows the book cover, the statue photographedis obviously of Bala Ganapati -- Ganesha as a crawling infant. It iscommon enough for people to think pictures of naked babies are cute, notprurient! In the Tantric tradition, the deities are frequently shownnaked. There are better things to get upset about!I read another article somewhere (maybe this list?) which quoted authorCourtright as saying something like: "Ganesha's flaccid trunk is a poorsubstitute for Lord Shiva's ever-hard lingam."It's nice that Professor Courtright prefers Shiva over Ganesha. We allhave different <ishtadevatas> (chosen divinities). But, first of all, anelephant's trunk is hardly "flaccid." It's immensely strong andmuscular. (It's also not the elephamt's reproductive organ.) Second,judging the validity of one's deity by whether his weinie is stiffer thananother's is just too gay for serious comment. Ironically, both Ganeshaand Shiva have aspects that appear heterosexual, homosexual, andcompletely celibate. They're deities, for goodness' sakes! They partakeof all of creation.-- Len/ KalipadmaOn Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:12:44 -0800 (PST) Aum Ganesh<aumganesh .au> writes:> > > Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST)> [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus> > Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book > and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United > States. > > The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of > Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul > Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say > several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to > Hindu belief or faith." > > A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest > against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from > circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far > about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their > displeasure. > > According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and > insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful > material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our > traditional beliefs and practices." PTI > > courtesy: http://www.sify.com> ______________The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Get better spam protection with Mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Courtright argued that the creation of Lord Ganapati by Goddess Parvathy sans Lord Shiva's participation, was the cause of Lord ganapati's eccentric form .. by placing the phallic-like elephant trunk in a misplaced manner (since the truck is not used for reproductive purposes), Lord Shiva was mocking Lord Ganapati and in some ways, showing his superiority (sexually esp) over Lord Ganapati.. in north india, Lord Ganapati is often depicted as a brahmachari .. just like Lord hanuman .. butin the south, he is often flanked by Buddhi and Siddi -- who according to some are not "real" goddesses or shaktis but the manifestations of Lord Ganapat's wisdom and emotions.. Once again, i think Courtright was trying to attract attention to Lord Ganapati's hazzy sexuality.. but as Kalipadma said.. he is God.. sexuality is only relevant for human beings but in order for us to understand the immense creative and destructive potentials and powers, sexuality is used as an allegory .. in which i think Courtright fails to understand. I also think he was drawing a lot of paralism with Greek and Roman myths ..which in some cases valid like the similarities between The Mahabhrata and the trojan war, but in most cases.. very erratic.. ciao , kalipadma@j... wrote: > > If the accompanying picture shows the book cover, the statue photographed > is obviously of Bala Ganapati -- Ganesha as a crawling infant. It is > common enough for people to think pictures of naked babies are cute, not > prurient! In the Tantric tradition, the deities are frequently shown > naked. There are better things to get upset about! > > I read another article somewhere (maybe this list?) which quoted author > Courtright as saying something like: "Ganesha's flaccid trunk is a poor > substitute for Lord Shiva's ever-hard lingam." > > It's nice that Professor Courtright prefers Shiva over Ganesha. We all > have different <ishtadevatas> (chosen divinities). But, first of all, an > elephant's trunk is hardly "flaccid." It's immensely strong and > muscular. (It's also not the elephamt's reproductive organ.) Second, > judging the validity of one's deity by whether his weinie is stiffer than > another's is just too gay for serious comment. Ironically, both Ganesha > and Shiva have aspects that appear heterosexual, homosexual, and > completely celibate. They're deities, for goodness' sakes! They partake > of all of creation. > > -- Len/ Kalipadma > > > On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:12:44 -0800 (PST) Aum Ganesh > <aumganesh> writes: > > > > > > Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST) > > [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus > > > > Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book > > and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United > > States. > > > > The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of > > Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul > > Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say > > several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to > > Hindu belief or faith." > > > > A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest > > against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from > > circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far > > about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their > > displeasure. > > > > According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and > > insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful > > material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our > > traditional beliefs and practices." PTI > > > > courtesy: http://www.sify.com > > > > > ______________ > The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 learn before he desides its time for him to do the teaching. Jimtangchikhay <tangchikhay (AT) (DOT) es> wrote: Courtright argued that the creation of Lord Ganapati by Goddess Parvathy sans Lord Shiva's participation, was the cause of Lord ganapati's eccentric form .. by placing the phallic-like elephant trunk in a misplaced manner (since the truck is not used for reproductive purposes), Lord Shiva was mocking Lord Ganapati and in some ways, showing his superiority (sexually esp) over Lord Ganapati.. in north india, Lord Ganapati is often depicted as a brahmachari .. just like Lord hanuman .. butin the south, he is often flanked by Buddhi and Siddi -- who according to some are not "real" goddesses or shaktis but the manifestations of Lord Ganapat's wisdom and emotions.. Once again, i think Courtright was trying to attract attention to Lord Ganapati's hazzy sexuality.. but as Kalipadma said.. he is God.. sexuality is only relevant for human beings but in order for us to understand the immense creative and destructive potentials and powers, sexuality is used as an allegory .. in which i think Courtright fails to understand. I also think he was drawing a lot of paralism with Greek and Roman myths ..which in some cases valid like the similarities between The Mahabhrata and the trojan war, but in most cases.. very erratic.. ciao , kalipadma@j... wrote:> > If the accompanying picture shows the book cover, the statue photographed> is obviously of Bala Ganapati -- Ganesha as a crawling infant. It is> common enough for people to think pictures of naked babies are cute, not> prurient! In the Tantric tradition, the deities are frequently shown> naked. There are better things to get upset about!> > I read another article somewhere (maybe this list?) which quoted author> Courtright as saying something like: "Ganesha's flaccid trunk is a poor> substitute for Lord Shiva's ever-hard lingam."> > It's nice that Professor Courtright prefers Shiva over Ganesha. We all> have different <ishtadevatas> (chosen divinities). But, first of all, an> elephant's trunk is hardly "flaccid." It's immensely strong and> muscular. (It's also not the elephamt's reproductive organ.) Second,> judging the validity of one's deity by whether his weinie is stiffer than> another's is just too gay for serious comment. Ironically, both Ganesha> and Shiva have aspects that appear heterosexual, homosexual, and> completely celibate. They're deities, for goodness' sakes! They partake> of all of creation.> > -- Len/ Kalipadma> > > On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:12:44 -0800 (PST) Aum Ganesh> <aumganesh> writes:> > > > > > Sat, 28 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 (PST)> > [OzHindu] Nude Pic of Lord Ganesha insults Hindus> > > > Houston: A nude picture of Lord Ganesha on the cover of a new book > > and the contents have evoked protests from Hindus across the United > > States. > > > > The nude portrayal of Lord Ganesha on the book "Ganesa, Lord of > > Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings" by Emory University Professor Paul > > Courtright has earned the wrath of Hindu scholars here who say > > several passages quoted in the book "are seemingly insensitive to > > Hindu belief or faith." > > > > A petition is also being circulated and signed online to protest > > against the book and demands that publishers withdraw it from > > circulation. A release issued by the scholars claimed that so far > > about 5000 people have signed the petition expressing their > > displeasure. > > > > According to the release, the book "is not only ridiculing and > > insulting Hinduism but has utterly disgusting and distasteful > > material which is mind-boggling and throws a direct challenge to our > > traditional beliefs and practices." PTI > > > > courtesy: http://www.sify.com> > > > > ______________> The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!> Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!> Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Get better spam protection with Mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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