Hindu_Dharma Newsletter Issue # 2

Dear Friends,
Namaskar,
Thanks to all of you who wrote back words of encouragement and support. They are much appreciated.
Please feel free to email me any feedback or suggestions that you may have. Comments and contributions gratefully received. Responses to the newsletter will NOT be circulated to a wider audience.
The mailing list continues to be on blind copy.
As always, let me know if you do NOT wish to receive this OR send a reply with UN SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Otherwise, feel free to pass on to anyone who you feel may be interested.
Dhanyawaad and Jai Hind,
hindu_dharma@yahoo.com

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RELIGION and IDENTITY
Amongst the various responses to the Census figures, I found some to be quite disturbing. It occurs to me that our collective psyche has been so bruised and battered by centuries of subjugation, that rejecting our cultural identity (including religion) and past traditions has become a necessary condition to being considered “modern” and “progressive”.
In this context, have a read through the following comment (posted anonymously on the timesof india website) which made its way (unbelievably!) all the way to the top of the headlines on the web-edition (at least for a few hours on September 9th ’04). Some cliche-ridden excerpts below [“Stop this non-census, we don’t need religion”, www.timesofindia.com, Sept 9th ‘04]
“…It is a little unbelievable that in an age when a nuclear scientist is my country’s President, religion should define my identity. In the global village that I inhabit, the H or M or C or S has no significance
At best an opiate of the masses. At worst a weapon of mass killing, used by a few people to mislead a few hundred to massacre a few thousand.
Let’s face it. This generation has grown up fighting tougher battles than the “I am Hindu, you are Muslim” tussle. The next generation’s battles will be even tougher. The search for an identity has gone far beyond these basic aspects.
The next time someone gives me a form and asks me to list religion, I shall just write: “I don’t give a damn.””
How touchingly naive! But what caught my eye was the last sentence; “I don’t give a damn” is precisely the sort of attitude that we have to combat.
To me, debate and disagreement is infinitely preferable to indifference. Apathy would be the worst attitude to have in this discussion.

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SCIENCE and MATHEMATICS in ANCIENT INDIA
One of the things that has always frustrated me is the generally low level of awareness – even amongst (otherwise well-informed) Indians – about the progress in Science and Mathematics that had been made in Ancient India.
In this vein, below is a link to a fascinating and lucid exploration of the state of the art in Science and Mathematics in India over the centuries. [From a rediff.com online article, “India’s schoolbook histories”, Aug 22, ‘03] http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/22kak.htm The author is Professor Subhash Kak who teaches at the Louisiana State University. Some excerpts below:
“India’s contributions to science, technology and crafts are well documented, if not widely known. For example, before the British arrived, Indians had a system of inoculation against smallpox; year-old live smallpox matter was used, and it was very effective. Tikadars would fan out into the country before the smallpox season in the winter. The British doctor J Z Holwell wrote a book in 1767 describing the system and how it was safe. European medicine did not have any treatment against this disease at that time.
Inoculation against smallpox using cowpox was demonstrated by Edward Jenner in 1798 and it became a part of Western medicine by 1840. No sooner did that happen that the British in India banned the older method of vaccination, without making certain that sufficient number of inoculators in the new technique existed. Smallpox in India became a greater scourge than before…”
And more….”Suppose you were offered a history of the English without reference to Newton, Faraday, and Maxwell or of the Americans without mention of Edison, Michelson, or Feynman, you would say it overlooks the real genius of these nations. Youth in these countries brought up without the stories of these masters would not be quite English or American in spirit.
Given this, why is it that Indian schools leave out mention of India’s great scientists from its textbooks? Most readers of this column will have heard only one or two names of the greatest Indian scientists and mathematicians: Lagadha, Baudhayana, Panini, Pingala, Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Madhava, Nilakantha, whose ideas have shaped the world.
Who are these people? Lagadha wrote the first astronomical text in 1300 BC. Baudhayana (800 BC) gave the ‘Pythagoras theorem’ centuries before the Greek. Panini (400 century BC) has been called the greatest genius who ever lived: his grammar of the Sanskrit language is exhaustive and yet it uses only 4,000 computer program-like rules. Pingala (400 BC) invented the binary number system (counting by 0s and 1s) that, 2,500 years later, turned out to be basic to computer operations.
The astronomers Aryabhata and Bhaskara may be familiar to some from the eponymous spacecrafts of the Indian Space (Research) Organization. Aryabhata (500 AD) took the earth to spin on its axis and he described the planet periods with reference to the sun. He also took the solar system to be several hundred million miles across. In all of these things he was ahead of the rest of the world by more than a thousand years. Bhaskara (12th century) was a brilliant mathematician.
The last two names belong to the amazing Kerala school of mathematics and astronomy. Mâdhava (c 1340-1425) and Nîlakantha (c 1444-1545), who made fundamental contributions to power series, calculus and astronomy, are amongst the greatest scientists who have ever lived. Their invention of calculus came two hundred years before Newton and Leibnitz.
Three British historians* have recently suggested that Kerala mathematics may have provided key ideas for the scientific revolution in Europe. The need for clocks to keep accurate time on ships became of critical importance after the colonisation of America. There were significant financial rewards for new navigation techniques. These historians argue that information was sought from India due to the prestige of the eleventh century Arabic translations of Indian navigational methods. They suggest that Jesuit missionaries were the intermediaries in the diffusion of Kerala mathematical ideas into Europe.”
* (In this context, have a look at Prof George Joseph’s book, “The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics” ( 1st Hardback Edition, Tauris, 1991; 1st Paperback Edition, Penguin 1992, 2nd Edition, jointly by Penguin Books and Princeton University Press, 2000) http://les1.man.ac.uk/ses/staff/ggj/
For those of you who want to dig deeper, the article contains another excellent (external) link: Ian Pearce’s “History of Indian Mathematics” http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Projects/Pearce/index.html

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SWORD OF THE PROPHET
Next, some excerpts from “Sword of the Prophet”, a book by Serge Trifkovic. Although sometimes criticised as being more of a polemic, it is worth noting that even his critics have grudgingly admitted the strong reliance on facts by the author to support his arguments and contentions.
Below are some of the “politically incorrect” statements / “facts” about Islam that are mentioned in the book. Some are truly shocking:
·The Koran sanctions pillage, looting, ransom, and the rape of captive women as an incentive to join in jihad or “holy war”
·Mohammed kept one-fifth of all spoils of war for himself
·Mohammad had as many as 25 wives. One was six when they married; he was 54. He consummated the marriage when she was 9.
·Mohammed allowed temporary marriage “for three nights” or more, so that soldiers in the field could “marry” prostitutes
·The Koran assures the Muslim the right to own slaves by purchasing them or as a bounty of war. Mohammad had dozens
·In Islam, the definition of what is “right” or “just” is not fixed, but changeable by divine decree — enabling the most heinous sins and crimes to be declared “the will of Allah”
·The joys and glories of the Islamic “paradise” are tangible and sensual and include sex with virgins — and young boys
·Islam divides the world into the House of Islam (where Islam rules) and the House of War (where it doesn’t). The two are permanently at war; there may be temporary truces, but peace will come only upon the completion of global conquest
·When Muslims are a minority community, the Koran permits them to adopt a peaceful attitude to deceive their neighbors, until they feel strong enough to dispense with the pretense
·The massacres perpetrated by Muslims in India are unparalleled in history, bigger in sheer numbers than the Holocaust
·Muslim persecution of Christians has caused suffering and death for millions over 13 centuries — and continues today
·In 1993, Saudi Arabia’s supreme religious authority declared that the world is flat, and that anyone who disagrees is an infidel to be punished
·America’s “ally” Saudi Arabia remains the most intolerant Islamic regime in the world, where the practice of any religion besides Islam is as strictly prohibited as in Mohammed’s day
·The first imam to deliver a Muslim prayer for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1991, declared in 1997 that Muslims will eventually elect the president and replace the constitutional government with an Islamic caliphate

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IDOLS and ICONS
During one of my browsing session several months ago, I came across this very powerfully articulated argument against the flippant and careless use of the word “idols” when referring to Hindu religion. It is from an article by Dr David Frawley (President, American Institute of Vedic Studies) titled “The Misrepresentation of Hinduism in the press”. It is worthy of sharing with a wider audience. Here is the piece, http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu_home/1994/msg00024.html in full:
Idols and Icons: The Misrepresentation of Hinduism in the Press
By David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)
“…There are a number of terms that are applied to Hinduism in the Press, not only in the West but in India itself, which foster a negative image of it. Hindus are routinely called worshipers of idols, polytheists, and various other denigrating stereotypes, which do not reflect any intelligent examination of the religion itself but what is often an intentional campaign of misrepresentation and distortion.
All the religions of the world – with the general exception of Protestant Christians, Muslims and Jews – use some sort of images or statues in their religious worship. Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches abound with statues, paintings and pictures of various types.
Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto groups use them as well. Native American, African and Asian religions abound with them. The ancient religions of the entire world from Mexico to Greece, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, India and China used images, as archeology so clearly reveals.
The use of images appear as an integral part of human religious practices and no universal religion could be regarded as complete without them. Even many Protestant Christians have pictures of Jesus in their house or church, and Muslims often have pictures of their religious or political leaders, occasionally even depictions of Mohammed.
However, there is a strange dichotomy in how such religious images are judged. When they are part of the Christian tradition they are called icons and classified as works of art and regarded as sacred in nature.
When they are part of non-Christian or pagan traditions they are called “idols,” which is a derogatory term that indicates not the sacred but mere superstition. In the case of native American and African images, even when done by a culture as advanced as the Mayas of Central America – which built great pyramids and had many great cities – they are lumped along with so-called primitive art.
An image of Christ as the good shepherd is called an icon and viewed with respect. An image of Krishna as the good cow herder – which is a similar image of the Divine as watching over the souls of men – is called an idol, which encourages one to look down on it. This is prejudice and negative stereotyping in language of the worst order….”
“…..To call such images as idols implies that those who worship them practice idolatry or take the image itself as a God. This adds yet more prejudice and error to this judgement. The use of an image – whether we call it an icon or an idol – does not imply belief in the reality of the image. That we keep a photograph of our wife and children at our work desk does not mean that we think our wife and children are the photograph. It is a reminder, not a false reality.
Moreover, the use of the term idol inflames the sentiments of anti-idolatry religions like Christianity and Islam, as both the Bible and the Koran, at least in places, instruct their followers to oppose idolaters and smash their temples and images. …”

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THE TAJ MAHAL
Now something about the Taj Mahal – a monument that is almost synonymous with the image of India in the West. The debate which I mention below (about the history of the structure) has been going on for at least a decade, if not more.
The question that I would like to raise is this: “Is the Taj Mahal actually a super-structure built on an ancient Indian temple?”
While some of the arguments supporting this have been well-known, I have yet to find a better summary of the key points in this debate than at this site “http://www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm Excerpts below:
“Here is “The Question of the Taj Mahal” (Itihas Patrika, vol 5, pp. 98-111, 1985) by P. S. Bhat and A. L. Athavale is a profound and thoroughly researched and well balanced paper on the Taj Mahal controversy…It uncovers the reasons for the rumors and assumptions of why it is said that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, and presents all the inconsistencies of why that theory doesn’t hold up. It also covers such things as the descriptions found in the old Agra court papers on the Taj; descriptions and measurements of the building in the old records; Aurangzeb’s letter of the much needed repairs even in 1632 which is unlikely for a new building; records that reveal Shah Jahan acquired marble but was it enough for really building the Taj or merely for inlay work and decorative coverings; the observations of European travelers at the time; the actual age of the Taj; how the architecture is definitely of Indian Hindu orientation and could very well have been designed as a Shiva temple; the issue of the arch and the dome; how the invader Timurlung (1398) took back thousands of prisoner craftsmen to build his capital at Samarkhand and where the dome could have been incorporated into Islamic architecture; how it was not Shah Jahan’s religious tolerance that could have been a reason for Hindu elements in the design of the Taj; how the direction of the mosque does not point toward Mecca as most mosques do; the real purpose of the minarets at the Taj; the Hindu symbolism recognized in the Taj which would not have been allowed if it was truly Muslim built; and even as late as 1910 the Encyclopaedia Britannica included the statement by Fergusson that the building was previously a palace before becoming a tomb for Shah Jahan; and more”
“…An Architect Looks at the Taj Mahal Legend” by Marvin Mills, is a great review of the information available on the Taj Mahal and raises some very interesting questions that make it obvious that the Taj could not have been built the way or during the time that history presents, which makes it more like a fable than accurate history. This suggests a construction date of 1359 AD, about 300 years before Shah Jahan.
Mr. P. N. Oak is another who has done much research into this topic. He has presented his own conclusions in his books, most notably Taj Mahal–The True Story (ISBN: 0-9611614-4-2). Here is a summary of evidence that shows Shah Jahan did not build the Taj Mahal, but that it was originally built at least 500 years earlier in 1155 AD by Raja Paramardi Dev as a Vedic temple. It provides an overview of the research by P. N. Oak and lists the 109 proofs of how the Taj Mahal was a pre-existing Hindu temple palace: http://www.caribbeanhindu.com/taj_mahal.htm
This site gives the BBC’s view on the Taj Mahal and briefly explains both sides of the story, that maybe Shah Jahan built the Taj and maybe he didn’t: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5220
The Letter of Aurangzeb ordering repairs on the old Taj Mahal in the year just before it is said to have been completed.
The Badshahnama is the history written by the Emporer’s own chronicler. This page shows how Aurangzeb had acquired the Taj from the previous owner, Jai Singh, grandson of Raja Mansingh, after selecting this site for the burial of Queen Mumtaz.”
Fascinating and I wonder if we will ever really know the truth?
As a post-script, the UP tourism department is planning several celebrations around the 350th anniversary of the Taj Mahal (Don’t ask me what is so special about a 350th anniversary – I guess as long as it gets more tourist dollars in the country, we should not complain. See, for example, the following report from BBC Online [“Taj Mahal birthday party begins”, BBC Online, 27th Sept ‘04] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3692702.stm

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THE *ORIGIN* of RIVER THAMES
Finally, an interesting (and perhaps rarely publicised) nugget from a history of the River Thames http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/thames.htm
“The origin of the name “Thames” is not fully known…Most etymologists now appear to agree that the name Thames is derived from the Sanskrit (ancient Indian) word “tamasa” meaning “dark river” or “dark water” and that the use of the word spread from India through the Celts to Britain”

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