What are the names of the six shastras of Hinduism? - GLOBAL AMBEDKARITES

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

What are the names of the six shastras of Hinduism?


The article is from a series of questions answered by Shekhar Bodhakar

What makes think there are only six shastras of what was termed ‘Hinduism’ by the British in the early nineteenth century.

‘Hinduism’ was, what we can call ‘Indianism’ today. It has nothing to do with religion as is commonly but falsely assumed.

Shastras (instructions manuals), derived from the root word shastra which means weapon, reminds one of the phrase “pen is mightier than the sword”.

Knowledge is like a powerful weapon. knowledge which can be used in defence or attack, when systemised is called a shastra.

What are the shastras of the Indian subcontinent, a land once known as Hindustan, once a Buddhist empire known as Jambudeep? There are thousands upon thousands of shastras and many countless thousands that were kept in the only universities of that era, were destroyed in fires during the decline of Buddhism.

There are mathematics and scientific shastras, philosophical and religious shastras, music and arts shastras, languages, craft, history, medical etc shastras.

The oldest sets of shastras are:

1. The Tipitaka, which forms the Buddhist canon written by monks, exported to Sri Lanka by Ashoka’s son, the monk Mahinda.

2. The Vedas & Smritis composed by Brahmins sages and scholars not written until the AD era

The Tipitaka, being the oldest available written shastra is from the Ashokan era in the Pali language

These two sets of shastras, with conflicting ideologies, shaped the future of the Jambudeepians, Hindustanis and today’s Indians and are the shastras of ‘Indianism’, the way of life of the Indians.

NOTES:

1. The terms Hindu and Hindustan WERE geographical Identities and not religious

identities. Hindustan split into Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar

(Burma). After each country got it’s independence, the citizens of Hindustan, the

Hindus became Pakistanis, Indian, Bangladeshis, Nepalis etc and are no more Hindus..

just as there are no more Soviets since the Soviet Union split into independent states

too.

Therefore, their (the ex-Hindus) way of life cannot be called Hinduism anymore. It makes more sense to refer to these multiple ways of life as Pakistanism, Indianism, Banglaism or Nepalism etc Even the PM, Mr Modi admits that


2. If by Hinduism you mean Brahminism, the way of life of society controlled by Brahmins, then why not call it what it is.. ie Brahminism. Your question would then become :

“What are the names of the six shastras of Brahmanism?”, which warrants a different answer.

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ALSO READ:

1. Is Hinduism a religion or a way of life?

2. What is Sanatana Dharma?

3. Why did Dr. B.R. Ambedkar hate Hinduism?

4. How does the Hindu caste system really work and what can be the solution to eradicate casteism?

5. What are the main characteristics of Hinduism?

6. QUESTION 9: Why should Hindu Identity be given up?

7. Why didn't Hinduism spread to any other part of the world outside of the Indian subcontinent?

8. Why the scheduled castes and tribes are not Hindu?

9. Will Hinduism survive in India?                           

10. What do Hindus believe in?

11. What is the most important commandment of Hinduism?


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