Welcome to Eternal Path Musings, a weekly 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.
This issue features: polythesism, a dharmic system of organization, and an aesthetic
To read previous issues, click this link.
Forward widely and have your friends, family, and congregants sign up here!
Philosophy Highlight: The Polytheism Gaze
We highlighted in Week 22 the idea of Orientalism and of two Hindu writers who deconstruct the Western Oriental view of Hinduism. If you haven’t done so, check it out. Understanding that even the language and idea of Indology is a Western “gaze” upon Hinduism is important to combating misrepresentation of the religion and for building our own religious practice. Learn about “emic” and “etic” perspectives and make sure to amplify emic perspectives, as emic perspectives on Hinduism come from those with skin in the game in ensuring the timeless thoughts of the Vedas pass through for generations to come.
Why is this important? Well for years folks hostile or ignorant about Hinduism have used the word “polytheist” as a swear word against Hindus. Implicit in this is an idea that monotheism (in an Abrahamic sense) is better than polytheism. Hindus have therefore been caught on the backfoot generally responding “No! We believe in Brahman, we are monotheist.” Here at Eternal Path, we are not gurus to give you an answer on what Hinduism is or isnt. There are compelling arguments for saying Hinduism is polytheistic, henotheistic, or monotheistic and it is important to find a learned guru from a proper sampradaya to help you understand what conceptions of God(s) is/are to your sect of Hindus. However, the frame of polytheist = inferior should be rejected. Edward Butler, provides a great defense and outline of polytheism here:
There is the simple fact that polytheists invented philosophy, not only in Greece, but in India and in China and everywhere that we have a tradition sufficiently intact to see it. In all of these places there is a wisdom tradition that is at least nascently philosophical. These traditions were not separate from theology, but they expanded upon the basis provided by theophany, by the experience of living immortals, to perfect the arts of reasoned inquiry and to found the sciences. Polytheists must not let these traditions be alienated from them through the great historic lie that philosophy, reason, leads ultimately to monotheism. To believe this lie would in itself impair the flourishing of our traditions, and could even doom them, because it would cut us off from our own histories as well as from the innate faculties that have made humans such extraordinarily successful creatures. Polytheists have a duty, I would argue, to develop their wisdom traditions to the fullest extent possible. It’s not sufficient to worship with your heart, you have to worship with your head as well.
Its important also to note that certain Western ideas, can be at odds with the way Hindus in India practice(d) their religion and organize(d) their societies, but that teaching of Hinduism, especially in the diaspora is often heavily influences by Western gaze and prescriptions on Hindu society. India Facts has a great article outlining some of these ideas that seep in, called “Christ in the Hindu Mind”.
Video Highlight: Dharmicism as a System of Organization
Aesthetic Highlight: Tamil Nadu Shrine
