From: ngopalas@ha13.eng.ua.edu (Nath S. Gopalaswamy)
Subject: Re: Vedas are NOT shit ( was  Re: Animal Sacrifice in Temples
Organization: The University of Alabama
Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1992 21:28:45 GMT

In article <BuBDo5.G90@ireq.hydro.qc.ca>, srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca (Srinivasan K.) writes:
|> In article <1992Sep04.213607.126603@ua1ix.ua.edu> ngopalas@ha15.eng.ua.edu
|>  (Nath S. Gopalaswamy) writes:
|> >
|> >Who the hell is this Meenan Vishnu guy? He is lucky that Hinduism is tolerant 
|> >religion. If he had said that the Quran is like shit, he would be
|> >like Salman Rushdie, hiding in some place on earth. This itself should prove
|> >the greatness of the Vedas, they permit criticism, but indecent criticism like
|> >this is intolerable. Just let him say that the Bible is like shit. They will
|> >kick his ass out of Canada.
|> >
|> >Nath.
|> 
|> Here are some opinions. Find references for yourself.
|> 
|> 1. The tolerance, which is a characteristic of Hinduism, is not 
|> a legacy from the Vedas. Hinduism of Today, is not based just on the Vedas.
|> There have been numerous teachers and philosophers, who shaped the Hindu
|> thought, BY TAKING SELECTIONS ONLY from the Vedas.
|> "One can claim to be a follower of Hinduism, yet disregard Vedas. It is
|> enough to follow the ideas, that one understands, of one of the
|> Hindu Philosophers".
|> 
|> 2. There have been many interpretions to several verses in the Vedas.
|> Even the Indian translaters do not agree. The foreign translaters are
|> no exception. So let us read these different versions with academic
|> interest, not draw any generalized conclusions about a whole class of people
|> 
|> 3. The purpose of many critical posters is to point out that Vedas are
|> just a collection of ancient thought and knowledge of an ancient period
|> and nothing more. They dismiss it as a book of perfection.
|> 
|> 4. There is absolutely no logic in relating, the Vedas and the Brahmins,
|> in today's context. Today's Brahmins, even those,
|> who THINK vedas are a great piece of work, DO not follow the Vedas.
|> There are some who recite them without understanding it. If they understand
|> I am sure they will not recite the passages which are offensive.
|> 
|> I do not know of any Brahmin who would change his PRESENT way of life
|> to fit that of the Vedas, if and when he/she understands some of the
|> offensive verses.
|> 
|> 5. Those who think Vedas are a useless piece of junk, have no right to use
|> this as a justification for promoting hatred against TODAYS BRAHMINs.
|> 
|> 6. Those who are coming to the defence of Vedas, just because their
|> ancesters LONG LONG AGO supported it, think twice, if THEY PERSONALLY
|> will do it today. Actually, it is simpler than that. It is just the
|> interpretation, that need to be criticized or supported. 
|> If there are two contradicting interpretations to the same verse,
|> one could agree and follow the idea expressed in one interpretation,
|> and not follow the idea expressed by the other interpretation.
|> About, which interpretation is the correct translation one need not
|> bother.
|> 
|> K. Srinivasan  srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca


I agree wholeheartedly with every point you make. My grouse is not against
criticism, but against those who denigrate religious sentiments just because
it will serve their own narrow political views and create false propoganda.

Nath.

-- 

ZZtop, Pink F, LedZep, Queen are wimps!!	e-mail: ngopalas@buster.eng.ua.edu
Gimme Guns n Roses anyday!
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.indian.telugu