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Hinduism: What Really Happenned in India (PDF) - Oration

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<strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong>: <strong>What</strong> <strong>Really</strong> Happened <strong>in</strong> <strong>India</strong> – M. M. N<strong>in</strong>an<br />

However, Islam and Christianity posed a threat to the conquest. Thus,<br />

what is known today, as <strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong> is a product of the twentieth century.<br />

(Christianity is Semitic <strong>in</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>. However, it was totally uprooted from<br />

its native atmosphere <strong>in</strong>to the Aryan atmosphere. This took place <strong>in</strong> a<br />

different country <strong>in</strong> a different cultural context. This is what produced<br />

the anti-Semitic branches <strong>in</strong> Christianity. I am told that there is a group<br />

who hold that Christ himself was an Aryan - white man!)<br />

"<strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong> as a faith is vague,<br />

amorphous, many sided, all th<strong>in</strong>gs to<br />

all men. It is hardly possible to<br />

def<strong>in</strong>e it, or <strong>in</strong>deed to say def<strong>in</strong>itely<br />

whether it is a religion or not, <strong>in</strong> the<br />

usual sense of the word, <strong>in</strong> its<br />

present form, and even <strong>in</strong> the past, it<br />

embraces many beliefs and<br />

practices, from the highest to the<br />

lowest, often opposed to or<br />

contradict<strong>in</strong>g each other."<br />

Jawaharlal Nehru, `The Discovery of <strong>India</strong>', John Day, 1946, p.66.<br />

"<strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong> as def<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> contemporary parlance is a collation of beliefs,<br />

rites and practices consciously selected from those of the past,<br />

<strong>in</strong>terpreted <strong>in</strong> contemporary idiom <strong>in</strong> last couple of centuries and the<br />

selection conditioned by historical circumstances ... <strong>in</strong> a strict sense, a<br />

reference to `<strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong>' would require a more precise def<strong>in</strong>ition of the<br />

particular variety referred to Brahmanism, Brahmo-Samaj, Arya Samaj,<br />

Saiva Siddhanta, Bhakti, Tantricism or whatever."<br />

Today’s <strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong> is cont<strong>in</strong>uation of contradict<strong>in</strong>g traditions:<br />

“May noble thoughts come to us from every direction.” Rg Veda<br />

Ability to absorb noble thoughts as well as ignoble thoughts - ideas that<br />

make sense and some that do not make sense - and produce a web of<br />

<strong>in</strong>tricacy was one of the greatest strengths of <strong>H<strong>in</strong>duism</strong> of this centaury.<br />

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