Question: As salamu alaikum. I am interested in comparative religious study. I had
a dialogue with my Hindu friend and I told him that there are no errors
or contradictions in the Quran. He said Bhagavad Gita too has no
errors. I want to know the scientific errors or contradictions in Hindu
scriptures like Vedas and especially in Bhagavad Gita. I posed this
question to many but I didn't get any reply so far. Hope I will get an
answer from you. May Allah reward you all scholars for striving to
spread Islam.
-Kaleemuddin Mohammed
Reply:
The primary texts of Hinduism are the four Vedas. They are: the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. They are considered to be revealed scriptures. Widely varying interpretations of the Vedas have created divergent groups and sects in Hinduism.
The Vedas have provided the theoretical grounds for Varnashrama (the caste system), which served to systematize an institution of graded inequality among people.
There are four castes: The Brahmin (Priest caste) is on top; then follows the Kshatriya (ruling caste), then Vaishya (business caste), and last of all stands Sudra (menial caste) who serve all the other three castes, and the Untouchables are the lowest of the low - the Out-Caste.
Hindus believe in Karma (i.e. the accumulated sum of one's good and bad deeds) and in Punarjanma (i.e. the transfer of one's soul after death into another body). This produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth through their many lifetimes.
It is Karma that determines how a person will live his next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn at a lower level, even as an animal.
The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for one's previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives.
But at the same time it is also viewed as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes the pantheistic principle of Brahman that all reality is a unity.
And some view Hinduism as tritheistic, because of their belief in Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.
In short, Hinduism is an utterly diverse conglomerate of doctrines, cults, and ways of life. It is both a civilization and a complex of religious philosophies, with neither a beginning, nor a founder, nor a central authority, hierarchy, or organization.
And its advocates often counter critics by saying that the contradictions and incongruities in Hinduism serve to show its comprehensive nature as a sign of its strength rather than of weakness.
-Kaleemuddin Mohammed
Reply:
Salam Dear Kaleemuddin,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
In
order to have meaningful dialogue with non-Muslims on religion, it is
better we have a good idea of their religious beliefs. Based on such
knowledge, we can compare and contrast between Islam and their faith.
One
point to remember is that we should respect their beliefs, even while
we express our disagreement. It is better to start by looking for common
grounds of belief and practice and then move on to areas of difference.
And
while discussing points of difference we should take care to appeal to
their natural goodness, as well as to their sense of justice and truth.
What follows is a critical view of Hinduism and I request you to keep learning.
Hinduism in Brief
Hinduism
is a vast ocean of various cults that hold mutually exclusive beliefs
like monotheism, polytheism, and even atheism. It has no hard and fast
creed as its basis; so it holds within its bounds even those who are
engaged in idol worship, ancestor worship, animal worship, and demon
worship.
The most sublime philosophies as well as the most barbarous practices stand side by side in Hinduism. Among its adherents we find upper-caste Brahmins and lower caste Sudras, whom the Brahmins hold at a distance as "untouchables".
S.V. Kelkar writes: "There
is in fact no system of doctrines, no teacher, or school of teaching,
no single god that is accepted by all the Hindus." (S.V.Kelkar: Essay on Hinduism, p. 34, quoted by Hadwa Dom, Myth of the One Hindu Religion Exploded)
Understanding the VedasThe primary texts of Hinduism are the four Vedas. They are: the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. They are considered to be revealed scriptures. Widely varying interpretations of the Vedas have created divergent groups and sects in Hinduism.
The Vedas have provided the theoretical grounds for Varnashrama (the caste system), which served to systematize an institution of graded inequality among people.
There are four castes: The Brahmin (Priest caste) is on top; then follows the Kshatriya (ruling caste), then Vaishya (business caste), and last of all stands Sudra (menial caste) who serve all the other three castes, and the Untouchables are the lowest of the low - the Out-Caste.
The
caste system is practically a social phenomenon deeply entrenched in
the Hindu psyche, sometimes described as "a hidden Apartheid". (Cast an Eye on the Dalits of India)
This
system has resulted in the destitution of millions of low caste people
(known now as Dalits – literally "broken people") owing to terrible
discrimination to this day.
After
Vedas, there are Upanishads which deal with Vedic philosophy and form
the conclusions of each of the Vedas. The Ramayana attributed to the
poet Valmiki and the Mahabharata attributed to the sage Vyasa are two
epics greatly valued in Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is the sixth book of
the Mahabharata.
The Bhagavad Gita
The
content of the Bhagavad Gita is the advice given by Krishna (who is
believed to be an incarnation of the Supreme Being) to Arjuna (a hero in
the Mahabharata favored by Krishna) on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
before the beginning of a historic battle.
Responding
to Arjuna's moral dilemma, Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a
warrior from a philosophical point of view with examples and analogies.
Krishna's
explanations, which form the Gita, are considered by the Hindus as a
practical, self-contained guide to life in general.
The Concept of KarmaHindus believe in Karma (i.e. the accumulated sum of one's good and bad deeds) and in Punarjanma (i.e. the transfer of one's soul after death into another body). This produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth through their many lifetimes.
It is Karma that determines how a person will live his next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn at a lower level, even as an animal.
The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for one's previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives.
Bhagavad Gita's emphasis is on "Karma Yoga" which means the performance of one's duties with no regard to their fruits, as expressed in the words of Krishna to Arjuna:
You
have a duty to perform your prescribed action, but you should not be
concerned about the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the
cause of the results of your activities, and never be associated to not
doing your duty. (Bhagavad Gita 2:47)
Addressing
Arjuna's compunctions about killing his relatives arrayed on the enemy
side, Krishna advises him to disregard traditional values and act
without worrying about the results of his action. Krishna says:
The
wise men who reached true knowledge see with equal vision a Brahmin (a
member of the highest caste), a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater.
(Bhagavad Gita 5:18).
Krishna argues that it is actually impossible to kill anyone, as the soul (atman) is immortal:
Those
who think that they can kill or those that think they can be killed are
confused in the manifestations of ignorance. The infinite, immortal
soul can neither kill nor be killed. (Bhagavad Gita 2:19)
Therefore
Arjuna is free to kill his relatives, considering them only temporary
abiding forms for the eternal self, mere mortal frames.
The
problem here is that the same perspective of moral values (Gita 2:19,
quoted above) may be adopted by a wicked person to clear his conscience
while doing evil acts, if "detachment" is the norm.
The only condition is that he should rise above all material considerations to do his deeds. Krishna tells Arjuna:
Consider
all your acts as acts of devotion to me, whether eating, offering,
giving away, performing austerities. Perform them as an offering to me.
In this way you will be free from Karma, you will be liberated and you
will come to me. (Bhagavad Gita 9:27).
To
the Hindus, Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is
currently doing and will do. Karma continues until one attains Moksha or
Mukti, i.e. liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth to be one
with the Parmatma or the Oversoul. That is to say, Karma creates present
and future experiences.
But in
the Gita itself, Lord Krishna says that he saves those who worship him
(12:6-7) and punishes those who are envious and mischievous (16:19).
This is certainly a contradiction of the law of Karma, which is a law that functions by itself, with no external control. And also it goes counter to his teaching about detachment.
He says about himself: "I see all creatures equally disposed and I am not partial to anyone." (Bhagavad Gita 9:29).
At the same time Krishna is in fact partial to Arjuna in the battlefield, by serving as his charioteer and military advisor!
There
is another inconsistency regarding the character of Krishna. In the
Gita, Krishna is called the Supreme Lord of the Universe (5:29), eternal
(4:6) and the source of all existence:
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from me. (Bhagavad Gita 10:8)
And again:
At
the end of an era (kalpa) all creatures disintegrate into my nature and
at the beginning of another era I manifest them again. Such it is my
nature (prakriti) to follow again and again the pattern of the Infinite manifestations and disintegrations. (Bhagavad Gita 9:7-8)
That
is to say, Krishna has to follow the pattern of the Infinite
manifestations and disintegrations automatically, under the obligation
of prakriti".
Krishna's Contradictions
S. Dasgupta comments on the contradictory personal character of Krishna saying that:
The
Gita combines together different conceptions of God without feeling the
necessity of reconciling the oppositions or contradictions involved in
them. It does not seem to be aware of the philosophical difficulty of
combining the concept of God as unmanifested, differenceless entity with
the notion of Him as the super-person Who incarnates Himself on earth
in the human form and behaves in the human manner.
It
is not aware of the difficulty that, if all good and evil should have
emanated from God, and if there be ultimately no moral responsibility,
and if everything in the world should have the same place in God, there
is no reason why God should trouble to incarnate Himself as man, when
there is a disturbance of the Vedic dharma.
If
God is impartial to all, and if He is absolutely unperturbed, why
should He favor the man who clings to Him, and why, for his sake,
overrule the world-order of events and in his favor suspend the law of
Karma? (S. Dasgupta, Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarsidass, 1991, vol. 2, p. 533)
The Conglomeration of Hinduism
Hinduism is often described as polytheistic religion, one which worships several gods and goddesses. But at the same time it is also viewed as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes the pantheistic principle of Brahman that all reality is a unity.
And some view Hinduism as tritheistic, because of their belief in Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.
In short, Hinduism is an utterly diverse conglomerate of doctrines, cults, and ways of life. It is both a civilization and a complex of religious philosophies, with neither a beginning, nor a founder, nor a central authority, hierarchy, or organization.
And its advocates often counter critics by saying that the contradictions and incongruities in Hinduism serve to show its comprehensive nature as a sign of its strength rather than of weakness.
I hope this answers your question. Please keep in touch.
Salam.
References:
Useful Links:
Search Results: