CAN HINDUS ENGAGE IN HINDU STUDIES? | HINDU UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

Hindu University of America offers many courses such as Vedic courses, Sanskrit language courses, Vedic studies courses, Hindu Veda.
The Importance of Hindu Studies in an Academic Setting
In India, unfortunately, secularism is interpreted as the absence of religious education in the curriculum of schools, colleges and universities. Its proponents cite Article 28 of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits the imparting of religious instruction in educational institutions run by state funds or receiving state aid. It is therefore argued that religious education is against the spirit of the Constitution and has no place in schools. It is noteworthy that there is a very fine line between imparting religious instructions and religious education. Students have to learn about Hinduism on their own, from their parents, in temples and gurukuls or in private institutions.

On the other hand, until recently, Hinduism in the US was taught to cultural outsiders through a Western prism. A piece on Hinduism in Inner Higher Education titled "The Religious War on American Indian Scholars" and a response in the Huffington Post titled "The Propaganda War on Hindus on Campus: A Response to Inner Higher Education" highlight the challenge to Hindu studies in American colleges and universities. And what is taught in schools is a perversion of Hinduism, as the ongoing textbook fight in California public schools vividly illustrates.

Here is the problem and the challenge. A group of certain South Asian studies faculty questioned the historical accuracy of the use of the word "Hinduism" as a description of the ancient Indian religion, suggesting that it was inaccurate, and further argued that some textbook references to "India" should be replaced with either "South Asia" or "Indian subcontinent".

Several Indian scholars opposed the proposals, as did parents of Hindu children studying in California schools, who submitted a petition with more than 23,000 signatures, claiming that these faculty members proposing the curriculum changes were seeking to "erase India and Hinduism from California's schools".

Responding to South Asian Studies faculty members, Vamsee Juluri, a professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco, argues that the worldview “offered by writers . . . (like Wendy Doniger, Martha Nussbaum and others) . . . It seems to have little respect, if not for how Hindus themselves see their religion first. In his view, they distorted myths and history without "dealing with Hinduism as it is lived and understood by Hindus". In his words: "At the core of the battle between ideological Hinduphobia in the academy and a much more complex, diverse and disorganized (and, in my view, hardly well-funded) campaign in the Hindu community is essentially Nussbaum's claim of 'false claims about Hindu indigeneity in the Indian subcontinent.'

Juluri poses what he considers to be the most important question in this protracted conflict: "Whether the various traditions that Hindus today broadly refer to as 'Hinduism' should be recognized as an integral part of India, or whether Hinduism is nothing more than a Nazi ideology imposed by a mythical Aryan invader by race in 1500 BC

Among other Hindu scholars who oppose such Western writers on Hinduism, Rajiv Malhotra disputes the claim that "there is no such thing as a unified Hindu tradition". He states that such concepts “were introduced by missionaries questionable when applied to any period prior to the nineteenth century. Both religious practice and theological doctrine. . . to go against' such concepts as advocated by many Western scholars. Malhotra warns that these misconceptions have now “made their way into mainstream media, government policies and even popular cultural depictions of India. . . American school textbooks increasingly accepted by cosmopolitan Indians."

Challenging the old western paradigm, Balagangadhara Rao, Professor S.N. asks, “Can the academic community move from a paradigm that promotes mere propaganda as pure knowledge to a new paradigm that is based on an authentic search for knowledge? To embrace the new paradigm, contemporary academics, both Western and Indian, must answer the question: 'Does Western academia provide knowledge about India?'" In a similar vein, several other insightful academics who have studied Hindu history thought: and values ​​argued convincingly and persuasively for a new paradigm where Hindu studies are accurately depicted. These include current instructors at the Hindu University of America such as Kalyan Viswanathan, Kundan Singh and Vishwa Adluri.

I have described at length the challenges that Hindu Studies currently faces in this country. They arise because many teachers teaching Hinduism on campus are products of teachers like Wendy Doniger, who carry a colonial view of Brahmins and Sanskrit and continue to defend the now-discredited myth of the Aryan invasion. This ongoing struggle illustrates why it is important to have a true picture of Hinduism in this country, especially in academia. The young minds of America are generally being educated in institutions of higher learning, and they are the people who will be the opinion makers and decision makers of tomorrow.

To talk about the need and importance of Hindu studies in academia seems obvious. After all, understanding Hindu traditions and studying Hindu concepts and values ​​in a historical setting is essential, especially in the contemporary setting. Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas, Epics – what a rich literature! When we talk about Sanatana Dharma and Hindu principles like vasudhaiva katumbakum (the whole world is one family), sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niramaya. . . (may all be happy, may all be disease free, may none suffer, Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih) and countless other gems in the shlokas need to be understood and spread widely, especially in today's world known for intolerance and hatred.

The study of Sanskrit and sacred Hindu scriptures must be prioritized, which is essential to understanding and appreciating Hinduism, but is not given enough attention. The teaching of Yoga and Ayurveda as an integral part of Hindu studies must be equally valued. The time has come when initiates are able and equipped to impart Hindu studies in an authentic form. I am encouraged that the Hindu University of America has committed to this as part of its mission.

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Pub: 05 Jan 2023 12:15 UTC

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