Dr. Babasaheb R. Ambedkar - Riddles in Hinduism

447 Pages·2008·5.33 MB·English

Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
"Father Of Indian Constitution"
India’s first Law Minister
Architect of the Constitution of India
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http://www.ambedkar.org

Born April 14, 1891, Mhow, India
Died Dec. 6, 1956, New Delhi
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, was the first Minister of Law soon after the Independence
of India in 1947 and was the Chairman of the drafting committee for the Constitution of
India As such he was chiefly responsible for drafting of The Constitution of India.
Ambedkar was born on the 14th April, 1891. After graduating from Elphinstone College,
Bombay in 1912, he joined Columbia University, USA where he was awarded Ph.D.
Later he joined the London School of Economics & obtained a degree of D.Sc. (
Economics) and was called to the Bar from Gray's Inn.
He returned to India in 1923 and started the 'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha' for the
education and economic improvement of the lower classes from where he came.
One of the greatest contributions of Dr. Ambedkar was in respect of Fundamental
Rights & Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution of India. The
Fundamental Rights provide for freedom, equality, and abolition of Untouchability &
remedies to ensure the enforcement of rights. The Directive Principles enshrine the
broad guiding principles for securing fair distribution of wealth & better living conditions.
On the 14th October, 1956, Babasaheb Ambedkar a scholar in Hinduism embraced
Buddhism. He continued the crusade for social revolution until the end of his life on the
6th December 1956. He was honoured with the highest national honour, 'Bharat Ratna'
in April 1990 .

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Contents

PART I - RELIGIOUS
Riddle No. 1 : The difficulty of knowing why one is a Hindu
Riddle No. 2 : The Origin Of The Vedas—The Brahminic Explanation or An Exercise In The Art Of
Circumlocution
Riddle No. 3 : The Testimony Of Other Shastras On The Origin Of The Vedas
Riddle no. 4 : Why suddenly the brahmins declare the vedas to be infallible and not to be
questioned?
Riddle no. 5 : Why did the brahmins go further and declare that the vedas are neither made by
man nor by god?
Riddle no. 6 : The contents of the vedas: have they any moral or spiritual value?
Riddle no. 7 : The turn of the tide or how did the brahmins deceare the vedas to be lower than the
lowest of their shastras?
Riddle no. 8 : How the upanishads declared war on the vedas?
Riddle no. 9 : How the upanishads came to be made subordinate to the vedas?
Riddle no. 10 : Why did the brahmins make the hindu gods fight against one another?
Riddle no. 11 : Why did the brahmins make the hindu gods suffer to rise and fall?
Riddle no. 12 : Why did the brahmins dethrone the gods and enthrone the goddesses?
Riddle no. 13 : The riddle of the ahimsa
Riddle no. 14 : From ahimsa back to himsa
Riddle no. 15 : How did the brahmins wed an ahimsak god to a bloodthirsty Goddess?
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PART II - SOCIAL
Riddle no. 16 : The four varnas-are the brahmins sure of their origin?
Riddle no. 17 : The four ashramas—the why and how about them
Riddle no.18 : Manu's madness or the brahmanic explanation of the origin of the mixed castes
Riddle no. 19 : The change from paternity to maternity. What did the brahmins wish to gain by it?
Riddle no. 20 : Kali varjya or the brahmanic art of suspending the operation of sin without calling it
sin
Appendix I : The riddle of the varnashram dharma
Appendix II : Compulsory matrimony

PART III - Political
Riddle no. 21 : The theory of manvantara
Riddle no. 22 : Brahma is not dharma. What good is Brahma?
Riddle no. 23 : Kali Yuga—Why have the brahmins made it unending?
Riddle no. 24 : The riddle of the Kali yuga
Appendix I : The riddle of Rama and Krishna
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RIDDLES IN HINDUISM

RIDDLE No. 1

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RIDDLES IN HINDUISM

RIDDLE No. 1
THE DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING WHY ONE IS A HINDU

India is a conjeries of communities. There are in it Parsis, Christians, Mohammedans and Hindus.
The basis of these communities is not racial. It is of course religious. This is a superficial view.
What is interesting to know is why is a Parsi a Parsi, and why is a Christian a Christian, why is a
Muslim a Muslim and why is a Hindu a Hindu? With regard to the Parsi, the Christian and the
Muslim it is smooth sailing. Ask a Parsi why he calls himself a Parsi he will have no difficulty in
answering the question. He will say he is a Parsi because he is a follower of Zoraster. Ask the
same question to a Christian. He too will have no difficulty in answering the question. He is a
Christian because he believes in Jesus Christ. Put the same question to a Muslim. He too will
have no hesitation in answering it. He will say he is a believer in Islam and that is why he is a
Muslim.
Now ask the same question to a Hindu and there is no doubt that he will be completely
bewildered and would not know what to say.
If he says that he is a Hindu because he worships the same God as the Hindu Community
does his answer cannot be true. All Hindus do not worship one God. Some Hindus are
monotheists, some are polytheists and some are pantheists. Even those Hindus who are
monotheists are not worshippers of the same Gods. Some worship the God Vishnu, some Shiva,
some Rama, some Krishna. Some do not worship the male Gods. They worship a goddess. Even
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then they do not worship the same Goddesses. They worship different Goddesses. Some worship
Kali, some worship Parvati, some worship Laxmi.

Coming to the Polytheists they worship all the Gods. They will worship Vishnu and Shiva, also
Rama and Krishna. They will worship Kali, Parvati and Laxmi. A Hindu will fast on the Shivaratri
day because it is sacred to Shiva. He will fast on Ekadashi day because it is sacred to Vishnu. He
will plant a Bel tree because it is sacred to Shiva and he will plant a Tulsi because it is dear to
Vishnu.

Polytheists among the Hindus do not confine their homage to the Hindu Gods. No Hindu
hesitates to worship a Muslim Pir or a Christian Goddess. Thousands of Hindus go to a Muslim Pir
and make offerings. Actually there are in some places Brahmins who own the office of a
hereditary priesthood of a Muslim Pir and wear a Muslim Pir's dress. Thousands of Hindus go to
make offerings to the Christian Goddess Mant Mauli near Bombay.

The worship of the Christian or Muslim Gods is only on occasions. But there are more
permanent transfer of religious allegiance. There are many so-called Hindus whose religion has a
strong Muhammadan content. Notable amongst these are the followers of the strange Panchpiriya
cult, who worship five Muhammadan saints, of uncertain name and identity, and sacrifice cocks to
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them, employing for the purpose as their priest a Muhammadan Dafali fakir. Throughout India
many Hindus make pilgrimages to Muhammadan shrines, such as that of Sakhi Sarwar in the
Punjab.

Speaking of the Malkanas Mr. Blunt says that they are converted Hindus of various castes
belonging to Agra and the adjoining districts. chiefly Muttra, Ettah and Mainpuri. They are of
Rajput, Jat and Bania descent. They are reluctant to describe themselves as Musalmans, and
generally give their original caste name and scarcely recognize the name Malkana. Their names
are Hindu; they mostly worship in Hindu temples: they use the salutation Ram-Ram: they
intermarry amongst themselves only. On the other hand, they sometimes frequent a mosque,
practise circumcision and bury their dead: they will eat with Muhammadans if they are particular
friends.
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