INDIANSKEPTIC• Alternative M edicine

• Colour of Terror

• Faith vs. Universal Com passion

• Book R eview :

•Superstition: Belief in th e Age of Science

•Th e Truth About Th e Gita

INDIANSKEPTIC

No. 01/09 Septem ber 2010

Indian Sk eptic

Indian Sk eptic

Indian Sk eptic

It s h all be th e duty of every citizen of

India -

to develop th e scientific tem per, h um anism and th e spirit of inqu iry and

reform

(Article 51A (h ) Part IVA -Fundem ental Dutie s , Constitution of India)

INDIANSKEPTIC

No.01/09 Septem ber 2010

Supe rstition: Be lie f in th e Age of Scie nce

Th e Truth about Th e Gita

H om eopath y involved treatm ent

w ith sugar pills and tincture s

w h ose active ingred ients, if any,

w ere re spectively m ilk sugar and

eth anol.

Th e so called alternative system s of m edicine , m any of w h ich

cannot be called as th at by any stretch of th e m ost fertile of im aginations, are based on

h ypoth e se s unsupported by any evidence . Th ey are based on

pre sum ptions of certain individuals, pseudo scientific assum ptions and unsupported

claim s. Th ey also peddle unproven rem ed ie s, d evices and

book s of dubious claim s.

BS

Th e real purpose of th e scientific m eth od is to

m ak e sure nature h asn’t m isled you into th ink ing

you k now som eth ing you actually don’t k now .

Robert Pirsig

Z en and th e Art of M otorcycle M aintenance

In contrast to Indian tricolor,

RSS insisted on using Saffron

flag. Saffron color w h ich

stands for renunciation and

devotion in H indu tradition

w as usurped for political goals,

th e goals w h ich w ere opposed

to th e goals of Indian National

M ovem ent

W h enever a ch ief of state speak s of God, b e sure th at h e is getting ready to sh ear once m ore h is

people-flock .

M ich ael Bak uninGod and th e State (1871)

Dr Ram Puniyani

BS

ATH EIST EVE

Ath e ist EveAth e ist Eve

Ath e ist Eve Indian Sk e ptic

Definition and M eaning

W orldly Exam ples

Is Faith Accum ulation of Know ledge?

H istory of Grow th of Faith

BS

Students attending M iracle Exposure Program m e conducted by Prof Narendra Nayak

BS

Th e e xis te nce of God im plie s th e abdication of h um an

re as on and jus tice ; it is th e ne gation of h um an libe rty,

and it ne ce s s arily e nds in both th e ore tical and

abs olute s lave ry.

M ich ael Bak unin

Federalism , Socialism , and Anti-Th eologism (1867)

Voodoo Scie nce : th e Road from Foolis h ne s s to Fraud

Supe rstition

Convergence of Science & R eligion

unde rstanding th e orde r in th e unive rs e and unde rstanding th e purpos e of th e unive rs e are not ide ntical, but th e y are also not ve ry m uch apart

Intelligent Design

Futility of Prayers

DNA as Soul

Punish m ent by god

New Age M ysticism

Alternate M edicine s

Prana.

Superstition: Belief in th e Age of ScienceRobert L Park ,Princeton University Press, 2008, pp 230+

Prabh ak ar Nanaw atyTh ough t & Action

Andh ra Prabh aAndh ra Joyti

Th e Truth about Th e Gita – A Closer Look at H indu Scripture ,

Ch apter 1 – Doubtful W ar

From our m ate rial it is im pos s ible to say w h e re th e gre at th e m e -battle s of th e tw o e pics Ram ayana and M ah abh arata w e re fough t, le t alone w h e n – if inde e d th e y re pre s e nt any h istorical e ve nts at all… … …

Out of th e forty-one contributors , not e ve n h alf a doze n s h ow any capacity to th ink boldly, rationally, originally. And one or tw o of th e m h ave such a fuddle d m ind as to argue in all s e riousne s s th at w h at m illions of pe ople h ave be lie ve d for th ousands of ye ars as true cannot be fictitious … … … .

Ch apter 2 – False Signposts

Th e Vik ram Era, for instance , is said to h ave be gun in 58-57 B.C. W h o is th is Vik ram afte r w h om th e Era is nam e d?......Th e 2000th annive rsary of Vik ram w as ce le brate d w ith due pom p in 19 43… … None of th e m utually contradictory e s says in such volum e s prove s anyth ing be yond th e w ill to be lie ve … … .W h e n th e ch ronology of ancie nt India is so unce rtain, so h azy, e ve n w h e n w e com e dow n to h istorical tim e s , is it not us e le s s to try to fix a pe riod for th e pe rsons and e ve nts m e ntione d in our tw o e pics … … .

And th e y e nd up by laying dow n stringe nt rule s w h ich gove rn a m an’s life … ..for th e y te ll h im h ow to find h is w ay to h e ave n, and once th e re , h ow to m ak e a be e line for th e gorge ous be droom of a gorge ous Ram ba or a M ane k a or a Tilottam a or a Varudgini of – w e ll, h e h as a w ide ch oice … …

Th rough all m yth s and m yth ologie s , to w h ich e ve r nation th e y m ay be long, are intrins ically nasty, ours are e as ily th e w orst from a m oral point of vie w . Furth e rm ore , th e y are m ost unde pe ndable as source s of h istory… …

No valid distinction be tw e e n h istory and m yth ology and naturally th e re w as a te nde ncy to confus e th e tw o, to m yth ologize h istory and to give m yth ology an h istorical garb. W e can th us s e e w h y th e re w as a total lack of h istorical s e ns e am ong th e Brah m ans w h o com pos e d th e brah m inical lite rature … … .

Ch apter 3 – Duel w ith Dates

As if th is confus ion is not e nough , som e sch olars do not acce pt th e s ynch ronism of th e Kuruk s h e tra War and th e be ginning of th e Kali age …

Th e ve ry conce pt of th e Kali Age is bas e d not on re ason but faith . Faith and fabricationgo toge th e r, just as re ason and truth m arch toge th e r…

Ch apter 4 – Fear of Disillusionm ent

Le t us adm it uncom prom is ingly th at no Aryan culture h as be e n isolate d anyw h e re in India as a m ate rial and re cognizable ph e nom e non… …

W h at doe s all th is s h ow ? It s h ow s th at th e h istoricity of th e Kuruk s h e tra War is doubtful; th e long list of its participant k ingdom s is doubtful; th e e xte nt and fe rocity are doubtful; inde e d, e ve ryth ing about it is doubtful including th e s inging of th e Song Ce le stial by Kris h na… … ..

Ch apter 5 – A Fraud of M onstrous Size

Th e s h e e r bulk and w e igh t of th e M ah abh arata, and its s h e e r nons e ns e , crus h e s out all com m ons e ns e , e ve n all com m on de ce ncy, from Indian life and th ough t… … inte rnal e vide nce s h ow s th e h andiw ork of th re e scribe s , Vysa, Vaisam payana and Souti… .But th e truth is th at, apart from th e s e th re e , th e re w e re m any m ore nam e le s s scribe s and scribble rs , fabricators and forge rs , w h o put th e ir finge r into th e prodigious pie .

All th is h e lpe d m ak e Buddh ism de ve lop rapidly as a m ajor th re at to Ve dism or Brah m inism , as som e w ould pre fe r to call it. To counte r-attack it w as ne ce s sary to cre ate a rival. Afte r trial and e rror, th e folk h e ro of a tribe of cow h e rds in and around M adh ura prove d h andy. But about th e th ird or fourth ce ntury B.C., h e w as built up into a god… …

And w ith e ve ry re vis ion, th at influe nce h as be com e m ore re actionary, m ore de adly. A part of th at re vis ion, le t m e add, is th e Bh agvad Gita, th e Song Ce le stial, w ith th e e xh ortation to k ill, to k ill in cold blood, to k ill as a m atte r of caste duty… ..

Ch apter 6 – O uter Citadel and Inner Fort

“It is difficult to e xce l” , as P.D.M e th a says , “th e H indu s e ns e of dram atic in re ligion… .Th e poe t auth or of th e Gita could h ardly h ave ch os e n a m ore arre sting ope ning sce ne for h is ph ilosoph ical song… … .

Now for th e M ah abh arata be ing a w ork of m oral grande ur, it is (to put it m ildly) a pre poste rous claim . To us w h o are ordinary m ortals w ith out any e sote ric pow e rs , th e m ortals of th e M ah abh arata are m uddy, crude , re volting… … ..

Ch apter 7 – W h o is Krish na

H e rm an Olde nbe rg once as k e d, “W h o is Kris h na?” … …

Th e re w e re h ow e ve r, 9 00,000 of th e m , and in orde r to satisfy th e m Kris h na be cam e 9 00,000 diffe re nt m e n. Th e s e e xact figure s are give n in th e te xt, and it adds th at th e park re sounde d w ith th e coitus of 1,800,000 pe rsons . Th e n it proce e ds to de scribe th e colle ctive s e xual orgy… … .

Th e de vote s of Kris h na to justify th e going on be tw e e n th e ir god and gopis , but a

spe cial fe ature of H induism . It h as tw o s e ts of law s , one for th e w e ak and anoth e r for th e strong; tw o s e ts of norm s , one for th e h igh and anoth e r for th e low ; tw o code s of e th ics , one for th e gods and anoth e r for th e m ortals . Sm all w onde r th e re is s uch a lot of double -th ink and double -spe ak in Indian life … … …

Ch apter 8 – Krish na as M an

H opk ins says of Kris h na:” Kris h na is a pious h ypocrite ” … … no am ount of e xcus e , of w h ich th e re is e nough offe re d, could do aw ay w ith th e crude facts of tradition, w h ich re pre s e nte d th e m an-god Kris h na as a cle ve r but unscrupulous figh te r… .

Am ong Indian pundits , Suk th ank ar h ad th e fulle st k now le dge of th e cas e against Kris h na, and to th e be st of m y k now le dge h is is th e able st sum m ary of th at cas e . It re ads : Th at paradox of paradoxe s ...A grote s que ch aracte r w h o claim s to be th e h igh e st god and be h ave s uncom m only lik e a “trick y m ortal” … … .

Ch apter 9 – Krish na as Statesm an

It w as th at conce rn w h ich urge d h im to s e t up Kris h na as a s ym bol of re surge nt India – unite d, fre e , pow e rful… …

W h e n Kris h na w as unable at any tim e in h is long life to unify h is ow n Yadava pe ople , is it not pre poste rous to claim on h is be h alf th at h e w as a gre at state sm an w h o unifie d th e w h ole of India?.....Kris h na h im s e lf joine d in th e m as sacre in its final stage s . To call such a m an a far-s igh te d state sm an, a gre at unifie r of th e nation, is to tak e le ave of one ’s s e ns e s … …

Ch apter 10 – Krish na as God

So h is going to Darpudi’s re scue in re spons e to h e r praye rs is bas e le s s … …

H is first act in th is part of h is life w as as sas s ination of h is m ate rnal uncle Kam sa. As sas s ination is not too strong a te rm for it… …

Kris h na is no le s s fam ous for h is abductions . H e carrie s aw ay Ruk h m ini a day be fore th e tim e fixe d be fore h e r m arriage to Sisupula… .. Any by righ t of forcible s e izure conque st, h e adds 16,000 w om e n from th e h are m of Narak a to th e list of h is w ive s … …

Th e ch am pion booze r of th e city is th e Lord’s ow n h alf broth e r, Balaram a. Rare ly is toddy abs e nt from h is h and… .Th e Lord h im s e lf is ne ith e r a ve ge tarian nor a te e totale r. M e n as w e ll as w om e n am ongst th e Yadavas w e re addicte d to drink ing…

Th e w h ole Kris h na saga is a m agnifice nt e xam ple of a true be lie ve r can m anage to sw allow , a pe rfe ct s e tting of opportunism for th e spe cious argum e nts of th e Gita

Ch apter 11 - W h o W rote th e Gita?

Ch apte r XVIII, Ve rs e 70, In th at ve rs e Kris h na says , “and w h oe ve r studie s th is sacre d dialogue of ours … ” … .

H is e ducation w as pe rfunctory… … .M ore ove r h e w as too m uch of a dile ttante to h ave studie d m uch late r in life . H e w as m ore inte re ste d in a be lle th an a book … …

Unlik e m e , Gajan Sh ripati K h air h as ve ne ration for th e Gita.H e re is K h air’s ow n able sum m ing up of h is conclus ions : Th e first auth or com pos e d som e portions of th e e xisting… ..Th e s e cond auth or adde d s ix m ore ch apte rs … .Th e th ird auth or re cast th e w h ole poe m by adding h is ow n ve rs e s … ..Logic, coh e re nce and cons iste ncy are subordinate d to th e indoctrination of th e m ain principle s unde rlying h is ph ilosoph y…

Ch apter 12 – And W h en?

Furth e rm ore , th ough th e re are no re fe re nce s to th e Buddh a and Buddh ism in th e Gita, th e M ah abh arta as a w h ole is not fre e from th e m . Th e w ords “Buddh a” and Prati- Buddh a” occur h e re and th e re in th e te xt of th e e pic…

Ch apter 13 – Gita as Scripture

Th e Gita is no Ve da or Ve danga. Th e scriptural auth ority w h ich it now pos s e s is a late acquis ition… ..Eve n S.A.Be lw alk ar h ad to ow n it, th ough tacitly, w h e n h e said th at th e gita attaine d its “dom inant pos ition” during “th e last tw e lve h undre d ye ars ” , th at is afte r Sank arach arya’s life tim e … …

Th e ve ry first of its translations into Englis h aoppe are d in 1785. Translate d in by Ch arle s W ilk ins unde r th e title Bh agvat-Ge e ta, or Dialouge s of Kre e s h na and Arjoon, its publication w as active ly prom ote d by th e th e n Gove rnor-Ge ne ral of India, Warre n H astings … ..Its Fre nch re nde ring by M .Parraud (Le Bh agaut-Ge e ta) appe are d in 1787… ..

Upadh yaya proce e de d ne xt to print in paralle l colum ns all th e pas sage s lifte d ve rbatim from th e Upnais h ads and th e y

total up to tw e nty-tw o… … But th e first prize in plagiarism s h ould go to th e Gita. It is a s h ining h onor?......

Ch apter 14 – H as th e Gita a Ph ilosoph y?

As far as India is conce rne d, th e s ynonym for ph ilosoph y is dars h ana… … And so th e ve ry te rm dars h ana h as put Indian ph ilosoph y on th e w rong track …

Th e fact of th e m atte r is , it is a poe m , a colle ction of songs – not a w ork of th e ological ph ilosoph y… ..

Th e “h igh god” , as Kosam bi righ tly pointe d out, re pe ate dly e m ph as ize s th e gre at virtue of non-k illing (ah im sa), ye t th e e ntire discours e is an ince ntive to w ar.” … …

Ele cticism is not inte gration. Diffe re nt ide as and conce pts , borrow e d from diffe re nt source s by an e cle ctic, dot ge ne rally m e rge into a inte grate d w h ole , but abide s ide by s ide as s e parate e ntitie s and le d a split pe rsonality, to a double life , and ultim ate ly to dow nrigh t

h ypocris y… ..

“W h y is a m an to obe y and w h y is it difficult to disobe y?” que stione d Eric From m , th e Ge rm an born Am e rican psych oanalyst… … M y obe die nce m ak e s m e part of th e pow e r I w ors h ip, h e nce I fe e l strong… …

Th e de lude d de spis e M e clad in h um an body, not k now ing m y h igh e r nature as Lord of all e xiste nce (IX-11 Gita)… …

(To be continued in th e next is s u e)

Th e Truth About Th e Gita – A Closer Look at H indu Scripture (2010) V.R .Narla (Intro by Innaiah Narisetti) ISBN: 161641832 w w w .prom eth eusbook s.com

District Level M eetings of Karnatak a State Federation of

R ationalist Associations

Karnatak a State Federation of R ationalist Associations (KSFRA)

BVV Subba R aoState Convenor, KSFRA

Th e Fine Art of Balone y De te ction

Th e De m onh aunte d World: Scie nce as a Candle in th e Dark