[Assam] HPI, March 20, 2006

Thu Mar 23 06:56:25 PST 2006

Umesh,

I think no attempt should ever be made to re-write history or religious
text. Whether we think they were bad or good, should be taken from a
different perspective (and maybe a pinch of salt).

--Ram da

On 3/23/06, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  Rajen-da rote whether Gita would have to be revised to remove casteist
> remarks - I do not recall any!! The only ones defining caste are in chapter
> 18 shlokas 41-44 -which are not basd on birth - but on gunas or a person's
> nature and work or deeds. Manusmriti does perhaps needs to be overhauled -
> by ading new commentaries etc.
>
> umesh
>
>
> *Ram Sarangapani <assamrs at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>  A cursory reading of the VHP message is interesting. The fact they are
> urging the rejection of castes is a good thing. But their reasons " in the
> interest of consolidating Hindu unity to fight conversions and "Jehadi"
> terror." is passe.
> The shadow of casteism must be erdicated from Hinduism. A good reason
> would be that all are treated equal within the religion. Of course, there
> are numerous social advantages.
>
> >Does it mean they will revise the Gita, the Manusmriti and all those
> Hindu scirptures now?
>
> I don't think they can (and nor are they claiming to). Whats written is
> written. Thats history. Hindus and Hinduism must be able to transcend the
> negatives in Manusmriti. The Old Testament (which has probably as many
> negatives in it) is not given much relevance by mainstream Christians for
> this very reason.
>
> >Manusmroti was written around 1st or 2nd AD or before . It has nothing to
> do with Jehadi
>
> While this is true, the VHP is probably thinking it needs to unite all
> Hindus against a possible "Jehadi" onsluaght on Hinduism. The VHP is
> probably trying to make political hay here. Nothing in the world of politics
> succeeds like dividing up people on caste, religion, language. And sadly, it
> may work.
>
> --Ram
>
>
>
>
> On 3/20/06, Rajen Barua <barua25 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >  >Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Grama Koil Poojarigal Peravai has
> > rejected varnashrama (system of four castes)
> >
> > Does it mean they will revise the Gita, the Manusmriti and all those
> > Hindu scirptures now?
> >
> > >varnashrama dharma, supposedly written in Manusmrithi, in the interest
> > of consolidating Hindu unity to fight conversions and "Jehadi" terror.
> > Why VHP is completely out of touch with History and wants to expose its
> > ignorance?
> > Manusmroti was written around 1st or 2nd AD or before . It has nothing
> > to do with Jehadi.
> > Wake up VHP.
> > Wake up Hindutva,
> > RB
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Hindu Press International <hpi.list at hindu.org>
> > *To:* undisclosed-recipients:
> > *Sent:* Monday, March 20, 2006 2:51 PM
> > *Subject:* HPI, March 20, 2006
> >
> >
> > [image: Hindu Press International] March 20, 2006
> >
> >    1. VHP Meeting Rejects Caste System<http://mail.google.com/mail/?view=page&name=gp&ver=3403410b768567d8#10a1995fdcb51741_1>
> >    2. Ancient Thailand Siva Temple To Experience Rare Alignment with
> >    Sun<http://mail.google.com/mail/?view=page&name=gp&ver=3403410b768567d8#10a1995fdcb51741_2>
> >
> >  1. VHP Meeting Rejects Caste System www.hindu.com
> > ERODE, INDIA, March 20, 2006: The fifth State Hindu Resurgence
> > Conference organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Grama Koil
> > Poojarigal Peravai has rejected varnashrama (system of four castes) and
> > sought an end to the practice of untouchability. Addressing the conference
> > at the CNC College grounds on Sunday, VHP international president Ashok
> > Singhal said untouchability had no sanction in the Vedas and dharma
> > sasthras. Ancient history and mythology had no record on it. Alien
> > aggressions could have led to the practice. He also called upon the heads of
> > mutts (ashrams and theological centers) to give manthra deeksha (mantra
> > initiation) to all without discrimination. Mr. Singhal said the VHP was
> > outrightly rejecting varnashrama dharma, supposedly written in Manusmrithi,
> > in the interest of consolidating Hindu unity to fight conversions and
> > "Jehadi" terror.
> >
> > Expressing concern over the living conditions of grama temple pujaris, a
> > resolution passed urged the State to give them US$22.72 a month. The
> > families should continue to receive it after the pujaris' death. It sought
> > free power supply to rural temples. The State government should ensure
> > financial assistance for temple festivals and at least one puja, worship
> > service, daily.
> >
> > The resolution included a "Hindu Agenda" in the form of an appeal to
> > political parties. It sought exemption for temple land from all land reforms
> > legislation, a statutory autonomous board and a State dharmic council for
> > "better" administration of temples. It sought a ban on conversions and cow
> > slaughter and decried demands for reservation to minorities (that is,
> > extending affirmative action programs for Hindu untouchables and tribals to
> > Christians and Muslims). It sought an end to discrimination on legal and
> > constitutional lines in favor of minority institutions. It urged the Centre
> > (India's federal government) to facilitate reconstruction of the Ram temple
> > at Ayodhya and the State (of Tamil Nadu) to withdraw all cases against the
> > Kanchi Sankaracharya.
> >
> > Expressing concern at the "declining Hindu population, which was growing
> > at 22 p er cent as against the growth of minority population at 35 per
> > cent," it urged the Centre to bring in a uniform civil code by implementing
> > the directive principle under Article 44 of India's Constitution.
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >  2. Ancient Thailand Siva Temple To Experience Rare Alignment with Sun
> > www.etravelblackboard.com<http://www.etravelblackboard.com/index.asp?id=49004&nav=13>
> > CHALERMPHRAKIAT DISTRICT, BURI RAM PROVINCE, THAILAND, March 20, 2006:
> > In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, mountains are believed to be homes to the
> > Gods. Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung, a magnificent temple sanctuary set on the
> > summit of Phanom Rung Hill, was built between the 10th and 13th centuries.
> > According to the stone inscriptions in Sanskrit and Khmer found at the site,
> > the original name of the temple complex is Phanom Rung, Khmer words meaning
> > "big mountain." A religious sanctuary dedicated to the Hindu God, Siva,
> > Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung symbolizes Mount Kailasa, the heavenly abode of
> > Siva. Phanom Rung Hill rises 350 metres above the surrounding plain.
> > Astrologers have predicted that an extraordinary astro-archaeological
> > phenomenon will occur at sunrise during the April 3-5 period this year. The
> > doors of the temple sanctuary are so perfectly aligned that during this
> > period, at sunrise on a cloudless day with clear blue skies, the sun's rays
> > will shin e through all fifteen doorways of the sanctuary in a single shaft
> > of light.
> >
> > These magnificent man-made sandstone sanctuaries, often referred to as
> > palaces of the Gods, sit atop hills rising above the high plains of I-san
> > and still bear witness to the half millennium from the 9th to 14th centuries
> > during which a powerful Khmer state flourished in the region, including what
> > is today northwestern Cambodia. These extraordinary towers comprise elements
> > of temple architecture meant to symbolise Mount Meru, the mythical peak at
> > the center of the Hindu-Buddhist universe. Sometimes referred to as "high
> > Cambodia," the provinces of Buri Ram, Surin, Nakhon Ratchasima and Sisaket
> > were a perfect setting for the development of these Meru microcosms.
> > Although Thai folk belief once held that the larger, cruciform-plan
> > monuments served as palaces for Angkor's all-powerful kings, in fact these
> > buildings were designed as temporary abodes for Siva, Vishnu, Maitreya and
> > other Deities called to earth via religious ritual. To the east of I-san's
> > temple-dotted pl ateaus lay the river valleys of "low Cambodia," the
> > heartland of Angkorean civilization where its kings resided.
> >
> > A sacred "superhighway" linked Prasat Phimai with 12th-century Angkor
> > Wat, the largest and most complex of the Khmer temples. Angkor rulers were
> > at the time considered to be devaraja or "god-kings," and to maintain that
> > vaunted status they and their priests periodically travelled between key
> > monuments to perform complex ceremonies involving fire, water, and
> > Sivalingam. Monuments en route offered spiritual and temporal support along
> > these potentially arduous journeys, including 102 "houses with fire" and 121
> > "hospitals" or "healing stations" (arokayasala). These structures became so
> > important to the sanctity of the Angkor empire that some 300 Khmer shrines
> > were erected between the 7th and 13th centuries. Temple construction reached
> > its zenith in the 12th and 13th centuries.
> >
> > For information on visiting these temples, go to the web site of the
> > Tourism Authority of Thailand, here <http://www.tat.or.th/>.
> > ------------------------------
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>
>
>
> Umesh Sharma
> 5121 Lackawanna ST
> College Park, MD 20740
>
> 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
>
> Ed.M. - International Education Policy
> Harvard Graduate School of Education,
> Harvard University,
> Class of 2005
>
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