11-10-2010, 08:47 AM
Many Hindu texts and saints have been of the view that India (aka Bharatavarsha) is the most virtuous nation or subcontinent in the world. For instance, it is said in the Vishnu Purana that it requires a lot of karmic merit to take birth in (the supposedly holy land of) India.
From the Hindu point of view, and in, say, pre-Christian times, this would have been absolutely true. However, considering that such statements of praise continue to be made by saints and politicians alike, this needs some explanation.
First off, India is obviously not the most comfortable country to live in. Some folks there in villages don't even have access to clean water. However, if we compare per capita carbon emission rates as well as per capita consumption rates, India is among the lowest in the world. The country with the maximum percentage of lacto-vegetarians is also India, so much more virtuous than the atrocities of China and the US on killing animals for their food.
A Hindu here will probably say that since India lets others use the world's resources and suffers herself the plight made by the greed of the rest of the world instead of fighting it out ruthlessly and stealing it away, it is among the most virtuous countries there is -- or at least that its citizens are some of the most virtuous men around (in terms of progress/harm caused to the rest of the world at the cost of one's own trouble/flourishing).
In light of the chaotic state of affairs as far as public welfare is concerned, a Hindu might well argue that since India is the most dense country by population, the way things are going on right now is actually far better than how messed up it could have been, had it been the case in an American or Chinese cultural setup.
What do you say?
[please keep an open mind here and your patriotic and ethnic prejudices away]
P.S.:
1. Caste is not an exclusively Indian phenomenon. Other countries have all kinds of social divisions and many of them more oppressive than caste. China is much more oppressive with its people -- India is so much more liberal.
2. Women, again, have been abused and disallowed their rights for most of recorded history and in all nations and cultures. A Hindu woman only gets herself assigned by social laws to specific duties (childrearing, homemaking, etc.) but have not been banned from political action, whereas until the 20th century in Europe and China women were actively forbidden from political participation and downtrodden.
3. Over 80% of India is Hindu.
From the Hindu point of view, and in, say, pre-Christian times, this would have been absolutely true. However, considering that such statements of praise continue to be made by saints and politicians alike, this needs some explanation.
First off, India is obviously not the most comfortable country to live in. Some folks there in villages don't even have access to clean water. However, if we compare per capita carbon emission rates as well as per capita consumption rates, India is among the lowest in the world. The country with the maximum percentage of lacto-vegetarians is also India, so much more virtuous than the atrocities of China and the US on killing animals for their food.
A Hindu here will probably say that since India lets others use the world's resources and suffers herself the plight made by the greed of the rest of the world instead of fighting it out ruthlessly and stealing it away, it is among the most virtuous countries there is -- or at least that its citizens are some of the most virtuous men around (in terms of progress/harm caused to the rest of the world at the cost of one's own trouble/flourishing).
In light of the chaotic state of affairs as far as public welfare is concerned, a Hindu might well argue that since India is the most dense country by population, the way things are going on right now is actually far better than how messed up it could have been, had it been the case in an American or Chinese cultural setup.
What do you say?
[please keep an open mind here and your patriotic and ethnic prejudices away]
P.S.:
1. Caste is not an exclusively Indian phenomenon. Other countries have all kinds of social divisions and many of them more oppressive than caste. China is much more oppressive with its people -- India is so much more liberal.
2. Women, again, have been abused and disallowed their rights for most of recorded history and in all nations and cultures. A Hindu woman only gets herself assigned by social laws to specific duties (childrearing, homemaking, etc.) but have not been banned from political action, whereas until the 20th century in Europe and China women were actively forbidden from political participation and downtrodden.
3. Over 80% of India is Hindu.