barney 0 Report post Posted October 14, 2005 240. Sita Ram Goel (1921- 2003) scholar, writer, publisher, the founder of Voice of India, an ‘intellectual’ Kshatriya’ par excellence, and a Hindu revivalist. Author of several books, including The Story of Islamic Imperialism, Defence of Hindu Society and History of Hindu-Christian Encounters. He writes: "It is an intuition ingrained in the Hindu psyche to inhabit our entire environment - celestial, physical, vegetable, animal, and human - with innumerable Gods and Goddesses. Some of these divinities are installed in temples as icons, and worshipped with well-defined rituals. Some others are worshipped as and where they are invoked. Hindu shastras, saints and sages have paid homage to many Gods and Goddesses in many sublime hymns." " I am a Hindu, which to me means the inheritor of the oldest and the highest spiritual culture known to human history." Hindu seers and sages as also Hindu shastras, no matter to what Hindu sect they belong, designate this spiritual center of Hindu society as Sanãtana Dharma. Sanãtana Dharma says that the aspiration for Truth (satyam), Goodness (šivam), Beauty (sundaram), and Power (aišvarya) is inherent in every soul, everywhere, and at all times, like the physical hunger of the body for food and drink. The Upanishadic prescription, ãtmãnam viddhi (know thyself) is a variation on the same theme. It leads to the same attainment - aham brahmo’smi (I am Brahma), tat tvam asi (thou art That), and sah tadasti (he is That). It is a steep spiritual ascent at the end of which the Ãtman (Self) becomes Paramãtman (Supreme Self), and the PuruSa (Person) becomes PuruSottama (Superperson). In the language of Theism, man becomes God." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites