Current Issues

by sri.parashiva | Jan 18, 2019 | About KAILASA

Introduction

Hindus are pluralistic in their beliefs and accept the myriad means of worship and prayer available to human beings seeking spiritual enlightenment. Hindu minorities living in countries throughout South Asia and other parts of the world are subject to varying degrees of legal and institutional discrimination, restrictions on their religious freedom, social prejudice, violence, social persecution, and economic and political marginalization. Hindu women are especially vulnerable and face kidnappings and forced conversions in countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. In several countries where Hindus are minorities, non-state actors advance a discriminatory and exclusivist agenda, often with the tacit or explicit support of the state. Persecution by state and non-state actors alike has led a growing number of Hindus to flee their country of origin and live as refugees

Persecution for Support of Gender Equality and LGBTQ Rights

India has a dismal record with regards to the treatment of women, gays, lesbians, and transgender people, all of whom suffer social ostracization, legal persecution, and honor killings for their gender and sexuality.^[6] The rise of Hindutva militant organizations like the BJP, RSS, VHP, and BD fuels a culture of violence in India that has exacerbated the situation for minorities in the country.^[7] ASMT has been singled out for persecution by Hindutva elements for their progressive stance on LGBTQ rights and gender equality.

Temple Destruction

Centuries of Muslim invasion devastated India’s architectural heritage, particularly with respect to Hindu temples.  Today, the largest Hindu temples are located in South India (Tirupathi, Madurai, Tanjore) or in the eastern state of Orissa.  These regions remained outside Islamic rule for most of their history. Meanwhile, the traditional heartland of Hinduism in the Ganges river valley (modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) as well as Sindh and Punjab feature no major large Hindu temples, most of which were destroyed during the Muslim conquest of India from 1000-1300 C.E.  Many of the historic temples of major Hindu sites at Ayodhya, Kannauj, Mathura, Multan, Vrindavan, Varanasi, Thanesar and Prayag no longer exist.

The desecration of Hindu temples continues till the present day. Sacred deities are stolen and smuggled out of India, temple lands are illegally occupied, and temple sculptures are destroyed and disfigured by the very government body in charge of the management and control of temples and their respective endowments. In fact the Madras High Court acknowledged the dismal state of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu when it stated:

“Many temples constructed at least 1,500 years ago or much before the temples recognized by UNESCO are in ruins.  Even the daily rituals are not performed. Some temples remain closed throughout the day with no one to even light the lamps.”^[8]

Out of hundreds of thousands of temples across 56 kingdoms, only a fraction remain in previously Hindu territory. The rest were systematically destroyed, looted and shut down in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. In places like Afghanistan Hindu temples have been virtually erased from the archaeological record.^[9]

Lack of Recognition of Religious and Minority Rights 

The plight of Hindu minorities is particularly concerning as these vulnerable groups remain marginalized and subject to discrimination, violence, social prejudice and harassment.^[10] Hindu women are particularly vulnerable and targeted for kidnapping, rape and forced conversion.  The most egregious and systematic violations human rights take place in former Hindu nations where Hindus are now minorities such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan. Serious human rights violations against Hindus have also been reported in Bhutan, Jammu and Kashmir, Fiji and Sri Lanka.

Nepal, the world’s last Hindu kingdom, fell to secularization in 2007 due to pressure from Maoist forces. The Maoist takeover has resulted in the destruction of temples, closing of Sanskrit schools and the loss of cultural and religious identity of Nepalese Hindus. The secular government has banned ancient Hindu monastic orders in cases such as the Pashupatinath temple where a 300 year old lineage of service by temple priests was broken with their forced expulsion.

Cultural and Linguistic Genocide

Linguistic genocide is a central aspect of cultural genocide. The UN 1948 International Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of The Crime of Genocide cites the following:

“Any deliberate act committed with intent to destroy the language, religion or culture of a national, racial or religious group on grounds of national or racial origin or religious belief, such as (1) Prohibiting the use of the language of the group in daily intercourse or in schools, or the printing and circulation of publications in the language of the group; and (2) Destroying or preventing the use of libraries, museums, schools, historical monuments, places of worship or other cultural institutions and objects of the group.”

Sanskrit is one of the world’s most ancient and complex languages.  The Sanskrit language was termed as Deva-Vani, or language of the Gods. The term ‘Sanskrit’ is derived from the conjoining of the prefix ‘Sam’ meaning ‘samyak’ which indicates ‘entirely’, and ‘krit’ that indicates ‘done’. Thus, the name indicates perfectly or entirely done in terms of communication, reading, hearing, and the use of vocabulary to transcend and express an emotion. An extraordinarily complex language with a vast vocabulary, it is still widely used today in the reading of sacred texts and hymns.

Islamic and British Invaders destroyed the ancient Gurukul education system thereby removing the oral tradition of the Guru-disciple relationship and preventing the widespread transmission of Sanskrit across the Hindu population, Sanskrit slowly morphed into a language spoken only by limited linguistic scholars and historians. Generations of Hindus were robbed the opportunity of learning directly about their cultural identity, poetry, science and religious scriptures and were instead forced to rely on sanitized English translations that often served to enforce colonial narratives. Rather than learn their indigenous language, Hindus were instead compelled to undergo an English education to better conform to British rule. Sanskrit and the Gurukul system of education continue to be suppressed in modern India.

In addition, the destruction of libraries, ancient universities and ancient manuscripts on science, vedic mathematics, ayurveda and astronomy contributed greatly to the linguistic genocide of the Hindu people. One such example was the throne of knowledge, Nalanda university and temple complex.

Nalanda University was the ancient center of higher learning, located in Bihar (in the ancient kingdom of Magadha), is India’s second oldest university after Takshila. Spread over an area of 14 hectares and accommodating 10,000 students, it was a principal seat of learning from fifth century CE until the Turkish invasion of 1193, attracting students from as far as Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia. According to accounts by pilgrim monks from East Asia and other historians, the curriculum in Nalanda University included study of the Vedas, mathematics, logic, Sanskrit grammar, medicine and more subjects in every field of learning.  The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have housed more than 9 million manuscripts.

Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by Turkish Muslim invaders, under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 AD.  The library burned for three months after the invaders set fire to the buildings. The Muslim invaders ransacked and destroyed the monasteries and massacred all Hindu monks, teachers and students. Nalanda is but one example of Hindu art, history, literature and spiritual teachings being put to the flame in an exercise of linguistic genocide and book burning on a scale without historical parallel.

Historical Background

by sri.parashiva | Jan 18, 2019 | About KAILASA

Hinduism: A History of Openness and Inclusiveness

The Vedic civilization, the world’s oldest living civilization, persists to this day in the Indian subcontinent. It gave to the world the sciences of Vedic mathematics, astronomy, navigation, medicine, yoga, and above, all the sacred science of the Self (Sanatana Dharma, commonly referred to as Hinduism in the West). It is also the only civilization to produce a living lineage of Avatars (living incarnations) and enlightened beings that continue to grace our planet till the present day.

Hinduism comprises many indigenous spiritual traditions coexisting peacefully for millennia. There is no one sacred text of Hinduism, no one spiritual head, no one concept of the divine.  Hinduism has continued to exist for more than 10,000 years as the oldest living civilization on the planet because it is a framework for expressing religiosity and spirituality. Sanatana Dharma makes a clear statement in that “it empowers every individual to start their own spiritual tradition and practice,” uniquely tailored to suit that individual in alignment with the original source scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, known as the Veda-Agamas.

The basis for the open architecture framework of Hinduism lies in its mature recognition that the core truths of the self, universe, and divine empower every individual to have the freedom to customize their own personalized God, personalized lifestyle, and personalized spiritual practice. The Avatar as guru or teacher descends time and again from the universal cosmic consciousness to provide beings with conscious breakthroughs for their spiritual enlightenment.  Hinduism therefore accommodates many spiritual masters and spiritual paths to meet the diverse needs of humanity.  It is from within this framework that the lifestyle and teachings of the Hindu Adi Shaivite Minority Tradition or ASMT evolved.

Paradoxically, ASMT is a completely orthodox Hindu tradition and aligned to the ancient Agama scriptures yet in doing so maintains a remarkably progressive stance when it comes to the rights of women, and the rights of members of the LGBTQ and transgendered communities.  The spiritual head of ASMT has publicly declared himself to be of indeterminate gender and composed of more than 11 gender identity components.  In this regard, ASMT represents one of the most progressive ideologies in the world as it freely ordains women into sanyaas (the monastic order), recognizes 11 genders, and performs specific temple rituals for gay marriage, all from the depth of the more than 5,000 year old indigenous spiritual tradition.

These principles constitute the integrity of the ASMT community and the ethos of the nation of Kailaasa: nonviolence, blissful coexistence, vegetarianism, worship of nature and living beings, organic lifestyle, temple-based living, yoga, and yogic sciences. The Veda-Agamas provide clear instructions on how beings may realize the ultimate awareness of the cosmic oneness or Advaita through yogic sciences.  Every being can manifest shaktis or powers from the space and state of oneness to create the reality that they desire.

Hindu Holocaust: Invasion, Colonization and Exploitation

The story of the systematic destruction, dismantling and bleeding of Hindu civilization at the hands of foreign invaders and colonial overlords is one of the greatest unrecognized genocides in recorded history — over a span of a thousand years 400  million Hindus were massacred or starved^[3], thousands of temples were looted and destroyed, and billions of dollars in economic output were appropriated.

Celebrated historian Will Durant explains in The Story of Civilisation: Our Oriental Heritage: “The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period.”

The British Imperial rule that succeeded the Muslim dynasties, was arguably more destructive to Hindu civilization, both economically and socially.  Durant, upon seeing the destitute condition of Indians under British rule in 1930, remarked “I have seen a great people starving to death before my eyes, and I am convinced that this exhaustion and starvation are due not, as their beneficiaries claim, to overpopulation and superstition, but to the most sordid and criminal exploitation of one nation by another in all recorded history.”

When the British entered India weakened by centuries of Muslim conquest, it represented a staggering 27% of global GDP.  After 200 years of colonial exploitation, the British left India in 1947 with 90% of the population living below the poverty line and only 17% of Indians able to read and write. British mismanagement and misappropriation resulted in an Indian GDP growth rate from 1900 to 1947 of a meager 0.001%.  The British systematically undermined traditional Hindu native rulers,  institutions, temples and schools in order to utterly destroy the indigenous Hindu culture and civilization and replace it with an alien British system that rendered Hindus second-class citizens in their own country.

Modern Hindus have also experienced religious persecution in the form of forced conversions, documented massacres, demolition and desecrations of temples, as well as the destruction of universities and schools. Hindus in the Muslim-majority regions of Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and other countries have suffered persecution.

A poignant example of persecution is seen during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide where there was widespread killings and acts of ethnic cleansing of Hindu civilians in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan, a province of Pakistan), and widespread violations of human rights were carried out by the Pakistani Army, which was supported by political and religious militias during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In Bangladesh, the atrocities are identified as a genocide. Time magazine reported that “the Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Muslim military’s hatred.” There was widespread killing of Hindu males, and rapes of women. Documented incidents in which Hindus were massacred in large numbers include the Chuknagar massacre, the Jathibhanga massacre, and the Shankharipara massacre.

Unfortunately, the plight of Hindus in India, particularly its minority communities, did not improve substantially post-Independence.  Hindus continue to face systematic political, legal and social persecution and violence from atheistic, Marxist political parties and even from ostensibly Hindu majority political parties like the BJP and RSS who seek to dominate minority Hindu communities such as the ASMT in order to retain political hegemony.

Historical Roots of ASMT

The traditional seat of ASMT is the city of Madurai, which is in the present state of Tamil Nadu, India.  Prior to colonial rule, the South Indian Adi Shaiva nation with Madurai as its capital was one of the most culturally, spiritually, and scientifically advanced and wealthiest civilizations of the time going back several thousand years to earlier than 200 B.C.E.

The Adi Shaiva nation was ruled primarily by three dynasties of rulers – the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas. At their peak around 1000 C.E., they ruled all of what is currently Southern India, including Sri Lanka in the South, the Maldives and Lakshadweep to the west, and then extending east all along the coast of the Bay of Bengal across Southern Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and parts of Cambodia. The Khmer Kingdom in Cambodia was established with the help of Rajendra Chola, one of the Chola Kings. Artisans from the Chola Kingdom built the largest Hindu temple in the world at Angkor Wat in Cambodia under the auspices of Suryavarman II. The Chola kings also built magnificent temples throughout India like the Brihadeeshwara temple in Tanjore for Paramashiva, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In the Adi Shaiva community, often the kingdom’s spiritual head was its political, economical, and cultural head. The political rule (Arasatchi) was not separated from the economic rule (Porulaatchi), and neither of these were separated from the core principles of ASMT.  The Pandyas considered the Kamika Agama of ASMT (scriptures on the science of living an enlightened life) written by Paramashiva (the original author of yoga) as the core spiritual guide for the people and the kingdom.

Thus, the political understanding of the people and the nation could only be made with someone who was a master of the Kamika Agama, and who understood its principles deeply.  The spiritual leader of the nation or community was known as the Madurai Aadheenam Guru Maha Sannidhaanam, who has always been considered as the incarnation of Paramashiva in ASMT.

Spiritual Foundation: The Values of Kailasa

by sri.parashiva | Jan 18, 2019 | About KAILASA

The constitution, laws and values of Kailasa are based on Veda-Agamic scriptures and Manusmriti. Manusmriti, translated as “The Laws of Manu” is the most important and authoritative Hindu law book (Dharmashastra), which served as a foundational work on Hindu law and jurisprudence in ancient India for at least 1,500 years. Kailasa stands for some of the following cosmic principles:

Right to Happiness

Hinduism is the religion of bliss. It considers the Right of Happiness to be the highest fundamental right of all humans, in fact all beings. The ultimate goal for Hinduism is the material and spiritual well-being of humanity.

Peaceful Co-existence of all beings

Om sarve bhavantu sukhinah. Sarve santu niraamayaah.
Sarve bhadraani pashyantu. Maa kaschid dukhbhaag bhavet.

“May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings experience prosperity. May none in the world suffer.”

Against the backdrop of this understanding of equality and unity, the Hindu world has embraced the reality of diversity through its philosophy of pluralism. Every being, with their varying likes and dislikes, their unique personalities, and their different cultures, not only connect with one another in their own unique ways, but connect with the divine in their own individual ways.

Omnipresence of All Beings

Ekoham Bahu Syam: “I am one; may I become many” – Oneness of all beings is the core operating cognition resulting in all beings experienced as the self.

Human Dignity cannot be ensured merely through constitutional means, it has to be embedded in the basic Sanskaras – the value system of the society. The same Consciousness pervades all creation therefore all beings are equal.

“Amritasya Putrah Vayam’ – this is how Hinduism introduces human beings “as children of the immortals”

Divine nature of Human Beings

Hinduism doesn’t recognise human beings as mere material beings. Its understanding of human identity is more ethical-spiritual than material. Sarvam brahmopniṣadam – All is Brahman, Consciousness,  is revealed in the Upanishads.

That is why a sense of immortality and divinity is attributed to all human beings in Hindu thought and culture. It is on the principle that the soul that makes the body of all living organisms its abode is in fact an integral part of the Divine Whole – Paramaatman – that the Vedas declare unequivocally:

Ajyesthaaso Akanisthaasa Yete Sam Bhraataro Vaavrudhuh Soubhagaya

“No one is superior or inferior; all are brothers; all should strive for the interest of all and progress collectively.”

RigVeda, Mandala-5, Sukta-60, Mantra-5

Ethical treatment of Animals and Plants

The core Hindu belief that the Divine exists in all living beings, both human and non-human, and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the whole world is one family.  Animals and plants are equally embodied with the existence of the Divine and are fully deserving of respect and human compassion. Amongst Vedic traditions are some of the earliest teachings promoting the ethical treatment of animals, the basis of which stems from the concepts of karma and reincarnation; ahimsa or non-injury; and the understanding that the Divine exists as a soul in all living beings, both human and non-human.  Despite differences in intelligence and ability amongst varying life forms, the existence of the soul in all forms binds all of existence and demands peaceful, respectful coexistence amongst humans, animals and other elements of nature.

In the Hindu epic Mahabharat, Lord Krishna, who chastises his cousin for carelessly chopping down a tree to release pent up anger, states, “Humans should take from this planet only that which is necessary for our survival.” He continues to explain that when societies begin to violate this principle, all of humanity will be forced to face the repercussions as all life is interconnected and serves its unique purpose in the world.  

“He who kills harmless and non-violent creatures for his own pleasure will never get true happiness, whether in this life, or after he dies.” 
~ (Manu Smriti 5.45 – Vishnu Dharma Sutra 51.68)
 
“He who does not seek to kill, cause pain or tie up living creatures and desires the good of all attains everlasting joy.” 
~ (Manu Smriti 5.46 – Vishnu Dharma Sutra 51.69)
 
“Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun the use of meat.” 
~ (Manu Smriti 5.48 – Vishnu Dharma Sutra 51.71)

Rights of All Genders

Kailasa respects and treats all 11 genders equally with equal respect and rights for all.

Historically, in ancient India, women had always occupied positions of  power and high esteem. Prof. H.H. Wilson says: “It may be confidently asserted that in no nation of antiquity were women held in so much esteem as amongst Hindus.” (Mill’s History of Bharat, Vol. II)
The Divine in Hinduism is Artha Nareeswara in form and gender-free in formless.

Women enjoyed not only equal opportunities and privileges with men in the classical Hindu literature; they even enjoyed rights that were not available for their counterparts. Manu Smriti, declares:

Yatra Naryastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devatah – “Where women are worshipped there the angels tread”.

The nation of Kailasa adheres to Sanatana Dharma (commonly referred to as Hinduism in the West) and operates under the cosmic principle of pure Oneness (Advaita) as described by Paramashiva, the original author of the science of yoga (union with the ultimate) and enlightenment. The application of Oneness to everyday life is revealed in the Agamas, ancient scriptures authored by Paramashiva, describing a society based on the fundamental ideals of universality, blissful coexistence, non-violence and freedom.

Paramashiva is the Adi Yogi (innovator of yoga) and the Adi Guru (primordial guru or spiritual master), who is an embodiment of the ultimate cosmic intelligence. Time and again, he incarnates on earth to revive the science of yoga, enlightenment and power manifestation; to make it relevant to the times; to exemplify a divine life on earth; and to lead all beings to the next stage in their evolution. Sanatana Dharma describes Paramashiva’s eternal home as Kailasa – the eleven dimensional realm that encompasses space, time and other ordinary dimensions we perceive in everyday life. Kailasa is open to everyone irrespective of who they are. In Kailasa, people are not judged but transformed. Kailasa represents a place of simplicity in form, yet the ultimate richness in spirit. It is a place of the joyous cosmic dance where the world is created, governed and celebrated.

When Paramashiva embodies himself, the physical place he resides on earth is also referred to as Kailasa.  The nation-in-exile of Kailasa represents the land where the current  incarnation of Paramashiva, His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam, resides and leads the world. This nation is thus an embodiment of the principles, practices, the space and mystique of the residence of Paramashiva and hence appropriately named Kailasa.

Kailasa  will operate as a nation with its own Self-governing body based on:

• Parliamentary system based on Hindu Political principles
• Supreme Court as per Hindu Legal & Justice System
• Federal Reserve Bank run as per Hindu Economic Policies
• KAILASA’s Hindu Trade Center runs as per Hindu Business Principles
• Educational Institutions run as per the Hindu Education System
• Religious organizations such as Temples and Monasteries as per Hindu Religious traditions
• Hospitals as per the Hindu Medical System