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Re: The definition of HINDU (Was about VK Rao's def) .. very long
In article <4d4hne$6gt@babbage.ece.uc.edu>,
Vidhyanath K. Rao <vidynath@math.ohio-state.edu> wrote:
[...]
>My argument is that either Vaishanvaism is a separate religion or it is
>a subgroup of Hinduism. My criticism is for the point of view that
>some Vaishnavas are not Hindus but others are. My claim is simply that
>if some Vaishnavas are Hindus, then all Vaishnavas are Hindus, and that
>if some Vaishnavas are not Hindus then none are.
Let's see if this view is accepted universally:
When I went to the main Jagganath temple in Puri, I had no problem
gaining entrance. In fact, I didn't have a problem gaining entrance in
any temple I visited. I have stated that I am a Hindu in the past, and
for the sake of argument, let's go ahead and assume that I am a
Vaishnava.
Now, a Vaishnava friend of mine also attempted to gain entrance into
the same temple (along with many others). He got rejected by a good
number of them, despite the fact that he was clothed as a Vaishnava,
practiced the lifestyle of a Vaishnava, practiced the religious life
of a Vaishnava, and spoke a number of Indian languages. Did I forget
to mention that he was born to Caucasian parents?
So, from my example, if I were to use your logic, then the conclusion
to be reached would be that all Vaishnavas are Hindus, but if we
examine what happened to my friend, and once again applied your logic,
then the only conclusion would be the second one, but given that the
two don't allow for the possibility of coexisting, then the only
possible option is the one I have maintained for quite some time:
Some Vaishnavas are Hindus.
As far as the whole same religion/separate religion thing goes, I
would be curious about your views of the HSC definition of Hindu. I
assume you have found it in one of my other postings, but if not, let
me know and I'll send a copy of it to you. I ask your views on it,
because in order to answer that question, one would require clear
definitions, and I think that the HSC definition is reasonable, and if
we use the HSC definition, then it's clear that the answer is: the
question does not make sense.
-Vivek
