Is Hinduism a religion or a way of life?

The way the question is phrased AND usually answered, implies that it is one or the other. IT’S NEITHER .

What a ‘Hindu’ is and what ‘Hinduism’ isn’t.

QUESTION:

How do you explain someone that a pig is unlike any other bird?

CORRECT RESPONSE:

The answer doesn’t lie in how a pig is different from other birds but it requires the understanding that a pig is not a bird at all.

SIMILARLY, is the case with Hinduism:

What type of a religion is Hinduism?

The answer doesn’t lie in how Hinduism is different from other religions but it requires the understanding that it is not a religion at all.

Strictly speaking, Hinduism is not even a culture, or a way of life, as many have tried to portray for their own vested interests. The question is just like asking, “What type of a religion is Indianism?

If ‘Indianism”, a word that nobody to date has felt the desire to promote, is not a culture /way of life, then Hinduism is not a culture /way of life either.

It maybe possible to consider Hinduism, like Indianism, as a culmination of various, some totally unrelated traditions, faiths and cultures from the vast land of the Asian Subcontinent (now Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar etc). For many, the opposing ways of life and contradictory religions were alien to each other due to great distances and other factors between them.

The term HINDUISM was coined by the British as late as the early nineteenth century in a not so mindful attempt to denote ‘a’ way of life for the then Indians, the Hindostanis called ‘The Hindus’ for short. A Hindu was a settler/occupier of a land called Hindostan, which today is primarily known as INDIA, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The term Hinduism and with it a NEW alleged/perceived definition of the ‘HINDU’ as ‘a follower of an alleged religion, Hinduism’ , came into everyday use after the RSS started successfully promoting it in 1925 and continues to do so to this date whilst pretending otherwise. They initially allowed the masses to believe that Hinduism is a religion.

What an Indian IS to India, a Hindu WAS to Hindustan: An Indian has nothing to do with a religion but can follow ANY religion. Similarly, a Hindu had nothing to do with any particular religion either and could follow any belief system

AND

What an Indian from India IS to Indianism, an Hindu from Hindustan WAS to Hinduism.

Hindu and Hinduism are terms related to Hindostan as Indian and Indianism are terms related to India.

A Hindu WAS and an Indian IS nothing more than a geographical identity.

Since, constitutionally there is no country called Hindustan (union of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh etc), there is no geographical identity called Hindu either. The INDIAN constitution points to the fact that the people of India/Bharat are firstly and lastly Indians NOT Hindus.

Even the geographical identity of the Hindu only existed until the disintegration of Hindustan into Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepali, Bhutan etc but most so-called Hindus (now Indians) are still living in denial. Hindus, of what was then Hindustan, are now called Pakistanis, Indian, Nepalis, Bangladeshis etc just as the Soviets of the then Soviet Union are now called Ukrainians, Russian etc. There are no more Soviets and Hindus because there is no more a Soviet Union or Hindustan.

The words ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hinduism’ often cause grave confusion in important discussions and debates. It’s better to use the words Indian and Indianism instead COMPLETELY AVOIDING THE WORDS HINDOSTAN, HINDU and HINDUISM.

It’s about time, the confusion creating misleading words are made obsolete.

What Hinduism really means when used in everyday language:

What is COMMONLY referred to as Hinduism is really Brahminism. Brahmin and non-Brahmin scholars agree that there is no such religion called Hinduism.

The words “Hindu” and “Hinduism” do not appear in ANY VEDIC OR OTHER BRAHMANIC RELIGIOUS TEXTS.

The word HINDU in Persian means a thief. It was used by the Persians to refer to the CITIZENS/ RESIDENTS of the land they invaded which THEY referred to as Hindostan.

So the word Hindu was a geographical term and not a religious term used for ‘a person from Hindostan’. It had NOTHING to do with the comparatively newly coined British word ‘Hinduism’.

Just as there can be a GROUP of Abrahamic religions. ie; Islam, Christianity and Judaism; Similarly, it appears a failed attempt has been made to form a GROUP of many DIFFERENT religions of India and call that GROUP of religions ‘Hinduism’.

Hinduism is generally taken to mean TWO different things by the common man causing unnecessary confusion. To them it can either mean:

A) BRAHMINISM.

The way of life of the Brahmins where

Hinduism = Casteism

AND Casteism = Hinduism

I am equating Hinduism with casteism because:

If you ask ANY person who says that she/he comes from a a Hindu family, whether they have a caste identity or not, the answer will invariably be YES of course they do.
If you ask ANY person who doesn’t profess to have a caste identity what religion they belong to, they will never say Hinduism.

B) INDIANISM.

Here, ‘Indianism’, is taken to mean ‘way of life of the Indians’, which hasn’t much beneficial use either but certainly causes less confusion

THEREFORE:

IN DISCUSSIONS RELATED TO RELIGION:

It makes more sense to use the words ‘BRAHMINISM’ instead of ‘Hinduism’ and ‘BRAHMIN’ instead of ‘Hindu’.

IN DISCUSSIONS NOT RELATED TO RELIGION:

It makes more sense to use the words ‘CASTEISM’ instead of ‘Hinduism’ and ‘CASTEIST’ instead of ‘Hindu’

AND

IN DISCUSSIONS WHERE HINDUISM IS REFERRED TO AS A WAY OF LIFE OF THE INDIANS :

It makes more sense to use the word “INDIANISM”

If you have never come across the term INDIANISM, consider it coined by the author of this article.

THE HINDU DECEPTION:

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS and other reputable Brahmin scholars admit and declare that HINDUISM IS NOT A RELIGION !!

(IN HINDI– Origin of the term Hindu watch from 5min 15sec to 9min)

This proves that the Manuvadi Brahmins are faithfully following their OWN religion.

AND it’s NOT Hinduism.

THERE IS NO SUCH RELIGION.

It is Brahminism.

If so, is it possible, as is claimed by the RSS and Brahmins; for any other religion eg Sikhism or Buddhism, to be a part of something, in this case Hinduism, which itself is not a religion?

A Hindu (Persian word) WAS simply a citizen from a land that the *Persian invaders called Hindostan; just as an Indian is a person from India or as a Pakistani is a person from Pakistan. Nothing wrong with that.

BUT

This Hindu, a citizen had NOTHING to do with what the Indian media and Hindutva (a political ideology) forces portray as The ‘HINDU RELIGION’ called Hinduism. There were MANY DIFFERENT religions in that part of the world with gods, rituals, customs, languages and philosophies unknown to other citizens of the vast Hindostan.

When there was no India, then there was no Indian. NOW there is no Hindustan

which means.

NOW there are no Hindus (short form for Hindustani).

NOW we must say that: we are firstly and lastly Indian – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Both, Hindostan & it’s citizens called Hindus/Hindustanis existed before the Indian constitution.

But a RELIGION called ‘Hinduism’ NEVER existed. This word was first used in the early nineteenth century and came in common use after the extreme right wing NGO, the RSS, vehemently started promoting it in 1925 and continues to do so even now, BUT ONLY FOR VOTE GATHERING and when it comes to issues like demolition of Babri Masjid or massacring Muslims. A brilliant but cunning strategy to fool and control the masses.

NOTE: Brahmins are a minority in India.

Only 2 to a max 3 percent of the Indian population are Brahmins. The only way they can count themselves as any part of a majority and rule/control the masses is if most Indians start calling themselves Hindus, subtly giving the word religious connotations.

What a masterful stroke.

“Heads I win, tails you lose. Choose !!”.

Divide and rule on the basis of over 6700 castes and SIMULTANEOUSLY be in the majority under the label of an alleged religion, Hinduism, which now they are beginning to confuse/ equate with Hindutva (a political ideology).

Confusion creating example:

The ‘Shudra’s dharam’ is not the same as the ‘Brahmin’s dharam’ when it comes to temple entry or riding horses (Dharam means Duty in Hindi).

BUT whenever the need arises as in times of elections or massacring Muslims/Sikhs/Christians, the Brahmins refer to themselves as Hindus, immediately but deceptively including themselves in the majority..

AND makes the so called Shudras, Ati shudras, the so-called untouchables and other caste sympathizers believe the same.

THE CHAMPION FRAUDSTERS, HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN THE GREATEST SCANDAL IN INDIAN HISTORY, “THE HINDU DECEPTION”

What should be done next?

For the sake of humanity.

Educate Educate Educate and let the world know that:

HInduism is not a religion NOR is it a way of life. BUT A FRAUD to control the masses.

IT’S ANOTHER WORD EITHER FOR CASTEISM OR INDIANISM.

Straight from the Horses mouth. PM Modi’s announcement (In Hindi) that Hinduism is NOT a religion.

NOTE:

The word ‘Hindu’ is NOT a mis-pronunciation of ‘Sindhu’ by the Persians, as some would like you to believe, for in Persian both, the ‘S-sound’ and the ‘H-sound’ are clearly pronounced.

Many scholars believe that this suggestion is a diversion tactic to hide from the masses the original meaning of the word ‘Hindu’.

WHY THE ABOVE EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY TO COMPREHEND FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANNIHILATION OF CASTE..

COMPLETE Annihilation of caste and casteism, the most vile system of social control in history, is a mammoth task. By ‘complete’ I mean even eradicating it from the psyche of those who, yet understand and have rejected the so called Hindu religion but subconsciously continue to behave as if belonging to a particular caste.

One of the greatest intellectual and humanitarian of this era, Dr BR Ambedkar said that what is perceived to be Hinduism is nothing but Brahminism and ‘Hinduism’ cannot exist without casteism and vice- versa. Dr Ambedkar was the greatest advocate for the ‘annihilation of caste’

Casteism=Hinduism

AND Hinduism = Casteism

Annihilate one, you annihilate the other. Promote one and you promote the other.

ANNIHILATION OF HINDUISM.

ANNIHILATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HINDUISM AS A RELIGION IS A MUST. Otherwise we may have to struggle for generations more, trying to annihilate caste.

A NOTE BY THE AUTHOR: This reply is not an attack on Brahminism, the way of life of the Brahmins, but a genuine attempt has been made to clarify what Hinduism is for the benefit of annihilation of caste.

Author: Shekhar Bodhakar

Is Hinduism a religion or a way of life?