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Ed Viswanathan
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AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 07:50 AM
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After the cold, cruel massacre at New York on 9-11 as well as the recent sad events in India, I have come to the firm conclusion that India and Hinduism has a lot to offer during this trouble times and all of us should be very proud of mother culture-religion Hinduism.
At the same time, there is a lot of false propaganda against Hinduism all over the globe and as such it is our duty to eradicate false hood and educate masses about Hindu culture. Apathy on our part will only make our lives over here miserable.
My name is Ed Viswanathan and I am an engineer and author of an international best seller on Hinduism by name AM I A HINDU?[ISBN 1-879904-06-3 HALO BOOKS, USA and RUPA PRESS in India, which has sold many copies around the globe....
For the last so many years, I have sent more than 1800 complimentary copies of my book at random to Indian students studying in western universities. At least 4 universities in USA alone are using this book as a medium of instruction in Hinduism. This book is one of a kind with 90 chapters and hundreds of questions and answers.
This book is in the form of thought provoking dialogue between 14 year old American born Indian teenager and his middle aged father on all aspects of Hinduism. Almost all the papers and magazines [such as THE HINDU, Madras, HINDUISM TODAY, INDIA WEST, Indian Express etc] in India have written excellent reviews on this book. In USA many magazines [LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST etc] have recommended this book for all libraries. To help every one, especially students understand every aspect of Hinduism, I have set up a web page with many educational flow charts. Kindly visit my web page. Thanking you in advance for reading this message. edvis9@hotmail.com
http://www.amiahindu.com
http://www.udupipages.com/book/hindhu.html
Recently the book is translated to Indonesian language
Am I a Hindu? in INDONESIAN LANGUAGE
Apakah Saya Orang Hindu?
Ed. Visvanathan
N.P. Putra, Sang Ayu Putu Renny
www.saradbali.com/sarads/s1001/cakepan.htm
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Ed Viswanathan
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WHAT IS HINDUISM?
August 10, 2002 - 07:52 AM
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WHAT IS HINDUISM?
It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it A WAY OF LIFE. It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures.
In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the HISTORY AND CULTURE OF INDIA, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the CULTURE AND HISTORY OF JEWS.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 07:55 AM
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<font> HINDUISM AND JUDAISM are mothers of all modern religions in the world. </font>
BUDDHISM, SIKHISM , to some extent JAINISM&ZOROASTRIANISM came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations.
ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came Judaism. ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have ABRAHAM as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran.
Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from every where and later will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true.
<font> Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture & Hindu temple and kill every Hindu theologian on earth . </font>
Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and
different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. How does it do that? That is a billion dollar question.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 07:56 AM
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<font> WHO IS A HINDU?</font>
I believe anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is ONE AND ONLY GOD and ONE TRUTH.
The very first book of Hindus named RIG-VEDA 1.164.46 proclaim, <font>"Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti ? </font> ( There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways).
So a Jew or a Christian or a Moslem or an atheist who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu. . There are about 800 million Hindus in the world.
There are more than 800,000 Hindus in the U.S., and about 160,000 in Canada.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:01 AM
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<font> WHAT ATTRACTS ONE TO HINDUISM? </font>
The concepts of UTMOST FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS And ACTIONS. That what attracts many to Hinduism. Hinduism never forbids any one to question its fundamentals.
On one side, in Hinduism, you may come across people worshiping pests like rats, and still on other side you will come across concepts parallel to Quantum Physics and Neil's Bohr Theory of nuclear structure and reactions.
On one side ADVAIDA [There is ONLY one ] philosophy is discussed and promoted, still on other side DWAITA [ two--duality] philosophy is discussed and promoted.
Hinduism never ever banished any one, since he or she wrote a wrong scripture or did not observe a particular ritual.
THERE IS NO SALAMAN RUSHDIE IN HINDUISM AND NEVER WILL BE.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:02 AM
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There was never a SALMAN RUSHDIE [author of Satanic Verses] in Hinduism and never will be there one.
Mahathma Gandhi wrote, even atheists can call themselves as Hindus. That is very true. In fact the CHARVAKA philosophy or NASTIKA philosophy, [existed during the Vedic period] founded by CHARVAKA rejected the existence of God and considered religion as an aberration.
Voltaire in Essay on Tolerance wrote: " I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it." . Hinduism is the symbol of what Voltaire wrote.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:03 AM
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<font> WHEN DID HINDUISM TAKE BIRTH?</font>
Nobody knows. If you go by Hindu mythological stories, Hinduism is trillions of years old. If you go by Max Muller, the German philosopher, it is at least 8000 to 9000 years old.
Hinduism might have started as Dravidian civilization and later merged with Aryan civilization. Of course, my friend David Frawley has written a wonderful book, explaining that ARYAN INVASION OF INDIA never happened and it is a myth.
How ever studying the relics of Mohenjadaro and Harappa excavations, I conclude, relics of the Indus civilization shows "merging of many cultures and concepts." The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Harappa & Mohenjodaro were cities in the Indus Valley civilization that flourished around 2,500 B.C. in the western part of South Asia. The roots of Hinduism can be traced to this civilization. The language spoken here is believed to be from Dravidian family, which includes Tamil .
Hinduism has the strange capability to ABSORB AND GROW FROM ALL QUARTERS and that is why in it you can see relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc.
To me it does not matter the exact date it was born, since nobody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:04 AM
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<font> WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF HINDUISM? </font>
SANATHANA DHARMA or RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVER was the original name of Hinduism. It was Persians who invaded India during 6th century B.C. who gave the name HINDUISM meaning the RELIGION OF PEOPLE LIVING NEAR RIVER INDUS.
In Persian the letter H and S are pronounced almost the same so they mistook the word SIND [ Sanskrit name for Indus] to H and then started calling HINDUS and HINDUISM.
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:05 AM
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<font> WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE HINDU SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN?</font>
SANSKRIT older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit.
The word MOTHER came from SANSKRIT word MATA and FATHER came from SANSKRIT word PITA as per the PBS video THE STORY OF ENGLISH.
Believe it or not the word GEOMETRY came from a SANSKRIT word named GYAAMITI meaning MEASURING THE EARTH. The word TRIGONOMETRY came from the word TRIKONAMITI meaning MEASURING TRIANGULAR FORMS.
Sanskrit, which literally means "cultured or refined" was the classical language of India and is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world.
Forbes Magazine, (July, 1987) wrote: "Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages and is the most suitable language for the computer software. There is at least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of almost 1000 years was a living spoken language with a considerable literature of its own.
Besides works of literary value, there was a long philosophical and grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with undiminished vigor until the present century. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial Intelligence."
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Ed Viswanathan
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 10, 2002 - 08:06 AM
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<font> HOW WAS HINDUISM STARTED? </font>
According to Hindu scriptures it started as SRUTI---THAT WHICH IS HEARD. The great seers of ancient times called RISHIS who had perfected themselves have heard in their hearts, eternal truths and they taught those truths to disciples by telepathy and later they wrote them in books. VEDAS and UPANISHADS are known as SRUTI literature rest is called SMRITI- THAT WHAT IS REMEMBERED literature.
All Hindu scriptures were considered as revealed truths of God. In fact Hindu scriptures say that ALL HINDU SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN BY GOD. According Christian theologians Holy Bible is considered to be HOLY SPIRIT INSPIRED BOOK.
According to Mimamsa school of thought, all sruti literature existed all through eternity in the form of sounds. Therefore those sounds of words of Vedas and Upanishads are very important to Hindus.
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Kate23
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
February 23, 2010 - 11:18 PM
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Great thread! These are all good points to ponder on.
--------
Kate
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Achut Poudel
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
August 23, 2010 - 12:05 PM
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    [/i]
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Hermione
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Re: AM I A HINDU? International Best Seller
October 26, 2011 - 03:28 AM
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I am a Hindu and I am proud to be one.I am proud to have the free opportunity to live by my religion and practice it everyday.I am proud to have beautiful and chereshing festivals like Diwali and Navarathri.Even though sometimes I don't like some of the traditions but then I realise how lucky I am to have best of both the worlds,and how much God has blessed me with.Great Thread,keep it up.
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