Hinduism Teaches Hate Whereas Abrahamic Religions Preach Love and Peace

“Dear Udayji, I am Vinod Kumar from Kollam, Kerala. I regularly read your articles in your website. Recently I heard a Pentecost pastor speaking in a public place saying that Christianity hails love whereas Hinduism preaches hatred…I went and confronted him. But he showed me some mantras which hails hatred. I was really shocked. Is it true that Hinduism promotes hatred?”

“The Pastor is right in his perspective. I guess the pastor is a Malayali Keralite, convent educated and followed leftist syllabus in the school and colleges.” I replied.

“Yes, you are right. How could you guess it? He is a local person, completed his Masters in Malayalam and now working as a pastor. But why did you say he is right? Is our Hinduism preaching hatred?”
“What’s the meaning of Vairagyam (Vyragyam) in Malayalam?”

“Hatred, in Malayalam…”

“Right…For a Mallu Pandit, the meaning of Vairagya is hatred. ‘Pasu’ becomes cow. ‘Nasthree swathantram arhati’ means women should be kept in chain….They are telling facts according to their language and conditioned knowledge. Even if you tell them that those words are in Sanskrit and NOT in Malayalam and the meanings are totally different, it is of NO use. They won’t listen to you. For, most of them, they know it better than you…”

“Udayji, the pastor has shown me many mantras…”

“Almost all sacred mantras starts with ‘Vairagya Sidhartham’ – the literal meaning in Malayalam, according to a Mallu Pandit, is for the ‘purpose of gaining hatred’. When all other religions preach love and peace, Hindu Mantras appear as earnestly praying for hatred.”

“I don’t understand, you always wrote that Sanatan Dharma is all about non-violence and compassion, but now you are saying contradictory thing….”

“Vinodji, the real meaning of Vairagya is dispassion. Even when you perform a Lakshmi pooja, you would say, ‘Vairagya Sidhartham’ – because for a Santana Dharmi, the ultimate goal in life is to attain Vairagya. And only through Vairagya he/she can get enlightened (Moksha).”

“I don’t understand why our religions don’t advocate love…”

“I totally failed to understand the meaning of love as propagated by religions. I don’t know its meaning. If it loves the entire humanity, I am for it. But, see today’s practical reality. Love appears as a temporary insanity and a cultural construct. Peace is another wrong construct. Both are hypocritical to the core. Those words, in reality, represent fraudulent front cover to hide blood in the hand. Facts on the ground: Those who advocate love had killed millions of people with utmost hatred and animosity. Those religions which talked about peace are still making meat pieces of humans cutting them into pieces. So, I feel scared when religions talk about love and peace…”

“Some greedy fanatics may have mis-interpreted and mis-used the religion. Should we blame the religion for that….”

“You have a point there. In that case, the authorities should deplore violence and cruelty. A Portguese pastor named Francis Xavier and his followers came to Goa and brutally massacred thousands of people and raped thousands of women who refused to get converted to his religion. If it is the kind of love, I am scared of it. If it is NOT, the authorities like Pope should openly deplore such heinous crimes and apologize to the victims. They should punish the wrong-doers. Instead, in this particular case, the authorities happily rewarded him by canonizing as saint…So we have reasons to be fearful of such love…” (See http://udaypai.in/grandmas-konkani-lullaby-and-a-tragic-goan-story/ )

“Yes – I wonder why religious readers teach their followers about love and peace first. Didn’t Hindu Sages talk about love?”

“There is NO equivalent word for love in Sanskrit. There are five different related words – Kama (sensory craving), Shringara (intimacy), Maitri (generous compassion), Bhakti (impersonal devotion) and Prema (unconditional self-love). Rama never told Sita that “I love you”. And Sita also didn’t say, “I love you too…”. There is absolutely NO character in any of our million Puranic stories that say ‘I love you’. Nowhere it is said GOD is love or GOD is peace.”

“What’s Vairagya? Can you define it in layman’s angle?”

“Vinod, I am a layman. So I can explain only in layman’s terms. I like to drink tea at around 4PM. It has been my habit for 30 years! If I don’t get tea, it develops some sort of pain in me. That means, I have got ‘Aasakti’ (attachment) for tea. This ‘Aasakti’ leads to bondage. ‘Vairagya’ (dispassion) demands you to renounce this ‘Aasakti’ for tea.”

“Vairagya is detachment, right?”

“Not exactly. Mere giving up of taking tea does not constitute the essence of ‘Vairagya’. When I remain happy irrespective of tea at 4PM, it is vairagya. I am happy drinking tea. I am happy even if I don’t drink tea. I don’t have to renouce tea – all I have to do is, renouce the Aasakti for tea. ‘Vairagya’ doesn’t ask you to cut bondage with the attachment. You should be happy in attachment as well as in detachment…”

“Wow. So Vairgya is denunciation of all material pleasure, isn’t it Udayji?”

“Not at all. Vairagya does not mean abandoning social duties and responsibilities of life. It does not mean detachment from the world. It’s an Internal Mental State….”

“Udayji, have you experienced Vairagya?”

“I am not an enlightened person. But I try to develop Vairagya with attachments and bondages. For instance, I am happy when I am with my family. I am happy when I am with my friends. I am equally happy when I am alone too. When I walk in the morning, I am happy if I get to talk to friends and walk with them. Otherwise, I would listen to music in headset and walk. Or I would just walk alone – I don’t find unhappiness in any of these. But when it comes to tea, I am still not a Vairagi. I must get tea at 4PM. But I am aware about it. I would like to experience some pains like that to remind myself that there is only pain in this world…”

“So, even with the kama (desire) you can attain vairagya…”

“You don’t need to renounce sex, desire or interest in material wealth in pursuit of vairagya. Vairagya means letting go of things like attachments, fear, paranoia, ego, false sense of superiority or inferiority, revenge or things that are beyond human control. That doesn’t mean we have to abandon our possessions, friends, or beliefs. We just have to realize their transitory (non-permanent) nature and be ready to let go. Do not cling to anything. Vairagya means to create a broader vision in life. Vairagya means to be free of the feverishness of desires.”

“So, you don’t have to wear saffron to develop vairagya…”

“Vairagya does not mean a life in the solitary caves of the Himalayas. It does not mean living on neem leaves, cow’s urine and dung. It does not mean wearing of matted-hair and saffron clothes. You may have seen many so-called Gurus wear some attire and claim they have attained vairagya. They still are clinged to the attire! They get identified with the uniform and respect they get – so how can you say they have Vairagya?”

“Can we be Vairagi with love?”

“That depends upon your definition of love. If your love is Sama bhavana (embodying the equality of all religions) to the entire world and its beings, it is welcome. If love is a temporary thing, it gets associated with enemies of vairagya – Viz Affection, Hope and Anticipation, it is useless. All these things will ONLY pain in the long run. Religions need such things for survival. That’s why religions talk about love, affection, hope and anticipation. When you don’t achieve it, you will get disappointed and depressed or painful and miserable. Here, religions would come as solace. They will ask you to pray and perform rituals = both are monies for the priesthood. Vairagya is the most important qualification for being divine. Love is NOT. Love, as on today’s reality, creates false, illusory ‘I’-ness (Ahamta) and mineness (Mamata) in you. But vairagya creates freedom.”

“Hmmm…So love, if not properly misunderstood will create only problems in life, right?”
“Right. In fact, there is ONLY one proven cosmic rule. If you love a person or thing, it will either leave you or create pain in you in future. If love is affection, hope and anticipation, I am not in it. If you have love that crossovers these three points, yes, then your love is GOD. If any religion preaches and follow this unconditional inclusive love for humanity, yes, I belong to that religion.”