Welcome to Eternal Path Musings, a newsletter for the modern and curious Hindu, featuring highlights around religious texts, practice, history, politics, people, and ways to better our engagement and personal progress.
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What Were We Reading This Week?
Sindhi Hindus flee Pakistan to India in search of freedom - A look into the Sindhi Hindu experience in Pakistan and their refugee experience in India
Hindus sanctify Prambanan Temple after 1163 years - Hindus performed abhishekam at this ancient Hindu temple in Java, Indonesia that had largely just been a tourist site for years
Remembering Arumuga Navalar - A profile into the great 19th century Eelam Tamil writer who brought new life to Saivite Hinduism
Tweetstorm on Paganism and Christianity in the Roman Empire, with interesting lessons for Hindus
The Fury Over India’s Citizenship Amendment Act and The Silence About Hindu Persecution - Takes to task the global lack of coverage of Persecution of Hindus in the Indian Subcontinent
Convert Highlight: Heliodorus
Heliodorus was an envoy of one the Indo-Greek Kingdoms established after Alexander the Great’s death in what is now Pakistan. He converted to Vaishnavite Hinduism and in 113 BCE, erected a pillar near Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh which is known as the Heliodorus Pillar. It proclaims in a local Prakrit (in the Brahmi script) that this pillar is a column for Garuda, constructed by Heliodorus the faithful, and son of the Greek ambassador from Taxila, as a gift to King Bhagabhadra. See below for the Prakrit text and its Roman transliteration (those familiar with Sanskrit have an advantage here):
Learn more about the Heliodorus Pillar here.
Text Highlight: Shvetashvatara Upanishad
While most Hindus (and many non-Hindus) are aware of and inspired by the Vaishnavite Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita, Shaivites generally draw inspiration from a another somewhat similar text, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. The well known Hindu mantra below is actually from the beginning of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad.
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।Om̃ sahanāvavatu । saha nau bhunaktu । saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai । tejasvi nāvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai ॥
Some themes it touches on include: the nature of the soul, the nature of Shiva, the paths to realization, references to karma, and a fair amount of guidance around meditation.
सर्वाजीवे सर्वसंस्थे बृहन्ते अस्मिन्हंसो भ्राम्यते ब्रह्मचक्रे |
पृथगात्मानं प्रेरितारं च मत्वा जुष्टस्ततस्तेनामृतत्वमेति || 1.6 ||sarvājīve sarvasaṃsthe bṛhante asminhaṃso bhrāmyate brahmacakre;
pṛthagātmānaṃ preritāraṃ ca matvā juṣṭastatastenāmṛtatvameti. (1.6)“In this great Brahma−Wheel, in which all things abide and finally rest, the swan wanders about so long as it thinks the self is different from the Controller. When blessed by Him the self attains Immortality “
Translation by Swami Nikhilananda
Link to an English translation by Jayaram V. available here.
Politics: The Battle for Pashubali
We start with Kannappa, a Tamil Saivite saint from the Middle Ages, and one of 63 Nayanar saints of Saivite Hinduism. He was a hunter and a devotee of Shiva. It is said he saved the choicest cuts from his hunts for Shiva and always consecrated his offerings with water. The story surrounding the ultimate test and display of his devotion can be found here. Swami Sivananda’s website has a good summary (in the last paragraph) of the philosophical nature of Kannappa’s life.
Why is he relevant today? The debate over vegetarianism and animal sacrifice in Hinduism recently flared up following a Tripura court banning ancient traditions of pashubali (Hindu animal sacrifice) in their temples. In India the government runs, plunders, and interferes in Hindu temples.
Animal sacrifice is largely found among Shakta Hindus (shoutout to last week), and mostly in Bihar, Orissa, Nepal, Bengal, Assam, and Tripura. Most Hindus do not practice animal sacrifice, and many Hindu sampradaya over time moved from pashubali offerings to pishtapashu (पिष्टपशु - animals made from flour) offerings. However, regardless of popular appeal, folks supporting a government ban on animal sacrifice are at odds with Hindu texts and tradition.
IndiaFacts put out a strong argument affirming these traditions and criticizing the ban, from a perspective rooted in Hindu texts and theology. After further discussion they put out a rejoinder to critics on the topic. Srikanta Krishnamacharya points out here that even crusaders against animal sacrifice - and advocates of pishtapashu - such as Adi Shankaracharya and Madhavacharya refused to wholesale condemn pashubali as it had Vedic sanction.
Aesthetic
