THE FALL AND THE RISE OF THE HINDU INFLUENCE ... 1
The monotheistic Semitic religions are bitterly opposed to Hinduism which thrives on the concept of the Ishta or the Chosen Deity which they term polytheism. And they mutually fight as well for their own exclusive survival. The result is a wasteful engagement of forces in futile exercises that retards progress and stunts civilisation.
The Indian dharma traditions, on the other hand, show the way to fruitful spiritual engagement along lines of individual preference of the Chosen Deity within the parameters of the wider universal philosophy of the Upanishads. This democracy of the Hindu spirit is anathema to the religions of the Abrahamic tradition. They must fight it to dictatorial submission but have not yet succeeded. So, they keep their powder dry to make fresh assaults whenever circumstances are propitious for such conspiracy against the spirit of India, against the spirit that is India and against her very geography and people to make it count in the flesh.
India's cultural influence over the world has been steadily declining over the last two millenia thanks to the inroads of Christianity and Islam which have converted nations from their early Hindu orientation to a foisted Semitic one. Judaism, being non-proselytising in nature, has not done this damage for it has not spread in numbers but its Semitic siblings in Christianity and Islam have devastated the world through the sword to bring it line with their scriptural dictates. As a result, the inclusive universal teachings of the Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) have been relegated to being concentrated almost exclusively in India where 1.1 billion of the 1.15 billion Hindus of the world live today.
Asia and some parts of Europe which were much marked by Hindu cultural influence now no more bear such pronounced influence. The people of these regions were forcefully converted to Christianity and Islam as is the wont of these two highly intolerant proselytising religions. Even India was not spared. Million and millions over a period of the last one thousand years were perverted from the Sanatan Dharma to Islam by the sword. Finally, India was partitioned on the basis of a large section of the Muslims refusing to co-exist with Hindus in a common homeland freed from colonial control.
The Hindus have been, thus, at the receiving end of persecution even in the land of their ancestors for the last one thousand years and are now barely recovering from their past wounds. The resurgence of Hinduism has begun since the advent of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda on the world scene and it remains to be seen what we can make out of it in the days to come. Upon our effort depends the fate of our ancient spiritual civilisation.
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo : left -- Swami Sadananda (disciple of Swami Vivekananda) ; right -- Swami Vivekananda. With Vivekananda has begun the active resurgence of Hinduism and the legacy the leonine Swami passed on to worthy disciples like Sadananda, and the legacy continues to this day with the mantle being borne by a succession of luminous monks of the Ramakrishna Order who have become the upholders of the Sanatan Dharma.
The monotheistic Semitic religions are bitterly opposed to Hinduism which thrives on the concept of the Ishta or the Chosen Deity which they term polytheism. And they mutually fight as well for their own exclusive survival. The result is a wasteful engagement of forces in futile exercises that retards progress and stunts civilisation.
The Indian dharma traditions, on the other hand, show the way to fruitful spiritual engagement along lines of individual preference of the Chosen Deity within the parameters of the wider universal philosophy of the Upanishads. This democracy of the Hindu spirit is anathema to the religions of the Abrahamic tradition. They must fight it to dictatorial submission but have not yet succeeded. So, they keep their powder dry to make fresh assaults whenever circumstances are propitious for such conspiracy against the spirit of India, against the spirit that is India and against her very geography and people to make it count in the flesh.
India's cultural influence over the world has been steadily declining over the last two millenia thanks to the inroads of Christianity and Islam which have converted nations from their early Hindu orientation to a foisted Semitic one. Judaism, being non-proselytising in nature, has not done this damage for it has not spread in numbers but its Semitic siblings in Christianity and Islam have devastated the world through the sword to bring it line with their scriptural dictates. As a result, the inclusive universal teachings of the Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) have been relegated to being concentrated almost exclusively in India where 1.1 billion of the 1.15 billion Hindus of the world live today.
Asia and some parts of Europe which were much marked by Hindu cultural influence now no more bear such pronounced influence. The people of these regions were forcefully converted to Christianity and Islam as is the wont of these two highly intolerant proselytising religions. Even India was not spared. Million and millions over a period of the last one thousand years were perverted from the Sanatan Dharma to Islam by the sword. Finally, India was partitioned on the basis of a large section of the Muslims refusing to co-exist with Hindus in a common homeland freed from colonial control.
The Hindus have been, thus, at the receiving end of persecution even in the land of their ancestors for the last one thousand years and are now barely recovering from their past wounds. The resurgence of Hinduism has begun since the advent of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda on the world scene and it remains to be seen what we can make out of it in the days to come. Upon our effort depends the fate of our ancient spiritual civilisation.
Written by Sugata Bose
Photo : left -- Swami Sadananda (disciple of Swami Vivekananda) ; right -- Swami Vivekananda. With Vivekananda has begun the active resurgence of Hinduism and the legacy the leonine Swami passed on to worthy disciples like Sadananda, and the legacy continues to this day with the mantle being borne by a succession of luminous monks of the Ramakrishna Order who have become the upholders of the Sanatan Dharma.
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