RAM SWARUP, HINDUISM, AND MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS: FOREWORD TO BOOK ON RAM SWARUP'S WORKS
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and monotheistic religions: Foreword to book on
Ram Swarup's works
Friday, February 19, 2010
Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and Monotheistic Religions - David Frawley
February 19, 2010
This article is the foreword to the new book : Ram Swarup and
Monotheistic Religions. The book is a collection of Ram Swarup�s
articles and reviews.
It has just been published and is available from
Voice of India, 2/18 Ansari Road, New Delhi 110002.
http://www.adityaprakashan.com/index.php?String=Voice%20of%20India&p=sr&Field=publisher
"While people in the world generally look at Christianity and Islam
according to Christian and Islamic sources, Hinduism remains looked
at primarily according to non-Hindu sources which have not changed
significantly since the colonial era. While India achieved its
freedom from colonial rule, Hinduism remained in the colonial and
missionary shadow. It was not freed along with the country, nor did
independent India seek to remove the distortions about the majority
religion of its peoples, which it continued to allow to be taught in
its schools, even though it collects money from Hindu temples taken
over by government control.
The lack of a proper and accessible definition of Hinduism by Hindus
themselves has confused other religions and religious scholars. They
may think that Hinduism is not a religion at all but a collection of
disparate sects and cults with nothing really in common. Some western
scholars see Hinduism as a conglomeration of a Vaishnava, Shaiva and
other religions with no common teaching behind them. After all, each
Hindu sect has an extensive literature about itself but little to say
about or to define Hinduism as a whole.
Rather than seeking to reformulate, articulate or defend Hinduism as
a whole, Hindu gurus have usually given priority to developing their
own particular group and its following, which they then seek to
expand in its own right. If you ask western followers of such Indian
gurus what religion they follow, they often say that they follow the
universal religion of their guru, not that they are Hindus. This may
be the case even if the individuals have Hindu names or are swamis
rooted in traditional Hindu orders."
� Vamadeva Shastri (Dr. David Frawley)
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Though he never had an organization, a mission or an ashram and
preferred to remain in the background, Ram Swarup nevertheless became
one of the dominant figures in modern Hindu thought. He brought an
important new point of view into the Hindu renaissance of the past
two centuries which can move it in a new positive direction. He not
only wrote about Hinduism in the India context but relative to the
world as a whole and the major movements and ideologies of our times.
He articulated a Hindu point of view in a clear, succinct, cogent and
comprehensive manner that makes it compelling for all those who have
an open mind and an inner vision.
Ram Swarup represents the deeper response of the Hindu mind to the
critical cultural and religious challenges of today. His work has had
a strong impact in India already but its main impact is likely to be
for the future, for generations yet to come, as he was a thinker
ahead of his time. His impact in the West, though crucial in regard
to a number of individual thinkers, is yet to come and may prove more
significant. Starting with his main disciple and colleague Sitaram
Goel, he has inspired a whole group of thinkers and writers East and
West, who are disseminating his ideas and inspirations in various
ways. In introducing his writings, I will try to first put the Hindu
movement into a broader perspective, reflecting my study of his
writings.
Start of the Hindu Renaissance
The nineteenth century witnessed a remarkable and largely unexpected
renaissance in Hindu thought, Yoga, Veda and Vedanta that brought
back to life and placed in the modern context, the world�s oldest
spiritual heritage. An ancient religion that seemed on the verge of
extinction was suddenly awake and able to express and assert itself
on the stage of the modern world, providing a new view of humanity,
culture and religion that could enrich all cultures and countries.
Many western educated Hindus went back to their own traditions and
sought to create new movements within Hinduism that reflected a
deeper interpretation of their older teachings as well as a new
projection of it for the modern age. They sought to restore, reform
and universalize Hindu thought. They did not see a need to abandon
their traditions for the trends in western thought or religion that
they were exposed to -- though that had come to dominate their
country and its educational institutions -- but rather began to
recognize in their own traditions something more spiritual and more
comprehensive than the products of the western mind, which seemed to
them mired in materialism and dogma.
Swami Dayananda of the Arya Samaj in the late nineteenth century
brought about an important call to return to the Vedas and provided
strong critiques of western religions and philosophies, which had put
Hinduism under siege and in defense. He personally debated with
western missionaries and educators and was able to show that Hindu
thought had a depth that they could not dismiss or even counter when
it was clearly articulated.
Then at the turn of the twentieth century, Swami Vivekananda of the
Ramakrishna Mission took the message of Hinduism, Yoga and Vedanta to
the western world itself, where he was enormously successful, setting
up missions in Europe and North America that continue to the present
day. Vivekananda also helped revive the ancient traditions in India,
setting the stage for the modern Hindu, Yoga-Vedanta movement.
Whereas Swami Dayananda sought to preserve the Vedic message to
protect Hindu society from colonial efforts to undermine it, Swami
Vivekananda sought to universalize the Yoga-Vedantic message to
transform the world. Hindu thought suddenly had not only a renewed
value for India but a new message for the entire world. Many other
teachers and thinkers of India took up similar views and activities.
Influence of Indian Independence Movement
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The late nineteenth century saw the beginning of another major
movement in Indian thought and society, the Indian independence
movement. It started under the inspiration of the Hindu renaissance
through Vivekananda, Dayananda, B. G. Tilak, and Sri Aurobindo and
others like them, who looked to Hindu thought through the Vedas,
Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta for the foundation of the national
struggle.
The Hindu renaissance naturally became strongly aligned with the
Indian independence movement as India was a Hindu majority country.
However, the Indian independence movement proved over time to be both
a boon and a curse to the Hindu renaissance, expanding it in some
areas but contracting it in others.
Many Hindus joined the movement and brought Hindu values and
practices into it. Mahatma Gandhi, who later came to lead the
independence movement, wore the garb of a Hindu sadhu, spoke of the
Bhagavad Gita as the greatest book, criticized the missionaries, and
called himself a Hindu.
However, a tendency arose to modify Hindu thought for the sake of the
independence movement. In particular, the need to bring religious
minorities into the movement went against the need of Hinduism to
awaken and reclaim its ancient glory. The Hindu reconversion movement
that Swami Dayananda set in motion was almost brought to a standstill
largely by Hindus themselves. It eventually became politically
incorrect from the standpoint of the Indian independence movement for
Hindus to defend much less promote their religious identity, so as
not to politically alienate the non-Hindus in the country.
Because of the political necessities of the Indian independence
movement, the effort in Hindu thought to articulate its own unique
identity as well as to expand its reach gradually receded. The Hindu
renaissance took a back seat for the Indian independence movement.
The fearless and bold self-confidence of Vivekananda, Rama Tirtha and
Swami Dayananda in relating the Vedic and Vedantic teachings gave way
to an almost timid and apologetic seeking for consensus against the
British.
Repercussions of Indian Independence Movement
he muting of the Hindu voice that occurred in the Indian independence
movement became hardened in independent India, largely to maintain
political support of the same minorities. Politicians of a Hindu
background found that they could get more easily elected by playing
to minority religious vote banks and appealing to their religious
identities and insecurities.
Hindus remained hesitant to project their own tradition in a positive
way, much less criticize other religions, in order to avoid offending
religious minorities that might vote against them or feel unwanted in
the country. In some respects the situation became worse. For
example, very few Indian politicians today would make the same
statements against the missionaries that Mahatma Gandhi made during
his lifetime, or even quote these, so as to maintain their Christian
vote banks.
After the achievement of independence, the history, philosophy and
global relevance of Hinduism failed to get properly articulated or
taught. Vedic and Hindu schools did not come up. Hinduism did not
take its place, much less its seniority and depth in the world�s
presentation of religious and spiritual traditions. It did not create
its own global voice but remained under foreign, alien and often
hostile outside interpretations.
While people in the world generally look at Christianity and Islam
according to Christian and Islamic sources, Hinduism remains looked
at primarily according to non-Hindu sources which have not changed
significantly since the colonial era. While India achieved its
freedom from colonial rule, Hinduism remained in the colonial and
missionary shadow. It was not freed along with the country, nor did
independent India seek to remove the distortions about the majority
religion of its peoples, which it continued to allow to be taught in
its schools, even though it collects money from Hindu temples taken
over by government control.
Another negative result of the lack of proper formulation of Hindu
thought was that Indians of an intellectual bent went over to other
systems, notably Marxism, which had more to offer by way of an
intellectual point of view and a future to strive for. People were
not given any Hindu identity or sense of worth, so they naturally
sought a non-Hindu or anti-Hindu identity. They embraced intellectual
critiques of Hinduism and had no Hindu intellectual response to
provide any balance.
The Global Spread of Hindu Thought
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Global Hinduism has had a similar result, becoming both a help and a
hindrance for the Hindu renaissance. In spreading their message
globally, Hindu teachers found it easier to promote their own guru or
sect of Hinduism and leave Hinduism itself behind or at home. The
perceived ethnicity of Hinduism, its being limited to India and those
born as Hindus was one side of the issue. The other side was the
difficulty of communicating the Hindu tradition as a whole compared
to the ease in promoting one particular guru or lineage.
Vivekananda himself, who was the first real global guru from India,
found that the greatest interest in the West was in the figure of the
guru-avatar, Yoga practices, meditation and a generalized Vedantic
thought, while the missionary inspired fear of Hinduism as
polytheistic and superstitious was deeply entrenched.
The result was that Hindu gurus in the West tried to appear as
universal figures that accepted all religions and were Hindus only by
accident of birth. This may have been necessitated by the anti-Hindu
propaganda and even racism that they had to face initially -- which
was still strong in the West particularly in the early twentieth
century -- but it also became hardened into a trend of its own.
Rather than seeking to reformulate, articulate or defend Hinduism as
a whole, Hindu gurus have usually given priority to developing their
own particular group and its following, which they then seek to
expand in its own right. If you ask western followers of such Indian
gurus what religion they follow, they often say that they follow the
universal religion of their guru, not that they are Hindus. This may
be the case even if the individuals have Hindu names or are Swamis
rooted in traditional Hindu orders.
One could say that Hindus are very universal in their sectarianism.
Hindu sects have gone global and universal. Some have formulated
themselves as new universal religions, with their guru as an avatar.
Others claim to have gone beyond religion to a universal spiritual
tradition. Yet few have taken the effort to openly honor the greater
Hindu tradition or Sanatan Dharm as the universal tradition it has
always formulated itself to be, even though they rely upon the Vedas,
Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras and other standard teachings
of Sanatan Dharm for their particular approaches. There may have
been historical or cultural necessities for this phenomenon but its
long term limitations must be recognized.
The Hindu Diaspora
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The global spread of Hinduism has a human dimension, with many Hindus
migrating to the West over the past several decades and some having
arrived during the colonial era itself. What they find is that the
people in their new countries regard them as Hindus, even if they
would rather define themselves according to a particular Hindu sect
or in some way as universal. Such Hindus in the West have found a
need to define themselves as Hindus not only for westerners to
understand them but for their children to continue their traditions.
However, when they look to define what it means to be a Hindu, they
find that the Hindu tradition is amorphous and they often don�t know
exactly what it is. They are torn between a vague universalism, on
one hand, and an ethnic identity on the other. They find a lack of
educational material in Hinduism to direct their children toward in
order to resolve this problem. The lack of any real articulation of
Hinduism as a whole has left them at a disadvantage, which other
groups have been quick to exploit, especially among the Hindu youth
that is vulnerable to peer pressure.
Relative to Other Religions
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The lack of a proper and accessible definition of Hinduism by Hindus
themselves has confused other religions and religious scholars. They
may think that Hinduism is not a religion at all but a collection of
disparate sects and cults with nothing really in common. Some western
scholars see Hinduism as a conglomeration of a Vaishnava, Shaiva and
other religions with no common teaching behind them. After all, each
Hindu sect has an extensive literature about itself but little to say
about or to define Hinduism as a whole.
For many such non-Hindus, the Hindu claim to accept all religions is
regarded as a kind of �me-too� following, a currying of favor from
a colonized people, not a sign of a mature analysis or critical
understanding of disparate religious doctrines. It seldom helps other
religions understand Hinduism and its particular teachings. Though
Hindus have been the main religious group today to promote a
tolerance of all religions, it is curious to note that the other
religions of the world do not respect Hinduism in turn. This may be
because Hindus in trying to be all things to everyone do not project
a self-confidence or self-definition that others can recognize.
While this urge is understandable and important, there needs to be a
clear formulation of how to proceed in a way that is credible and
expansive. Many Hindus who want to reclaim the different facets of
the Hindu tradition that have been taken over by other groups may not
understand Hinduism in the broader sense and how to explain it to the
world as a whole.
The Hindu Backlash
This compromised and co-opted state of Hinduism has naturally had its
backlashes, which have similarly had both positive and negative sides
as backlashes usually do.
On the positive side, many Hindus are seeking once more to redefine
Hinduism as Sanatan Dharm or the universal teaching and the
different sampradayas or sects of Hinduism, including the modern
universalists, as its branches. While they are recognizing the
importance of India as the repository of Santana Dharm, they are
also discovering a global Vedic heritage that reaches to every part
of the planet.
There are now westerners who are happy to formally become Hindus.
Hindu as a religious option is arising all over the world as it is
after all the world�s third largest religion! In addition, the idea
of the Vedic sciences, which includes Yoga, Vedanta, Vedas and
Ayurveda under one umbrella, is gaining credibility. People are
beginning to discern the outlines of Sanatan Dharm behind its many
facets, though a clear understanding of Hinduism as a whole remains
rare.
On a social level in India, there has been an arising of political
parties and social movements that address Hindu sentiments to counter
the favoritism extended to religious minorities in the country that
is unparalleled in the rest of the world. However, owing to a great
extent because of this same lack of articulation of Hinduism in the
broader sense, they can be unclear as to what they are really
promoting as Hinduism or as Hindutva, which has itself become a
negative term in the global media. They appear to others as Hindu
nationalists, not as universalists portraying Hinduism as relevant to
the entire world. They have lacked the intellectual voice to bring
out what Hinduism really is and give it a futuristic vision, which
has shadowed and limited their efforts.
There is yet another type of Hindu backlash arising among Hindus in
the West. Many Hindus are disturbed to find that Hindu teachings
through Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedanta have been taken over by various
movements in the West without adequate credit given to the original
tradition that these come from. Some Hindus now want to take back
Yoga, for example, which they find that many people in the West are
regarding as a tradition only accidentally or superficially connected
to Hinduism.
Crisis in the Hindu Renaissance
The Hindu renaissance for all of its wonderful gains, whether in
spreading Hindu teachings, or aiding in India�s independence and
resurgence, has suffered from the lack of a clear articulation of
Hinduism or Sanatan Dharm as a whole. In spite of the great Hindu
renaissance in India and the spread of Hindu gurus and their
teachings globally over the last two centuries, there remains a
crisis of identity in the Hindu tradition and among Hindus
themselves.
Hindus as a whole don�t know who they are, what in particular they
follow or why. Some Hindu groups have defined their tradition in such
a universal and vague manner that it has lost any structure. They are
unable to articulate a cogent Hindu point of view on the pressing
issues of our times even where traditional Hindu and Vedic texts have
a tremendous amount to offer.
While different Hindu teachings have spread worldwide, an
understanding and appreciation for Hinduism as Sanatan Dharm or the
universal tradition has not kept pace with this. Meanwhile the
different modern Hindu sects that have gone global lack a broader
perspective to defend themselves from the challenges of the world
around them. Some western Yoga groups � who have avoided any direct
association with Hinduism � when attacked as �cults� have been forced
to call themselves Hindus in order to gain credibility at a legal
level. It remains to be seen how many generations their particular
sects or movements will last without the broader Hindu tradition to
defend and support it.
We note a kind of opposite type of imbalance in how Hinduism has
developed in the India context versus the global context, two
extremes that need to be brought back into harmony. In the India
context, Hinduism has remained trapped in an Indian identity with
political limitations on how that can express itself or what it
appears to be. This can make Hinduism appear backward and
unprogressive even to Hindus.
In the global context, Hindu teachers have largely abandoned any
Hindu identity and gone universal, ignoring or hiding their roots in
Sanatan Dharm, even though it is the Hindu based teachings of Yoga,
Ayurveda and Vedanta that have given them their appeal. It is the
same problem behind both instances: a failure to articulate Hinduism
as Sanatan Dharm in a clear, coherent, comprehensive and consistent
manner.
We can contrast this with how Buddhism has presented itself. Buddhist
teachers in the West have not denied their Buddhist backgrounds and
have tried to give their followers some sense of what this is above
and beyond the particular Buddhist sect that they may follow. Perhaps
this is because Buddhism is stronger in more than one country and not
so linked with one country�s affairs. But it is also because
Buddhists have been more willing to take up the intellectual
challenge and to recognize a common dharm in the process.
The Place of Ram Swarup
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The result of this lack of intellectual articulation and self-defense
is that Hinduism all around has remained under attack from conversion
seeking religions, political interests, the commercial media, and
foreign powers, with little to defend much less promote itself. Hindu
society has been misguided, confused and unclear as to how to handle
the situation. Even most Hindu gurus have not wanted to address the
anti-Hindu propaganda out of fear of exposing themselves to the
resultant criticism or the label of being called a Hindu. Hindus have
hoped these problems would go away if they ignored them, but have
only found that their identity has become increasingly a target of
distortion, if not denigration. It is relative to this complex and
compromised background that Ram Swarup arose, steadily addressed all
the issues and brought about a revolution in Hindu thought which, if
followed, can correct this difficult condition.
Ram Swarup provides a compelling intellectual and spiritual defense
as well as a universal projection of Hinduism that articulates
Hinduism or Sanatan Dharm as a whole, and can help put the Hindu
renaissance back on track. He is a unique thinker who has addressed
all the main issues of Hindu dharm and has charted a way forward
through all potential limitations and distortions. He was willing to
stand up and make his voice heard as early as the nineteen fifties,
facing the Marxists who then were the darlings of the Indian media,
when no individual or group seemed to understand the gravity of the
situation or how to deal with it.
Ram Swarup has first of all reclaimed Hinduism as a positive term
through his consistent articulation of Hindu thought. Even many
Hindus today object to the term Hindu, though they don�t seem to have
a better name for their great tradition. Ram Swarup has shown that
the term Hindu needs to be honored and redefined as Sanatan Dharm or
the universal tradition that has always been its real meaning. Though
Hinduism as a term still has many negative connotations, largely of a
missionary and Marxist nature, terms like Hindu thought, Hindu mind
and Hindu Yoga are coming out in a positive way to a great extent
because of his influence.
Ram Swarup developed redefinition of Hinduism that has inspired such
an important spiritual movement as the Hinduism Today magazine in the
West. Following the inspiration of Ram Swarup, Sivaya Subramuniya
Swami of Hinduism Today magazine boldly proclaimed, "Hinduism is
unique among the world�s religions. I boldly proclaim it the greatest
religion in the world." The great Swami, with the spiritual
confidence of another Vivekananda, goes on to explain all that
Hinduism has to offer in terms of mystical teachings and profound
Yoga practices that cannot be found actively expressed or represented
in any other religion in the world today. He lauds Hinduism for its
diversity and abundance of deities, temples, festivals, teachings,
gurus, monks and practices. His words are not a sectarian call or a
political statement but a sincere appreciation of the greatness of
Sanatan Dharm that many people will feel once they understand the
overall tradition and its universality that is not limited to a book,
savior, prophet, chosen people or dogma.
Ram Swarup�s Critique of Religion
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Ram Swarup pioneered a new Hindu examination of other religions,
notably Christianity and Islam, that is balanced, clear and rational,
based upon higher ideals and insights. He aims towards a universal
truth, higher consciousness and yogic values that all religions need
to honor. He points out differences between the teachings of Hinduism
and Vedanta and those of current Christian and Islamic theology,
which inevitably take their followers in different directions. He
does much of this by simply contrasting their actual teachings with
those of Hinduism, whether in regard to karma and rebirth, higher
consciousness, or an understanding of the nature of Atman and
Brahman, the higher Self and the Absolute.
If we put the teachings of different religions as their followers
commonly know them to be side by side, the distinctions become
obvious. All religions are not the same and don�t teach the same
thing. We need to be as discriminating about religious and spiritual
teachings as we are about food, work, relationship, culture or any
other major part of life. Ram Swarup has brought that profound yogic
discrimination or viveka back into Hindu thought and into the Hindu
examination of religious teachings. He uses yogic psychology to
examine the religious experience. In the process he exposes the
biases behind conversion based monotheism and shows its idea of deity
to be tainted by human prejudices, not a truly spiritual formulation
of unity or universality.
His discriminating insight is particularly important in exposing how
Christians in India will use Hindu teachings, ideas or images to
promote their conversion efforts. Even when liberal Christians in
India talk of oneness and Advaita, they will not accept karma and
rebirth, much less make any Hindu teacher equal to Christ, or try to
stop the conversion of Hindus. Their non-duality, though borrowed
from Hindu teachings, is not a unity of truth beyond religious
identities but an effort to make Christianity more appealing to the
Hindu mind so as to facilitate the conversion process. It is an
effort to Christianize Hindu ideas not to take us to a unity beyond
all conversion, which is a denial of the sacred nature of the Atman
or true Self.
Such a Hindu critique of other religions is necessary and helpful and
can serve to balance the criticism of Hindu dharm, most of which is
unfounded, that is already out there. It can promote the mystical
side of other traditions and help people who want to go beyond the
limitations of belief based approaches to an inner experiential yogic
spirituality.
Different religions, like different philosophies, will take those who
embrace them in specific directions according to their specific
prescriptions. We need to be honest with people about that, not sugar
coat religious differences in an aim to create social harmony. Social
harmony should be based upon free thinking and an acceptance of
religious differences -- including atheists and agnostics � not an
effort to pretend that religious differences do not matter or do not
exist.
A mature society can allow religious differences just as it does
differences in science, art or culture. A social order that cannot
accept religious differences, but must pretend they are not real,
must remain limited, artificial and stifling to the spirit. Hinduism
is a religion can find unity in diversity, which is a unity of truth
beyond the boundaries of all beliefs and organizations. In this way
any free thinker can find a place within it. Ram Swarup reveals this
pluralistic understanding behind the Hindu sense of unity, which is
the real meaning of the harmony of all dharmas.
No one criticizes a Christian or a Muslim for praising their
particular religion. It is only the modern Hindu who seems to have
lost that self-respect, even though his tradition is far more
grandiose and comprehensive. Christians and Muslims are not expected
to accommodate Hindu beliefs, whether they live in India or elsewhere
in the world, while expressing their views. Yet Hindus are often
afraid or perhaps unable to explain what Hinduism is relative to the
other religions, which they seldom study or analyze according to the
tenets of Hindu thought.
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Ram Swarup was a very gentle, kind and soft spoken person, yet he did
not compromise the truth or seek favor by trying to please everyone
around him. He has shown that Hindus can be tolerant and respectful
of others and yet do not have to give up their own critical voice or
compromise their own identity in the process. Hindus must learn to
hold to the inner truth of their tradition even when relating to
people of contrary views that they must seek to counter in order to
defend the higher dharm in the global arena.
Perhaps because Ram Swarup was not trying to promote a particular
guru or become one himself, he has not fallen into the trap of making
his own teachings supreme and distancing himself from the greater
Hindu tradition. At the same time, he has always emphasized the
flexibility of Hindu thought to provide the vision to discover new
solutions to all human problems. He has not simply repeated the old
formulas of the past that refer to a time and culture that is no
more. He has brought back the Hindu mind and its deeper timeless
intelligence, not just promoted old books or old interpretations of
them. He has shown how Hindus can reform their own community by a
return to the teachings of Sanatan Dharm.
Ram Swarup has provided a new voice to the Hindu mind that brings
back its earlier inspiration both for India and for the world as a
whole. Yet in the process, he has not merely rubber stamped Hinduism
or particular Hindu groups but has recommended both reform and
revitalization in reclaiming and expressing the greater Hindu
heritage that even many Hindus have forgotten.
Hinduism�s Forgotten Friends
Ram Swarup projected a strong Hindu defense, not just of the Hindu
tradition but of all related native, indigenous and pagan traditions
which have similarly been denigrated by missionary and colonial
influences. Most modern Hindu teachers in their rush to gain
acceptance by the western monotheistic establishment have tried to
make Hinduism appear monotheistic and have avoided any association
with non-monotheistic traditions, much less any effort to defend
them, though these are their true brothers and sisters facing the
same daunting challenges. It is these indigenous and pagan traditions
that most resemble Hinduism which itself is the largest pagan
religion in the world. They are looking to Hinduism for help and
guidance. Ram Swarup has been the main Hindu teacher to hear their
call.
Ram Swarup inspired western pagan thinkers and shown that the same
denigrations and distortions that are cast on Hinduism are cast on
their religions as well (starting with the derogatory terms of pagan,
polytheist and animist). He has provided an insight and a self-
articulation that they can adapt. He has brought back the role of
Hinduism as the defender of all native and consciousness based
spiritual traditions that have been similarly attacked by missionary
influences and exclusive, belief-oriented dogmas. This new alliance
must be pursued and allowed to grow in a natural way. It can change
the face of world religion for centuries to come because it can bring
humanity back to the Divine presence hidden in nature and her
formations of lands, plants, animals, clouds and stars -- the sacred
world of Brahman that both monotheistic religions and modern
political ideologies rarely see or honor.
The Current Volume
This leads us to the current volume of Ram Swarup�s work, which is
the largest collection of his writings yet published in a single
book. It consists primarily of material not previously available in
book form. It contains many short pieces done for various newspapers
and magazines, including a number of important book reviews. It spans
a period of more than four decades and covers a wide range of topics.
It shows Ram Swarup�s critique of Christian and Islamic thought from
a Hindu perspective. It shows his critique of Hinduism as well and
how it can be brought back in harmony with its deeper aspirations.
The book is roughly divided into sections relative to Hinduism,
Christianity and Islam but covers many topics in regard to each. The
diversity of articles shows the breadth of his understanding of a
variety of fields of thought spiritual, historical and social. Ram
Swarup�s comments are of a civilizational nature, projecting the view
of the Hindu mind in dealing with the issues facing humanity today.
Through this volume we get a good view of all the facets of his
thought and how he could shine a dharmic light on almost any issue.
Conclusion
The coming decades are bound to bring critical challenges for the
world and for India. The powers of materialism, consumerism and
terrorism seem stronger than ever. In this context the message of Ram
Swarup and the relevance of Hindu thought will become more crucial.
It is important for the Hindu movement to move forward and redefine
itself based upon the many-sidedness of its vision. This involves
taking a global approach, presenting Sanatan Dharm in the context of
the greater Vedic and yogic sciences and culture. The connection of
Hinduism with Indian politics that dominated both the independence
movement and the post-independence era in both positive and negative
ways needs to be put in a broader perspective, which is a greater
need to promote Hinduism as Sanatan Dharm for the world overall.
While India will likely play a central role in that projection of the
universal Dharm, the effort cannot be limited to the issues of India.
At the same time, while Hindu Dharm has a universal vision, this
cannot be owned or limited by any sect, teacher or person who uses,
adapts or claims any of its teachings. It is Hinduism that is the
universal tradition, not any of its ancient or modern offshoots that
are but its expressions.
A true Hindu or Sanatan Dharm follower will always take a global view
but adapted locally, wherever he or she may live. India is important
for its having preserved the global Hindu heritage, not simply for
what may occur outwardly in the country. The current Hindu movement
in India tends to lose that global perspective and can appear narrow.
Hindu teachings like Yoga outside of India are largely in denial of
their common Hindu or Sanatan Dharm connections. However useful these
approaches may have been at one time, they need to be adjusted today.
The universality that has been applied to various Hindu gurus and
sects needs to be applied to and credited to Hinduism as a whole.
There need to be a new examination of what Hinduism has been
traditionally and what its relevance can be for the future, not by
outside scholars but by Hindus themselves. We need new books on
Hinduism, its teachings and its history, as well as new Hindu schools
to promote Sanatan Dharm and its various branches, arts and sciences.
Hindus cannot rely upon the non-Hindu world to do this. They must
take the lead and bring the Hindu renaissance back to the forefront.
The writings of Ram Swarup can provide the cornerstone for this
effort. These should be available in every Hindu temple, ashram,
school or institution, particularly where English is the dominant
medium of expression.
Ram Swarup is a thinker than can help the Hindu movement go forward
both with respect to India and the needs of the entire planet. This
particular volume is an excellent place to begin the journey. We are
all bound by a common Dharm that cannot be denied. It is time for
that Sanatan Dharm to arise once more, not only in the Himalayas but
on every mountain top!
http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/images/ramswarup_img_1.jpg
Voice of India: Sita Ram Goel & Ram Swarup
End of forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
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fanabba
Jai Maharaj) wrote:
> Forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
>
> Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and monotheistic religions: Foreword to book on
> Ram Swarup's works
>
> Friday, February 19, 2010
>
>
> Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and Monotheistic Religions - David Frawley
>
>
> February 19, 2010
>
> This article is the foreword to the new book : Ram Swarup and
> Monotheistic Religions. The book is a collection of Ram Swarup’s
> articles and reviews.
>
> It has just been published and is available from
>
> Voice of India, 2/18 Ansari Road, New Delhi 110002.
>
Thank you Dr. Jai Maharaj Ji for the links. Books published by Voice
of India Publishers were hard to find for some time. Now I know where
to find them !
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
fanabba <fan...@aol.com> posted:
> Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
> > Forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
> >
> > Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and monotheistic religions: Foreword to book on
> >
> > Friday, February 19, 2010
> >
> > http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/ram-swarup-hinduism-an...
> >
> > Ram Swarup, Hinduism, and Monotheistic Religions - David Frawley
> >
> =A0
> >
> > February 19, 2010
> >
> > This article is the foreword to the new book : Ram Swarup and
> > articles and reviews.
> >
> > It has just been published and is available from
> >
> > Voice of India, 2/18 Ansari Road, New Delhi 110002.
> >
> ....
> > exactly what it is. They are torn between a vague universalism, on
> > one hand, and an ethnic identity on the other. They find a lack of
> > educational material in Hinduism to direct their children toward in
> > order to resolve this problem. The lack of any real articulation of
> > Hinduism as a whole has left them at a disadvantage, which other
> > groups have been quick to exploit, especially among the Hindu youth
> > that is vulnerable to peer pressure.
> >
> > Relative to Other Religions
> >
> > http://voiceofdharma.org/books/ohrr/ohrr.jpg
> >
> > The lack of a proper and accessible definition of Hinduism by Hindus
> > themselves has confused other religions and religious scholars. They
> > may think that Hinduism is not a religion at all but a collection of
> > disparate sects and cults with nothing really in common. Some western
> > scholars see Hinduism as a conglomeration of a Vaishnava, Shaiva and
> > other religions with no common teaching behind them. After all, each
> > Hindu sect has an extensive literature about itself but little to say
> > about or to define Hinduism as a whole.
> >
> > For many such non-Hindus, the Hindu claim to accept all religions is
> > resurgence, has suffered from the lack of a clear articulation of
> > Hinduism or Sanatan Dharm as a whole. In spite of the great Hindu
> > renaissance in India and the spread of Hindu gurus and their
> > teachings globally over the last two centuries, there remains a
> > crisis of identity in the Hindu tradition and among Hindus
> > themselves.
> >
> > follow or why. Some Hindu groups have defined their tradition in such
> > a universal and vague manner that it has lost any structure. They are
> > unable to articulate a cogent Hindu point of view on the pressing
> > issues of our times even where traditional Hindu and Vedic texts have
> > a tremendous amount to offer.
> >
> > While different Hindu teachings have spread worldwide, an
> > understanding and appreciation for Hinduism as Sanatan Dharm or the
> > universal tradition has not kept pace with this. Meanwhile the
> > different modern Hindu sects that have gone global lack a broader
> > perspective to defend themselves from the challenges of the world
> > association with Hinduism =96 when attacked as =91cults=92 have been forc=
> ed
> > to call themselves Hindus in order to gain credibility at a legal
> > level. It remains to be seen how many generations their particular
> > sects or movements will last without the broader Hindu tradition to
> > defend and support it.
> >
> > We note a kind of opposite type of imbalance in how Hinduism has
> > developed in the India context versus the global context, two
> > extremes that need to be brought back into harmony. In the India
> > context, Hinduism has remained trapped in an Indian identity with
> > political limitations on how that can express itself or what it
> > appears to be. This can make Hinduism appear backward and
> > unprogressive even to Hindus.
> >
> > In the global context, Hindu teachers have largely abandoned any
> > Hindu identity and gone universal, ignoring or hiding their roots in
> > Sanatan Dharm, even though it is the Hindu based teachings of Yoga,
> > Ayurveda and Vedanta that have given them their appeal. It is the
> > same problem behind both instances: a failure to articulate Hinduism
> > as Sanatan Dharm in a clear, coherent, comprehensive and consistent
> > manner.
> >
> > We can contrast this with how Buddhism has presented itself. Buddhist
> > teachers in the West have not denied their Buddhist backgrounds and
> > have tried to give their followers some sense of what this is above
> > and beyond the particular Buddhist sect that they may follow. Perhaps
> > this is because Buddhism is stronger in more than one country and not
> > a better name for their great tradition. Ram Swarup has shown that
> > the term Hindu needs to be honored and redefined as Sanatan Dharm or
> > the universal tradition that has always been its real meaning. Though
> > Hinduism as a term still has many negative connotations, largely of a
> > missionary and Marxist nature, terms like Hindu thought, Hindu mind
> > and Hindu Yoga are coming out in a positive way to a great extent
> > because of his influence.
> >
> > Ram Swarup developed redefinition of Hinduism that has inspired such
> > an important spiritual movement as the Hinduism Today magazine in the
> > West. Following the inspiration of Ram Swarup, Sivaya Subramuniya
> > Swami of Hinduism Today magazine boldly proclaimed, "Hinduism is
> > religion in the world." The great Swami, with the spiritual
> > confidence of another Vivekananda, goes on to explain all that
> > Hinduism has to offer in terms of mystical teachings and profound
> > Yoga practices that cannot be found actively expressed or represented
> > in any other religion in the world today. He lauds Hinduism for its
> > diversity and abundance of deities, temples, festivals, teachings,
> > gurus, monks and practices. His words are not a sectarian call or a
> > political statement but a sincere appreciation of the greatness of
> > Sanatan Dharm that many people will feel once they understand the
> > overall tradition and its universality that is not limited to a book,
> > savior, prophet, chosen people or dogma.
> >
> >
> > http://voiceofdharma.org/books/uith/uith.jpg
> >
> > Ram Swarup pioneered a new Hindu examination of other religions,
> > notably Christianity and Islam, that is balanced, clear and rational,
> > based upon higher ideals and insights. He aims towards a universal
> > truth, higher consciousness and yogic values that all religions need
> > to honor. He points out differences between the teachings of Hinduism
> > and Vedanta and those of current Christian and Islamic theology,
> > which inevitably take their followers in different directions. He
> > does much of this by simply contrasting their actual teachings with
> > those of Hinduism, whether in regard to karma and rebirth, higher
> > consciousness, or an understanding of the nature of Atman and
> > Brahman, the higher Self and the Absolute.
> >
> > If we put the teachings of different religions as their followers
> > commonly know them to be side by side, the distinctions become
> > the largest collection of his writings yet published in a single
> > book. It consists primarily of material not previously available in
> > book form. It contains many short pieces done for various newspapers
> > and magazines, including a number of important book reviews. It spans
> > a period of more than four decades and covers a wide range of topics.
> > a Hindu perspective. It shows his critique of Hinduism as well and
> > how it can be brought back in harmony with its deeper aspirations.
> >
> > The book is roughly divided into sections relative to Hinduism,
> > Christianity and Islam but covers many topics in regard to each. The
> > diversity of articles shows the breadth of his understanding of a
> > variety of fields of thought spiritual, historical and social. Ram
> educational
> > purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may n=
> ot
> > have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of th=
> e
> > poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
> > fair use of copyrighted works.
> ead,
> > considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, curre=
> nt
> > e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
> others are
> > not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the arti=
> cle.
> >
> > FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
> > which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
> > owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
> > understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
> d
> > that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
> itle
> > 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
> uded
> > information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
> ion
> > go to: =A0http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
> > If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
> > your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
> > copyright owner.
> >
> > Since newsgroup posts are being removed
> > by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
> > this post may be reposted several times.
> Thank you Dr. Jai Maharaj Ji for the links. Books published by Voice
> of India Publishers were hard to find for some time. Now I know where
> to find them !
Dhanyavaad. Perhaps VOI can establish affiliates on the web to widen the
distribution of the books.