pashubali learnings

Learnings from the reactions to pashubali from the krantikaris of modern India:

  1. There is little to differentiate a rootless liberal from a political Hindu when it comes to their views on Dharma.
  2. Modern Hindus lack a basic understanding of fundamental aspects/concepts of Dharma like sampradAya, adhikAra, shAstra, pramAna etc.
  3. Respect for figures of authority like the revered AchAryas is completely missing and so is an awareness, much less the appreciation, of the rich dialectical tradition they have unfortunately inherited.
  4. People actually think that rituals and texts CAN and MUST be amended to suit their personal whims.
  5. Most don’t seem to comprehend the difference between devas (deities) and brahman (supreme reality). No, most don’t even know that there is something called brahman, which is different from brAhman. There is only that God fellow.(5)
  6. Not surprisingly, most Hindus have imbibed a deeply Protestant sense of religiosity. Reality is simply what they believe in, complexity and nuance be damned.
  7. They have no independent value system and everything is evaluated in reference to others. Like bali is bad because ’they’ also slaughter animals.
  8. There is a profound absence of skin-in-the-game. Imposition of alien moral standards does not evoke an intuitive revolt from most people.
  9. The creme de la creme among these guys consists of AryasamAjis who believe that whatever seems cursorily unpleasant in smritis is the work of Max Muller and other colonial scholars. For example, they have a sanitized version of Manusmriti called Vishuddha Manusmriti.
  10. The phenomenon is not restricted to the urban and English speaking types but pervades the entirety of our blessed geography, especially north of the Vindhyas.
  11. They have zero personal experience of upasana and sadhana so it is dismissed out of hand. (As Rohit Arya rightly commented below)
  12. They have totally internalized the colonial discourse on Hindu practices. When they run out of things to say, they blurt out random words like Sati, narbali etc without pausing to think how it is relevant to the discussion. (Point courtesy Neha Srivastava)
  13. Any sacred sthal is equivalent to a picnic spot and should hence be transformed into such for the ease of the tourist, the environment and deity can go to hell for all they care. (Point courtesy Rupam Das)

I will add more points as and when I come across fresh gobar on Social Media.

Tripura HC judgement

Some gems from the Tripura HC judgement banning animal sacrifice at Tripurasundari Temple with my awestruck comments in parentheses.

  1. Violence and blood would be abhorrent to tourists. (Good old atithi devo bhava)
  2. Animal sacrifice is not an essential part of the temple rituals, even if it is important. “Importance cannot be construed to be an essentiality.” (You know like it is important to have a bath every day, not essential.)
  3. A minority of devotees may not believe in the practice and their minority rights need protection (I kid you not).
  4. The ritual is superstitious and done out of “unsighted conviction”. (Convictions must always be seen to be believed).
  5. Bengali Hindus spoiled and corrupted the innocent hill people as per the “The imperial Gazetter of India”. (Never distrust the pen of those who came to loot and plunder).
  6. Another colonial document that mentions ritual sacrifice does not call it an essential practice. (The British babu obviously knew that your honour would read his scribblings 150 years later).
  7. How can a religion inflict pain on animals? (Some religions can inflict pain on non-animals too but that’s a different matter)
  8. Hinduism includes Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. They believe in non-killing, so it must stop. (Of course, Buddhists are Hindus but only when Hindus need to be civilized)
  9. Religious freedom is subject to health. Animal slaughter affects the mental health of individuals and must, therefore, be stopped. (I wonder if the High Court is located in the vicinity of a slaughterhouse)
  10. Animal slaughter causes diseases. (Not when it is supplied to restaurants).
  11. Animals are created by God and deserve to live. (Animals slaughtered for food industry are manufactured by Satan).

Okay, I give up.