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The reason for this anger is the fear of losing control of the narrative. By keeping the Sanskrit scriptures arcane, they can build their own narratives around

The reason for this anger is the fear of losing control of the narrative. By keeping the Sanskrit scriptures arcane, they can build their own narratives around it. But when scholars start studying those text, the cat will be out of the bag. They may feel that it is harmful to the Hindutva interests when scholars write about the procedure for cow sacrifice mentioned in Yajur Veda or the racism and misogyny perpetuated by Manu Smriti or the Soma drinking revelry in Rigveda. These efforts to stop others knowing these scriptures are happening since pre-historic times and even codified in Hindu Law. Dharmasutra says "If he (Sudra) listens in on a vedic recitation, his ears shall be filled with molten tin or lac; if he repeats it, his tongue should be cut off; if he commits it to memory, his body should be split."[1] Dharmasutra, written circa 600 BCE, is a book on Hindu Law and Sudra is the lowest class in the Varna system. The ban on Wendy Doniger's book in India is a case in point. References: [1] https://books.google.com/books?id=gnVxqvPg9a0C&q=lead#v=snippet&q=molten%20tin%20or%20lac&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=gnVxqvPg9a0C&q=lead#v=snip... [2] https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu05.htm https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu05.htm [3] https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/a-few-reasons-why-manu-smriti-was-burned-down-399546 https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/a-few-rea... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger

truth_be_told 6y ago
Your post is disingenuous and ignorant. Like most people who have not studied the subject, you have gone with "sound bites" highlighting the negatives without any context thus distorting the whole discourse. In the interest of "personal edification" i suggest a study of the following; Do you know that there are many texts called "Dharmasutras" (your cherry-picked quote is from Gautama's)? Do you know how the concept of Varnas began, debated, evolved and interpreted from ancient through medieval texts? Before the later texts there was no ideology of fixed Varnas but only a mapping of the concept of "purity" to something called a "Varna" i.e. the idea of a rigid "Caste" did not exist. It was a cultural manifestation during a certain period which had unfortunately propagated and later taken as the "truth". A careful study of Hindu Dharma texts would reveal the fact that it was never a single "ideology" like Islam/Christianity but a constantly evolving system of ideas towards a better Society. I highly suggest reading Prof. Patrick Olivelles's paper "Caste and Purity: A study in the language of the Dharma literature" to really understand the issues involved. PS: Wendy Doniger is a hack. Anybody who interprets thousand year old texts from a different place and time using modern sensibilities cannot be considered a "Scholar".
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- bluetreeroot 6y ago
  > you have gone with "sound bites" highlighting the negatives without any context thus distorting the whole discourse. Please provide some context around the following texts from Dharmasutra. 1) Criminal and Civil Law: "If he (Sudra) has sex with an Arya woman, his penis should be cut off and all his property should be confiscated." (Verse 12.1) 2) Contact with Impure Persons: "When a man touches an outcaste, a Candala, a woman who has just given birth or is menstruating, a corpse, or someone who has touched any of these, he becomes purified by bathing with his clothes on." (Verse 15.5) Note: Candala is a low caste Hindu. 3) Pollution and Remedies: "An ancestral offering is ruined if it is seen by a dog, a Candala, or an outcaste." (Verse 15.24) 4) Unfit Food: "The following are unfit to be eaten: food into which hair or an insect has fallen; what has been touched by a menstruating woman, ..." (Verse 17.9) Source: The Dharmasutras: The Law Codes of Ancient India, Oxford University Press, 1999 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability
  - jbgud 6y ago
    Selective reading of texts that are thousands of years old - to bash modern Hindus that do not believe in any of these.
    - rudiv 6y ago
      Jai hind ji! May I get a handout from the IT cell?
      - jbgud 6y ago
        Right, resort to personal attacks when you have nothing left to argue.
        rudiv 6y ago
        Nope, just when I have no desire to engage with someone who believes there's a conspiracy to defame and destroy Hinduism. In my experience 'Hindu pride' is like 'white pride' in that there are little to no instances where it is not directly linked to supremacism.
jbgud 6y ago
Scholars studying Hindu texts is not offensive to Hindus. What is though, is the racist perversion that some of them like Doniger make. Doniger's book is not "banned". It was withdrawn by the publisher - because it was offensive. Details in same wiki link. Another such "scholar" wrote extremely offensive passage on Lord Ganesha and got away with it.[1] Hindus have tolerated abuse for so long and they continue to do so. Try letting cats out of the bag on Abrahmic religions. [1] https://hwpi.harvard.edu/pluralismarchive/news/hindu-students-call-emory-professors-book-hate-crime https://hwpi.harvard.edu/pluralismarchive/news/hindu-student...
- rudiv 6y ago
  I guess the withdrawal of Doniger's book had nothing to do with violent threats and protests against the publisher? Dark western forces at work in false flag attacks, I presume.
  - jbgud 6y ago
    Doniger and the publisher were taken to court like any civil society would. Publisher chose to drop the book instead of facing legal consequences. By the way, another publisher did publish the same book in India. Any neutral sources for the so called "violent threats"? One of her book titles literally is "Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva" [1] And yet, there were no riots or burning down the publisher or the cancel culture that Hindu-phobes routinely engage in. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger
    - rudiv 6y ago
      Oh, it's you again? I suppose Penguin can't be trusted when they say one of the reasons they withdrew the book was the safety of their employees? Great job manipulating language to make it seem like Hindus are being oppressed though. As people say on the internet, "muh hindu khatre mein hain!!!?!". I wish you death before you cause the death of my country.

truth_be_told 6y ago

Your post is disingenuous and ignorant. Like most people who have not studied the subject, you have gone with "sound bites" highlighting the negatives without any context thus distorting the whole discourse. In the interest of "personal edification" i suggest a study of the following; Do you know that there are many texts called "Dharmasutras" (your cherry-picked quote is from Gautama's)? Do you know how the concept of Varnas began, debated, evolved and interpreted from ancient through medieval texts? Before the later texts there was no ideology of fixed Varnas but only a mapping of the concept of "purity" to something called a "Varna" i.e. the idea of a rigid "Caste" did not exist. It was a cultural manifestation during a certain period which had unfortunately propagated and later taken as the "truth". A careful study of Hindu Dharma texts would reveal the fact that it was never a single "ideology" like Islam/Christianity but a constantly evolving system of ideas towards a better Society. I highly suggest reading Prof. Patrick Olivelles's paper "Caste and Purity: A study in the language of the Dharma literature" to really understand the issues involved. PS: Wendy Doniger is a hack. Anybody who interprets thousand year old texts from a different place and time using modern sensibilities cannot be considered a "Scholar".

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
bluetreeroot 6y ago
> you have gone with "sound bites" highlighting the negatives without any context thus distorting the whole discourse. Please provide some context around the following texts from Dharmasutra. 1) Criminal and Civil Law: "If he (Sudra) has sex with an Arya woman, his penis should be cut off and all his property should be confiscated." (Verse 12.1) 2) Contact with Impure Persons: "When a man touches an outcaste, a Candala, a woman who has just given birth or is menstruating, a corpse, or someone who has touched any of these, he becomes purified by bathing with his clothes on." (Verse 15.5) Note: Candala is a low caste Hindu. 3) Pollution and Remedies: "An ancestral offering is ruined if it is seen by a dog, a Candala, or an outcaste." (Verse 15.24) 4) Unfit Food: "The following are unfit to be eaten: food into which hair or an insect has fallen; what has been touched by a menstruating woman, ..." (Verse 17.9) Source: The Dharmasutras: The Law Codes of Ancient India, Oxford University Press, 1999 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability
- jbgud 6y ago
  Selective reading of texts that are thousands of years old - to bash modern Hindus that do not believe in any of these.
  - rudiv 6y ago
    Jai hind ji! May I get a handout from the IT cell?
    - jbgud 6y ago
      Right, resort to personal attacks when you have nothing left to argue.
      - rudiv 6y ago
        Nope, just when I have no desire to engage with someone who believes there's a conspiracy to defame and destroy Hinduism. In my experience 'Hindu pride' is like 'white pride' in that there are little to no instances where it is not directly linked to supremacism.

jbgud 6y ago

Scholars studying Hindu texts is not offensive to Hindus. What is though, is the racist perversion that some of them like Doniger make. Doniger's book is not "banned". It was withdrawn by the publisher - because it was offensive. Details in same wiki link. Another such "scholar" wrote extremely offensive passage on Lord Ganesha and got away with it.[1] Hindus have tolerated abuse for so long and they continue to do so. Try letting cats out of the bag on Abrahmic religions. [1] https://hwpi.harvard.edu/pluralismarchive/news/hindu-students-call-emory-professors-book-hate-crime https://hwpi.harvard.edu/pluralismarchive/news/hindu-student...

rudiv 6y ago
I guess the withdrawal of Doniger's book had nothing to do with violent threats and protests against the publisher? Dark western forces at work in false flag attacks, I presume.
- jbgud 6y ago
  Doniger and the publisher were taken to court like any civil society would. Publisher chose to drop the book instead of facing legal consequences. By the way, another publisher did publish the same book in India. Any neutral sources for the so called "violent threats"? One of her book titles literally is "Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva" [1] And yet, there were no riots or burning down the publisher or the cancel culture that Hindu-phobes routinely engage in. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger
  - rudiv 6y ago
    Oh, it's you again? I suppose Penguin can't be trusted when they say one of the reasons they withdrew the book was the safety of their employees? Great job manipulating language to make it seem like Hindus are being oppressed though. As people say on the internet, "muh hindu khatre mein hain!!!?!". I wish you death before you cause the death of my country.