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Re: Gita, Svadharma, West

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Tatachar • November 2, 1995 


Krish said: 
>>The concepts of equal rights, rights of women, and children etc. are
>>modern ones, to a large extent what we owe to the Western >>civilization. 

I think, Krish is referring concept to mean application.
Conceptually, Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavantu, which is Hindu, is perhaps much
older. Ofcourse you may ask what sukha has to do with rights?
Equal rights is not same for children vs adults. A child can
not vote or drink alcohol or drive etc.!
Modern civilization is surely a product of the West
(ie., Post industrial Revolution). This is true and we
are in the shadow of West. 
Let us also not forget the greatest race war was
propogated by Hitler(West), Haolocaust is a
product of the West. So also slavery, Bosnia-Serbia, plundering
of native Americans, Colonial arrogance. In my opinion West has surpassed the
others
both in destruction as well as in the HEALING/Reconstruction.
Personally, I have mostly benefitted by both the WEST
and the East (being a Brahmin). However, it would be
wrong on my part to boast the greatness without also
pointing out the unsurmountable amount of
sorrow caused by both these civilizations on less fortunate ones.


>>It is very nice to proclaim about division
>> of labor, if one does not 
>>have to come down. 
This is inevitable and a natural  fact of life.
How you manage it is a different issue.
 Labour to suit the
traits that are determined AT birth.
This is where we havemisunderstood Gita a 100%.
 by stating that 
labour(caste) is determined BY birth.
Many still cling to the same
misconception. A thing will not become right
just because: It is accepted by many
 (including scholars and gentleman)
(just as slavery was accepted by many great 
Western souls. These souls may not have 
practised it, but certainly did nor raise their
voice against it to the extent to change it).
As I pointed out before, what are we doing
to set this right (the prescriprion) is 
worse than the forces that created it.
We said then that you are not good enough to more than
half of our society. Now we are telling them
that you don't have to be. You poor things
of the past, we will promise you everything
(impossible to deliver) just because you are here.

For a long time people believed that  Earth
was fixed and Sun went around Earth. Both East and West
thought this way, until Copernicus proved it otherwise.
Hindu almanac still calls Sun a planet.
The Church did not receive it well either. Many gave their life.
Darwin's theory  is not accepted by the Church. 
K. Sreekrishna