[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Some doubts-Hinduism

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Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions? a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the final goal c) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement

day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer to the goal which is achieving oneness with God e) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the

one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who

are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that our rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside

me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the

Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go

again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that are getting us into trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. "God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe" is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal wrote: HARI AUM From the postings I have noticed that there is quite a lot of interest in matters relating to conversion, protection of Hinduism etc. Can we try to understand the story better? I think by seeking answers to questions like: (Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forum is to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linked or connected to him) What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specific Gods and Goddesses and /or practices? Can an Atheist be a Hindu? Who is a Hindu? Does it need protection? If so of what kind? Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege?

Who protected it? Who were the attackers? How did it survive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down and annihilated and wiped out? Who is trying to control? Whom? And what? Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries to these issues? Regards Balagopal NARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new http://in.answers./

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well said Veena.I was replying the questions of Balagopal when I got your mail. You have made my work easier by covering many points which I wa going to elaborate."Veena A. Nair" <veeus18 wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions

teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions? a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the final goal c) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that

every action takes me closer to the goal which is achieving oneness with God e) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been

subjected to every possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that our rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can.

But a stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about

devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way

of life?a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that

are getting us into trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. "God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe" is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: HARI AUMFrom the postings I have noticed that there is quite alot of interest in matters relating to conversion,protection of Hinduism etc.Can we try to understand the story better? I think byseeking answers to questions like:(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the

forumis to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linkedor connected to him)What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specificGods and Goddesses and /or practices?Can an Atheist be a Hindu?Who is a Hindu?Does it need protection? If so of what kind?Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Whoprotected it? Who were the attackers? How did itsurvive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down andannihilated and wiped out?Who is trying to control? Whom? And what?Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries tothese issues?RegardsBalagopalNARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Get your email and more, right on the new .com May god bless you, Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.

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Jai Sreekrishna Dear Shri Balagopalji and Veenaji I am really lucky to be a part of this group where persons like you are sharing the knowledge with the group. Really you are all blessed ones. You all are having so much spiritual knowledge and are finding time in the otherwise busy schedule to pass on such information by way of questions and answers so that memebrs like me are benefitted. Thanks Humbly Syamala"Veena A. Nair" <veeus18 wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions? a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the final goal c) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not

have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer to the goal which is achieving oneness with God e) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the

best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion

have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that our rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In

practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear,

and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our

anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that are getting us into trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. "God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe" is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan

<rbalpal (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: HARI AUMFrom the postings I have noticed that there is quite alot of interest in matters relating to conversion,protection of Hinduism etc.Can we try to understand the story better? I think byseeking answers to questions like:(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forumis to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linkedor connected to him)What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specificGods and Goddesses and /or practices?Can an Atheist be a Hindu?Who is a Hindu?Does it need protection? If so of what kind?Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Whoprotected it? Who were the attackers? How did itsurvive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down

andannihilated and wiped out?Who is trying to control? Whom? And what?Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries tothese issues?RegardsBalagopalNARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Get your email and more, right on the new .com

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Great explanations.Well done,Veena."Veena A. Nair" <veeus18 wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions teach compassion, fatherhood of God,

brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions? a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the final goal c) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer to the goal

which is achieving oneness with God e) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every possible invasion: Persians,

Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that our rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a stone-for-a-stone and a

tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about devoting actions to Him --Devote

your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?a) I think the

greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that are getting us into trouble. We

need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. "God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe" is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: HARI AUMFrom the postings I have noticed that there is quite alot of interest in matters relating to conversion,protection of Hinduism etc.Can we try to understand the story better? I think byseeking answers to questions like:(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forumis to be on our Bhagavan

and matters directly linkedor connected to him)What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specificGods and Goddesses and /or practices?Can an Atheist be a Hindu?Who is a Hindu?Does it need protection? If so of what kind?Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Whoprotected it? Who were the attackers? How did itsurvive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down andannihilated and wiped out?Who is trying to control? Whom? And what?Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries tothese issues?RegardsBalagopalNARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Get your email and more, right on the new .com

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Dear Balagopal, Veenaji, Sarojaji, Gopalakrishnaji, and other distinguished

members,

 

WOW. What a wonderful, meaningful and thought provoking conversation!!!!..

 

Here is my -pardon me - a layman's doubts...

My niece was married in 1993 to a Hindu Nair youth. Prior to that his brother

had married a Muslim girl and they are living happily now, with - I believe- two

kids. The girls father belongs to same village of ours, (late) Ibrahim Rowther

told my mother (she was alive then) after my niece's marriage that " we are now

RELATIVES Rasammal Amme " . My mother Rajalakshmi Amma was known as Rasammal in

our village and in close circle.

What is this RELATIONS?

Few of my cousins are married to Christian boys and Christian girls. How their

off springs will be treated and welcomed into the future? Can they be classified

to be my distant RELATIVES?

 

The following is my feeling and mine alone...

I believe Hinduism, as told by Swam Chinmayanda and many others, is not a

religion but a way of life. We have freedom to choose our own Ishta Devan or

Devatha to concentrate our own mind towards attaining the Sayoojyam. The other

so-called religions or FAITH do not have this option. We have freedom to go to a

temple or NOT to go to a temple. Because we treat our -at least I do- own home

as a TEMPLE.

As Veenaji said, we have to put our self into the test first so that our

children will learn from us. A true and very valuable advise to all.

I have done a 4 lines small poem in Malayalam which I reproduce

 

azhikkaNam marthyA nee eematha branthinte

AzhikaLkkethinum illattha ee veliye

izhayunna naagattheppole aRakkunna

eezhavamaayura nee thoothu vaaraNam

 

Let us all work for a wonderful and united world. I have told many, many a

times, that this known world is much, much better than the unknown world. I want

to reaffirm, that a known enemy is much better than an unknown friend.

Hoping to hear more from others, their views on this topic.

 

Finally very glad to see AGR breaking his silence. I am relieved

 

Pizhayakilum Pizhakedakilum Thiruvullam Kaniyuka Bhagavane

Chandra Sekharan Menon

 

 

oja Ramanujam <sarojram18 wrote:

well said Veena.I was replying the questions of Balagopal when I got

your mail. You have made my work easier by covering many points which I wa going

to elaborate.

 

" Veena A. Nair " <veeus18 wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya.

 

Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what

other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have

expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:

 

1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions

teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that

marks out Hinduism from other religions?

 

a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make

attempts to understand and identify with that divinity.

 

b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take

many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach

the final goal

 

c) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a

concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the

end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every

action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action

that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of

these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse.

d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer

to the goal which is achieving oneness with God

e) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living -

the Bhagavadgita.

 

Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that

satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of

dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice

and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best.

Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our

palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to

me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form,

then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all

depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God.

 

Now the fears for Hinduism:

 

Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every

possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has

survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When

the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair,

we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being

practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its

message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we

may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of

the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group,

in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and

guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown,

if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution

is to take up the very ideals that our

rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a

stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by

doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by;

then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?

 

So what can we do?:

 

Start with myself:

1) am I living the Hindu way of life?

And what is the Hindu way of life? :

a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect

pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical

terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this

world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted,

why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept

him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or

closest friend.

 

b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna

said about devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and

know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).

 

Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the

result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the

least we can do is to try.

And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed

when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who

is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of

steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)

 

c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the

different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in

regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God,

we'll probably be blessed with a Guru.

 

2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?

 

a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and

its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we

would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of

us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that

praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter

that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We

would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the

painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this

point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of

patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu

style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in

actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without

understanding the significances are some things that are getting us

into trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different

festivals, what are their significances?.

 

" God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe " is the universal

message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that

realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma

and re-births are but means to that.

 

Pranams.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

 

 

 

balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal wrote:

HARI AUM

 

From the postings I have noticed that there is quite a

lot of interest in matters relating to conversion,

protection of Hinduism etc.

 

Can we try to understand the story better? I think by

seeking answers to questions like:

 

(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forum

is to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linked

or connected to him)

 

What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specific

Gods and Goddesses and /or practices?

Can an Atheist be a Hindu?

Who is a Hindu?

Does it need protection? If so of what kind?

Who is the authority? Who should listen whom?

Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Who

protected it? Who were the attackers? How did it

survive?

Is Hinduism something that can be brought down and

annihilated and wiped out?

Who is trying to control? Whom? And what?

Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries to

these issues?

 

Regards

 

Balagopal

 

NARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA

 

 

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Dear Respected Devotees,

 

My only concern is whatever Veenaji and others wrote is true, but the other side also should now this. like Channdran Menonji wrote in his village the one or Two Rawothers and the people really are innocent accpet this but most of them are fanatics, if you see the conversation between Sri Sri Ravishankarji and the so called scholar of all.. Dr. Zakir u will understand what I am talking about. world is not so white and pure as some of us think. The conversion in India is a great issue Conversion, corruption, is the main issue India is facing. First of all India should have a strong anti-conversion bill, should be implemneted in all states.

 

CONVERSION IS 100 % VIOLENCE!-----Swami Dayanada Saraswathi.

 

My Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji said, " Hindus will rise one day with full vigour and power " at that time no force in the earth can withstand that. He said after his Samadhi within 30 years his work will see light.

 

With Love & OM!

 

Krishna Prasad

9/22/06, Chandra Menon <chandrasmenon2002 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Balagopal, Veenaji, Sarojaji, Gopalakrishnaji, and other distinguished members,WOW. What a wonderful, meaningful and thought provoking conversation!!!!.. Here is my -pardon me - a layman's doubts...

My niece was married in 1993 to a Hindu Nair youth. Prior to that his brother had married a Muslim girl and they are living happily now, with - I believe- two kids. The girls father belongs to same village of ours, (late) Ibrahim Rowther told my mother (she was alive then) after my niece's marriage that " we are now RELATIVES Rasammal Amme " . My mother Rajalakshmi Amma was known as Rasammal in our village and in close circle. What is this RELATIONS?Few of my cousins are married to Christian boys and Christian girls. How their off springs will be treated and welcomed into the future? Can they be classified to be my distant RELATIVES?

The following is my feeling and mine alone...I believe Hinduism, as told by Swam Chinmayanda and many others, is not a religion but a way of life. We have freedom to choose our own Ishta Devan or Devatha to concentrate our own mind towards attaining the Sayoojyam. The other so-called religions or FAITH do not have this option. We have freedom to go to a temple or NOT to go to a temple. Because we treat our -at least I do- own home as a TEMPLE. As Veenaji said, we have to put our self into the test first so that our children will learn from us. A true and very valuable advise to all. I have done a 4 lines small poem in Malayalam which I reproduce

azhikkaNam marthyA nee eematha branthinte AzhikaLkkethinum illattha ee veliyeizhayunna naagattheppole aRakkunnaeezhavamaayura nee thoothu vaaraNamLet us all work for a wonderful and united world. I have told many, many a times, that this known world is much, much better than the unknown world. I want to reaffirm, that a known enemy is much better than an unknown friend.

Hoping to hear more from others, their views on this topic.Finally very glad to see AGR breaking his silence. I am relievedPizhayakilum Pizhakedakilum Thiruvullam Kaniyuka BhagavaneChandra Sekharan Menon oja Ramanujam <sarojram18 wrote:

well said Veena.I was replying the questions of Balagopal when I got your mail. You have made my work easier by covering many points which I wa going to elaborate. " Veena A. Nair " <

veeus18 wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:

1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions?a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the final goalc) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer to the goal which is achieving oneness with Gode) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.

Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that our

rishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?

So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.

b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev

man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that are getting us

into trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. " God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe " is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal wrote:

HARI AUMFrom the postings I have noticed that there is quite alot of interest in matters relating to conversion,protection of Hinduism etc.Can we try to understand the story better? I think byseeking answers to questions like:

(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forumis to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linkedor connected to him)What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specificGods and Goddesses and /or practices?

Can an Atheist be a Hindu?Who is a Hindu?Does it need protection? If so of what kind?Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Whoprotected it? Who were the attackers? How did it

survive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down andannihilated and wiped out?Who is trying to control? Whom? And what?Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries tothese issues?

RegardsBalagopalNARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new

http://in.answers./Get your email and more, right on the new .com

May god bless you,Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.How low will we go? Check out Messenger�s low PC-to-Phone call rates.

 

-- dotcompals:

www.dotcompals.in .Org domain Names for just 2.5 USDKrishna PrasadDare to give up the comfort of the 'known' and venture into the 'unknown' The more we know, the more we will come to realize what we do not know.

If we want to achieve our true potential and live life to the fullest. As Poojya Gurudev said it, "Open your eyes. Burst your shell. Spread your wings and fly!"Swami ChinmayanandaHate not the sinner - hate the sin; and always hate the sin even with an excess of hatred. "

[Guest guest]

A fantastic doubt raised by Chandra Menon though the forum of late is discussing many such doubts I don't think this also can't be discussed.But it is a very delicate subject on which one has to tread cautiously. For answering the doubt we must first know who created the so called religions and the systems of marriages?There can't be any definite answer except surmises and assumptions.The Power that has created the entire Universe of which this world forms only a miniature part with 3/4th under water and left only 1/4th for the inhabitants.Why this variation which is highly disproportionate taking to consideration the mankind and other living beings and plants and trees etc and what could be the idea behind this of the Power?When compared to sentient beings mankind is only a fraction if one takes statistics of the animal world.Then in the water how many living things are surviving?All these we don't hv an answer so far,I

think.Going into some sort of research is not my idea.But when we think what could be the plan of the Great Power that had created all these and for what purpose?Hinduism propogates all these form part of God or Brahman which has taken all forms out of His or Its own will.As the seers too hv said the same thing we hv to accept the same theory when a different theory quite acceptable has not been evolved. Millions of years ago during stone age time how people lived and what was their religion and how they produced children depending on what faith?There was nothing like that,I mean religion.With the evolution of humanity over million of years some system came into being and some semblance of society came to be formed.During those times the might was right theory must hv prevailed and thereby some sects must hv dominated over the other weak people and formed some sort of domination which in course of time exploited by more intelligent

people for their own benefits and in this way the religions must hv been originated.Only my guess and need not be true.With further evolution over years more and more people of various countries must hv been attracted by the dogmas of such religions and due to the increase in their progeny the number of followers must hv swelled so that we hv now at least 4 major religions and some 15 or so minor religions.The major religions of which Christianity leads ,followed by Muslims, then Hindus and Buddhists.Christianity has abt 33%,Muslims abt 20%,Hindus 16% and others constitute the remainders.Before the religions came into vogue men lived like animals and with the development of mental power of mankind and the formation of societies some sort of ordreliness came into being.Then started the question of marriage among the people belonged to the religions they professed.In this there are various variations.By this time many great men were born and taught various

teachings that had to be followed by the people belonged to their religions.In the case of marriages there were variations propogated by them.One God theory also came into being. Some people based on some codes as commandments of God and the marriages could take place according to their religious beliefs only. Some treated themselves as they are for priesthood. Some accept from other religion on conversion basis. Some people hv the problem what will be the position of their children and which religion they will follow. Some accept women can be married if they are christians but they shuld not go to Churches.Muslim religion follows this concept. There are other such things also which make the marriage getting baulkanised. We accept the theory that we are the creation of God and religions are man made and made by people who hv their own interests.In fact

Muhammed had one of his wife a Christian and another a Jew. The thoughts of all great men are that the human beings of whatever religions,races etc are only His sons and daughters only people nterested in creating rift for their own benefits accept or prohibit marriages on various grounds.One must move with the time and shuld not stick on to the out dated dogmas.When a boy or girl is in love with each other and if the conditions are conducive there is nothing wrong in having the marriage.But here too the problems of acceptace from family,food habits,other faiths,the psychology of the children born to them after the marriage will surely creep in.Now a days most people accept such marriages and the other things only the couple have to solve.Here there is no question of fanaticism arises but how many marriages within the same religions conducted the couple live happily?It is a universal phenomenon. Hinduism is

like an octopus which spreads its tentacles everywhere and the same can withstand any onslaught.However in the name of propogating Hinduism other religions need not be derogated as all are the children of God. We can't expect the whole world shuld be dominated by Hindus only.If there are some conversion effects due to lure of money people from other religions also join Hinduism because of its broad principles.Some stray cases here and there can't be avoided and the media and religious leaders need not make such a big hue and cry that all Hindus hv been converted to Christianity or Muslims.There are many places where all live in amity.But few cases are magnified out of proportion because of the publicity given by media.If there are fanaticsin other religions in Hinduism also there are fanatics.The tenets of Hinduism are tolerance,love and compassion towards all the people whichever religion they belong.Why shuld that be disturbed.This does not mean

that Hindus are cowards to hit back as no damage will come to Hinduism so long as one actually believes the same and the people who gets themselves converted ,most of them out of economic considerations.But in their mind they are still Hindus. During Freedom struggle both Hindus and Muslims join together to fight the British Imperialism.How many Hindus were converted during those period to Christanity?In a country of a billion people some stray incidents need not be magnified.Still Hindus are the dominating force in India though the polticians in order to appease the other religions give concessions to make them as their vote banks.Whose fault is that?The so called politicians who appease the other religions are from Hinduism only.Unless this stem is rotted out there can be cases of conversions.The greatest blunder was committed by not making one common civil code but each civil code for each religion like Christian law,Muslim law,Hindu law

and thus the politicians hv divided the country and its people and not the peace loving people.May be there are people who are violent but they form only minority when we compare the population.For that is it fair to find fault withall people of other religions?So long as the dirty politicians change their attitude the trend will continue and the coming generations wll see the end of such hatred,jealousy etc as it is only a question of time may be another 4 or 5 decades when the reins of the Govt will come in the hands of more educated people.Anyway I am not moving away from the subject to another non connected issue. Now coming to the point of Chandra Menon (for which only I hv given an elaborate introduction-I don't say I am right but only my thoughts,that is all and the same need not be accepted by all and I also don't expect.) I also know many cases of such type of marriages and the consequences.In one case a Brahmin doctor converted himself to Christianity and started praticing in Pune and got married to a Muslim lady whom he loved.He was ostracised by his family andgirl by the girls family.He never bothered.He moved to US and started workingthere and had kids and they moved with children there.I don't know whether he is alive or not.But some years after their marriage the family people accepted both and no problem for them and the kids of their families in India and their kids joined together in a united way when they visited India.After all in marriages the more important thing is the connectivity of the mind and not other factors.If the parents are broad minded they can allow their children in whatever way they choose to lead and can guide in all the religious aspects. In Tamilnadu in Velankanni all castes go and so too in the nearby Nahore where a Muslim dargha is there.Now only the fear of terrorism has come but otherwise everything was quite normal.So dear Menon

you need not worry abt the RELATIONS.After all the boy and girl married each other and live happily.It is a matter of choice for you to accept them as your relatives or otherwise and if you think in a pragmatic way you will accept them as after all they hv not done any sins and getting themselves married to the boy or girl they love can't by any yardstick be considered as a sin.The outdated quotes in the religions that only people of the same religions shuld get themselves married shuld be given a goby and one has to change according to time.After some 3 or 4 decades such things will be a regular feature and just by that will the blood relationship go?The initial opposition will be there as depicted in films and eventually all will be ok so long as they live happily. Whatever I say is only my thinking and that does not mean that I am anti Hindu but I am for the brotherhood of all religions.Just because some cases of violence

happens which is a regular feature everyday reality can't be concealed for ever.There is no use in crying from roof top LOKOSAMSTHA SUHINO BHAVANTHU.But we must also put the same into practice without banking on the theory that only Hinduism is the greatest religion when we embrace all religions and all people within our fold where is the need for such a notion? Of course the change can only be gradual as overnight nothing is going to happen but surely Time will take care of this matter.Many Hindus who hvgone to foreign countries marry the girls of those countries and initially there might be objections from family finally the same will be reconciled.I know a number of such cases.You need not bother abt the children as the present day children are far more bright than those of olden years.First the politicians shuld change their minds and then there will calm everywhere.Again I say it is all left to individual perceptions and assimilations in such matters and

this need not be taken as an advise but only some thoughts which hv come to my mind..So in my view your cousins can be accepted with full heart and the choice is yours.If I be in your position I will certainly accept.I feel I hv given only a balanced assessment of the subject of 'doubt' raised and abt Hinduism a little. I know this may become another matter of controversy and I am not for that and I hv expressed only my views from the practical point of view.Loving Hinduism does not mean hating other religions.That only shows fanaticism and a sort of immature mind forgetting that all the creation are that of God and God only and He is the best arbitrator and He knows what He does as nothing belong to us and whatever we hv we are keeping only as His trustees or agents. Hare Krishna, agraman. Chandra Menon <chandrasmenon2002 wrote: Dear Balagopal, Veenaji, Sarojaji, Gopalakrishnaji, and other distinguished members,WOW. What a wonderful, meaningful and thought provoking conversation!!!!.. Here is my -pardon me - a layman's doubts...My niece was married in 1993 to a Hindu Nair youth. Prior to that his brother had married a Muslim girl and they are living happily

now, with - I believe- two kids. The girls father belongs to same village of ours, (late) Ibrahim Rowther told my mother (she was alive then) after my niece's marriage that "we are now RELATIVES Rasammal Amme". My mother Rajalakshmi Amma was known as Rasammal in our village and in close circle. What is this RELATIONS?Few of my cousins are married to Christian boys and Christian girls. How their off springs will be treated and welcomed into the future? Can they be classified to be my distant RELATIVES?The following is my feeling and mine alone...I believe Hinduism, as told by Swam Chinmayanda and many others, is not a religion but a way of life. We have freedom to choose our own Ishta Devan or Devatha to concentrate our own mind towards attaining the Sayoojyam. The other so-called religions or FAITH do not have this option. We have freedom to go to a temple or NOT to go to a temple. Because we treat our -at least I do- own home as a TEMPLE. As

Veenaji said, we have to put our self into the test first so that our children will learn from us. A true and very valuable advise to all. I have done a 4 lines small poem in Malayalam which I reproduceazhikkaNam marthyA nee eematha branthinte AzhikaLkkethinum illattha ee veliyeizhayunna naagattheppole aRakkunnaeezhavamaayura nee thoothu vaaraNamLet us all work for a wonderful and united world. I have told many, many a times, that this known world is much, much better than the unknown world. I want to reaffirm, that a known enemy is much better than an unknown friend.Hoping to hear more from others, their views on this topic.Finally very glad to see AGR breaking his silence. I am relievedPizhayakilum Pizhakedakilum Thiruvullam Kaniyuka BhagavaneChandra Sekharan Menonoja Ramanujam <sarojram18 > wrote:well said Veena.I was replying the

questions of Balagopal when I got your mail. You have made my work easier by covering many points which I wa going to elaborate."Veena A. Nair" <veeus18 > wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Balgopalji has raised very valid questions and I would be interested to see what other members think. Especially in the context of mails of late that have expressed concerns over the conversions. Some thoughts:1) To my mind all religions preach the existence of a God and most religions teach compassion, fatherhood of God, brotherhood of Man etc. So what is it that marks out Hinduism from other religions?a) aim of Man should be to realize God; know that God is within you and make attempts to understand and identify with that divinity. b) Hinduism has given us the concept of Karma; also the idea that we will take many births or janmas in which we need to exhaust these Karmas until we reach the

final goalc) unlike other religions we do not have a concept of hell; we do not have a concept of Judgement Day; we are not going to be judged for our actions at the end of this life. Every day is a judgement day; as I sow, so shall I reap; every action has a reaction; every breath I take, every thought I think, every action that I do will have its effect; and I alone have to bear the consequences of these thoughts and actions, not my friend or parent or spouse. d) From © it follows that I need to act so that every action takes me closer to the goal which is achieving oneness with Gode) and for that Sri Krishna provided us with a practical handbook for living - the Bhagavadgita.Another very Hindu aspect is our large number of Gods and the answer that satisfies me the most is the question: Why do we cook 4/5 different types of dishes-- avial, elsheri, pulsheri, sambar, and chor etc. We can just eat rice and daal every day. So the answer is, each

eating what he or she likes the best. Each cooking what he or she knows in the best possible manner and satisfying our palates. Similarly in the worship of God: I choose the form most appealing to me, the one that I am comfortable with. If Guruvayurappan is my favorite form, then I can choose to see Him as my parent or bestest friend or child, all depending on what form fills me with the utmost affection for God. Now the fears for Hinduism:Historically, since centuries, India and Hinduism has been subjected to every possible invasion: Persians, Moguls, British to name a few. Hinduism has survived every onslaught, although it has been through some terrible times. When the traditional rituals were being abused and violence became a common affair, we needed the Buddha to show us the way of compassion. When rituals were being practiced mindlessly, we have Shankaracharya reviving the Vedas and carrying its message to the common people. But again Hinduism has

SURVIVED and although we may think that routine clashes in the name of religion have become the order of the day, there are many many groups with large number of people in each group, in India and abroad, who are striving to spread the message of the Vedas and guide people in the practical ways of the Hindu life. And as history has shown, if we feel threatened by groups, if we fear for our legacies, then the solution is to take up the very ideals that ourrishis preached and carry them to as many people as we can. But a stone-for-a-stone and a tooth-for-a-tooth has become the order of the day and by doing this, we are only going away from the very ideals that we need to live by; then what is the difference between a Hindu and any other non Hindu?So what can we do?:Start with myself:1) am I living the Hindu way of life? And what is the Hindu way of life? : a) Know that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing cause and effect

pervading this world and my aim is to become one with that Spirit. In practical terms what does that mean? Know that the same God who created and sustains this world is also within me and ALSO in the person beside me; when that is accepted, why should I fear/hate the other person? Instead I learn to love him/her, accept him/her. Do unto that stranger what I would do for my own mother or brother or closest friend.b) saying (a) is easy. How do I actually do it? Read the Gita, read what Krishna said about devoting actions to Him --Devote your mind and intellect to Me, and know that you will always reside in Me (Geeta 12.8--'mayyev man aadhatswa'---).Also Know that we work for God, and focus on the work without worrying about the result. This is a very difficult thing to do, but we need to have faith and the least we can do is to try. And then there is the concept of a 'balanced' mind - One who is not disturbed when struck by grief and is also not

elated when a joyous event occurs, one who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a person is a sage of steady/balanced mind (Geeta 2.56, 'dukheshva anudwigna manah...)c) Another important way to live the Hindu way of life is to observe the different steps to discipline our lives; and for that we need to engage in regular satsang, learn from knowledgeable devotees; if we have the grace of God, we'll probably be blessed with a Guru. 2) Then ask myself what am I doing to uphold the Hindu way of life?a) I think the greatest need for our times is for us to take up the Geeta and its message and make sure we live by it; if even half the Hindus did that, we would be better off. How many of us read the Geeta on a daily basis? How many of us ask our children to know the Geeta? How many of us tell our children that praying three times a day is a must, no matter what their schedule, no matter that they have school followed by tuition followed by dance

class etc etc. We would rather react to someone's actions and ease our anger than go through the painful process of controlling our anger and cultivating patience. At this point, I am sure people are saying, here we go again--the Hindu style of patience and tolerance is what got us into trouble! I would say, the un-Hindu style of reacting rather than acting, of violence (in thoughts if not in actions), of a mechanised, robot style observance of rituals without understanding the significances are some things that are getting usinto trouble. We need to pause and ask ourselves why we celebrate the different festivals, what are their significances?. "God is one, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe" is the universal message of all religions. What characterizes Hinduism is the belief that realizing that God is the ultimate goal of a human life and the concept of karma and re-births are but means to that. Pranams.Om Namo

Narayanaya.balagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: HARI AUMFrom the postings I have noticed that there is quite alot of interest in matters relating to conversion,protection of Hinduism etc.Can we try to understand the story better? I think byseeking answers to questions like:(Not forgetting the fact that the focus of the forumis to be on our Bhagavan and matters directly linkedor connected to him)What is Hinduism? Does it restrict on any specificGods and Goddesses and /or practices?Can an Atheist be a Hindu?Who is a Hindu?Does it need protection? If so of what kind?Who is the authority? Who should listen whom? Historically has Hinduism been under siege? Whoprotected it? Who were the attackers? How did itsurvive? Is Hinduism something that can be brought down andannihilated and wiped out?Who is trying

to control? Whom? And what?Why the fear psychosis? Are there any beneficiaries tothese issues?RegardsBalagopalNARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./Get your email and more, right on the new .com May god bless you,Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.

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