[Advaita-l] moxa

[Sundaresan, Vidyasankar (GE Infra, Water)]

>I find amongst some of the list members this dread of SAstra-s
>being questioned. Let SAstra be questioned. Let SAstra answer
>questions or "ignore them if they are not worth taking note of".
>If SAstra can not answer certain questions within modern ethical
>framework then let it boldly reject that framework or equally
>boldly revise its stand and make certain things obsolete.
>SAstra can not be a fossil permanently itched in time and space.
> In India at least, many SAstrI-s understand this and are much
> more erudite than what we can think of. They know that
>SAstra-s express themselves in many ways and they know
> how to interpret them correctly without violating the essence
>of Hinduism.

Personally, it is not out of dread of questioning the SAstra that
I write defending the SAstra, but out of dread of the motivations
and presumptions of those who question it! When you talk of the
learned SAstrin-s in India who can interpret in the light of
contemporary concerns, I breathe easier. All I am saying is, there
has to be something at the core to interpret and the interpretation
has to arise out of a constructive engagement with the SAstra.
One's conscience cannot be the sole nor the central criterion
for coming to a conclusion.

Of course, secular law does not follow the dictates of the dharma
SAstra. But then, the manusmRti is not the only dharmaSAstra in
Hinduism, although it is the one beloved by those who like to
criticize.

> I hope you are not suggesting unconcern for ethical issues.
>'Rising cost of food' has many reasons. There are many ways
>to control it rather than hinting towards the expansion of
>mechanized butcheries. Further, the issue is not only related to

As with some others, I think you misunderstand my ethical concerns.
I am not advocating expansion of mechanized butcheries. But rest
assured, there will always be special interests in the world who will.
And there will always be a market for them. Both in the USA where
I live now, and in India, where I grew up, there is a substantial
population of "progressive" Hindus, who indignantly proclaim against
the SAstra-s, criticize animal sacrificies in the Vedic religion, and
and adjourn for an expensive carnivorous dinner.

We are veering far from the focus of this list in this discussion, so
I'll
stop here. Rest assured, those on this list who defend our SAstra have
as many, if not more, ethical concerns about various subjects, but we
are justifiably wary of what we see as unwarranted criticisms,
especially
from a Vedantic standpoint.

Regards,
Vidyasankar