Saturday, May 22, 2010
HINDUS: An Alternate History
By Wendy Doniger.
This is a heavy book with about 799 pages in which text consist of 692 printed pages. I completed reading it taking a long time and now going through it for second time. Much of the narratives given in this book are known to me but not thought about deeply in my case. Doniger at the outset disclaims herself as any kind of historian or philosopher of Hinduism. She just collected both well-known and not so known facts from the repository of Hindu traditions from several strands of oral and written ones. It surprised me to see that the book is full of stories from the time of Vedic to very late Puranas. She has tried to find the connecting links between various ones. In many cases she points the variations of the narratives at different times and levels. She mulls over these differences to the times and people with a view to explain them in the modern ways. She focuses most on the role and status of women according to the current narratives referred. It is to be noted that none of the main Vedic gods and goddesses had children due natural process, the later day main goddesses Laxmi and Parvathi never described as pregnant but they were called mother of Kama in case of Laxmi and Ganapathi and Karhikeya in case of Parvathi. The goddess Parvathi takes several forms being a benign Gouri to Kali the fierce one. Several moods of this goddess are named to indicate those moods.
Her list of bibliography goes to 25 pages in the book. She follows a common accepted chronology without much emphasise on its relevance. When she goes back and forth connecting narrations one may get the impression that she is trying to create some new narratives which she admits is the case in her book. I was always of the view that Hinduism is something that could not be understood in one lifetime. Any description or understanding will be incomplete and too partial. The Hindu tradition is so vast and so varied and contradictories co-exist that one will get messed and end with choosing what he or she wanted to assert. This situation has created the political conservatives to grab the most bizarre grounds to propagate their restricted theories in political mobilization. The reality shows that they did indeed succeed in their objective nowadays.
Doniger mentions the incident when an egg was thrown on her by one in the London
Doniger narrative tries to tackle such incomplete representations of Hindus. She started from the earliest known chronology from 50,000 year and unto Indus Valley Indus Valley Indus Valley Indus seals could be explained in more than one way or in none. Take them as it is for toys or others.
Again the actual Vedic tradition gets lost giving way to Upanishadic and puranic tradition. Still both these traditions are tangled in controversies and contradictions. Political Hindus believe and assert for political reasons that the Puranas are history of actual happenings and individuals mentioned there were living at those times. But there are others as devoted to Hindu traditions and having different meanings to epic narratives. One most recent one that I found in the Speaking Tree column of Times of India
There are some more nice points that are missing. At one place she refers Vasudeva as the stepfather of Krishna . In another place Nanda is called as Krishna ’s stepfather. While Vasudeva and Devaki are Krishna ’s natural parents the later is not mentioned anywhere in the narrative. Devaki was Kamsa’s sister and he charioteer the couple to Vasudeva’s home. A voice from heaven warned Kamsa that the eight son of Devaki will kill him. Instead of reaching them home Kamsa jailed both. Earlier he jailed his own father to occupy the throne. The gods and anti gods were born to different mothers with one father. As per the puranic lore all creatures were from mothers and one father. Many anti-gods like Hiranya Kasipu and Ravana did penance to Brahma and Shiva respectively and got boons. Then Vishnu has to incarnate to finish of the demons. Even here the story is that Jaya and Vijaya the guards at the abode of Vishnu i.e. Vaikunda and were cursed by Rishis for doing their duties of not allowing any without permission. It will be difficult to enumerate all such points with my own limited knowledge. But they are not failings. As I maintain the narrative on Hinduism is not amenable for one life time alone.
But there are people who claim to know everything about Hinduism by reading some stories on Ramayana, Mahabharat, Bhagavata Purana and some slokas and bhajans. They have no idea as to what is the Veda about or Upanishads. They read the articles like Speaking Tree in TOI and or similar writings in other papers and magazines and that were all that is Hinduism. There too many regional language magazines (Tamil & Malayalam that I knew) catering this groups with more and more concocted stories from puranic and local lore (Stala Puranas). I had conversed with such minded people and found them wanting in reasoning. One or two examples could be sited. I quarried some of them the reasons for King Dasaradha in deciding coronation of Rama as crown prince when Bharata and Shatrughna were at Kekaya and not at home. Why the sudden decision? Many were astonished to hear me saying it. They replied that they were not aware of the absence of these two from palace. They only know that Kaikeyi objected to the coronation of Rama with promptings from her maid.
I pointed out that when Rama got ready to go into exile for 14 years, Sita insisted to follow him to the forest. Laxman also followed. But what did Laxman’s wife Urmila do? She is condemned to live separate from her husband for 14 long years unlike other sisters who lived with their husbands at home i.e. Mandovi with Bharata and Srutakirti with Satrughna. Sita also did not persuade her sister to follow her husband. It is surprising that the author Valmiki who pronounced “Ma Nishada” when he saw the male crouncha bird killed by a hunter did not envisage the condition of Laxmana’s wife. By these words Valmiki expressed his anguish and compassion towards the separated bird. Some claimed that they were not sure that Laxman and others were married. All agreed that while reading the stories this never came to their mind. I conveyed to all that these two points always worried me. In my readings of so many articles and books and hearing the story I never came across any explanation. No one to my knowledge raised these points in their discourses.
When Karunanidhi the DMK chief told in public about Rama drinking, the political Hindu got enraged and organised demonstrations all over the country. I do feel that many of the leading lights would have read the Valmiki Ramayana in full and knew very well that in Uttarakanda; Valmiki describes the party being hosted every day in the palace and Rama offering “Madhu Maireyakam Suchi” to Sita while drunken girls were singing and dancing. (Uthara: Sarga 42 Verses 18-23) But they concealed the facts and allowed the mobs to play up their fanatical beliefs. There is much more to the stories. There are so many unknown details of puranic stories that got omitted from summaries and orations.
Although every one of the Hindu knows and believes that Vyasa did separate Vedas into four books none dares to mention that the most sacred hymn Purush Sukta of Rigveda says that the three Vedas came out of the sacrifice performed by devas and Rishis “Thasmad Yajnad Sarvahutah Richa Samani Jajnire: Chandamsi Jajniire Thasmad Yajus thasmadajayata”.
The writings of the Diaspora on Hindu scriptures and history are replete with such omissions and commissions that confirm their own idea of their religion. Most of them were arguing for a systemised and homogenous construction of Hinduism. They are just imitating in a way the Semitic religions to assert for one interpretation and one tradition also for one moral code that in reality will exclude the vast varieties and faces of Hindus It was basically Western morality and values evangelical fervor of the Victorian era that imposed severe strictures on the so-called heathen amorous degradation and sought to cleanse the Indian people by propagating those values. Today, the philosophical acceptance of desire and the erotic sentiment has been asphyxiated by a hypocritical morality that has for much too long equated sex with sin and desire with guilt. (Quote)
An example could be that of the Californian text book case a few years back. At home the vandalism perpetrated by ABVP (a part of the RSS Parivar) at Delhi University
Doniger mentions the rivers in Pittsburg being named as Ganga , Yamuna and Saraswati by Indians there in US. During my short stay in US a very devout Brahmin claimed to have seen Kaliya in the deep Grand Canyon i.e. the five headed snake that Krishna subdued and sent to deep down Patala. He in fact did not see the snake but a video clip that was shown on the screen in the tourist vehicle and heard the guide explain it so.
A volume of writings by Diaspora titled “Invading the Sacred” while damming and questioning the Western specifically the US, mostly of Doniger of hypocrisy, dishonesty and outright hatred to Hindu did not refer any of the milliard writings of 18th & 19th century reformists. They did conceal on the trenchant critical views of Agarkar, Jyotiba Bhule, Dr. Ambedkar, Ramaswami Periyar and others of more recent. Dr. Ambedkar himself has to his credit “What is Hinduism” “Riddles of Hinduism” and other full length volumes severely criticizing much more forcefully than any Western scholars. It is pertinent to recall that Ambedkar’s writings were set on fire by Hindu zealots when they were published by the then Congress ruled Govt. The next Govt. headed by Shive Sena and BJP stopped distributing the books and also stopped further collections. Instead of Ambedkar and many others, the Diaspora cites “Marxists” who were supposed to be anti Hindu. But Marxists are opposed to all religions.
I would like to recollect my and many others of our village as to how we imbibed the idea of Hindu religion. From the time we were able to speak we were told to recite names of gods both in the mornings and evening sitting cross legged on the floor. More in the evenings in front of pictures depicting the images of gods. Many of these pictures were prints from calendars that were copied from Raja Ravi Varma paintings. Vishnu is pictured sitting astride on his vehicle eagle Garuda holding his two wives the goddesses of earth and wealth, Bhoomi Devi and Laxmi Devi. Srikrishna is shown as a small baby on a Peepul tree leaf. Similarly there are pictures of Shiva, Murugan, Devi etc. These pictures and recitations of names of Gods are imprinted in our brains making them unquestionable realities. Babies are taken to the temples and made to bow before the altars, imbibe the holy water from the bathing idols. All these influence our lives permanently. In our villages most of the children are enrolled in English medium schools and they never look back critically their own religious rituals.
However, I missed the English medium and found myself in Sanskrit medium school. The regular lessons were from stories from epics such as “Sri Ramodantam”, Sri Krishna Vilasam”, “Raghuvamsham” Ramayana Champu””Sishupala Vadham” “Kiratarjuneeyam”. All these are summaries composed by different authors. Later I found these summaries too pressed leaving out a lot of details from the original texts on which they are based. My Sanskrit education included readings from Nyaya-Vaisheshika or Tarka philosophy. It says that there are four ways to know things or phenomena i.e. 1. Pratyaksha (seeing personally) 2. Anumana (by reasoning as in the case of perceiving fire from smoke) 3. Upamana (similarities) and 4. Sabda (Aapta Vakya meaning words of a confident but later interpreted as saying of Veda). Learning this and reading such reasoned debates and articles as well as books made me to think about everything and question their truth. When at later years one of my young nephews asked about the reasons for my belief in no god, I explained it as due to my education in Sanskrit. I told him that none of the ancient philosophies actually posted an almighty and omnipotent god. In fact Puranas created gods and pasted them into the philosophy.
With such a background I could understand the half baked even nil baked understanding of Hinduism among people around me. The other unknown masses are not much better than the ones I know. The comments made by people professing knowledge of Hinduism on Ram Sethu, Sita’s exile, Wendy Doniger, Martha Nussbaum and scores others exhibit their knowledge as coming from readings Amar Chitra Katha and or viewing Sagar’s Ramayana and Mahabharata TV serials. Much more of such serials are on several channels even today. All they cater is prejudice and more prejudice. The volume of “Hindus: An Alternative History” by Doniger is welcome and I do hope people will read it without prejudgments unlike some of the commentators in the web who unabashedly admit not having read or not intending to read it. Instead of commenting on the book itself many of them attack her personality. One found the book cover being obscene for depicting Krishna caressing breasts of many women. I feel sorry for such mentality in people. They should refer to Geeta Govindam song, “Aneka Naari Parirambha Sabhrama Spuran Manohari Vilasalalasam Murarim…” (Gitam 3, Verse 10) “Dheera Samire Yamunatheere Vasathi Vane Vanamaali, Gopi Peenapayodhara Mardana Chanchala Karayuga Saalee”. (Gitam 11, Stanza 1) This picture was not invented by Doniger but copied from murals on Rasaleela theme. There are too many explicit narrations of Krishna playing with Gopies and Radha. Here is another
“Urasi Murarerupahitahare
Ghanamiva Taralavalake,
Thadidiva Pite Rati Viparite
Raajasi Sukrita vipake:
Vigalita vasanam parihrita rasanam
Ghadaya jaghanam apidhanam;
Kisalaya sayane Pankajanayane
Nidhimiva harshanidanam”
(Gitam 11 Stanza 5 & 6) I am not giving the translations since they might be termed obscene and against the god divine.
One or two challenged her to write on Christianity, Virgin Mary and Jesus ascending to heaven or medieval crusades that inflicted violent killing of millions. (All these gentlemen did not see that their knowledge of Christian history comes from the trenchant critics from among Western scholars themselves.)
In conclusion I am of the firm view that narratives like that of Doniger with all its failings enrich our understanding of our own past.
Others have to work on other phenomena thus correcting Doniger with due respect to her views. Kerala is an example to find Hinduism in varied forms. The concepts behind them might be ancient puranic but practices are absolutely peculiar to Kerala. I take only two of them.
The first is the much venerated Vishnu’s avatar; Vamana the dwarf. The legend is that of Prahlada on whose protection Vishnu incarnated as Narasimha the Man lion and killed Prahlada’s father Hiranyakasipu asura king. Mahabali was Prahlada’s grandson as ardent a Vishnu devotee as his grand father. While Vamana avatar is known all over the Mahabali legend is exclusively in Kerala. It is said that during Mahabali,s regime his subjects were all equal and were happy in their life. This created envy in the heaven and the king of gods Indra approached Vishnu to save his throne by subdueing Mahabali. Vamana did the deed. As the poet Jayadeva said it was cheating a righteous ruler. The dwarf asked for three feet land. Mahabali agreed. The dwarf became a giant and measured the whole world in two steps and asked for the third step. Mahabali bowed his head and requested the giant to put a feet on his head. Vamana pushed him down to the deep Patala. Mahabali requested the all powerful god to allow him to visit his subjects once a year. This visit is celebrated as ONAM in Kerala alone and not in any other parts of India
The second is that there are annual festivals in almost all the temples of Kerala variously termed as Pooram, Vela, Utsavam etc. They celebrate it with processions of number of caparisoned elephants with other paraphernalia including the Kerala specific percussion drums beatings i.e. Panja Vadyam a combination of five instruments and Chenda Melam another combination. The Trissur Pooram is unique with 15 decorated elephants each on competing two sides. The two sides have their competing drummers. These traditions are not much older but also taken over by Tamil Brahmins and temples in Kerala villages. There is nothing comparable anywhere outside. I would once again reiterate that Hinduism is many sided with ancient and modern as late as a few years traditions and practices co existing.
By K.N. Krishnan
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