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Re: Vedanta discussions
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: Vedanta discussions
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From: vidya@cco.caltech.edu (Vidyasankar Sundaresan)
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Date: 8 Jan 1995 08:48:02 GMT
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Distribution: world
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From news@nntp-server.caltech.edu Sun Jan 8 03: 38:08 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
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References: <3ei7hj$jsl@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
Manish Tandon, Vijay Pai and Krishna Susarla usually quote from some
Purana or the other to buttress their arguments. However, when someone
else quotes a Purana, they conveniently sidestep the issue. The hypocrisy
is plainly evident below.
Manish Tandon once wrote:
> > There is no such thing as the "hindu dharma". It is a misnomer.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > All the people in that geographical location (including vaisnavas,
> > shivas, smartas, etc. and even naasticks!) were lumped into the
> > category of "hindu" by the invaders. - Manish Tandon
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To which Dr. Jai Maharaj replied,
> ancient
> Puran known as Brihannaradi in the Sham village,
> Hoshiarpur, Punjab. It contained the verse:
> HIMALAYAM SAMARABHYA YAVAT BINDUSAROVARAM
> HINDUSTHANAMITI QYATAM HI ANTARAKSHARAYOGATAH
^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Kumar translates it as:
> "The country lying between the Himalayan mountain
> and Bindu Sarovara (Cape Comorin sea) is known as
> Hindusthan by combination of the first letter `hi' of
> `Himalaya' and the last compound letter `ndu' of the
> word `Bindu.'"
Now, the Brihan-naradiya Purana is quoted by H. Krishna Susarla in his
sig file:
> HARER NAMA HARER NAMA
> HARER NAMAIVA KEVALAM
> KALAU NASTY EVA NASTY EVA
> NASTY EVA GATIR ANYATHA
>
> "IN THIS AGE OF QUARREL AND HYPOCRISY THE ONLY MEANS OF DELIVERANCE IS
> CHANTING THE HOLY NAME OF LORD KRSNA. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. THERE IS
> NO OTHER WAY. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY."
> -- Brhan-naradiya purana 38.126
Personally, I think the verse Jai quotes from the Brhan-naradi Puran is
spurious. The etymology is all wrong. Sarovar means lake e.g. Manasarovar.
The word for ocean is usually sagara or sindhu. `Bindusarovar' as a name
of the Indian ocean is completely unknown, to the best of my knowledge.
Finally, "Hindustan" is patently a much later word, and to claim that the
word "Hindusthanam" occurs in a Purana, only undermines the credibility of
the Purana, while doing nothing to establish the antiquity of the name
Hindustan. I can afford to say this, as I know for a fact that over the
ages, people have been merrily interpolating into Puranas, to suit their
own narrow purposes. The Vedas are too sacred to touch in like manner,
whereas Puranas are available by the hundreds, for this to be seriously
questioned. The Padma Purana is a case in point.
However, and here is the most important part, the ISKCON crowd cannot
subscribe to this logic. For them, the Brhan-naradiya Purana is also the
work of none less than "Sripada Vyasa". It is one of the crystal-clear
Vaishnava Puranas that Mr. Susarla so enthusiastically quotes. All
questions of later interpolation into such a Purana are also not to be
entertained. The whole Purana is the product of Vyasa's realization. By
the "authority" of the ancient Brhan-naradiya Purana then, the land
between the Himalayas and the ocean is "Hindustan". The word "Hindu" is
therefore perfectly "Vedic", as it occurs in the Brhan-naradiya Purana -
"Vedic literature"!
Under the circumstances, I wonder how the ISKCONites can continue to claim
that "Hindu" is a word coined by invaders, that there is no such thing as
"Hinduism", and that "Vaishnavism" is not "Hinduism". I suggest the ISKCON
crowd give up their hypocrisy and come up with a consistent argument about
such things.
S. Vidyasankar
