SV: reviews and comments (Freud, Vishnu, Kali, Indus Samskrut)

[Bhadraiah Mallampalli]

I suppose the issue is also a distinction between serious and careless
scholarship. When Prof. Wendy Doniger says "gIta is a dishonest book", what
does it mean?

Dishonesty is a complicated concept. Even honesty not straight forward. Good
is good. Bad is not good. Honesty is to do good when one has the opportunity
to do bad without being noticed. Dishonesty is appearing as doing good, but
actually doing bad because nobody is seeing.

1. What is "good" in the case of kurukSetra war?
2. What "good" does gIta present to public?
3. What "bad" is it actually doing?
4. Where does it deceive public?
5. Who was cheated?

gIta is a book crammed with concepts borrowed from all over the earlier
literature. For theological matters, it has many conflicting views because
on one hand it says yajna is perfectly good enough for reaching "param", and
at a different place it says 'navedayajnAdhyanairnadAnair
nacakriyAbhairnatapobhrugraiH". Readers have to live with it.

For practical matters, all Hindu zAstrAs are saying perform your dharma. Why
only gIta? All purANAs, and epic stories (rAmAyaNa etc) contain long
discussions on what is the dharma and how to decide in different situations.
Even rAma broke some rules to secure win for dharma. Even if gIta were not
propounded by Krishna, rest of the zAstrAs would be saying the same thing -
arjuna must fight.

As for religious intimidation and frustration, it is common. I also faced it
at an NYC religious study group, which was otherwise a great memory for me.
Such things only go against the spirit of freedom and harden attitudes. Let
us live with it. (This is my 15th post, see you all in April).

Best regards
Bhadraiah
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