Comment by random314 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by random314 | Hacker News Reader

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This post is an example of the wild fantasies indulged by the followers of hindutva where India is forever on the precipice of taking over the world intellectually and to an extent territorially. In this future liberalism will be consigned to the garbage can and ethno nationalism and fascism centered on Hinduism will reign supreme.

The popularity of yoga is hilariously touted as a precursor of things to come. The prime minister has created an "international" yoga day. They assume this will be followed by international adoption of ayurveda, cow "science", cow worship, renaming of several mathematical and scientific discoveries after Indian gurus who supposedly discovered everything originally in the veda.

The don't seem to be aware that modern yoga practised in the west is a modern invention by an Indian fitness instructor who was attempting to capture a portion of the American fitness market jumpstarted by eugen sandow. Most of the so called asanas have been incorporated into yoga from modern gymnastics.

> ethno nationalism and fascism centered on Hinduism will reign supreme.

Hey, if nationalism and fascism (ethnic or otherwise) are going to reign supreme anyway in this "Brave New World" of Fake News Media and Fake Social Media, I'll gladly root for the Hindu version over others. I'd rather worship actual cows than the newfangled "sacred cows" that are being pushed by some parts of the West.

It's like you erected two straw men and are trying to convince us one of them is bronze.

This was in response to the OP about western values.

Are you not sick and tired of a colonial propaganda of attributing everything to the west.

I pity people who actually believe Renaissance or Industrial revolution was something that happened overnight.

Even as the "liberal" elite and evangelists try to force their agenda on the rest of the world, their own homesteads are turning more dharmic.

I pity people who think renaissance was a thing.

This is an old trope that has been recycled forever. Huxley noted it in 1945

https://m.imgur.com/i1JVHn0

Nothing springs up overnight, it requires transfer of knowledge and industry from a more sophisticated society.

And a breakthrough or political condition that favors a change.

You are seeing that today with China and the US.

Isn't being "dharmic" a reference to performing your caste duties irrespective of whether you will be rewarded in this life. The reward comes next time in the form of a caste upgrade.

They are verses that specify that one must perform ones caste duties ("dharma") no matter what even if you are better at other things. Why on earth would United states turn dharmic?

That seems to be colonial/Christian interpretation of dharma.

You should perhaps watch some videos of what actual Hindu gurus say.

I'm also very troubled by the misuse of the term dharmic in this thread.

Westerners misusing Indian terms to suit their own desires should be pushed back on. It sometimes seems like a deliberate strategy to confuse and therefore hide the philosophy conveyed by those terms even though much of that philosophy is universal and nonsecular.

Also, in reading threads on this forum over the years, it is quite clear that many fall into the classic trap of confusing ethnicity with religion. Leaders that call for extremist measures are usually promoting the interests of some subset of their community - not promoting the ideals called for by their religion - but many of their followers don't understand religion well enough to realize that. This is just as applicable to the west as it is to other places.

> watch some videos of what actual Hindu gurus say.

I am watching videos of what actual hindu gurus are saying and quoting hindu texts

https://twitter.com/DalitChef/status/1283967349691826184?s=1...

Right from the horses mouth. Quoting prabhupada.

https://twitter.com/Devendrakumar_/status/128447931018772890...

More knowledge from Prabhupada. Click on the video to hear him explain clearly.

"The word dharma is used. Dharma means occupational duty. Dharma does not mean some religious sentiment. No. Natural division and the occupational duty."

Mixing of varna is deleterious to society.

https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/The_Vedic_civilization_is_varnas...

https://iskconeducationalservices.org/HoH/practice/dharma/th...

"duties according to his or her own nature"

Where do you find a fault in this?

The greatest sages and kings are famouly NOT born into families of priests or nobility.

From the link

"The shudras are the only section of society allowed to accept another’s employment"

As I am an employee now, as are many of my brahmin friends, are we shudras now? If I start teaching the holy books, do I become a brahmin?

What the hell does duties according to ones nature mean? Who decides ones "nature"? A single person can be an employee, warrior, priest or businessman. What is the point of forcing people into categories?

What does it mean to perform your caste duties and nothing else, even if I am better at something else? How does that jive with "duties according to ines nature". If I am an employee, can't I have a side business.

Why is there so much worry about marriage across caste lines? Why fret about varna sankara? It is obvious that you get your caste by birth, not by your acts. If you perform your caste duties without asking questions you get an upgrade to a higher caste in the next birth. Ultimately, becoming a brahman. You can cross check with any guru in a temple you like, instead of arguing with me.

Examples of shudras becoming brahmins are pre-bhagavata gita. After the gita, such a caste transition is only possible via the cycle of death and rebirth.

> As I am an employee now, as are many of my brahmin friends, are we shudras now? If I start teaching the holy books, do I become a brahmin?

Yes that is right, if you become a teacher, lawyer, guru or advisor, you become a brahmin as intended. You need to be guided by the guidelines meant for a brahmin, do not be driven by wealth or power or accumulation of land.

Birth based assignment of varna has always been debated as wrong interpretation most famously in the Mahabaratha.

Unfortunately, it is human nature to assign birth based privileges. Most famously by projecting Rahul Gandhi as the only viable opposition leader, by birth privileges.

Ironic considering Modi the son of a tea seller is demonised.

How about a contemporary guru like Sadhguru?

Your obsession with dead people and their lies, does not apply to a living tradition like Hinduism.

Aside from his criminal activities, sadhguru is not a guru of Hinduism. I will be surprised if he even understands sanskrit. With Logan paul, he claimed no connection with religion. In India, he hints in a different direction. Why would you want Hinduism to be connected with a charlatan?

Btw, 2 of the gurus I cited are alive.

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