[ISBN 1-879904-06-3 800-723-4508 415-892-0649]

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IF INTERESTED, PLEASE WRITE FOR FREE EDUCATIONAL FLOW CHARTS ON HINDUISM

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______________________________________________________________________________

THE BOOK ANSWERS QUESTIONS LIKE:

1. What is Hinduism?

2 When did it start?

3 What are the Hindu scriptures?

4. What is SRUTI?

5 What is SMRITI?

6 What are PURANAS?

7 How many philosophies Hindus have?

8 What are Ithihasas?

9 Who wrote Hindu scriptures?

10 When did Christianity started in India?

11 Does Hinduism promotes conversion?

12 What is Karma and reincarnation?

13 What is Hindu salvation?

14 What is Tantra?

15 What is Mantra?

16 What are Mandalas?

17 What is Raja Yoga? What is meditation?

18 How are Hindu temples constructed?

19 Why women wear a dot on their forehead?

20 Is SATI a Hindu custom?

21 Is Arabic numerals actually Hindu numerals?

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Do you know "I AM GOD" concept originated in Hinduism?

Do you know Hindus have a NOAH just like the Biblical Noah????? Hindu Noah is

name saint Manu.....

Do you know Hindus only believe in ONE GOD and that God is BRAHMAN? all other

gods are just different manifestations of one and only God Brahman.

Do you know that Hindu herbal medicine Ayurveda is a part of Vedas? Many call

AYURVEDA as the fifth Veda.

Do you know ZERO is a Hindu invention?

Do you know metric system started in India?

Do you know Hindus believe in perceptual and cyclical creation and

annihilation of earth?

Do you know MAYANS and HINDUS have connections?

Do you know that GREEK PHILOSOPHIES and HINDU PHILOSOPHIES have connections?

Do you know music, especially carnatic music is a contribution of Hinduism to

world?

Do you know that Christians were worshiping under St. Thomas in Cochin during

AD 70, when emperor Nero was feeding Christians to lions in Rome?

Do you know that dance is a contribution of Hinduism to the world?

Do you know TM, ISKCON etc are parts of Hinduism?

Do you all eastern religions originated from Hinduism like all western

religions like Islam and Christianity originated from Judaism?

Do you know Hindus have a diet code?

Do you know that SWASTIKA is a part of Hinduism?

Do you know only Hinduism has books on human sexuality like Kama Sutra? In

Tantras you can read about all kind of activities. In which other religion you

can see the coexistence of extreme conservatism and extreme liberalism???

Do you know even Biblical verse JOHN 1:1 came from Hindu scriptures?

Do you know that ORIGINAL SIN is actually HINDU MAYA and that is why many find

to difficult to understand that concept?

______________________________________________________________________________

I have gone on many radio and TV talk shows and I am sorry to say that here is quite a lot anti-Hindu and anti-eastern feelings among masses. So it is our duty to educate people over here for our own peaceful existence over here. If possible, kindly write to the libraries near you to order copies of my book

AM I A HINDU? HALO BOOKS, SAN FRANCISCO.

If you have any questions regarding Hinduism or any other religion, please feel free to ask me....I will answer all questions you may without any obligation on your part...  

HOW DOES THE BOOK LOOK LIKE----JUST A SAMPLE

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. As far as I know, HINDUISM AND JUDAISM are mothers of all modern religions in the world. JAINISM, BUDDHISM, OROASTRIANISM etc came from Hinduism. ISLAM and CHRISTIANITY came Judaism.  

WHO IS ITS FOUNDER?

No body in particular. It is the research output of countless learned men called RISHIS who were Christ like masters.  

WHEN DID HINDUISM TAKE BIRTH?

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. Studying the relics of Mohenjadaro and Harappa excavations that what I conclude.  

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 obody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.  

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF HINDUISM?

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.

WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE HINDU SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN?

SANSKRIT older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit. The word MOTHER came from ANSKRIT word MATA and FATHER came from SANSKRIT word PITA as per the PBS video THE STORY OF ENGLISH.  

WHO IS A HINDU?

Hindus 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 RIGVEDA proclaim, " EKAM SAT, VIPRAH BAHUDHA VADANTI" ( There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Jew or a Christian or a Moslem who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu.  

WHAT ATTRACTS ONE TO HINDUISM?

The concepts of UTMOST FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS And ACTIONS. That what attracts many to Hinduism.  

WHAT IS THE HINDU CONCEPT OF GOD?

Hindus believe in ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN which expresses itself in millions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form [nama-roopa], since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form.  

IF THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, WHY HINDUS WORSHIP MANY GODS?

To begin with Hinduism is a very ancient religion and it never ever had a house cleaning in its entire history. Almost everything that came was written in scriptures since it is birth, unlike in other religions where they have thrown out many beliefs calling Councils time and time again. For example there is no word TRINITY in the entire Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian.

Now coming back to Hinduism, Hindus believe that BY WORSHIPING GOD BY ANY NAME, YOU ARE ACTUALLY WORSHIPING ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN and that is why they have no problem even worshiping Buddha or Jesus Christ. So a Hindu believes by worshiping any form of God, you are indeed worshiping the ALMIGHTY. The Gita said: CALL HIM BY WHATEVER NAME YOU LIKE, WORSHIP HIM IN ANY FORM YOU LIKE, IT ALL GOES TO THAT ONE ULTIMATE, INFINITE, SUPREME REALITY.

Coming back to Trinity doctrine....Only mention of TRINITY concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, GO THEREFORE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF FATHER, AND THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [MAT 28:19] According to SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA, TRINITY doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that TRINITY is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.

WHY HINDUS WORSHIP IDOLS?

Show me any person, who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact. The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, verywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China. I RESPECT ALL THOSE PICTURES. Believe it or not, ALL OF THEM ARE IDOL WORSHIPS.

Once again, God is spirit...NO WORD OR IMAGE CAN DESCRIBE OR DEPICT GOD OR CAN ENCOMPASS THE GREATNESS OF GOD. God is neither the father nor the mother. But since man cannot conceive anything without NAME AND FORM, man has the right to worship God with a form.

HOW WAS HINDUISM STARTED?

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

WHAT ARE THE SACRED BOOKS OF HINDUISM?

The very first sacred books of Hinduism is called VEDAS. VEDAS means KNOWLEDGE. There are four VEDAS and they claim to teach men the highest aspects of truths which can lead them to God.  

They are:

RIG VEDA--------------- KNOWLEDGE OF HYMNS

YAJUR VEDA----------- KNOWLEDGE OF LITURGY

SAMA VEDA------------ KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC

ATHARVA VEDA--- KNOWLEDGE GIVEN BY SAGE ATHARVA

NEXT important Hindu scriptures ar called UPANISHADS..There are 108 Upanishads but 13 are most important.

HOW MANY SCRIPTURES HINDUS HAVE?

Thousands....Nobody can give you an exact number. Please look at my chart to get an idea of what I am talking about.  

IS AYURVEDA [ HINDU MEDICINE] A SCRIPTURE?

Yes it is a very ancient scripture and it is a part of ATHARVA VEDA.

WHAT ARE THE HINDU MORAL CODES?

Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called DHARMA SUTRAS.   Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called DHARMA. it is very difficult to translate the word DHARMA.. Some of the codes are AHIMSA [NON-KILLING], SATHYA [TRUTH], DHARMA[DUTY], KARUNA [COMPASSION], VIRYA[FORTITUDE] , DAMA[SELF-RESTRAINT], SAUCHA[PURITY]  

WHAT IS THE NAME OF HINDU HOLY BIBLE?

Hindus actually do not have a Holy Bible like Christians. Hindus have many scriptures and all of them are equally important. But many consider the Bhagavad Gita to be the Holy Bible of Hindus. It appears in the middle of the epic poem MAHABHRATA. Bhagavad Gita has 700 verses in 18 chapters. It is in the form of a conversation between warrior king Arjuna and Lord Krishna, in the middle of the battle field at the outset of Mahabharata war.  

WHAT IS AN AVATAR?

An AVATAR is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an AVATAR. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an AVATAR, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.  

WHAT IS THE LAW OF KARMA?

Hindus believe in LIFE AFTER DEATH. They also believe in the Biblical concept WHATEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE REAP. That is the basis of karmic law. Every action and every thought has a result. Hindus believe that every thought and every action is weighed on the scale of eternal justice. The law of karma is one of CAUSE AND EFFECT. Nobody can escape from the KARMIC DEBT. I believe Christ took care of the KARMIC DEBT of all the apostles so that he can make them FISHERMEN OF MEN.  

WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE DIE?

According to Hinduism, the body alone dies. the soul within the body never dies, But the path the soul takes is decided upon the past actions which are known as karmas. So the actions of former body does not die with the body. past actions are attached to the body and they decide WHAT KIND OF BODY THE SOUL TAKES IN THE NEXT LIFE.  

WHAT IS SALVATION IN HINDUISM?

When an individual soul exhausts all its karmas and merges with GOD then Hindus say that soul has attained salvation.  

DOES THAT MEAN ONE HAS TO TAKE MILLIONS OF LIVES TO ACHIEVE SALVATION??

NO, absolutely not. That question is the question many ask. Hindu scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita very clearly says that one can attain salvation in one life, provided one surrender his will to the will of God 100%. Lord Krishna said: THOSE WHO SURRENDER ALL ACTIONS TO ME AND REGARD ME AS THE SUPREME GOAL AND WORSHIP ME WITH WHOLE HEARTED DEVOTION WILL BE SAVED BY ME FROM REPEATED BIRTHS AND DEATHS." In another verse, Lord Krishna said: GIVE UP ALL YOUR RIGHTEOUS AND NON-RIGHTEOUS ACTIONS AND COME TO ME; TAKE REFUGE IN ME. THEN I SHALL FREE YOU FROM ALL SINS; GRIEVE NOT. That ME who is mentioned is not the Lord Krishna but the ABSOLUTE SOUL or GOD. Krishna is one   of the representations of that God. That GOD can appear in another form like Christ or without any form or name at all.  

HOW CAN ONE ACHIEVE SALVATION?

Through four paths

1 JNANA YOGA----- PATH OF KNOWLEDGE

2 KARMA YOGA----- PATH OF SELFLESS ACTIONS

3 BHAKTI YOGA---- PATH OF DEVOTION

4 RAJA YOGA------ PATH OF BREATH CONTROL AND PRANAYAMA

Most of all religious devotees of all religions are BHAKTI YOGIES whether they believe in Hinduism or not. Very good Christians go to church everyday and surrender themselves to the deity of Christ are SHAKTI YOGIS. So too Moslems. Hinduism is the only religion explains the FOUR PATHS very well.  

WHAT IS AUM [OM]?

It is the HINDU WORD. It is a syllable that stands for ABSOLUTE. It is uttered in the beginning as well as at the end of all Hindu prayers. To some extent it is the LOGOS of the Holy Bible.  

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JOHN 1:1 CAME FROM HINDU SCRIPTURES?

YES, I think so. Long before JOHN 1:1 [70 AD] was written, Hindu Vedas [ at

least 5000 BC] wrote the same thing.

"prajapathi vai agre asset"

IN THE BEGINNING WAS PRAJAPTHI, THE BRAHMAN-THE GOD,

"Tasya Vag dvitiya Aseet"

WITH WHOM WAS THE WORD;

"Vag vai parama Brahman"

AND THE WORD WAS VERILY THE SUPREME BRAHMAN - THE GOD

John 1:1 states:

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD,

AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD

AND THE WORD WAS GOD

WHY DO WOMEN WEAR A DOT ON THEIR FOREHEAD?

That dot is supposed to be the meeting point of eye brows. That important point is called ANJANA CHAKRA or spiritual eye. Everyone is supposed to protect that. In fact all saints protect that point with sandalwood paste..But later women alone started protecting that area.  

WHAT IS NAMASTHE?

It is the popular Hindu greeting performed by pressing two hands together and holding them near the heart. the whole act communicate to the world ' YOU AND I ARE ONE...I SALUTE AND WORSHIP THE GOD WITHIN YOU, WHICH IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF MYSELF'  

DO HINDUS PRACTICE MONOGAMY?

Hindus practice monogamy and Hindus have stopped "child marriages in India by SARADA ACT [1929] under the British. It is the Moslems in India who are allowed to marry four wives and Moslem Sariyath law allows child marriages for Moslems in India.  

DO HINDU SCRIPTURES FORBID ABORTION?

Yes they do. Hindu scriptures forbid abortion. From time immemorial, Hindus consider children as gifts from God. In the code of Manu, Manu forbids abortion. One of the worst acts described in the scriptures is SISU-HATYA meaning destruction of the unborn fetus. There are prayers in the Rig Veda to guard a growing embryo. Only time abortion is allowed is when the fetus is known to be defective as per SUSRUTA SAMHITA, the Hindu Aurvedic book.  

WHY HINDUS PRACTICE SUTTEE [ SATI]?

None of the Hindu scriptures mention about Sati. Suttee is the most horrendous way of widows jumping into the funeral pyre of their fallen husbands. It is an ancient ritual practiced by a warrior race of India called Rajputs. Nobody else in India, practiced Suttee. Once again, Suttee is never mentioned in any Hindu religious scripture. There is not even ONE episode of Suttee in the vast Hindu mythology.  

MANY STATE HINDUISM IS VERY COMPLEX AND CONTRADICTORY!

All religions are the result of the works of thousands of thinkers. Hinduism and Judaism are the mothers of all religions. New religions like Christianity and Islam took the best aspects of Judaism and made part of them. So too Buddhism and Jainism took the best aspects of Hinduism and made part of them. In Christianity, there were several housecleaning in its 2000 years of history. Hinduism on its part, NEVER had any HOUSE CLEANING in its history. Since Hinduism never tossed anything away, in it you will see in it primitive religion as well as very advanced thoughts. NOBODY EVER WAS EXCOMMUNICATED FROM HINDUISM. NOT EVEN ONE HINDU DIED BECAUSE HE/SHE WROTE A WRONG SCRIPTURE. Thank God for that.......Since I am an author I have to say that again and again.........

Thanks for reading this article...

If at all you have any questions, please write to me at

ED VISWANATHAN arvind-4@msn.com

Kindly excuse this letter if not interested---------I am sincerely sorry for

writing.........

ABOUT KARMA & REINCARNATION

ED VISWANATHAN

Dear Ms. Carol Rainbow:

It is very kind of you to reply me. You wrote :" Do you mind if I put your letter onto my web page linked into my disclaimer part. Anyone who wants to have a look can then get your address. the book title, number etc."

Please do so.

  You may also add that I WILL SEND ABSOLUTELY FREE EDUCATIONAL FLOW CHARTS TO ANY ONE WHO WRITE TO ME by e-mail or snail mail WITH THEIR POSTAL ADDRESS. I have sent these charts to thousands all over the world.   Thanks for your time--------If you can kindly write to me your full school adress, I shall send you A COMPLIMENTARY COPY FOR YOUR KIND PERDUAL.   Thnaks a million for your kind letter...World is a better place to live, because of people like you...May God bless you and your school.

Sincerely,

ED VISWANATHAN

POST OFFICE BOX 56697

NEW ORLEANS

LA -70156-6697

USA arvind-4@msn.com

>From the Publisher : The best introduction to the tenants of Hinduism I have yet read   A beautiful question and answer book on Hinduism.

The author, ED. VISWANATHAN arvind-4@msn.com , 02/07/97:

I am the author of this book and I wrote this book for my own needs. For long time I was looking for a book like this answering every conceivable question about Hinduism in simple questions and answers. I did not see such a book in the market. So I wrote one. I am born in a very orthodox Hindu family and I had studied almost all Hindu scriptures. I also studied [ many times I forced to study] books written by many Hindu saints and books published by theosophical society. Even with all that I have to research more than four years to write this wonderful book. Initially I published the book in 1988 in India spending more than 5000 dollars. After publishing the book I received more than 8000 letters from people around the globe including one from President Clinton and Mr. Walter Isaacson, Managing Editor of Time Magazine. On my part I have not accepted even one dime from the sale of copies of my book in India. I had made   arrangements to give profits in India to charity. The book is dedicated to the POOR and SICK of India  

I WAS deeply touched by the sad demise of princess Diana...Only after her death, I knew the whole story about her. I wrote a letter to the Editor and they published the day Holy Mother Theresa passed away. Many called me to thank me for that....On my part, I am so sorry for the house of Windsor! Knowingly or unknowingly, they have subjected that lovely school teacher to many mental tortures...House of Windsor has inherited UNIMAGINABLE KARMIC DEBT....Like the Jesus Christ on the cross, I can only pray for the Royalty in England,"FATHER FORGIVE THEM, THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING." One sad tear of Diana can crumble age-old Windsor. So sorry to note people have no idea about KARMAS AND KARMIC DEBTS.  

REINCARNATION AND KARMA

IN DEPTH STUDY

author of International Best-seller - AM I A HINDU?

e-mail arvind-4@msn.com

copyrighted © 1988 Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

WHAT EXACTLY THE LAW OF KARMA? Hindus believe in life after death. They also believe in the concept, "WHATEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP" [GAL 6:7]. This is the basis of Karmic law. Every action has a result. There is no such thing that an action without a result. Every action and every thought is weighed on the scales of eternal justice. Nobody can get away from the claws of karma.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE DIE? According to Hindu scriptures, body alone dies. The soul within the body never dies. But the path that soul takes is decided by the PAST ACTIONS of the body, which are also called KARMAS. Concept of IMMORTAL SOUL is unique in eastern religions. That concept is not there in western religions like Judaism, Christianity or Islam. The word IMMORTAL SOUL is not seen in the Holy Bible, except in I Timothy 1:17 where it is used as reference to Almighty God.

WHAT IS SALVATION? Salvation is the process of INDIVIDUAL SOUL [ ATMAN] merging with ABSOLUTE SOUL [PARAMATHMAN-GOD]. In Hindu salvation identity of individual soul is lost after salvation, whereas in Christian salvation, identity of soul is kept after salvation.  

ARE YOU SAYING THAT EACH PERSON GETS A BODY HE/SHE DESERVES IN THE NEXT LIFE? Very well so. If you were a pious person in your last life, you will end up in a home, where both husband and wife are very pious. Reverse is equally true. That means if you lead a vicious life in your last incarnation, then you will end up in home where family lead a very vicious life. Hinduism states that people can even go down in the ladder of evolution; a criminal may take up the body of a tiger, a glutton may take the body of a pig etc.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THOUGHTS? Every thought, however insignificant may be is counted. A thought never dies. It may lose its strength in time, but never dies completely. Knowing the power of thoughts, Christ said: LOVE YOUR ENEMY [ Luke 6:27]. You can punish your enemy BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO HATE YOUR ENEMY. If you harbor hatred thoughts, the person you are actually destroying is you yourself. Remember the words of Christ: EVERY..WORD THAT MEN SHALL SPEAK, THEY SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT THEREOF IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. In Hinduism, that judgment is instant. There are volumes of literature in Hinduism about power of thoughts. THINK AND GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill is a repetition of many Hindu ideas.  

When I wrote about this in the Prodigy network, I had a startling letter from a 25- year old lady, asking me how she can stop hating her father who had sexually abused her since the age of 9. My answer was you cannot and you should not hate your father for your own sake. But you have every right to inform about him to proper authorities. He should be punished for his crime and he should also be medically treated. If that young lady devote her entire life hating her father, she will destroy nobody except herself. I am not a Christian but I take the immortal words of Christ, LOVE THY ENEMY literally.

HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT LAW OF KARMA IS TRUE? You are right. There are no scientific clear cut answers to show. But look around and see the inequalities around us. A BABY IS BORN IN THE DRY DESERTS OF ETHIOPIA AND ANOTHER BABY IS BORN IN LUXURY OF HOUSE OF WINDSOR. BOTH ARE INNOCENT BABIES. ONE DIES OF MALNUTRITION AND DISEASES. OTHER LIVES IN LUXURY. Without the help of Karmic theory, we cannot explain that.  

IS GOD BOUND BY KARMIC LAW? Yes, if IT [ God is spirit even in the Holy Bible] takes any form on earth [avatar]. When God came as Lord Rama, he killed a Monkey king by trick, and when God came back as Krishna he was killed by the same soul[ monkey king's soul], in the body of a hunter. Jesus Christ himself gave up his life on the cross, TO TAKE CARE OF THE KARMIC DEBT OF ALL THOSE APOSTLES SURROUNDED HIM. Each time he cured a disease, each time he saved someone from death, he was voluntarily accepting their KARMIC DEBT. Many saints in India, like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, had accepted the KARMIC DEBT of his disciples. Ramakrishna died a painful death by cancer.

CAN KARMIC DEBT BE TRANSFERRED? YES. You can transfer Karmic debt of someone else onto yourself willfully like Jesus Christ did and you can also transfer karmic debt of someone else on to you, by ATTACKING HIM IN A VERY SELF- FISH MANNER. Believe me when Christ said: JUDGE NOT, YE BE NOT JUDGED, he meant what he clearly stated.

To bring forth mistakes done by someone with the intention of correcting them is NOT JUDGING. But maliciously attacking someone again and again, with a SELFISH MOTIVE can in fact result in a transfer, THAT PERSON'S KARMIC DEBT ON TO YOU.  

I believe many saints in India like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa have done what Jesus Christ did in his own special way. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa took a simple boy named Narendra and made him Swami Vivekananda. Even the Mogul emperor Humayun prayed to God to transfer his son's fatal illness on him. God transferred that Karmic debt on the emperor and he died a very painful death.  

ARE YOU SAYING THAT MANY LIKE REV. JERRY FALWELL WHO ATTACK PRESIDENT CLINTON TIME AND AGAIN WITH THEIR SERMONS AND VIDEOS WILL BE UNKNOWINGLY TRANSFERRING CLINTON'S KARMIC DEBT TO THEMSELVES???!!! I hate to say yes. But that is the truth. If Jerry Falwell is doing everything in the interest of truth only and does not have any ill will towards president Clinton, and pray for the well being of President Clinton, regularly then he has nothing to worry. But if THERE IS AN IOTA OF SELFISH MOTIVE in his actions, he has everything to worry. He will be unknowingly transferring CLINTON'S KARMIC DEBT to himself. I am always extremely careful what I write and speak about. I never write uncorroborated information or write maliciously about any individual I have disagreement. I know that anything I do to distort facts and figures, I will be INHERITING BAD KARMIC DEBT which I will have to pay heavily later. For example, in his book, THE NEW WORLD ORDER, Pat Robertson connected Mahatma Gandhi and Ayottola Khomeini in one line, thus making Mahatma Gandhi a zealot fanatic of Hinduism [page 219]. I cannot imagine, what a karma Pat Robertson will inherit by doing such a malicious act! On my part, I did not agree with some of the beliefs of Mother Theresa, still I always said and wrote that I am not even fit to walk on the footsteps that great Holy mother walked upon. I am nobody compare to her.  

DO YOU IMPLY THAT REINCARNATION THEORY IS SUPERIOR TO RESURRECTION THEORY? No, I will never say that. I will only say that both are theories, without any scientific proof, but reincarnation theory sounds more possible. Reincarnation theory on its part has some flaws like, It does not explain FIRST BIRTH. On other side RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ is part and parcel of Christian faith, written by believers for believers. It has no historical proof either. Christians believe ultimate destiny of a man is either joyful life with God or eternal pain in hell. Reincarnation theory states" SALVATION IS FOR ALL. THE BEST AMONG US WILL ACHIEVE BY ONE LIFE, THE WORST AMONG US MANY LIVES.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE THOUGHTS AT THE TIME OF DEATH? Hindu scriptures say that "WHATEVER ONE THINKS AT THE TIME OF DEATH, ONE WILL ATTAIN THAT FORM AND THE SOUL WILL TAKE A BODY FAST ACCORDING TO DESIRE TO COME BACK TO LIFE." That is why saints will take a long time to take a body, but people who die of accidents take bodies very fast. A Person who had beastly thoughts thru out his life, will have beastly thoughts at the last minute of his life. Similarly, a person who had pious thoughts thru out his life, will have pious thoughts at the time of his death.  

IF I SURRENDER MY WILL 100% TO THE WILL OF JESUS CHRIST, WILL I HAVE TO UNDERGO REINCARNATION? TRUE. At the same time you said the magic word - 100%. Please show me anyone you know who has surrendered his will to the will of Jesus Christ 100%. It is very difficult to find even one. Remember even Peter did not trust Jesus Christ, and refused to obey the order to walk on the water & disowned Christ at the end. There are instances in the Bible, where Christ rebuked his apostles for want of enough faith. They did not mean to be disrespectful to Christ at all.

Lord Krishna said in the Gita, "ONE IN A MILLION PRAY FOR ME; ONE IN A MILLION PEOPLE WHO PRAY ME, MAY REALIZE ME". Even Arjuna, his warrior disciple could not follow the words of Krishna and at the end sage Veda Vyasa has to teach Arjuna, Gita all over again. So, to say to surrender one's will to Christ is very easy. To practice that is very difficult. Trust me, Neither Jim Baker nor Jimmy Swaggered are bad people. They were very sincere when they started, but they fell prey to their senses and forgot Jesus Christ. As a Hindu, I sympathize with them and pray for them.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A MAN WHO LIVED VERY GOOD THROUGH OUT HIS LIFE, BECAME BAD DURING LAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE? Well, when a man dies, his soul takes the SUM TOTAL of good and bad karmas. If the sum total of karmas are good he will take a better life form. If sum total are bad he will take a bad life form. One or two alone does not decide soul's final destination [Gita 6:40-43]

CAN WE CONCLUDE THAT IF A SICK OR RETARDED CHILD IS BORN, THE PARENTS AND THE CHILD ARE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE? I know a similar question was asked to Jesus Christ. I feel someone altered the answer of Christ. I think Christ would have said AS PER LAW OF KARMA, DUE TO PAST ACTIONS, PARENTS ARE DESTINED TO HAVE A CHILD TO WORRY ABOUT AND THE CHILD IS DESTINED TO BE BORN WITH SICKNESS. Of course, both parents and the child can make life better by new positive actions.

Karma theory does not condemn anyone, it gives hope always.  

WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHO COMMITS SUICIDE? Hindu scriptures state that such an action will condemn the soul for thousands of years to stay in a limbo and start all over again from the lowest level of evolution.

DOES REINCARNATION THEORY TALLY WITH DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION? It only agrees, but also state that soul of the man can even go back on the ladder of evolution and take the body of a minute creature. All religious scriptures of all religions are written by men for men. So too Darwin's theory of evolution. ALL ARE JUST THEORIES. As I wrote before, we have no conclusive evidence one way or another.  

WHY A LOVING, KIND GOD MAKE EVERY ONE UNDERGO REINCARNATION? I have to be very honest with you, that in Hindu scriptures, this particular question, regarding God does not arise at all. Each of us attain different bodies according to past karma. Hindu scriptures like Upanishads do not describe GOD with metaphors LOVING, CARING etc. Hindu books say such attributes about God is "MAN-MADE.". God has no attributes. Man gave God attributes, so that he can relate to God. In early books, such as in Christian Bible, you see God appearing as A FATHER FIGURE. That happened because man wrote the Bible. If women have written the Bible, you would have seen MOTHER GODDESS APPEARING AS GOD IN THE BIBLE. Each of us attain different bodies according to past karma.  

HAS ANY HINDU SCRIPTURE DEAL WITH FIRST BIRTH OR FIRST KARMA?No. I want to honestly state that FIRST BIRTH or FIRST KARMA is not discussed in any Hindu scriptures. If the soul has no Karma in the beginning, how soul achieved karmas. In fact, CREATION IS EXPLAINED AS "LEELA" OR CHILD PLAY FOR THE GOD. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states, IN THE BEGINNING OF KALPA [ START OF TIME ] I CREATE ALL CREATION; AND AT THE END OF KALPA, I ABSORB CREATION BACK TO MYSELF. In Hinduism, CREATION & ANNIHILATION are cyclic and perpetual, never ending. Our problem according to Hinduism is that WE ARE DELUDED MY MAYA OR ILLUSION. THAT ILLUSION MAKES US TO FORGET OUR TRUE NATURE - THAT WE ARE INDEED SOULS. The answer to our problems is THE REALIZATION OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE.

IS THERE A FINAL JUDGMENT IN HINDUISM? Hinduism believes in instant judgment. Whenever we act, a judgment is made according to the type of action we do immediately. So, good and bad actions are judged and computed in their total essence. Hinduism look at GOOD and BAD LIFE FORMS as ACTIONS AND REACTIONS. If someone put his hand in fire, then he get burnt instantly; fire is not judging the person; Instead person got burnt since it is the NATURE OF FIRE TO BURN.  

WHAT A PERSON SHOULD DO? SEARCH WITHIN....Most of the things I am discussing are above mind. Only by process of meditation one can realize the truth. So, by all means meditate and let that meditation lead you to final answer. Krishna could not teach everything. Buddha could not teach everything. Christ could not teach everything. WHY???? WHY??? Since subtle truths are above mind. No language on earth can convey them.  

LAO TSE SAID IT VERY WELL:

HE WHO KNOWS NEVER TELL;

NEGATIVE STATEMENTS AGAINST REINCARNATION:

STATEMENT-1: REINCARNATION IS ONE OF THE OLDEST PAGAN SUPERSTITIONS. PAGAN, give me a break! show me one religion in the world which has no pagan connection and I will give you my hat. All popular religions now existing in the world came from two religions. One is JUDAISM another is HINDUISM. There was NO word HEBREW 4000 years before Christ. HEBREW means "wanderers" and they were nomads. They were originally Canaanites. Hebrews used worship Canaanite gods like Baal and El. So, Hebrew civilization is a mixture of Canaanite, Babylonian, Egyptian civilizations. Hinduism is a mixture of DRAVIDIAN, CELTIC, MAYAN, GREEK civilizations. What you mean by superstition? To that my answer is SHOW ME ANY BELIEF THAT IS PROVED BEYOND SHADOW OF A DOUBT. The words BELIEF and FAITH themselves tell us loud and clear, THAT THERE ARE NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF IN ANY RELIGIOUS CONCEPT.

Well, I can give many examples for superstition.

"MY GOD IS THE ONLY TRUE GOD,

NEIGHBORS' GOD IS A DEMON

MY BELIEF IS THE TRUE AND ONLY BELIEF

NEIGHBOR'S BELIEF IS FALSE, SUPERSTITION AND HEARSAY

WHO SAID SO? I SAID SO....

STATEMENT-2: THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM KARMA: TRUE OR FALSE? FALSE. When most religions say that, some WILL GO TO HELL FOR ETERNITY AFTER ONE LIFE, Karma and reincarnation concept say, SALVATION IS FOR ALL. FINALLY ALL WILL HAVE SALIVATION . That is mandatory in Hinduism. THERE ARE NO LOSERS ONLY WINNERS. The best among us will attain that with one life and the worst among us will attain that with many lives.

Once again, EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE IN "KARMA & REINCARNATION " PHILOSOPHY. Whereas religions who question the theory of Karma and reincarnation, HAS ONLY ONE CHANCE. IF YOU DO NOT MAKE IT BY ONE CHANCE, YOU ARE DOOMED FOR EVER.  

STATEMENT-3:. THEORIES OF KARMA & REINCARNATION DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: Well, KARMA & REINCARNATION concept do not recognize EVIL as Christianity does. In KARMA, people's problem is IGNORANCE OF THEIR TRUE DIVINE NATURE. As soon as people REALIZE THAT FACT, people automatically attain salvation. In fact, in the discussion of ORIGINAL SIN in the Bible, no word EVIL was ever used. The only reason why ADAM & EVE lost everything is by symbolically eating the FRUIT of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH TAUGHT THEM CONCEPT OF DUALITY...."RIGHT & WRONG", "GOOD AND BAD" ETC God said to Adam: OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL YOU SHOULD NOT EAT, FOR THE DAY THAT YOU EAT OF IT  

YOU SHALL DIE [ GEN 2:17]. Adam disobeyed and by eating that forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve came to KNOW RIGHT & WRONG and GOOD & EVIL and their own nakedness ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE THAT CAUSED THE FALL OF MAN.

STATEMENT-4. IF LAW OF KARMA IS RIGHT, WE SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH ANOTHER'S KARMIC SUFFERING: TRUE OR FALSE...FALSE. Each individual takes a body guided by the KARMAS of the past life. That is true. But at the same time, by helping the poor and sick, we are actually taking care of our own karmas. Only a fool will say to look down upon some one's suffering. I have to admit there are people in India who do just that. but that is not Hindu scriptures teaches. With all honesty, I wanted to say their conclusion is AGAINST every concept of Hinduism.

STATEMENT-5 PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION HAVE NEGLECTED HUMAN SUFFERING: NO, not at all. Hindu mythology is full of stories of compassion for poor, sick and animals of all kind.. Buddha is the true FATHER OF COMPASSION TO ALL, INCLUDING TO ANIMALS AND PLANTS. Buddha taught AHIMSA - NON-VIOLENCE to the world. Emperor Asoka [300 B. C. ] who converted from Hinduism to Buddhism had even veterinarian hospitals.  

STATEMENT-6. THEN HOW COME THERE ARE MORE CHRISTIAN HOSPITALS IN THE WORLD? TRUE. Reason. Hindu kings took care of poor and sick through out history. But that came to a stretching halt, after Moslems attacked and captured most of India. Hinduism is not an organized religion. It is practiced as a personal religion. People pray in their house. Even praying together started only after Christianity came to India. CHARITY is one of the Hindu Dharmas or Duties. But each according to their own way, do charity. The Hindu code says that GUEST SHOULD BE TREATED EQUAL TO GOD. So, Hinduism or any other eastern religion has NO ORGANIZED way of attacking problems of sick and poor. Now Hindus are learning that from Christianity. Right now, India has one of the very best CHARITY hospitals in Puttaperty, run under Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I am thankful to Catholics in India, teaching Hindus how to put their resources together and help people. ISKCON, RAMAKRISHNA MISSIONS etc take their lesson from Catholic charities in helping people in a collective manner.

STATEMENT-7. HOW CAN JUSTICE BE SERVED IF PEOPLE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHY THEY ARE BEING PUNISHED? Karma and reincarnation theory does not say that SOME ONE IS PUNISHED. The word PUNISHMENT is not part of the KARMA & REINCARNATION concept. If a child put his hand in fire and get burnt, will you say that FIRE punished the child. No. We will say that child DUE TO HIS IGNORANCE ABOUT THE FIRE'S BURNING POWER GOT BURNT. Similarly, Hindu scriptures say that WE ARE TAKING BIRTH AGAIN AND AGAIN, DUE TO OUR IGNORANCE OF THE TRUE DIVINE NATURE. I agree that concept is little difficult to grasp. But that is the only ANSWER.

STATEMENT-8. IT HAS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT IT? Experiments by Dr. Banarjee, writings of Edgar Caysee etc provide some evidence. I agree we have no concrete evidence. At the same time there are no concrete evidence for "resurrection" theory either.  

STATEMENT-9. IT IS INFINITE CYCLES WITH NO FINAL MEANING: Well, I admit it works on infinite cycles. THERE ARE MANY SHORT CUTS AS I EXPLAINED BEFORE..One way is to surrender one's will to God like to Jesus or Krishna or Kali. But that way easily said than done.  

STATEMENT-10. IT DOES NOT SATISFY MAN'S MORAL SENSITIVITY OR SENSE OF JUSTICE. That is absolutely wrong. Those who believe in KARMA & REINCARNATION are more sensitive to morality and ethics. I have no idea what make anyone think that people who believe in KARMA & REINCARNATION are less sensitive to morality than others.  

STATEMENT-11 IT DOES NOT PROVIDE ABSOLUTE STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG. What Hinduism teaches that in the FINAL ANALYSIS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RIGHT AND WRONG. It exactly like saying that THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND A BLADE OF GRASS, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY YOU AND THE GRASS ARE JUST ATOMS - A CONFIGURATION OF ELECTRONS, PROTONS AND NEUTRONS. But in a different level you are very different from the grass. That is the way, the concept of RELATIVITY OF RIGHT AND WRONG is explained in Hinduism. Just because Hinduism said, ULTIMATELY RIGHT AND WRONG ARE RELATIVE, Hinduism does NOT, I repeat DOES NOT, support loose morality. In fact, Hinduism very clearly state that, teaching that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RIGHT AND WRONG to a teenager, is exactly like giving a shaving blade to a 2-year old.

STATEMENT-12. IT TEACHES THAT SUFFERING IS THE ONLY PURPOSE IN LIFE. TRUE or FALSE. Once again, that is false. India has MUSIC, ARTS, EROTIC SEX, EVEN ATHEISM. There are hundreds of beautiful palaces and public arenas in India. History will show that Columbus did not try to go to America but materially - rich India. India always was abundant until Moslems and Europeans attacked and plundered the country.

STATEMENT-13: LAW OF KARMA IS SELF-CENTERED AND SELFISH. NO, not at all. LAW OF KARMA teaches that ALL OF US ARE ONE and by helping others we help ourselves.

STATEMENT-14. IT IGNORES PEOPLE TO IGNORE THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS. Once again that is a wrong conclusion. We have to help others because by doing so, we take care of our own karmic debt.  

If you like to have absolutely free educational flow charts about Hinduism, please feel to write in e-mail with your postal address. Please read an extremely popular book, which sold hundreds of thousands of copies all over the world by name AM I A HINDU? [ISBN 1-879904-06-3 800-723-4508 415-892-0649]www.amazon.com please check the book at this place   The book is easily available through any book store in USA and CANADA. The book has 90 chapters in it with hundreds of THOUGHT PROVOKING questions and answers in it. It is highly recommended by LIBRARY JOURNAL and BOOKLIST magazines to all libraries public as well as private. The book does not glorify Hinduism, but just report the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY things in the world. This book will answer many questions people have about eastern religions, especially there are hundreds of books in Gospel bookstores which condemn everything that has come from east.    

REINCARNATION AND KARMA

IN DEPTH STUDY

author of International Best-seller - AM I A HINDU?

e-mail arvind-4@msn.com

copyrighted © 1988 Library of Congress, Washington D.C