Vipul Trivedi - Aum Beep Beep: Lifting the Lid on Hinduism

AUM..BEEP BEEP

LETTER TO MY SON

LIFTING THE LID ON HINDUISM

BY VIPUL TRIVEDI

CONTENTS

1. BRAHMIN BLESSINGS

2. THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE UNHOLY SPIRIT- THE ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

3. IN THE BEGINNING THERE WERE EUROPEANS ARYAN HISTORY

4. DRAMAYANA- THE STORY OF RAMA

5. THE RIGGED VEDA

6. MANU'S MISCHIEF- THE LAWS OF MANU

7. THE SPILLING OF THE SEED- PURANA TALES

8. THE WAR THAT NEVER WAS-THE MAHABHARATA

9. THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH- THE GITAS LIES

10. REBIRTH OF THE CHASTISER- THE SECOND COMING OF KRISHNA

11. JUMBO MUMBO- RELIGIOUS SUPERSTITIONS

12. THE TRUTH RETOLD

PREFACE

Ask any Hindu what Hinduism is all about and you are likely to get a one word reply- "spiritualism". Ask an old Brahmin the same question and you will almost certainly get a more convoluted response. It is too deep, he will begin, for just anyone to fathom its secrets. The great religion's answers, he will go on, are accessible only to those versed in Sanskrit, the language of the gods. The secrets contained within the vast volume of scriptures, the origins of which go back over 3500 years, to which you have to add the evolved (and evolving) philosophy of Vedanta based on the interpretations of thousands of enlightened gurus of those august works, are not relinquished easily. Hinduism, he will add, is not a religion. It is a way of life! Indeed, he will cry with pride, it is the one and only truth! No, my friend, he will conclude, what you need is a Guru to guide you on your way. He will then helpfully point you in the direction of the Vedantic cult of his choice, to his extremely charismatic and very spiritual leader. Thus will begin your foray into Hinduism, where you will wade through the morass of esotericism and sophistry on your self seeking journey towards enlightenment.

What exactly are the origins of Hinduism? Why is it considered peaceful whilst other religions aren't? At the age of forty, just after my father's death in 2001, I felt an urge to discover the answers to these, and other, questions for myself. I was determined to have a go at reading some of the readily available translations of the scriptures. My legal training proved to be invaluable in my quest.

My study took me back 3500 years, from the end of the Indus valley civilization to the invasion of the Indo Aryans, the chanting of the much lauded Vedic prayers and their stories of floods and creation, to Brahmanism and the evolution of the caste system and the graduation of the religion based on primitive rituals of animal (and human) sacrifices to the "spiritual" brand which is now being offered for sale by ashrams worldwide, whether they are based in small garages in London or in opulent mansions all over the world, built by a new breed of industrialists who have identified religion as a sure bet money spinner.

When my son was seventeen years old he asked me, after he had read the works of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, what I thought about our own religion. He told me that he could not find any book which was easily readable and which explored the secrets of Hinduism. I had already noted this dearth myself well before then and informed him that I was carrying out my own research into Hinduism and, if he wished, I would send him notes of my findings to enable him to follow them up with his own study. He later went on to university and I continued with my reading.

To my utter horror I discovered that far from being based on non violence and spiritualism the roots of Hinduism lay in the most barbaric practices of animal sacrifices and violence through conquest by marauding, nomadic and racist Indo Aryan tribes, and in the practice of slavery through the caste system which was said to have been created and sanctioned by god himself. My interest grew at this point and I delved deeper into the literature. The deeper I dug the more horrified I was to uncover that the sacred scriptures, all the way to the Bhagwad Gita and beyond, almost without exception, had only one aim in mind- to keep the Brahmins at the top and the Dalits at the bottom; that the Brahmins first created the caste system and then wrote scripture after scripture, all emphasizing that god had created the caste system and that it was the sacred duty of all humans to blindly follow this system by playing their given caste roles in order to obtain fruits in the future and ultimately liberation. Hinduism, or Brahmanism as it was originally, wasn't about spiritualism- it was about seizing and maintaining power through the use of slavery by religion. It is an inconvenient and unpalatable truth that that Hinduism has consigned hundreds of millions of its poorest citizens who are classified as members of the lowest caste (the Dalits) to an existence of utter misery and destitution for over 3500 years.

Two years ago I decided to write this book in the form of a letter to my son. Knowing his sense of humour (which I like to believe he has inherited from me) I was aware that he would be more likely to read the book if it made him laugh. I have therefore tried to pander to his humour. I have attempted to maintain the light hearted and informal tone of a father's letter to his son throughout when telling the real story behind the scriptures like the Puranas, the Ramayana, The Mahabharata, the Gita and others.

My aim in writing this book is to inform the reader where the beliefs of Hinduism, the so called truth to which Hinduism lays bold claim, originate and to investigate the veracity of our beliefs and to elucidate the mysticism which shrouds the religion. As I pursued my study I began to build, piece by piece, the jigsaw of deceit and violence which holds the religion together. The book, which traces the development of Hinduism and written in the style of a father's informal letter to his son will, I hope, appeal to readers of all faiths or none.

The effects of religion upon modern India are also important. On the one hand India is living in the 21st century and is at the forefront of an emerging world where technology and economic progress are improving the lives of millions. On the other hand, as far as religious beliefs are concerned, we are living in a bygone era: adherence to strict caste rules, planetary superstitions, animal worship, mythological character worship and performance of archaic rituals is not only rife but life modelling and controlling.

Religious extremism and intolerance are also on the increase in India. The saffron threat presented by the Hindu right wing zealots is all too real. This saffron menace is creeping into all areas of Indian life as they try to dictate what Indians should or should not be allowed to read and whether Indians should be allowed to celebrate Valentines Day or couples allowed to hold hands in public. We talk about this in connection with the Islamic nations but find it difficult to imagine that it can happen in India. But it can. And it is.

This is the story of my journey to liberation which I invite you, dear reader, to follow. The story is mine; the belief entirely yours.

Vipul Trivedi

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CHAPTER 1

BRAHMIN BLESSINGS

My Son,

I hope this letter finds you in the very best of health and happiness. I will not mention wealth because I know that you are surviving on a students loan and notions of wealth are not quite in the equation as yet.

Your mum and I miss you terribly and even after almost three years it takes us several weeks, after every one of your holiday visits, to accept that you have gone to attend your university course. I know we usually communicate these days by email or text message but I thought I would write to you in the old fashioned way, for I have something important to tell you.