Hi Kamal:
I missed your question, Dilip's answer and the thread followed by Anjan,
Alpana etc. I was on my way to Assam at the time.
Anjan is obviously one of the most knowledgeable on the subject, and you
asked the right person for a definitive explanation. I am sure the renowned
authority on Xonkordeu in Assam Net, felt left out. You should not do that
you know? Terar
xisyo onek, soxorw odhik buli ebaar aamak jonai thoise nohoy? Gotike aagole
teneke terak eri thoi nejaba akou pai. Terak twmalwke opoman korile urohor
khongtw terai akou ei omukar wporothe aahi xaarehi. Janw aaru pai ki eikhon
mohapuruxor lila!
I am responding only because of your perception that I get fits at the
sound of the H word. Actually it is a misconception on your part. It is
true I am not a subscriber to any organized religious faith or belief or
dogma. But I do accept that religion did play an important role in human
civilization and there is room for it in the future.
I do get fits with the H word ( or even the C or M words) when it is used
for political reasons, like it is done mostly these days. In fact it has
become so political that its association with sprituality has become almost
an aberrtion, istead of being the norm, in contemporary discourses. The
other reason I get fits about is all the despicable activities and
attitudes that have found shelter in the H family or 'parivaar' if you
prefer, and the H intellectuals' inability to stand up and be counted in
removing the garbage that has littered the faith.
Returning to the subject , I also get very curious about the Hindu
intellectuals' allergy, or more precisely - defensiveness- with the
polytheistic label, which they squirm over every time the Cs or the Ms or
the As lob it on them. If I were to be a believer in H-ism, does not matter
what version or sect,
and I had such a well developed Corporate structure of divinity - top down
at that- to look up to, I would be more than happy to embrace it and
defend its virtues like all the patriots who defend the NDA :-). Is it
heaven on earth or what?
I was being a tad bit sarcastic there. But seriously though, what is so
wrong about an 'okhyowhini' ( zillion) or more minor gods and goddesses
serving under the pantheon, under an enlightened power sharing concept,
unlike the dictatorial,imperial and authoritarian one God ruling over the
universe? Isn't the H-polyethistic model therefore a more egalitarian,
desirable model of divine rule over the human condition?
Why then the H intellectuals stumble all over themselves attempting to
explain how theirs too is a monotheistic religion, just packaged
differently as a marketing device for the unsophisticated masses? Therein
I find the achilles' heel of the argument that somehow H-ism is superior to
other isms, or at least just as good.
Ultimately, to an A like yours truly, it boils down to: 'kaknw bulba koka'
? Which frees me up from having to suffer from the angst of unflattering
comparisons with other isms which has been my very own 'mwkhyo' :-).
cm
KJ,
So difficult to undo the wrongs of the past. The Christian religion and
political power has been so dominant in the past centuries that we have
tended to accept their views without question. It is a good thing though
that more and more educated people are realizing this and looking to the
correct picture from the correct angle.
I once asked a progressive Xian priest if he really believed in the stories
of the Bible and the propaganda against other beliefs and was quite taken
aback when he answered in the negative. He explained himself by saying, "I
have been taught to believe in my faith, but my education and logic tells
me otherwise and now I have to choose between the two -- I choose to
believe, it makes life simpler for my profession!" Now, you notice that he
makes a clear divide between "self" and "profession". On one he serves
God, while on the other he serves the needs of man! I think this is what
religion is all about -- "leading sheep to the fold." The analogy speaks
for itself.
Anjan
----- Original Message -----
From: KJDeka at aol.com
To: anjan at mail.thu.edu.tw ; assam at pikespeak.uccs.edu
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Polytheism and Monotheism
In a message dated 1/12/04 3:37:37 AM Central Standard Time, anjan at
mail.thu.edu.tw writes:
.. I due course of time, rituals were prescribed in order to invoke a
particular function of Brahma and these were worshipped as dieties<<<
Anjan,thanks for the fantastic explanation.Applying the criteria of
God ( capital G) and deities or gods ( small g),Hinduism ( Sanatan
dharma,to be more precise) should be called MONOTHEISTIC POLYDEITIC
religion.
KJD
-------------- next part -----------
I feel there is a trap in your question somewhere.
Nonetheless let me give you my viewpoint on it. There isn't a religion
called Hinduism. There is a nebulous concept called Hinduism (the very word
Hindu was coined by outsiders). There are Vedic rituals and other
subsequent rituals that people call Hindu religious practices. There are
many so called practitoners of Hinduism who do not go for such rituals.
Some Hindus believe in the monotheistic concept while others go for the
polytheistic concept. In my opinion there isn't a one word answer saying
yes or no.
Dilipda
KJDeka at aol.com wrote:
The 1995 edition of Oxford dictionary defines polytheism as,belief or
worship of,more than one god ( god is spelt with a small g).Monotheism,on
the other hand,is defined as " the doctrine that there is only one God (
please note that it has a capital G).It also defines God as " the creator
and the ruler of the universe in Christian,Jewish and Muslim teaching".
Here is the question that flashes across my mind ----- Is Hinduism a
polytheist religion?Could well-versed netters shed some light? Please don't
wander off the main question.
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