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Re: HINDUISM: Is it outdated?
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: HINDUISM: Is it outdated?
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From: srraghav@eos.ncsu.edu (Srinivasa R Raghavan)
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Date: 16 Sep 1994 07:24:07 GMT
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Distribution: world
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
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Posted-Date: 16 Sep 1994 07:24:07 GMT
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References: <34oa5d$6vm@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
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Reply-To: srraghav@eos.ncsu.edu (Srinivasa R Raghavan)
In article <34oa5d$6vm@ucunix.san.uc.edu>,
manish@cadence.com (Manish Tandon) writes:
> The *jargon* used by the scientific community is no less *mythical*
> then what is said in the Vedic scriptures.
>
> I will only list a few:
>
(stuff deleted)
> If you want, I can provide detailed *flaws* in any or all of the
> above listed _Mythical_ terms.
i'm new to this newsgroup. i found ur article v.interesting. though i cannot
claim to have an in-depth knowledge of hinduism or of the scientific
phenomena that u list, both are subjects that deeply interest me.
here are some of my thoughts on Hinduism:
while every other religion has a single holy book that
has the definitive word on every philosophical aspect, Hinduism seems to have
no single authoritative text.
While the Gita is generally considered the most important book, many would
say that the final word on Hinduism exists in the Vedas/ Upanishads.
of course, the Gita is supposed to be the essence of the other holy texts.
However, u find nearly every great seer and sage writing a commentary on
the Gita and the other texts. Why would it be necessary to do this? How could
possibly Veda Vyasa and Maddhvacharya for example, be able to write entirely
different commentaries on these books? How is it that, to this day every living
holy man interprets the Gita in his own way?
the fuzziness about Hinduism is unlike that in any other major religion. In
Islam, i suppose doing namaz is clearly laid down as part of the life one
ought to lead. in the Bible, there probably is no room for doubt as to what it
expects devout christians to do. also, the morals that each religion teaches
and the virtues and the course of action they advocate are all probably very
straightforward.
on the other hand,in the Gita Krishna cites several different ways to attain
salvation. all are acceptable; some are easier. no single path of action is
emphasized. it is this diversity that has all along been the strength of
Hinduism - the reason why it has gladly accepted the beliefs of other religions.
>
>
> There are however *idiots* out there (like Leon Lederman, Director of
> Ferni National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Il) who said:
>
> "We hope to explain the entire universe in a single, simple
> formula that you can wear on your T-shirt."
>
to recall from the history of science, in the early 1900s, scientists figured
that if only there was an invisible "ether" that pervaded the universe, then
all of physics could be explained by using Newton's laws.this was of course,
before the famous Michelson-Morley experiment.
if scientists really believe that sooner or later, they would have figured
out everything there is to know in this world then they certainly are FOOLS!
> Am I now qualified to say that since *Science* hasn't answered so
> many questions and also that they have taken the help of *mythical*
> phenomenon to describe what they have so far, there is no reason to
> reject the *other mythical* explanations given in the Vedic Scriptures???
maybe we need to cast aside the "myth" and find the true essence. maybe it is
not possible for ordinary individuals like us to do this - we would need
somebody to guide us along.
> Btw, several eminent scientists now do say that the _present_ theories
> of science including the much revered QUANTUM MECHANICS may become
> obsolete in future.
dunno about this one! in fact, quantum mechanics is probably closer to the
philosophical concept of God. according to it, there are some things
that cannot be determined exactly, however much we try. this non-perfect
understanding of how things work, is probably the extent to which humans can
go!
there can be several reasons why Hinduism is not outdated. however to deny its
flaws is to be simplistic. the beauty of our religion is that it allows for
different, even contradicting interpretations. it is possible for us to
practice a form of Hinduism that is very much in tune with the modern world.
srinivas
