Aneesh's Hinduism thread

[silver 2039]

Whats so special about the Ganges? Why is it considered sacred for Hindus?
Same question for Beranes and Hardiwar.

 

[punkbass2000]

If I may be permitted to answer.

There are divisions within Hindus based on the particular manifestation of God which they worship. Mostly it is not so important and is more of the nature of personal favourite than must worship kind of restriction. For example, in South India, certain castes are 'Shaivas' i.e., worshippers of Shiva and all his avatars, and associated gods, whereas others are 'Vaishnavas', who worship Vishnu and his forms. Though I am of the Smartha (Shaiva) sub-caste among Brahmins, there is no injunction on me visiting a Vaishnava temple, nor has been imposed on any member of my family by anyone as far as I can recall.

However, in some parts of South India, the distinction is so marked (and violent) that Shaivas will not enter Vaishnava temples and vice versa, though on the whole, such distinctions are not strictly followed in most places sparing some rural areas.

There is no specific prescription that a certain set of gods have to be worshipped in a particular manner to be a Hindu; indeed one will have to spend a few thousand years recounting ALL the myriad names in which ALL the gods of Hinduism are worshipped by different communities.

Yes, this agrees with what I know about Hinduism. Hence, my question to aneeshm. You're welcome to answer it yourself, if you like.

 

[silver 2039]

Also whats the deal with the pooja's? I mean it seems a horrible waste of milk to pour it one a 121 foot statue when you could give it to the pesants instead. I mean seriosuly....

 

[punkbass2000]

Also whats the deal with the pooja's? I mean it seems a horrible waste of milk to pour it one a 121 foot statue when you could give it to the pesants instead. I mean seriosuly....

Well, that's the problem, IMO. Good ideas become sacred traditions and lose their fluidity.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

How similar is Hindi to Sanskrit?

 

[aneeshm]

How similar is Hindi to Sanskrit?

Though this is not , strictly speaking , related to Hinduism , here goes : most Hindi words have a Sanskrit root . But because Hindi is a language where is is very easy to induct new words into the language , it is , in my opinion , being too influenced by Urdu . Pure ( shudhdha ) Hindi is practically simplified Sanskrit .

 

[aneeshm]

Whats so special about the Ganges? Why is it considered sacred for Hindus?
Same question for Beranes and Hardiwar.

According to Hindu mythology , the river Ganga originally existed in heaven . The sage Bhagirath meditated , and did penance to bring her down to the Earth . It was found , however , that the impact of the Ganga coming dowm from the heavens , when it would hit the Earth , would be more than the Earth could bear . An appeal was then made to Shiva to bear the impact . Shiva agreed , and thus the Ganga falls first on Lord Shiva's head , which absorbs the impact , and thence proceeds on its way .

 

[aneeshm]

Also whats the deal with the pooja's? I mean it seems a horrible waste of milk to pour it one a 121 foot statue when you could give it to the pesants instead. I mean seriosuly....

You must understand that these Poojas were evolved at a time of great prosperity - when even a peasant could do a small puja at home . The tradition continues to this day .

 

[allhailIndia]

According to Hindu mythology , the river Ganga originally existed in heaven . The sage Bhagirath meditated , and did penance to bring her down to the Earth . It was found , however , that the impact of the Ganga coming dowm from the heavens , when it would hit the Earth , would be more than the Earth could bear . An appeal was then made to Shiva to bear the impact . Shiva agreed , and thus the Ganga falls first on Lord Shiva's head , which absorbs the impact , and thence proceeds on its way .

There is also an interesting reason why Bhagiratha wanted Ganga to come down to the Earth.

Bhagirath's great grandfather Sagar had sixty thousand sons, all proud and arrogant and drunk with power. One day, they invited the wrath of the powerful sage, Kapila and were instantly turned to ashes by his anger. The only to restore them would be to put their ashes in the Ganga, but the only problem being that Ganga flowed in the heavens, and was not accessible to the denizens of earth. Sagara, despondent at the loss of ALL of his sons, turned to his virtuous grandson, to try and and convince Ganga to come down to the Earth and bring salvation to his sons. However, when he failed after long penance, it was upto Bhagiratha to try and his efforts succeeded in bringing the Ganga to the Earth. It is also for this reason that the Ganga is called the Bhagirathi or the daughter of Bhagiratha in its upper reaches.

 

[aneeshm]

*Bump*

@ allhailindia

The story is given in great detail in the Ramayana , which I have just now started to read an English translation of . And after reading just the balakanda , I've come to the conclusion that the Ramayana needs to me made into a big-budget , special-effects filled set of movies ( pref. one for each Kanda ) . They could be very big indeed .


On-topic : Do people have any more queries , questions , or doubts ? I cannot believe that the curiosity of the people of this forum can be so easily sated .

 

[zulu9812]

I have a couple of questions.

1. What's the relationship between Hinduism and Jainism?

2. Some nationalists in India maintain that the caste system is a product of Aryan society (who didn't have Untouchability) and that when they arrived/invaded what we now know of as India, the Aryans put the indigenous people in a new lowest class called the Untouchables. In other words, the Untouchables and their now descendents (I know that it's illegal now, but it's still practised to some degree, apparently) are descended from the original people of India, whislt everyone is descended from the Aryans. Any truth to this?

 

[allhailIndia]

I have a couple of questions.

1. What's the relationship between Hinduism and Jainism?

2. Some nationalists in India maintain that the caste system is a product of Aryan society (who didn't have Untouchability) and that when they arrived/invaded what we now know of as India, the Aryans put the indigenous people in a new lowest class called the Untouchables. In other words, the Untouchables and their now descendents (I know that it's illegal now, but it's still practised to some degree, apparently) are descended from the original people of India, whislt everyone is descended from the Aryans. Any truth to this?

1. Jainism, to put it in computer terms, is the Apple of religions, if Buddhism is Microsoft and Hinduism, IBM. Let me explain.

In the 6th century BC, Hinduism was dominated by the imperative to perform sacrifices from the moment one was born to the moment one died and that is no exaggeration. Sacrifices were on a pretty continuous basis and costly. The more costlier the better. Ultimately, the spiritual aspect was clouded over by the imperative of sacrifice itself, enriching the Brahmins and earning the ire of the peasant, the trader and perhaps, even the King.

The challengeto sacrifice-centric Hinduism camefrom various quarters. There were a several alternates offered based on whether one wanted untrammeled hedonism or body scourging ascetism. In between there were various 'options', but really only two of them survived, 'The Test of Time'; Jainism and Buddhism.

Jainism, therefore, like Buddhism, was a challenge to orthodox Hinduism in the 6th century BC, but never really 'caught on' like Buddhism because it did not have the big ticket missionary-kings like Asoka propagating it. Rather, it was embraced more by trading classes (even today) who found its teachings of austerity, thrift and non-violence compatible to their life-style. Plus they didn't have to spend all their wealth on daily sacrifices. Unlike Buddhism's wider appeal between the 6th c BC to the 8th c AD, Jainism was restricted to a smaller, 'niche' group of followers who practiced rigorous penance and led a life-style superior to those of the more 'easy-going' Buddhists.

IN effect, Jains are not Hindus and technically not part of the caste varna. They do not worship Gods traditionally associated with the Hindu pantheon, though for purposes of the law, they are placed under the bracket of 'Hindus' as far as personal laws are applicable to them.

2. The caste system itself is much misunderstood and only recent studies have challenged the previously accepted notions of rigidity and immobility.
However, in answering your question, we have to look at the Vedas and the epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata to get some idea of how the caste system worked in those days.

The Vedas do refer to the conquest of the non-INdo-Aryan peoples of India who are referred to as 'Dasyus' by the composers of the Vedas. The Indo-Aryan people who came to India from Central Asia originally settled in and around the Indus before moving into the Gangetic plains and further east and south. Obviously, there were other cultures in these areas that came into contact with the Indo-Aryans and were differentiated from them primarily on the basis of looks. As against the fair skinned, taller Indo-Aryans, the natives were either the aboriginal people (very similar to Australian aborigines in looks and lifestyle-pattern) or the 'Dravidian' people who are usually found in central and Southern India, but whose origins are unclear as yet.

Untouchability, and other notions of 'pollution' started emerging around the Later Vedic period and hardened in the first few centuries AD. The caste hierarchy was being rigidified and, the crucial point must be noted, the aboriginal peoples were considered outside the caste hierarchy. To them was relegated the most menial jobs and degrading forms of labour, and while mobility was present within the caste system itself, the untouchable castes had none.

So to answer your question, yes, the indigenous, as in the aborignal peoples became the untouchables, in that they were seen as being outside the caste system and not even considered part of society in a village.

 

[aneeshm]

I have a couple of questions.

1. What's the relationship between Hinduism and Jainism?

allhailindia has explained it very well - no need for me to go over it here again .

I have a couple of questions.

2. Some nationalists in India maintain that the caste system is a product of Aryan society (who didn't have Untouchability) and that when they arrived/invaded what we now know of as India, the Aryans put the indigenous people in a new lowest class called the Untouchables. In other words, the Untouchables and their now descendents (I know that it's illegal now, but it's still practised to some degree, apparently) are descended from the original people of India, whislt everyone is descended from the Aryans. Any truth to this?

As far as I know , Hindu nationalists reject the Aryan invasion theory . As for my personal opinion - I'm an Aryan invasion agnostic . I don't know , and I don't have the skills required to know . Some people insist vehemently with some evidence that the Aryans did indeed invade India . Others claim , with equal evidence and vehemence , that they did not . As I do not know Sanskrit , nor do I know the chronology of the Vedas , I cannot comment on this . The problem arises because most of the evidence presented by both sides is not archeological , but linguistic ( based on the interpretations of the Vedas ) .

As far as the untouchables go , however , it is true that they were considered to be outside society . Untouchability is a huge problem even now in the rural areas of India , even though it has been illegal since 1947 , and must be tackled . It is unfortunate that the lower castes and untouchables are manipulated by politicians for votes .

 

[silver 2039]

What do Hindu's have against the left hand?
Why do they preform puja's on cars, refrigrators, houses, microwaves and every other conceviable household object?

 

[aneeshm]

What do Hindu's have against the left hand?
Why do they preform puja's on cars, refrigrators, houses, microwaves and every other conceviable household object?

Hindus have nothing against the left hand per se , but it is considered ritually impure because it is used to wipe the arse ( for a left-handed person , correspondingly , the right hand will be ritually impure ) .

As for the Pujas of very important objects , such as cars ( you grossly exaggerate when you say that they perform pujas on every object - like microwaves ) , they are done as removers of obstacles .

 

[allhailIndia]

Why do they preform puja's on cars, refrigrators, houses, microwaves and every other conceviable household object?

The hindu equivalent of 'Good luck and hope it doesn't blow up in your face when u r cooking bisibele bath'

 

[Capulet]

Whats wrong with the number 420?

 

[Che Guava]

How does hinduism view the non-hindu world?

What I mean to say is, how do hindus account for all the non-hindus in the world? For eg, I know that jews beleive themselves to be the chosen people of god, christianity/islam take a evangelical view (they have the answer, its thier job to spread it to the world), while buddhism seems to take the view that the world is thus, and buddhism is just a way of explaining the cycles of life,. (sorry for the terrible oversimplification of religions, I just wanted to get a point across!)

Do hindus beleive that god has a special connection to the people india/the ganges? Do they beleive they have a duty to spread hinuism? Or do hinus not worry about the rest of the world so much?

 

[Flak]

1. Are untouchables (Dalit) considered Hindus? If not, does this mean they can assume any religion they like since they aren't Hindus?

2. Recently there have been some laws passed in preventing mass conversions of people to other religions. Is there a significant amount of intolerance for peoples of other religion in India?

 

[warpus]

Hindus have nothing against the left hand per se , but it is considered ritually impure because it is used to wipe the arse ( for a left-handed person , correspondingly , the right hand will be ritually impure ) .

Do all Hindus use the opposite hand to wipe their arse?

I don't