Hi Heike,
The appeal of rah.ma might be for the reason you suggested however vis-a-vis
hinduism , I feel the appeal of Islam has been its Equality in a society
fractured by the caste system and the lower caste being treated horribly as
well asthe idea of the moksha of the lower caste being in serving the higher
caste so that his subservience would win him/her a higher caste in the next
birth.
Regarding moksha, yes, it does SEEM remote but is something that is in the
back of their minds all the time. However in the Bhagwadgita, Krishna tells
Arjuna to do his duty (the word used is 'karma' as in duty or work) and not
to desire for consequences.(I do hope I am making sense of the sentence
without losing its meaning since it is a direct translation). So, to do
one's duty is important. However some other scriptures talk of -do good
works and you are sure to be rewarded. In the common man's mind tho' moksha
is definately a remote thot. Also the Bhagwadgita, Ramayana, Mahabharata
of which the Bhagwadgita is a part of) are what gives them handles on how
their behavior should be like.The Vedas are followed by a particular group
called the Arya Samajis, and so on.However the escape from the cycle of
rebirth is something that is always in the back of their minds without being
very obvious at all times. Let me at this time tell yoiu that hinduism has
different stereams and thot patterns so it is difficult to explain all. I do
hope I have answered your question.
Geeta
-----Original Message-----
From: Heike Bödeker <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, December 06, 2000 2:50 AM
Subject: Re: jealousy & vengeance
>At 10:49 05.12.00 +0530, geetaraj wrote:
>>...
>>Moreover with Hindu scriptures being so numerous and many it is very
>>difficult if not impossible to read and know all of them.
>
>Definitely, also nominally prestigious texts, esp. the Rg Veda mostly are
>badly known, except for a few brahmin circles (e.g. Pandit Aithal who is a
>reknown scholar at the SAI Heidelberg coming from such a background).
>
>>Generally speaking, a lot of people come up with a thought and then
>>justify it with the Hindu scriptures ( a number of Christians are also
>>guilty of it, tho there are a great number of chances for them being
>>caught) You can almost never get caught in Hinduism.
>
>A problem probably all book religions (and also academic theory formations
>once they've grown beyond a certain stage...) are vulnerable to, just a
>varitation on the theme of what is meant vs. what is understood (in the end
>a problem intrinsic to language).
>
>Just a thought: Do you happen to have any intuition as to whether rah.ma
>(mercy) might have contributed to the appeal of Islam in South Asia? OTOH,
>I at times had the impression concerns about moks.a, enlightenment etc.
>(and mutatis mutandis, karma) didn't concern people so much as probably
>most felt they were pretty remote from it anyway to be able to pursue it as
>a concrete goal, while the notion of dharma very well provides a concrete
>link to their life path (probably more easily linkable to a Platonian
>"raison d'être" than present day "esoterics" in which "karma" often is
>corrupted into a lame excuse for blaming the victim).
>
>All the best,
>
>Heike
>
>
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