internationalist
Member
Are you sure? Hinduism's most famous book, Gita, is a story about Krishna instructing his warrior-cousin to kill a lot of people. Doesn't sound like sermon on the mount to me!
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"Behead those who convert Hindus," says Hindu political leader
- Thread starter Faxecura
- Start date
Are you sure? Hinduism's most famous book, Gita, is a story about Krishna instructing his warrior-cousin to kill a lot of people. Doesn't sound like sermon on the mount to me!
dyanaprajna2011
Dharmapala
I've read several books that talk about ahimsa, and how the teachings of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita play into it. They interpret the battle that Krishna is nudging Arjuna into, as not a physical battle, but a spiritual battle.
That's certainly how I interpret it as well. Unfortunately, some people don't see it that way, and use it for justification of real war.
Sri Krishna was explaining the role of svadharma, one's duty. Arjuna was a warrior, born into the Kshatriya class. It was his duty to fight. When he saw that the opposing army was made up of his kin, he lost his nerve. Krishna chastised Arjuna for being afraid of doing what was his duty. Arjuna found his nerve and fought fiercely.
Hinduism does indeed preach non-violence (ahimsa) but it doesn't condemn justified war, which the Kurukshetra battle was. Krishna tried to broker peace, but His attempts failed. Moreover, that discourse is a small part of the Bhagavad Gita for a specific lesson: we all have our duty to do, come what may. Most of it, however, teaches devotion and dedication to Krishna, as well as other important lessons.
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama, his wife Sitadevi and brothers were banished to live in a forest for 14 years. Lord Rama and His brothers were expert and unsurpassed archers. In the forest I doubt they subsisted on lentils and rice; they hunted.
That too. Just as jihad in Islam is a personal struggle, not blowing up women and children.
When they use it as an excuse to wage any war, over any trite matter, it's a misuse of the text. However, there are times when war is inevitable and justifiable, imo.
So this is a justified time then? The VHP apparently believe so.
I don't know what the VHP is, but the suggestion of beheading people for converting others is beyond reprehensible. That's not war, that's murder. I never even hinted it's justified.
Yes I know you didn't. Personally, I find it pretty hard to find a situation when war would be justified. I would justify the breaking of ahimsa in absolute self-defense of my family, I think. My point is that its a pretty grey area.
It is gray, indeed.
I think there have been a few instances of war being justified involving the US. I can't speak about other nations, though.
WWII - justified. Japan attacked and invaded American territories (Pearl Harbor and Alaska, respectively). Hitler and Japan were global threats. If the stories are true that Germany was on the verge of developing a nuclear device, I think we'd all be speaking German now.
Korea, Viet Nam, Iran - categorically unjustified.
Afghanistan - justified to root out the Taliban, which aided and abetted, and gave sanctuary and support those who launched an attack on US soil.
I think defensive wars can be justified, but never offensive wars or wars of aggression.
I think there have been a few instances of war being justified involving the US. I can't speak about other nations, though.
WWII - justified. Japan attacked and invaded American territories (Pearl Harbor and Alaska, respectively). Hitler and Japan were global threats. If the stories are true that Germany was on the verge of developing a nuclear device, I think we'd all be speaking German now.
Korea, Viet Nam, Iran - categorically unjustified.
Afghanistan - justified to root out the Taliban, which aided and abetted, and gave sanctuary and support those who launched an attack on US soil.
I think defensive wars can be justified, but never offensive wars or wars of aggression.
Gaura Priya
IRL
The VHP are known for their violence... and wayyy too political for my taste. I visited the local VHP temple here in my area, and it just didn't really sit well with me. And it felt weird that they were celebrating Guru Nanak's birthday; I came there for a puja and bhajans, not some talk in Hindi about Guru Nanak...
Inasmuch as he is a great guru of the Lord.
I've been to that temple too. Didn't really like it. I'm not really up to date on VHP nor its politics. At one time there was quite the distinction between VHP and its more controversial wing, RSS. But having said that, somebody needs to step up in some way to the injustices meted out to Hindus. Just not sure if VHP style is the right way to go about it.
The injustice that gets me the very most is that the Indian government controls the money that is given to Hindu temples, but not to churches, mosques etc. I find it blatantly anti-Hindu. It would be like having only one religion here in Canada singled out to pay taxes on its donation income. But in India its far worse, because said 'tax' is like 90%.
K.Venugopal
Immobile Wanderer
Conversions, or as poetically put by a Pope - harvesting of souls, is a pernicious doctrine that has nothing to do with offering a choice of religions to accept but is a declaration that only one religion is true and all others are false. This has led to civilisational uprootings.
Islamic rulers in India beheaded even Sikh Gurus and their children for refusing to convert to Islam and during the infamous Moppala (Muslim) riots of Kerala (in South India), the choice given to Hindus was cutting off at the top or bottom (beheading or circumcision). Probably Pravin Togadia's "behead" statement was an allusion to those incidents.
Krishna's call to Arjuna to kill was not because those arrayed against Arjuna belonged to a different religion but because the Kauravas chose to install a reign of unrighteousness.
Islamic rulers in India beheaded even Sikh Gurus and their children for refusing to convert to Islam and during the infamous Moppala (Muslim) riots of Kerala (in South India), the choice given to Hindus was cutting off at the top or bottom (beheading or circumcision). Probably Pravin Togadia's "behead" statement was an allusion to those incidents.
Krishna's call to Arjuna to kill was not because those arrayed against Arjuna belonged to a different religion but because the Kauravas chose to install a reign of unrighteousness.