Pagans and Competitive Conversions

Dear Murad,

Instead of trying to define Hinduism how about trying to experience it?

Hinduism is a Pagan/Heathen/Kafir practice and is no different from animism or the numerous ``tribal`` faiths of India. The Puranas say that there are 330 million gods and goddesses (at least that`s how many who attended the wedding of Shiva and Parvati!). Hindu practice and custom is so vast and varied that it is impossible to categorise it.

So what if tribals don`t worship Shiva and Vishnu. A number of Hindus do not either. There are a number of Ishtadevatas (favourite deities) that anyone can turn to. In Tamil Nadu where I am from my ancestral village has its own gatekeeping deity - the local Ayyanar - who must be worshipped before one enters the village. Many of the popular deities of today have multiple origins. Kartik the son of Shiva is closely linked to Murugan an ancient Tamil deity who is said to have inhabited the mountains. Krishna is related to the herdsman`s deities in the North as well as TamilNadu`s Mayon - a deity who protected the crops from the rain. Every region of India has its own sub-plots to add to the Ramayan and Mahabharat. There are classical as well as folk and tribal versions.

Hindus aren`t necessarily tied to the Vedas. In fact you are unlikely to find the Vedas in print in the house of the typical Hindu, North, South, East or West. If you come to TamilNadu you may find the Vishnu Sahasranamam or Tiruppavai. In UP you may find the Ramcharitamanas and in Bengal the GitaGovindam if not the easier to read works of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.

Brahmins - there again I gotcha - aren`t integral to the practice of Hinduism. Some families involve them in all ceremonies, some others in a few and yet others rarely at all. And then which Brahmin are we talking about. I am a Tamil Brahmin who was brought up on a vegetarian diet (no eggs please). My  Bengali Brahmin mother-in-law will eat fish and mutton but no chicken or eggs! And my Kashmiri Brahmin friends will eat most vegetables -except onions and garlic- mutton, but no fish, chicken or pork! To imagine that this diverse bunch actually retarded India`s progress is fanciful! The Brahmins aren`t a monolithic group of people. Few outside the ambit of caste know that every caste considers itself the most important or worthiest. The system has been perverted and is already in decline. I am sure that it will wither away in the decades to come.

The Hindu ritual is aimed at ensuring a happy life on earth for oneself and his/her progeny. The Hindu`s concept of heaven and hell is allegorical at best. There is no concept of blasphemy. And to be struck dead by God is the ultimate salvation!

A number of neo-Pagan movements have sprung up in Europe of late. They are turning to Hinduism to find their philosophical moorings. The Shiva temple that is coming up in Kauai, Hawaai, courtesy the Shaiva Siddhanta Church has shrines dedicated to the local deities. Hindus as a rule neither approve nor disapprove anything absolutely and definitely not because some scripture says so! Ethics are to be created by the human being and must lead to the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

A number of ``hindu`` organisations have been working with the tribal populations of India. The Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra runs 1000s of schools all over India. Some of the BJP`s scheduled tribe MPs are alumni of these schools.

nothing could be more vacuous and empty than the so called religious teachings ,moorings,
or any thing else we migh like to call it( by religion i clearly imply all religions without exception).The so called seers, prophets(no offence meant to any one)could only propound
very embarassing postulates of something as fudmental as death and what happens after death.They (including written dogmas) are at the best ,good at telling us about the right conduct and way to live,which to my mind to the best of my knowledge not a single human
could attain or adopt a iota of these moral postulates.Nothing cold be more irrelevant than religion.IT IS EACH ONE UNTO HIMSELF.

Murad sahab,

You can not explain Hinduism on the basis of principles governing the Religions of Books. Its OK if you call it a pagan religion. They worship All. They can worship even Allah. No problem! They already worship Nizamuddin Aulia, Sai baba, Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha. Given a chance, they will offer puja at Kaba also. You know, they worship mother Ganga, the Sun and all types of stones. They worship Pipal, Nag devta, holy cow and all. I have seen even brahmins worshiping all these stones, rivers, heavenly bodies and animals as worshiped by backward castes and tribals. So, there you are not CORRECT. You must call Hinduism a pagan religion and you must, therefore, treat the tribals and the backward castes as Hindus. You MUST comment on my interact if you wish to be FAIR and IMPARTIAL.

samar