9 myths about Hinduism debunked

By Moni Basu, CNN

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/25/9-myths-abot-hin!ism-!ebn"e!/#
sr$t%042&14'in!ismmythsstoryphoto
(CNN) - Caste. Co%s. *arma.
+hag +h"la "no%s that,s ho% some people otsi!e 'in!ism see her religion. -s the
hea! o. the 'in! -merican /on!ation, +h"la, 42, clari.ies misconceptions all the
time.
'in!ism is ancient, thogh there is no speci.ic !ate .or %hen it %as .orme!. 0he name is
a +ans"rit %or!1 'in!ism an! 'in! %ere coine! by in2a!ers %ho se! the terms to
re.er to the people they encontere! %hen they crosse! the 'in! *sh montains an!
arri2e! at the 3n!s 4i2er.
'otel 5eath: 3t6s a place o. celebration an! sal2ation .or sols
3n -merica, 'in!ism,s pro.ile %as ele2ate! by 3n!ian immigrants %ho broght their
cstoms an! ritals %ith them an! perhaps most recently, by the gro%ing poplarity o.
'in! teachings li"e yoga an! me!itation.
'in!ism is the %orl!,s ol!est li2ing religion an! the thir! largest 7 behin! Christianity
an! 3slam 7 %ith more than 1 billion .ollo%ers. +ome arge that 'in!ism is more a %ay
o. li.e than religion. 3t has no common cree! or chrch. Nor is it base! on the teachings
o. a .on!er or holy boo".
-n! it remains a mystery .or many.
Myth No. 1: 0here are 880 million 'in! go!s.
Reality: 0here is one spreme 9o! that cannot be .lly "no%n or n!erstoo!.
'in!s are encorage! to relate to 9o! in the %ay that sits them best, li"e %orshipping
many !eities %ho are belie2e! to be mani.estations o. 9o!. 0he trimurti or three main
!eities are Brahma, the creator1 :ishn, the preser2er1 an! +hi2a, the !estroyer. 0hat,s
%hy 'in!ism is o.ten thoght o. as polytheistic. 3t is not.
Bt there,s !ebate on the proper terminology .or 'in!ism. +ome call it a monistic
religion, !eri2e! .rom the belie. that e2erything in the ni2erse is part o. one sbstance or
natre. +ome, incl!ing +h"la, say 'in!sim is henotheistic, %hich is the %orship o.
one go! %ithot !enying the e;istence o. other go!s. <thers, say it is monotheistic.
Myth No. 2: 'in!s are i!ol %orshippers.
Reality: 'in!s %orship a remin!er o. 9o!.
No 'in! %ill say he or she is %orshipping an i!ol. 3nstea!, 'in!s belie2e a physical
representation o. 9o! 7 in the .orm o. an i!ol - helps them .ocs on an aspect o. prayer
or me!itation. /or instance, a person %ho has =st opene! p a ne% bsiness may %orship
9anesh, the elephant go! %ho represents sccess.
Myth No. 3: 'in!s %orship co%s.
Reality: 'in!s !o not pray to co%s bt they !o regar! all creation an! all li.e as sacre!.
'in!s belie2e e2ery li2ing thing has a sol. 3t is tre, ho%e2er, that co%s hol! a special
place in 'in! society. 0hat,s %hy 'in!s re.rain .rom eating bee.. Co%s are seen as
gentle, maternal .igres that are pro2i!ers o. mil" an! other .orms o. sstenance. 0hey
are honore! .or their 2ale.
Myth No. 4: -ll 'in!s are 2egetarians.
Reality: - ma=ority o. 'in!s eat meat.
Bt abot 80 percent !o not. 0hat stems .rom a .n!amental belie. in ahimsa, the
principle o. non-2iolence. +ince all li2ing things are mani.estations o. 9o!, 2iolence
against them is consi!ere! contrary to the natral balance o. the ni2erse.
Myth No. 5: 'in!ism spports a !iscriminatory caste system.
Reality: Caste !iscrimination is roote! not in religion bt cltre.
Caste %as an ancient system o. occpational class !elineate! in 'in! te;ts that o2er the
years !e2elope! into a rigi! social hierarchy. 0he lo%est castes, or ntochables, %ere
marginali>e! an! .ace! persection. Bt many mo!ern 'in!s ha2e arge! that caste-
base! !iscrimination is not intrinsic to 'in!ism an! shol! not be thoght o. as
religiosly sanctione!.
Myth No. 6: ?omen are sbser2ient in 'in!ism.
Reality: Not becase o. religion.
-ctally, one attribte that !i..erentiates 'in!ism .rom say, Christianity or 3slam, is that
it recogni>es .orms o. go! as .eminine. 'in!s re2ere +ha"ti, or the personi.ication o.
9o!6s energy throgh a .emale .igre.
+ome o. the most commonly %orshippe! go!!esses are @ar2ati, a primary .orm o.
+ha"ti1 +aras%ati, the go!!ess o. %is!om1 an! Aa"shmi, go!!ess o. prosperity.
?omen in 3n!ia may not be eBal %ith men bt again, that is not becase o. religion bt
cltre an! people sing religion to "eep %omen !o%n. 0his is a"in, perhaps, to 3slamic
societies .orcing %omen to co2er p .rom hea! to toe.
C3 !on,t thin" there is a basis to !isregar! %omen in or religion,D +h"la says. C0he
:e!as (scriptre) !on,t gi2e those instrctions.D
Myth No. : 'in! %omen %earing Ere! !ots, on their .orehea!s are marrie!.
Reality: +ometimes.
- re! !ot %as once a symbol o. marriage .or 'in! %omen. 0o!ay, the !ot, or bindi, is
largely !ecorati2e. 9irls an! %omen 7 marrie! an! single - %ear bin!is o. all colors as
.ashion statements.
Myth No. !: 0he Bhaga2a! 9ita is li"e the Bible.
Reality: 0here is not one central, athoritati2e boo" in 'in!ism.
Bt 'in!ism is rich in scriptre %ith a 2ast collection o. ancient religios %ritings.
'in!s belie2e go! re2eale! trths to %ise men %ho passe! them on .or thosan!s o.
years throgh a rich oral tra!ition. 0he scriptres incl!e the :e!as, the Fpanisha!s, the
@ranas an! the Bhaga2a! 9ita, or +ong o. 9o!.
@art o. the epic tale, Gahabharata, the H00-2erse 9ita is the %orl!,s longest poem an!
ta"es the .orm o. a !ialog on a battle.iel! bet%een a prince, -r=na, an! *rishna. 3t
captres the core belie.s o. 'in!ism bt not all 'in!s rea! the 9ita.
Myth No. 9: *arma is .atalistic.
Reality: I2eryone has the ability to choose li.e,s actions.
0his is the theory behin! karma: .or e2ery action a person sets in motion, there is a
correspon!ing reaction. 'in!s belie2e they ha2e to .ace the conseBences o. past
actions. Iach person creates his or her !estiny %ith !ee!s. 0he ltimate goal is to ha2e
"arma that %ill .ree a sol an! gain moksha, or liberation .rom the cycle o. rebirth.
Sources: Hindu-American Foundation, Hinduism Today and Vasudha Narayanan,
associate editor of Brills ncyclo!edia of Hinduism
Goni Bas - CNN ?ire e!itor
/ile! n!er: -sia J 'in!ism J 3n!ia