Ramanuja is said to have advocated equality of all Hindus,
This needs to be qualified for it is easily misinterpreted/misrepresented (including by some popular maThas on their websites).
Equal in what way?
The position of Ramanuja (and his followers) is that all living beings (jIvas) are equal ...
Can you be more specific? classifications can be useful. We have gender, nationality, native-language, professions as examples of useful classifications of humans.
@SK I am afraid to say that you won't find any religion that hasn't indulged in 'classification of humans other than human'. To make distinction among humans is as old as human society itself. The ideal of which you are talking about is barely 2 centuries old. It's formulators themselves hesitated to apply these principles in case of people of other skin colour. Those who spoke about upholding these ideals weren't serious about implementing them until the 1990s.
It would be difficult to separate out useful from useless/harmful classifications. Classification by blood groups can be life-saving. But there isn't ANY form of caste (guna/birth) that hasn't done immense harm and dividing Hindus among themselves must have been a chief reason why Hindu India succumbed to so many foreign invasions @hashable
Even those who claim to sincerely upholding such an ideal inadvertently create another hierarchy amongst themselves. I say so because I have seen how hierarchies centering around caste, creed, sex, sect, money-power, language, knowledge etc had been eradicated in order to replace them with party hierarchy by 34 years of rule of the party that stated to create a 'classless' society.
@অনু this is just "Gyaan". I think the US constitution as written and as implemented as of 2023 is a million times better than what prevails in India today. They started with slavery, oppression of women etc., but have eliminated most of the injustices of the system. But in India, Rig Veda is sacred, Purusha Suktam is sacred and Hinduism as is will never allow an egalitarian society.
@SK Well, in US, Vedanta Society of New York works very well and appeales to atheists too . If you remove culture and bring in philosophy, it indeed works.
> have eliminated most of the injustices of the system --------------> and created new ones. Look at the woke catastrophe and left wing extremism which has support at the highest level of the Biden administration. @sk
Hindu American Vivek ramaswami, probably reflecting the cruelty of the caste system in his genes, advocates harsh, cruel and heartless policies even right-wing whites wouldn't @SethuSrivatsaKoduru
@SK Abolished slavery but had banned immigration of Asians from 1917-1965 & used black Americans for unauthorized human experimentations. In WW2, only the black soldiers who indulged in mass rape of German women in Berlin were punished, while white soldiers were let off unpunished. Their deeds in Abu Ghraib prison of Iraq are available for everyone to see. And not to speak of their double-standards regarding treatment of Muslims in India & Israel. Regarding women, what is the percentage of women politicians in USA ? Also US is the only country which doesn't gives paid maternity leave.
The USA did abolish some restrictions but has also dived into absolute lawlessness in some other fields. Women there abort uncountable no. of fetuses in order to continue indulging in sex outside marriage. The very system of marriage has broken down there with divorcees outnumbering married persons. Excessive freedom of expression has led it's people go so far as to raid their own legislature. And not to speak about the silence related to gun-violence. If you think that such lawlessness is the epitome of freedom, then it's your choice but we are not obliged to follow your choice.
'But in India, Rig Veda is sacred, Purusha Suktam is sacred' - so you are telling that we should abandon the teachings of our own ancestors & indulge in blind adoration of foreigners, inspite of their errors & hypocrisy ?
'Hinduism as is will never allow an egalitarian society.' - The very concept of an egalitarian society is a Marxist innovation. No religion can be compatible with it.
White Christian Americans justified slavery by saying black people did not have souls. But the American egalitarian spirit broke through that. caste/varna is equally an abomination but in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu it seems to be coming back. This is a cheap shot - but suppose America said any Indian who wants to come here can come - do you think anybody would be left in India? @অনু
We DO blindly worship foreigners - our legal system is based on British and Mughal law - thankfully not Manu Smriti @অনু
'thankfully not Manu Smriti'- this proves that your understanding of Hinduism is woefully full of errors, which you are exploiting like an average Ambedkarite to 'great' use.
@TheLittleNaruto Sorry @thelittlenaruto got carried away. Will not happen again, please remove Anu's last comment & also give him a warning not to engage in personal attacks.
Discussion on answer by hashable: Did…
Discussion on answer by hashable: Did…