Some Truisms About Hinduism
This is with reference to the article printed in the Opinion Section of the Daily Nexus edition printed on Wednesday, 16th November. The author makes an assertion that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion (as part of an argument that the columnists of the “Ask An Atheist” column are not targeting all kinds of religion). As a Hindu I would like to state that this is not entirely correct. The Vedas, which are the religious texts of the Hindus, mention in several different verses that all gods are but a manifestation (or avataars) of the one supreme being.
To quote from a great book about Hinduism: “Hindus have one God. They also have 330 million gods: male gods, female gods, personal gods, family gods, household gods, village gods, gods of space and time, gods for specific castes and particular professions, gods who reside in trees, in animals, in minerals, in geometrical patterns and in man-made objects. Then there are a whole host of demons. But no Devil.” — Myth = Mithya, Devdutt Pattanaik.
Hinduism is accommodating of many different belief systems, and therefore one will find many different beliefs expressed by different people, all of whom will claim to be Hindus. This is in stark contrast to Judeo-Islamic systems which have fewer holy texts and a more hierarchical system.
That being said, I agree that “Ask An Atheist” could broaden its horizons to include other religions; however, I believe the point of that column is to express the viewpoints of atheists rather than just repudiate the viewpoints of different religions. On the whole, I think the inclusion of “Ask An Atheist” was a great idea because it is the beginning of a discussion. It is important that every faith gives its followers the leeway to ask questions and let them freely make a choice to believe (or not). I have found the column thought-provoking, and it’s helped me understand different belief systems better. I hope it is something that will continue for a while.
Rajlakshmi Purkayastha is a graduate student of metallurgical engineering and materials science.
“Hinduism is accommodating of many different belief systems, and therefore one will find many different beliefs expressed by different people, all of whom will claim to be Hindus”…
When they find it difficult to explain the question (here, what is that belief system?), this is the traditional explanation from so called gurus and others who claim their belief system is super! Yes, it is clear Rajalakshmi is confused and rolling around. Hindus have a belief system that no one dies but take birth again and again until they merge with Krishna (or some other God like Siva, Bramma, Rama, Subramanniya or Ayyappa to the taste of people who heard and followed from their parents). But they will never say that is even true if you ask them a question. They say there is always something (which they don’t know) is there complex and superior in Hinduism and to get wealth, health and other fortunes you please the God with money and material. That is what is happening in temple. All those ‘puja’ are aimed to satisfy the incoming person with a confirmation that his or her message is accepted and would be handed over to the lord for action. Money, material and opportunities are expected. As Rajalekshmi’s shows anything under sun is in Hinduism. So if someone finds a scientific theory to justify one of the Hindu beliefs, they would say, “yes it is there in our belief system”. It is that easy, in fact. All you will find is NOTHING after you peal out each layer of the ONION. You will know what they are talking about if you want to understand any other religion, you could agree or disagree. For Hinduism, it is a waste of time to understand it because there is nothing but everything you say is included in it.
The author of this article seems confused himself.The Vedas are not talking about One god because the Vedas are not monotheist just like they are not polytheist.They talk about Brahman which is not a One god but beyond all definitions ..But polytheism is better platform to express various aspects of the divine..