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bp789
29 August 2011, 02:22 AM
One of the things I have been wondering is if there's a certain group of aspects and qualities that a person must have to be a real Hindu. This question was sparked by a discussion we had in our English class in which we were talking about religion. One girl, who is not religious, talked about her friends who would go pray to God for forgiveness for some sin and then commit the same sin again while others were more devout, but there were some rules that they didn't follow, and she was asking to spark another discussion that if you don't follow all of the rules in a religion, then why do you still consider yourself to be a part of that religion?

Granted most of her examples are Christian people, but I was wondering how this applies to Hindu people. The Hindu sect that I belong to is strict when it comes to rules that we are supposed to follow: being vegetarian, not eating onions or garlic, not drinking alcohol or smoking, no premarital sex, etc. However, I myself do occasionally eat foods that have onions and garlic and I also eat sweets that have eggs in it. I'm also not that devout in that I don't really pray or meditate, but I'm trying my best to meditate.

I have a really close friend that is also the same Hindu type/sect as me, but he is even less strict than me. He has drunk alcohol before and smoked marijuana (and his parents don't know), but he is still vegetarian (not including the eggs and gelatin thing). I'm not sure what his exact views are because he says that he wants to be more religious and try to do more stuff like puja, although he also says that he still wants to try to have some fun in his youth. Not to mention it's odd for me hearing him talk about the crazy stuff he's done on weekends and then hear him being slightly critical of some of the Hindus at our school for eating meat :P .

One of my other friends is also a girl who doesn't really belong to a particular sect. Her family eats meat, and is more liberal in that they drink alcohol, and she's had sips and glasses of wine before. However, she says that she occasionally does puja at home, and she also does classical Indian dance which revolve around stories about Lord Krishna and various pastimes in his life, so I guess her dancing is also a way of worship and bhakti to Krishna in a way.

And speaking in more general terms, most of the Hindus I know aren't really devout as they eat meat and drink, although they occasionally visit the temple, but it's usually for social reasons. Even among some of the vegetarian Hindus I know, their parents also drink, although I know some non-vegetarian Hindus that wouldn't dare touch alcohol. Aside from dietary habits, none of the Hindus I know really do much. They might pray or meditate occasionally or visit the temple, but that's basically it. Although to be fair, I don't really do that much either, but that might just be because all of us are busy worrying about school and applying for universities and such.

So would you consider the people I mentioned above as being real Hindus? Does this really make sense in a Hindu context though since Hinduism allows individuals the freedom to make their own choices? This was one aspect of Hinduism that the two plus a couple other people liked in that in Hinduism, God is not a cruel dictator who will send you to hell like in Christianity or Islam, which is why they prefer Hinduism although they admit they are not strict as they should be or maybe want to be. This is not even including the confusion I get in my head when I see Hindu temples that allow for animal sacrifice, alcohol offerings, and using bhang as a way to enlightenment (I don't really have much a big problem with cannabis in general, but most people I know don't use it as a way to enlightenment).

Anyway, I was kind of rambling on so sorry if some of my things didn't make sense. So what do you guys think?

wundermonk
29 August 2011, 04:59 AM
IMO, there are two types of answers to such questions as "Who is a Hindu?"

At the philosophical level, one has to believe in three different ontological entities [Brahman, Prakriti/Maya and Jivas]. There are differences amongst schools as to whether Prakriti is itself Brahman [Samkhya school] or what the relationship is between Jivas and Brahman or is Brahman personal or impersonal. Most of these ideas flow from the Vedas and Upanishads which constitute one of the epistemological foundations [pramanas] for Hindus.

To be a Hindu one has to believe that the universe has been in existence for eternity. There are different opinions as to what happens after Moksha...is it for all times to come or does one enjoy Moksha for a while and then again take rebirth, etc.

At a practical ground level, there are various activities that have evolved from Hindu thought. These include Yoga, meditation, Bhakti, devotional songs to our Ishta Deivatas so as to earn their grace, etc. These have developed from Smritis, Itihasas, Puranas, etc.

Can a Hindu drink beer/whisky? Can a Hindu eat egg/non-veg/fish? I dont know. IMO, there is thankfully no centralized temple figure who decrees on these issues.

Ganeshprasad
29 August 2011, 05:56 AM
Pranam

I some times wonder what lies behind this questions, any way to get the answer it is very simple, go to any temple and find out if this question you ask are evident there, then you will have your answers.

Jai Shree Krishna

Eastern Mind
29 August 2011, 07:43 AM
Vannakkam bp: There is a long continuum from very liberal to very traditional. Practicing can vary as much as weddings and funerals only, to a 3 hour sadhana daily, or to being a temple priest. All are Hindus, in my opinion. But I certainly understand what you're saying.

There is no apostasy in Hinduism, as far as I know, like in other faiths. So unless you make a declaration that you are some other faith, then you're still a Hindu.

I try (and some days its hard, really hard) not to judge this more liberal version of Hindu. Just the other day a person (Hindu) said to my wife about reincarnation: "You don't really believe in that, do you?"

Aum Namasivaya

sanjaya
29 August 2011, 09:45 AM
For what it's worth, Indian courts have attempted to define Hindus:

http://hindusutra.com/archive/2007/02/27/define-hindu-a-judicial-definition/

As the article I linked even points out, the definition is a bit self-contradictory...there's the Indian justice system for you. :)


Granted most of her examples are Christian people, but I was wondering how this applies to Hindu people. The Hindu sect that I belong to is strict when it comes to rules that we are supposed to follow: being vegetarian, not eating onions or garlic, not drinking alcohol or smoking, no premarital sex, etc. However, I myself do occasionally eat foods that have onions and garlic and I also eat sweets that have eggs in it. I'm also not that devout in that I don't really pray or meditate, but I'm trying my best to meditate.

Wow, and I thought I had it bad. In my family we have the vegetarian and premarital sex restrictions, but that's about it.

Anyway, I've always wondered about this one. Until the past couple of years I wasn't really all that religious. However I always considered myself Hindu. I figured (correctly or otherwise) that if you're born a Hindu, then you're a Hindu by default. I suppose we have to determine whether one's Hinduism is primarily derived from culture, or whether it's based on a set of beliefs. As you said, a lot of Hindus have some pretty crazy beliefs. The animal sacrifice that goes on in Nepal is a particularly good example of this. So if we base it on belief, there's a whole other can of worms to be opened.

Personally I'd say that if you're born Hindu or convert, you're effectively a Hindu for life. But hey, what do I know?

c.smith
29 August 2011, 04:34 PM
Hari Om!

IMHO, trying to follow the yamas and niyamas would certainly define one as being on the path of Sanatan Dharma, or what I proudly term Hinduism. I won't go into my own definitions of such, but suffice to say that they are pretty conservative.

Ramakrishna
29 August 2011, 10:34 PM
Namaste Bp789,

A question for the ages. It's a very difficult question to answer, as there are so many different takes on it, but at the same time the difficulty in answering this question shows the beauty of Sanatana Dharma. As you said, there is no central authority structure that dictates what everybody must believe. Hinduism is not a dogmatic religion driven by creeds like the Abrahamic faiths are.

Practice is emphasized above belief, in Hinduism. But IMHO, there must be some belief as well. From my perspective, if one believes in the central tenets of Hinduism such as dharma, karma, reincarnation, deities/Brahman, then they are a Hindu. Part of believing in these things is practicing them. The two go hand in hand. Of course, this is most evident with dharma, as Hindus strive to live a dharmic lifestyle and abide to dharma. However, even things such as karma, reincarnation, etc. can be "practiced". As Eastern Mindji has said before, one needs to talk like a Hindu, think like a Hindu, speak like a Hindu, etc.

I think ultimate only each individual person can determine if he/she is a Hindu. Do you really believe in karma and reincarnation? Do you really believe in the supremacy, revelation, and teachings of the Vedas? Do you really believe in the deities/Brahman? Do you really believe in dharma? Do you really believe in Sanatana Dharma?

Basically my view is that there is a perfect mixture of belief and practice to be a Hindu. One cannot simply believe in this or that like with the Abrahamic religions. Yet one cannot simply go about doing various things without any real belief in Sanatana Dharma and be a Hindu.

I suppose a simpler answer and perhaps what I'm getting at is that dharma defines being a Hindu. Belief in as well as the practice/following of dharma is the essence of Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma. But then of course it's not that simple, as dharma is very flexible and not a concrete, set in stone thing. Things such as meat-eating can be debated, and for things like that may not be allowed in certain sects, but there is definitely room within Sanatana Dharma. But other things such as murder, stealing, disparaging of deities, the environment, etc. clearly have no place in Hinduism.

Sorry for the rambling, but this is just my view of being a Hindu, a combination of belief and practice of the central tenets of Hinduism, primarily dharma. But like I said before, ultimately only each individual person can determine if he/she is a Hindu.

Jai Sri Ram

NayaSurya
29 August 2011, 10:34 PM
This has been on my mind a lot lately. This forum is for Hindu Dharma Portions...and yet this mlecha does visit here and try to be acceptable not offensive...and worth some good.

Some say Hindu is a people who happen to have a philosophy called Sanatana Dharma.

Some say it's everyone who follow Sanatana Dharma.

I am not sure what it would be or at this point that it even matters.

I am Lanie, the portion from the hilltop in ky. It's a pretty place one of unspoiled nature. It's a peaceful place...full of simple people all trying to survive just as any other place within this realm.

For a long while now I think it would be more kind, less harmful to be away from here as since I am this word mlecha I am more of a dirty spot to others than a help...and my ignorance or belief in the magic and wonder of Beloved is very ignorant and perhaps crazy.

You know it's okay that this may be the case as I have found something out that makes all of this quite acceptable. Beloved is within me, as He is within every single Portion here. No more, no less(mostly:p ).

I can not answer this question above any more than any one person could put a collar upon the housefly...except to say...


We are defined by actions, thoughts and words. Upon these things show our true nature.

devotee
29 August 2011, 10:48 PM
This has been on my mind a lot lately. This forum is for Hindu Dharma Portions...and yet this mlecha does visit here and try to be acceptable not offensive...and worth some good.

Some say Hindu is a people who happen to have a philosophy called Sanatana Dharma.

Some say it's everyone who follow Sanatana Dharma.

I am not sure what it would be or at this point that it even matters.

I am Lanie, the portion from the hilltop in ky. It's a pretty place one of unspoiled nature. It's a peaceful place...full of simple people all trying to survive just as any other place within this realm.

For a long while now I think it would be more kind, less harmful to be away from here as since I am this word mlecha I am more of a dirty spot to others than a help...and my ignorance or belief in the magic and wonder of Beloved is very ignorant and perhaps crazy.

You know it's okay that this may be the case as I have found something out that makes all of this quite acceptable. Beloved is within me, as He is within every single Portion here. No more, no less(mostly:p ).

I can not answer this question above any more than any one person could put a collar upon the housefly...except to say...


We are defined by actions, thoughts and words. Upon these things show our true nature.

I never thought you would prove to be so weak (to allow others to affect you so much) ! Anyway, you have to work out your own Karma in your own way. I have already tried the best I could !

OM

NayaSurya
30 August 2011, 12:31 AM
Beloved Friend, I do not feel weak...for once I finally let go of these controls which I so foolishly thought I was controlling.:p


Tonight I am feeling full!

A year ago I was truly affected by those lables. But now I say, "Okay so from his angle he sees this portions as "_____"<---insert name."

Now...I will affectionately own them.

One time a very dear friend of mine was very discriminated against in our job. She was our night nurse and I her assistant. The older people we cared for called her names because of her skin color. For this I almost smacked one because of his foul hatred...had to leave the room...and she met me out there to say that we can not change what others will say or do only change our reactions. That we should own our words so that they lose power.

Totally change my thinking about it.

You can not control what other Portions will say, see or even think when they react to you. Only can give up this illusion which I could. As the pebble washed to the ocean, I finally flow.

As I say in my post, I am not sure the lable really matters as much as how we are speaking, thinking and doing.

For your part, you have shown me that there are ones in this realm truly wondrous, kind and utterly brilliant. You are a lamp Devotee<3

NayaSurya
30 August 2011, 06:35 AM
I have been ill with the flu for the past few days, which is why I was up last night to post. One can meditate with such things going on...but my heart was the issue last night.

So I apologize if it came off as I was degrading myself by accepting those others views. I accept their opinion as theirs, but the truth of it is...we are not these bodies, locations, and heap of ethnicities anymore than I am sick this morning with my heart doing cartwheels.

One of the lessons of this life was to accept this placement and find the joy here to be found. So often times we seek something outside of our norm as it is the human animals tendency to think exotic things are somehow more wonderful.

Only to find out later that it seems all things are chaos here.

One example was last year for our holiday we went for many days to a little resort beside our favorite amusement park. As we were filling up our van to leave our state in a highway gas station I began to watch the other Portions at this station and realized half of them were leaving this state...but the other half were entering for their own vacation.

Later that same year, my sister was wanting to rent a cabin by a lake in the hills for a vacation. I came across this site describing this beautiful resort by a lake and it had everything we were looking for...and it turned out to be the very location we live everyday!

How funny this world is!:p

From these humble examples I have come to try harder...to not look out the window for whatever it is I think I am lacking...but instead to make it out of what I have within my own world.

What constitutes being a Hindu?

My initial post was to shine this other viewpoint. That in order to answer this, we have to first qualify it with whom we are speaking of.

To some, Hindu is a culture...to some a religion...to some a philosophy.

If it is a culture, then as one who is outside of that, I would not participate in the answer. If it is the latter...then I can.

What ever words we do associate ourself with is only the begining...

Eastern Mind
30 August 2011, 06:58 AM
Vannakkam: It is difficult to chuck those negative samskaras from the mind. For the Indians here, imagine coming to America for a few years. Nothing really racial happens to you. Then one day you're just walking along the street on a Sunday afternoon. A car pulls to the sidewalk, and a man yells out the window, "Hey you stupid ugly Paki, why don't you go back to where you belong?" There is a lot of rage directed at you for no particular reason.

You just keep walking with your head down, and you hope the car doesn't stop and someone opens the trunk to get a tire iron. But it pulls away, tires screeching.

You don't report anything because you're not sure if anything will ever be done.

A couple of years later it happens again.

It really saddens you, because you're a sensitive guy, being raised a nice Hindu boy. You don't harden in revenge, you just sadden, realising that these lost souls still exist. Just when you had high hopes for humanity, and your new life in a new culture, its emotionally falling apart. Nightmares with tire irons haunt you. But you know in your heart of hearts its better to be sad than angry and vengeful, as the sadness will end the karmic cycle, but the anger back won't.

And so it goes. A battle to keep the negative away, for it affects your mind, and your meditations. You retreat into a place of that is lonely, not knowing whether it is really introspection, or just plain fear.

This is what has happened here on HDF, and worse on other forums, at times. Its the karmic dance, the eternal way.

Aum Namasivaya

NayaSurya
30 August 2011, 07:15 AM
Your whole post is very wonderful and to the heart.<3




And so it goes. A battle to keep the negative away, for it affects your mind, and your meditations. You retreat into a place of that is lonely, not knowing whether it is really introspection, or just plain fear.


Aum Namasivaya


There is a third reason, the one which is my own. Love.

When these ones define Hindu to exclude me and to give me a lable of mlecha I would be very sad...not for myself but for the ones who do this...Truly. I care very very much for you all. With my whole heart to explode and drop the confetti down upon you that is stuffed inside.:p

But, as the wasp which stung my lil daughter on Sunday...who is fault for these wasps stinging? Truly, it was hers.

When the nature of wasp is to fight this child, then the child should remove themself from the danger?

So this is where the confusion come in..is this a place of Hindu and I am not one? By coming here I become stung for my own ignorance of that condition? Or is this home to all who come to find the Truth and Light which I know as the only name it can be? Sanatana Dharma?

But Love is the reason I move away, as just as we would not walk into a church and shout to the rooftop, "Shiva is Lord!" Then also should not come to a place which says "You can not be this." and say..."I AM THIS!

What is this? A good question.

devotee
30 August 2011, 12:16 PM
Namaste NayaSurya and EM,

You may think that this can happen to only the foreigners. It happened to me in India. I was posted in Chennai for nearly 6-7 years ... by my own choice ... I always like to experience the different cultures myself ! I speak Hindi. Hindi and Tamil have only those words common which are used for worship. This state didn't adopt Hindi as other states did ... thanks to foolishness of our own great politicians. There was a strong anti-Hindi movement in Tamilnadu and some people even died during that movement. This led to further rise in strong anti-Hindi sentiments in this state.

Though this sentiment is not there in educated people but it is still there in some people belonging to lower income group/uneducated people. ... and if you are a Hindi speaking person in Tamilnadu, be ready to be abused anytime if your time is bad. It happened to me three-four times ... at one point of time it became a little ugly and I was going to call some of my Tamil friends to thrash that fellow who was abusing me in choicest of words he had ... but my daughter calmed me down ... why allow that fellow to disturb my peace ? ... who knows what was bothering that autoricksaw fellow which made him to behave with me in that manner for no fault of mine ?

... but can I say that my stay in Tamilnadu was a bad one ? No. I still have many very good friends there ... very cooperative. When my son fell sick in Coimbatore ... I was in Varanasi ... and my friends made all arrangement to take care of him & kept assuring me that I needn't worry.

"Good" and "Bad" somehow come as a package. Why shouldn't we focus on the "Good" and why should we lament the presence of "Bad" ? This world is like this ... we must accept things as they are ... the "bad" are there to test us and give us lessons of life. So, "bad" is not really that "bad" ... isn't it ?

OM

Eastern Mind
30 August 2011, 01:02 PM
Vannakkam Devotee: The line of 'foreigner' gets grayer by the minute. Many Hindus here in Canada are into 3rd and 4th generations now. So telling someone to go back home is rather absurd. Here, technically, we're all foreigners, as First nations people were the original inhabitants, not even that long ago, just a few hundred years. Settlement in numbers never really got going until the 1800s or so. 'Foreigner' isn't the only word that's vague. So are 'Hindu' and 'native' and 'Indian' and 'American' and a ton of others. :)

The fact that you can remember that experience indicates to me that it was a relatively strong samskara for you. Having travelled here, there and all about, you must have had a ton of experiences, yet you recall that one. I could be wrong of course.

But we three have digressed from the topic. :)

It is strange how the 'negative' experiences stick. For the one I related some million cars (give or take a few hundred thousand) drove by without stopping to yell a racial slur. We don't remember those.

Aum Namasivaya

devotee
31 August 2011, 02:14 AM
The fact that you can remember that experience indicates to me that it was a relatively strong samskara for you. ....
It is strange how the 'negative' experiences stick. For the one I related some million cars (give or take a few hundred thousand) drove by without stopping to yell a racial slur. We don't remember those.


Exactly, EM, the negative experiences stick ! Our genes are created in such a way that we love to hate in certain situations. That is some sort of defective programming in our constitution ... may be that is what can be called Satan in us. We hate the other because :

a) He/She is a foreigner.
b) He/She is from some other religion.
c) He/She is speaks a different language
d) He/She doesn't dress the way we do
e) His/Her skin colour is different from that of mine
f) His economic condition is different from that of mine
g) His social status is different from that of mine
h) I am from plains & she/he is from the hills
i) I am urban and she/he is rustic
j) I am educated and she/he is uneducated

etc. etc.
....

I am sure if enough research is carried out some of our genes would certainly match those of a dog ! But this is the way God made us ... We must find the differences and keep hating the "other" ... it is basically a design fault.

****

Sorry, BP, I drifted from the topic of this thread. No more ramblings, I promise. :)

OM

bp789
03 September 2011, 09:18 PM
Vannakkam bp: There is a long continuum from very liberal to very traditional. Practicing can vary as much as weddings and funerals only, to a 3 hour sadhana daily, or to being a temple priest. All are Hindus, in my opinion. But I certainly understand what you're saying.

There is no apostasy in Hinduism, as far as I know, like in other faiths. So unless you make a declaration that you are some other faith, then you're still a Hindu.

I try (and some days its hard, really hard) not to judge this more liberal version of Hindu. Just the other day a person (Hindu) said to my wife about reincarnation: "You don't really believe in that, do you?"

Aum Namasivaya

Yeah, I know many Hindus that are only Hindus when it comes to funerals and weddings, while for others it is a complete way of life, while for others they try to be more religious, but do things that they should not do. I don't think many of the Hindus I know are that explicit about it though. Some of them are agnostic when it comes to reincarnation to stuff while other people actually do believe in it, but it plays no real purpose in their daily life.


Wow, and I thought I had it bad. In my family we have the vegetarian and premarital sex restrictions, but that's about it.

Anyway, I've always wondered about this one. Until the past couple of years I wasn't really all that religious. However I always considered myself Hindu. I figured (correctly or otherwise) that if you're born a Hindu, then you're a Hindu by default. I suppose we have to determine whether one's Hinduism is primarily derived from culture, or whether it's based on a set of beliefs. As you said, a lot of Hindus have some pretty crazy beliefs. The animal sacrifice that goes on in Nepal is a particularly good example of this. So if we base it on belief, there's a whole other can of worms to be opened.

Personally I'd say that if you're born Hindu or convert, you're effectively a Hindu for life. But hey, what do I know?

Haha well my parents aren't really as strict as I made it out to be. I mean my own parents don't eat onions or garlic or smoke or drink, but they're not that strict with us since I'm still a child (well meaning they don't really have a problem with me eating onions or garlic or sweets with eggs, but I'm pretty sure they would not like me smoking or drinking).

In my experience, I think many Hindus are Hindus by culture. There aren't really that many that have delved into the various philosophical aspects. I haven't really either because I have trouble understanding some of the various intricacies.


I suppose a simpler answer and perhaps what I'm getting at is that dharma defines being a Hindu. Belief in as well as the practice/following of dharma is the essence of Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma. But then of course it's not that simple, as dharma is very flexible and not a concrete, set in stone thing. Things such as meat-eating can be debated, and for things like that may not be allowed in certain sects, but there is definitely room within Sanatana Dharma. But other things such as murder, stealing, disparaging of deities, the environment, etc. clearly have no place in Hinduism.

So what exactly is dharma? If dharma is merely the basics such as no killing or stealing or disrespecting the deities, then almost every single Hindu I know would be considered a dharmic person.


What constitutes being a Hindu?

My initial post was to shine this other viewpoint. That in order to answer this, we have to first qualify it with whom we are speaking of.

To some, Hindu is a culture...to some a religion...to some a philosophy.

If it is a culture, then as one who is outside of that, I would not participate in the answer. If it is the latter...then I can.

What ever words we do associate ourself with is only the begining...

This is probably where some of my confusion comes from. White devotees at the Hare Krishna temple are considered Hindus, but atheists that belong to a Hindu family are also considered Hindus, not to mention that there is a large spectrum of practices among Hindu people.


Sorry, BP, I drifted from the topic of this thread. No more ramblings, I promise.

Haha it's okay. No problem. :)

Anyway, the reason I was mainly asking this was because of this discussion in my class with one of the students asking "Why do you consider yourself a Christian/Muslim/Hindu/Jew when you don't even follow all of the rules?" So I was wondering if this question makes sense in a Hindu context. How exactly would I explain that they are still Hindus even if they are not that strict (see examples in OP) since there are so many diverse practices within Hinduism?

Yava Dari
03 September 2011, 09:37 PM
The animal sacrifice that goes on in Nepal is a particularly good example of this.

Why just blame the Nepalis? We Indians do it too.

sunyata07
04 September 2011, 07:13 AM
Namaste Yava Dari,

Where in India is animal sacrifice commonly practiced? I have only ever really heard of it happening on an annual basis in Nepal.

Om namah Shivaya

Yava Dari
04 September 2011, 01:20 PM
(http://blog.baliwww.com/religion/722)

Yava Dari
05 September 2011, 09:22 AM
Namaskara Sunyata,

I can only speak about the part of India I stay in i.e. Karnataka.
Animal sacrifice is a annual affair in almost parts of Rural Karnataka during the village fair. Bali(Animal sacrifice) is given to the Grama Devathe(Village Goddess) who are forms of Shakthi protecting the village. It is also done in various temples like Mankalamma, Mariyamma temples in some areas. Some temples and towns have now given up this practice. The Marikamba Temple in Sirsi, Karnataka for example was a temple which has discontinued this practice. http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/temples/marikamba.htm
It was also done during the Ayudha Pooja done on Vijayadashmi day, but the practice is no longer continued in most parts.

Also I have heard that animal sacrifices are an important part of Balinese/Indonesian Hinduism. http://blog.baliwww.com/religion/722

Eastern Mind
05 September 2011, 07:54 PM
Namaskara Sunyata,

I can only speak about the part of India I stay in i.e. Karnataka.
Animal sacrifice is a annual affair in almost parts of Rural Karnataka during the village fair. Bali(Animal sacrifice) is given to the Grama Devathe(Village Goddess) who are forms of Shakthi protecting the village. It is also done in various temples like Mankalamma, Mariyamma temples in some areas. Some temples and towns have now given up this practice. The Marikamba Temple in Sirsi, Karnataka for example was a temple which has discontinued this practice. http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/temples/marikamba.htm
It was also done during the Ayudha Pooja done on Vijayadashmi day, but the practice is no longer continued in most parts.

Also I have heard that animal sacrifices are an important part of Balinese/Indonesian Hinduism. http://blog.baliwww.com/religion/722


Vannkkam Yava Dari: Welcome to these forums, by the way. Its good to have more diversity. Yes, I've heard its much more common in rural parts. I also know it goes on in Mauritius and Fiji. I suppose (since I'm against it completely) it's a good thing that it's only once a year, and not every day. I've heard that mystically, the inner (but grosser ones) beings think a pumpkin with kumkum is animal and blood. But that's just one interpretation.

I certainly would like to see it stopped. if I happened to stop at a Hindu temple where it was obvious, I'd turn around and walk out. in fact, a friend of mine and I did exactly that once upon a time.

Aum Namasivaya

Yava Dari
06 September 2011, 12:45 PM
Namaskara Eastern Mind,

From what I know pumpkin with kumkuma is an alternative for animal sacrifice. Is there an an other interpretation?

Also, glad to be here:), look forward to take part in your discussions.

PARAM
07 September 2011, 04:37 AM
Translating words wrongly makes these mistakes, Bali mentioned in Dharma Granthas is not about killing animals, but adopted by tantrikism and Adharm groups. Those Adharmis kill even cows for the sake of their Adharm. We need not to continue with it, there are many temples where Yajna is a common practice but no slaughtered is offered.