From: banerjee@titan.trl.OZ.AU (Arindam Banerjee)
Subject: Re: How the hell can religion and action not be related?
Organization: Telecom Research Labs, Melbourne, Australia
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 02:44:36 GMT

Thanks to all - I did not expect thjat my posts would genetate this much
interest!

I really do not know how to begin. Perhaps it would be best if I told a
joke, which while not so side-splittingly funny  as that related to the
number 666, may still make some pagans smile.  Well, this is more of an
anecdote. My grandfather, now over ninety , told me this. Unfortunately
the art of story-telling is dying, so there is no way I can communicate
the subtle nuances, inflections, etc in day to day talk to my children
as well as old gramps can. And over the electronic meduim in a foreign
language, the task is more difficult. Still, here goes.

Now there was a Christian missionary trying his best to convert Hindu
villagers. It has been, and is, very difficult for people like him to convert
Hindus. Hindus simply cannot understand Christian theology. I did not
know it even though I had studied in a Jesuit school for 12 years - the
good fathers never told me. I assumed that coming from people who had
made the most wonderful technological advances the whole mysterious
business would be way above my head. (What is actually is I have found
out in the last three years I have been living in the wonderful land of
Australia).

Sorry, I have been drifting - a bad oriental habit of mine. Anyway
Hindus do frustrate missionaries, and in this frustration I regret to
say that missionaries do resort to sneaky practices. (Amaury de
Riencourt in his book Soul of India to which I give cautious
recommendation tells us how in Goa - a small state - they had to get
converts by throwing carcasses of cows into the houses of Hindus, making
them lose their caste thus being left with no option but to embrace
Christianity. They tried this on a mass scale in the 1857 war, and
failed, and to me that is the beginning of the end of that sneaky kind
of proselyting Christianity.)

So this frustrated one, in his anger, picked up a clump of basil. Now
basil is a perenial bush which is much regarded by Hindus. We keep basil
shrubs in our uthaan (yard) and in the evenings the lady of the house
will light a lamp under the plant. The leaves of basil are used in
rituals and they also have a medicinal value - a paste is good for
colds. In Oz I got a annual variety which did not last long, and the
leaves were not so effective. Thus basil has religious significance.

"What can your Lord Krishna do, " said the missionary, if I rub the
leaves of basil on my bum?" 
"Can he do anything? So why worship your foolish idols.....". So on he
ranted, and in due course he did indeed rub the leaves on his bare bum,
with no untoward consequences, which no doubt he also pointed out.

Most of the villagers were perplexed. They really had no idea about
anything. They of course understood that the missionary was insulting,
but then he was doing something for what he claimed was for their good,
and as he was at least not violent he should be at  understood.

One of them got up. He said politely: "Sir, the basil plant is really
related to the child Krishna, that is Gopal. If you really want to show
us the power of your god, try rubbing this. This plant is related to the
goddess Kali."

"Now I will show you fools how much I care for your goddess Kali!" And
the missionary very thoroughly rubbed the plant all over his bare
behind.

The next minute he was howling with pain. For the plant was what we call
"bichuti", which we all do well to avoid. 

The missionary ran away, never to return.

I believe that this anecdote is authentic. It may give some indication
why Christianity did not take a firm hold in India. The Muslims who
invaded us in the twelfth century were violent and killed many Hindus
and destroyed all the temples they could. As I have noted earlier it was
the sheer size of our population which saved our religion, which actually
is not so much a religion as a shared consciousness. Hindus think well
of Christianity, because it has been non-violent in India. I personally
admire many Christians - in fact I owe my basic education to them. If I
were to be a Christian today I would skip the dogma, and concentrate on
doing good. Many people I know in Australia seem to be doing just
this. (Not sure about my accuracy here). 
Arindam      
Newsgroups: alt.pagan