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Re: ARTICLE : Sikh view of Hinduism
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Subject: Re: ARTICLE : Sikh view of Hinduism
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From: "Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar@braincells.com>
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Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 04:41:24 GMT
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Apparently-To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: Consolidated Braincells Inc.
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References: <ghenDxL7Jt.L4J@netcom.com> <ghenDxu5pp.5tB@netcom.com> <ghenDy7Exx.911@netcom.com>
While I'm replying to the post by HK, I'm actually responding to points
made by both the previous posters. I hope this doesn't get confusing.
> "H. Krishna Susarla" <susarla.krishna@tumora.swmed.edu> wrote in article
<ghenDy7Exx.911@netcom.com>...
>
>
> Rajwinder Singh <rajwi@barney.bu.edu> wrote in article
> > Indeed, and as per my understanding, Guru Gobind Singh says precisely
the
> > same: it is futile to imagine God being born from a woman;s womb and
> other
> > such stories.
Why? If God is unlimited, unbounded, and timeless, there is nothing you
_can't_ say about him. He was born from the womb of Devaki, He is a
pyramid shaped six-legged being from the planet Mars etc. All would be
true. To deny it would be to limit God. In that case why become a Sikh?
As long as you realize whatever or whomever you are currently worshipping
is part of the unlimited boundless Supreme (as Advaitins have no problem
in doing) you can keep on doing it. Logically then Sikhism shouldn't
exist as it's founding generation could have just kept on doing whatever
Hindu or Muslim things they were doing. Yet it does exist. How do you
reconcile this?
> Secondly, the stories are not imaginative. They are fact. The orthodox
> schools of Vedanta consider them to be historical, and this is the same
> claim made by these scriptures themselves.
>
I should point out here that the orthodox view is that any statement in
the shastras which is not a command (vidhi) or prohibition (nishedha) is
arthavada which may or may not be true. Certainly down the line most if
not all Acharyas have viewed events described in the shastras as history.
But the purpose of the shastras is to teach dharma not history and one
should beware of reductionist views that turn dharmashastras into mere
history books.
--
Jaldhar H. Vyas [jaldhar@braincells.com] o- beable .-_|\
Consolidated Braincells Inc. / \
http://www.braincells.com/jaldhar/ Perth Amboy-> *.--._/
"Witty quote" - Dead Guy finger me for PGP key v McQ!
