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The "Perfect Feel" of Hinduism
In a previous article, Anshuman Pandey <apandey@u.washington.edu> wrote:
>I don't belief there is a "perfect feel" for Hinduism. As much as
>adherents of Vedanta would like to proclaim it, it is not the oldest and
>purest form of Hinduism.
Just out of curiosity, I would be interested in finding the "oldest
and purest form of Hinduism". I would offer that this is a contradiction
in terms, at least if you accept Hinduism to mean "the religion that
is practiced by the people who call themselves Hindu".
>If you want to learn about Hinduism, my best advice would be to start in
>the Upanishads. If you can, gather three or four different copies of the
>Ishopanishad and Chandogyopanishad,
>make sure that they are not from the ISKCON,
This last line is a little interesting in light of what you
say in the next few lines.
>and read through each mantra, and compare it with the other
>copies as you go along.
Generally good advice - it's interesting to see what a number
of different gurus/traditions/people/politicians have to say on anything.
>Then draw a conclusion for yourself.
But, if he were to listen to your advice, he'd have rejected one
opportunity from the very beginning. This hardly seems like a good,
standard, scientific way of approaching things.
The ISKCON translations generally follow a standard format. They
give the Sanskrit verse, a word-by-word translation of the Sanskrit,
a translation of the entire verse, and then a purport.
If you're interested in "drawing your own conclusions," then the first
two things would seem invaluable. Not only do you get to see the original
Sanskrit, but you get to see what all the words mean. What better way
of "drawing your own conclusion". But, if you're interested in the
translation and purport as given by someone with a lot of experience,
you get that too! And not only that, the books tend to be cheap and
have lots of cool artwork that you can impress your friends with! Order
now, operators are standing by (grin).
But seriously, it's interesting to note the differences between the
translations offered in many versions of the same book. I find that the
Sanskrit-to-English word-by-word translation is great in this respect.
If the translations and purports vary greatly between two different
versions of a given book, I check back to see if the Sanksrit is the
same in each book (if Sanskrit is provided at all), and then I use that
as a starting point to draw my own conclusions about the different versions.
>Also with
>most of the Upanishads, you will find commentary after each mantra. These
>are to be taken with a grain of salt. Read each one, and draw your own
>conclusion.
I generally prefer to start with the Bhagavad Gita for a variety of
reasons. It's got more translations available, and it forms a convenient
point of reference when you want to compare differences between two
different interpretations.
>Sure. You can also read Vivekananda and Ramakrishna, but as the other
>commentaries, they are to be read with a careful eye. Don't be afraid to
>criticise. This, unlike in many religions, is allowed.
I studied Vivekananda as a youth, and in fact, went to a Sunday school
run by our local Vivekananda Vedanta society. They didn't go heavily into
what Vivekananda said, and I guess that it was because we were either too
young, or they wanted to maintain a more "standard Hinduism" feel to it
all. I tend to believe the latter.
However, after reading parts of "The Complete Works of Vivekananda", which
Parag recommends below, I have noticed a very "cultish" kind of interpretation
in many of the things that he said. I would recommend everyone read them
to see for themselves.
Particularly in the areas of a personal God, religion for the masses, and
the origin/evolution of religion, I'd be surprised if what he said
agreed with what most "traditional Hindus" believe. It definitely wasn't
what they taught us in the Sunday school formed in his name, and I'd
be surprised if he would've approved of our curriculum.
-Vivek
>If you want a "feel" of a more ancient system. You could try reading
>commentaries on the Vedas. This will not provide you much in the way of
>metaphysical enlightenment, but it does given one insight into how the
>ancient rishis saw things, and the conclusions they drew about religion.
>Anshuman Pandey
>University of Washington
>Seattle, WA 98195
>USA
>On 23 Feb 1995, Parag Gupta wrote:
>> If you want a perfect feel for Hinduism, without any cultish kind of
>> interpretation!! Read lectures given by Swami Vivekananda, and his spiritual
>> master, Sri Ramakrishna!! You cannot get a better feel of Vedanta, than you ca
>> n from these great enlightened souls!! Since, they experienced everything
>> they teach, from the purpose of life to seeing and feeling 'God' is the very
>> zest of Hinduism!!
>>
>> -Parag Gupta
>> "The Complete Works of Vivekanada"
>> Vols. 1-8?
