Posted by Ed Viswanathan on January 01, 1998 at 11:28:22:
WHAT IS HINDUISM?
It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it A WAY OF LIFE. It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. It has no founder. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures you are actually studying about the HISTORY AND CULTURE OF INDIANS IN INDIA, like in the 66 books of the Holy Bible you are studying about the HISTORY AND CULTURE OF JEWS. As Far as I can see, HINDUISM AND JUDAISM are the mothers of all modern religions in the world. Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastranism etc came from Hinduism. ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came from Judaism.
WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF HINDUISM?
Nobody in particular. It is research output of countless learned men called RISHIS who were Christ-like masters.
WHEN DID HINDUISM TAKE BIRTH?
Nobody knows. If you go by Hindu mythological stories, Hinduism is trillions of years old. If you go by German Philiosopher Max Muller, it is about 8000 to 9000 years old. Hinduism might have started as DRAVIDIAN CIVILIZATION and later it merged with ARYAN CIVILIZATION. Studying many details as well as the details on relics of Mohenjadaro and Harppa excavations, that what I conclude.
Hinduism has a very strange capability to ABSORB IDEAS AND CONCEPTS FROM ALL QUARTERS AND GROW and that is why in it you can see the relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc. As far as I am concerned, it does not matter at all, when it was born. I am more concerned about its contributions to the world.
WHO ARE DRAVIDIANS?
Dark colored People of South India. Taking into account of many temples of Lord Siva and SIVALINGAS, I conclude Madras and surroundings are prime locations of Dravidian civilization.
WHAT IS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF HINDUISM?
SANATHANA DHARMA ---RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVER or THAT WHICH HAS NO BEGINNING OR END was its original name. It was the Persians who invaded India during 6th century BC or BCE who gave the name HINDUISM meaning RELIGION OF PEOPLE LIVING NEAR RIVER INDUS. In Persian the letter H and S are pronounsed almost same so they mistook the SIND [ Sanskrit name for the river Indus] to H ans started calling HINDUISM and Hindus.
WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN?
SANSKRIT---That language is older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words of English language came from SANSKRIT. Word MOTHER came from MATA and FATHER came from PITA [ Reference PBS VIDEO on the STORY OF ENGLISH]
WHO IS A HINDU?
Hindus believe anyone who is in search of truth is a Hindu. There is ONE AND ONLY GOD and ONE TRUTH. The very first book Hindus RIG VEDA proclaim,