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.
=================
ALSO READ:
1. Is Hinduism a
religion or a way of life?
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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