|
The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, like
The Iliad and The Odyssey, are epics. We donot take things from the epics
literally. Like we cannot believe everything about Hercules similarly we cannot
believe everything about Hanuman. Do you believe, Sita really went inside the
earth? Do you really believe Hanuman actually lifted the mountain and flew? Was
he an monkey who could speak? And then the question of historicity of the
events. Any idea when these events took place? So on this basis, one
cannot take Ram and Krishna to be historical facts. But I believe that there
must be something from which the imaginative potes wrote the epics. To justify
historicity of the events, one will have to work on hard evidence (outside the
epics) and proceed inch by inch and one piece at a time. I don't know what is
being done on this by the Hindus outside the stories on the Ramayana dnthe
Mahabharata. Any idea?
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 10:24
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] India's Government
Strikes Mention of Beef Eaters From New History Books on Ancient India
Do you believe that it is a historical fact that Ram and
Krishna (and their anscestors as mentioned in Ramayan and
Mahabharat)and other incarnations of Vishnu existed historically and that
Mahabharat War took place -as mentioned in Hindu scriptures
(just the way it is mentioned somewhere that some ancient Hindus ate beef -but
the text were meant to admonish the reader)?
Should the above be stated in all history books throughout the world
--just as the write that Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhhamad, Hitler etc
are historical figures?
Umesh
Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>If something good is mentioned in Hindu texts --then it is a myth
--like existence of Ram and Krishna. But if >something distasteful to
Hindus is mentioned in their texts --then it is Gospel truth--and undeniable
historical fact!!
Who says that? Not
me.
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 12:10
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] India's
Government Strikes Mention of Beef Eaters From New History Books on
Ancient India
Rajen-da,
You want to haver it both ways - to get at Hindus.
If something good is mentioned in Hindu texts --then it is a myth
--like existence of Ram and Krishna. But if something distasteful to
Hindus is mentioned in their texts --then it is Gospel truth--and
undeniable historical fact!!
Romilla Thapar would surely agree with you -- since her arguments go
like that as do for Western professors who taught her or wrote books that
she reads.
Umesh
Rajen & Ajanta Barua
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Umesh:
It seems that
the facts are very clear. The Vedas recorded that the ancient
Hindus used to eat Beef. Now why the Hindus should have any problem
in believing this to be true, and why the Hindus try to hide this fact
by distorting the record. Is that what Hindusim teach: To compromise
with the truth if found not to one'e liking?
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 7:50
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] India's
Government Strikes Mention of Beef Eaters From New History Books on
Ancient India
If Hindus do not believe the Vedas then who does --but lets not
mix religious beliefs with historical facts and reasoning --as
many of the Net say:))
Od do you want the history txtbooks to write as follows:
"Hindus believe that the ancient Hindus used to eat Holy cow -
who is their mother -as per their belief," --that makes no
sense.
What do you propose?
The question is do the Hindus believe
the Vedas? Why you have to rely on what others
believe?
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006
10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] India's
Government Strikes Mention of Beef Eaters From New History Books
on Ancient India
I wonder what proof we have (besides mention in Vedas [Rig
Veda]) about Indians eating beef? As you know most Western
historians would not believe Hindu scriptures are historiucally
true -then why quote from them for beef eating?
1. India's Government Strikes
Mention of Beef Eaters From New History Books on Ancient
India
NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 12, 2006: (HPI note:
The irony of this NCERT action is that the previous BJP
government met with vigorous opposition from the now ruling
Congress party and allies when it attempted to make the same
change, considered an affront to Hinduism, in the text
books.)
References to ancient India's beef-eaters have
been done away with in NCERT's newly-introduced history
textbooks. NCERT, National Council of Educational Research and
Training, is the national commission responsible for the
textbooks in India's schools. NCERT changed the syllabus for
Classes I, III, VI, IX and XI from this year in accordance with
the national curriculum framework (NCF) 2005, to prescribe broad
guidelines for an ideal course curriculum. Till last year, Class
VI and XI textbooks had references to beef-eating habits. "These
references were there in ancient Indian history books for
Classes VI and IX till last year. Those textbooks have been
replaced and the new ones have no mention of beef-eating," NCERT
spokesman Ashish Bahad said. The reference had raised objections
from several quarters last year and a Public Interest Litigation
was filed in the Supreme Court. NCERT had also formed a
three-member expert committee to look into the matter.
"Following the NCF 2005, NCERT developed new history textbooks
that attempt to arouse the curiosity of schoolchildren. The
books encourage students to find out historical facts on their
own," Bahad
added.
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing
list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh
Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD
20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Ed.M. -
International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of
Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
weblog:
http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
Umesh Sharma
5121
Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell
Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard
Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of
2005
weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing
list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh
Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD
20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International
Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard
University,
Class of 2005
weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing
list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh
Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328
[Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate
School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
weblog:
http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
All
New Yahoo! Mail Tired of [EMAIL PROTECTED]@! come-ons? Let our SpamGuard protect
you.
|
