"ISKCON's teachings are nonsectarian and nondenominational, for they are not limited to any particular historical religion. Vaisnavism inculcates the essential and universal principle of all religion."
Krishnas Are Not Hindu?
From Hinduism Today Magazine, Oct. 1998
ISKCON's Srila Prabhupada's edicts on religion are clear
There is a misconception," wrote His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1977 in Science of Self Realization, "that the Krishna consciousness movement represents the Hindu religion. Sometimes Indians both inside and outside of India think that we are preaching the Hindu religion, but actually we are not." In chapter three of the book [available from Bhaktivedanta Archives, P.O. Box 255, Sandy Ridge, North Carolina 27046 USA], this startling point is made several times: "The Krishna consciousness movement has nothing to do with the Hindu religion or any system of religion.... One should clearly understand that the Krishna consciousness movement is not preaching the so-called Hindu religion."
Followers of Srila Prabhupada have assembled all of his letters, books, lectures, interviews and conversations on the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase [also available from Bhaktivedanta Archives]. This CD-Rom database yielded 183 references to Hinduism, which were compiled and analyzed to understand Srila Prabhupada's point of view.
Often Srila Prabhupada would simply deny the existence of a religion called "Hinduism." He attributed the improper designation to "foreign invaders." At other times he acknowledged the existence of the faith, but considered it a hopelessly degraded form of the original Sanatana Dharma of the Vedas. In his April, 1967, New York lectures he remarked, "Although posing as great scholars, ascetics, householders and swamis, the so-called followers of the Hindu religion are all useless, dried-up branches of the Vedic religion." ISKCON, he believed, was the only true exponent of the Vedic faith today. In an interview given for Bhavan's Journal on June 28, 1976, he said, "India, they have given up the real religious system, Sanatana Dharma. Fictitiously, they have accepted a hodgepodge thing which is called Hinduism. Therefore there is trouble."
The Guru frequently explained his position, and acted upon his beliefs in establishing his dynamic society. At a 1974 Mumbai lecture, he declared, "We are not preaching Hindu religion. While registering the association, I purposely kept this name, 'Krishna Consciousness,' neither Hindu religion nor Christian nor Buddhist religion."
Srila Prabhupada was aware that the Indian community had a mistaken impression of his Hinduness. In a 1970 letter to a temple administrator in Los Angeles, he wrote, "The Hindu community in the West has got some good feeling for me because superficially they are seeing that I am spreading Hindu religion, but factually this Krishna Consciousness movement is neither Hindu religion nor any other religion." That remains the case today, for Srila Prabhupada left no successor with the authority to change his spiritual edicts.
So why does the general Hindu community mistakenly believe that ISKCON is a Hindu organization, when it never describes itself as such? Well, it sometimes does. During the recent ISKCON temple openings in New Delhi and Bangalore, where newspaper reports frequently identified the grand temples as Hindu, the ISKCON press releases, such as that of April 15, 1998, never used the H word. Yet, when Indian devotees serving at each of those temples were asked in late July by journalists for this article, they said it is a Hindu temple. The discrepancy between public perception and internal policy is further confused by the group's official exceptions to the non-Hindu position. Faced with difficulties, ISKCON leaders have appealed to the Hindu community to back them up, as in a dispute over the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK or when being hassled by Christians in Russia and Poland. In appeals to judges and governments, the word Hindu is openly used. In other legal cases, including one to the US Supreme Court, ISKCON has attempted to counteract the "cult" label by claiming to be a traditional Hindu lineage, and asked other Hindus to affirm this in the courts. Other organizations who parted company with Hinduism, such as Transcendental Meditation and Brahma Kumaris, do not compromise their position under any circumstances.
What also sets ISKCON apart is its open repudiation and criticism of Hinduism, especially among members. There are reports of Hindus who joined ISKCON only to be taught to reject their family's religion. "Previously we were Hindus. Now we are Hare Krishnas," some said. At the same time, the organization often appeals to the Hindu community and businessmen for financial support of its social programs and political help to protect ISKCON from detractors.
Considering ISKCON's appearances--member's dress, names, bhajana, festivals, worship, scripture, pilgrimage, temple building, and so forth--it's little wonder that so many have assumed they are Hindus. To find out they are not will certainly surprise many--Hindus and non-Hindus alike. It may even surprise a few Hare Krishnas themselves.
IDENTITY
Who Then Are the Hindus?
How organizations categorize themselves
To find out which organizations with prominence in the West call themselves Hindus, we tapped the massive power of the Internet's World Wide Web. Many major Hindu, not exactly Hindu and non-Hindu organizations have a web site, and a search of each usually locates a statement of identity, aims and purposes. The results of our search are summarized in the table below, including an excerpted statement on their position.
The method isn't perfect, and perhaps some organizations don't quite mean what they say (or don't say) on their web site. The clearest distinction is between those who declare up front they are Hindus, and those who never use the word "Hindu" anywhere--despite their teaching of Hindu scriptures, worship of Hindu deities, etc.
The organizations which are firmly in the Hindu camp are those that share responsibility for all Hindus. Those who have set themselves apart are not necessarily concerned with the promotion, protection and renaissance of our religion. Hindus need to educate themselves about organizations, and especially distinguish in their minds those, such as ISKCON, the Brahma Kumaris and TM, who have completely forsaken the Hindu fold to pursue an independent path.
ORGANIZATION: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Arya Samaj "move Hindu dharma away from all factitious beliefs, back to Vedas"
Chinmaya Mission "Chinmayananda's ... primary aim was 'to convert Hindus to Hinduism'"
Gitananda Ashram (Italy) "If you are really interested in the Hindu culture and spirituality, click here"
Hindu Students Council "Learn about Hindu heritage and culture"
Hindu Temple Society of North America "Everything in Hinduism begins with worship of Ganapati"
International Swaminarayan Satsang (ISSO) "Our sampradaya in Hinduism is called Swaminarayan"
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam "propagation of Sankara's advaita based on Vedic tenets"
Nityananda Institute "Trika Yoga, an Indian Tantric tradition of Kashmir Saivism"
Ramakrishna Mission (New York) "based on Vedanta, both the religion and philosophy of the Hindus"
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) "[Our] supreme task ... is to consolidate the Hindu society"
Saiva Siddhanta Church "a traditional Hindu fellowship" [Subramuniyaswami, publisher Hinduism Today]
Swaminarayan Hindu Mission (BSS) "a socio-spiritual organization with its roots in the Vedas"
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) "foster Hindu unity, consolidate Hindu society, work for Hindu interests"
Yoga-Vedanta
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam "Institute for the traditional study of Vedanta..."
Divine Life Society "Disseminate spiritual knowledge [by] yoga, and revival of true culture"
Ramanashrama (Ramana Maharshi) "ashram confers on devotees of all religions mental peace, bliss and happiness"
Siddha Yoga Dham (Chidvalasananda) "Wisdom of India's ancient sages ... welcomes people of all faiths and cultures"
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers "Yoga can be practiced by individuals with any set of beliefs"
Social Service and/or Universalism
Ananda Marga "an international social service organization"
Gayatri Pariwar "charitable and educational organization ... integrating sciences with spirituality"
M.A. Ashram (Mata Amritanandamayi) "infused devotion to God, love for fellow beings and spirit of selfless service"
Sadhu Vaswani Mission "non-sectarian, non-political, non-communal body"
Integral Yoga Institute (Satchidananda) "a spiritual center based on principles of yoga and ecumenism"
Satya Sai Baba "not come to speak on behalf of any particular religion, e.g. Hindu religion"
Self-Realization Fellowship "reveal the basic oneness of original Christianity and original yoga"
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar "engaged in community services and spreading Vedic knowledge"
New Religions or Non-Religious
Brahma Kumaris [Designated their organization as a new religion at Global Forum meetings]
ISKCON "is neither Hindu religion nor any other religion."
Transcendental Meditation "purely a practical technique ... a science ... does not depend on any faith"
Veerashaivite "Veerashaivas call Veerashaivism a separate religion"
Note: Information here is based upon statements on each organization's World Wide Web sites. See www.hindu.org/teachers-orgs/identity/ for a complete listing of URLs to the complete original documents. Organizations wishing to clarify the information given on their web sites, or those not listed at all, may send their position statement to the editor of Hinduism Today.
EDITORIAL
Why Do Hindus Say, "I Am Not a Hindu"?
Exploring the erosive power of self-alienation and the masquerade that denies who we really are
By the Editor
There are two kind of Hindus: those who admit they are Hindu and those who will admit they are just about anything else. I exaggerate, but not much. To be sure, such identities are part of the political and social fashions of the day, and fashions change. From century to century, overt affiliation with Hinduism becomes faddish and then fusty in cycles. In recent years it has become voguish for Hindus to openly and proudly proclaim themselves. Five decades back, being a Hindu was not cool, what with the Anglican British in charge and all. Nine decades back, Swami Vivekananda, bucking the anti-Hindu fashion of the late 1800s, spoke proudly of his Hinduism, and called on others to do the same, as did Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and Swami Dayananda. And so it goes, see-sawing back and forth.
Diverse reasons drive today's Hindus to not openly associate themselves with their heritage. They might lose their job or their friends. They might forfeit members in institutions which have attracted large numbers of Christians and Jews. They may feel Hinduism has "backward" elements, such as caste or ritualism, which they wish to distance themselves from. They may be cowered by a brash, confident and aggressive Western cultural assault and its superior attitudes, borrowing a contempt for Eastern culture and Hinduism from foreigners. Or they may simply be cultural Hindus, not all that religious.
While these may be advantageous reasons, today the trend is shifting, and once again it is stylish to embark on a journey of spiritual self-discovery and claim one's Hinduness. Suddenly, it may win an election or empower an institution. Witness the audaciously pro-Hindu Swaminarayan Fellowship's astounding growth and impact in the US and Europe, and compare it to the conflicted "We aren't Hindus, yet we sort of are, but not really" position of the ISKCON movement [see ISKCON Renounces Hinduism?]. Politicians are showing the press their home shrines. Executives are talking dharma at cocktail parties. Even globe-trotting swamis are saying, "I was a Hindu the whole time. I thought you knew that."
Still, not everyone is following the fashion. Especially in the West, institutions don't like the H word. Groups whose roots lie in Indian spirituality prefer the neutral sound of words like yoga, Vedanta or Sanatana Dharma, and use those instead of Hindu to describe themselves. This is true even if they build orthodox Hindu temples, worship Hindu Deities and observe Hindu holy days. Even if they teach the Vedas and hold havanas and pujas. Even if their founder is a Hindu swami, born and raised in the faith. Even if they wear the Hindu monk's saffron robes and take the sannyasin's initiation. If you ask them, they will declare, "We are not Hindus."
Such a trend is based on the tenacious misconception that Hinduism is somehow unacceptable to the non-Hindu world. Those who do speak openly of their Hinduness know this is not true. People these days enjoy knowing about other paths, enjoy hearing other's spiritual passions and beliefs. The clearer, the better. No apologies or dissembling needed.
Indian intellectual Ram Swarup, who rediscovered his own Hinduness as an adult, notes that anti-Hindu Hindus are casualties of cultural illiteracy, self-loathing and self-alienation. He is campaigning for Indians to rediscover their heritage, as he did. He writes from New Delhi, "A permanent stigma seems to have stuck to the terms Hindu and Hinduism. These have now become terms of abuse in the mouth of the very elite which the Hindu millions have raised to the pinnacle of power and prestige with their blood, sweat and tears. How did this happen? I have come to the conclusion that the Muslim and British invasions of India, though defeated and dispersed, have yet managed to crystallize certain residues--psychological and intellectual--which a battered Hindu society is finding very difficult to digest. These residues are now in active alliance with powerful international forces, and are being aided and abetted on a scale which an impoverished Hindu society cannot match. Although at loggerheads among themselves, these residues have forged a united front which is holding Hindu society under siege. The danger is from within as from without."
Ram Swarup envisions a day when Hindus are again centered in their dharma, proud of their faith. His ideal is echoed by a profound statement and fitting conclusion from Annie Besant (1847-1933), the Englishwoman who became the leader of the Theosophical Society: "After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophic and none so spiritual as the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. The more you know it, the more you will love. The more you try to understand it, the more deeply will you value it. Make no mistake, without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil into which India's roots are struck, and torn out of that, she will inevitably wither, as a tree torn out from its place. Many are the religions and many are the races flourishing in India, but none of them stretches back into the far dawn of her past, nor is necessary for her endurance as a nation. Every one might pass away as they came, and India would still remain. But let Hinduism vanish and what is she? A 'geographical expression' of the past, a dim memory of a perished glory. Her history, her art, her monuments all have Hinduism written across them. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism, who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India, and India and Hinduism are one."
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