[Rath's Rhapsody] Illiterate Gurus are India's misfortune

[Guest guest]

Statement of Ramdev appearing in the BBC 'If anything, he condemns all superstition and retrogressive beliefs."I don't believe in destiny. Palmistry and all this talk about the lines on your hands deciding your future is nothing but nonsense. So is this talk of sun signs and auspicious and inauspicious time and place," he says."Can you identify any moment or place where God is not there? He is everywhere and all the time. So how can any place or time be less or more auspicious?" he asks. Comment of Pt. Sanjay Rath While I agree in principle with his condemnation of superstition, it has come as a total surprise that one as popular as Ramdev knows so little about the Vedas. It is a well known fact that jyotisa is a Vedanga or a limb of the Vedas. By condemning jyotish, he has aonly exposed the truth that all these so called spiritual leaders of modern India today are really very illeterate about the subject the have gone forward to teach to the masses. Ramdev for one is very good at exercise and maybe hatha yoga and ayurveda, which is really an upanga of the veda and not one of the main vedanga. Most modern Indians are equally illiterate about their own culture and religion and know very little about their vedic roots. For example very few would even know that the body is made of five states of matter which follow five principles - that of the solid (prithvi), liquid (jala), gas (vayu), energy (agni) and magnetic fields and electric impulses (akasha). On the one hand he says that he does not believe in superstition and on the other hand he has openly said that he can curse Cancer! Recently when the health ministry of the Government of India issued him a notice, he immediately traced back saying that he cannot cure Cancer. My question is, for how long must India have to endure the burden of such mystics who in the garb of the guru are really very illeterate about Satya sanatana Dharma i.e. Hinduism. -- Posted By Pt.Sanjay Rath to Rath's Rhapsody at 2/12/2007 03:57:00 PM

[Guest guest]

Hare Rama Krishna

Dear Pandit Sanjay Rath,Namaskar

further to your thoughts on "illiterate Gurus", it seems that there are "illiterate Organisations" as well.

I just picked this piece of (less than priceless) information on Astrology by an idiot in the USA.

"A US-based international Hindu reform organisation ,Navya Shastra seems to be VERY critical of Astrology and it's application in daily life.

It's chairman Jaishree Gopal contends that "astrology and similar unscientific practices should be renounced in marital matchmaking and other everyday activities in Hindu society." The organization further notes that "much of so-called Hindu astrology is an imported amalgamation of long-invalidated pseudo-sciences emerging from Babylon , Greece and Persia , and should be discarded as irrelevant to the Hindu tradition."

With "friends" like these, who needs enemies...All this in the name of "enlightened attitude".

What stupidity!

 

With deep respect to you and your WORK

I remain

Arpadh Joo

 

sohamsa , "Pt.Sanjay Rath" <sanjayrath wrote:>> Statement of Ramdev appearing in the BBC 'If anything, he> condemns all superstition and retrogressive beliefs."I don't believe in> destiny. Palmistry and all this talk about the lines on your hands> deciding your future is nothing but nonsense. So is this talk of sun> signs and auspicious and inauspicious time and place," he says."Can you> identify any moment or place where God is not there? He is everywhere> and all the time. So how can any place or time be less or more> auspicious?" he asks. Comment of Pt. Sanjay Rath While I agree in> principle with his condemnation of superstition, it has come as a total> surprise that one as popular as Ramdev knows so little about the Vedas.> It is a well known fact that jyotisa is a Vedanga or a limb of the> Vedas. By condemning jyotish, he has aonly exposed the truth that all> these so called spiritual leaders of modern India today are really very> illeterate about the subject the have gone forward to teach to the> masses. Ramdev for one is very good at exercise and maybe hatha yoga> and ayurveda, which is really an upanga of the veda and not one of the> main vedanga. Most modern Indians are equally illiterate about their> own culture and religion and know very little about their vedic roots.> For example very few would even know that the body is made of five> states of matter which follow five principles - that of the solid> (prithvi), liquid (jala), gas (vayu), energy (agni) and magnetic fields> and electric impulses (akasha). On the one hand he says that he does> not believe in superstition and on the other hand he has openly said> that he can curse Cancer! Recently when the health ministry of the> Government of India issued him a notice, he immediately traced back> saying that he cannot cure Cancer. My question is, for how long must> India have to endure the burden of such mystics who in the garb of the> guru are really very illeterate about Satya sanatana Dharma i.e.> Hinduism.> > --> Posted By Pt.Sanjay Rath to Rath's Rhapsody at 2/12/2007 03:57:00 PM>

[Guest guest]

Dear Rathji,

 

Pranam!

 

I too feel like reacting to your message on " illiterate gurus " . My

first reaction was does a guru need to be literate about Vedas to be

a guru? A guru is anyone who can guide us on a path we seek for

ourselves. Now if the path is one of knowing " who am i? " , how

essential is the knowledge of vedas or jyotisha? Were mystics like

Kabir, or Meera bai or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or, closer to our times,

Ramana Maharishi or Ramakrishna " literate'in that sense? They too

probably saw God everywhere.

 

I do not know much about Ramadev excepting that he is very popular

with the masses, but if he thinks God is everywhere and therefore he

has no need for Jyotisha, what is wrong with that?

 

If a person thinks that he does not have any need for Vedas or

Jyotisha he may not necessarily be deriding or belittling these.

Maybe his direct experience with " bliss " is such that he can

actually do without these.

 

But this is only a viewpoint.

 

Warm regards,

 

Vinita

 

 

 

sohamsa , " Arpad Joo " <panchasila wrote:

>

>

> Hare Rama Krishna

>

> Dear Pandit Sanjay Rath,Namaskar

>

> further to your thoughts on " illiterate Gurus " , it seems that

there are

> " illiterate Organisations " as well.

>

> I just picked this piece of (less than priceless) information on

> Astrology by an idiot in the USA.

>

> " A US-based international Hindu reform organisation ,Navya Shastra

seems

> to be VERY critical of Astrology and it's application in daily

life.

>

> It's chairman Jaishree Gopal contends that " astrology and similar

> unscientific

> practices should be renounced in marital matchmaking and other

> everyday activities in Hindu society. "

>

> The organization further notes that " much of so-called Hindu

> astrology is an imported amalgamation of long-invalidated

> pseudo-sciences emerging from Babylon , Greece and Persia , and

should

> be discarded as irrelevant to the Hindu tradition. "

>

> With " friends " like these, who needs enemies...All this in the

name of

> " enlightened attitude " .

>

> What stupidity!

>

>

>

> With deep respect to you and your WORK

>

> I remain

>

> Arpadh Joo

sohamsa , " Pt.Sanjay Rath " <sanjayrath@>

wrote:

> >

> > Statement of Ramdev appearing in the BBC 'If anything,

he

> > condemns all superstition and retrogressive beliefs. " I don't

believe

> in

> > destiny. Palmistry and all this talk about the lines on your

hands

> > deciding your future is nothing but nonsense. So is this talk of

sun

> > signs and auspicious and inauspicious time and place, " he

says. " Can

> you

> > identify any moment or place where God is not there? He is

everywhere

> > and all the time. So how can any place or time be less or more

> > auspicious? " he asks. Comment of Pt. Sanjay Rath While I agree in

> > principle with his condemnation of superstition, it has come as a

> total

> > surprise that one as popular as Ramdev knows so little about the

> Vedas.

> > It is a well known fact that jyotisa is a Vedanga or a limb of

the

> > Vedas. By condemning jyotish, he has aonly exposed the truth

that all

> > these so called spiritual leaders of modern India today are

really

> very

> > illeterate about the subject the have gone forward to teach to

the

> > masses. Ramdev for one is very good at exercise and maybe hatha

yoga

> > and ayurveda, which is really an upanga of the veda and not one

of the

> > main vedanga. Most modern Indians are equally illiterate about

their

> > own culture and religion and know very little about their vedic

roots.

> > For example very few would even know that the body is made of

five

> > states of matter which follow five principles - that of the solid

> > (prithvi), liquid (jala), gas (vayu), energy (agni) and magnetic

> fields

> > and electric impulses (akasha). On the one hand he says that he

does

> > not believe in superstition and on the other hand he has openly

said

> > that he can curse Cancer! Recently when the health ministry of

the

> > Government of India issued him a notice, he immediately traced

back

> > saying that he cannot cure Cancer. My question is, for how long

must

> > India have to endure the burden of such mystics who in the garb

of the

> > guru are really very illeterate about Satya sanatana Dharma i.e.

> > Hinduism.

> >

> > --

> > Posted By Pt.Sanjay Rath to Rath's Rhapsody at 2/12/2007

03:57:00 PM

> >

>