The relevance of Sanskrit for modern times is significant and multifaceted. We will briefly explore here the eternal relevance of Sanskrit language and literature for now and forever. A study of these treasures bequeathed to us by Sages and scholars of ancient times are absolutely relevant to us, in all aspects of our lives.
Kamal, whom Americans call Camel, is a not-so-hapless Hindu friend that lives in the Bible belt. He always looks forward to the opportunity of meeting the next missionary. Camel believes that beauty is in the eyes of beer-holder and enjoys reading Osho....
Many Hindus these days apart from appeasing their said regular gods often invoke and appease their god of gods - The God of Rationalization. The acts which are basically moral failures, have to be justified as the rebuke of conscience is pretty difficult to live with. To completely erase the conscience, they appeal to and invoke the god of gods - Zeus (a). The hope for Zeus's children in the Generation Vice is, if Zeus is properly propitiated he will somehow make heretofore forbidden desires and acts permissible. They then advance the reality of the desires over the reality of the moral order to which the desires should be subordinated and surrendered to. In their minds they replace the reality of moral order with something more congenial to the activity they are excusing. This is not a mere rebellious phase that one might go through, but a deliberate, wanton, and systematic effort to undermine, dismantle and destroy Hindu's cultural edifice. The assertion and theme they choose to live by is that bad is good, and "live to " 'live it up".
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What is at stake in the California textbook controversy? Few would agree that it concerns only the image of Hinduism as offered to the pupils of the California state schools. The controversy involves much more than that alone. It is the next phase in the NRI community?s struggle for a less biased and more benign portrayal of Hinduism in the educational system and in American society in general. In the last three years many similar incidents have occurred: the acrimonious debate about ?Wendy?s Child Syndrome?; the Kripal and Courtright controversies; the indignation about the depiction of Hindu deities on bikini?s, slippers and toilet seats; etc. These transient outbursts express a solid and growing concern about the derogatory conceptions of the Hindu traditions, which still dominate the western societies and academia. In very general terms, the aim of this struggle could be put as follows: to make the world aware of the positive contributions the Indian culture and its traditions have made and can make to humanity. Since this is an aim I share, I would like to assess the NRI community?s progress towards its realization. This evaluation will take the California textbook controversy as a reference point, while addressing some of the broader issues involved....
In one sense, the title of the piece captures the nature of the tasks facing the contemporary generation, whether in India or in the Diaspora. This generation, unlike many from mine, is confident and self-assured; perhaps, it is proud too about the strength of its culture and traditions. Rightly so. However, personal convictions about the value of our traditions and culture do not automatically guarantee the truth of such convictions. Not only that. It is also the case that the history of India, and that of the entire humankind, requires of us that we are able to say and show what is valuable and what is not in our traditions. This history is the history of colonialism, subservience, and is further weighed down by the scientific, technological, economic and the military weight of the western culture. Today, we need more than a mere practice and a further continuation of our traditions; we need also to examine them honestly and critically in order that we may transmit what we found valuable in them....
