A young boy once asked me , “ Is our religion correct ? The
fundamentals of our religion, Vedas, suggest animal sacrifice, untouchability
etc.. There are many superstitions in our religion, unbelievable things like,
the lightning is caused by Indra striking with his weapon and so on. Is this,
what our religion offers ? ”
Now, that set me thinking. We proudly call our religion ‘
Sanathana Dharma ‘ and have been practicing it from time immemorial. Had the
above said and many more silly things been a part of our Religion, will it have
survived for thousands of years ? We
claim our knowledge as scientific and practical, will it contain these baseless
issues ? No, definitely NOT.
The Knowledge, Wisdom, Values and Philosophy propounded by
our ‘ Sanathana Dharma ‘ are definitely Scientific, True, Believable and
Practical too. The Knowledge and Advancement Bharatha had in the field of
Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics, Art and Architecture, Engineering, Aero
Science, Laws of Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Construction, Economics, Trade
& Commerce, Warfare, Weather Forecast, ( you name it), was far more ahead
of all countries put together.
Where did all these things go ? What happened to our
Religion and Country ? Starting from the Invasions our country faced, Followed
by 800 odd years of foreign rule and the continued lineage post- independence
have contributed in a big way for this poor state of affairs. Their Vested
interest, Manipulative Ideas and Cunning Logic have not only Changed our
Education System, Thought Process but also introduced many false views into our
Religion too. They equated superstition to our religion, Introduced Myths,
Misinterpreted Vedas and to an extent made us feel Ashamed of our Glorious
Past.
Let me go back to the boy’s question and understand in a
proper way – Our Puranas tell us that the speed and power at which Indra’s
weapon Vajra strikes, is similar to that of the lightning and not as wrongly
understood. Vedas suggest us to make an image or idol of an animal with flour
and perform sacrifice with this image. Superstitions and Untouchability find no
mention in any of our religious texts. So, all the false propaganda and misinterpretations
have led to this defaming of our religion. The prevailing misconception about
our religion, thus, is all, False.
So what do we do now ?
1) As
youngsters, first we have to realise the Richness of our Religion, Culture and
Country.
2) We should
put an end to the False propaganda on our Religion by simply not accepting
everything thrown against it.
3) We need
not feel Ashamed of our Religion, Religious Marks which we adorn or our
Traditional Dress.
4) We
should unearth all the True meanings and Worthiness of our Lost Treasure – ‘
Sanathana Dharma ‘
5) Whenever
you are faced with Deliberate or Improper questions, you can always counter it
yourself or the person who questions, by
asking -
(i)
Which part of the Veda or Purana this doubt / question
is mentioned or related to?
(ii)
Have you
personally seen or read it
(iii)
Is the
question based on the Original Text or any of the Distorted Versions
(iv)
Is the
question just a loose talk spread in thin air by manipulative people.
So, My Dear Friends, If you think clearly, you can
understand whether the questions posed are just to Malign and Ridicule our
Religion. Your Intellect and Intelligence will make you understand the ‘ Truth
’, if you Question and Approach in a
right manner. As Swamy Vivekananda quoted from Upanishads, “ Arise, Awake and
Stop not till the Goal is Achieved “.
G N Krishna - Columnist
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