05-12-2005, 03:22 AM
bharatvarsh ji,
[EDITED - PLEASE DISCUSS/DEBATE ISSUES WITHOUT GETTING PERSONAL]
quote bharatvarsh :
"Vivekananda followers don't preach that all religions are equal..."
Really? Please read about what "Shri Ramakrishna's religion" is about. Apparently he experimented with all different philosophies, sects and cults -- INCLUDING Christianity and Islam (which you so hate) -- and declared that they were all equally valid.
That Vivekananda chose to say things directly contradicting his guru is just one off the contradictions. To give another example, Vivekananda, who resurrected Shankara's Advaita as the last word, actually says in one place that Buddhism represents the epitome of Hindu thought! Try and figure that one out.
The fact that you equate Vir Savarkar (a fine political leader, no doubt) with Shri Aurobindo, Vivekananda and even Arun Shourie, shows that you and I are speaking past one another. You are a Hindu nationalist, foaming at the mouth out of ethnic pride and whatnot. That is fine with me, but before [edited] next time, please consider that my arguments here are THEOLOGICAL.
If you are attracted by Swami Vivekananda's nationalist rhetoric, his preoccupation with religious demographics and his offensive and sad blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (while his guru endorsed the same person!), then so be it. But please don't pretend to engage in any serious theological debate.
In any religion, there will be the ass-like, and the swan-like, and you can judge for yourself which category you and your idols belong to. Here, read thiss for your edification: Non sectarian Vaishnava dharma
quote bharatvarsh :
"what makes u think Vivekananda is the only one influencing Hindus, we have other ppl like Shri Aurobindo..."
Yes. Shri Aurobindo is a prodigious scholar of the Vedic literature. I love Shri Aurobindo. Now if you ever actually read his philosophical conclusions, you would have known that he POURS DISDAIN on the Advaitist mayavad, which Vivekananda chose to preach for his socio-political reasons.
As for your gratuitous invective about "ISKCON", I can only say that it is your own imagination. Most ISKCON members willingly call themselves "Hindu" for "vyavaharik" practical purposes, but when it comes to philosophy, they make sure to distinguish and inform the listener that there are different "types" within this Hinduism umbrella. What's wrong with that? BTW, the fastest growing congregations for the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya are in INDIA now, followed closely by Russia.
Please continue to come up with more accusations, and I will be happy to clarify as long as you are willing to listen.
[EDITED - PLEASE DISCUSS/DEBATE ISSUES WITHOUT GETTING PERSONAL]
quote bharatvarsh :
"Vivekananda followers don't preach that all religions are equal..."
Really? Please read about what "Shri Ramakrishna's religion" is about. Apparently he experimented with all different philosophies, sects and cults -- INCLUDING Christianity and Islam (which you so hate) -- and declared that they were all equally valid.
That Vivekananda chose to say things directly contradicting his guru is just one off the contradictions. To give another example, Vivekananda, who resurrected Shankara's Advaita as the last word, actually says in one place that Buddhism represents the epitome of Hindu thought! Try and figure that one out.
The fact that you equate Vir Savarkar (a fine political leader, no doubt) with Shri Aurobindo, Vivekananda and even Arun Shourie, shows that you and I are speaking past one another. You are a Hindu nationalist, foaming at the mouth out of ethnic pride and whatnot. That is fine with me, but before [edited] next time, please consider that my arguments here are THEOLOGICAL.
If you are attracted by Swami Vivekananda's nationalist rhetoric, his preoccupation with religious demographics and his offensive and sad blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (while his guru endorsed the same person!), then so be it. But please don't pretend to engage in any serious theological debate.
In any religion, there will be the ass-like, and the swan-like, and you can judge for yourself which category you and your idols belong to. Here, read thiss for your edification: Non sectarian Vaishnava dharma
quote bharatvarsh :
"what makes u think Vivekananda is the only one influencing Hindus, we have other ppl like Shri Aurobindo..."
Yes. Shri Aurobindo is a prodigious scholar of the Vedic literature. I love Shri Aurobindo. Now if you ever actually read his philosophical conclusions, you would have known that he POURS DISDAIN on the Advaitist mayavad, which Vivekananda chose to preach for his socio-political reasons.
As for your gratuitous invective about "ISKCON", I can only say that it is your own imagination. Most ISKCON members willingly call themselves "Hindu" for "vyavaharik" practical purposes, but when it comes to philosophy, they make sure to distinguish and inform the listener that there are different "types" within this Hinduism umbrella. What's wrong with that? BTW, the fastest growing congregations for the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya are in INDIA now, followed closely by Russia.
Please continue to come up with more accusations, and I will be happy to clarify as long as you are willing to listen.