Namaste,

Today I read in my Facebook feed a post that I would like to discuss with you. The author seems to be an Ambedkar-sympathizer who doesn't understand fully the benefits of spiritual practices. He ridicules (or maybe criticizes) spiritual practices among Hindus, especially Brahmins, and calls for appreciation of the works of eminent revolutionary figures in history, such as Ambedkar, for being better as a person and as a Hindu!

He writes:

"An average HIndu has lot of aversion towards Ambedkar.


2 weeks ago, beneath my Vaishnava friend's post, I gave a link to an article written by Ambedkar and said, "Please read essays such as this. Don't fret over Vaishnavism always. Essays such as this will enable you to look at society with mercy".


I am positive he wouldn't have read any bit of the article in the link I gave him. He (this author's Vaishnava friend) thought I was degrading and ridiculing Hinduism by giving him that link.


Immediately he posted a picture of himself with long, long 'thiruman' on his forehead. Also additionally a lot of Hinduism-supportive posts.


He is senior to me both in age and experience. Also he was a Project Manager in a big company. Still I felt very sympathetic (sarcastically written) towards him. Felt like hugging him.


So many are still calling for the name of Dr. Ambedkar here. Are they all after ridiculing Hinduism and seeing to its fall? How can someone ever think of doing such a thing to a beautiful religion?


All those calling for the name of Ambedkar are actually looking for eradication of Hinduism's inherent bigotry in the name of religion and caste system. They are in no way related to Ambedkar to support him fervently.


Ambedkar looked at society's fallen and downtrodden with immense mercy and stood for their rights. When researching what is the reason for their fallen nature, it was revealed that 2000-yrs of Hinduism's casteism and that is why he exchanged his ideas about Hinduism.


Such a thing can be done only by someone who has immense mercy on the society. Therefore he deserves as much praises by us all.


However have we ever praised him as much as Gandhi, Vivekananda, or Bharatiyar? Never.


So I gave the link just to tell him to know more about such an Ambedkar. But he misunderstood me.


These days whenever I see Swami Vivekananda with turban or Abdul Kalam, it is irritating me. I wonder what they have done to the point Indian Hindus are celebrating them so much.


First time I read Ambedkar's works in a library, I was taken aback. Because Ambedkar is so interesting to read.


His essays are all about humanitarian causes. They do not mix emotions with the problem at hand. Decent ones.

He expresses everything he wants to talk about with a solid basis for saying so and with a scientific outlook. He never wrote anywhere criticizing Gandhi indecently. ONly decent comments.


Ambedkar wrote more about Hindus who practiced casteism rather than commenting on higher castes. These people cannot even read one single link.


Avoiding meat, worshiping Mahaperiyavar, worshiping Yogi Ramsurat Kumar, and Saibaba with curly hair, worshiping old Saibaba who ate meat, looking for Kundalini in the rectum, singing Shaiva and Vaishnava hymns, going to tirupathi, going to Tiruvannamalai, etc, when considered duly, reading Ambedkar will be much better to yield mercy towards others' suffering than all these practices.


It will give an awakening towards realizing how cruel we have been treating the other person in the society.


Will render us to look at society with love.


There is nothing else needed to grow a good society than this.


......".

May I ask you now, HDF, what is your reaction on reading the above passage?

My reactions:

1. Citing 1 Vaishnava who refused to read that link on Ambedkar's work is gross generalization. If I have been given that link, I would have read it, besides I like Ambedkar too. So to generalize is bad.

2. The comment on criticizing spiritual practices including Kundalini yoga is uncalled for. They might yield better results than reading just 1 Ambedkar when practiced routinely.

I would like to know, if you were to read this above post and were to respond, what would you say to this author?

Thanks.