Hinduism: Ask your Questions

[Surya Deva]

How much of the Holy Books (Vedas, Bhagavad Gita,Shruti, Smritis, anything you consider to be Holy Text from your religion) of Sanatana Dharma do you take literally, and how much do you take symbolically, metaphorically? How do you come to the conclusion?

Also, do you read it in the original language, with a translation, or interlinear? Why?

Good question.

It is best to read all Hindu text in Sanskrit. This is because there are fewer English translators of Sanskrit texts than there are of other languages. So the reliability of English translations because they have not gone through peer review, is suspect always. It is best to rely on translations done by experts in Sanskrit language, and they tend to be Pundits. This is especially true when it comes to Vedas. The translations used in academia(ones stores on sacred texts.com) are very poor.

The Bhagvad Gita is not metaphorical. It is a discourse, told in verse form(as were most ancient texts, prose is relatively modern)

The Smritis are not metaphorical. They are codes of law.

The Vedas are Shuriti. They abound in poetry and metaphors so they need to be read metaphorically. The Vedas invite the reader to do this themselves saying that the real meaning of the Vedas is hidden and abstract and this can only be realised through meditation.

There are several layers of meaning. The first is what the words are saying themselves; the second is the etymology of the words and how the word and sentences is constructed(including its sounds) the third is the idea contained in the word or sentence.

The first can be known by merely reading it. The second requires close reading and the third requires meditation.

 

[want to be hindu]

*unhijacks thread*
I have a question!


How much of the Holy Books (Vedas, Bhagavad Gita,Shruti, Smritis, anything you consider to be Holy Text from your religion) of Sanatana Dharma do you take literally, and how much do you take symbolically, metaphorically? How do you come to the conclusion?

Also, do you read it in the original language, with a translation, or interlinear? Why?

Great Question, Frubals

I am not very good at learning language. I have a certain number of scriptures that I have learned to chant in Sanskrit. If I pick up a new scripture to read Its always a english translation. If parts of it I love I will learn the meanings and how to chant them in sanskrit.

If I read Mythology in any text ( the Vedas or Purana ) I read it as just that Mythology. I dont think about if its a Historical Fact. Thats not the important part of the text. The teachings and meaning are whats important. How do I take this text and apply it to my life is my most important question. I do believe that some of the things in our Holy Scriptures are real history but to me Mythology is more "TRUE" then history.

Myths are to philosophy what poems are to prose.

Today the most popular Hindu scripture is Bhagavad Gita. ( I have not read the whole Gita in many years.Its not the scripture I study . ) Do I believe that the Lord Krishna gave the teaching of the Gita to Arjuna on a battle field 1000s of years ago? yes I do. Is that history important to my life. No it is not. The teachings of the Gita when studied and applied in your daily life I know for a fact will make you a better person and will decrease your suffering. Today modern archaeology is showing that many of the things people called "Myths" are also real history. In my mind that is all very interesting but the study of archaeology will not make me a Buddha.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

I'm sorry if this has already been asked, this thread is quite long and I don't particularly want to read through it all. What do you believe happens to you when you die? I've no clue why, but this always seems to be the first question that comes into my mind when I'm reading about a new religion.

What happens depends on your past karma. Your soul(which is esentially what you are, not the body) reincarnates into new body depending on your karma.. The more bad karma, the lower down the food chain you go. Vice versa for good karma...

Life's ultimate goal is to break free from this chain of rebirth. To attain Moksh.To be with God.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

ok no worries its your choice thats why we have free will right.
heres your proof:
i have always claimed that Allah is the Almighty creator who created the 7 universes and everything that is in between them.
he is the Most Gracious the Most Mercifull all praises due to him and no one else for He is ONE. He is the All Knowing and Wise, He is Patient and he is the Forgiver but he also is the Punisher.
Allah has power over everything and anything. so here's my proof.
Allah is the Most Powerfull and with His power He makes the sun to rise on the east and set on the west.
if your god is just as powerfull as you claimed and is equal to Allah Subhannallahu Teala then tell him/her to make the sun go the other way around, to make it rise on the west and set on the east. i can give you three days if you want to and then reply to me. but do not say that it is a lame or stupid example because if your claims are true then your god should be able to do that, for my claims are true and thats my proof that "there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger"

Thats not proof. It is stupid.

You would make a great standup. I respect Islam very much, dont make it look like a joke. Because that is what you are doing.

 

[Surya Deva]

I'm sorry if this has already been asked, this thread is quite long and I don't particularly want to read through it all. What do you believe happens to you when you die? I've no clue why, but this always seems to be the first question that comes into my mind when I'm reading about a new religion.

I am sorry I missed your question.

Don has answered your question well, I just want to correct something which is potentially misleading in how it is worded.

Most humans will reincarnate as humans, it is only those who have lived a completely inhuman existence, that will reincarnate as lower life forms. The theory is that the three qualities(gunas) determine our physical and mental make up. They have been in a state of flux ever since the begining of the universe and it is they which take us through 8,400,000 life forms from single-celled organisms to progressively more complex life forms until human form is achieved. This is considered the ideal state because in this state we are rational beings and have choice. The idea is to attain self-realization, which is the purpose of every human according to Hinduism.

At death our scripture says that the mind withdraws into itself, in the same way it says the mind withdraws into itself in dream. You enter into a dream, except dream is not completely subjective, you actually interact with others in dreams. These are, according to Hindu scriptures, partly real. Based on your karmas these places can either be heavenly or hellish(a good dream or a nightmare) you remain here indefinitely until you choose to reincarnate.

But in all honesty these are really dream realms and Hinduism considers these places to be unreal. Everything there is formed from imagination and thought. The only real places are the physical/objective world and the the subjective. All of this is contained within an absolute incomprehensible consciousness. The aim of Hinduism is to achieve this state in this life. There is no such thing as salvation in an afterlife. It all happens here.

 

[MarkForever]

Now when we are really honest, we have to admit that a large part of what many people believe are products of what religious teaching they received growing up and the culture (eg. Western or Eastern) in which which we were raised. I was raised in a Christian home. From that time I first heard about reincarnation as a young teenager even to this day as an adult, it has never rung with truth for me.
That latter statement is subjective, but God has empowered humans with intelligence to ascent to the objective, and we can seek universal truth and ask objective questions. Are there not some objective, even universal truths? So a Hinduist who believes in reincarnation while living in India who then moves to America would not say, (I don't think), "reincarnation is not truth on the American continent." Rather, he probably believes that reincarnation is a universal (global) truth). If then it is an global truth, then who is the Absolute Being is has decreed this to be perpetually true generation after generation? Or did reincarnation simply create itself millions of years ago?
For me, reincarnation has never rang true nor does it make good sense. Is it not simply carrying on the ancient Vedic myths all these thousands of years into the modern age? And what comfort does it offer millions of devotees when only few reach enlightenment. In contrast, the biblical Christian message is that the Creator God through His Only Begotten Son loves the whole world and desires that all be saved and live in this eternal kingdom! It is by His grace, not our deeds that get us to heaven. For me, this is a considerably more enlightened teaching/belief and certainly more comforting to millions of people who hear and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God loves all, you too!

 

[Surya Deva]

That latter statement is subjective, but God has empowered humans with intelligence to ascent to the objective, and we can seek universal truth and ask objective questions.

This is also subjective. You have made several assumptions here: god, things being objective, universal truths and objective questions.

If then it is an global truth, then who is the Absolute Being is has decreed this to be perpetually true generation after generation? Or did reincarnation simply create itself millions of years ago?

According to reincarnation has been going forever. It's truth is a predicate of the rational framework of reality in Hinduism. It is desire which causes the soul to come here, and therefore logically if it still has desire left, it will return.

For me, reincarnation has never rang true nor does it make good sense. Is it not simply carrying on the ancient Vedic myths all these thousands of years into the modern age? And what comfort does it offer millions of devotees when only few reach enlightenment.

It is not about comfort in Hinduism. It is about knowledge and living knowledge. The core message of Hinduism is everybody is divine, everybody has the potential of realising that, and everybody is going to realise that in their own time.

What is comforting if you believe this is that this life is not the end, it is one of many. That it is okay to make mistakes, because we will learn from them.

In contrast, the biblical Christian message is that the Creator God through His Only Begotten Son loves the whole world and desires that all be saved and live in this eternal kingdom! It is by His grace, not our deeds that get us to heaven. For me, this is a considerably more enlightened teaching/belief and certainly more comforting to millions of people who hear and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Is it? You invited the comparison:

Round 1

Hinduism: Everybody is divine and will return to divinity.

Christianity: Everybody is born a sinner and some will go to hell for eternal damnation.

Round 2

Hinduism: It is OK to make mistakes, one learns from mistakes. As long as one accepts that what one sows they will reap. Even the most evil of people once they incur their karmic consequences are purified, and can become the greatest of saints.

Christianity: All sin will be judged on the day of resurrection, and sinners will be sent to hell.

Round 3

Hinduism: One attains salvation in the here and now. One only has to attain self-realization in this life and attain the results in this life.

Christianity: One attains salvation in the next life. One only has to accept Jesus as their saviour, and will win a place in heaven in the next.

Who do you think won?

 

[Gharib]

as far as i know hindu's beleive that god is in everything right, especially the idols that you worship. if im wrong please correct me.

now the idols are made from humans true or false.
if true then you can make an idol in any shape right
there is a question that i want to ask about this creation of idols by man, but i don't think it is appropriate and you guys might get offended so i won't say it.

but i will say this: in Mecca as we know idols used to be worshiped before revelations to prophet Muhammed (saws) were made by Allah.
now i don't know if this has any relevance to your religion but any way here goes

one day a man created an idol from fruit and he made his way into the dessert (i don't know where he was going or why but thats what he did). some time passed (a day or a couple of days) and he started to feel hungry so he ate the idol that he was worshiping.
know tell me this: doesn't that somehow mean that god was killed. because you claim that god is in the idols thats why you worship it. or if not the whole god the a part of him/her
am i right about this or am i wrong please say so

 

[Gharib]

What happens depends on your past karma. Your soul(which is esentially what you are, not the body) reincarnates into new body depending on your karma.. The more bad karma, the lower down the food chain you go. Vice versa for good karma...

Life's ultimate goal is to break free from this chain of rebirth. To attain Moksh.To be with God.

hang on a second Don, are you saying that all cows and other house pets become humans if they "behave" themselvs. and so does a snake if it doesn't bite and/or kill a human
and if i eat an animal i become an animal afterwards right, is that what you are saying (not necessaraly the same as the one i ate but an animal in general)

 

[Gharib]

oh and i forgot to mention this:
how does one end up with god if you keep coming back as another being/ creature. how can the cycle be stoped.

 

[Gharib]

dear want to be hindu guy
i've noticed that image of the statue/idol with 4 arms and i thought i'd ask you this
in india a child was born with 4 arms (this year i think) so is that your god in the form of a human or what.

 

[zenzero]

Friend eselam,
you have yet to respond to my query.
How different is allah from god/bhagwan?
Await your response.
Love & rgds

 

[Breathe]

oh and i forgot to mention this:
how does one end up with god if you keep coming back as another being/ creature. how can the cycle be stoped.

By attaining Moksh/moksha.

Means to achieve Moksha

In Hinduism, atma-jnana (self-realization) is the key to obtaining Moksha. The Hindu is one who practices one or more forms of Yoga --- Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, Raja, knowing that God is unlimited and exists in many different forms, both personal and impersonal.
There are believed to be four Yogas (disciplines) or margas (paths) for the attainment of Moksha. These are: working for the Supreme (Karma Yoga), realizing the Supreme (Jnana Yoga), meditating on the Supreme (Raja Yoga) and serving the Supreme in loving devotion (Bhakti Yoga). Different schools of Hinduism place varying emphasis on one path or other, some of the most famous being the tantric and yogic practices developed in Hinduism. Today, the two major schools of thought are Advaita Vedanta and Bhakti branches.

Source: Wikipedia article: Moksha 07:45GMT 2008-Nov-01

If I'm honest eselam, it's a much nicer thought than someone burning in Jahannam for eternity in fire with pain because they made a wrong choice, but that's for another thread.

 

[Gharib]

By attaining Moksh/moksha.

Source: Wikipedia article: Moksha 07:45GMT 2008-Nov-01

If I'm honest eselam, it's a much nicer thought than someone burning in Jahannam for eternity in fire with pain because they made a wrong choice, but that's for another thread.

so in a way are you saying that by meditation one can be with god and end the rebirth cycle or have i interpreted your answer wrong

 

[Gharib]

Friend eselam,
you have yet to respond to my query.
How different is allah from god/bhagwan?
Await your response.
Love & rgds

i thought i did answer your question once.
but if that wasn't what you were expecting then why don't you tell me how your god is similar to Allah, Subhanallah, (nothing is equal to Allah, may he forgive me)
then Inshallah i will tell you how your god is not the same as Allah.

 

[want to be hindu]

Now when we are really honest, we have to admit that a large part of what many people believe are products of what religious teaching they received growing up and the culture (eg. Western or Eastern) in which which we were raised. I was raised in a Christian home.From that time I first heard about reincarnation as a young teenager even to this day as an adult, it has never rung with truth for me.

As a convert to Hinduism ( I was once a Baptist Minister ) I understand your feelings about Reincarnation . I would also like to say I dont believe that you need to convert to be a Hindu to find the truth. The most importent ideal in any faith is the direct experince of God in the here and now. Jesus said
"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

From that time I first heard about reincarnation as a young teenager even to this day as an adult, it has never rung with truth for me.

It is true that most sects of Hinduism believe in Reincarnation. Just like a few of the early Christian Fathers of the first 200 years of Christianty and many Orthodox Jews also believe in reincarnation to this day.

For me, reincarnation has never rang true nor does it make good sense.

I am not egotistical enough ( at least I wont talk about it on this forum ) to tell you what you should believe. For me the Hindu cosmology is very satisfying and adds great meaning to my life. Since coming to Hinduism I have found that many of the great western Intelectuals also have been moved by eastern thought and its scriptures. This is why Albert Einstein said "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous," My faith holds up well to any modern thought and it is very rational.

Is it not simply carrying on the ancient Vedic myths all these thousands of years into the modern age?

The Vedas is very rational did you know that Erwin Schrödinger ( The Phyicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1933 ) claimed to have been inspired by the Vedanta philosophy of the Vedas in his discovery of Quantum Theory.

And what comfort does it offer millions of devotees when only few reach enlightenment. In contrast, the biblical Christian message is that the Creator God through His Only Begotten Son loves the whole world and desires that all be saved and live in this eternal kingdom! It is by His grace, not our deeds that get us to heaven. For me, this is a considerably more enlightened teaching/belief and certainly more comforting to millions of people who hear and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God loves all, you too!

Before you tell me what Hindus believe you should know a little about our faith. We believe that we all at one time or another will be come enlightened. We have no need of salvation we all have Gods grace.All beings are moving to their union with God. Yes there are many ups and downs but we all get to this goal.

 

[want to be hindu]

dear want to be hindu guy
i've noticed that image of the statue/idol with 4 arms and i thought i'd ask you this
in india a child was born with 4 arms (this year i think) so is that your god in the form of a human or what.

Eslam I think you rudeness makes Islam look bad. I wish you would stop. I have lots of respect for Muslims and you are doing your brothers and sisters a great disservice with you posts.

 

[Gharib]

Eslam I think you rudeness makes Islam look bad. I wish you would stop. I have lots of respect for Muslims and you are doing your brothers and sisters a great disservice with you posts.

\
sorry for the miss understanding but thats what was said on tv man. like i said before i respect your religion you don't have to worry on that part.

 

[Breathe]

so in a way are you saying that by meditation one can be with god and end the rebirth cycle or have i interpreted your answer wrong

Meditation and good actions. I think there are other things, too.

 

[Breathe]

Another question!
How many people are believed to have compiled the Holy Texts? Both scholarly and from traditional belief?